Chapter 846

Standing at the edge of the twenty mu of sugar beet fields, Li Long watched as the white crystalline salt crust that had originally been on the surface had now disappeared. The sugar beet seedlings were growing strong, and the leaves were dark green, clearly not lacking in fertilizer or water.

These sugar beets didn't look like things grown in saline-alkali land at all, but more like products from high-yield, mature fields that had been improved.

"Professor Luo, you are truly amazing. I didn't think that in just a short month, you would have improved this piece of saline-alkali land so well." Li Long praised, "At this rate of improvement, in a few years, our Fourth Team will be able to add several thousand mu of good farmland."

"How could it be that simple?" Professor Luo shook his head and said, "This twenty-plus mu of land could be improved like this because, on one hand, we applied fertilizer in a targeted manner, and on the other hand, watering was also a key factor.

In other words, part of the salt and alkali in the soil was neutralized by the fertilizer, and another part was washed away by the water."

"That's fine too," Li Long said with a smile, "Our Fourth Team can provide the water for farming. For other saline-alkali lands, as long as we apply enough fertilizer and water them more, can the salt and alkali problem also be solved like this?"

"It's hard to say, it's very difficult." Professor Luo still shook his head, "This piece of land could succeed because we applied fertilizer in a targeted manner after precisely measuring the soil quality. For other saline-alkali lands, the salt and alkali composition must be different. It's hard to say how much effect the fertilizer we applied here would have.

Moreover, in order to transform this piece of saline-alkali land, the fertilizer we applied was several times the amount applied to ordinary plots. Doing experiments is no problem, but when it comes to reclaiming wasteland and improving land, how could ordinary farmers bear such a large investment? It would be a loss that outweighs the gain, so this matter isn't that simple."

What Professor Luo said was aimed at the current situation. Although most of these plots in Northern Xinjiang have started to use chemical fertilizers, the amount of chemical fertilizer used by the Fourth Team for farming is still quite large. But even if this amount is large, it is only relative; it is far from what it would be in later generations.

After all, at this time, everyone is not very wealthy and doesn't have that much spare money to buy chemical fertilizer. Most use farm manure, and there weren't that many types of chemical fertilizers at this time.

So in Professor Luo's view, in order to reclaim barren saline-alkali land, a large amount of fertilizer and a large amount of water might take several years to see results. Ordinary farmers have no way to bear such high costs.

But in Li Long's view, as long as the saline-alkali can be improved, these costs are still bearable. After all, land prices will rise year by year in the future, and contract fees will become more and more expensive later on. Relative to this contract fee, the input of chemical fertilizer will account for a smaller and smaller proportion. For farmers, land is the means of production on which they depend for survival. The more land they own, the more solid the means of production, and the stronger the capital for getting rich in the future.

"The project of our scientific research team has come to a stage for now, it doesn't mean it's over." Professor Luo continued, "Next, we will return to the academy to summarize the data obtained in the past month and report it to the school. Our academy has always been quite concerned about this matter. My plan is to go to another county in a while to continue the experiments, and after that, this situation will continue for a considerable period of time. We will strive to obtain targeted data for the saline-alkali land in most of the main areas of Xinjiang within these few years."

Hearing Professor Luo say this, Li Long, who originally had the intention to keep Professor Luo a little longer to see if he could improve the other large pieces of saline-alkali land of the Fourth Team, felt embarrassed to speak up to keep him.

After all, Professor Luo's goal is the saline-alkali land of the entire Northern Xinjiang, and he cannot just stay in the Fourth Team. People cannot be so selfish. Not only can he not be so selfish, but Li Long also thought about supporting this activity of Professor Luo.

He thought for a moment and said:

"Professor Luo, let me sponsor your scientific research team five thousand yuan for the cost of buying chemical fertilizer later. To be honest, I think your project will definitely succeed in the future. Let this be my small token of appreciation."

"Li Long, can you take out so much money? We do need a portion of funds. We can apply for a portion from the school, but the school is also quite difficult." Professor Luo said, "I originally thought about changing to another place to study, and at that time, I would find some regiment farm of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps or some wealthy towns to let the local area pay some money to support our research.

Now if you can pay five thousand yuan, then our research will likely produce new results this year..."

"No problem." Li Long said with a smile, "I have a purchasing station in the county, and the income this year is quite good. Although I have started doing business, I am essentially still a farmer. I also hope that the saline-alkali land in our Northern Xinjiang can all become good farmland. In this way, the income of our farmers will increase significantly, and at that time, rural people won't have to envy the lives of city people so much."

Professor Luo smiled, feeling that Li Long's idea was a bit too idealistic. In the dual life of urban and rural areas, the living standard in the city is naturally higher than that in the countryside. How could it reach what Li Long thought?

