A doctor who travels through two eras

April, 1964.

Minister Zheng of the Ministry of Petroleum looked out the window at the scene of everything beginning to revive, but he felt no appreciation whatsoever.

"That Lin Sanqi, it's been two months since he left, and there hasn't been a single response or reply? It's driving me crazy. Xiao Ding, what did the Bao'an County authorities say?"

Secretary Xiao Ding stood cautiously to the side and replied:

"Minister, it's been two months since we've seen Vice Minister Lin from Bao'an County. During this time, Bao'an County has accumulated a lot of matters waiting for him to handle personally."

Have you inquired about things in Hong Kong?

"We've asked around. Our colleagues inquired with the security department of Xiangjiang Lingnan Hospital, and they said they haven't seen Chairman Lin for over a month."

Upon hearing this, Minister Zheng slammed his hand on the table:
"This guy is so disorganized and undisciplined. He has no sense of discipline in reporting the whereabouts of his superiors. I will definitely give him a good talking-to next time. He is just too outrageous."

Secretary Xiao Ding was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe.

Minister Zheng suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
"How is the process going with the 20 wild ginseng roots that Comrade Lin Sanqi requested?"

Secretary Ding quickly opened her notebook and replied:

“I’ve been keeping an eye on this issue and calling the Northeast every day. According to the data I received yesterday, we have collected 15 wild ginseng roots so far, of which 5 were purchased from North Korea.”

As for the remaining gap, ginseng harvesting teams from all counties in the three northeastern provinces have been mobilized despite the winter storms, and it is believed that the total of 20 ginseng roots will be harvested soon.

However, according to feedback from Northeast China, it seems unlikely that wild ginseng production will recover within 10 years after this incident. In the future, they will have to use cultivated ginseng to make up the difference, as they simply cannot produce any wild ginseng.

Minister Zheng didn't care when he heard this. At that time, cadres didn't have any thoughts about protecting animals or plants.

The idea of ​​draining the pond to catch all the fish, and exhausting all potential, seems to be a consensus among everyone in this era.

Wild yellow croaker, too, was caught and wiped out during this turbulent era.

These days, the saying goes: the bolder the person, the greater the harvest.

Minister Zheng was somewhat displeased upon hearing his secretary's report and said:

"Ginseng grows naturally in the forest. If it's gone, just go pick it. At worst, you can walk a few more steps into the primeval forest. How could it not be gone? It's just an excuse the locals are making."

The country is facing such difficulties right now, and we've finally managed to exchange ginseng for valuable advanced equipment and supplies. Yet the Northeast is still making excuses and delaying; it's utterly unacceptable and shows a complete lack of organization and discipline. Humph!

Secretary Ding quickly shut up, since it was none of his business what happened locally anyway.

Just then, the red telephone on the desk suddenly rang, startling the two of them.

This phone call is very important; it's usually used to issue classified missions, and it's often a superior giving orders to a subordinate—it's very serious.

But there is another possibility, for example:

"Hello, is this Minister Zheng? This is Lin Sanqi."

Minister Zheng's face lit up with joy; he had been eagerly awaiting the return of the God of Wealth, but then his brow furrowed.

"Comrade Sanqi, you called me, why are you calling the red phone number?"

In his office in Bao'an County, Lin Sanqi held a red telephone in one hand, his legs propped up on the desk, and smiled relaxedly:
"Hey, isn't this red-phone number convenient? One-click access. If you make a regular call, you have to go through several transfers, which is too troublesome. I couldn't enjoy the benefits of a red-phone number before, but now I have to make good use of it."

Lin Sanqi previously enjoyed the treatment of a deputy minister, but because he did not have a specific position, he could not enjoy the services of the Red Machine.

Now that he has a new position and has reached a certain rank, he can't wait to start showing off.

Minister Zheng didn't dwell on the issue and asked eagerly:

"Comrade Sanqi, did you bring me good news by calling me? I've been looking forward to your news every day, but you've mysteriously disappeared."

Lin Sanqi boasted, "I will take credit!"

"I managed to get you an oil refinery, and I succeeded. I managed to get one with a production capacity of about 2500 million tons of refined oil. How about it, can you handle it?" "What?"

Minister Zheng was startled, thinking that the country's annual oil production was not even 2500 million tons, and the production of refined oil products was only 100 million tons.

