Chapter 35: Undercurrents at the Exhibition and Warning Signs for Crops
# Chapter 35: Undercurrents at the Exhibition and Warning Signs for Crops
The National Ecological Agriculture Exhibition hall was bustling with activity, and the Qingxi Village booth was particularly crowded. Chen Wangzheng, holding a double-kernel walnut specimen, introduced it to visitors: "This is an old variety of walnut from our Qingxi Village. It has a thin shell and a full kernel. It can even coexist with old pear trees, producing fruit with a faint pear fragrance. It's a unique local variety." In the center of the booth, a pot of Xiaochen's signature "Star Pattern" tomato seedlings flourished in a glass enclosure. The distinctive light yellow stripes on the leaves drew the children's attention.
Lin Xiaoman was busy distributing cultural and creative brochures, the lavender in her hair swaying gently as she moved. The brochures detailed the growth processes of traditional crop varieties and the villagers' stories of their cultivation. Xiaochen, tucked away behind the booth, held a pot of tomato seedlings, occasionally popping his head out to point them out. "This is the seedling I planted. It was nearly destroyed by hail, but now it's sprouting new leaves!" Wangfu, meanwhile, lay obediently at her feet, keeping a wary eye on the passersby, occasionally glancing up at Xiaochen, afraid he might knock over the pot.
"Mr. Chen, Ms. Lin, excuse me." A foreign man in a dark gray suit approached, followed by two assistants carrying briefcases. He handed over a thick business card, his smile gentle yet deliberately warm. "I'm Anderson from Country A Ecological Technology Company. I really appreciate your traditional crop varieties and would like to discuss cooperation."
Chen Wang took the card and paused as his fingertips touched the fine lines along its edge. This material didn't resemble an ordinary business card, more like some kind of special card. He calmly put it away. "Thank you for your interest. We currently have cooperation intentions with several local companies."
"Don't be so quick to refuse." Anderson pulled a gold-stamped cooperation proposal from his briefcase and pushed it in front of the two men. "We can provide the most advanced intelligent seedling-raising equipment to help you bring Qingxi's traditional varieties to the global market, and we'll give you a 70% share of the profits." His eyes swept over the tomato seedlings under the glass cover, a subtle glint of eagerness in his eyes. "We can even help you apply for an international variety patent, giving you an exclusive monopoly on this category."
Lin Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat, remembering the words in her grandfather's notes: "Local old varieties are nurtured by the land. Without the soil of Qingxi, the flavor will change. They must not be easily distributed outside." She smiled and shook her head, her tone firm but polite: "Thank you for your kindness, but our old varieties are very sensitive to the soil and will not grow well outside of Qingxi. For the time being, we are not considering overseas promotion."
Anderson seemed prepared, winking at his assistant. The assistant immediately opened a silver metal box containing several transparent test tubes. The labels were densely printed with foreign text: "This is a soil adaptor we've developed. It helps crops adapt to soils in different climates. Take it home and try it out. We'll provide free samples and discuss further." The metal box shone with a cold luster, exuding an industrial feel that didn't belong in farmland.
Chen Wang was about to refuse when he saw the tomato seedlings in the glass cover suddenly wilt—their previously unfurled leaves curled up, and the pale yellow lines faded, as if stimulated by something. The potted plant in Xiaochen's arms also reacted, its stems trembling slightly, and its new leaves pressed together.
"What's wrong with Miaomiao?" Xiaochen panicked and reached out to touch the leaves. Lin Xiaoman quickly stopped him and gently brushed the tip of the tomato leaf with her fingertips. The touch was drier than usual. "It doesn't seem to like this box. Put it away quickly."
Anderson's smile froze for a moment, then he covered it up and said, "Maybe the air conditioning in the exhibition hall is too cold, which affects the condition of the seedlings. It's okay." He insisted on handing the metal box to Chen Wang, "You test it first, and I'll come back tomorrow to listen to your feedback." After that, he hurried away with his assistant. Before leaving, the assistant quietly took out his mobile phone and took a picture of the crop specimens in the booth. Lin Xiaoman saw it out of the corner of his eye and silently remembered it in his heart.
