1968: Started from breeding

As Su Wenchen's welcoming words faded away.

A polite yet heartfelt round of applause erupted at the airport.

"Click! Click! Click!"

A barrage of flashing camera lights began frantically capturing the scene.

This scene was also broadcast live to millions of households across the ocean via American satellite equipment.

Lin Kee Restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown.

The old television screen flickered, showing the Huang-Huai-Hai Special Economic Zone airport thousands of miles away.

"Dad! Look! It's back home!" the girl exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the TV while wiping the table.

"The young cadre on TV said that just a year ago, that area was all saline-alkali land!"

Upon hearing the voice, an elderly overseas Chinese who had been away from his homeland for nearly twenty years peeked out from behind the counter.

After seeing the scene on TV.

The rag in his hand stopped in mid-air.

His cloudy eyes were fixed on the close-up of the clearly visible, grayish-white reflective land on the screen.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, landing on that barren land that was both strange and somewhat familiar.

All that remained in his ears was Su Wenchen speaking clearly in Chinese: "Self-reliance, hard work, and striving to change one's destiny."

“Saline-alkali land…it’s hard and barren, nothing can grow there…” he muttered to himself in heavily accented Cantonese.

As she spoke, her eyes instantly reddened, and her voice choked in her throat.

He recalled the barren red soil of his southern hometown, the hunched back of his father and the desolate slope behind the thatched house when he was forced to leave home as a young man.

"It's changed...it really has changed..."

In a corner, an equally elderly diner silently put down his chopsticks, wiped away the cloudy tears from the corners of his eyes, and sighed silently.

"I wonder how my hometown is doing! Will I ever have the chance to go back in this lifetime?"

The desolate scene touched the deepest roots of their hearts; it was the image of their distant homeland, a replica of the memories of their ancestors struggling to survive on barren land.

Meanwhile, in the living room of the Wilson family's farm.

Old Wilson's brow furrowed, and his finger almost poked into the television screen.

“Saline-alkali land? Sh*t!” He spat at the screen.

"That land is covered in a layer of white salt, like livestock have licked it! What's the president doing going to that godforsaken place? Looking for trouble?"

His wife, Mary, frowned: "The TV said they have a new way to manage this land and transform saline-alkali soil!"

"Did we sell that piece of land on our ranch at a loss?"

"Transformation? God is my witness!"

"That kind of land can't be improved; it's a bottomless pit!"

Wilson shook his head dismissively.

"Two years ago, I wanted to improve the saline-alkali land on the east side of the ranch. Guess how many US dollars they asked me for?"

"It costs me $700 a year! And I have to flush it every year, so it's a bottomless pit that can never be filled!"
“I sold that land for $300 per acre, which is already the price of ordinary pasture.”

"So we were able to sell that piece of land, Mary, you have to thank your wise husband."

"Okay, I hope you won't regret it!"

"Regret? No, I won't regret it. I'll only regret buying that piece of broken land back then."

After a brief welcoming ceremony, the delegation boarded the pre-arranged motorcade.

The convoy slowly drove out of the airport and headed towards the reception hall according to the predetermined route.

Along the way, there were vast wildernesses outside the car window.

As the convoy moved forward, the white of the wheat gradually turned into black, and finally into tender green winter wheat seedlings.

Seeing the scene outside the window, several officials accompanying the president in the bus following behind the Red Flag car looked out the window in surprise.

He asked Su Wenchen, who was sitting at the very front of the bus, with curiosity.

"Mr. Su, was this green land all saline-alkali land before?"

"I heard from Ronald that your method for treating saline-alkali land is very low-cost and can show results in a very short time?"

“But when I came here last time to facilitate your visit, there was absolutely no such news in your country at the time.”

"So, your saline-alkali land management can really transform saline-alkali land in a very low-cost way?"

After hearing the translator's words, Su Wenchen smiled, stood up, and turned to introduce himself to the accompanying personnel at the back of the bus.

"Mr. Kissinger, thank you for facilitating this friendly exchange, but regarding the management of saline-alkali land..."

"I can assure you it's true."

After saying that, he pointed out the window.

"These are all the results of our year's work, after the luncheon."

“We have already arranged visits to relevant demonstration areas for saline-alkali land management.”

"You can see for yourselves then."

After Su Wenchen finished speaking, Ronald, who was sitting in the third row, also chimed in.

"Henry, I swear, I am absolutely not lying."

"Their alkali-remediating fertilizer is very low-cost. Believe me, we should import it in large quantities."

"This will greatly enhance the President's prestige!"

Upon hearing this, the other person shrugged.

"Ronald, you should say that to the president. I have no control over the specifics of the acquisition plan."

"Henry, do you think I don't know that the president trusts you the most?"

The two were arguing in English.

The convoy in front suddenly stopped, and the bus that Su Wenchen was on also stopped.

Upon seeing this, Su Wenchen immediately frowned and got out of the car.

