Go back to the past to plant trees

After the four girls assigned beds and packed their things, they went their separate ways.

Qin Xuemei and Meng Yue left the dugout and were about to head towards the nursery.

"Qin Xuemei, Meng Yue, where are you going?"

Zhao Tianshan was tidying up firewood next to the horse rack when he saw the two of them come out and asked.

"We'd like to go check out the nursery. There were too many people earlier, so we didn't get a good look. We'd like to go back and also ask Section Chief Feng about some things."

"Let's go to the nursery!"

Zhao Tianshan nodded and said, "It's like this, you've just arrived at the dam, so you might not know the situation here. There are wolves here. We have people living here, so wolves generally don't come here, but it's hard to say for sure. So for safety reasons, if you want to leave the camp and go somewhere else, like to the forest, the nursery, the vegetable garden, or just wander around the area, remember to let me know. I'll go with you, or you can find a boy to go with you."

Qin Xuemei said, "There's no need to go to so much trouble. It doesn't look that far to me."

Zhao Tianshan said, "Safety is the most important thing. Director Yu and Director Qu entrusted you to me, so I have to ensure your safety. If something really happens to you, how can I explain it to them? Besides, your families are very worried about you coming here, and you don't want anything to happen to you and make your families worry, so please understand."

"Then I'll trouble Captain Zhao to lead us around," Zhao Tianshan had already said so much, so Qin Xuemei couldn't insist any further. Besides, she had only just arrived at the dam and didn't really know the situation there. There was no guarantee that there might be any danger.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Zhao Tianshan tidied up the firewood at his feet, then beckoned Xiao Liu over.

"This is Xiao Liu, a very smart dog. He has been with Feng Cheng in Bashang for three years. If you want to leave the camp in the future but can't find anyone, you can take him with you. He can understand some simple words."

Zhao Tianshan introduced Xiao Liu's situation to the two girls.

Xiao Liu circled around the two girls, sniffing their scent intently.

"Is this Feng Cheng's dog?" Qin Xuemei asked curiously.

"Yes, it was a stray dog ​​that Feng Cheng encountered when he first came to Saihanba. Feng Cheng adopted it and brought it to the dam. It's been three years now, and Feng Cheng still says he wants to breed it with him, but he hasn't found a suitable one yet."

"Feng Cheng really stayed in Bashang alone for three years?" Meng Yue was a little skeptical. The conditions in Bashang were so harsh, how could someone stay there alone for three years? What was the difference between him and a wild man?

"It wasn't just one person. The first year it was just one person, but the second year we needed to cultivate the nursery and we didn't have enough manpower, so we hired a temporary worker named Zhao Jinquan. He made those small wooden parts for you. He's from a nearby village."

"He was there when we visited the nursery, and I think he was helping out in the kitchen during our meal, right?"

Zhao Tianshan nodded: "Yes, that's him. If you want to do anything in the future, just look for him. He's a very easy person to talk to."

"Captain Zhao, did you just start working on the dam this year?"

"Yes, I only came to the dam this spring. There was a lot of work on the dam this year, and the two of them couldn't handle it all, so they applied to the bureau for more staff. I was transferred here, and I've only been on the dam for about a month, not much earlier than you."

"Captain Zhao, before we went up to the dam, I heard that you planted several thousand trees this year. Where did you plant them? How far away are they? Can we go and take a look?" Qin Xuemei asked, wanting to see the planted saplings with her own eyes.

"It's not far, about a half-hour walk. It's not possible today. Let's wait until tomorrow, or you can let me know when you want to go. There are people there taking care of the newly planted saplings. We can have them take you there."

"it is good."

The three chatted for a while and soon arrived at the nursery.

When Qin Xuemei arrived at the nursery, she saw Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan carrying buckets and watering the nursery.

Upon seeing Feng Cheng, Xiao Liu excitedly ran over. Feng Cheng, upon seeing Xiao Liu, also noticed Qin Xuemei and Meng Yue approaching. However, Feng Cheng was currently working and didn't go over to greet them. He simply nodded to them from afar and continued working.

Qin Xuemei didn't come over either, but went with Meng Yue to another nursery to look at the saplings.

"Meng Yue, collect some soil later and test the soil values."

"Row."

Meng Yue had brought something with her before she came, so she simply took out an envelope from her pocket, scooped up some soil, and put it into the envelope.

"These saplings aren't growing very well."

Meng Yue said, "This is a completely new seedling cultivation method. Without shade boards, the intense sunlight will definitely affect the growth."

"That should be the reason."

"Do you think we can grow trees on the dam using traditional seedling cultivation methods?" Qin Xuemei asked Meng Yue.

Meng Yue shook her head. "It's hard to say. If we want to prove it, we need to set up a nursery for an experiment, but the bureau may not agree to let us do this experiment unless the survival rate of the thousands of saplings they planted this year is not ideal."

Qin Xuemei knew this would be the answer. Saihanba is currently short of funds. It is easy to cultivate new nurseries, but which seedling cultivation method to use is debatable. Feng Cheng succeeded, so the bureau leaders will definitely give priority to his seedling cultivation method. As for the traditional shading seedling cultivation method, it is okay to do it on a small scale and experiment, but it will probably be difficult to convince the leaders on a large scale.

Qin Xuemei and Meng Yue observed the nursery. Although they felt there were some problems with the nursery, they did not touch Feng Cheng's saplings as they did in the drama, because these saplings were cultivated using a new method that they did not understand and dared not touch.

After Feng Cheng finished watering the plants, seeing that the two were still watching intently, he walked over.

"Do you two have any questions? I can answer them for you."

Meng Yue replied softly, "Section Chief Feng, we'll just take a look."

Feng Cheng smiled and said, "Don't be shy. I know you must have a lot of questions to ask me. I learned about seedling cultivation on my own, while you are all professionally trained. I may not know as much as you do. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We can discuss them. My answers may not be correct, and maybe your ideas are right."

"Section Chief Feng, I don't think the saplings in this nursery are growing very well. I visited some nurseries in the forest farms of Northeast China before, and these saplings would be considered diseased and weak in those nurseries, and they would all have to be disposed of."

Qin Xuemei didn't have too many thoughts on it. Since Feng Cheng had said so, she directly asked her question.

Feng Cheng said, "Look at your surroundings, and think back to the surroundings of the nurseries you visited. What are the differences between the two?"

"Although the winters in Northeast China are just as cold, the spring and summer climate is quite nice. There is plenty of rain, the soil is fertile, and the sun is strong but not intense."

"this…"

“The environment is different, and the condition of the seedlings is also different. It is inappropriate to compare the seedlings here with those in the Northeast. This place is located in a plateau desert area with little rainfall, long hours of sunshine, and strong ultraviolet radiation. Moreover, as you can see, the surrounding land is somewhat desertified. How can the seedlings grown in such a place be compared with those in the Northeast?”

"Similarly, the seedlings in the Northeast nursery grow well, but how do they compare to those in the South? How do the seedlings in the nurseries in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Yunnan grow? I've heard that in those places, seedlings can be planted anywhere and survive without any care. Does that mean that people in the Northeast don't know how to take care of seedlings as well as those people over there?"

"Section Chief Feng, we just asked a question, and you launched into a long-winded explanation, even criticizing us," Meng Yue said, somewhat dissatisfied with Feng Cheng's attitude.

"Forehead…"

"I'm sorry for my tone, but this is indeed due to differences in soil and climate between different places. If you take these factors into account, you can understand the condition of the nursery."

"Yes, we understand."

"Okay, you guys keep watching, I'm going back now," Feng Cheng said, losing interest in staying any longer after seeing the two girls' somewhat cold attitude.