Go back to the past to plant trees

The next morning, Feng Cheng got up, ate breakfast, and then gave Zhao Jinquan some instructions on how to take care of the nursery before going down to the dam.

Feng Cheng went down today and won't be back until tomorrow. Firstly, there's the time constraint, and secondly, the horses won't be able to handle the continuous travel, since horses aren't known for their stamina.

Feng Cheng avoids going down the dam whenever possible, because every time he goes down, his hips get chafed and raw, and he has to walk for days with his legs like crabs after each trip.

The dam was filled with sandstorms; even the slightest breeze would send sand flying everywhere. Feng Cheng rode his horse, wearing goggles, and slowly made his way down the dam.

As we approached the county town, the number of people and vehicles on the road increased.

Feng Cheng tugged at his slightly burning thigh, then slowly rode his horse toward the Forestry Bureau.

"Feng Cheng, why did you come down?"

As soon as Feng Cheng arrived at the entrance of the Forestry Bureau, before he could even dismount, he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw Qu He.

"Section Chief Qu, I'm going downstairs to buy some daily necessities."

"Is there any problem with the seedling cultivation in Bashang?" Qu He asked curiously. He didn't care too much about things in Bashang, partly because he didn't care about that area, and partly because he didn't have a good impression of Feng Cheng. Although things have improved somewhat now, impressions are hard to change.

Feng Cheng slowly dismounted and replied, "It's alright, the seedlings have already sprouted, but the germination rate is a bit low, only about 50%. After we remove the diseased, weak, and dead seedlings, the survival rate will probably be less than 30%."

"So low?"

When Qu He heard the survival rate, his brows furrowed immediately. Although he was the head of the political work section, he still knew some of the data from the Forestry Bureau. To be honest, a survival rate of less than 30% was not just too low, it was extremely low.

Feng Cheng sighed, "There's nothing we can do. The environment in Bashang is too harsh. The sun is scorching, and the sandstorms are fierce. After a sandstorm, a whole patch of seedlings is wiped out."

Qu opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.

Is it true that Feng Cheng's skills are lacking? Perhaps that's part of the reason, but the harsh conditions and severe climate in Bashang are also well-known. Qu He is aware of the difficulties in planting trees in Bashang, so the low survival rate of seedlings in Bashang cannot be attributed solely to Feng Cheng.

"Even with a 30% survival rate, that's still nearly 10,000 saplings. If half of these trees survive, we can plant 5,000 trees on the dam. If we can achieve that, I think it's not bad."

Seeing that Qu He's expression was off, Feng Cheng quickly reassured him.

Qu He felt better after hearing Feng Cheng's words. Indeed, as long as it was proven that the seedlings could be grown into trees in the dam area, that would be enough. As for the problem of low seedling survival rate, that could be solved later. At worst, the nursery area could be expanded.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to take good care of the saplings and try your best to ensure that as many saplings as possible survive."

"I will."

Qu He nodded and walked into the bureau.

Feng Cheng led the horse into the stable and then went to the bureau's finance office.

Feng Cheng came here to collect his salary. Because he often stayed in Bashang, he only received his salary every few months. Feng Cheng still had quite a bit of money. With the money left by his mother and his own salary, Feng Cheng had nearly two thousand yuan on him. But having money was useless. In this era, you couldn't buy anything without coupons.

You needed coupons to buy soap, tooth powder, and kerosene. If you didn't have coupons, you basically couldn't buy anything.

But it's hard to say. Feng Cheng had heard people say that sometimes supply and marketing cooperatives need to clear their inventory, and some things don't require ration coupons. But those things basically don't flow outside; they're distributed within the supply and marketing cooperative itself.

Feng Cheng didn't have those connections, so he could only receive his supplies from the bureau. He was a city resident, and his daily necessities were provided every month, though it was barely enough.

Feng Cheng went to the finance office to collect his salary for the past two months, along with various receipts. After collecting his salary, Feng Cheng did not leave immediately but went to the bureau's archives.

The archives room contains materials collected by the Forestry Bureau, as well as journals and professional books sent by the Ministry. Feng Cheng's books were taken from here.

