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

"Director Xu, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you come to my place for some water and a rest?" Long Lifan was truly flattered that a factory director would personally come to see her off, so she politely invited him.

"Okay!"

Xu Tiansheng readily agreed. His personal visit wasn't just to deliver the car as a token of gratitude. He had other matters he planned to consult with Long Zhiqing about, and having too many people around here was indeed inappropriate.

"Then I'll lead the way!"

As soon as Long Lifan finished speaking, she flipped herself onto the bicycle and started running quickly. Feeling the cool breeze on her face and hearing the gusts of wind in her ears, Long Lifan pedaled even harder with her short legs.

Although there was a bicycle at home, she never rode it because of her short legs, so everyone thought she couldn't ride a bicycle.

Rather than revealing the fact that her legs are short, Long Lifan would rather let everyone misunderstand that she can't ride a bike than try it.

When Long Lifan returned home and opened the door, Wangcai jumped high and circled around her incessantly upon seeing its owner. Remembering she had guests, she shooed Wangcai to Jiang Nian'an's place next door.

"Director Xu, Comrade Wang, please have a seat. I'll get you some water." He took out two small stools from inside the house and placed them in front of the two men, inviting them to sit down. Then he went inside and made two bowls of sweet soup.

"Long Zhiqing's home is really unique. You can tell at a glance that he's someone who knows how to enjoy life." Xu Tiansheng sat down and looked around at the surroundings, unable to help but exclaim in admiration. The driver, Xiao Wang, nodded in agreement.

After several days of continuous renovation by Long Lifan, the courtyard is now filled with blooming flowers of various colors, which are quite vibrant.

On the left side of the courtyard are several cucumber plants. The cucumber vines sway gracefully in the early summer sun, their green leaves shimmering, and the tendrils twisting into various elegant shapes, like works of art by nature.

Amidst the blossoms of the cucumber vines, a few tender green cucumbers dot the scene, bringing endless surprises.

On the other side were some chili peppers, bright red peppers hanging from the branches like fiery stars, shimmering among the emerald green leaves. There was no way around it; Long Lifan from her previous life was from Sichuan province. While she wouldn't claim to be an expert at handling spicy food, she always felt something was missing from her meals without spice.

These seeds were high-quality varieties that she specially purchased from the system store, so both the chili peppers and cucumbers grew very well.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was well-planned. Xu Tiansheng had never seen anyone arrange a small courtyard so meticulously before; it was clear that Long Zhiqing knew how to enjoy life.

“Long Zhiqing, actually there are some things I’d like to ask you for advice on this trip.”

Xu Tiansheng took a sip of the sweet soup, which tasted excellent. It not only made him feel comfortable and relaxed, but also seemed to sweep away the fatigue he had felt on his way there.

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan couldn't help but think to herself: Well! I knew it! How could the director of the machinery factory come to Dongwan Brigade just to deliver a bicycle to me? He must have something else on his mind.

No wonder the other party agreed as soon as I invited them; they were waiting for this.

"I wonder what Director Xu would like to ask you about?" Long Lifan's tone was somewhat indifferent, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

"That's right. The new farm implements have given our machinery factory a great turnaround. But as the new farm implements are promoted, other places are also paying attention to them."

"Are factories in other places starting to produce this new farm tool as well?" Long Lifan casually interjected.

“Yes!” Xu Tiansheng nodded vigorously and said, “You know that this new farm tool doesn’t require much technology and is very easy to make. I know that there are at least three factories in G province that have started producing it.”

Long Lifan nodded slightly. In this era, there was no such thing as a patent. Usually, if something sold well, everyone would rush to produce it. Moreover, the machinery factory was a state-owned enterprise, so it wasn't anything unusual.

Long Lifan had anticipated this outcome when she entrusted the production of the new farm implements to the machinery factory; it was part of her plan. Why did she publish the article in the provincial newspaper in the first place? Wasn't it to promote the benefits of the new farm implements?

Given the scale of the Pingwu County Machinery Factory, even if it worked day and night, it would probably take several years for working people all over the country to be able to use the new agricultural tools.

This clearly contradicts her original intention. The reason she launched the new farm tools ahead of schedule was for the benefit of the hardworking people at the bottom of society, not for the machinery factory.

"Director Xu, you're being too attached to appearances," Long Lifan said with a faint smile. "Other factories are also producing new farm tools, which means that commune members all over the country can use them more quickly. That's a good thing!"

"Even though that's what I said, I still feel a little uneasy."

Xu Tiansheng felt somewhat ashamed upon hearing Long Zhiqing's insightful perspective; he hadn't expected Long Zhiqing to be so enlightened. However, he had been hoping that these new farm tools would lead their machinery factory to new heights, but with production now underway everywhere, his hopes were dashed.

"Director Xu, I'll be frank with you, but the county machinery factory is still too small. Whether it's machinery and equipment or personnel, it's lacking compared to other factories."

"Even if we take a step back and assume they want to produce, we can't stop them, can we? So, production in other places is inevitable. Director Xu, you should take it easy!" Long Lifan advised with a smile.

"Yes!"

Although somewhat reluctant, Xu Tiansheng nodded. New farm tools could bring not only profits but also prestige; if he saw the benefits, he would also try to manufacture them. This was a major event that benefited the country and its people, not something a mere factory manager like himself could decide.

Fortunately, they were the first to try this approach, and by leveraging their previous advantages, they sold tens of thousands of units in several nearby counties during this period.

But as Long Zhiqing said, their machinery factory was still too small to compare with those in other places. Now that other places had started production, even if they continued to produce, they might not be able to sell their products. The thought of their golden goose being taken away by someone else still made him feel somewhat sad.

"Long Zhiqing, what do you think we should do next?" Now that things had come to this, he could only ask Long Lifan for advice. There was nothing to be ashamed of for him; in the past, he had often humbled himself to others for the sake of the machinery factory's future.

Moreover, he had personally witnessed Wang Hongtao asking Long Zhiqing questions like a student at the farmers' market that day. Long Zhiqing was far inferior to Long Zhiqing in both status and age. Since Wang Hongtao could humbly ask questions, why couldn't he?

"Director Xu, do you remember what I said at the machinery factory that day? The machinery factory must transform itself in order to truly develop. Only in this way can the machinery factory remain invincible."

"Just like this new farming tool, even if others follow suit, as long as we can be the first to market, we can still make a fortune."

"You mean creating something new?" Xu Tiansheng remembered that Long Zhiqing had mentioned something like that before, specifically mentioning topics related to agriculture.

In this day and age, agriculture is of paramount importance, truly the foundation of a nation. Long Zhiqing once spoke of something about agricultural modernization. After all, given the scale of their factory, it was impossible for them to manufacture airplanes and cannons.

"Does Long Zhiqing have any good suggestions?"