Chapter 53 Long-term planning
The meeting room fell silent again.
After two minutes of silence, Qian Guiying swallowed her saliva and spoke with difficulty: "But, with so many plants, will the Chinese medicine company accept them?"
Although Manager Long has a good relationship with Director Qin and they can harvest whatever they sow, the pharmaceutical company does not belong to Long Wen alone. To be honest, the provincial pharmaceutical company does not make much money by buying medicinal materials from the health institute because of the long distance, inconvenient transportation and difficult storage. As prices rise in the future, these costs cannot be ignored.
The more you use favors, the less you have.
Qin Jue naturally knew what Qian Guiying understood. To expand the planting area, her intention was not simply to help everyone make more extra money. She had a long-term plan for growing medicinal herbs.
One of the important internal reasons for the decline of traditional Chinese medicine in the future is the serious lag in the quality of Chinese herbal medicines.
“Qin said that the quality of Chinese herbal medicines will get worse and worse in the future. Why is that?”
"Do you think green onions are more fragrant when they are grown at home or when they are wild?"
Qian Guiying, who cooks every day, thought without hesitation: "It must be wild. The taste is amazing."
"It's the same with medicinal herbs. Artificially cultivated herbs are not as good as wild ones. With the development of the market economy, in order to obtain higher economic value, farmers will use technology to work harder and shorten the growth cycle artificially. The effective ingredients will only become less and less. If patients take such ineffective medicines, will they blame the herbs for being bad?"
Qin Ju said to himself, "No, they will just say that Chinese medicine is ineffective and that Chinese medicine is a liar."
It is clear that the theory of traditional Chinese medicine has remained unchanged for thousands of years, and has even been constantly improving. However, the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine treatments has been getting worse and worse. The quality of medicinal materials really cannot be ignored.
"At the same time, those medicinal herbs that contain excessive amounts of pesticides and fertilizers are also harmful to the human body."
Qin Ju wants to do her best to save the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine. She cannot call on the entire industry to do so, but she must control the quality of the herbs she uses and reduce the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. As long as she is planting herbs, she must do so. For example, for the first batch of herbs planted in recent years, she also adheres to the principle of not using fertilizers and pesticides if possible, and not using more if possible. The output can be lower, but the quality and safety must be guaranteed.
The reason why Long Wen can harvest whatever they grow is certainly because of personal relationships, but more importantly, the quality of their medicinal materials is really good.
He was not a fool. He could tell how long the growth cycle was and how much pesticide and fertilizer were used just by smelling it. The staff member who came in last time to collect the herbs told Qin Jue that even the leaders above Manager Long liked their herbs very much, and even the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine specifically requested their licorice. Wasn't this a kind of affirmation?
If Qin Jue remembered correctly, in two years at most, after the reform and opening up, more and more people would grow medicinal herbs, and the market competition would become more intense. She needed to establish the status of Lenghe Town and turn it into an "authentic" medicinal material production area before everyone discovered this red ocean.
"Of course, the reputation of authentic medicinal materials cannot be built in a few years. I am just giving an example."
"You mean, you should not only continue to expand the planting area, but also create a brand effect?" Lao Wang felt that he was increasingly unable to understand Qin Suo.
"Yes, we will create a Lenghe brand in the future to let the people know that all the Chinese medicinal materials produced in Lenghe Town are good medicines and are effective medicines."
She also explained in detail what brand effect is, how to build a brand, how to manage a brand, and what benefits the brand will bring to them in the future... All this took up an entire morning.
People only understood half of what she said. Qin Jue explained it very simply, but the terms were too new and the picture she described was too beautiful, so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Therefore, people could only understand half of what she said.
But it doesn’t matter, they listen to Qin anyway.
As long as the staff in the institute support her, the obstacles to her future work will be much smaller. Qin Ju went to Qian's house the next day. Since he was discharged from the hospital, Qian's health has been much worse than before, but Qin Ju visits him regularly, gives him massage, acupuncture, and a few conditioning prescriptions. Although he can only recuperate now, he can stand up and walk a few steps instead of sitting in a wheelchair.
