Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Chapter 223 The Birth of the Divine Book
"Third brother, this road will definitely be completed before the beginning of next spring. This time, it's all thanks to you. If we only relied on the manpower in the village, I'm afraid it might not be completed until the year after next."

When Wang Songlin met Fang Wei, he couldn't help but sigh.

He was telling the truth. In this era when construction work mainly relies on people pulling and carrying, strength lies in numbers.

Because of Fang Wei's different status and the fact that Xiatang Brigade was responsible for the supply of rice seeds for the entire county, he could mobilize thousands of workers with just a few words.

If it were Wang Songlin himself, even if he offered a subsidy of one yuan per day, he probably wouldn't be able to attract people.

If the team does not agree, the members will not be able to go out to work.

"This road is very important to the Yao village. We all have to work together to make it happen. It's not the work of one person, but the work of everyone. Songlin, you go ahead and do your work. I'll go to the village and check on the rice."

Fang Wei smiled and waved his hand. It was impossible for him to complete the task of building the road by himself.

The Yao village's contributions in terms of manpower, money, and food added up to a substantial expense. Furthermore, the commune was willing to provide assistance because the Yao village was the primary supplier of hybrid rice material to the county's breeding base.

He was unwilling to take all the credit for himself, as it was unfair.

Afterwards, he went to the village to check on the growth of the rice.

The rice had entered its fruiting stage, and the heavy ears of rice heralded an impending harvest. This was the only japonica hybrid rice in the world, and its significance was so profound that he would not feel at ease unless he took a look.

The actual situation is better than he expected, this wave is stable!
It was already evening when Fang Wei returned home.

The main hall was bustling with activity. Guan Chongyang, Taoist Sun, Wu Maosheng, Gao Qingshan, Fang Ping and others were chatting, all of them extremely excited.

"Is the third brother back? We were just talking about the fun things that happened this afternoon. Didn't the water level in the river drop? As a result, there are fish everywhere. I can't even pull in the net once I cast it."

Fang Wei greeted everyone, and Guan Chongyang smiled and told them what happened this afternoon.

A large number of fish and shrimps suddenly swarmed into the river section where the team was located. Zhao Jinsheng led his men to cast nets and catch them, and they caught at least several thousand kilograms of lively fish.

The situation was similar for other production teams. I heard that they all had a big harvest, but I don’t know where these fish came from.

Live fish were difficult to store, so Zheng Hu decided that each production team could divide the fish among themselves, rather than handing it over to the production team. After dividing the fish, they went to Fang Wei's place and prepared to have a "fish feast" that night.

"Is there something so good? That's worth a couple of drinks."

At this time, Tian Guihua and her elder sister Wang Zhuyun were busy in the kitchen. Pan Lianhua was greeting guests outside. She went into the house to rest only after seeing the man come back.

Fang Wei had no idea what was going on. There was no need to delve into certain matters. The fish and shrimp in the river had no owner anyway, so as long as there was something to eat, it was fine.

Dinner was really a "full fish feast", with [chopped pepper fish head], [spicy fish chunks], [carp tofu], [wine lees fish], etc. Everyone enjoyed the meal very much.

Fang Wei took out the rice wine. After being stored for such a long time, the taste of the rice wine became more mellow.

"Third brother, this wine is getting better and better."

Fang Ping smacked his lips and poured himself another glass of wine.

Grandpa and Old Man Guan are not allowed to drink too much, they both just take a sip and stop drinking. Taoist Sun is now very strict with them.

Gao Qingshan and Wu Maosheng drank a few more glasses, and Wu Maosheng's face flushed.

"Mr. Wu, you should drink a few less. I have something to talk to you about after dinner, and you can't be drunk."

Fang Wei didn't want to persuade him forcefully, so he had to say that he had something else to talk to Wu Maosheng about.

The other party put down his wine glass and asked, "What can you do with me? Could it be that someone has shown mercy and allowed me to return to the city?"

Of course, going back to the city was just a joke. If they were to leave, they would definitely leave together. There was no reason to let Wu Maosheng go back alone.

In fact, Wu Maosheng also knew this truth and was just joking.

