1968: Started from breeding

On the way back from the demonstration zone.

The core advisory team members could not hide their surprise and deep thought.

His belief in Ronald's previous positive recommendation was now even stronger.

Because they discovered that this technology... was clearly more mature, more outstanding, and had even greater commercial potential than previously thought.

After all, there is a considerable amount of saline-alkali land in the world.

If we can master the core technologies, we can even, to a certain extent, directly control small countries with a lot of saline-alkali land.

However, they also understood that core technologies were almost impossible to negotiate.

After returning, while waiting for the luncheon to begin...

The old man had a special talk with Su Wenchen, and looking at the spirited young man in front of him, his eyes revealed a subtle sense of satisfaction and admiration.

"This time, your special zone did a good job, showcasing our self-reliant technological achievements to the world."

"He neither humbled nor overbeared in stopping their unreasonable demands."

"This laid a solid foundation for our bottom line in the subsequent technical negotiations."

Su Wenchen scratched his head.

"It's all thanks to your guidance and leadership that I was able to handle things at a loss."

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled and waved his hand.

"Slippery!"

However, he then said seriously.

"What are your special economic zone's opinions on the export of alkali-remediating fertilizer?"

"After all, the subsequent exports were mainly produced in your special economic zone, according to the materials submitted by the State Planning Commission at that time."

"Your market for alkali-remediating fertilizers is huge!"

"We are currently facing a severe shortage of foreign exchange; we want many things but lack the funds to purchase them."

"There is also the issue of exporting Moonflower Rabbits. Some people are saying that since Moonflower Rabbit fur is so popular abroad, we should expand production and earn foreign exchange first."

"And there's that plan of yours about making friends."

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, but I haven't been able to find the time. This time, I'd like to hear your opinions in person."

As they spoke, the old man led Su Wenchen to the pavilion on the side of the No. 2 main building.

After hearing his leader's words, Su Wenchen remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Then, sir, I'd like to give you a brief report as well."

"This is what I think. First of all, in terms of the development of the special economic zone, we should still focus on the development of alkali-resistant rabbits and fast-growing chickens as the main core."

"Among them, Zhijian Rabbit is mainly responsible for foreign trade, earning foreign exchange, and introducing equipment to accelerate our own development."

"Fast-growing chickens are mainly for domestic supply. Their rapid growth and high feed conversion ratio can solve the meat problem for our people to the greatest extent possible."

"With the implementation of the projects introduced this time, I am confident that the special economic zone will be developed within five years."

Upon hearing this, the old man looked at the confident Su Wenchen and nodded with a smile.

"That's impressive! Typical of a young person!"

"But I'll remember what you said. I'll come back to check on you in five years."

Su Wenchen nodded confidently.

“Leader, when you come back in five years, you will definitely see a different special economic zone.”

"Alright, I'll see how far you can go then."

"What's your opinion on the Moon Rabbit?"

Su Wenchen affirmed this statement directly.

"Boss, while expanding production may bring in some short-term profits, it will definitely do more harm than good in the long run."

"First of all, although high-end products are profitable, their dissemination speed is far slower than that of low-end products."

"Take our ordinary Moonflower Rabbit fur as an example!"

"Why is it that while exports have been steadily increasing over the past two years, and most leather prices have been falling, our ordinary Yuehua rabbit leather has remained stable?"

"On the one hand, our fur is indeed of good quality."

"Another very important aspect is the driving effect of our top-grade Moon Essence Treasure."

"Once the price of the top-grade Moonflower rabbit fur collapses, the price of our ordinary Moonflower rabbits will inevitably be affected as well."

"So, expanding the production of top-grade Moonflower rabbit fur just to make short-term money is, in my opinion, an extremely unprofitable thing."

“I even think we need to maintain our brand of high-end Moonflower Rabbit fur.”

"For example, with this presidential delegation, we could totally consider gifting them a top-tier Moon Rabbit!"

The old man asked in surprise.

"Giving away live rabbits? Can you prevent the leakage of breeding stock?"

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"We definitely give away rabbits that have been castrated since they were young. And now, apart from breeding rabbits, we basically castrate all Moonflower rabbits after four months, regardless of their type."