At least, he could go to the toilet by himself, which reduced a lot of burden for Aunt Qian.
Look, Aunt Qian saw her and smiled so hard that her teeth were showing. "Hey, Xiao Qin is here, Old Qian, Xiao Qin is here to see you again!"
She knew that her husband had lived a life of poverty and had been a half-baked leader, and finally sacrificed his health for his work, but his leaders only visited him occasionally, and his colleagues at the health center were too busy with work to come. Only Xiao Qin came twice a week and gave her husband free treatment.
Aunt Qian always remembered this kindness and told everyone that Xiao Qin was kind and a man with a conscience.
Qin Ju chatted with her for a while, then went into the house to check on Old Qian. "He's recovering well, but Uncle Qian, remember not to be impatient, take your time."
Lao Qian smiled and said, "You too, if you are busy with work, don't come. The health center can't do without you."
"I came here today because I want to ask your advice on something."
Lao Qian sat up straight. He had been out of service for so long, but this was the first time someone came to discuss serious matters with him. "Well, go ahead."
"I'm thinking, the hundreds of acres of wasteland around us are just lying there, can we talk to the factory and the local commune in Lenghe Town and just allocate them to our institute?"
Lao Qian pointed to the map on the wall. There were indeed a lot of wastelands around the 412 Factory. He had already inquired about it before reclaiming the land that year. It was not because of any strategic need, but because no one was cultivating the land. The members of Lenghe Commune preferred the land on the other side with more abundant water resources. The factory was an industrial enterprise and was not interested in farming, so the land had been left idle for decades.
"Just think about it. When the time comes, we can plant all these lands with medicinal herbs. They will bloom in spring and bear fruits in summer. They will be green all year round. When our workers and their families look out, they will see hope. Isn't that great?"
"Perhaps by then it will be easier for the young men in our factory to get married, and there will be more families willing to settle down here."
Lao Qian narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "That's right. There are so many unmarried young men in the factory now. In fact, the conditions are too harsh. For married people, there are not many families willing to settle down here. For unmarried people, when they see that there are wastelands everywhere and they eat sand every day, how many young people can stand the loneliness?"
"The practice and experience of the last land reclamation proved that in addition to afforestation, planting medicinal herbs can also turn the desert into an oasis. It may also be a means of sand control." Qin Ju added.
Now, Lao Qian was even more moved. He had deep feelings about sand control and turning desert into oasis, because he was a veteran soldier!
After leaving the Qian family, Qin Ju waited for news. Two days later, when the time was right, she finally found Director Li and told him her plan again.
In fact, the Health Institute was under the charge of Secretary Gong, but Qin Ju did not go directly to Secretary Gong, but first went to Director Li. She also had her reasons.
Director Li and Lao Qian have a very close relationship. They were comrades-in-arms who lived in a cave together, carrying guns and hoes. Qin Ju first asked Lao Qian to be a lobbyist and convince Director Li, and then she went to find him to make up for it. When she raised the issue of expanding the planting area at the regular meeting, Director Li really came out to say a few words for her. Seeing that the director had expressed his position, the others would not refuse him face.
The main thing is that the factory leaders never paid attention to the matter of growing pesticides. Compared with the monthly output of tens of millions of yuan, working hard under the scorching sun and earning only a few melons and a couple of dates in three years is really nothing. In this "small matter", everyone is willing to give face to Director Li.
Secretary Gong immediately said that he would report the matter to the higher authorities and asked Qin Ju to submit an application. He was conservative and liked to have laws to follow and documents to guide him in everything he did.
Qin Jue wrote the application right after get off work.
*
But she was not a student, and it was quite difficult for her to write such literary works. From the time she got home from get off work and started writing until dinner, she could only manage about a hundred words.
