Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

At 10 a.m. the next day, Zhou Feng and Chen Tao appeared on time at the door of the familiar teahouse.

Although he had been communicating with Zhou Ming via WeChat during this time, he still brought Chen Tao along.

After all, his acquaintance with Zhou Ming was indeed facilitated by Chen Tao, and even though Chen Tao had already joined his company, there was no need to bypass him in this matter.

Moreover, Chen Tao will have to handle the subsequent cash flow and any potential tax issues!

Chen Tao clearly understood why Zhou Feng had called him over, and patted Zhou Feng on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely manage our company perfectly for you, and you won't be shortchanged by a single penny!"

Zhou Feng smiled and didn't say anything more. The two of them pushed open the door and entered the tea room.

Zhou Ming was already sitting in his usual spot, slowly and methodically warming his teacup.

He was wearing a light gray casual suit today, which made him look less businesslike and more approachable than when we last met.

Next to him sat an elderly man with white hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and exuding a refined air, looking down at pictures on his phone.

Upon seeing the two enter, Zhou Ming stood up to greet them with a smile, saying, "Brother Zhou Feng, Mr. Chen, you've arrived. Please have a seat."

"Hello, Ming-ge." Zhou Feng nodded and sat down opposite Chen Tao.

"This is Professor Qin, a retired researcher from the National Museum of China and also my elder. He has a deep knowledge of antiques and miscellaneous items, and I specially invited him here today to help me take a look."

Zhou Ming gave a brief introduction, but Professor Qin raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, lingering on Zhou Feng's face for a few seconds before nodding.

His level was not high enough to know Zhou Feng's special identity, so when he received Zhou Ming's invitation, he couldn't help but wonder who could bring out so many antiques at once!

Zhou Feng understood immediately; Zhou Ming had brought a professional appraiser, but he didn't say anything.

He gestured for Chen Tao to carefully place the boxes he had brought on the open ground next to the tea table.

"Ming-ge, Professor Qin, everything is here. Please take a look."

As Zhou Feng spoke, he personally opened each box, took out the antiques that were carefully wrapped inside, and arranged them on the tea table.

This time, they brought more items in greater quantity and variety than last time.

Besides a few paintings and calligraphy pieces and porcelain, there are also a few small bronze items, a set of mid-Qing dynasty purple clay teapots, two Duan inkstones, a few jade pendants, and even a well-preserved handwritten copy of a local gazetteer from the Ming dynasty.

Professor Qin put on white gloves, picked up a magnifying glass, and began to examine each item carefully.

Zhou Ming accompanied Zhou Feng and Chen Tao, drinking tea and chatting idly, seemingly unconcerned about the appraisal process.

Chen Tao, standing next to Zhou Feng, was also very relaxed. Although he had only experienced selling such a large quantity of antiques three times in his life, all three times the items were brought back by Zhou Feng.

If everything is genuine, what does he have to worry about?

Zhou Feng sipped his tea slowly, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Professor Qin's movements.

About half an hour later, Professor Qin finally put down the last roll of manuscript, took off his gloves, nodded slightly to Zhou Ming, then walked to the side and took out his phone to type quickly.

Zhou Ming put down his teacup, glanced at his phone, his smile unchanged, and said to Zhou Feng, "Professor Qin has seen them. These antiques are quite interesting; they're not commonly seen on the market."

He paused for a moment, then quoted a price: "Brother Zhou Feng, all of these things, packaged together, 800 million. What do you think?"

This price is actually much higher than what Zhou Feng and Chen Tao had previously estimated.

He glanced at Chen Tao, and although he didn't say anything immediately, the excitement in his eyes was almost impossible to hide!

Zhou Feng nodded: "Brother Ming is straightforward, so we'll go with the price you said."

"it is good."

Without wasting any words, Zhou Ming gestured to his assistant, who immediately took out a laptop and a portable printer to prepare the contract and transfer documents on the spot.

They were very familiar with this process, which earned nods from Zhou Feng and Chen Tao.

As expected of a young master from a wealthy family, doing business with him is efficient, and transferring money is quick and easy.

While his assistant was working, Zhou Ming casually asked, "Brother Zhou Feng, I've already spoken to my friend about the seeds. He said he can come and see the goods anytime. Is your schedule convenient?"

Zhou Feng's spirits lifted: "The sooner the better. I'm available anytime."

"Okay then." Zhou Ming glanced at his watch. "How about this afternoon? I'm flying directly to Beiping from here. If it's convenient for you, how about we go together? My friend is at the test base in Changping. We can go see the actual equipment and discuss the details."

Zhou Feng couldn't be happier: "Of course it's convenient! Thank you so much, Brother Ming!"

"We're like brothers, no need to be so polite." Zhou Ming smiled. "Let's finish the formalities here first, have a simple lunch, and then head to the airport. I'll have someone book the tickets."

