Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

In the afternoon, the warm sunlight shone on the earth.

Su Yanqiu suggested that they go to the riverbank to see the mudflat landforms, so Lin Chuan accompanied him across the Blue Beach and then to the North Stone Wharf.

At low tide, large areas of mudflats were exposed, gleaming with a deep brown sheen in the sunlight.

In the distance, several egrets foraged for food in the shallow water, while a few furry friends crept around and peered in.

Su Yanqiu and Lin Chuan watched from afar, their lips unconsciously curving upwards into smiles.

Afterwards, they found a rock a little distance from the dock and sat down, quietly gazing at the open river.

A gentle breeze wafts by, carrying the unique scent of the river.

Su Yanqiu suddenly asked, "Approximately how many deserted islands are there around here? Are there many like Canhong Island?"

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment and replied, "There are actually dozens of sand islands of varying sizes heading east from Qingping Island into the sea."

The smaller ones are only a few dozen square meters in size, formed by the accumulation of silt carried by the Yangtze River. They may disappear in a few years.

However, it is more likely that it will slowly turn into a deserted island over time.

Canhong Island is considered relatively large among them; there are probably five or six islands this big, but it's unclear whether there's any freshwater on the island.

At this point, Lin Chuan couldn't help but smile. "Perhaps in a hundred or two hundred years, Canhong Island will no longer be an island, but will be connected to the mainland."

"You know what, the future might really be like that. Two hundred years ago, the entire Qi County was also a vast ocean." Su Yanqiu laughed along.

Lin Chuan continued, "The topography of these islands is different. Some are all reed marshes, while others are mainly sandbars."

Canhong Island is quite complex; it's long and narrow from east to west, with swamps, sandy areas, and reeds, and now even fresh water has been extracted from it.

"There are salty and fresh flavors mixed together, resulting in a variety of ecological types," Su Yanqiu said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Lin Chuan quickly chimed in, feigning curiosity, "Comrade Su, isn't this kind of diversity quite valuable for research?"

Su Yanqiu nodded and said, "It will be better."

Lin Chuan feigned surprise and said, "Then you'll have to thoroughly investigate our islands tomorrow, and see if there's any chance for Canhong Island."

"You want me to set up an observation post on Canhong Island?" Su Yanqiu asked Lin Chuan with a smile.

"Of course I want to! Such a good thing! Putting everything else aside, just having the technical support from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences is a huge benefit for us."

"In the village, to say you don't want to would be to lie through your teeth!" Lin Chuan replied matter-of-factly.

Seeing Lin Chuan's serious expression, Su Yanqiu nodded but did not give a clear answer.

But she admired Lin Chuan more and more; he knew how to actively seize opportunities, which was a good thing.

"It seems it's a real pity you didn't go to university. If you had studied and explored more, your future achievements might have been far greater than what you have now," Su Yanqiu said with some emotion.

Lin Chuan smiled. He knew his own limitations. Compared to those true geniuses, he was just an ordinary person.

In my previous life, I won the other party's approval by being diligent and patient, but that was based on my character rather than my knowledge.

Although he managed to stay in the lab in the end, that was about it for his entire life; at best, he wouldn't freeze or starve, and he could just make a living.

But if Su Yanqiu hadn't met with misfortune in my previous life, would I have had a different ending?

Lin Chuan shook his head, sighing inwardly.

"It's fine now. I'm just thinking about how to properly develop Canhong Island."

They were thinking about how to sustainably and recyclably utilize these deserted islands without damaging their beauty.

I've heard that in some parts of the north, factories are everywhere, but life isn't much better; the environment has deteriorated considerably.

We have the Yangtze River, the sea, and green islands here; I believe that's all there is to it—a mountain of gold and a mountain of silver.

"Well said." Su Yanqiu was slightly moved and nodded repeatedly.

The two sat for a while longer, watching the river flow eastward, without engaging in further conversation. But a subtle understanding seemed to have been established silently.

......

As evening approached, the afterglow gradually faded, and night slowly descended.

