Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 579 An Opportunity to Win Glory for the Country

"Qiangzi, you're finally back!"

"Qiangzi, you're so unreliable. You said you'd be back in ten days, but it's been almost four months."

"Yeah, you know what? We were worried to death."

“If it weren’t for Brother Guangfu saying you were alright, we would have organized a group of people to go into the mountains to look for you.”

"Thank goodness you're finally back, I can finally get a good night's sleep."

As soon as they entered the room, Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others began to complain to Li Guoqiang.

Once they stopped, Li Guoqiang nodded sincerely and admitted his mistake, saying, "Yes, yes, I was wrong to do this. I apologize to you."

"Hey, you don't need to apologize to us. We were just worried that something might happen to you."

"Yes! We were just worried about you, but you don't need to worry about it."

"By the way, how's your beekeeping research institute doing now?"

"Um, I heard from Brother Guangfu that you've already set up the entire beekeeping research institute, is that right?"

Seeing Li Guoqiang so readily admit his mistake, Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others immediately began to try to make amends, fearing that Li Guoqiang might have some complaints about them.

You should know that they heard from people in the county that Xiangmizhai had transferred more than 40,000 yuan to Jinshanbao this time, and also transferred more than 10,000 yuan to each of the ten production teams that contracted to raise bees.

If they offend Li Guoqiang and he stops working for Jinshanbao in the future, they will suffer a huge loss.

After all, Li Guoqiang's household registration had already been moved from Jinshanbao to the county government collective in Changxian County when he was promoted to deputy section chief, and he became a salaried employee.

Therefore, they now have no means of restraint other than trying to appeal to Li Guoqiang's emotions.

If it weren't for the fact that Li Guoqiang still had a plot of land and three mud-brick houses in their village, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Although the bee farm has not had any major problems in the past four months, having learned from past mistakes, they dare not guarantee that there will be no problems in the future.

What's more, they were hoping that Li Guoqiang could help them set up a few more bee farms in the future!

"It's pretty much done, and we've already successfully bred the first batch of improved bee breeds. Next spring, we can gradually supply them to Jinshanbao and other bee-raising production teams that have contracted to do so."

Seeing the change in the attitudes of Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and others, Li Guoqiang felt a slight smile to his face, and then took the opportunity to reveal the situation of the beekeeping technology research institute.

"Really? Then you must prioritize our Golden Mountain Fortress! After all, this is your second home, we can't let outsiders benefit from it first, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuliang's eyes lit up, and he quickly tried to appeal to Li Guoqiang's emotions.

Because Li Guoqiang had previously told him about the various advantages of improving bee breeds.

The improvement in the honey-gathering range and efficiency alone was enough to make him envious.

It's important to understand that the number of bee colonies a place can accommodate, as well as the jurisdiction of their Gold Mountain Fortress, are certainly limited.

As a result, sooner or later, Jinshanbao will be unable to set up new bee farms.

At that time, they will probably only have one option left: gradually replace the bee colonies in the village with better breeds, expand the honey collection area, and improve honey collection efficiency, thereby increasing economic benefits.

Therefore, Li Guoqiang's importance has not only not decreased, but has actually increased considerably.

Just as Sun Maocai, Ma Changshun, and the others were looking at Li Guoqiang with great enthusiasm, Li Guoqiang's expression turned serious, and then he dropped another bombshell on them.

"In addition, I will have someone contact China Resources to see if we can sell our honey abroad to earn foreign exchange."

"What? Sell honey overseas? Is that even possible?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others were immediately stunned.

Even though they are not very educated or knowledgeable, they still understand how prestigious it is to sell honey abroad.

If this is true, then the people of Jinshanbao will have something to brag about in the future.

"Whether it will work or not is still unclear, but there is still some hope."

Seeing the reactions of Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others, Li Guoqiang smiled and replied with a chuckle.

In fact, with the backing of a powerful company in Hong Kong, and by proactively approaching China Resources in Hong Kong, it was practically a done deal.

However, in order not to make Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai and others think too much, he did not speak too definitively.

And
"Furthermore, don't get too excited yet. Given the demand from those large foreign companies, the amount of honey produced in our entire Chang County right now might not even be enough for one purchase."

If our production capacity can't keep up, we'll become a laughing stock.

"No, we can't afford to mess up such an important event that brings glory to our country!"

Upon hearing Li Guoqiang's words, Xu Yuliang immediately became anxious and hurriedly shouted loudly.

You see, he's not the greenhorn he used to be when he first became the brigade leader. After a year of training, he immediately understands how much benefit it would bring him to succeed in this matter.

Putting everything else aside, once the matter is accomplished, he will at least be able to climb one or two levels and become a real leading cadre.

Of course, whether he will still be willing to move at that time is another matter.

"That's right. No matter what, we can't let those foreign devils look down on us."

"Exactly! Where else can you find something that can make you a lot of money and also enhance your reputation?"

"."

Soon, Sun Maocai, Ma Changshun, and the others also realized what was happening, and they all spoke up excitedly, completely lacking the composure expected of brigade cadres.

Even Xu Guangshou, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, was so excited that his face turned completely red, as if he had drunk several kilograms of liquor.

Li Guoqiang was not surprised by this situation.

Because no matter when, anything that can bring glory to the country can stir up the most intense emotions in people's hearts.

In fact, in this era, this event has a very special significance, giving people an unforgettable and deep-rooted sense of pride.

After a while, once Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others had calmed down, they all realized a very real problem.

