Go back to the past to plant trees

"Feng Cheng, come here."

As soon as Feng Cheng entered the canteen, Old Liu waved to him.

"Uncle Liu, is something the matter?"

Feng Cheng walked over with his rice bowl, and asked with some confusion.

"wait a moment."

Old Liu turned around and soon brought out a large bowl of meat soup from the table behind him, placing it in front of Feng Cheng. The oil floating on the soup made Feng Cheng lick his lips, a natural bodily reaction due to a long-term lack of oil.

"Uncle Liu, how can I accept this?" Feng Cheng looked at the meat soup in front of him, unsure whether to accept it or not. He knew how difficult things were these days; it was hard enough to have enough to eat, let alone meat. Uncle Liu was a man of principle; he certainly didn't use the cafeteria's meat soup, he must have bought it with his own money.

Old Liu laughed and said, "You're injured, eat this to help you recover."

"Don't be shy, eat up."

"Thank you, Uncle Liu."

Feng Cheng reached out and took the bowl. Uncle Liu had given him things a few times before, and Feng Cheng had declined them, but Uncle Liu always insisted on giving them to him.

They were in the cafeteria, and there were many people talking, so it wasn't appropriate for Feng Cheng to offer him a massage. Moreover, even if Feng Cheng wanted to refuse, it would be difficult because Uncle Liu would force it on him. Being polite would only attract attention and wouldn't serve any purpose.

Seeing Feng Cheng take the meat soup, Old Liu's face immediately lit up with a smile. "You stay at the bureau these few days, and I'll make you some good food to nourish your body. You've been in the dam area for a year now, and you've become so thin from hunger. You were such a handsome young man when you first came, but now you're almost unrecognizable."

Feng Cheng replied, "I haven't lost weight. I'm more toned and fit. I weighed myself a while ago and I'm actually heavier than before."

"Uncle Liu, you go ahead with your work, I'm going to eat now."

"Okay, just tell your Uncle Liu what you want to eat, and I'll get it for you."

Feng Cheng carried the meat soup and two steamed buns, and carefully walked to the empty dining table.

Before Feng Cheng could even start eating, Chen Guangji sat down opposite him with a bowl of noodle soup and two steamed buns.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"

Feng Cheng said, "It's nothing serious. The doctor said it just looks scary, but there's nothing wrong. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Chen Guangji nodded, "That's good."

"Mr. Chen, let's talk after dinner. I have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with you."

Engineer Chen asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Feng Cheng said, "It's about seedling cultivation. There are a lot of people here, so we'll discuss it in more detail later."

"If you put it that way, then I'd better eat faster."

Seeing Feng Cheng's solemn demeanor, Chen Guangji's curiosity was immediately piqued.

He had high hopes for Feng Cheng. Although Feng Cheng had failed to plant trees one after another, he knew that it had nothing to do with Feng Cheng. If it were really that easy to grow trees in Saihanba, the bureau would not have placed its hopes on Feng Cheng.

Before Feng Cheng went up to the dam, he had also gone up there several times. He had tried his best and tried several methods, but he still couldn't grow trees.

He's getting old now, and the young people in the bureau only know how to work but don't know how to use their brains. Compared to them, Feng Cheng may not know how to cultivate seedlings, but he's willing to learn and think, which makes him much better than the young people in the bureau.

Although they lack experience and their abilities need improvement, as the saying goes, the future belongs to them, and we should give young people more opportunities.

Feng Cheng usually prefers to eat slowly, but Chen Guangji finished his meal in a few bites and sat there waiting for him. Feng Cheng couldn't eat slowly anymore, so he could only stuff his mouth with big mouthfuls and finished the meat soup and cornbread in no time.

After washing the dishes, Chen Guangji pulled Feng Cheng into his office.

"Drink some water."

Upon arriving at the office, Chen Guangji poured Feng Cheng a glass of water.

"Tell me, what are your thoughts? Did you encounter any difficulties while planting the trees?"

Feng Cheng took the water, took a sip, and put down the cup before saying, "Engineer Chen, I think if we want to grow trees on the dam, we can't cultivate the seedlings down below the dam and then send them up; we have to cultivate the seedlings on the dam."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Engineer Chen's eyes lit up immediately.