It’s really too difficult!
"Mom, grandma is calling me, eat." Doubao can already speak long sentences. Now she is still the errand boy at home. If someone asks her to get something, she always rushes to do it.
Qin Guihua was reluctant to let her run errands at first, but Qin Jue thought it was a good idea. Doing small things within her ability could not only cultivate her self-care ability, but also build her self-confidence and sense of satisfaction.
She is super confident now and feels like she can do the hardest things in the world!
She took the initiative to hold her mother's hand. Unlike other children who liked to jump around, she took every step steadily. "Mom, Dad is back."
"Is Doubao happy?"
"I'm glad that my father and uncle are back."
Sure enough, in the room, Liao Zhixian and He Liansheng were chatting and laughing about something. When they came in, Liao Zhixian picked up Doubao and tossed her up a few times, making the little girl giggle non-stop.
Although they were both in college, they lived not far away. Every Saturday afternoon, they followed the factory's supply truck back to Lenghe Town, and on Sunday night, they followed the delivery truck to the provincial capital. If they didn't have classes on Monday morning, they could still catch up by setting off on Monday morning. So Qin Ju didn't miss Lao He that much, and she was always thinking about writing the application.
"I met an acquaintance in the department director's office on Monday." Liao Zhixian said while holding Doubao on his neck.
"Who is it? Do we know each other?" Ailan put on her apron and was carrying dishes. She had learned a few more dishes in the canteen, one of which was braised lamb, which was the specialty of the canteen's master chef. Ailan could already replicate more than 90% of it, and today she had to let her two brothers-in-law have a taste of it.
"Professor Zhong." He arrived late and did not see the scene of Professor Zhong leading everyone to reclaim wasteland. However, when Ai-lan got married, Qin Ju called Professor Zhong specifically, hoping that he would come over and see the results of his work. Unexpectedly, he actually came.
Perhaps it was because like attracts like, Liao Zhixian, who was also a planting fanatic, thought that Professor Zhong had a kind face and extraordinary demeanor, so he was naturally impressed.
"Why is he with your department head?"
"I heard that the department wanted to invite him to teach at our school, but he was not very willing."
Zhong Weimin was rehabilitated last month and officially resumed his work and previous benefits, but he was deeply hurt by his former colleagues, leaders and students when he was at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He was unwilling to go back to work with them and wanted to find a new job. It just so happened that the Agricultural University extended an olive branch to him, which was a good thing.
But the key point is that his ex-wife also works at the Agricultural University. Zhong Weimin had a very unhappy divorce with his ex-wife, and now he is going to work at his ex-wife's unit. No matter how broad-minded he is, he will always feel a little bit of concern. But if he doesn't go to the Agricultural University, where else can he go?
Qin Jue listened and frowned.
He Liansheng also noticed that Qin Ju was worried, so he took Doubao out for a walk after dinner. He didn't know how he tried to get Qin Ju to say anything, but when Qin Ju was about to comb her hair and pick up the pen again that night, he suddenly handed her two pieces of writing paper.
When Qin Ju took a look, it turned out to be a well-reasoned and logical application!
She herself can't write because of her limited education and experience, but that doesn't mean she can't read. Qin Ju read it carefully twice and clapped his hands repeatedly, "Good job, old He, you are really good at it."
"What do you mean by two brushes, mom?"
Qin Ju gently pinched Doubao's chubby little ears and said, "It means very powerful."
"My dad is so awesome!" She boasted happily, and suddenly added, "Even better than Brother Haiyang!"
Lao He's eyes flickered, "What happened to Zhao Haiyang?"
"You may not know this, but Zhao Haiyang is doing very well in his studies. He skipped two grades this semester. People in the factory say he is the God of Literature and will be very successful in the future." Of course, Qin Ju believed that this rumor was not spread from the family area. The female family members, led by Li Yuhua, did not like this child very much. She guessed that Zhao Qingsong saw that he had no hope of promotion and wanted to focus on training his son, so he deliberately spread the rumor.
