Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"........."

Upon hearing this, the heads of the various communes exchanged glances, all filled with doubt. What did Director Xu mean by this? Knowing we weren't planning to buy, he wasn't even offering any bait!

"Then why did you gather us here, Director Xu? Are you just making fun of us?"

The person who had just stood up to ask the question was the secretary of Hongqi Commune, surnamed Zhao, named Zhao Changfu. As the best-developed commune in Pingwu County, he spoke with great confidence. So when he heard that Director Xu had summoned them not to give them farm tools, his smile vanished, and he spoke with a serious expression.

"How could that be! Everyone here is a leader at the grassroots level. The development of Pingwu County depends entirely on you." Xu Tiansheng quickly reassured everyone and said some nice things.

"Especially you, Secretary Zhao, the Red Flag Commune you lead is famous in our county. Everyone knows that your Red Flag Commune is the vanguard of our county and the pride of Pingwu County!"

"So, how could I dare to make fun of you!" Xu Tiansheng smiled slightly and began to flatter without reservation. In Long Zhiqing's words: What's a few nice words? As long as we can successfully sell the product.

Flattery never fails, and Xu Tiansheng's words made Zhao Changfu feel quite pleased. Hearing Xu Tiansheng's effusive praise, Zhao Changfu's sullen face revealed a hint of smugness. His attitude changed, and he spoke much more softly, saying, "Director Xu, what brings you here today to meet with the heads of our various communes?"

"Hey!"

Xu Tiansheng sighed heavily, paused for a few seconds, and then said with feigned sadness, "I went to the countryside a few days ago and realized how hard life is for us rural people! They even work in the open under the scorching sun. It really made me feel bad!"

"Think about our country, we've been chanting the slogan of 'Four Modernizations' for so many years, but there's still no progress. I feel really bad about it. That's why our machinery factory, in order to reduce the burden on the commune members, has been working overtime and burning the midnight oil to develop a new type of agricultural tool!"

"What? Another new farm tool?"

The smugness that had just appeared on the faces of the commune cadres, born from Director Xu's praise, instantly turned serious upon hearing the words "new farm tools," a hint of wariness flashing in their eyes. They exchanged glances, seemingly reading the same doubt in each other's eyes: What new tricks are they up to this time?

Xu Tiansheng took in everyone's reactions and secretly considered his options. He smiled slightly and continued sincerely, "Everyone, don't rush to conclusions. No matter how much we talk, nothing beats seeing the real thing. Our new type of machine has only just been produced and certainly still needs to be tested in practice."

"As for you gentlemen, as leaders at the grassroots level, you are experts in managing production, and your experience is certainly much richer than mine. So, the reason I'm here today is to ask you secretaries for a favor: to select a few villages for pilot experiments."

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Xu Tiansheng then explained in detail the various uses and operating methods of the threshing machine. (In fact, their machinery factory had already conducted tests after the machine was produced, but only on a small scale.) He said this simply to let everyone see the amazing features of the threshing machine firsthand, and also because large-scale testing of the machine was indeed necessary.

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It's currently corn harvest season, and the commune leaders, upon hearing about the threshing machine's capabilities, all turned their attention to it. It's important to know that after the corn kernels are threshed, they need to be dried promptly, but in the north, the weather gets increasingly cool in October, making sunny days rare.

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If threshing machines can speed up the threshing process, corn can be stored in warehouses more quickly, avoiding losses due to moisture. This is undoubtedly exciting news for them, meaning that a more efficient and convenient agricultural production method is on the horizon.

"There's a saying that goes, 'Let's put it to the test and see if it's any good.' Let's find a place to try it out, and let everyone take a look and see if our new farm tools produced by our machinery factory can actually be put to use!" Xu Tiansheng took in everyone's gaze and knew that they were interested, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot.

Seeing everyone's interest piqued, Xu Tiansheng was delighted and suggested finding a place to test the power of the threshing machine. After some discussion, they decided to go to a village under Jianping Commune, the closest commune to the county seat.

The group arrived at the village in a large procession, and Xu Tiansheng immediately instructed the machinery factory employees to begin assembling and testing the threshing machine. The moment the threshing machine started operating, the roar of the machinery gradually intensified as corn cobs were thrown in.

The leaders of each commune stared wide-eyed, afraid of missing a single detail. Although they had just heard Xu Tiansheng's boasting, seeing is believing.

As the threshing machine roared to life, golden corn cobs poured into it like water, while golden corn kernels poured out continuously. The supervisors watched in stunned silence, their shock beyond words. They hadn't imagined this threshing machine could be so efficient, so miraculous!

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Xu Tiansheng felt a surge of pride. He looked at the commune cadres and said with a smile:

"So, everyone. How's the threshing machine our machinery factory developed? Is it any good?"

The crowd stared in astonishment and admiration at the rapidly spinning threshing machine before them, as if they were in a dream, everything seeming so unbelievable. Xu Tiansheng's words, like a spring breeze, brought them back to reality. They nodded in agreement, Zhao Changfu praising it highly: "It's truly amazing! The speed of this threshing machine is simply beyond imagination!"

As Xu Tiansheng listened to the discussions among the commune leaders, he smiled and continued, "Of course, the success of one machine may be just a coincidence, but the real test lies in whether it can be sustained and stable. Our machinery factory has other machines that also need to be tested in the field."

Upon hearing this, the leaders of each commune were immediately invigorated and extended invitations one after another.

"Director Xu, come to our Red Flag Commune! We'll fully support you!"

"No, Director Xu, come to our Yunyang Commune instead. We guarantee to provide the best experimental conditions!"

"You, from Yunyang Commune, have the nerve to mention that..."

Everyone chimed in, hoping that this amazing machine could be put to good use in their commune, speeding up the autumn harvest and contributing to a bountiful harvest. Looking at the eager eyes of the crowd, Xu Tiansheng felt a surge of joy and anticipation.

"Alright! We're all from Pingwu County, so our machinery factory shouldn't discriminate. How about this: each commune will be allocated one machine, and we'll send a professional machinery factory worker to conduct experiments..."

When the heads of the various communes heard what Director Xu said, they had no choice but to nod in agreement.

At the Dongwan Brigade headquarters, ever since Gao Mingyuan finished debugging the machines, the rumbling sound has been constant. While people rested, the machines didn't; the commune members worked in shifts, all eager to finish threshing the corn as quickly as possible.