Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The joy of successfully developing a new type of fertilizer nourishes my heart like spring rain. But I know that this is only the first step in a long journey. If we want to truly defeat Zhao Dehai and shut up those who have despised and hurt us, we must prove ourselves in the market.

"Jinli, what are you going to do next?" Hanchuan put down the data report in his hand and turned to ask me.

I pondered for a moment, handed him a newspaper, pointed to a piece of news and said, "Look, the provincial capital will hold a large agricultural product exhibition next month. This is a great opportunity for us."

Hanchuan read the message carefully, his eyebrows slightly raised: "You mean, we should bring the crops produced in our base to the exhibition?"

"That's right!" I nodded affirmatively. "We want everyone to see for themselves how great the crops grown with our new fertilizer are!"

In the next few days, Hanchuan and I plunged into the fields of the base. We had to select the best-looking and best-quality crops from the existing ones and bring them to the exhibition for display.

However, after a few days, a shadow gradually fell on my heart. Although the new fertilizer was effective, due to the impact of previous pests and diseases, the number of crops that really met the exhibition standards was not as many as we imagined.

"What should I do?" I looked at the few scattered baskets of high-quality crops in the warehouse with a frown on my face.

Hanchuan also fell silent. He certainly understood that with such a small number, it would be difficult to attract enough attention at the trade fair.

At this moment, Grandpa Li, who had been silently helping us to sort out the crops, came over. He looked at us, then at the crops, and a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy eyes...

"What's wrong, Uncle Li? Do you have any suggestions?" I saw that Uncle Li seemed to be hesitant to talk, so I asked.

Uncle Li pondered for a moment and said slowly: "I look at our crops. Although there are not many, they are all good things. Instead of displaying them separately, it is better to concentrate them and create a high-end image."

Hanchuan and I looked at each other and both felt that Uncle Li's suggestion made sense. Scarcity makes things valuable. Rather than winning by quantity, it is better to win by quality. We can package limited crops into the best of the best to attract more people's attention.

"Uncle Li, what do you mean..." I asked, wanting to hear his more specific suggestions.

"It all depends on whether Hanchuan can get a good position for us." Uncle Li looked at Hanchuan with a smile, "Even good wine needs a bush!"

Hanchuan nodded, indicating that he understood what he meant. He contacted the organizer of the trade fair that day, hoping to get a good booth.

However, things did not go as smoothly as we imagined. The organizer made it clear on the phone that the good booths had been booked long ago, and if we wanted one, we would have to pay a high booth fee.

"How much?" My hand holding the phone was shaking slightly.

"Five thousand..." Hanchuan's face also looked a little ugly.

Five thousand yuan! This is undoubtedly an astronomical figure for us now. We have spent all our savings on developing new fertilizers, and the capital chain of the base is already very tight...

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. No matter what, we couldn't miss this opportunity! I put down the phone, turned around and ran into the house, and started rummaging through the boxes...

I turned the house upside down and finally found a cloth bag in the corner under the bed. I opened it and saw a few crumpled ten-yuan banknotes and some scattered Mao's bills. These were the private money I secretly hid when Hanchuan and I got married.

I sorted the money out, a total of three hundred and twenty yuan. Although it wasn't much, it was our last savings.

"Not enough...not enough..." I muttered to myself, feeling powerless.

"What's wrong? Are you still worried about the booth fee?" Hanchuan pushed the door open, saw my lost look, and asked with concern.

I nodded and handed him the money. "This is all my savings, but..."

"Don't worry, I've figured out a way." Hanchuan held my hand, his eyes gleaming with determination, "I'll figure it out."

In the next few days, Hanchuan went out early and came back late, running around everywhere. I vaguely knew that he was trying every way to raise money, and even asked some old comrades for help. And I didn't want to sit there and wait for death. I ran around the nearby villages and borrowed money from relatives and friends.

At first, when everyone heard that I wanted to borrow money to attend a trade fair, they all looked hesitant. After all, in those days, everyone was living a hard-pressed life, and they would spend every penny they could.

But I did not give up. I told them about the hard work that Hanchuan and I had put into cultivating new varieties of crops, our expectations for the future, and the importance of participating in this exhibition for us.