However, he didn't refute it. After all, this is a beautiful vision. Professor Luo himself also came from the countryside and is engaged in agricultural work. How could he not want the countryside to become better?

He Lijuan said with emotion while packing her luggage:

"For the past two days, I've been thinking every day that the day to leave should come quickly. I also thought about returning to school quickly. Now that I'm leaving, I'm a bit reluctant."

Zhu Yuechan had already packed her luggage. She came over to help He Lijuan pack while saying:

"Eating well and sleeping well here, I've gained three kilograms in a month. Although other living conditions are a bit worse, can the school compare to this food? How good Uncle Luo and the others are to us, and the people in the production team are also good to us. It's only right to be reluctant."

"Then we will come to see them when we have time in the future." He Lijuan thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, it's not very far. At that time, we will bring some specialties from Wucheng to repay them."

"We'll come back when we have a holiday later." Zhu Yuechan nodded vigorously.

Hu Dongfeng and the others were quite carefree. The boys were not that sentimental to begin with. They packed their luggage and put it into the jeep, and some other things were placed in Xu Chengjun's tractor.

This time Li Long didn't call a truck; this was Professor Luo's request and also Xu Chengjun's idea. The team had a tractor, and for the ten-kilometer distance, the tractor wasn't much worse than a truck.

In addition to loading some experimental equipment, the tractor also carried gifts from the team to the scientific research team.

For this, the team specially bought a sheep from Li Long's old horse corral and spent some effort to make it into air-dried meat. Professor Luo and several team members each had several kilograms of meat.

In this day and age, meat is still a good thing. Even if college students have subsidies, not everyone can afford to eat meat every day. These few kilograms of meat are very heavy for them.

Professor Luo left Li Long a table, which contained the combination of fertilizer adjustment for their saline-alkali land. Although it was aimed at Li Long's sugar beet field, it must also have a certain reference effect for other saline-alkali lands.

Li Long felt that this table alone was worth at least five sheep; no, fifty sheep would also be worth it.

There were many people who came to see Professor Luo and the others off; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were seen off along the road. At this scene, both Professor Luo and those students were greatly moved.

When they followed Professor Luo to improve the saline-alkali land, they didn't think so much, but now, looking at the reluctant expressions of those villagers, these students realized their role as agricultural students.

Their ideological realm had also been elevated quite a bit.

After sending Professor Luo and the others to the bus station, Xu Chengjun led the young men to put their luggage on the luggage rack of the bus, and finally, together with Li Long, watched the bus carrying Professor Luo and the others leave.

"Little Long, your sugar beet field can be considered improved. Looking at the situation of the land now, the yield can reach at least two hundred kilograms." Xu Chengjun said with emotion, "The experts and professors of the agricultural college are still amazing. It's a pity that they stayed for a short time. Otherwise, I would also contract a piece of land and let them help me research it."

"I still remember the fertilizer they applied to that piece of land for me." Li Long said with a smile, "Captain, do you want to reclaim a piece of land first and do an experiment?"

"No." Xu Chengjun shook his head, "The risk is quite high. I often run to your old horse corral and know that the amount of fertilizer they apply is not small. You can afford it, but I can't. I'd better honestly farm my dozens of mu of land."

Li Long didn't say much more. The management of the sugar beet field was mainly handled by his elder brother Li Jianguo, so he drove the jeep back to the team, found his elder brother, and relayed what Professor Luo had said to him.

"Since they have already said so, then we will follow this for applying fertilizer next.

Although this year's sugar beets might lose money, the transformation of these one or two years can turn this piece of land into good farmland, and the harvest in the future will definitely be able to make up for the current losses."

Li Jianguo was not a fool; he understood as soon as he heard it. This piece of land was improved this year, and although the cost was very high, the impact was long-term.

It was worth it.

Li Long then prepared to pull a truckload of chemical fertilizer back. His father-in-law Gu Bo Yuan had connections and could get wholesale-priced chemical fertilizer, and he himself was not short of money, so he would apply fertilizer according to the plan. Anyway, after this piece of land was improved, he was prepared to contract it for a long time, which could be considered keeping the benefits within his own family.

Leaving the matters of the land to his elder brother, Li Long was mainly responsible for the purchasing station. A few days later, he took a truck to the forestry team and bought back the last batch of fritillaria.

Both Li Long and Aili and the others were clear that the warehouse of the forestry team's purchasing station would not be full for a long time to come.

These people in the forestry team still had some emotions; next, they might have to live a "bitter" life for a period of time.

Of course, this bitterness was relative; after all, the bonus issued some time ago was quite high, which was obviously impossible now.

Li Long created a small surprise for them. He told Aili that he would come over to collect things every month. Whether it was hides, wild mushrooms, snow lotuses, or other things, he would collect them. He asked the forestry team to pay more attention to the mountains; he wanted all the local specialties in the mountains, including honey.

