A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

As evening fell, Ding Xuemin opened the window and saw Batur Abujiang feeding crabs according to the new feeding plan on the pond embankment.

The young man squatted by the pond, holding a small scale in one hand to weigh the feed and referring to the record book with the other, looking very focused.

In that instant, Ding Xuemin understood.

There are two core problems: a lack of money and a lack of trust.

Money can be addressed, but trust can only be earned through tangible results.

The next morning, Ding Xuemin convened a meeting with all the farmers.

The arrival of everyone was astonishing; even Abujiang Tursun came, sitting in the last row with a blank expression.

"Everyone, let's put the greenhouse project aside for now."

Ding Xuemin got straight to the point: "The most important thing right now is to implement Professor Liu's new feeding plan effectively."

Starting today, Xiao Zhang, Abujiang Tursun, and I will form an inspection team to visit each pond twice a day, morning and evening, to provide guidance on operations.

Any problems will be resolved on the spot.

Someone muttered under their breath, "Feeding twice a day at different times is such a hassle."

"It's troublesome."

Ding Xuemin heard this and said, "But if you want to raise crabs well, you can't be afraid of trouble."

Starting today, any reservoir that fails to comply will have its feed subsidy for that day withheld.

The room fell silent immediately after he said that.

Abujiang snorted coldly, but didn't say anything.

The first few days went relatively smoothly.

Ding Xuemin, along with Xiao Zhang and Abujiang Tursun, got up before dawn to go to various reservoirs before the first feeding.

We will teach you step by step how to divide the feeding time into different periods, how to prepare the feed, and how to observe the crabs' feeding behavior.

But on the fifth day, a problem arose.

During his morning inspection, Ding Xuemin discovered that the feeding machine at Lao Li's pond was set to the wrong time; the high-protein feed, which should have been fed at 7 a.m., was being fed at 7 p.m.

"Uncle Li, this is the wrong time."

Ding Xuemin pointed to the controller.

Old Li rubbed his hands, stammering, "Oh dear, I probably pressed the wrong button last night. I'll fix it, I'll fix it right away."

Ding Xuemin didn't say much, set the time, and left.

But in the following days, similar incidents became more and more frequent. It was either a time setting error or an incorrect feed ratio; there were always various "accidents".

Xiao Zhang was furious: "They did it on purpose! They're just trying to avoid trouble and get away with it!"

Batur Abujiang also looked worried: "Last night I heard my dad telling Lao Wang and the others that the new plan is just a hassle and useless."

Ding Xuemin knew perfectly well that it was Abujiang Tursun who was sabotaging him behind the scenes.

He was highly respected among the herdsmen; one word from him carried more weight than ten words from Ding Xuemin.

Sure enough, half a month later, less than half of the projects were implemented according to the new plan.

At the end of the month, sampling tests showed that the crab growth data in ponds where the timing was "accidentally" set incorrectly was almost unchanged.

The doubts have resurfaced.

"See? I told you it wouldn't work."

In the cafeteria, Old Wang shouted, "After all that fuss, the crabs are still the same old crabs!"

Old Li chimed in, "Exactly, it's a waste of effort."

Abujiang Tursun sipped his tea slowly, without saying a word.

Ding Xuemin did not argue.

He posted the data for Batur Abujiang's pond on the canteen wall.

The table clearly shows: survival rate increased by 15%, average size is larger than other ponds, and activity is significantly better.

"Batur Abujiang's pond has been strictly implemented according to the new plan for the past month."

Ding Xuemin pointed to the data, "The results are right here. Those who think the new plan is useless can take a look."

Batur Abujiang blushed slightly: "Section Chief Ding and Xiao Zhang come to my pond every morning and evening to provide guidance, and I dare not make any mistakes in the feed ratio and feeding time."

At first, I also thought it was troublesome, but now I see it's worth it.

The cafeteria fell silent.

Some people crowded around to examine the data closely, while others whispered among themselves.

Abujiang put down his teacup, stared at the form on the wall for a long time, and finally got up and left.

From that day on, things began to change.

Old Li approached Ding Xuemin and said, "Section Chief Ding, about my pond..."

Could you please provide further guidance? I'd like to raise it the way Batur does.

Old Wang also arrived: "I want to redo it too."

Ding Xuemin didn't ask any more questions, and took Xiao Zhang and Batur to guide them one by one. This time, no one said "accidentally" anymore.

A month later, the results of the second sampling test came out. In ponds that strictly implemented the new plan, the average size of crabs increased by 20%, and the survival rate of all crabs improved.

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was completely different the day the data was posted.

"It really works!"

The crabs in my pond are visibly big.

Old Wang chuckled, "If I had known, I would have carried it out properly. I wasted a whole month."

With the feeding plan proving effective, Ding Xuemin immediately set about the second step: tackling the funding issue for the greenhouse again.

He scrapped the 500,000 yuan plan and started over.

The steel frame structure was replaced with a bamboo and wood structure, and the automatic temperature control was replaced with manual ventilation, saving money wherever possible. In the end, the cost of building two pilot greenhouses for the ponds was only 80,000 yuan.

"Can we save any more money?"

Ding Xuemin asked Xiao Zhang.

Xiao Zhang, biting his pen, said, "If we try to save money any more... we'll just have to make do with a plastic sheet, and that won't keep the insulation working well—"

"Eighty thousand."

Ding Xuemin made the decision: "Take this plan to the regimental headquarters."

Just as he was preparing to depart, the regiment had just secured a "Rural Revitalization Characteristic Industry Support Fund" specifically to support promising characteristic breeding projects.

Ding Xuemin's heart raced, and he immediately rushed to the regimental headquarters with the data from the new feeding plan and the optimized greenhouse plan.

He was greeted by the newly arrived head of the Industrial Development Section, surnamed Chen, who was in his thirties, wore glasses, and looked very capable.

"Section Chief Ding, I've reviewed your materials."

Section Chief Chen flipped through the report. "The data from the new feeding plan is very good, proving your technical approach is correct. But this greenhouse..."

He looked up: "Eighty thousand yuan, not a lot, not a little."

Competition for this funding was fierce; more than a dozen projects across the group were applying.

You need to submit a more detailed benefit calculation and risk assessment report to prove that your project is worth investing in.

"How detailed do you need to be?" Ding Xuemin asked.

"The more detailed the better."

Section Chief Chen said, "Especially regarding the risk aspect, what if it fails?"

How can the funds be recovered?

You need to convince the review panel that even in the worst-case scenario, investing this money will minimize losses.

Ding Xuemin understood. This wasn't about hearing pretty words; it was about seeing real skills.

"Give me three days," he said.

Back at the base, Ding Xuemin locked himself in his office.

Xiao Zhang volunteered to help organize the data, and Batur Abujiang also came, bringing detailed records of his own reservoir.