The train driver in the courtyard

Inside the farmer's office.

Li Aiguo stood up, intending to go back to write a report, but was stopped by the farmer.

"Although we caught this rat this time, there are definitely more rats we haven't caught. These rats will surely steal the seeds."

The farmer was a little upset.

It's frustrating to have something you worked so hard to create stolen by someone else.

“Teacher, let these mice steal as much as they want, the more the better,” Li Aiguo laughed.

The farmer was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with your seeds?"

Li Aiguo explained: "Teacher, the Aiguo No. 1 seed uses a three-cross hybridization technique, which involves crossing a single cross with an inbred line. The yield reduction in the next generation is not significant."

However, by the third generation, production reduction will reach 80%.

Li Aiguo sensed that the farmer was a little confused, so he continued:

"It's like when a horse and a donkey are crossbred, and the resulting mule is born. Both horses and donkeys can have foals, but the mule can't have any more foals."

After this explanation, the farmer immediately understood.

"So, the seed the enemy stole was actually a bomb."

While he breathed a sigh of relief, he also felt the terrifying power of seed technology.

If we lose the ability to cultivate seeds, we will be at the mercy of others.

Old Cat had always been puzzled by one thing: why did Li Aiguo distribute seeds on such a large scale, knowing that they were easy to steal? Now he finally understood.

Since it can deliver bombs to the enemy and catch a bunch of rats at the same time, it's killing two birds with one stone.

"This kid is getting more and more impressive!" Old Cat exclaimed sincerely.

As night deepened, the streets and alleys of the capital fell into silence.

Li Aiguo drove his large SUV toward the courtyard house, the headlights cutting through the darkness to illuminate the branches of the old locust tree by the roadside, which were sticking out at an angle.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow on the road, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

But in the dark corners of the wall where the light couldn't reach, "rats" were scurrying about.

At that time, grain seed technology was still in its most rudimentary stage of development.

We haven't even mastered single-cross hybridization yet, let alone triple-cross hybridization, and genetically modified technology is nowhere in sight.

If we can seize this opportunity to establish a technological advantage in seeds, we may be able to break the monopoly of the four major grain traders.

Li Aiguo had no grand ambitions, and he never thought of taking over someone else's livelihood.

I just hope that my relatives, friends, brothers and sisters can all have enough to eat.

But he knew better than anyone that if you didn't take advantage of certain technological advantages, someone else would.

If you don't hold onto some jobs securely, you'll be at the mercy of others.

Pushing open the door, only a small table lamp was left on in the room, and Chen Xueru was asleep sitting on the edge of the bed.

Li Aiguo carried her to the bed and tucked her in.

He entered the study, opened a roll of manuscript paper, and wrote on it in blue ink: "On the Food Wars"

The article was not difficult to write.

Especially given Li Aiguo's deep understanding of the future development direction of agricultural seeds and the international grain trade pattern, he was able to write with divine inspiration.

Food is the cornerstone of human survival and a stable "ballast".

Whoever controls superior seeds controls the lifeline of grain production.

Whoever gains the upper hand in the global food order will win this crucial war.

The night was quiet.

Li Aiguo put away his pen, neatly folded the manuscript paper, stuffed it into the file bag, and carefully tied it with hemp rope.

He gazed at the moonlight outside the window.

Doing good deeds without asking for reward.

The file was delivered to the farmer's desk the next day.

The farmer opened it, read it carefully, and laughed, "Whoever can take the initiative in the global food order and win this war that must be won, this kid is really bold. Fine, as his teacher, I'll accompany you on this journey."

The farmer picked up a pen, signed his name on the back, and then picked up the phone: "Prepare the car."

After "On the Food War" was submitted, no news came out, not even the slightest hint.

Li Aiguo was not in a hurry.

For matters of such importance, the higher authorities will definitely take a holistic approach.

Li Aiguo is also very busy now.

While busy assembling sports cars, he also had to take care of LED research. In his spare time, he also had to continue making dolls with Miss Chen.

They're living a pretty good life.

The decision regarding the two brothers, Chen Mai and Chen Tou, was made a few days later. They were to be imprisoned for twenty years for stealing seeds.