That is, they are just a village. No matter how hard they try or how much they yearn, how much can they achieve?
unless
"Hey, why are you all looking at me like that? The most important thing is that you all have to figure out how to do this yourselves. Anyway, the more bees you produce in the future, the better your lives will be." Li Guoqiang saw Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai and the others looking at him expectantly, and couldn't help but scold them in a somewhat annoyed manner.

Even if he hadn't moved away, let alone now that he's moved to Hong Kong, he couldn't possibly continue working as a nanny for Jinshanbao forever.

In fact, when the beekeeping research institute has more improved bee breeds in the future, and they are handed over to Jinshanbao for breeding, he will even have to settle accounts with Jinshanbao!

"Qiangzi, you have to give us some ideas!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuliang immediately began to plead with some concern.

"Yes! We do want to try, but all we know how to do is farm. How are we supposed to know what to do?"

"Qiangzi, if you ask me, you should just have a change of heart and show us a way. That would be much better than letting us mess around. Don't you think so?"

"That's right, Qiangzi, stop hiding it. If you have any ideas, just tell us. We promise we'll do it without hesitation!"

At this moment, Sun Maocai, Xu Guanglu, Ma Changshun, Ma Chunmei, and others all pleaded with Li Guoqiang, hoping that he could point them in the right direction so that they could avoid missing this opportunity to win glory for the country.

"Fine!"

Seeing how enthusiastic Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others were, Li Guoqiang pondered for a moment, then nodded and agreed, saying, "Give me some time, and I'll think of a good solution for you."

"Cheng, we are relieved to hear you say that."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuliang, Sun Maocai, and the others immediately felt relieved.

Since they met Li Guoqiang, they had never seen him fail at anything.

So this time, it's obviously the same.

Later, when they learned that Li Guoqiang had returned alone, they all started to have their own ideas.

Among them, some wanted to invite Li Guoqiang to their homes for meals, while others wanted their wives to cook and deliver meals to Li Guoqiang at fixed times every day.

Some even wanted to send their own nieces to Li Guoqiang's home to take care of his daily life.

However, in front of Xu Guangshou, they did not bring it up on the spot. They just chatted with Li Guoqiang about his family, asked how his wife and children were doing, and then got up and left.

Li Guoqiang did not stay at Xu Guangshou's house any longer. He had lunch with Xu Guangshou and Yang Guoxiu, and then said goodbye and left to go home and tidy up.

However, when he returned to his courtyard gate, he saw a familiar figure standing in the courtyard.

"Comrade Xu Wanling, what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were back, so I thought I'd come over and help you clean up."

When Xu Wanling saw Li Guoqiang return, a look of nervousness appeared on her face.

"No need, you can go back now! I can pack up myself!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang refused without even thinking.

Although Xu Wanling was quite pretty and possessed the gentle beauty of a woman from Jiangnan, with his current standards, he could no longer appreciate a woman as short-sighted as Xu Wanling.

Moreover, he knew that Xu Wanling's motives for coming to help were somewhat impure, so he naturally wouldn't give her any hope.

"No, I really came here to help out of the goodness of my heart. Please, just because we were both sent-down youth in the same batch, give me a chance to correct my mistakes, okay?"

Xu Wanling became anxious when she saw Li Guoqiang's tough attitude.

Because she knew that this might be her only chance in her life to get close to Li Guoqiang, she had to seize it.

As she spoke, she continued walking and soon arrived in front of Li Guoqiang.

Just as she was about to pretend to trip and fall into Li Guoqiang's arms, Li Guoqiang suddenly dodged to the side.

"Ah~"

With a soft cry, Xu Wanling collapsed to the ground, her body covered in mud.

"you"

"What do you mean, 'you'? You fell down on your own, it has nothing to do with me!"

Li Guoqiang's face darkened, and then he retorted somewhat displeasedly.

If Xu Wanling could play the victim in front of him and sincerely apologize, perhaps he could give her face out of consideration for their shared experience as educated youth in the same period, allowing her to contract more beehives and receive more dividends.

However, Xu Wanling simply refused to take the right path and instead tried to stage an accident to extort money.

He didn't take advantage of Xu Wanling's misfortune when she fell, which shows he had a conscience.

"No, I didn't mean to blame you. I just... I just want to ask you, please give me a chance. I promise I will listen to you from now on. I'll do whatever you ask."

When Xu Wanling saw that Li Guoqiang was angry, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly waved her hand and began to explain.

In fact, after these years of development, her life in Jinshanbao is not as hard as before, and she is even able to save some money to send back home.

However, it was precisely because of this that she became increasingly envious and jealous of Shang Xiuzhen, Pan Qiaoyan, and others, envious that they could receive Li Guoqiang's favor, and jealous that they could become so beautiful and so young.

Unlike her, whose skin had become increasingly rough and whose face had become increasingly sallow, making her look as if she were seven or eight years older than Shang Xiuzhen and Pan Qiaoyan.

They're all the same size!

Every time she thought about how, in a few years, she would become like Shang Xiuzhen and the others' aunts, a sense of fear would rise in her heart.

If she could be allowed to stay by Li Guoqiang's side, she would agree without hesitation to anything, not only offering herself but also any outrageous demands he might make.

Unfortunately, Li Guoqiang had absolutely no interest in her.

"Go away! I'm not as capable as you say, and I don't have any opportunities for you."

After saying that, Li Guoqiang quickly turned around, walked towards the door, took out his key, opened the door, and went inside.

Seeing this, Xu Wanling not only did not choose to leave, but also took the opportunity to run into the house and, in front of Li Guoqiang, frantically tore herself apart.

In no time, her skin turned from yellow to white.

(End of this chapter)