As soon as I got off, I saw a protocol officer translator get off in the Hongqi car in front of me.

As the other person walked towards Su Wenchen, they also seemed to have a headache.

"Director Su, the President just saw the scene of workers on the roadside in your special zone and made a last-minute suggestion that we go over there to see the scene of labor in your special zone."

After speaking, he pointed to several hand-operated tractors in the distance, billowing thick smoke and turning over the ground.

"Can we go over and take a look?"

Clearly, the Protocol Department was also quite helpless in the face of this sudden request outside of the itinerary.

Their biggest wish is to finish the reception safely.

However, such surprise attacks, launched on a whim, greatly increase the element of surprise.

But it was the president who proposed it.

Therefore, they could only quickly consult with Su Wenchen for a solution.

Su Wenchen nodded.

"That's a team from our farm that's working on alkali treatment. They're applying fertilizer ahead of schedule, so there's nothing wrong with watching."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the other party nodded.

"Okay, I'll go talk to security and have them set up a perimeter first."

"Honestly, this kind of impromptu decision is really something else!"

Meanwhile, the protocol officers rushed off towards the car in front of them.

Lei Boliang, who had followed him over, looked at Su Wenchen in surprise.

"You're amazing!"

"How do you know the other party might have changed their mind on a whim? Are you a mind reader?"

Su Wenchen rolled his eyes.

"Uncle Lei, what are you saying!"

"When you go down to investigate, do you want to see the real scene? Will you see the real scene by following the proper procedures, or by launching a surprise attack?"

"Now people want to know the effectiveness of our treatment of alkaline fertilizer."

"So what's so surprising about this happening?"

"Besides, I couldn't have predicted it in advance."

"Along the way, I made sure that all ten production teams would carry out their daily operations today."

Upon hearing this, Lei Boliang immediately asked curiously.

"So, you deliberately lured them to see it? You even gave them instructions beforehand?"

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"No, we just checked everyone's identity, but we didn't give any instructions."

"It's just normal work attendance!"

"Besides, what advice do I have? We haven't falsified any fertilizers for treating alkaline soil, so what advice do I have to give you?" "I'm confident enough to just say what I mean. And isn't it precisely that restraint and awkwardness that makes it seem real?"

Lei Bailiang gave a thumbs up.

"How dare you!"

Aren't you afraid they'll talk badly about you?

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"I act uprightly and stand straight, so I'm really not afraid!"

After saying that, he walked forward.

After the protocol department and security personnel completed their deployment.

Led by Su Wenchen, the President and the accompanying elders left the highway and walked along the country path toward the several hand-held tractors emitting black smoke and making a "putt-putt" sound.

The reporters following behind were like a swarm of bees drawn by a magnet, carrying their cameras and microphones, snapping away as they captured the pristine moments of the surrounding landscape.

A biting wind swept across the fields, stirring up fine dust.

In the fields, dozens of commune members, wearing cotton hats and thick old cotton-padded coats, were operating tractors.

Apply alkali-reducing fertilizer to this saline-alkali land that is to be improved in advance.

Suddenly a group of people walked by and said that foreign guests wanted to come and watch them work.

They knew they were receiving foreign guests today.

But they obviously didn't expect the convoy to stop suddenly, and they certainly didn't expect these foreigners with high noses to come over to their land to watch them fertilize.

After all, the information their captain received at the meeting had nothing to do with them.

Just do some cleaning, and then you can go about your normal work as usual.

So they were quite taken aback by this, and somewhat at a loss for what to do.

The wooden rakes and shovels that the commune members who were following behind the tractor were now frozen in mid-air.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds, leaving only the howling of the cold wind and the low rumble of the tractor engine.

It wasn't until Su Wenchen arrived that the brief silence was broken by his clear voice.

He strode forward and called out.

"The distinguished guests arriving next are the President and our country's leaders!"

"They came specifically to see how we manage the saline-alkali land! Everyone is working as usual! They just want to see what our most basic life is like!"

"Just do what you normally do."

Su Wenchen's words were simple yet powerful, conveying both reassurance and clear instructions.

His arrival was like a reassurance, and the fact that he recognized Su Wenchen immediately eased the tense atmosphere.

The panic on the faces of the commune members quickly faded, replaced by curiosity and a little bit of restraint, but their bodies had relaxed and were no longer so stiff.

The tractor driver shifted to a lower gear, allowing the tractor to continue moving slowly forward, using the rake on the wheels to deeply turn over the slightly compacted soil.

At this moment, the American translator who came over and was fluent in Chinese immediately whispered to the president what had just happened.

The other person nodded.

Although he doesn't understand much Chinese, it doesn't mean he can't read the expressions on other people's faces.

Clearly, the farmer's sudden, bewildered, restrained, and stiff expression just now didn't seem like an act.

If even this is an act, then he thinks these farmers are perfectly capable of becoming actors in Hollywood.