Li Aiguo felt no sympathy for the two men's fate.

They are well aware of the importance of these seeds, but if they still insist on doing it this way, they will have to pay a price.

The commune's investigation has also concluded. The whole thing was orchestrated by the Chen brothers, Chen Mai and Chen Tou, and had nothing to do with anyone else.

Time passed bit by bit.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Professor Chen, who was far away in Northeast China guiding the commune members, rushed to the fields early in the morning with a hoe.

"Everyone, watch carefully. The Patriot No. 1 seeding must be done at fixed intervals."

Professor Chen was wearing a work jacket and had a tattered towel hanging around his neck. He looked just like an old commune member. This kind of down-to-earth technician was the most trusted by the commune members.

The villagers gathered around him, memorizing the sowing steps and precautions he taught them.

Professor Chen had finished visiting this commune and was preparing to ride his bicycle to the next commune when suddenly a jeep sped up from a distance and blocked his way.

"Is that Professor Chen from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences?"

After receiving an affirmative reply, the young officer took a notice out of his bag and handed it over.

"Please come back to the capital with us immediately."

Professor Chen glanced at the signature on the notice and his expression immediately turned serious. He asked the staff member to wait a moment, then turned and instructed his student to go to the next commune in his place.

"Remember, when explaining things to the members, be patient and humble."

"Understood, teacher, don't worry." Several students nodded.

After handing over his work, Professor Chen got into the jeep, which started and sped away.

Looking at the scenery rushing past the window and then at the admission notice in his hand, Professor Chen was filled with doubt.

Why was I suddenly summoned by the authorities? Is there anything more important than planting Patriot No. 1 seed?

The same scene is happening all over the country.

Professor Zhao from the North China Agricultural Research Institute.

He had bred a high-quality winter wheat variety, "Bima No. 1," and was planning to proceed with the next stage of his work when he received a notification from the research institute and rushed to Beijing.

Professor Liu and Professor Xu from the College of Agriculture at Jinling University, who have made outstanding contributions to rice and cotton breeding, have also received notification.

Southwest Agricultural College. Northwest Agricultural College.
Upon arriving in Beijing, Professor Chen met with these old friends, his heart filled with suspicion.

These professors and experts all come from the field of breeding.

"This place gathers most of the country's breeding experts. What exactly are they planning to do?"

Professor Chen asked a few old friends and found that they were all just as confused as he was. Some of them even interrupted their research to come over.

The room fell silent instantly after the meeting began.

"Now, please read an article first." The leader presiding over the meeting nodded to the staff.

After Professor Chen sat down, picked up the materials distributed by the conference organizers, glanced at them, and froze.

On the Wars of Food

Li Aiguo was unaware of the details of the conference, but learned the results from the farmer.

Given the special nature of breeding work, it was decided that the Academy of Agricultural Sciences would take the lead in establishing a breeding base.

The base is headed by Professor Chen, who made special contributions to the cultivation of Patriot No. 1, with Li Aiguo serving as an advisor.

The base's researchers are among the best breeding experts from all over the country, and a long-term breeding and sustainable research mechanism has been established.

The main tasks of the breeding base are to cultivate various improved varieties, research hybridization techniques, and other latest breeding technologies.

It can be said that the above decision takes into account the special nature of breeding work, balances practical needs, and looks to the future.

Even Li Aiguo had to admire him; after all, he was a senior figure whose exceptional insight was unmatched.

"Patriotism, your teacher knows you have a heavy responsibility, but this is an instruction personally given by your superiors."

The farmer knew that the authorities would pay attention to "On the Food War," but he did not expect it to be to this extent, and he certainly did not expect that breeding work would be put on the agenda so quickly.

It must be because the name Li Aiguo is becoming more and more well-known.

Trust always has inertia.

Li Aiguo stood up and assured him, "Teacher, please rest assured, I will do my best to complete the work and guarantee to cultivate excellent seeds!"

Li Aiguo wasn't worried, as the breeding base now gathers more than half of the country's breeding experts.

What he needed to do was to extract some of the experiences of later generations from the long river of time and help point out the direction.

This is also why he was appointed as an advisor.

