Chapter 292

Early on the morning of the eighth day, Chen Hongfu called Su Xinghui, and the two of them rode their bicycles to Ye Zhugou Village. They wanted to see the current situation in the village.

Soon, the two arrived at Ye Zhugou Village. The village was still immersed in the joy of the festival, with bright red spring couplets still pasted on the doors of every household. They arrived at the village committee office and saw only Gao Daping, who was using an abacus to calculate something.

Chen Hongfu called out, "Daping, where are Branch Secretary Fang and the others?"

Gao Daping looked up, quickly put down his abacus, stood up, and said, "Chen Shuji is here! And Director Su, Happy New Year, Happy New Year!"

Chen Hongfu and Su Xinghui also wished Gao Daping a Happy New Year. Gao Daping said, "Some of them went to the breeding farm, and some went to the seedling base. I'm just here doing the accounts. Should I go call them?"

Chen Hongfu said, "No need, we'll go find them ourselves."

Chen Hongfu and Su Xinghui went to the special breeding farm, where Fang Youcai was. Chen Hongfu called out, "Youcai, Happy New Year!"

Su Xinghui also called out "Happy New Year." Fang Youcai quickly wished them a Happy New Year in return and asked, "Chen Shuji, Director Su, what brings you here today?"

Chen Hongfu said, "Some leaders might come to inspect our place in a few days, so we came to check the situation and see if anything needs to be prepared."

Fang Youcai said, "Leaders coming to inspect again? Haha, our Ye Zhugou, this godforsaken place, is actually quite popular now!"

Chen Hongfu laughed, "That's for sure. Maybe even more big leaders will come to see you here in the future."

Su Xinghui greeted Professor Rao, who was beside Fang Youcai, "Professor Rao, why didn't you go back to the township government to rest last night?"

Professor Rao said, "Yesterday I was observing the situation at the breeding farm. Old Luo was here guiding the villagers in managing seedlings and planting medicinal herbs, and Old Huang was also guiding villagers at Qishuping. They finished guiding quite late, so they didn't go back to the township government and just rested here."

Fang Youcai laughed, "No worries, Director Su. Our Ye Zhugou Village has places for the professors to rest. Everything is new bedding; we definitely won't mistreat them."

Chen Hongfu said, "Professor Rao has worked hard!"

Professor Rao laughed, "Not hard at all, not hard at all. This is our job, after all."

Chen Hongfu asked again, "How is the situation at the breeding farm? Not bad, right?"

Professor Rao nodded, "The climate here in Ye Zhugou is very mild, really suitable for breeding wild animals. The workers at the farm are also very meticulous; they clean the pigsties, chicken coops, and rodent cages thoroughly every day. The feeding is also on point, and vaccines are administered in a timely manner, so these wild animals are growing very smoothly."

Fang Youcai said, "We have to thank Professor Rao for your guidance. Besides, this is our village's collective property, our village's hope for prosperity. How could we not be meticulous?"

Chen Hongfu and Su Xinghui took a look at the wild animals in the farm. Sure enough, they were growing very well and looked healthy and lively.

Chen Hongfu laughed, "When Boss Yu comes to purchase next time, this will be another significant income."

Fang Youcai said happily, "That's right, our village's life is getting better and better."

Chen Hongfu said, "Then let's go take a look at the seedling base."

Fang Youcai said, "Then I'll go with you. Professor Rao, I'm going to the seedling base; you keep busy here."

Professor Rao waved his hand, "Alright, you go ahead. I don't need company here."

The seedling base, which was the place for cultivating Eucommia seedlings, was not far from the breeding farm. In just a few minutes, they arrived.

The Eucommia seeds planted last year had now grown into seedlings over ten centimeters tall. Eucommia seedlings avoid exposure to intense sunlight, but in Ye Zhugou, the climate is mild, and since it was just the beginning of spring, the sun wasn't too intense, making it perfect for seedling growth.

Now, these seedlings were growing quite well.

Among the seedlings, several people were squatting and talking about something. Fang Youcai called out from a distance, "Zhongfu, Professor Luo, Chen Shuji and Director Su are here."

Hearing Fang Youcai's call, everyone stood up, turned around, and walked over. Zhao Zhongfu called out, "Chen Shuji, Director Su, Happy New Year!"

Chen Hongfu said, "Zhongfu, Professor Luo, Happy New Year to you too!"

After the pleasantries, Chen Hongfu asked about the situation at the seedling base. Luo Ping said, "The growth of these Eucommia seedlings is relatively good. After another year of growth, they can be planted next year."

Chen Hongfu asked, "If planted, how many acres of Eucommia forest can be grown?"

Luo Ping replied, "This seedling base is two acres, and each acre grows about 30,000 to 40,000 seedlings. That's 70,000 to 80,000 seedlings. If planted with a spacing of four meters between plants and four meters between rows, each acre can hold 40 to 50 plants. In other words, these seedlings can plant over 1,000 acres of Eucommia forest."

Chen Hongfu nodded with satisfaction, "That's very good."