Su Yanqiu returned to her room at the brigade headquarters, closed the door, and sat down at the table.

By the light of the kerosene lamp, I opened my notebook and wrote down what I had seen and thought that day.

The section about Lin Chuan is particularly detailed.

After writing this, Su Yanqiu closed the notebook and rubbed her temples.

Outside the window, the lights of Qingpingzhou lit up sporadically, and in the distance came the sounds of dogs barking and the sounds of children from unknown families being beaten and crying.

It added a touch of fun to this peaceful night.

Meanwhile, at Lin Chuan's home.

After dinner, Lin's father squatted under the eaves smoking. "Xiao Chuan, how's it going with that Technician Su these past two days?"

Could he possibly place one of those observation posts on our island?

Lin Chuan was packing the tools he would take to the island tomorrow when he heard this. He looked up and smiled.

"Father, I reckon he's interested. But the cost of this isn't entirely up to him. He has to go back and report, and the county will evaluate it before they'll approve it."

"How confident are you?" Lin's mother asked curiously.

Lin Chuan wiped his hands, put down the dry cloth, and analyzed, "I think there's a 70-80% chance."

Our island has fresh water, which is a definite advantage, and the island's environment and terrain are also excellent.

Unless there is a more suitable place than our island.

Lin Chuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "But you don't need to worry too much. If it succeeds, great; if it doesn't, it's okay. We'll just focus on building up Canhong Island properly, and it won't be bad either."

"That's true. Taking good care of the land on the island is more important than anything else," Lin's father said confidently.

"However, I haven't seen anything in this area that can compare to our Canhong Island. Based on what you said, I reckon it's very likely that it will be located on our island."

"The county leaders haven't even made a decision yet, but you've already made it. Look at you." Lin's mother rolled her eyes at Lin's father, who looked completely confident.

Lin Chuan watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh.

Lin's father was momentarily speechless, then changed the subject: "Xiao Chuan, the technician from the bamboo and wood factory is also coming to the island tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, as we agreed last time, Technician Li will bring people to set up the greenhouse." Lin Chuan nodded.

"That's good. These past two days, Xiao Pu, Jia Ye, and I have almost finished tidying up the bamboo. Let's see if there's anything else that needs to be changed tomorrow."

The foundation is being dug according to Technician Li's requirements, which specify a depth of half a meter. It's estimated that it will take about half a month to complete.

Lin Chuan thought for a moment, "Dad, digging the foundation isn't a complicated job. Let's hire more people to help with the digging."

The wages will be calculated based on the work points for heavy labor. Since traveling to and from the island is inconvenient, we'll provide lunch for everyone. We'll try to get it up and running as quickly as possible, and also tidy up the rest of the island while we're at it.

After listening, Lin's father silently did the math. "According to last year's settlement, a strong laborer earns 1.3 yuan a day. Twenty people would need to work for two or three days to make it to the island. Add in lunch, and it'll...it'll be almost 100 yuan?"

After Lin's father finished speaking, he hesitated.

"Yes, Xiao Chuan, you're still planning to buy a boat? Why don't we just dig it ourselves?" Lin's mother chimed in.

"Dad, Mother," Lin Chuan explained patiently, "it's all worth it. Let's try to get the greenhouse ready by the end of this month."

Plant the vegetables early and try to get them on the market before the Spring Festival, so that we can recoup our investment.

Mr. and Mrs. Lin exchanged a glance and said, "Well... alright then, we'll do as you say. I'll go find someone now and see who can come to the island tomorrow."

"There will be a lot of people tomorrow, so please don't go to the island. It seems we're out of meat at home, so please go to the commune and buy some more meat and vegetables."

"Dad's going to the island tomorrow. Please bring the pot with you; we'll cook lunch on the island."

"Okay," Lin's mother replied, "It's easy to arrange things with our people. How many people are coming from Technician Li's side?"

"I estimate two or three people, not counting our family. Just prepare for twenty-five people. If there are more, we'll treat it as our dinner," Lin Chuan said with a smile.