Chapter 230
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jiani saw Zhang Baosheng's serious old face next to her.
Obviously Zhang Baosheng was also surprised.
"Did all those who came to study before learn in vain?"
Zhou Jiani was afraid of discouraging him, so she shook her head and said, "Not entirely. There are a few that are doing quite well, and their scale is about the same as ours."
Zhang Baosheng was not very happy. Strictly speaking, it was a bit contradictory. When he first asked everyone to come and learn the skills, he was worried that the apprentices would starve to death. But later he was persuaded by Qiu Zeming, so he welcomed everyone who came to learn, hoping that they could take the skills back to benefit the local people.
Now I hear that most of them have not developed, which makes me feel a little depressed.
"It's a waste of effort."
He was about to turn and leave with a huff, but Zhou Jiani stopped him, "The county is planning to restart this project and vigorously promote it. They want to build plastic greenhouses. I think Qianjin Brigade will still be used as a model. Would you consider expanding the scale?"
Zhang Baosheng was surprised: "Is the county going to take action?"
Zhou Jiani nodded. She hoped the village could expand. County Chief Wang needed support at this time, and the Qianjin Brigade was a prime example of success. Proactive support was more appropriate than passive acceptance.
If we develop well and keep the typical model stable, this may be an opportunity for the entire Qianjin Brigade, or even the entire Xihe Commune, to make a leap forward.
Whether or not it can become the focus of development in the county depends on how closely it keeps up with the pace.
Moreover, even if County Chief Wang couldn't bear the pressure and the plan aborted, it wouldn't be a loss for the Qianjin Brigade to expand one more shed. Over the past few years, the profits have been considerable.
Zhang Baosheng didn't think for long before he said firmly, "We have to expand. Actually, I've been thinking about adding another greenhouse because we still don't have enough vegetables to sell in the winter. But for the past year or two, I've been focusing on weaving and growing materials, so I haven't had the time to make detailed plans."
Afraid that Zhou Jiani wouldn't believe his determination, he added, "The land has been reserved. Let's go and take a look."
Just go and see it, it can help you digest your food after a meal.
Zhang Baosheng then called several other village cadres and Liu Yan, the main person in charge of the greenhouse, to go and see the land together.
Originally, Han Yang and Liu Yan were jointly responsible for this project, but Han Yang no longer had any interest in it. He took the college entrance examination last year but failed. He took it again this year and was admitted to a local vocational college. He is still waiting for the admission letter, so now Liu Yan is the main person in charge of the greenhouse project, and Liu Jingguo is doing his best to help his son.
Liu Yan is also taking apprentices, otherwise the two of them would not be able to take charge of such a large area.
With ready-made land, ready-made manpower, and skilled technicians, the villagers started working immediately. They were so efficient that when Zhou Jiani finished teaching the educated youth and was about to return to the county on the third day, the foundation had already been half laid.
After returning to the county, she just took a walk around the factory, checked the work of the design department, assigned new work, and explained the key points, when she was drafted by County Magistrate Wang. She was given a bicycle and followed County Magistrate Wang to the next commune to survey the terrain under the scorching sun.
Zhou Jiani wore a straw hat, long sleeves and long pants, and ran around all day, feeling so hot that she was sweating.
Back in the evening, Zhou Jiani attended a meeting at the county office, taking careful notes. Even if she couldn't help with the county, some of the information she learned would be of great help in her research on rural economic issues.
The next day, Zhou Jiani took some time to call Professor Fu and ask him about land cultivation issues.
Professor Fu didn't expect that Zhou Jiani would return to the countryside where she had been before during the summer vacation. She was still cooperating with the local government to restart the greenhouse project. He happened to be very interested in the woven material planting that Zhou Jiani mentioned last time, and immediately suggested that he would take a few students to take a look.
Zhou Jiani: "Don't your students have summer vacation?"
"Can't I have more homework during summer vacation?" the old man said righteously.
Zhou Jiani was happy that he could come, and said with a smile: "Then I will ask someone to buy you a sleeper ticket to Qiyang, and I will pick you up in Qiyang."