He imitated the old man, squatted down, completely ignoring the mud on the cuffs of his expensive suit trousers, and stretched out his fingers to pick up a small clump of soil that had just been turned over.

The surface of the soil still had a faint grayish-white tinge, but the deeper layers were a brownish-black mixed with black organic matter, and the texture was no longer purely sandy, but rather had a sticky feel with some humus.

Seeing this, Su Wenchen also stepped forward and introduced the situation.

"Mr. President, this is the hero that has brought about miracles on this barren land: a special organic fertilizer that can decompose salt and alkali molecules!"

After the translator relayed Su Wenchen's words from the side.

The president said curiously.

"You just need to spread this fertilizer all over the ground, right?"

How do they work?

Upon hearing the translation, Su Wenchen paused and then explained.

“Mr. President, our kind of bacteria, which are ‘salt and alkali nemesis,’ can absorb some salt and alkali molecules and convert them into other nitrogen-related elements.”

"This will effectively lower the pH level in the soil to a level that crops can tolerate."

"Of course, if the salinization is severe, we will usually apply fertilizer again after a few months."

“Just like this land in front of us, three months ago, it was a vast expanse of white, just like the land near the airport.”

"It has now turned dark brown after this last application of fertilizer."

"Once the weather warms up, spring planting can begin on this land."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's simple explanation, the president nodded thoughtfully.

"What are the costs of your governance efforts?"

Su Wenchen paused for a moment after hearing this before slowly speaking.

"Based on the US standard of using hectares, our cost price is approximately one hundred US dollars per hectare!"

"The main challenges are in the breeding and fertilizer processing stages, which require a lot of manual labor."

Upon hearing this cost, the other party nodded and spoke to the person beside them.

"Zhou, congratulations on finding a way to tame this barren land!"

"If we have the chance, I hope we can talk about this amazing method!"

The old man responded with a smile.

"Mr. President, this technology stems from our responsibility to the land beneath our feet and carries the simple wish to feed our people. We are pleased to see it become a link connecting the well-being of the people of both countries."

"We are always willing to share our experience in improving people's livelihoods with the world. However, let me emphasize that technological exchanges must be based on equality, mutual benefit, and the benefit of ordinary people."

"Otherwise, this kind of communication will not last."

The president nodded.

I agree with you!

"However, the specific negotiations will be handled by my advisory team, who will discuss them with your relevant local departments!"

Just then, some bold reporters even pulled the translator forward and began to conduct brief interviews with the commune members who were spreading fertilizer behind the tractor.

Faced with this situation, although the commune members were so nervous that their palms were sweating and they spoke quickly, when asked, "Is this fertilizer really effective? Did the leaders of the special zone deliberately make them say this?"

When faced with such related issues, the members' attitudes were surprisingly consistent, and their words even carried a hint of hostility.

"How can you talk like that! Our fertilizer is either useful or useless, why are you saying that on purpose? What would I gain from saying that on purpose?"

"If we don't use this fertilizer, everything will be covered in white snow in winter, and even if we plant crops, they won't survive! Is this something we need to do on purpose?"

"Besides, it's not like it's anything expensive. How could we not afford it?"

As he spoke, his confident attitude was clearly palpable.

These members, though their expressions may not be eloquent or fluent, possess a simplicity, directness, and heartfelt conviction that cannot be conveyed through fabricated words.

A few minutes later, the visit ended at the signal of the security personnel.

Su Wenchen also saw the president's translator carrying a suitcase walking over and said something.

"Director Su, I'm sorry, the President sent me to apologize for disturbing your work as farmers earlier."

"This box of chocolates is the President's way of apologizing for the earlier disturbance."

Seeing this, Su Wenchen glanced at the protocol officer who had followed him, and seeing that the other party nodded, he smiled and said.

"Alright, I will convey the president's apologies and also thank him for the gift."

Seeing Su Wenchen accept it, the other party nodded slightly and followed the crowd in front.

Su Wenchen handed the items to Lei Bailiang.

"Uncle Lei, have someone check it. If there are no problems, send it to the commune member who just left!"

Back on the main road, the convoy restarted and headed towards the reserved reception hall.

However, in everyone's mind, the cold wind, the soil, and those simple faces, red from the cold but full of hope and hard work, may still remain.

The news about treating alkaline fertilizer spread across the ocean after the brief interview.

At this moment, in the living room of the Wilson family's farm.

Old Wilson's bloodshot eyes were almost piercing the television screen.

He kept shouting.

"Oh! Sh*t! One hundred dollars can improve one hectare!"

"Those damn capitalists! I knew they would suddenly offer such a high price to buy my piece of saline-alkali land in the Central Valley. They must have known about it beforehand."

"They actually bought it from me for only three hundred dollars!"

"Shhh! Shhh! I'm going to go and take back my land!"

Amidst his angry curses, the old white man prepared to pick up the hunting rifle on the wall, seemingly ready to reclaim his land. (End of Chapter)