"I've spent years writing the Hybrid Rice Breeding Manual, and it's almost finished. I'd like to invite you to take a look at it right away. I also hope you'll give me some feedback."

Fang Wei smiled and revealed the truth.

When Wu Maosheng heard about this, he immediately became excited. He stopped drinking and just put his glass on the table.

"Hurry up and show it to me now."

For him, this is the most important thing, and eating and drinking have to take a back seat to everything else.

Fang Wei didn't say anything, but Guan Chongyang and Gao Qingshan became anxious and kept urging him to get the manuscript. In fact, by this time, everyone had basically eaten and drunk enough, so how could anyone be impatient?
Fang Wei was helpless and immediately stood up to get the manuscript.

Everyone stopped eating and drinking and left the table to wash their hands. They all treated Fang Wei's manuscripts with a kind of pilgrimage, fearing that their hands might be dirty if they touched the manuscripts.

Several women then cleared the things off the table and wiped it carefully several times.

Fang Wei handed the manuscript to Wu Maosheng. He was the only agricultural expert present and the most knowledgeable one.

Wu Maosheng patiently flipped through the manuscript page by page, handing it to Gao Qingshan for everyone to circulate. Some people present, such as Mr. Guan, might not understand it, but that didn't stop him from reading the manuscript enthusiastically.

"Secretary Fang, your manuscript is so thick that I can't finish it in a short time. But I've read a small part and I'm deeply shocked. If this book can be published, it will be a great thing for the advancement of agricultural technology in our country."

Wu Maosheng looked through it for more than half an hour and finally stopped.

This manuscript is not ordinary, it requires careful appreciation, how can I finish it in such a short time? Of course, he would not take other people's manuscripts away, he still has a sense of boundaries.

"Secretary, haven't you copied it yet? I suggest you quickly make a few more copies. If you accidentally damage the manuscript, it will be a huge loss."

Gao Qingshan suggested that Fang Wei should not rush to revise it, and the most urgent thing was to quickly copy it out.

Perhaps he was worrying too much. He always felt that having only one manuscript was not safe. If an accident happened and the manuscript was damaged, it would be a disaster.

Although he was not engaged in rice breeding, he still had some basic common sense and knew the value of this manuscript.

"Well, what you said makes sense, Lao Gao. So, Lao Wu, I'll start copying it tomorrow. Once I have a copy of the manuscript, I'll show it to you."

Fang Wei readily accepted Gao Qingshan's suggestion.

At this point, everyone had seen the manuscript, so they sorted it out and returned it to Fang Wei.

"Old Three, are you planning to publish a book?"

Fang Ping could understand part of it, after all, he had been engaged in breeding for such a long time.

Publishing a book is really out of reach for farmers, so asking this question is full of uncertainty.

"I'll give it a try, but I don't know if it will be published or not."

Fang Wei smiled but did not give a definite answer.

After a while, everyone got up and said goodbye. It was getting late and it was time for everyone to rest, not to mention that Pan Lianhua was pregnant.

Fang Wei put the manuscript into the inner room, and then sent Guan Chongyang and Taoist Sun back.

The next day.

Fang Weiyi went to the dormitory of the educated youth in the second team early and asked Jiang Xia to find a few educated youth with beautiful handwriting to help him copy some manuscripts.

"Linlin and I are fine. We both have good handwriting. Do you think it's okay?"

Jiang Xia volunteered and also brought Chu Linlin along.

Fang Wei nodded, and took the two to the brigade headquarters, asking them to copy the manuscript in the office.

He himself was not idle either. Each page of the manuscript was numbered, and three people copied it separately, making three copies of each page of the manuscript, which together made three complete copies.

It just so happened that Yu Hao came back from a business trip out of town and had nothing to do in the factory, so Pan Lianhua asked him to come over to help Fang Wei copy the manuscript.

The four of them worked until the evening, and their sister brought their lunch to the brigade headquarters.

Then I continued the next day, and it took me five days to complete the copying of the manuscript.

Besides Fang Wei's original manuscript, there were four copies of the manuscript. Fang Wei showed one to Wu Maosheng and mailed another to the capital.