Li Aiguo quickly obtained the list of experts from the breeding base.

There are many familiar names on it, all of them big shots, and now they have all appeared in a breeding base.

"Instead of preventing the emergence of the four major grain merchants, we might as well become one ourselves. With the help of so many big shots, this is not an impossible goal." Li Aiguo felt that the cards he was dealt were getting better and better.

"I just don't know what the situation is like over at Poison Mountain. Judging by the time, those lost seeds should have been sent over by now."

"These are the corn seeds transported from the east?" At this moment, in the warehouse at Xiaomei's port, the portly Commissioner Smith, with a cigar in his mouth, pointed at a large pile of seeds.

"It's all here, a total of 2,300 jin." The senior executives of Mengdushan Company were clearly somewhat afraid of this person, and did not even dare to remind him that smoking was strictly prohibited in this area.

"Only two thousand catties? That's only enough to plant a few dozen acres. That's far too little. Congress urgently needs to increase corn production." Commissioner Smith frowned. The senior officials at Poison Mountain were startled and quickly explained, "The defenses on the east side are extremely tight right now, and Langley refuses to help. Most of the people we spent a lot of money recruiting have been arrested. We only managed to get these two thousand catties by luck."

As he spoke, the senior executive of Venom Mountain glanced at Commissioner Smith, who waved his hand at him: "Langley is dealing with the Russians, so don't even think about it."

"As for how you will operate, I don't know and I don't want to know, but we must get 5,000 acres of planting area. Once the seeds are produced, we can start large-scale planting next year. Those farmers can't wait."

Commissioner Smith added coldly, "If I hadn't covered up all the shady things you did, you and your board members would probably be locked up by now. I hope you understand that."

Commissioner Smith turned and walked outside. An assistant quickly followed, opened the door of the luxury car, and sped away, leaving only a cloud of exhaust fumes for the high-ranking officials of Mighty Poison Mountain.

The owner of Venomous Mountain spat, "That damned guy is threatening us!"

“Boss, I’ve found out. Most of the big shots behind Commissioner Smith are farmers, which is why they’re so eager for seeds,” a senior executive stepped forward and reported.

The owner of Mengdu Mountain rubbed his forehead in frustration: "It's all the mess that the east side made. Seeds that yield more than 1,500 catties per mu, if it were me, I would also be tempted. But we can't do anything about it now."

"Boss, there's an old saying in the East: 'A generous reward will surely attract brave men.' Hong Kong has close ties with the mainland. If we post a hefty reward in Hong Kong, someone will definitely sell us the seeds," a senior executive suggested.

That's how Mengdushan is—eager for quick success and instant benefits, always considering only economic interests, which is the root cause of all the messes it's made.

The owner of Mengdu Mountain nodded: "Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. The more you buy, the better."

The owner of Mengdushan also knew that the best way to enter the seed industry was to stand on the shoulders of others.

Moreover, he had already sent people to inspect the Patriot No. 1 corn seeds and conducted corresponding cultivation experiments. In the second generation, there was absolutely no sign of reduced yield.

In other words, once a large number of seeds are cultivated, Patriot No. 1 will become a product of their Venom Mountain Company.

What? The east side is accusing them of stealing seeds?

There are still those newspapers and media outlets, right? When it comes to sheer volume, the East is no match for them and can only suffer in silence.

"Patriotism No. 1 sounds awful. It's better to love yourself than to love your country. What should this seed be called? Right, let's call it Gold No. 1. Hmm, gold is a good thing." The boss of Fierce Poison Mountain hummed a little tune as he left the warehouse.

The leaders of Mighty Poison Mountain acted swiftly, contacting several major families in the port city.

The current situation in the port city is very different from that in the original timeline.

Seeing that Yang Jizong was making a fortune through Hextech, the other companies also flocked to this side. Although they didn't earn as much as Yang Jizong, they still got a share of the profits.

So when they heard that someone was buying the seeds of Patriotic No. 1 corn and that they needed to get them from the mainland, they immediately realized there was something wrong with it and did not agree.

They can still tell the difference between being full at one meal and being full at every meal.

Apart from those few large families who have always disliked this place.