"You don't have to run to Qiyang, just let Xiaowen pick me up from there."
"Okay, then you decide on the number of people and I'll make the arrangements..."
"A sleeper ticket is enough. Let the young people struggle as much as they want. A seat is enough."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jiani told County Magistrate Wang about it. County Magistrate Wang was delighted and said enthusiastically, "The county will cover all expenses. When will the old man arrive? The county will arrange a car to pick him up..."
Zhou Jiani asked about Professor Zhao's team again. County Magistrate Wang said that he had contacted them, but they were short of staff and would need to wait a few days to reply.
Three days later, Zhou Jiani received Professor Fu and his four students, along with Meng Wen.
County Magistrate Wang personally met Professor Fu and shook his hand with gratitude, saying, "Welcome Professor Fu to guide our work."
Professor Fu hadn't expected such a grand occasion. The old man, a man of experience, was steady and composed. He chuckled and said, "I can't really say I'm providing guidance. Bring a few students over to use your precious space to conduct research."
There are so many places in the country, where can't we conduct research projects? County Magistrate Wang knew very well that the old man was doing this for Zhou Jiani's sake.
County Magistrate Wang treated Professor Fu with great courtesy and invited him to get in his car. The car drove all the way to the county government guesthouse, and County Magistrate Wang booked a private room to welcome Professor Fu and his group.
Meng Wen whispered to Zhou Jiani, "Your county magistrate is so enthusiastic."
Even though her uncle was rehabilitated, he was only respected in the academic community. Cadres like County Magistrate Wang would at most be polite to him. Why did County Magistrate Wang act like he was being served by a horse?
Zhou Jiani smiled bitterly. County Magistrate Wang had no choice. Professor Zhao had not been able to arrange any personnel to come over, so he arrested Professor Fu, who was also a professor of agriculture.
Considering the old man's fatigue from the journey, County Magistrate Wang suppressed his urgency and only briefly asked him a few agricultural questions. He didn't eat for too long before quickly asking his secretary to arrange for them to rest. He also said, "I'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning."
Although Professor Fu looked tired, he felt it was still early and wanted to learn more about Bin County's geological and mineral features, the annual grain output, the annual fluctuations, the area of arable land, and so on.
County Magistrate Wang chatted with the old man for about an hour, then smiled and advised, "Professor Fu, please go and rest first. I'll pick you up tomorrow and we can talk more. You've come all the way from the capital, and if I tire you out, I'll be guilty of a great sin."
Meng Wen also said: "My aunt has given me many instructions..."
Zhou Jiani also tried to persuade him, and Professor Fu nodded, "Okay, I'll go get some sleep." He then looked at Zhou Jiani and asked, "When are you going to the Forward Brigade?"
Zhou Jiani glanced at County Magistrate Wang, who didn't find it strange and immediately changed the itinerary: "Let's go to the Qianjin Brigade tomorrow, and then I'll take you around Xihe Commune."
"OK."
Several students were busy helping Professor Fu take a shower and wait for him to rest.
Meng Wen didn't ask for a separate room for her, so she and Zhou Jiani swapped rooms for two. After taking a shower, she sat on the bed and said with some admiration, "I didn't expect you to be so busy during the summer vacation and actually come back to shine."
Zhou Jiani handed her a bottle of soda and said with a smile, "Don't get too hot, it's hot enough today."
Meng Wen smiled.
The two talked for a while, and Meng Wen went to bed early. Zhou Jiani browsed her phone for a while and read a book before turning off the lights and going to bed.
I got up early the next morning.
County Magistrate Wang came with his secretary to have breakfast with them and prepare to leave for Xihe Commune.
One car definitely wouldn't be enough, so Professor Fu didn't ask for a car for everyone. He called on his students and said, "Xiao Xu, you and Ma Gang will take the bus over there. We can just arrange for someone to pick you up there."
Zhou Jiani said hurriedly: "I'll take a few brothers for a ride."
County Magistrate Wang waved his hand and asked Secretary Wu to take care of the students, and they took a special car.
After making the arrangements, we set off.
Along the way, Professor Fu saw several patches of thorns and willows and asked, "Is this the weaving material planting base planned by your county?"
County Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "Comrade Xiao Zhou has told you about this, right? That's right, Comrade Xiao Zhou helped us pioneer weaving, and it's now become a specialty of Bin County. I'd like to invite you to visit our factory sometime... Oh, Qianjin Brigade also has a weaving factory, and it's the oldest weaving factory in Bin County..."
Professor Fu wasn't particularly interested in the weaving factory; he was simply interested in the cultivated materials. County Magistrate Wang simply had the driver take a detour, and Professor Fu got off to take a look around. He spoke coherently and even addressed a few questions.
Professor Fu did not conduct in-depth research in this area. It was only when he heard Zhou Jiani mention the weaving industry in Bin County that he looked up a lot of information. He also contacted several former enthusiasts and exchanged ideas with each other. So the old man raised a few questions based on the knowledge he knew and the actual situation.
But the big guys are the big guys. They have studied planting for their whole lives, and they also have a deep understanding of other materials and agricultural planting. With just a little touch, they can understand it more deeply than others.
County Magistrate Wang's understanding of this matter was no more professional than Professor Fu's. He laughed and said, "It was all the farmhands from the various brigades who put their heads together to come up with this. They know more about this than I do. Let's go to the Qianjin Brigade and ask their brigade cadres."
The old man nodded, and looked back several times as he walked out, reluctant to leave.
Without notifying the commune reception, the car was driven directly into the Qianjin Brigade.
Zhou Jiani directly directed the driver to drive to the first phase of the greenhouse. Liu Yan did not expect such a high-ranking leader to come suddenly, and he was nervous and at a loss. Liu Jingguo had also met County Magistrate Wang, and when he saw such a high-ranking cadre coming, he ran to call Zhang Baosheng with staggering steps.
Zhou Jiani introduced Liu Yan to Professor Fu: "This is the comrade in charge of the plastic greenhouse in the village. He once studied with another comrade in Professor Zhao's team for a period of time."
Liu Yan's face flushed red. He was afraid that Professor Fu would ask him some professional questions.
If you ask him to do something, he can plan it out in his head, but if you ask him to explain it, he can't do it well.
Fortunately, Professor Fu only asked a few routine questions, and Liu Yan was able to stammer and continue the conversation.
Professor Fu's eyes lit up at the sight of the rich variety of vegetables in the fields, and he went straight down to inspect them. He also casually asked a few crucial questions about the soil, humidity, and planting methods, and Liu Yan took notes diligently.
Zhou Jiani took out a pen and paper from her bag and asked Liu Yan to take notes.
Zhang Baosheng and several village cadres came over sweating profusely, greeted Professor Fu enthusiastically, and even took the time to glare at Zhou Jiani.
Zhou Jiani shrugged. It was too late yesterday, so she didn't notify anyone.
Liu Tong said hello and tried to slip away to arrange the lunch banquet. Zhang Baosheng turned around and whispered to him to kill a chicken, but County Magistrate Wang saw through it and gestured for him to come over. He whispered, "Don't bother, fellow villager. Just go to the state-owned restaurant in town and order a table. Have it delivered and charge it to the county government account. I'll arrange for someone to settle the bill later."
Liu Tong had no choice but to listen to his leader and rode his bicycle all the way to the commune. He was quite flexible and even went to inform Secretary Zhai. Secretary Zhai was also confused, but he quickly put down what he was doing and rushed over.
Professor Fu over there didn't pay any attention to their little actions. He didn't mind the heat and walked to the cucumber rack. He squatted down and observed for a moment. He picked a cucumber casually, pulled out the thorns on it with his hands, broke it open to take a look, tasted it, and then turned his head to explain the characteristics and habits of this variety to Liu Yan.
Liu Yan quickly lowered his head and took notes.
Zhou Jiani took some time to come over and tell Zhang Baosheng, "Professor Fu and a few other students are coming here by car with Secretary Wu. We'll arrange for someone to pick them up at the village entrance."
A team leader nearby raised his hand, indicating that he would go and make the arrangements, then turned and left.
