Chapter 581: A Bountiful Harvest

The Investigation Team was leaving tomorrow, but He Yuzhu did not go to attend their farewell banquet.

He had never been able to feel close to Group Leader Ma. Although at the final moment, Group Leader Ma had acted with relative impartiality, that condescending investigative posture of his had always made He Yuzhu feel uncomfortable.

He prepared a table of food and drink in his own room.

The people he invited were Lv Hong, Man Yatou, and Expert Li.

He Yuzhu cooked several dishes himself: Northeast-style stew, chicken stewed with mushrooms, Boiled Fish, Mapo tofu, and a few refreshing vegetable dishes.

Unexpectedly, Expert Li barely touched the meat dishes with his chopsticks, but instead praised the shredded white radish with shredded tofu and the scallion-mixed tofu incessantly.

The few of them ate very quickly, and after they finished, He Yuzhu brewed Longjing tea for everyone.

Expert Li took three books on geology out of his satchel and handed them to Man Yatou.

Man Yatou was a bit reserved at first, but after taking the books and flipping through a few pages, her eyes gradually began to shine.

She could feel that this Expert Li was genuinely good to her, and her attitude slowly softened.

He Yuzhu spoke up: "Man Yatou, bow to Expert Li and offer him a cup of tea; that will count as the apprenticeship ceremony."

Expert Li waved his hands hurriedly: "One bow is enough, don't do three; I'm not dead yet!"

Everyone immediately burst into laughter.

Man Yatou did not know the weight of this old man, but He Yuzhu knew it in his heart and was aware that the other party had hidden his identity.

Expert Li drank a cup of tea and sighed with emotion: "I truly admire you all. To be able to find an oilfield based solely on a few notes left behind by the Japanese, that is no simple feat."

He Yuzhu smiled: "Actually, being able to find this place was mostly due to coincidence. If we're talking about real skill, Man Yatou truly has a gift for geology and calculations."

Upon hearing this, Expert Li immediately took a huge military map out of his leather bag and hung it on the wall.

He pointed to several markings on it: "I have always believed that large oilfields are likely hidden beneath the Songliao Plain, the North China Plain, and the Jianghan Plain. But I am not yet certain of the specific locations. Little He, Man Yatou, can you see anything in these areas I've circled?"

Man Yatou immediately leaned in, biting the tip of her pencil, her gaze scanning the map inch by inch.

He Yuzhu held his teacup and scanned it casually a few times before finding the location of another large oilfield.

This military map was marked in great detail; the contour lines, surface undulations, mountains, and rivers were clear at a glance.

He Yuzhu said casually: "The geological structure around the Yellow River Estuary is a bit special."

Man Yatou's small eyes suddenly lit up, she bit her pencil even harder, and her gaze was nailed to that area, as if she could see the pulse deep underground through the thin map.

She pointed to the bulge formed by the contour lines and said earnestly: "Expert Li, the Yellow River Estuary is like a large, upside-down pot. After the oil and gas are generated, they float upward and are just perfectly locked in by this 'upside-down pot,' unable to escape..."

Expert Li immediately put on his reading glasses, stared carefully at the spot where He Yuzhu and Man Yatou were looking, and nodded repeatedly, a smile gradually blooming on his face: "This bulge has the best conditions for oil generation and storage; it is more likely to hide a large oilfield than anywhere else around it!"

"Expert Li, I went near there a few years ago. It should belong to Guangrao County; I don't remember exactly which township it was," He Yuzhu said.

Expert Li slammed the table: "Little He, Man Yatou, you two are truly miraculous! I will call the Ministry immediately; I want to send people—no, I will go there to survey it myself!"

Man Yatou was startled, thinking to herself: Expert Li actually has such great authority that he can directly send people to survey?

Just then, Secretary Liu returned.

Expert Li said excitedly: "Director Liu, while you were off eating with Group Leader Ma, the three of us may have discovered another large oilfield!"

Secretary Liu was stunned on the spot.

He Yuzhu hurriedly explained: "We inferred it under Expert Li's guidance. There might be an oilfield near the Yellow River Estuary; whether there is one or not will only be certain after surveying."

Expert Li did not set off immediately. Hearing that Liushi Trading Company was sending a batch of equipment, he planned to take a set of drilling equipment from He Yuzhu's side and head to Dalian Port to take a ship there for the survey.

He Yuzhu could not help but sigh that this old man really had an impatient temper.

Expert Li insisted on taking Man Yatou with him, and He Yuzhu had no choice but to agree.

Before leaving, He Yuzhu quietly told Man Yatou: "I remembered, that location on the map should be about 1.5 kilometers southeast of Dongying Village in Guangrao County. However, don't say it was me who said it."