In particular, Mr. Huang, who had been excluded from the Hextech system early on, was immediately tempted when he saw the potential for substantial profits.

However, since they did not have a way to purchase Patriot No. 1 corn on a large scale, they began to inquire everywhere.

Li Aiguo learned about this from Yang Jizong over the phone.

"Ten US dollars a pound of corn seeds, that's an astronomical price, it's tempting me." Yang Jizong clicked his tongue twice.

“Since they’re interested, just sell them. See how many they need and sell them all.” Li Aiguo hadn’t expected that Mengdushan would still be so persistent.

He originally had no intention of dealing with Venom Mountain.

The fact that Venom Mountain bought such a large quantity of seeds clearly indicates that they wanted to seize the seed market; it was all Venom Mountain's doing.

"Huh?" Yang Jizong was stunned for a moment before realizing that Li Aiguo was not joking.

"Patriotic Brother, once these seeds are shipped out on a large scale, and after the second-generation breeding is carried out in Mengdu Mountain, they can take advantage of their strengths to dump them."

“Listen to me, sell them all.” Li Aiguo didn’t offer any further explanation.

Yang Jizong didn't press the matter further.

Having worked with Li Aiguo for so long, he knew very well that there were some things he shouldn't know and shouldn't ask about.

Subsequently.

Li Aiguo reported the matter to the meteorological station, and after receiving approval, the 100 tons of seeds were broken down into smaller portions and transported to the port city.

Of course, Yang Jizong did not sell these seeds directly to Mengdushan Company. Instead, he found some middlemen and sold them to the big families in Gangcheng who bought seeds through various channels.

Even if an investigation were conducted afterward, the Yang family would not be implicated.

"We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich this time! There's a two-dollar difference per pound, so these hundred tons of seeds can earn us four hundred thousand dollars!" Several big family bosses gathered together and held a meeting after they got their hands on the seeds.

“Some people are just stupid. They let money slip by and now we’re getting a good deal. I’ve said before that business is business, it has no borders. What difference does it make whether a banknote comes from the mainland or from America?” Mr. Huang said smugly as he stood up, leaning on his cane.

"Mr. Huang's point about the difference is that US dollars are more valuable than Chinese currency."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter erupted in the luxurious room.

It was more than a month later when 100 tons of corn seeds were delivered to the warehouse of Mengdushan. The owner of Mengdushan personally led a team to inspect the seeds.

After confirming that there were no problems, the owner of Mengdushan handed a check to Mr. Huang, the representative of the prominent family in Gangcheng.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Huang."

"You're too kind. It's my honor to serve you." Mr. Huang excitedly shook hands with the owner of Mengdushan.

Now they've finally established a connection with Xiao Mei's family. If things go well, the Huang family will definitely be able to replace the Yang family and become the largest family in Hong Kong.

After Mr. Huang left, the owner of Mengdushan instructed the senior executives to immediately transport the seeds to the breeding base.

"We plant this year, and next year we'll sell the harvested seeds to the farmers."

"clear."

Looking at the corn seeds being shipped out, the owner of Poison Mountain smiled smugly: "Poison Mountain is about to become the world's largest breeding company."

*****
After deducting necessary expenses, the sale of corn seeds netted a profit of $1.2 million.

The money, after being approved by higher authorities, was earmarked for specific purposes and remained in the breeding base's account.

One million dollars is a huge sum even in later generations, and it is an enormous amount in this era.

With this money, the breeding base will no longer have to worry about funding issues in the future.

In the afternoon, after meeting with Professor Chen and other leaders from the breeding base, Li Aiguo rode his mountain bike back to the courtyard house.

Before we even reached the gate, we saw Uncle San and Nan Yi pulling a flatbed cart from a distance.

Nan Yi pulled from the front, while Uncle San pushed from behind. Nan Yi was panting heavily, his buttocks sticking out like an old donkey pulling a millstone.

Judging from the weight of the flatbed cart, Nan Yi, a usually well-mannered person, was getting increasingly impatient and angry: "Old Yan, put some effort into it!"

"I'm putting in the effort! I'm putting in the effort!" The old man shouted at the top of his lungs but couldn't exert any force. The flatbed cart couldn't go up the slope and instead went backward.