The forestry team was naturally eager to do so. They were used to having extra money every month; who would complain about it being too little?

Although it wouldn't be as much as these two months in the future, even a mosquito is meat. These forest rangers of the forestry team wouldn't complain that three or five yuan was too little.

At the end of May, when all schools were preparing for the June 1st Children's Day, Li Long's purchasing station welcomed an uninvited guest.

"Hello, you are Comrade Li Long, right? My name is Jiang Chunlin. I think you should know me."

Li Long didn't expect that the person who came was Jiang Chunlin.

He had never met this person, but he had heard the name many times.

After all, from the position he needed to look up to, he had now fallen to the bottom, and it had only been a short half a month. The impermanence of the world was vividly reflected in Jiang Chunlin.

Jiang Chunlin was in his thirties, and he looked quite talented. He even wore a pair of glasses and looked scholarly.

If Li Long didn't know the things this person had done, he might have thought he was a state cadre or a school teacher.

Jiang Chunlin hadn't had an easy time during this period. His business with the mouth (the interior) was cut off. Although this was his territory, since others dared to do business here, they naturally had a background, and it was impossible for him to default on debts.

He compensated his partners in the mouth a large sum of money, and his own capital chain was broken. He used to spend a lot and earn even more, so he didn't think much about it. Now the main way to make money was cut off, and the purchasing station was also intercepted by others, so his income plummeted.

He originally wanted to take revenge, but he didn't expect that he would almost close down after finding himself. Now the procedures for the purchasing station were handled slowly, and he was inspected every few days. The people who came here to sell things had all left, and the store manager Qi Shuohui he hired had also resigned. Although the remaining two people didn't leave, they couldn't take on the heavy responsibility.

The purchasing station was about to be scrapped. Jiang Chunlin was at his wit's end, and finally, he thought of Li Long.

The matter started because of Li Long. Now he already knew that Li Long had a strong background. As long as he could persuade Li Long to cooperate with him, he would definitely be able to help himself solve the difficulties and get rid of the current predicament.

"What are you doing here?" Since they were opponents, and he knew this guy was unscrupulous, Li Long didn't have a good face for him.

However, Li Long didn't want to make a big deal out of this. He took Jiang Chunlin to the office of the purchasing station and asked with a blank expression.

"Comrade Li Long, we don't know each other without fighting. You might have some misunderstandings about me, but I think I can help you. We can still cooperate."

"You? Help me?" Li Long smiled, "How could you help me? You should be unable to protect yourself now, right?"

"Haven't you heard that a thin camel is bigger than a horse?"

"I've only heard that a fallen phoenix is not as good as a chicken." Li Long replied casually, not feeling whether it was appropriate or not.

"Li Long, what I said to you is true. Director Qian and the others value you, and they must hope that you can play a role. That is to sell the local specialties here. You should know this yourself; it's difficult."

"Even if it's difficult, it must be done. We can't just ignore it because it's difficult."

"I can help you. I have channels in the interior. As long as you can help me say a few good words to Director Qian and the others, I can introduce the channels to you." Jiang Chunlin knew that Li Long's words were unpleasant, but in order to make a comeback, it didn't matter if he heard some unpleasant words.

"It's not just you who has channels." Li Long shook his head, "Selling things to the mouth is not a difficult thing. Some things may not be lacking in the mouth, and there is no market, but some things are hard to say."

"I have more experience than you in this. As long as you handle the matching well, the purchasers on my side will definitely agree to purchase some of the inventory of the supply and marketing cooperative here, so you can also cope with the requirements of Director Qian and the others." Jiang Chunlin pointed out a path for Li Long like a senior, "You are familiar with the supply and marketing system, and you can definitely get the things they have in stock. When the time comes, let's cooperate. How about half the profit each?"

"Don't worry, you won't have to bear all the costs; I will also pay."

That's a beautiful thought.

Li Long sneered. This guy still wouldn't give up. Director Qian had repeatedly ordered not to resell the supplies purchased from other places in the supply and marketing cooperative, and he was still bewitching him here. He must have bad intentions. Either he wanted to lead him to make a mistake, or he wanted to use his background to make money without wanting to take responsibility.

He's quite a thief.

"You go, just pretend you've never been here." Li Long waved his hand, "We are not on the same path, and don't think about using your set to fool me. I have my own way to sell things to the mouth. I can't take that shortcut of yours. If something really happens, I can't bear it."

"Consider it again..." Jiang Chunlin wouldn't give up, "If it really doesn't work, four-six is fine, you get six and I get four."

"Get out, don't force me to do it!" Li Long was impatient. Why was this guy like a dog-skin plaster? Wasn't he high and mighty before? Is this being able to bend and stretch, or is it being unscrupulous for money?

Anyway, he's not a good bird! (End of chapter)