Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Watching Old Master Shen's hurried figure disappear into the distance, Su Wanqing's smile faded slightly.

The tractor that won the top prize nationwide and was impounded in Ili Prefecture deserves an explanation.

Su Wanqing was pondering the tractor matter when she looked up and saw that Old Shen had already disappeared—he was probably in a hurry to send a telegram.

Chen Xiuer remained standing there, looking anxious: "Dr. Su, since we're going to cultivate this, you have to teach me quickly! This cultivation room can be built in two days, and I haven't learned anything yet... I have no idea how to mix the materials or how to manage them..."

She became increasingly unsure of herself, especially after hearing from Elder Shen that she had invested several hundred yuan, and if things went wrong, it would all be for nothing. How could a rural woman with only a junior high school education possibly succeed in something that so many research institutes across the country hadn't figured out?

Su Wanqing chuckled: "Don't rush. The cultivation methods for shiitake mushrooms and white fungus are slightly different from those for oyster mushrooms, but they're pretty much the same. Shiitake mushrooms take a little longer, about a month or two, but they're actually easier to manage than oyster mushrooms. I'll teach you about that later. Let's talk about the division of labor and compensation first."

"Huh? What kind of work assignment and benefits?" Chen Xiuer was taken aback. She was already receiving double the worker's pay with eight work points and an 80-cent subsidy every day, so what else could she get?

Su Wanqing explained, "You and Aunt Wang will still be in charge of the shiitake mushrooms and white fungus. Secretary Liu will provide the supplementary materials. But your work will be heavier, so you'll get an extra 50 cents a day—1.3 yuan a day for you and 1.5 yuan a day for Aunt Wang. With more money, the work will definitely be harder."

Chen Xiuer's mouth dropped open: "Dr. Su, this...this is too much! It's higher than the wages of the best workers in the city!"

She still had the concept of a fixed salary in her mind and never thought about the days when people with 10,000 yuan in income were everywhere after the reform and opening up.

Su Wanqing smiled and shook her head: "It's not high. You're doing the work of three or four people. You deserve it. There's also good news—Secretary Liu said he can apply for a formal position for you. Having a stable job and salary will be beneficial for your divorce and your fight for child custody."

She recounted her conversation with Liu Shuqing from the previous night, concluding, "So, in order to get custody of the child, I need to have this salary and position. You guys work hard, and if you take on more planting contracts, I'll earn a few dozen yuan more. I won't lose out at all."

Chen Xiuer's eyes reddened, and she nodded emphatically, "Dr. Su, don't worry, this implantation site is my lifeline! I will definitely learn and work hard, and I will never let you lose money!"

She was determined to make sure the shiitake mushrooms and white fungus grew well, so that Dr. Su could make a fortune!

Next, Su Wanqing explained the general cultivation process of shiitake mushrooms and white fungus: spawn propagation, culture medium preparation, temperature and humidity control, mushroom management... Chen Xiuer took out her notebook and carefully wrote down every single word, afraid of missing even a single one.

After explaining everything, Su Wanqing left the planting site.

The autumn wind was getting a bit chilly, so she took a stroll through the lavender experimental field. The purple flower spikes had already been harvested, and the plants in the field were growing very well. In a little while, she would be able to produce the lavender essential oil before winter.

Instead of going to the clinic, she went straight to the command post.

Before even entering, I could hear a cacophony of voices inside, as noisy as a market.

Liu Shuqing was surrounded by a crowd of more than a dozen men in Zhongshan suits and military caps, who were talking at him as if they wanted to devour him alive.

"Secretary Liu! Alar is poor. We only have a few thousand mu of land allocated for planting each year. Could you please approve just one more kilogram of seeds? Just one kilogram!"

"Secretary Liu, we heard your rhizobium has multiplied? The higher-ups sent us to ask you for some! We won't take it for free, we'll trade you 500 catties of soybean oil! If our soybean oil factory increases production by 30% next year, it all depends on this!"

"We'll pay cash upfront! Name your price!"

"Secretary Liu, we're from the Yili Prefecture Agricultural Technology Station! Please prioritize our quota this year! Could you also spare some of these mushrooms? We'd like to exchange them for our newly arrived agricultural equipment!"

"Old Liu, we've known each other for years, can you really bear to see me go back empty-handed?"

Liu Shuqing's head was throbbing from the noise. Holding up a megaphone, he shouted, "Stop arguing! First come, first served! The first batch of seeds was allocated according to the quotas set by higher authorities; I can't make that decision! Begging me won't help! The second batch of seeds will be available in three months; we'll talk about that then! And the fungus—get the seeds stamped first, then we'll discuss the fungus!"

Squeezed outside the door, Su Wanqing watched the chaotic scene inside and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. In this era, everything is obtained by scrambling!

Liu Shuqing was stamping someone's paperwork when he looked up and saw her. His eyes lit up immediately: "Dr. Su! You've come at the perfect time!"

He pushed through the crowd, pulled Su Wanqing to his side, and shouted, "This is Dr. Su Wanqing, the cultivator of rhizobium! If you need to mix the bacteria, you can find her! However, the original strains are limited and scarce right now, so you can only exchange them for something—fertilizer quotas, agricultural machinery, steel, timber, whatever is in demand. You can discuss the details with her yourself!"

This was something Su Wanqing had already discussed with Liu Shuqing. This mushroom was a public-private partnership, with her taking a share of the profits, so she naturally had the right to decide what to exchange it for.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people swarmed around him.

"Dr. Su! Our team has a quota of fifty tons of fertilizer. Could you spare some of the bacteria for us?"

"Dr. Su! Our agricultural machinery station has just received a new batch of seeders. If you need them, we can exchange them!"

"Dr. Su, let's trade grain! A thousand catties of soybeans, can't we get a little bit in return?"

"We'll trade you diesel! Five hundred kilograms of diesel, give us some first!"

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a cadre uniform with four pockets squeezed in, smiling and extending his hand: "Hello, Comrade Su, I'm from the Yili Prefecture Agricultural Bureau, my surname is Ma. Our Yili Prefecture's hundreds of thousands of mu of legume crops in the second half of the year are all counting on you, our precious asset. We're all on the same side, so don't worry, we won't take anything for nothing—we'll exchange supplies for quotas, we'll exchange them for quotas, we're open to discussion about anything."

He came with great sincerity this time. The higher-ups said that this was the original strain and could be propagated in large quantities. He didn't know how it was in other places, but he was determined to maintain good relations with the subordinate departments in Ili Prefecture and get his hands on the propagation bacteria. Otherwise, wouldn't they be laughing all the way to the bank?

Moreover, they were all in a superior-subordinate relationship, which was also a natural close relationship. He didn't believe that the 65th Regiment wouldn't give its own people a chance.

Su Wanqing grasped his hand and smiled, but suddenly turned to Liu Shuqing: "Secretary Liu, where is the tractor that we were awarded for winning first place in the national oyster mushroom competition?"

Liu Shuqing was taken aback, then immediately understood and slapped his thigh: "Hey! We've been in Yili Prefecture for a while now, but they've 'temporarily requisitioned' us by their agricultural machinery station. They say it's busy farming season, and there's no definite answer as to when we'll be back. They say if the busy farming season continues, they'll just keep requisitioning us."