Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"Mr. Mu, it's bad! The international situation has changed suddenly. Country M has announced economic sanctions against Country C. Our fertilizers and pesticides have been included in the list of restricted exports!" On the other end of the phone, my assistant Xiao Liu's voice was trembling with a hint of tears.

My head buzzed, as if something had exploded. Country M is our main importer of fertilizers and pesticides. This sanction has undoubtedly strangled the lifeblood of our planting base!

"How could this happen..." I muttered to myself, my legs went limp, and I almost fell to the ground. Bai Hanchuan quickly supported me, and his face turned livid.

"What's the specific situation? Are there any other channels to purchase goods?" Bai Hanchuan took the phone and asked in a hurry.

"I have contacted all the suppliers," Xiao Liu said with a hint of despair, "but the prices of fertilizers and pesticides in the international market have skyrocketed, and many countries have restricted exports, so it is impossible to get the goods!"

Misfortunes never come singly! My heart sank to the bottom.

Before we could come up with a solution, another call came in. This time it was from our partner in Southeast Asia, and his voice was full of panic and helplessness.

"Boss Mu, it's bad! We've encountered a once-in-a-century torrential rainstorm. Many plantations have been flooded, causing heavy losses..."

My eyes went dark and I almost passed out. The climate in Southeast Asia is already changeable, and this flood disaster is undoubtedly making things worse.

"How large is the disaster-stricken area? What's the loss situation?" Bai Hanchuan asked in a deep voice, suppressing his anxiety.

"According to preliminary estimates, at least one-third of the plantations were damaged..." The voice on the other end of the phone choked up, "I'm afraid this year's harvest will be..."

I leaned weakly on Bai Hanchuan's shoulder, feeling like the sky was falling. The international situation was turbulent, the price of raw materials was soaring, and coupled with this sudden flood disaster, our planting base was facing an unprecedented crisis!

"Beep, beep..." The voice on the other end of the line stopped abruptly, but my partner's desperate sighs seemed to still echo in my ears. I held the phone tightly, my palms full of cold sweat.

"Don't worry, we will definitely find a way..." Bai Hanchuan patted my shoulder gently, but his words of comfort seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.

I looked up and gazed into his deep eyes. I suddenly realized that this storm was more violent than we had imagined, and we were not ready yet... There was an uneasy atmosphere in the planting base. The workers were whispering to each other, and anxiety was spreading in the air. Without fertilizers and pesticides, the crops in the fields would begin to wither in a few days, and the floods in Southeast Asian partners made the situation even worse. The delivery of orders was nowhere in sight. Looking at all this, I felt like a huge rock was pressing down on my heart, and I couldn't breathe.

"The most urgent task is to stabilize the morale of the troops, and at the same time, we must find an alternative plan as soon as possible!" Bai Hanchuan's calm voice pulled me back from the panic. He summoned all the management and technical backbones, and an emergency meeting was held in a solemn atmosphere.

"The sanctions from Country M came suddenly, and our current reserves can only support us for half a month at most." Production Supervisor Lao Li said in a heavy tone, "Also, the prices of fertilizers and pesticides on the international market have more than tripled. Even if you have money, you may not be able to buy them."

"The situation in Southeast Asia is not optimistic either. After the floods, pests and diseases broke out. It is estimated that this year's harvest..." Sales Manager Sister Wang was hesitant to speak. Everyone understands that this means we will lose a large number of stable orders.

The conference room was silent, and everyone's face was filled with worry. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "The current situation is indeed very bad, but we can't give up! Everyone, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to speak up!"

"The most urgent task is to find new suppliers, both domestically and internationally!" Lao Li was the first to speak. "In addition, we must also prepare for the worst. If the supply cannot be restored in the short term, we can only adjust the planting plan and save some crops first."

"I agree with Lao Li's opinion." Sister Wang continued, "I have contacted some domestic suppliers, but their production capacity is limited and the quality is uneven. As for the foreign market, the situation is complicated now. Many countries restrict exports, and it is not easy to find new partners."

"Leave the task of finding new suppliers to me." Bai Hanchuan looked around and said firmly, "I will use all resources to find reliable partners as soon as possible. At the same time, we should also consider building our own fertilizer and pesticide production line. Although it cannot solve the problem in the short term, in the long run, this is the fundamental solution."

"As for the issue of the planting base..." My eyes fell on Uncle Zhang, who had been silent in the corner. He was a retired gardening master with rich experience and was the technical consultant of our planting base. "Uncle Zhang, do you think we have any other options?"

Uncle Zhang slowly raised his head, a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy eyes, "It's not that there is no way, but..." He paused and turned his eyes to me, "It just requires taking risks..." Uncle Zhang's words were like a stone, stirring up thousands of waves in my heart. "Uncle Zhang, just tell me what you think, now is a matter of urgency." I said anxiously.