Professor Fu didn't want to go out after walking in the field, but it was so hot in this season. Although the plastic sheet on top had been lifted, it was not stuffy, but it was easy to get heatstroke if standing under the scorching sun for a long time. Zhou Jiani went over to remind Professor Fu to come up and have a rest and drink some water.
Professor Fu took the water bottle Meng Wen brought for him, drank a few sips of water, wiped the sweat from his face, and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay. I'll be refreshed as soon as I get to the fields. You guys find a cool place to cool down. I'll take a look at these vegetables..."
Zhang Baosheng was the best at chatting. Although he didn't study as seriously as Liu Yan, he had a lifetime of farming experience and got along very well with Professor Fu.
Zhou Jiani was busy arranging people to make mung bean soup, and also took time to take County Magistrate Wang to see the greenhouse that was being expanded.
County Magistrate Wang was delighted. He naturally supported this. To be more precise, he needed this kind of support right now. He said seriously, "Let Captain Zhang lead the villagers to do a good job. If things develop smoothly, the Qianjin Brigade will always be a model in the county, and the county will strongly support it."
Zhou Jiani felt very upset.
She said that if she seized this opportunity, she would be able to make a leap forward.
"I will definitely pass on your encouragement."
County Magistrate Wang smiled.
Comrade Xiao Zhou is also a smart person.
The two turned back and saw that not only Secretary Zhai had arrived, but also Secretary Zhai came over to greet County Magistrate Wang and took the time to glare at Zhou Jiani, who had a calm expression.
Professor Fu has already started teaching students on the spot, asking them to observe the growth of vegetables and the moisture of the soil, and he is completely immersed in it.
It took several calls at noon to finally get them out of the field. When Professor Fu came up, he was still talking to the students: "...What we observe here may not be seen in the school's experimental fields. Even if it's the same variety, the same variety will grow differently due to the influence of region and climate..."
Meng Wen's face flushed from the sun, and she whispered to Zhou Jiani, "My uncle-in-law doesn't care about anything else when he talks about agriculture."
"Professor Fu has devoted his entire life to agriculture, which is worthy of admiration," said Zhou Jiani.
Meng Wen nodded.
Professor Fu came out of the greenhouse and suddenly realized: "It's time to eat, right? Let's use local ingredients, pick some fresh vegetables, borrow the stove from the villagers and stir-fry them..."
County Magistrate Wang stopped him with a smile and said, "It's already been arranged."
Professor Fu uttered an 'Ouch' and muttered apologetically, "County Magistrate Wang, please stop wasting money like this. I, an old man, can't stand it any longer. I have to go home right now."
County Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "No, no, no, we're so happy to have you here. Please give us some pointers and let us learn some skills from you so we can double our grain production next year. How can this table of food compare?"
Professor Fu nodded. "As long as we plant crops scientifically, grain production will definitely increase. But didn't I say that I'm here to bring students to learn and use your precious land for research? I'm very interested in the vitex and willow branches you're planting. We're all in this together. Tomorrow, ask a fellow villager to help me bake some pancakes, and we'll go on a field trip. County Magistrate Wang, if you don't have time, please arrange for someone to show you the way. If you have something else to do, go ahead and do it. Don't bother with me. After all, you're in charge of the people of an entire county. You can't just waste your time on an old man like me."
County Magistrate Wang naturally had to follow the old man for a few days. He had to grow greenhouse vegetables and increase grain production. He wanted to split Professor Fu in two, so that half of him would go back to the capital to teach when school started, and the other half would stay here to engage in agriculture.
Secretary Zhai also decided to put aside his current work and follow along for a few days.
After several years of training, Zhang Baosheng's mind has become much more active than before. He knows that this opportunity is rare, and he wishes he could call all the farmers in the village to serve the old man and learn more about farming from them.
After dinner, Zhou Jiani took the time to convey the county magistrate's attitude to Zhang Baosheng. Captain Zhang was so happy that he almost jumped three feet high. He lowered his voice and said, "I said we should kill a chicken at noon..."
But the county magistrate had made arrangements, so he couldn't rush to show off. He would have been slaughtered no matter what he said.
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