Lao He thought of the child who vaguely looked like a teenager, and a trace of displeasure flashed through his heart, "Doubao, play by yourself, don't run around with them, be good."
Doubao puffed out his chest and agreed, "Well, Doubao will be a good boy and won't play cat and cat with brother Haiyang."
Zhao Haiyang's academic performance is good now, but Qin Qi always thinks he is evil. Many people in the family compound have seen him abuse the chicks. They have reported it to Zhao Qingsong behind his back or in person, but Zhao Qingsong has been getting more and more marginalized in the past two years and can no longer take care of the children. Now he not only abuses the chicks, but also wants to beat up the stray cats and dogs on the roadside. It is said that he broke the neck of a pregnant female cat a few days ago.
Everyone could see that something was wrong with Zhao Haiyang, but Zhao Qingsong was the only one who thought that "beating small animals" was no big deal.
The family members were terrified, but there was nothing they could do about other people's children. They could only tell their own children not to play with him. Doubao and other little girls had to be kept under the supervision of the adults and watched wherever they went.
Lao He held his daughter in his arms and poked her with his stubble on his chin, "Be good, Daddy is the best. Zhao Haiyang is not even as good as one of my fingers, right?"
"Hmm!"
Although Doubao is small, she just doesn't like to play with the two Zhao children, especially Zhao Haiyang. "Doubao is not afraid of him. Doubao is awesome, and daddy is the best!"
He even clenched his little fists, which made both adults laugh.
But they laughed and that was it. In their hearts, they all became alert at the same time. It seemed that Zhao Haiyang was going to go further and further down the wrong path.
Even his biological father thinks that as long as his grades are good, other things are not a big deal, so they naturally won't interfere. But with such a time bomb around Doubao, they, as parents, will not feel at ease.
"I'll take care of this. You guys just take care of Doubao when I'm not home."
Qin Ju nodded. Every man has his own way of solving the problem. "Okay, remember not to let Dou Bao see it."
*
The next day, when I submitted the application, even Secretary Gong applauded me.
Now, things became much simpler. Within half a month, the higher-ups approved the application to reclaim wasteland for growing medicinal herbs again. Moreover, the area was even larger than what was written in Qinjiao's application, a full 500 mu!
This made everyone in the institute very happy, because everyone knew that as long as they could grow medicinal herbs, they would receive bonuses and live a good life.
Qian Guiying, on the other hand, was a little worried. "Even if we can reclaim such a large area of wasteland, who will coordinate our planting of medicinal herbs?"
Very good, I learned the word "coordinate" from Qin.
"Don't worry, I promise to find you an expert who will convince everyone."
"Who is it?"
"Professor Zhong, do you still remember him?"
Old Zhong, that is a professor who is more like a farmer than the farmers. How could we forget that in the past three years, Qin Ju had sent him some samples of the medicinal materials produced every year. Originally, Qin Ju wanted to give him bonuses and dividends, but he didn't want them. So Qin Ju replaced them with daily necessities, such as rice, flour, grains and oil, clothes, shoes and socks, etc., to improve his living standards as much as possible.
All this money came from an honest source, and everyone knows that.
"The experts have it, but what should we plant?"
"Why not just continue growing licorice? It's profitable and has a short payback period."
Of course, she would continue to plant licorice and Chinese Gentiana, but 500 mu of licorice was too much. It would be difficult to harvest and sell them all in a short time. She didn't know anything about investment and financial management, but she knew that she couldn't put all her eggs in one basket.
"In addition to what we have planted in recent years, let's add another one, Dendrobium officinale."
"This medicinal herb is very rare, right? Where can we get the seedlings? Last time I heard Professor Zhong say they don't have it." Lao Wang added.
Qin Ju thought of his distant hometown, where there was an old farmer who cherished every blade of grass and every grain of soil on the mountain as if they were his own children - Uncle Cui Wu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
