Go back to the past to plant trees

After listening to Uncle Liu's words, Feng Cheng did not go to find Yu Zheng immediately. Instead, he went back to his dormitory, put down the two bags of pumpkin candy, and then went to the office building empty-handed.

"Director Yu."

"It's Feng Cheng!"

Yu Zheng was somewhat surprised to see Feng Cheng, but not entirely.

Are you going to Beijing?

Feng Cheng nodded: "Yes."

Yu Zhenglai said, "I guess you're going soon too. It'll be too late to go out if you stay any longer. Are you planning to go back for a few days?"

"About a week, maybe a little later, maybe a little earlier, depending on how things go."

"Then I'll have the accountant approve 20 jin of grain coupons for you, for ten days. Try your best to finish the matter within ten days."

After a pause, Yu Zhenglai continued, "It's not that I don't want to give you some, but you know the current situation, so this is all I can give you."

"By the way, while you're on your way there, pick up some documents and materials from the ministry. This trip will count as a business trip, not a leave of absence."

Taking leave will result in a deduction of salary, but not business trips. In fact, there are subsidies available, and you don't have to pay for transportation, accommodation, or meals yourself.

Feng Cheng knew that this was Yu Zheng's way of taking care of him. This was definitely something Yu Zheng had specially fought for for him. It was just some documents; why would he need to send someone over? Wouldn't it have been faster to just mail them over?

"Director, this isn't appropriate! I'm going back to do my own work."

Feng Cheng wasn't exactly an upright and honest person, but with trouble brewing in China, handing over such a weakness at this time would only bring him more trouble.

Yu Zhenglai said, "You don't need to worry about that. Getting the information is just a side thing. Some leaders in the ministry might ask you to inquire about the situation in Saihanba. Originally, we were going to send someone there, but since you're going to Beijing, we'll leave it to you. After all, you've been in Saihanba for two years and you know the situation there very well. If you go, you can explain it more clearly."

"But it's hard to say. The higher-ups just said it over the phone. When you get to the ministry, the leaders might contact you, or they might not. After all, the leaders are busy and short on time, so they might not be able to take care of you. Anyway, when you get to Beijing, go to the ministry to get the documents and report for duty first, and then take care of your own business. If the ministry wants to contact you, you can report on the situation in Bashang. If they don't, just come back when the time comes."

"Director, why does the ministry want to know about the situation in Bashang?"

Feng Cheng roughly guessed what it was about. It must be that the sandstorms in Beijing were too severe and excessive, which had drawn the attention of Beijing's leaders to the situation in Saihanba. Now, they should be doing preliminary research to see how to handle the matter.

The plan to build a mechanized forest farm in Saihanba is probably still undecided and under discussion. Even if it is confirmed, given the current situation in China, it is not suitable to start immediately, as the investment is substantial.

"I'm not sure about that, but some time ago the ministry asked us to submit a copy of the data on the soil and water conditions, climate, and history of Saihanba. It's possible that the ministry is going to start working on solving this problem on the dam, but it's hard to say."

Yu Zhenglai had a general idea of ​​what was going on in the ministry, but these were just rumors. He couldn't possibly tell Feng Cheng these rumors, since the higher-ups only had this idea and nothing was confirmed yet.

“Oh,” Feng Cheng said with a knowing look, “Then I’ll report to the ministry as soon as I get to Beijing.”

"Ah."

"I'll have a car take you to the regional bus station tomorrow. There are some supplies that the region needs us to pick up."

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Okay, you should go back first and get some rest so you can travel well tomorrow."

Feng Cheng and Yu Zheng said goodbye and then left.

The next morning, Feng Cheng went to the bureau's motor transport team.

"Xiao Pang, don't send the supplies up to the dam yet. I'm going to Beijing for a few days. You can send them when I get back. I'll need to hitch a ride with you up to the dam then."

Upon arriving at the motor transport unit, Feng Cheng first greeted the driver who had been delivering supplies to him, and then explained the matter of delivering the supplies.

"Technician Feng, are you going to Beijing to visit your family?"

When Xiao Pang heard Feng Cheng say he was going to Beijing, his eyes lit up instantly. Beijing holds a very important place in the hearts of Chinese people. This was true even when people could travel frequently in later generations, let alone in this era of poor transportation.

Feng Cheng said, "I didn't get to visit my family. I just went back to take care of some things. After all, I've been away for two years, and I need to go back and see them."

"Technician Feng, look at my mouth, I'm so sorry!"

Upon hearing Feng Cheng's words, Xiao Pang realized that no one was home at Feng Cheng's house, and quickly apologized.

"It's alright, you didn't mean it. Remember, I'll send the supplies up when I get back, and I'll come find you then."

"No problem, I definitely won't forget."

"Thank you!"

After Feng Cheng finished speaking to him, he got into the truck that was heading to Chengde.

After Feng Cheng got into the car, it immediately started moving. The car was already prepared and waiting for Feng Cheng to arrive.

"Driver, how long will it take to get to the area?" Feng Cheng asked as soon as the car started moving.

"It'll be a little over two hours! We'll be there soon. But if you're going to Beijing, you can't go today. There's only one bus a day to Beijing, which leaves at nine in the morning. I heard it takes seven or eight hours to get there."

Feng Cheng laughed and said, "Then I'll have to stay at the guesthouse for a day."

Feng Cheng didn't pay much attention to this. It was a common occurrence in those days. Traveling was so inconvenient. If he couldn't buy a ticket smoothly, he might have to stay in the area for a few more days.

"Master, do you often travel to different areas?"

Bored on the journey, and with nothing else to do, Feng Cheng took the initiative to start a conversation.

"I run this road frequently, several times a month, to transport fertilizer, pesticides, and sometimes hay. The county and other companies and departments sometimes need our help to transport things, so I run this road so often that I can run it with my eyes closed."

Feng Cheng gave a thumbs up, "Master, you're amazing."

Drivers were highly sought after in those days because of the scarcity of transportation capacity. People often came to them for help, and to get help, they had to give some benefits. Moreover, these drivers often traveled around, and those with quick minds would smuggle local specialties into their cabs, stuffing a small bag inside. They could earn a few extra dollars per trip, and over the years, this would accumulate into a considerable sum.

However, driving these days is quite tiring. Feng Cheng had driven an old minivan before, and the steering wheel there was very stiff. After driving for dozens of kilometers, his hands were sore. The steering wheels of cars in this era are even stiffer. You simply can't turn the steering wheel unless you develop superhuman strength.

Feng Cheng chatted with the driver for a while, and the driver told Feng Cheng a lot about his experiences driving cars and the situation in various places over the past two years, which made him feel quite emotional.

Feng Cheng listened in silence. Many things, if you are not in that era, you cannot feel the impact of those things. The information you know is just a string of words, and it is difficult to reconstruct history through that string of words.