Chapter 577: He Yuzhu Gets Promoted

Secretary Liu did not leave immediately; he insisted on going to see how the crops on the farm were growing.

He Yuzhu took him to tour the plot of land that had been reclaimed last year.

There were fifty thousand mu here, divided into two halves, large and small, by a large irrigation ditch.

It was precisely because of this ditch that the original marshland had been turned into fertile fields.

Along the edges of the ditch were planted many vegetables, including bright red tomatoes, as well as small melons and watermelons that had already taken shape.

The more Secretary Liu looked, the more excited he became; he crossed a small bridge over the water channel.

He stopped at the smaller plot of land and stared at the wheat field there, somewhat lost in thought.

The wheat stalks here were not tall, only about seventy-some centimeters, while the wheat seedlings on the plot opposite were all around ninety to one hundred centimeters.

Yet, the wheat stalks here appeared exceptionally thick and sturdy, and the wheat ears were nearly a third larger than those on the opposite side.

Secretary Liu could not help but ask, "Zhuzi, this wheat field is a bit special. Where did you get the seeds?"

He Yuzhu was slightly startled upon hearing this.

These seeds were actually brought out by him from his space; because he was worried they wouldn't adapt to the outside environment, he had only planted ten thousand mu, while the larger plot opposite was planted with a variety obtained from M Country.

He Yuzhu hurriedly explained, "This batch of seeds was obtained with the help of Liushi Trading Company; they are likely from Southeast Asia. If Secretary Liu wants to know more details, I can ask carefully."

Secretary Liu waved his hand: "I think this variety is very good; it doesn't lodge easily. If the yield is high, keep it as seeds for next year. Your method of trial-planting different varieties in different plots is excellent; observing which is more suitable for the local environment shows great foresight. I walked the whole way and found that only your spring wheat here is growing the best, as if it had been given plenty of chemical fertilizer."

He Yuzhu nodded: "We did use some indigenous methods. For example, we composted the silt dug from the drainage ditches and bird droppings collected in the forest into organic fertilizer, which might have played a role. However, regarding long-term plans, since the oilfield is going to build a refinery, we could build a plant to produce nitrogen fertilizer."

Secretary Liu said, "We have already submitted a report, intending to ask Su Guo for support."

He Yuzhu, however, said, "Actually, we can build a nitrogen fertilizer plant ourselves; it's not very difficult."

Secretary Liu laughed: "You can build a nitrogen fertilizer plant?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "As long as we can extract hydrogen during the petroleum cracking process and then separate nitrogen from the air, we can produce nitrogen fertilizer once we synthesize them."

Secretary Liu nodded upon hearing this and said earnestly, "Good, I will give you two months. While you are in charge of production here, you should also work out a plan for this set of equipment."

He Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

He Yuzhu drove Secretary Liu to tour the two newly developed plots; seeing the tender seedlings of soybeans and chili peppers in the black soil, he asked with great interest, "You even planted chili peppers?"

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Wang Xia and the others' chili sauce factory can't collect enough raw materials now. The locals have converted their original chili fields to grow grain, so I suggested they move the production factory here, and only keep the sales team in Beijing..."

"You kid have so many ideas!" Secretary Liu laughed. He looked into the distance, where countless large tractors were plowing the land and reclaiming wasteland, and couldn't help but exclaim, "At the rate you're working, once these few pieces of wasteland are reclaimed, I'm afraid our Ministry won't be short of grain anymore."

He Yuzhu also said with great confidence, "I have a premonition that the fifty thousand mu of wheat we planted this year will definitely yield over three hundred jin per mu."

Secretary Liu nodded vigorously: "As long as there is no lodging or pests and diseases. I think it will be more than three hundred jin, perhaps even reaching five hundred jin. In that case, the grain problem in our Ministry will be completely solved!"

When seeing Secretary Liu off, Man Yatou was a bit timid; she was sixteen years old, but she had never left He Yuzhu to work alone before.

"Liu Siman, work hard!" He Yuzhu gave her an encouraging look.

The young girl's originally panicked eyes slowly turned into determination.

Over the next two months, He Yuzhu ran to Jixian Xiancheng to keep an eye on the manufacturing of equipment for the refinery and nitrogen fertilizer plant, while also focusing on cultivating those capable and tough-minded key personnel on the farm.

He had a faint premonition that the day he would leave this place was not far off.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-August.

He Yuzhu had already finished building all ten-plus breeding farms on the farm, and all kinds of equipment had been completed.

The reason he could be so fast was entirely due to the ready-made boilers and machinery in his space, and many key components were even processed and shaped directly inside the space.

By the time he hauled this equipment to the oilfield, the infrastructure of the factory area had also been completely finished.

As soon as Man Yatou saw He Yuzhu, a look of joy appeared on her face, and she immediately told him everything that had happened over the past two months in one breath.

He Yuzhu praised her: "You've made great progress recently!"

Man Yatou smiled shyly.

When He Yuzhu saw Secretary Liu again, the other party was visibly much more haggard.

"Secretary Liu, your health is important; the work will never be finished," He Yuzhu advised.

Secretary Liu smiled reluctantly, his voice very low: "I may be transferred away soon. I want to lay a solid foundation while I'm still here."

He Yuzhu's heart stirred: "Then is my position also going to change?"

Secretary Liu nodded with deep meaning.

"What exactly happened? Can you give me a hint?" He Yuzhu pressed.

"Some cadres' ideas are too unrealistic. If we really follow their way, I'm afraid there will be a big mess," Secretary Liu said in a somewhat despondent tone.

He Yuzhu understood instantly; it was likely that the Great Steel Smelting and the agricultural exaggeration trend were coming.

He knew better than anyone that the root of this trend was not a problem of any one person, but caused by many cadres lacking mature experience in economic construction.

It was difficult for one person or a few people to stop such a movement from happening.

He hurriedly advised: "Secretary Liu, you really can't leave. We finally got the oilfield on the right track; if you leave and run into a group of people who are eager for quick success and give blind commands, wouldn't the hard work of these two years be in vain?"

Secretary Liu nodded with a smile, "That's why! I said your position should also move. I just want you to take up the burden here!"

He Yuzhu shook his head vigorously: "I can't suppress those people. Take Deputy Director Zhang, for example; he doesn't oppose my methods, he just simply opposes me as a person. If the same idea came from the mouth of a cadre with deep seniority, he would only raise both hands in favor. If you leave, I really can't control them!"

Secretary Liu sighed: "Lv Hong is also a candidate, but her seniority is too shallow; promoting her to Deputy Bureau Level in one step is hard to justify. I've thought it over and over, only you are suitable. The industrial zone of the Lingnan Tractor Factory was built by you single-handedly, and many high-ranking cadres still recognize you... With you here, I don't believe you can't suppress those people; it's just that you are too lazy."

He Yuzhu had no interest in being an official, but thinking about the resources hidden in this land and how many great things could be accomplished, he gritted his teeth and nodded: "Since you've put it this way, I'll take the job. But I can't work here for a lifetime; once I get things straightened out here, I'm leaving!"

"I promise you!" Secretary Liu agreed immediately.