Man Yatou nodded in understanding.

Sending off the Investigation Team meant that Secretary Liu would also be leaving.

Before he left, the base held a meeting for leaders at the middle level and above.

Director Liu officially announced the appointments for the base leadership: He Yuzhu to serve as Executive Deputy Director, in charge of production; Lv Hong to serve as Acting Deputy Director, in charge of infrastructure; in the original team, Deputy Director Zhang would manage logistics, Deputy Director Xiao would manage political work, and Deputy Director Ma would manage equipment.

He Yuzhu knew clearly that he could not move these three "old oil-slick" veterans, so he simply reassigned them to relatively leisurely tasks to avoid being hindered by them in the future.

That evening, He Yuzhu invited Secretary Liu and Lv Hong to dinner.

After a few drinks, He Yuzhu voiced his concerns: "Secretary Liu, my position at the Red Star Rolling Mill has already been dismissed, but as for the Farm... can I still manage it?"

Secretary Liu put down his chopsticks and looked at him: "You must manage that side. In my opinion, you won't be staying at this oilfield for many years; sooner or later you'll have to return to the Rolling Mill."

He Yuzhu gave a bitter smile and leaned back in his chair: "To be honest, I regret becoming this Deputy Director a little. It's freezing here, and having to endure two or three years of this—just thinking about it is hard."

Secretary Liu laughed: "Is three years not fast? Think about the military order you signed—three million tons of oil, the oil machinery factory, the nitrogen fertilizer plant, the refinery... this whole mess is enough to keep you busy; where would you have the time to think about anything else?"

Just as they were talking, the door curtain was lifted, and Erkui from the Farm burst in in a rush: "Zhuzi, hurry and get me some diesel! We harvested over ten thousand mu of wheat, and the diesel in the warehouse has hit the bottom!"

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up: "You came at the right time. If Director Liu leaves, I wouldn't dare approve this requisition slip; those three old guys would definitely give me trouble."

Erkui chuckled: "Leader, our Farm hasn't supported the base any less; can't we use oil to offset it this time?"

Secretary Liu was amused: "Fine, the things we borrowed from your Farm will all be settled before I leave; I can't leave bad debts for my successor."

He Yuzhu joked: "Erkui, hurry and make a list for Director Liu. Try to get everything owed to the Farm hauled back this time; I won't be able to look after you all in the future."

Secretary Liu didn't pay attention to these words and immediately asked: "Have you measured the yield?"

"Both types of wheat were measured. Guess how much we harvested?" Erkui deliberately kept them in suspense.

He Yuzhu scolded with a smile: "Don't keep us in suspense, hurry up and say it!"

"The short, sturdy variety of wheat yielded 625 jin per mu. The other variety yielded 375 jin."

Secretary Liu stood up with a "whoosh" and grabbed Erkui's arm: "Erkui, let me tell you, you can't joke about yield. If you reported false numbers, I won't spare you!"

Erkui was unhurried and took a roll of film out of his pocket and slapped it on the table: "Leader, you don't understand this. Zhuzi had already given instructions to have the Propaganda Officer take photos the whole time, from harvesting to measuring, from weighing to threshing—not a single shot was missed; it's all in this film. We don't know how to develop it, so we brought it for Zhuzi to handle."

Secretary Liu took the film as if he were holding some treasure and turned to urge He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, when can these photos be developed?"

"I'll develop them after we finish eating."

He Yuzhu listened to Erkui's report and smiled: "We are really lucky."

"This isn't just good luck; it's the result of your hard work," Secretary Liu said. "I've asked those reclaiming land nearby, and in the first year of planting wheat, the yield per mu is only a little over a hundred jin."

The three of them hurriedly finished their meal, then He Yuzhu pulled the curtains shut and began to develop the photographs.

Two hours later, the photos gradually became clear in the developing solution: the scenes of the wheat harvest were all captured within the small frames.

Secretary Liu flipped through them one by one, and upon seeing the numbers on the scale, he finally couldn't help but punch the air fiercely.

He raised his head, his expression serious: "Zhuzi, you must keep these wheat seeds safe for me."

He Yuzhu replied: "I understand. We'll keep enough for the next season, and you can take the rest away." He asked tentatively, "Leader, do you think... could one jin of wheat seeds be exchanged for two jin of wheat?"

Secretary Liu glared: "You brat, playing this game with me again! The state is requisitioning these, and you're still trying to bargain?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and didn't argue. He knew that although Secretary Liu scolded him harshly, he would still try his best to fight for him in his heart.