The two exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes. Chen Wang opened the metal box and sniffed the liquid in the test tube—no odor at all. But as soon as he placed it in the corner of the booth, the dried strawberry specimen next to it changed color, its once bright red flesh gradually turning gray and losing its luster.
"Close it quickly!" Lin Xiaoman pressed the box tightly. "There's something wrong with this thing. It's not good for crops."
As the exhibition was drawing to a close, an agricultural expert hurried over, clutching several sheets of printed paper. His expression was serious. "Don't cooperate with that Anderson! His company has a terrible reputation. They specialize in stealing traditional rice varieties from other places under the guise of cooperation! They once ripped off a village in Southeast Asia's native rice and converted it into a genetically modified variety. As a result, the native rice can no longer grow!"
Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman's faces suddenly changed. Chen Wang pulled out Anderson's business card and held it up to the light. He discovered that the lines on the edge were actually microcircuits—this wasn't a business card at all, but a small detector. He quickly took a picture of the lines with his phone and said, "No wonder Miaomiao reacted. They're not here to cooperate. They're trying to steal our seeds and planting techniques for our traditional varieties."
That evening, back at the hotel, Chen Wang sent the metal box to the designated testing agency for the exhibition, while Lin Xiaoman called the village. Grandma Zhang on the other end said, "This afternoon, a few strangers were lingering at the village entrance, wanting to discuss cooperation with you, but Uncle Li chased them away. Then, the strawberry patch under the old pear tree suddenly wilted, its leaves curled violently, as if burned."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiaoman's heart sank. She dug out her grandfather's notes and found a line of pencil writing on the last few pages: "Outsiders like to target old local varieties, some using chemicals to harm the seedlings. They can only be saved by mixing a mixture of pine needles and mugwort with morning dew and watering the roots, then covering with soil from the Qingxi River." Next to the handwriting was a simple pear leaf symbol, reminiscent of the pattern on the tomato seedlings on the display.
"The test results are in!" Chen Wang pushed open the door and entered, holding the test report in his hand, his brow furrowed. "The liquid in the test tube is a hidden inhibitor that will slowly damage the crop's root system. There are also microsensors in the metal box that can monitor crop growth data. They're trying to secretly collect information about the varieties!" He paused, then added, "Experts say they've likely already plucked leaves from the tomato seedlings at the exhibition for genetic analysis."
Xiaochen suddenly pointed at the hotel window and shouted, "Dad! There's a car following us downstairs!"
The two ran to the window and saw a black car parked downstairs, the antenna on the roof flashing a faint red light. Standing next to the car was Anderson's assistant. He seemed to sense they were watching and quickly opened the door and got in. The car quickly disappeared into the night.
"They're watching us." Lin Xiaoman squeezed Chen Wang's hand. "We need to return to the village as soon as the exhibition is over tomorrow. We can't let them get close to our crops."
Chen Wang nodded, packed his luggage overnight, and stuffed all the old varieties of seeds and specimens into his carry-on bag. The box that contained the specimens had been tampered with, and the lock showed signs of being pried open. Fortunately, he moved it in advance.
The next morning, Anderson returned to the booth. This time, his gentle demeanor was gone, and his tone was threatening. "If you don't cooperate, these old varieties will eventually be eliminated. We're the only ones who can maximize their value. Don't be ungrateful."
"It's not up to outsiders to judge whether our varieties are good or not." Chen Wang pushed the cooperation proposal back, his tone cold and hard, "If you continue to pester me, we will report you to the exhibition organizers and the agricultural department for stealing variety resources."
Anderson's face darkened completely. He glared at the two of them, then slammed the door and left with his assistant.