Li Aiguo stepped forward, grabbed the handlebars, and helped Nan Yi pull up. Only then did he see that there was a pile of radishes on the flatbed cart, weighing at least one or two thousand kilograms.

"Nan Yi, did you take all the food from the cafeteria?" Li Aiguo asked in surprise.

"No, absolutely not, these vegetables were bought by Uncle San."

"Wait a minute, isn't Jiecheng supposed to get married in two months?"

Li Aiguo had heard Yan Jiecheng mutter about it a few times. Yan Jiecheng, a young man, originally planned to get married as soon as possible.

The third uncle insisted on getting married at the end of the year, saying that he had chosen an auspicious date.

Everyone knows that if you get married at the end of the year, the whole family will eat meat, so you can save on meat during the Lunar New Year. Uncle San is really calculating to the bone.

When this matter was brought up, Nan Yi became furious. He stood there, panting heavily, and recounted the whole story.

Yan Jiecheng is indeed getting married at the end of the year, by which time vegetables at the market will be too expensive.

This old fellow heard that the Sijiqing Commune was planning to build greenhouses, so he harvested a large batch of radishes in advance and sold them off cheaply.

So he invited Nan Yi to go grocery shopping together, saying that preparing the vegetables was the cook's job.

It's also because Nan Yi was too naive that he actually went along. On the way back, the Third Uncle couldn't pull the flatbed cart, so Nan Yi had to pull it the whole way.

"This time we've been tricked."

"I was just trying to save some money, was that wrong?" The old man also felt wronged.

Nan Yi couldn't argue with him. After resting for a while, the truck and flatbed arrived at the door. Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiekuang, and the others ran out, carried the vegetables into the cellar, and buried them in sand.

When Chen Xueru returned in the evening, she brought up Yan Jiecheng's wedding: "Brother Aiguo, we're all neighbors in the same compound. Shouldn't we give him a wedding gift?"

"It should."

While eating, Li Aiguo replied, "You still have the list of wedding gifts from when we got married. See how much Uncle San's family gave, and we'll return that amount."

This is an old custom of giving monetary gifts, and no one can say anything about it.

When the topic of marriage came up, Li Aiguo suddenly remembered that Lao Mao was also getting married in a couple of days.

Although Lao Mao wasn't a relative, he was a comrade-in-arms, closer than relatives, and also the child's godfather, so Li Aiguo couldn't be stingy.

Li Aiguo asked Chen Xueru what she had given him.

These past two days, Chen Xueru took Zhou Tao to the Beijing Trade Company to buy towels, washbasins, thermos flasks, and bed sheets.

As for blankets, we don't need them. Old Cat has done a lot of good work over the years, and we have several blankets at home.

"I gave her two sets of clothes, but this girl insisted on giving me the money and cloth coupons. I had no choice but to accept them." Chen Xueru looked at Li Aiguo somewhat embarrassed.

Knowing the temperament of the weather station staff, Li Aiguo smiled and said, "Just accept it. I'll figure out what to do with the gifts."

At Uncle San's house.

The old man took out his abacus and started clicking away for a while. After calculating the numbers, he said proudly, "Old woman, this time we bought 1,500 catties of radishes. Radishes in the market cost one cent per catty, but we only spent half a cent. We made a net profit of seven yuan and fifty cents."

As the third aunt poured water for the third uncle to wash his feet, she said worriedly, "Old man, there are so many radishes, even if we had a wedding banquet we couldn't finish them all. Don't waste them."

"If we can't finish it all at the wedding banquet, we can eat it during the New Year. If we can't finish it all during the New Year, we can eat it next spring." The third uncle chuckled, "Radishes are a good thing; people call them little ginseng."

The three aunties: "."

Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiedi: "."

The night was quiet.

A rustling sound came from the cellar.

A mouse had just entered the cellar when it smelled a sweet aroma.

It sniffed and quickly arrived at a large pile of sand.

The mouse rummaged through the sand a few times, and when it saw the plump and beautiful radish, its mouth gaped open in a wide grin.

"Squeak squeak squeak, brothers, we've got some good stuff, come quick!"

(End of this chapter)