Chapter 198 "I am from Xiangyang Brigade. If the brigade does well, the lives of every household will naturally improve as well. It's all interconnected."
Xu Zhili said sincerely, "Besides, if we do a good job of digging fish ponds and planting citrus, the whole brigade will benefit."
Exclamations of admiration erupted from the crowd, and several elderly people nodded repeatedly.
Director Chen watched this scene with eyes full of approval.
After the military vehicle left, Xu Zhili immediately became the focus of the entire brigade.
People surrounded her, asking her all sorts of questions, all wanting to see the envelope containing the huge sum of money.
Xu Zhili finally managed to escape and return home, while Captain Xie and Party Secretary Liu immediately convened a meeting of the brigade cadres to discuss how to make good use of this "windfall".
That evening, the Xu family's house was brightly lit, and neighbors came to visit in an endless stream.
Some people envied it, some were jealous, but most were curious.
Exhausted, Xu Zhili had no choice but to say she was tired and close the door to rest early.
In the quiet of the night, she lay in bed, deep in thought. Fishponds and citrus cultivation were projects she had long wanted to suggest to the brigade. Xiangyang Brigade was low-lying, with many waterlogged areas suitable for conversion into fishponds; while the surrounding hilly areas were sunny and sheltered from the wind, ideal for growing citrus fruits. The only problem was that the brigade had always lacked start-up capital; now, with this money, the projects should be able to get off to a smooth start.
In the days that followed, Xu Zhili continued her design work while also participating in the construction of the brigade's fishponds and the planning of citrus planting. Drawing on her knowledge of ecological aquaculture and cash crop cultivation from her previous life, she offered numerous suggestions.
"Fish ponds cannot simply raise fish; ducks can be raised along the pond, and their droppings can be used to feed the fish, creating a cycle."
"You have to choose the right variety of mandarin orange. I heard that the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences has a newly cultivated mandarin orange variety that is high-yielding and sweet."
The brigade cadres were initially skeptical of these suggestions, but considering that Xu Zhili could design military vehicles and fighter jets, his suggestions on agriculture must also make sense, so they mostly adopted them.
A month later, Minister Li from the county's armed forces department personally came to Xiangyang Brigade with another piece of news: Xu Zhili's fighter jet design had been seen by experts from the aviation industry, who considered it extremely valuable and specially awarded him 300 yuan and a batch of industrial vouchers.
This time, before Xu Zhili could even speak, Secretary Wang, on behalf of the brigade, stated that the entire sum would be invested in collective construction. The Xiangyang brigade now has more funds for its fishpond and citrus planting projects.
As autumn turned to winter, Xu Zhili's reputation gradually spread. People from nearby brigades all knew that Xiangyang Brigade had a "female champion" who not only designed military vehicles and airplanes but also led everyone to dig fish ponds and plant oranges.
Sometimes people from other brigades would come specifically just to catch a glimpse of what Xu Zhili looked like.
Matchmakers flocked to the door, eager to arrange a marriage for this promising young woman.
Xu Zhili declined all offers, knowing that her life would not be confined to this small village.
What makes her most gratified is that the fishpond is already taking shape.
The brigade organized labor to dig deeper and wider the original two water pits, repaired the dikes, and introduced fresh water.
Fish fry can be released next spring.
The citrus orchard has also been established, with 500 mandarin orange seedlings introduced from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Although it will take three years to bear fruit, the plants are growing well, indicating a bountiful harvest in the future.
In the twelfth lunar month, a sudden cold wave struck the entire county.
The radio broadcast said this was the coldest weather in decades and urged all regions to take precautions against freezing temperatures.
Captain Xie was so anxious he was pacing back and forth: "It's all over, the newly planted orange seedlings are definitely going to freeze to death."
Xu Zhili pondered for a moment, recalling the orchard frost protection methods she had seen in her previous life: "Uncle Xie, quickly organize people to collect all usable straw, wheat stalks, old cotton quilts, and tattered clothes, and let's go keep the orange seedlings warm."
"Will this work?" Secretary Wang asked with skepticism.
“Okay, pile grass around the base of each seedling, and then weave straw into a ‘grass coat’ to cover the canopy to prevent frost damage.”
Xu Zhili said firmly.
The brigade immediately mobilized, with commune members bringing out old cotton wadding and tattered quilts from their homes, and children collecting straw from all over.
The whole brigade worked all day and finally dressed all the orange seedlings in "winter clothes".
After the cold wave, most of the citrus seedlings in other brigades froze to death, but more than 80% of the seedlings in Xiangyang Brigade were saved.
The technicians from the county's agricultural bureau were greatly surprised when they saw it and promoted this frost prevention method throughout the county.
After this incident, Xu Zhili's prestige in the brigade increased even more.
Those who initially had reservations about her because of her youth and being a woman now genuinely admire her.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, Xu Zhili received a letter from Director Chen.
The letter stated that a military off-road vehicle based on her design improvements had been successfully prototyped with significantly enhanced performance, and the arsenal was preparing for mass production.
At the same time, experts from the aviation industry also hoped that she could provide more ideas on fighter jet design.
Another reward was attached to the letter.
This time it wasn't money or tickets, but a deluxe edition of "Principles of Mechanical Design" and "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics," which were extremely rare professional books at the time.
Xu Zhili held these books as if they were priceless treasures.
She knew that this was not only recognition of her past work, but also an expectation for her future development.
The Xu family was exceptionally lively on New Year's Eve.
Captain Xie, Party Secretary Liu, and other brigade cadres came to extend New Year's greetings and express their gratitude to Xu Zhili for her contributions to the brigade.
"Zhili, if it weren't for you, how could our brigade have fish ponds and orange groves? Next year, after the fish fry are planted, and the year after that, after the orange harvest, everyone's lives will be much better." Secretary Wang said, his face flushed as he drank sweet potato wine.
The mother smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes.
She never imagined that her daughter could be so successful.
After seeing the guests off, Xu Zhili walked into the courtyard alone.
The starry sky on a winter night is exceptionally clear, with countless stars scattered like silver dust across the heavens.
She recalled her past life, a world filled with modern technology, which seemed to be separated from the countryside before her by a different time and space.
But she doesn't miss the past; instead, she finds an unprecedented sense of mission in this simple era.
The sound of sporadic firecrackers could be heard in the distance, heralding the approaching New Year.
Xu Zhili took a deep breath of the crisp, cool air, her heart filled with hope.
She knows that she has a long way to go, and whether it is national defense design or rural construction, she has only just taken the first step.
But in any case, she has found her place.
It neither belongs entirely to this era nor is it completely detached from it, but rather serves as a bridge connecting knowledge and practice, the past and the future.
Back inside, she spread out her draft paper and began drawing new designs.
This time, she was thinking about how to improve agricultural machinery and increase agricultural production efficiency.
Under the kerosene lamp, the pencil scratches on the paper, sketching out a brighter tomorrow.
Next target: night goggles.
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