章節 9: Chapter 09 Giving You One Minute to Think
Moments later, Qiao Qingyu stood up.
Holding the package, she walked into the post office again. Mr. Chang watched her with a puzzled expression, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "Why have you come back?"
"Uncle Chang, I need to make a long-distance call to my family."
"Oh, then fill out a form first."
"Okay, thank you." Qiao Qingyu had adjusted her mindset and felt much more relaxed. She filled out the form, handed over her family member ID, and then sincerely praised, "Uncle Chang, Sister Qiao Wen from our family compound always says you provide good service and are a great public servant."
Mr. Chang was pleased and chuckled while he took a careful look at the application form and stamped it. He then led Qiao Qingyu to the telephone booth next door. After opening the door, he humbly said, "It's all part of serving the people; it's what I should do. Liu Qiao Wen is too kind."
She didn't press the matter further, as Qiao Qingyu had already guessed whom Liu Qiao Wen was calling.
It must be her so-called mother-in-law she had never met—Meng Siqi.
Qiao Qingyu found it amusing; what era was it that they were resorting to the tactics of a spy?
She thanked Mr. Chang again and then entered the telephone booth.
After closing the door, she began dialing.
Making phone calls was a hassle at that time. First, you had to connect to the operator, then be transferred several times before reaching the person you wanted to call.
Moreover, the content of the call could likely be clearly overheard by the telephone operator.
Except for certain special calls.
So, being a telephone operator at that time was quite impressive.
The call connected, and the voice on the other end was coarse and unexpected—it was her own uncle, Qiao Zhiyuan, the leader of the third small team of the Qiao Family Team, whose greatest lifelong ambition was to become the team chief.
Unfortunately, the team chief was even younger than him, so there was no chance of succession.
Initially, Qiao Qingyu wanted to speak to her eldest brother, Qiao Genbao, but this person was even more suitable. She composed herself, and her voice was slightly choked, "Uncle, this is Qingyu."
The other end paused, then a string of curses came shooting through the old black telephone handset, "...you wretched girl, how dare you call, you've completely disgraced your father and mother..."
Qiao Qingyu could imagine that Captain Qiao must have been spitting as he spoke.
"Uncle, I have something important to discuss with you. Is there anyone near you?" Qiao Qingyu's voice was not loud, but it was clear. She didn't hesitate to interrupt the other party's tirade.
There was a pause on the other end, but because of Qiao Qingyu's serious tone, he gruffly asked, "I'm alone at the team office, what's the matter?"
"Uncle, do you want to become the team chief or even the leader of the Harvest Commune?" Qiao Qingyu's words were shocking, and on the other end, Qiao Zhiyuan's back broke out in a cold sweat, and his heart skipped a beat.
"You wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting, you..." He stopped mid-sentence because he suddenly remembered whom Qiao Qingyu married.
Not to mention He Shan in Beijing, but He Xiuyu managed an experimental base bigger than the county town.
It was said that he had several hundred university students under him.
Qiao Zhiyuan's ambition differed little from his name, and although he was in his fifties, he still felt hope for advancement.
"Do you think I can decide what I want?" Qiao Zhiyuan, having regained his composure, replied irritably.
"Uncle, let's not beat around the bush. If you listen to me, I promise you'll achieve what you desire."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, and he seemed tempted, "Let's hear it then."
"I have a new type of corn seed here. It matures in ninety days, yields three tons per acre, and is drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, disease-resistant, and sturdy against lodging. Planting is simple and it has extremely low soil quality requirements."
Qiao Zhiyuan on the other end sharply inhaled in disbelief before Qiao Qingyu could finish, "Three tons per acre? You're talking nonsense..."
"You should know whom I married and where I live, right? The people around me are all great scientists, something you probably don't realize. It's inconvenient to talk over the phone, but, uncle, if you agree, start your journey tonight. Call me before you board the train, and I'll pick you up at the provincial station. Oh, and by the way, I'm giving you one minute to think about it. Not only is the phone call expensive, we can't tie up the line forever, right?"
"You girl..."
What conclusions could he draw in one minute when his mind was completely blank?
"The opportunity is only once, and it wasn't easy for me to get it. If you don't want it, there are many others in line waiting."
"Uncle, I'm offering it to you first because you're my kin. Now is the perfect time for planting. If you delay, it's a year's harvest wasted. Let me do the math for you: your small team has a total of three thousand acres. If you plant two thousand acres of corn and we disregard all unforeseen factors and even undercalculate at two thousand nine hundred pounds per acre, you'd still harvest a total of five point eight million pounds of corn."
Qiao Zhiyuan gasped for breath. He had been working in the fields since his teens, and his life revolved around the soil; he was an old farmer. Last year, they planted two thousand acres of corn, and with favorable weather and decent seeds, they reaped two million pounds of corn in the fall, which earned the Harvest Commune a towel reward for their team as they ranked first in the commune for corn production.
But five point eight million pounds was more than double the yield, and no one needed to explain the implications to him; he knew better than anyone.
"But what if the crop fails?" Qiao Zhiyuan asked, worried.
Qiao Qingyu was silent for a moment. Ideally, she should have run her own experiments with the lab's seeds for a year before scaling up for widespread cultivation.
However, the lab's records on the seeds were very detailed, with strict scientific data on planting methods and soil requirements. This was especially true for commonly grown crops.
She hated to dilly-dally, "Uncle, you could request five hundred acres as a trial field. This corn has a short maturity period and shows quick results. You'll see the effects within a month. Have you made up your mind?"
Qiao Zhiyuan, "..."
Rotten girl, your chatter doesn't even give me time to think.
Qiao Zhiyuan gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, "Every Agricultural Research Institute needs to run experiments with new seeds. I'll be the first one, I'm all in..."
Qiao Zhiyuan was, after all, a farmer with great courage and vision. If it weren't for his low level of education, he could truly become a member of the commune. But with her assistance, that wouldn't be a problem.
Heh, that's confidence!
"Not everyone gets the chance to grow such seeds, and I considered you first because you are my uncle. If the cultivation is a success, you will become not just the first scientist farmer in our Harvest Commune, no, in our entire county. You surely understand what that means more clearly than I do."
Qiao Zhiyuan, "..."
Why hadn't he noticed before what a smooth talker this girl was? Was it true what they say, that a person takes on the qualities of their spouse, like 'marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog; marry a beggar, and walk with a stick'?
Had she become cultured overnight just by marrying a scientist?
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