While attending a meeting in Beijing, he met an editor-in-chief of the Science and Technology Press. The two talked about the "Hybrid Rice Breeding Technology Manual". The editor-in-chief was very interested and said that he would do his best to help Fang Wei publish the book.

When the publishing house received Fang Wei's manuscript, the editor-in-chief immediately asked relevant experts from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences to provide some professional opinions.

Experts from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences carefully reviewed the manuscript and were all shocked.

Although Fang Wei had done his best to stay current, some things still transcended the experts' understanding. No wonder the book was titled "Hybrid Breeding Technical Manual." This manuscript could serve as a complete technical guide for hybrid rice breeding. Its content was accessible and practical, and its theoretical framework was also comprehensive.

“It is truly a rare and excellent work.”

The experts' professional opinions were highly consistent, that is, the publishing house had found a book that was so good that even excellent was not enough to describe it.

The editor-in-chief of the publishing house was overjoyed and immediately decided to publish the book.

Not long after, Fang Wei received the first royalties in his life, a total of 400 yuan.

There were royalties in those days. The royalties were higher in the 50s. However, after the 60s, the royalties decreased, by about half.

A scientific work that could change the fate of most people only received a mere 400 yuan in royalties. If this happened in Fang Wei's previous life, who would believe it?
Fang Wei didn't care about any of this, and he was quite happy about it. If he really cared about how much money he could make, he wouldn't have published this manual publicly.

Of course, strictly speaking, this manual should be called the introductory chapter, and there should be basic chapters, advanced chapters, essence chapters, etc. In other words, this manual only covers the most basic things, and Fang Wei did not take out all the dry goods.

There is too much useful information coming out at once, which is not a good thing.

This manual will greatly promote current agricultural production. After the effect gradually fades, Fang Wei will release more things in a timely manner.

"Third brother, you've become a great writer! No, you shouldn't be called a writer, you should be called a scientist in the field of agriculture."

The publishing house sent me several sample books along with the royalties.

The Fang family has been very lively these past two days, with people constantly coming to admire Fang Wei's "masterpiece" and almost praising him to the sky.

Pan Lianhua was particularly happy. Her man was capable and she felt proud. No matter where she went, she would mention the fact that her man had published a book.

Publishing books is an unattainable thing for rural areas in remote areas.

Everyone was happy for Fang Wei, and their admiration for him grew even more intense. With just one book, Fang Wei's prestige reached its peak. He was not only the pride of Yaoling Commune, but also the pride of the people of the entire county.

A series of titles were given to him, including young brigade secretary, national representative, inventor of the Nan Guang series of high-yield rice varieties, agricultural scientist, great writer, etc., and he had a halo behind him wherever he went.

"Lotus, it's okay for others to touch your man, but why do your family members also follow suit and flatter him?"

Fang Wei rolled his eyes helplessly, trying to calm Pan Lianhua down.

"I'm happy, can you take care of it?"

Pan Lianhua is not afraid of Fang Wei. She has been very happy these days and is also enjoying the glory brought by men.

the next day.

National media reported Fang Wei's deeds and made special mention of this "Hybrid Rice Breeding Technology Manual".

This book has become one of the "holy books" of the moment. Agricultural departments across the country have purchased it in large quantities. In addition to scientific research institutes, they want to ensure that every production team has at least one copy.

In Fang Wei's memory, only the [Barefoot Doctor Manual] and [Militia Training Manual] have a circulation comparable to that of his own [Hybrid Rice Breeding Technology Manual].

If it were a few years ago, he would never have chosen to publish this book. But the situation is different now.

Focusing on industrial and agricultural production became the mainstream, and all walks of life were "working hard and fast", so Fang Wei took this opportunity to publish his book.

It's not mainly for the purpose of gaining capital for himself. Secretary Fang is also a sentimental person, okay?

Fang Wei saw the report in the newspaper that morning, but just one day later, he was blocked in his office by major media outlets in the province.

The influence of the [Manual] far exceeded his own expectations. After casually dealing with the media, he fled.

As the saying goes, trouble comes from the mouth, and he does not want to accept any interviews.

Over the next few days, he would leave early and return late, going deep into the mountains and forests before daybreak and not daring to return home until after dark.