"Uncle Qin, has the bureau sent any new books over recently?"

Upon arriving at the archives room, Feng Cheng greeted the custodian, Lao Liu, with a smile.

Old Qin glanced at it and, seeing it was Feng Cheng, said, "There are definitely new books, but I can't lend them to you. The people in the bureau also need to read them. If you lend them out for a month or two, the people in the bureau will start to complain."

Feng Cheng was also helpless upon hearing this. There was nothing he could do. He was on the dam, so naturally he had to take the book there to read. But once he was on the dam, he wouldn't come down for several months, so the book would have to stay there for several months as well, which was unacceptable.

"Uncle Qin, I'll leave the new books and periodicals for now, but what about the old ones? You should at least lend me a couple! I'll borrow them for half a month. After that, Xiao Pang needs to deliver supplies to Shangba, and I'll have him bring the books down with him. Is that alright?"

"You've put me in a very difficult position!"

Seeing that he was showing signs of softening, Feng Cheng quickly continued, "Uncle Qin, I really need these books. You know I've been cultivating seedlings in Bashang, but my skills aren't up to par. I need these books to learn. If I don't learn, these seedlings won't grow."

"I promise you, I will definitely return this book to you in half a month. If I don't return it, please don't lend it to me next time, okay?"

“Alright,” Old Qin hesitated for a moment, then relented. “I remember, half a month. I can only lend you this book for a week at most. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re in Bashang, I wouldn’t have lent it to you.”

"Thank you, Uncle Qin. Thank you, Uncle Qin."

"Come in and choose!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Cheng immediately went into the archives room. The original owner had been here several times before and had seen a lot of information here, so he was quite familiar with the information.

Feng Cheng spent more than ten minutes finding several books about seedling cultivation. "Qin Shu, just these four books."

"Can you finish reading these four books in half a month?"

Old Qin asked with some surprise,

Feng Cheng said, "Take a look first, and I'll come back to borrow it next time if I can't finish."

Four books seemed like a lot, but Feng Cheng knew that much of the content was repetitive. Plus, his memory had improved a lot, so finishing them in half a month wouldn't be a problem.

The original owner had borrowed a few books from here before, but Uncle Qin stopped lending them to him because the borrowing period was too long, taking three or four months to return. The people in the bureau had a lot of complaints because other people also wanted to read these public books.

Later, the original owner started buying books with his own money. Each book cost about one yuan, and some books with limited print runs were even more expensive. Because he had to pay for them himself, the original owner didn't buy many books.

Feng Cheng didn't want to spend money, not because he was reluctant, but because it was unnecessary. If he had to spend money, he would, but since it was something he didn't need to spend money on, he felt it was really unnecessary.

Although there are many things that money can't buy these days, that doesn't mean money isn't important.

Thinking of this, Feng Cheng also thought of his house in Beijing, which his mother bought for him to use when he got married. After Feng Cheng came here, the house became empty.

Feng Cheng thought he needed to find some time to get rid of the house, since it would be difficult for him to return to work in Beijing, and there was no point in keeping the house.

Although Beijing house prices began to skyrocket after the reform and opening up, Feng Cheng felt that it was still too long before the reform and opening up, and there was no need for houses to be left empty for more than ten years. Besides, if houses are left empty for too long, someone might take them over.

Don't think that there aren't people like this in this era. Such people exist in every era, not just in later generations.

Thinking about this, Feng Cheng felt he needed to return to the capital as soon as possible. He had been away from the capital for more than a year, and if he stayed any longer, the house might not be his anymore.

And it wasn't just the house; it also included things Feng Cheng left behind in Beijing—his own things, and his mother's things.

However, Feng Cheng is currently tied up with other commitments. The nursery needs someone to look after it, and it will take him at least a week to return to Beijing. Given the current underdeveloped transportation system, it is very difficult for him to get back to Beijing.

It will probably be winter, after the snowfall, before Feng Cheng can find time to go back.

"I hope nothing unexpected happens."

Feng Cheng also felt a little uneasy.