Good heavens, Lin Sanqi managed to acquire an oil refinery with an annual output of 2500 million tons in one go? This must have surprised Minister Zheng.

The key point is that even powerful countries like the United States and the Soviet Union probably only produced this many units per year.

"Comrade Sanqi, you, you're not joking with me, are you? This is a red-line phone, you, you shouldn't talk nonsense."

The phone calls made by the red-handed were all monitored and recorded; every word was written down for future reference.

Lin Sanqi was displeased upon hearing this:
"Hey, Lao Zheng, I've been busy for months, going through all sorts of trouble to bring back so much oil refining equipment, and you're telling me you're joking? Fine, take it or leave it. If you don't want it, I'll sell it to a foreign company."

Lin Sanqi said it in anger, but it could very well become true.

After all, even an oil refinery that was phased out in 2016 was a cutting-edge technology product in 1964. If the news were released, wouldn't countries be scrambling to buy it?

Minister Zheng became anxious upon hearing this:

"Nonsense! You wait, I'll report to the leadership right away and fly to Bao'an County immediately. You'd better keep all the oil refining equipment for me, and don't sell a single one. If you sell it to a foreigner, I'll shoot you."

Lin Sanqi pursed her lips and reminded him:

"I will definitely reserve the oil refining equipment for you, but don't forget the ginseng and gold I want. Don't tell me to wait a little longer and that it will be delivered soon. That's just empty talk."

Old Zheng, I paid a huge price to get this equipment. Think about it honestly, aren't 20 wild ginseng roots and 10 tons of gold a lot?

Minister Zheng blushed and assured him:
"Don't worry, Comrade Sanqi. We already have 15 wild ginseng roots. I'll bring the gold to Bao'an County right away. The remaining 5 ginseng roots are already being collected. I will definitely keep my word."

Lin Sanqi was relieved upon hearing this; 15 units were more than enough to guarantee the minimum. He then happily said:

"Okay, I'll wait for you. I'll treat you to a seafood feast when we get there."

That afternoon, Minister Zheng rushed to Bao'an County.

When he saw the dense array of equipment at Tuyang Wharf, he jumped up in excitement.

"Comrade Sanqi, is this... this is the equipment for the oil refinery? Uh, why is it secondhand?"

Lin Sanqi hummed twice:
"I bought it cheaply because it was second-hand. If it were new equipment with an annual output of 2500 million tons, do you think 20 wild ginseng roots and 10 tons of gold would be enough, Lao Zheng? I'm afraid even a hundred times more wouldn't be enough."

Minister Zheng quickly flattered him, saying:
"Yes, yes, we've gotten a good deal, haha. By the way, Comrade Sanqi, is all the equipment here?"

Lin Sanqi shook his head and said:

"How could that be? This is the equipment of two oil refineries, plus a catalyst production line, which together has a production capacity of about 300 million tons of refined oil."

Minister Zheng immediately sensed something was wrong:
"Wait a minute, didn't you say it was 2500 million tons? How did it become 300 million tons?"

Lin Sanqi said speechlessly:

"Uncle, have you forgotten how big the oil refinery is and how much equipment it has? How could I possibly transport it all at once? Of course, it's coming in batches."

Most importantly, all of these refining equipment are the most advanced in the world, far more advanced than the Lanzhou Refinery in terms of technology, and some are even entirely new technologies.

So, you should first transport those two refineries back, then gather all the refining engineers and professors in the country for a comprehensive study, thoroughly understand the technology, and only then can you successfully refine oil.

Minister Zheng thought for a moment, and a smile returned to his face:
"Yes, Comrade Sanqi, your thinking is correct. I was being too ambitious. I will go back and immediately start trial production according to the equipment drawings and production process."

Lin Sanqi knew that people in this era cherished industrial equipment, so he reminded them:
"Old Zheng, it's inevitable to make mistakes when practicing. Don't be too cautious. Be bold and feel free to tinker with the machines."

It's like learning to fly a plane. If you don't fly for a certain amount of time, your skills won't improve. If engineers and industrial workers don't know how to operate the equipment, every day that's delayed, our country will lose another day.

If the equipment breaks down or gets damaged, I'll find a way to get a new batch. You must remember that. (End of Chapter)