Upon hearing this, Chen Tao knew that he had nothing to do with the upcoming seed deal, so he tactfully took the initiative to say, "Fengzi, Young Master Zhou, then I won't get involved. I have some things to take care of at the company, so I'll go back and handle them, and also sort out the payment here."

Zhou Feng nodded: "Brother Tao, you've worked hard."

"Of course, of course!" Chen Tao said with a big smile, holding the newly signed contract and transfer receipt, and left satisfied.

Almost simultaneously, the SMS notification sounded indicating that the money had been deposited into the account after the formalities were completed.

Zhou Feng glanced at the long string of numbers on his phone and felt much more at ease.

This money, combined with his previous savings, wasn't enough for his planned power plant, but it certainly wouldn't be a problem for purchasing large quantities of seeds.

At noon, Zhou Ming arranged for a simple meal at a quiet private restaurant.

Zhou Feng was happy to cooperate with him. Although the other party's background was mysterious, he was also a double-door man!

If we're really talking about mystery, Zhou Ming might not be able to beat him!

Fortunately, Zhou Ming never displayed the arrogance of a young master from a prominent family in front of him; instead, he gave people a feeling of warmth and comfort.

After the meal, the two took a car directly to the airport.

Zhou Ming's assistant had already arranged everything. They used the VIP channel, and the luggage check-in and security check went extremely smoothly.

On the plane, Zhou Ming asked for a glass of water and put on an eye mask to rest.

Zhou Feng looked out the porthole at the rolling sea of ​​clouds, pondering how to proceed with the discussion later.

He has a strong need for seeds, and he requires a large quantity. Currently, he only knows that he needs high-yield and drought-resistant seeds, and he doesn't care about the type.

After all, in times of famine, being able to eat one's fill was enough; no one would be picky about food.

More than an hour later, the plane landed at the capital airport.

A car was already waiting to pick up the two of them and drove directly out of the city towards Changping.

The car eventually drove into a large compound with a sign that read "National Crop Variety Improvement Changping Experimental Base".

The courtyard is shaded by green trees, with clean roads and many modern glass greenhouses and large, well-planned experimental fields. Although it is late autumn, crops are still growing in many fields, creating a vibrant scene.

A middle-aged man, around fifty years old, wearing a white coat and glasses, was already waiting in front of the office building.

Upon seeing Zhou Ming get out of the car, they immediately greeted him warmly: "Mr. Zhou! Welcome, welcome! You must be tired from your journey!"

"Mr. Li, thank you for your time." Zhou Ming smiled and shook hands with the other party, then introduced Zhou Feng, "This is the Mr. Zhou Feng I mentioned to you. He's particularly interested in high-quality seeds. Zhou Feng, this is Chief Engineer Li from the base, an expert in breeding."

"Chief Engineer Li, hello, thank you for your help." Zhou Feng politely extended his hand.

"Mr. Zhou, you're too kind! Your friends are my friends too!"

Chief Engineer Li was very enthusiastic and shook hands firmly.

"Come on, let's go to the office for a cup of tea first, then I'll take you to the warehouse and experimental fields to see our current main varieties and latest achievements!"

The group arrived at Chief Engineer Li's office. After a few brief greetings, Chief Engineer Li eagerly began his introduction.

It wasn't just Zhou Feng and his group who came to inspect the site; the base had already prepared a PowerPoint presentation, which they just needed to play.

As the chief engineer, he was very familiar with these seeds and could describe them in great detail.

New drought-resistant and lodging-resistant wheat varieties, rice varieties highly resistant to rice blast, corn varieties with good storage properties, cold-resistant winter rapeseed, and high-yield and high-quality tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and cabbages...

The data was detailed, the pictures were clear, and Chief Engineer Li spoke with great enthusiasm.

Zhou Feng listened very attentively, paying particular attention to several varieties that emphasized "drought resistance," "tolerance to poor soil," "wide adaptability," and "low dependence on chemical fertilizers."

These characteristics were a godsend for rural areas in the 1960s, where water and fertilizer were generally scarce and farming techniques were relatively backward.

Although he could bring fertilizer over, his efforts alone were too weak if the coverage area were expanded to the whole country.

Moreover, even if all 100,000 cubic meters could be filled with fertilizer, let alone which fertilizer company has such a large storage capacity, how much would that cost?

It would cost at least several hundred million!

No matter how common something is, if the demand is adjusted to the level of a whole country, it's something he can't solve on his own.

After the introduction, Chief Engineer Li looked at Zhou Feng expectantly: "Mr. Zhou, which varieties are you mainly interested in? Approximately how much quantity do you need? We can arrange both existing stock and pre-ordered seed production."

Zhou Feng pondered for a moment before speaking, "Chief Engineer Li, the varieties you introduced are all excellent, especially those with strong drought and stress resistance. My demand may be quite large, so I need to select high-yielding varieties."

"The total amount needed is approximately tens of thousands of tons. How much can you initially provide for me? We can discuss the details further."

"Tens of thousands of tons?"

Chief Engineer Li's smile froze instantly, his eyes behind his glasses widened in shock, and he almost dropped the laser pointer in his hand.