Uncle Zhang sighed and said slowly: "When I was young, I studied gardening under an old gentleman. He researched a special composting technology that can ensure crop yields without the use of chemical fertilizers. However, this technology is very demanding and requires specific raw materials. I have never found a suitable substitute..."

"What raw materials?" Bai Hanchuan and I asked in unison.

"There is a kind of wild mushroom that grows deep in the mountains, called..." Uncle Zhang stopped talking halfway, frowning, as if hesitating about something.

"Uncle Zhang, now is not the time to hide anything!" Old Li couldn't help but urge.

Uncle Zhang looked at me, then at Bai Hanchuan, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he lowered his voice and said, "This fungus is called 'Earth Dragon Blood'. It is very rare, and it grows in a special environment. It is difficult for ordinary people to find it..."

"Earth dragon blood?" I muttered to myself. I had never heard of this name, let alone seen it. "Uncle Zhang, do you know where I can find this fungus?"

Uncle Zhang shook his head. "I only know that this fungus grows in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, but I can't tell you exactly where. Moreover, even if we find it, it is very difficult to collect it. We need..."

"What do you need?" I asked eagerly.

"It requires a special tool, and..." Uncle Zhang hesitated again, as if he had something to hide.

"And what?" I felt my heart in my throat.

Zhang Bo took a deep breath and looked at me firmly. "And an ancient ritual..."

I was stunned. Could this "earth dragon blood" be some mysterious elixir? Just when I was puzzled, Bai Hanchuan suddenly spoke up, "Uncle Zhang, we will do our best to do what you said. Without further ado, I will immediately arrange for people to go to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau..."

"Wait a minute," Zhang Bo called Bai Hanchuan and took out a yellowed photo from his pocket. "This was taken when I was studying with the old gentleman. There's an address on the back of the photo. You can try your luck..."

I took the photo and my heart started beating faster. It showed a dense primeval forest with a few red mushrooms vaguely visible. On the back was a line of small characters written in brush: Yunnan Province…

"Let's go now without further ado!" Bai Hanchuan said decisively, then he took my hand and walked out of the meeting room without looking back...

Bai Hanchuan was as decisive as ever. We didn't even have time to go home to pack our bags, and drove directly from the base to the airport. Along the way, we were studying the photos and addresses given by Zhang Bo. The handwriting on the photo was a little blurry, and we could only barely make out the words "Yunnan Province" and "Ailao Mountain". As for the more detailed address, it was completely unclear.

"It seems that the place we are going this time is even more remote than we imagined." I looked at the scenery passing by outside the window, my heart filled with unknown anxiety.

Bai Hanchuan held my hand and gave me a reassuring look, "Don't worry, we will definitely find the 'Earth Dragon Blood' and resolve the current crisis."

It was already late at night when we arrived in Kunming. We found a random hotel to stay in, preparing to go into the mountains early the next morning to look for the "earth dragon blood" that Zhang Bo mentioned. However, early the next morning, an unexpected guest visited our simple hotel room.

"Hello, I'm here to show you the way." The man was an old man in his sixties, in good spirits. He was carrying a large mountaineering bag and holding an old military water bottle in his hand. It was obvious that he was a person who often walked in the mountains.

"You are..." I looked at the uninvited guest in confusion, and couldn't figure out who would send someone to show us the way.

"I'm Lao Zhang's friend. He asked me to bring you a message, 'The mountain road is rugged, so do what you can. If we are destined to meet, we will meet again.'" After the old man said this, he took out a hand-drawn map from his pocket and handed it to me.

The map was obviously drawn based on Zhang Bo's photos. It detailed the route to the place where the "Earth Dragon Blood" grew, and even had some precautions.

"Old sir, please thank Uncle Zhang for me, and thank you!" I shook the old man's hand excitedly, and all my words turned into one word of thanks.

"It's just a small favor. You're welcome." The old man waved his hand. "It's getting late. You should leave quickly. Be careful on the road."

After seeing the old man off, Bai Hanchuan and I didn’t dare to delay and immediately followed the instructions on the map and set out on the road to Ailao Mountain. However, we didn’t know that this trip to Ailao Mountain was just the beginning, and greater challenges were waiting for us...

"Do you think that old friend of Uncle Zhang knows any other solutions?" This thought suddenly popped into my mind as I looked at the scenery receding outside the car window.

Bai Hanchuan was silent for a moment, then turned to look at me, "Maybe, but now we can only take one step at a time..." As soon as he finished speaking, the announcer's voice suddenly came from the car radio: "According to reliable information, a large-scale locust plague has broken out in many African countries, and a reduction in food production is inevitable..."