On the way back from the exhibition, as the car entered Qingxi Village, I saw villagers gathered at the base's gate, their faces anxious. Uncle Li ran over, clutching a withered strawberry leaf. "Yesterday afternoon, those guys didn't go far and secretly sprinkled some white powder on the strawberry patch. This morning, the seedlings withered, and even the new buds on the old pear trees have wilted!"
The two of them hurried into the base, and the scene before them made their hearts tighten: a group of seedlings in the strawberry bed had fallen over, and the leaves had turned black; the yellow edges of the leaves of the tomato vines had disappeared, and had curled up to brown; the most distressing thing was the old pear tree, the new buds that had just grown had all withered, and there were several fine cracks on the bark, oozing a light brown juice.
"It's Anderson and the others who are behind this!" Lin Xiaoman squatted beside the strawberry patch, touched a little soil with his fingertips and sniffed it. It had a faint chemical smell. "They must have spread inhibitors. They want to destroy our old varieties!"
Chen Wang picked up a dead leaf and discovered tiny white particles on its underside—a consistent pattern with the composition of the liquid in the metal box. He clenched his fists and said, "Not only do they want to steal the varieties, they also want to prevent us from growing them and force us to beg them for mercy!"
Xiaochen held his tomato seedling, his eyes red. "Will the seedling die?" The tomato seedling in his arms, while not completely dead, was lifeless, its leaves drooping. Then, the stem of the tomato seedling swayed slightly, and an old leaf fell into Xiaochen's palm. The light yellow lines on the leaf surface became clearer, as if reminding him of something.
Lin Xiaoman suddenly remembered his grandfather's notes and hurried home with Chen Wang in tow. "Grandpa wrote down a remedy! Boil a juice of pine needles and mugwort, mix it with morning dew, and water the roots. Then cover with a layer of fresh soil from Qingxi. It will neutralize the inhibitor!"
Chen Wang immediately divided the work: "Uncle Li, take a few people to the back mountain to collect pine needles and mugwort. Grandma Zhang will organize the women to collect the morning dew. Xiaoman and I will first loosen the roots of the old pear tree. Xiaochen will help water it to dilute the inhibitor in the soil!"
As the sun sets, the base bustles with activity. Uncle Li returns carrying a bundle of pine needles, followed by Aunt Wang carrying a bucket of morning dew. Grandma Zhang and the children fill kettles with boiled water and water the roots of the crops, one by one. Chen Wang squats beneath an old pear tree, carefully digging up the soil around its roots, while Lin Xiaoman slowly pours mugwort juice mixed with morning dew into the water.
Xiaochen used a small kettle to water his tomato seedlings, muttering to himself, "Come on, Miaomiao, get well soon." Wangfu helped by holding a small shovel and digging the soil next to the roots of the seedlings, as if to help cover the soil.
Before long, new green sprouts appeared between the bark of the old pear tree—new shoots! There was also movement in the strawberry patch, with tiny new leaves emerging next to the dead seedlings; the leaves of the tomato vines slowly unfolded, and the light yellow lines appeared again.
"Alive! Miaomiao is alive!" Xiaochen jumped up and shouted while holding the kettle.
The villagers breathed a sigh of relief, smiles on their faces. Lin Xiaoman leaned on Chen Wang's shoulder, watching the crops gradually recover. She knew this trouble wasn't over yet. Anderson and his men wouldn't let this go. Qingxi's old varieties were too valuable, and more people would be eyeing them.
As night fell, the lights at the base came on. Chen Wang pulled out his phone and took a photo of the new leaves under the old pear tree and Xiaochen's tomato seedlings, editing his "Orchard Diary": "We encountered thieves at the exhibition, and our old varieties were damaged. But with unity and the protection of the land, the seedlings are back to life. The battle to protect our soil and our seeds has just begun." In the photo, moonlight shone on the ridges of the fields, and the light yellow veins of the tomato seedlings glowed softly, as if they were persevering with them.
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