He subconsciously glanced at Zhou Ming. If this guy hadn't been brought by Zhou Ming, he might have already called security to kick Zhou Feng out.

What does tens of thousands of tons of seeds mean?

This is a scale that cannot be described in the context of commercial procurement!

The scale is comparable to the allocation of national strategic reserves!

His experimental base, along with the several large seed companies he collaborates with, produces and sells far more seeds in a year than this, but it's absolutely impossible to produce only one variety.

Actually, Zhou Feng was going to great lengths to find something that was closer to home. When it comes to seeds, his hometown, Heilongjiang Province, is undoubtedly a national-level core seed industry base. Providing tens of thousands of tons of seeds should not be a problem.

However, Zhou Ming was unable to contact them in the short term, and had no one to talk to, so he could only bring him to the experimental base in Changping.

After all, even for them, obtaining the necessary qualifications for purchasing seeds in large quantities takes time.

To be honest, even though he already knew that Zhou Feng was dealing with the government there, he was still taken aback by the sheer volume of tens of thousands of tons. But he quickly regained his composure, a hint of helplessness on his face, and nodded to Chief Engineer Li.

This was also a way of confirming with the other party that Zhou Feng wasn't joking, but genuinely had the ability and the idea.

Well, this is someone with a lot of connections.

Chief Engineer Li received Zhou Ming's signal, forcibly suppressed his surprise, and forced a smile onto his face.

"Mr. Zhou... your demand is indeed... very large for our base."

His voice was a little dry: "To be honest, our experimental base, including the large seed companies we cooperate with, has a regular stock of all kinds of seeds, which is at most a few thousand tons, and that's after spreading them across dozens of varieties."

"If you only want this one variety, then you have to make an appointment for seed production, and you need to plan at least one to one and a half years in advance, contact suitable seed production bases, and arrange tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of acres of isolation fields for professional production... This involves land, manpower, technology, capital investment, and weather risks... It's really too much."

"Moreover, such a large amount of seeds from the same batch flowing out at the same time is something that, within our industry, is usually only seen when a country encounters a major natural disaster and needs to urgently replant for disaster relief, or when there is large-scale land reclamation and the construction of new farms. It is simply impossible under normal circumstances."

At this point, even Chief Engineer Li couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

What exactly does this Mr. Zhou do?

Where would he find so much land to cultivate?

After hearing what Chief Engineer Li said, Zhou Feng gave an awkward smile.

He was too naive, which is why he made such a fool of himself. It's impossible to get the goods immediately for a purchase of this size!

"Um... Chief Engineer Li, I was being inconsiderate and didn't understand the industry situation. Please forgive me."

Zhou Feng scratched his head: "How about this, I'll take all the seeds you have on hand right now, especially those drought-resistant, stress-resistant, and adaptable grain and common vegetable seeds you just mentioned. The more, the better."

"Then, regarding the seed reservation for propagation, we can discuss it in more detail. We'd prefer a larger quantity and a more comprehensive selection of varieties. I can wait, and funding isn't an issue. We can discuss any guarantees you require, or the amount of deposit needed in advance. I only have one requirement: the seed quality must be excellent, and the traits must be stable."

Chief Engineer Li finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Zhou Ming.

Even though Zhou Ming brought his men, he still felt uneasy about purchasing such a large quantity of seeds.

Zhou Ming understood this perfectly well, so he simply spoke directly to him: "Engineer Li, I assure you that Brother Zhou Feng is sincere in doing this, and his funds and reputation are guaranteed. Could you please try to coordinate something? Prioritize fulfilling his needs for the available stock, and also help him with the seed production, communicating with your partner seed production unit to see what the maximum production capacity can be."

"good!"

With Zhou Ming's words, Chief Engineer Li understood the situation.

Without further hesitation, he put on a warm smile again: "Since Mr. Zhou is so sincere, and Mr. Zhou Ming has spoken, then I will definitely do my best! Here's what we'll do: I'll have someone inventory the warehouse stock immediately, and I'll give you an accurate list and price quote by tomorrow at the latest."

"As for pre-ordering seed production..." He gritted his teeth, "I'll contact the national-level seed production farms and large farms we cooperate with most closely this afternoon to get a feel for their production plans and maximum capacity for the next two years. I'll try to give you a preliminary plan and budget as soon as possible. But Mr. Zhou, this really can't be rushed; it's a long process with many variables. Let's take it one step at a time, okay?"

"Great! Absolutely fantastic!"

Zhou Feng shook hands with him with satisfaction. It was great that this matter could be resolved.

He also needs to rent a warehouse in Beiping to store the seeds that have been transported from here.

Even if they could be taken directly to the courtyard house, there would still need to be a place for them to unload their goods first!

Not only that, but the courtyard also needs to prepare warehouses in advance. Fortunately, it's almost Chinese New Year there, and the temperature is low enough.

After so many leisurely days, it looks like I'll be quite busy in the coming days!