"One reason is that castration makes them grow faster, larger, and have a larger skin area. Another reason is that they are less prone to illness. Finally, it also reduces security pressure."

"This way, we only need to focus on protecting the breeding rabbit farm, which is the only place we need to take care of."

The old man nodded.

"I will consider what you said. To be honest, the other party did mention your Moon Rabbit in Beijing."

"I'd like to visit the farm!"

"Originally, someone suggested giving two pandas as a state gift."

"Now it seems that one panda and one moon rabbit would also work."

"By the way, how's your plan to make friends going? How confident are you about it?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen thought for a moment and said...

"Judging from their attitude today, it should be about time. Even if they don't completely side with us, they have already gained a lot of goodwill."

"However, without a basis of mutual benefit, such a relationship is inherently unstable."

"Therefore, I think that in the future, we can appropriately allocate some resources to the other party in the export of alkali-resistant fertilizers."

"In addition, we need an international stage to showcase our efforts in combating alkaline fertilizers."

"After all, it's impossible for some Western countries and companies to come here for a casual visit."

"Therefore, I believe that creating a model for saline-alkali land management in California is more beneficial than harmful."

"On the one hand, we can win over Ronald; on the other hand, the United States is currently the leader of the West."

“If we create such a model there, I believe that other countries troubled by saline-alkali land will come to us on their own.”

"Back then, whether we settled in foreign exchange or in terms of the other party's technology, we could get enough benefits."

The old man nodded.

"Will they build a nest to attract bees?"

"It seems you're very confident in our technology!"

Su Wenchen said with a smile.

"Boss, if we don't even have confidence in ourselves, how are we supposed to earn foreign exchange!"

"We can't just sell all our good stuff like cabbages!"

"Moreover, it's not just the Moonflower Rabbit; I'm also thinking about whether our new Bluewater Chicken breed, the Bluewater Golden Feather Chicken, can enter the American market!"

"If the Golden Feathered Chicken can also open up the market in their country, I'm considering introducing fast-growing chickens to their market next." The old man was somewhat taken aback when he heard this, then smiled and shook his head.

"You really think they're easy targets!"

"Our success with the Moon Rabbit actually had an element of luck involved."

The old man clearly also felt that even if the Golden Feathered Chicken were to be included in foreign trade and exported, the scale would likely be limited.

After all, unlike treating alkaline fertilizers, which affects the country's most important land resources, chicken, no matter how delicious, can be really that good.

Why would anyone spend a fortune to import this?

Su Wenchen saw through it but didn't argue, he just smiled and said.

"Boss, it's the same whether you herd one sheep or two sheep."

"Let's give it a try!"

"What if there's a surprise! By the way, the main ingredient for the lunch later will be golden-feathered chicken."

"Have you ever tried our Bluewater Chicken? Our Bluewater Golden Feather Chicken is an even better version than before."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the old man smiled gently.

“I have actually tried your Blue Water Chicken. It was sent over by your department leaders during last year’s Spring Festival.”

"My boss and I ate there once, and the taste was indeed excellent."

“At the time, we even said, ‘You have a global perspective! It’s rare that your farm was able to resist starting large-scale breeding of this kind of broiler chicken right away.’”

"That's why I refused when your department offered to make the purchases for the institute's canteen."

"If it's added to the institute's procurement list, I'm sure all sorts of cadres will follow suit, which would be bad."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen still expressed slight admiration.

"Leader, you don't need to be too hard on yourself. The lives of our people are getting better and better. I believe that this kind of high-end broiler chicken will definitely enter thousands of households in the future!"

The old man waved his hand.

"Let's talk about it then!"

"It's almost time. I estimate they've finished their internal discussions. This afternoon, you and your colleagues from the Foreign Trade Department will discuss the export-related issues with their advisory group."

"Let's go! I'll raise some and try the golden-feathered chicken you've been talking about so much!"

After their conversation in the pavilion ended, the two returned to the main banquet hall of the guild hall.

The hall was already set up, with long banquet tables covered with simple white tablecloths and tableware neatly arranged. Dishes were being served one after another, steaming hot and fragrant.

Taking into account the tastes of foreign guests, Su Wenchen did not use all local flavors on his side.