Maybe it was my sincerity that touched them, or maybe they saw the determination in my eyes, and in the end, everyone lent a hand, you gave ten dollars, I gave five dollars, and we managed to pool together the money.

When they put the warm banknotes in my hands, I was moved to tears. I knew how much the money meant to them, and I knew how precious this friendship was.

A few days later, Hanchuan came back exhausted but with an expression of joy.

"How is it?" I hurried over and asked anxiously.

"Done!" Hanchuan raised the contract in his hand, "The booth issue is resolved!"

I took the contract and saw the words "Booth fee: 2,000 yuan and some high-quality crops" on it, and my heart finally settled down.

"How did you do it?" I asked in surprise, I knew that Hanchuan must have made a great sacrifice.

Hanchuan smiled and did not explain in detail, but just said: "The organizer was moved by our sincerity."

I know that things are definitely not as simple as he said. But for now, we have successfully obtained the tickets for the trade fair, and that is enough.

I looked at the neatly stacked high-quality crops in the warehouse and the contract in my hand, and my heart was filled with hope. I knew that this was just the beginning, and the trade fair was coming soon. I didn't know what kind of challenges were waiting for us...

At this moment, there was a sudden rapid knock on the door, "Dong Dong Dong...", followed by an anxious voice: "Jinli, Hanchuan, something happened..."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my excitement. The words on the booth contract seemed to be shining with gold, indicating that we were about to have a new beginning.

"Jinli, Jinli! Something happened!" Uncle Li ran in from the door in a panic, interrupting my thoughts.

I was startled and the contract in my hand fell to the ground. "Uncle Li, what's wrong? What happened?"

"There seems to be something wrong with our wheat seeds..." Uncle Li said breathlessly.

My face turned pale and I grabbed Uncle Li's arm. "Tell me slowly, what happened?"

"This morning I went to the warehouse to check as usual, and found that some... some of the wheat seeds that were going to be sent to the trade fair seemed to have sprouted!" Uncle Li's voice trembled, and his face was full of anxiety and self-blame.

"What?!" I suddenly felt a black screen in front of my eyes.

This batch of wheat seeds was carefully selected and cultivated by us, and Hanchuan and I put in countless efforts. We were about to show our strength at the exhibition, but something went wrong at this critical moment!

Hanchuan quickly held my shoulders and asked in a deep voice, "Uncle Li, are you sure? What's the situation? Please tell me in detail."

Uncle Li took a deep breath and pointed in the direction of the warehouse and said, "When I opened the door of the warehouse this morning, I smelled an unusual smell. When I got closer, I found that the sacks of wheat seeds seemed to be a little wet, and I could vaguely see some green sprouts..."

My heart sank instantly. It must have rained a few days ago, and the warehouse must have leaked, causing the wheat seeds to get damp and germinate.

"What should we do? We're going to the trade fair tomorrow. If there's a problem with this batch of wheat seeds, we..." Uncle Li stamped his feet in anxiety.

I forced myself to calm down. Now was not the time to panic. I took a deep breath and said to Hanchuan and Uncle Li, "The most important thing now is to figure out the situation and see if it can be remedied."

I walked quickly to the warehouse, followed by Hanchuan and Uncle Li. When I opened the door, a damp smell hit me. In the dim light, I saw that the sacks that were originally neatly stacked were now a little crooked, and a hint of green could be seen at the mouth of the sacks.

I quickly opened a sack and grabbed a handful of wheat seeds. The grains had lost their original dryness and plumpness, and felt a little damp to the touch, with a hint of abnormal temperature. I looked carefully and found that many of the grains had already sprouted tiny buds.

My heart sank, this was worse than I thought...

"What should we do now?" Uncle Li's anxious voice sounded in my ears, "This batch of wheat seeds is our last hope..."

I bit my lip and tried to keep myself calm. Now is not the time to despair, there must be a way...

Suddenly, an idea flashed across my mind.

"Hanchuan," I raised my head suddenly, a glimmer of hope flashing in my eyes, "We still have one last ray of hope..."