"Third brother, you stayed in the mountains alone for a whole day, what did you do?"

Pan Lianhua would not contradict a man at a time like this. When Fang Wei entered the room, she brought him tea and asked curiously.

"What else can I do? Keep searching for rare herbs. Today I went to the No. 21 Herb Cultivation Base and transplanted herbs. Pretty impressive, right?"

There was another reason why Fang Wei was unwilling to be interviewed. His superiors had not made such an arrangement. He was merely following the previous reports of national media.

He had done what he was supposed to do and now just wanted to be left alone.

Fortunately, this situation only lasted three days. I don't know who made the announcement, asking everyone not to disrupt the normal production order of Xiatang Brigade.

The world suddenly became quiet, and Fang Wei could finally prepare to have a good Mid-Autumn Festival.

No pigs were slaughtered on the Dragon Boat Festival, but 120 pigs were slaughtered before the Mid-Autumn Festival so that everyone could have a good holiday.

The Ningxiang spotted pigs at the [pig farm] have basically reached the standards for being marketed, and all the pork distributed this time is from this type of spotted pig.

[Pigs are produced, points +27600, total points: 4201940 points.]

There are 1789 pigs left on the farm.

Ningxiang spotted pigs have a short breeding cycle and can be slaughtered at an average weight of around 180 kilograms. However, the spotted pigs raised by the team are growing better, and the average weight of the pigs slaughtered this time reached 230 kilograms.

But it is still not as good as the previous breeds. The average weight of pigs raised in the past was more than 300 kilograms.

But when we got home, we couldn't wait to try it. We found that this kind of pork tasted even better, with soft meat and full meaty aroma, and the fishy smell of pork itself was not detectable at all.

Fang Wei and his family also have a high opinion of this kind of pork. Let’s not talk about others, just look at the way Xiaobao eats and you will know the answer.

"Third brother, can this spotted pig still be fattened?"

Grandpa ate a few pieces of spotted pork and also praised it highly.

However, this kind of pig is good in every way except that it is a little small.

"That would require a longer period of time to raise, which isn't cost-effective. Once the weight exceeds a certain limit, the cost increases, making the cost-effectiveness too low."

Fang Wei answered Grandpa's question casually.

Although Grandpa didn't understand what cost-effectiveness meant, he understood the other party's overall meaning.

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Early in the morning, Jiang Yufen, Guo Yongqing, Manager Liu from the agricultural machinery company, Wang Liang from the county breeding base and others all came to the Xiatang Brigade without an appointment.

They came on the festival day, undoubtedly to buy supplies.

In the past few years, the situation was quite tense, and people came less frequently. If they were caught speculating and profiteering, it would be very troublesome. In the past two years, the overall environment has become more relaxed, and people have fewer concerns.

"Sister Yufen, congratulations on your promotion to the head of the purchasing station."

Fang Wei hadn't seen Jiang Yufen for a while. She had recently become a webmaster and was doing quite well.

"What's there to congratulate? You're not even a high-ranking official, and you're exhausted all day long. Unlike you, you're famous all over the world now. Please take good care of me, your sister, in the future."

The webmaster of the purchasing station is not an "official", but he has considerable power.

However, Jiang Yufen is a sullen person and doesn't like to build relationships with others, otherwise she wouldn't have to buy supplies for herself during the holidays.

"What do you want to buy today?"

There were a bunch of people sitting in his office, and he had to deal with them one by one, so he didn't have time to chat much.

"I want 100 ducks, 100 chickens, and 100 kilograms of eggs. Is that okay?"

"Sure! Go find Captain Zheng."

Fang Wei wrote a note and handed it to Jiang Yufen.

Jiang Yufen thanked him and went to find Zheng Hu with the note. She wanted so many chickens, ducks, and eggs, and she had to share them with the people at the station and with her friends and family, so it wasn't much.

"Uncle Guo, what do you need?"

Next it was Guo Yongqing's turn. He was in a good mood this year, so he came to help the unit purchase some supplies.

Even though he had been sidelined, as the overall environment gradually relaxed, he regained some influence in the county. The leaders of his unit always smiled when they saw him, so he helped the unit get some benefits.

(End of this chapter)