Instead, half of the dishes are modified versions showcasing local characteristics, while the other half consist of Western dishes prepared by the president's entourage of chefs.

As the key guests took their seats, dishes were served one after another.

The most eye-catching dish was a plate of sliced ​​chicken served on a large blue-and-white porcelain plate, garnished with bright green scallions and a few slices of brightly colored Dangshan pears. In terms of appearance, it was not particularly outstanding.

However, Su Wenchen stated directly during his introduction.

"This is our 'Golden Feather Chicken,' unique to the Huang-Huai-Hai Special Zone. It is raised in an ecological environment under the forest, and its meat is fresh and unique. The meat of each chicken is different. Please enjoy it, distinguished guests!"

"It's perfect for the most natural way of eating it, like poaching!"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, some people were curious, some frowned, and some shook their heads dismissively.

Out of courtesy, after the translator's introduction, the president awkwardly picked up a piece of chicken breast with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

Then, he stopped moving.

The entire main table seemed to be slowed down.

The other person chewed twice, their brows furrowing slightly in surprise before suddenly relaxing, their eyes bursting with pure curiosity and astonishment!

He didn't swallow it immediately, but closed his eyes and savored it carefully. The expression on his face, struck by unexpected joy, was impossible to fake.

The elderly man sitting to the side was also somewhat surprised to see the president with such an expression.

Clearly, when the other party was in Beijing, they only politely nodded in praise of the state banquet dishes that the other party had carefully prepared.

It's completely different from now.

He then discreetly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

The next moment, he immediately looked at Su Wenchen with a surprised expression.

They were clearly surprised by the taste of the Golden Feather Chicken.

After tasting it.

The president put down his chopsticks and praised it.

"Zhou, I just felt like I tasted the flavor of nature."

Seeing that the president actually said that, everyone else picked up their knives and forks, ready to try it out.

After all, regardless of whether what others say is true or false, everyone still has to save face.

However, after taking a sip, many people subconsciously exhaled.

Some people even chewed faster in an unnatural way, and their eyes widened.

"This...this is impossible! Is this chicken?"

"Why do I feel like I'm tasting the smoothness of top-grade seafood, yet it also has the fibrous texture of chicken? Can anyone tell me why these two elements blend together so perfectly?"

"Why does it taste like the coolness of mountain spring water and the mellow sweetness of fruit wood to me?"

"Oh! It's true that every dish tastes completely different. Does this mean that every chicken really tastes different?"

Su Wenchen nodded with a smile.

"This type of broiler chicken is rich in a variety of special flavors, and because of their different diets, the final meat growth pattern is different, which is why each broiler chicken is unique."

"Even the different parts of each chicken taste completely different."

Moreover, Ronald, sitting opposite Su Wenchen, was even more direct; his lavish eating habits were the best proof of that.

He devoured the few pieces of chicken he had been given on his plate in a flash.

Then he gave Su Wenchen a thumbs up.

"Su, please forgive my abruptness, but the taste of your Golden Feather Chicken is like the first time every time I taste it."

"I think I would be very sad if I couldn't eat this kind of chicken in the future! I wonder if we could import your breeding chickens?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen smiled and declined.

"Ronald, this is a unique taste experience created by our special circumstances."

"If we don't take it out of our local growing environment, we probably won't be able to replicate this unique flavor!"

Hearing Su Wenchen say that, the other party could only pick up his wine glass.

"OK then!"

"It seems we have no choice but to find a way to purchase from you!"

Su Wenchen also smiled and raised his glass.

"Thank you for your high praise. It's a pity that there aren't many of these chickens here. They're usually used to entertain our most distinguished guests."

"If you really want to make the purchase, we need to have a more in-depth and comprehensive discussion about the specific pricing and supply agreement."

"We must ensure that this precious resource can reach the high-end international market, and also continue to benefit the grassroots people who need the most to improve their living standards."

Clearly, having both leaders present is not a suitable setting for negotiations.

So even though his superiors had authorized him to handle the afternoon's negotiations, Su Wenchen only gave a brief reply.

No explicit statement was given, to avoid adding any further business atmosphere to the banquet. (End of Chapter)