He had the same idea, but he wasn't sure if it was right. He wanted to think about it some more before deciding whether to tell the bureau about it.

Now that Feng Cheng is saying the same thing, Chen Guangji feels that this line of thinking is very likely correct.

If he were to make his own opinion, it would be hard to say, but with Feng Cheng's approval, the validity of the statement would be greatly enhanced.

"Talk about it."

Although he had the same idea, Chen Guangji still wanted to hear what Feng Cheng thought, and he wanted to know what Feng Cheng's reasoning was.

“Engineer Chen, this is what I think: the soil and water are different. Although the area above and below the dam is not far apart, the soil and water are different. Different soils and waters nurture different people, and I believe that planting trees is the same.”

"Another factor is the climate of Saihanba. The climate on the dam is too harsh. If seedlings are cultivated on the dam, they can adapt to the climate in advance. They can adapt to the climate on the dam during the seedling stage, which will improve the survival rate after transplanting."

"Another factor is altitude. Our county is at a lower altitude than Bashang. I don't have a specific number, but Bashang is definitely at a higher altitude than the area below the dam, and by a lot. Altitude will also have a certain impact on the survival rate of seedlings. I think based on these three reasons, we have to cultivate seedlings in Bashang."

"At least we should try it, do a small-scale trial planting," Feng Cheng added at the end.

If they wanted to cultivate seedlings in the dam area, they had to persuade Chen Guangji, because Chen Guangji was a technician from the Forestry Bureau. Yu Zhengbei and Qu He didn't know much about the technology. Feng Cheng told them about this, and in the end, they still had to ask Engineer Chen for his opinion.

So Feng Cheng thought he should first persuade Chen Guangji. As long as Chen Guangji agreed with his idea, the matter would basically be settled.

Moreover, in the TV series, it was Chen Guangji who asked the original owner to cultivate seedlings in Bashang. Feng Cheng believed that this was not a decision made on a whim, but must have been carefully considered. Perhaps he already has this idea in mind.

Chen Guangji looked at Feng Cheng and suddenly smiled with satisfaction.

“Your idea is correct. I had also considered raising seedlings on the dam, but I only thought about the difference in soil and water. You have a more comprehensive idea than I have. Okay, okay.”

"You agreed?"

Upon hearing Chen Guangji's words, Feng Cheng immediately became happy.

“Agreed, of course we would agree. We’ve planted so many trees on the dam but none of them have survived. There must be a reason. What you’re saying may not be right, but we definitely have to give it a try.”

"No matter what, it's necessary to try it out on a small scale."

Feng Cheng said, "Then Engineer Chen, please talk to the director about this when you have time."

"I said?" Engineer Chen looked at him in surprise. "You suggested it, don't you think it would be better?"

Feng Cheng scratched his head. "You know I planted two trees and neither of them survived. Besides, I'm not a seedling professional. I'm afraid the director won't agree if I go and ask him to."

Chen Guangji thought about it and agreed that Feng Cheng's words made sense. Moreover, Chen Guangji also considered another aspect: what if the seedlings still couldn't survive in the dam area?

Seedling cultivation in the dam area requires investment. If the trees still don't survive, then someone has to take responsibility for the failure. If Feng Cheng is the one who says it, then he has to take that responsibility.

He's still young, there's no need for him to take such a risk. I'm older, it's no big deal for me to shoulder some responsibility.

Thinking of this, Chen Guangji nodded in agreement with Feng Cheng's suggestion, "Okay, I'll talk to the director about it later."

"Engineer Chen, this needs to be done as soon as possible. The timing is right now. If it's delayed any longer, it will be postponed until next year, which would be another year of wasted time."

Seedling cultivation takes time; it takes at least a year for seedlings to emerge, and some may even take two or three years before transplanting. Every extra year of delay is a waste of time.

If Feng Cheng wants to achieve results before the advance team of college students arrives, he needs to sow the tree seeds this spring. The trees will take more than a year or two to grow to the point where they can be transplanted. Counting from now on, the time is just right. Therefore, Feng Cheng hopes to start cultivating seedlings immediately and not waste too much time.

"I know that, don't worry, I definitely won't waste any time."

"Then I'll have to trouble Engineer Chen."