Go back to the past to plant trees

Wu Yansheng used his words to turn this tree-planting activity into an opportunity for college students to prove themselves, which inspired the spirits of several recent graduates. Then everyone volunteered to start working.

Seeing how enthusiastic they were, Zhao Jinquan couldn't help but ask Feng Cheng.

"Brother Feng, do you think these kinds of trees can survive?"

"How would I know? I might not be able to grow them, but they might have some special methods that can make the trees survive. After all, they are college students, majoring in afforestation. They can understand some of the knowledge that we don't know."

Zhao Jinquan understood the implication in Feng Cheng's words and instantly lost interest in the tree-planting project. He had thought that these college students could actually grow trees successfully, given how grand and elaborate the whole thing was.

Feng Cheng was just watching the show. Long before the college students went to the dam, he had told Zhao Tianshan that these people didn't need to be assigned jobs; they would find jobs for themselves. Look, they've found work for themselves now.

In his past life, Feng Cheng had experienced this kind of thing countless times. You say this won't work? No, you say it's useless, I want to try it. You say everyone else has tried it, and I want to try it too. Maybe it will work for me.

No one thinks they are incapable. They believe that the mistakes made by their predecessors were because they were not the ones who made those mistakes. They think that if they were to walk those paths, they would find that path to be the best.

Just like when Feng Cheng went up the dam, he put aside all the failures of Engineer Chen and the forestry bureau employees, thinking that they were just bad people and that if he were in their shoes, there would be absolutely no problem.

If Feng Cheng, who has never planted a tree before, has this idea and mindset, how much more so would these forestry university students, one out of tens of thousands of people, think they are inferior to others?

Feng Cheng knew that their tree planting attempt had ended in failure, but he didn't say anything to dampen their spirits. After all, they were in high spirits, and saying something inappropriate would only upset them.

...

"Old Zhao, how many saplings did they want this time?"

"Five thousand trees, arriving in three days."

Zhao Tianshan and Wu Yansheng spent the day at the dam. When they returned, they handed out the things they had asked others to buy. When Feng Cheng received the kerosene and ink, he couldn't help but ask a question.

Five thousand trees? Director Qu is being so generous?

Zhao Tianshan said, "Director Qu originally intended to give three thousand trees this time, but after Wu Yansheng went down, he personally talked to Director Qu, explaining the technology and making a pledge to ensure that the trees would survive. In the end, Director Qu gave two thousand more trees."

"A military order?"

Feng Cheng was somewhat incredulous. "Is he really that confident? What if the trees really don't survive?"

"He said that if the trees don't grow, he will completely obey the bureau's orders from now on, and do whatever he is told without question."

"That's it? This kind of punishment is called a military order?"

Zhang Jinquan couldn't help but complain, "Following the orders of the bureau is his job, okay? Even if the trees he planted survived this time, does that mean he won't obey the bureau's orders? Can he just do whatever his superiors tell him to do?"

Feng Cheng couldn't help but shake his head. Wu Yansheng was indeed a bit clever. If he said he would leave Saihanba if he couldn't grow the trees, Feng Cheng would think highly of him. After all, even if he couldn't grow the trees this time, Qu He and Yu Zheng wouldn't let him leave because of that. He was one of the first batch of college students recruited by Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm, a student from Northeast Forestry College. The school teachers were watching, as were the teachers and students from other forestry colleges in the country. If he were to leave for this reason, it would be difficult for the Mechanical Forest Farm to recruit students in the future. The state would assign students, but good students might not be able to be recruited.

So, if Wu Yansheng had been a little tougher, he wouldn't have suffered any losses. But this guy was too clever. He used the name of a military order to avoid any punishment. In school, this wouldn't have seemed like a big deal; at most, the teacher would just call him slippery. But once you start working, it's a completely different story. Your superiors will first think you lack responsibility and courage, which is a very serious evaluation. If you get this evaluation from your superiors, it means your future is doomed to have little development.

In the drama, Wu Yansheng's development is similar. He thinks he is smart and believes that everything he does is right, but every time he does something, it makes everyone dislike him more and more. In the end, he makes himself look bad and can only leave in a sorry state.

Feng Cheng said, "Director Qu is also in a dilemma. If the trees can't be planted, we can't really punish him severely! The bureau has tried so many times in the dam area, spending so many saplings, fertilizers, and funds, but the trees still didn't survive, and we didn't see anyone being punished. A college student just wanted to try and make an effort, and you punish him for failing? That doesn't make sense, and it's not convincing."

"So, this is good. Wu Yansheng himself reduced the punishment, so even if the trees don't survive, Director Qu won't make things difficult for him."

Zhao Jinquan was still a little unhappy. "I just don't like him. Look at him, what's with all the arrogance? And the clothes he wears, what kind of weather is this? He still wears that coat every day, doesn't he feel hot? What a show-off."

Feng Cheng smiled, turned to Zhao Tianshan and continued, "Old Zhao, are you going to work with them tomorrow?"

"I'll go, I have no choice. I'm the only one idle at the camp, so I can't not help out. Besides, there are so many saplings, every little bit helps. The bureau charges for seedling cultivation too."

Upon hearing this, Feng Cheng turned to Zhao Jinquan and said, "Jinquan, why don't you go and help out? I'll have Lao Wei come and help me at the nursery these next few days. You can go and help them plant the trees."

"Brother Feng, should I go help?" Zhao Jinquan shook his head decisively upon hearing this. "I don't want to go, and you can't handle the nursery all by yourself."

"It's only a few days, it's okay to work hard. Besides, Lao Wei will come and help me when he has time."

"If you go and plant trees, you can get along better with these college students, which will be good for you in the future."

As the first batch of college students in Bashang, they can be considered veterans of the mechanized forest farm. With their college degrees, cadre status, and experience in establishing the farm, these college students are bound to have good futures, barring any unforeseen circumstances. This is how it is depicted in the drama. Within a few years, they all rose to leadership positions. Building good relationships with these people is very helpful for Zhao Jinquan. Unlike Feng Cheng, who is all alone, Zhao Jinquan has a large number of relatives and friends here, and there will always be requests he can't refuse. With these connections, things will be easier to get things done.

“Brother Feng, if you tell me to go, I’ll go,” Zhao Jinquan didn’t quite understand the meaning behind Feng Cheng’s words, but he was obedient. If Feng Cheng told him to go, he would go. He believed that Feng Cheng wouldn’t lie to him.

"Old Zhao, call him to come with you when you work tomorrow. The bureau gave us so many saplings. No matter what, we should try our best to make them grow. We can't waste the bureau's funds."

"Row."

Zhao Tianshan was very satisfied with Feng Cheng's attitude. Although he and Wu Yansheng did not get along, Feng Cheng did not cause trouble for them. Instead, he lent a helping hand. Compared with Wu Yansheng, Feng Cheng's attitude was much better.