Year: I planted trees in Saihanba

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Wu Yansheng packed his bags.

Xiao Pang from the Forestry Bureau arrived at the camp entrance in his Jeep.

The roar of the engine broke the morning's tranquility. Wu Yansheng dragged his heavy steps and put his luggage into the car.

He glanced back at the camp, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

There was reluctance, resentment, and a touch of loneliness.

Nobody knows what Xia Tian and he talked about last night.

Qin Xuemei stood in the camp, watching the jeep drive away, speechless for a long time.

Her hair swayed gently in the breeze, as if reflecting the unspeakable melancholy in her heart.

Wu Yansheng left the camp, but the work on the dam could not stop.

Although the saplings have been planted, there is still a lot of work to be done afterward.

Watering and fertilizing each task require a lot of effort and dedication.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Several things happened during these three months.

Everyone here has poured their sweat into this place.

I won't go into detail here.

By the end of June 1960, the sunlight had already taken on a slightly scorching heat.

"This is Comrade Li Zhong from the Ministry of Forestry!"

Yu Zhenglai's voice rang out in the camp, filled with excitement and anticipation.

"This is Comrade Xia Tian, ​​the head of the Technical Section of the Forestry Bureau of Weichang County."

He spoke as he enthusiastically introduced the product.

That morning, Yu Zhenglai and Qu He, along with Li Zhong, an expert from the Ministry of Forestry, arrived in Saihanba.

Li Zhong was dressed in a simple Zhongshan suit. His hair was already a little gray, but his eyes were very sharp.

"Hello, Teacher Li!"

Xia Tian looked at the old man in front of her, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is one of the four great joys in life.

He never expected to run into an old friend from Beiping City in Saihanba.

"Comrade Xia, do we know each other?"

Hearing Xia Tian's address, Li Zhong asked a question, somewhat puzzled.

He squinted slightly, scrutinizing Xia Tian, ​​but couldn't recall the young man at all.

"Teacher Li, you may not know me."

Xia Tian took a step forward, bowed slightly, and said respectfully.

"But I have a deep impression of you."

"When I was studying at Beijing Forestry University, I had the privilege of attending your lectures."

"Oh?! I see!"

Li Zhong nodded slightly upon hearing Xia Tian's words.

He has taught too many students; apart from a few of his direct disciples, he doesn't know the rest.

However, since I took his class in the summer, I can consider myself half a student.

"Good job, young man, you have a lot of energy."

Li Zhong looked at Xia Tian, ​​a kind smile on his face, and said approvingly.

"Thank you for the compliment, Teacher Li!"

Hearing Li Zhong's praise, Xia Tian replied humbly, a modest smile on her face.

"Old Li, this Xia is the first person to successfully plant trees in Saihanba!"

Yu Zhenglai never expected that Xia Tian and Li Zhong had this kind of relationship.

His voice carried a hint of pride, as if he were introducing his own prized son.

"Oh? It's you!"

Li Zhong was somewhat surprised when he heard Yu Zheng's introduction of Xia Tian.

His eyes widened slightly, filled with surprise and admiration.

"When I learned that someone had successfully grown trees in Saihanba, I wanted to pay them a visit."

"I never expected that this talented person would be you!"

Li Zhong looked at Xia Tian as if he had discovered some rare treasure, his eyes filled with admiration and anticipation.

"It's me, Teacher Li!"

Summer straightened her back and answered firmly.

……

The college students standing behind Xia Tian listened to Yu Zheng's introduction of Xia Tian.

Each of them radiated a strange light in their eyes.

It never occurred to them.

The man in front of me looks quite ordinary.

Trees actually survived in Saihanba.

No wonder he became a cadre at such a young age; he has such remarkable achievements.

"Come on, Xia, take me to see those trees that have survived!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhong's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, and his whole body trembled with emotion.

He couldn't wait to reach out and grab Xia Tian's arm, his steps so hurried that he almost stumbled.

It felt as if I was about to dash towards that forest that held so much hope.

Witness this remarkable achievement with your own eyes.

"Teacher Li, let's not rush!"

Summer quickly stepped forward, speaking up to stop him, her face full of concern.

"Everyone has traveled a long way and endured many hardships, and now they are all exhausted."

"How about we rest at the campsite for a while, recharge our energy, and then go on the tour? What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhong paused slightly and turned to look at his entourage behind him.

They all looked haggard, their foreheads covered with fine beads of sweat.

Still bearing the weariness and dust of the journey, her eyes revealed an undisguised tiredness.

He nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and approved Xia Tian's suggestion.

"Alright, comrades, let's go take a break!"

"Everyone is exhausted, take a good rest."

Summer was full of enthusiasm, her face beaming with a warm smile as she raised her hand to greet everyone warmly.

"Come on, everyone, come with me to the cafeteria and have a good rest."

"The cafeteria provides refreshing tea to help everyone recharge."

Xia Tian winked at Zhao Tianshan behind him.

Zhao Tianshan nodded knowingly and led his entourage toward the canteen.

The three or four accompanying personnel breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Li Zhong's words, and dragged their slightly heavy steps.

Following Zhao Tianshan, we headed towards the canteen.

Summer is accompanying everyone on their journey.

Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon a familiar figure at the back of the crowd—Wu Yansheng.

A moment later, a question arose in his mind, but there were too many people around to ask.

It wasn't a good time to ask, so I'll just suppress my doubts for now.

"Uncle Yu, why are there so many people here this time?"

Xia Tian deliberately slowed down, walking alongside Yu Zhenglai at the back of the group, and asked softly.

Yu Zhenglai sighed softly, his expression filled with emotion.

"Well, it's a long story."

"The authorities have already made up their minds to establish a mechanized forest farm in Saihanba."

"The main purpose of Li Zhong's team's visit this time is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the actual situation in Saihanba."

"I just received the notification too."

He smiled wryly, but a hint of expectation shone in his eyes.

"Coincidentally, it's time to test the survival rate of the seedlings from the beginning of the year."

"It would be good to have Expert Li and his team take a look at the growth of the saplings."

After hearing this, Xia Tian nodded knowingly.

On the other side, Wu Yansheng heard Xia Tian address Li Zhong as "teacher".

He had a bad feeling in his heart, realizing that things were not going as he had expected.

Originally, he had been planning to take advantage of the visit of the forestry experts to suppress Xia Tian's arrogance.

This is to let him know that there are always people more capable than him, and that there are always mountains beyond mountains, so that he will restrain his arrogance.

But now it seems the plan needs to be readjusted.

Xia Tian was naturally unaware of Wu Yansheng's schemes.

Even if they knew, they would just laugh it off.

In his eyes, Wu Yansheng was nothing but a clown.

It won't cause any big trouble; it's not worth mentioning at all.

……