97: Chapter 97 The Experts Arrive

"This is what you said!"

Guo Mingxian's voice suddenly rose a few notches.

"I, this old man, will remember that!"

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before reluctantly hanging up the phone.

Putting down the receiver, Li Dakang let out a long sigh of relief. He knew that with the full support of Guo Mingxian, the construction of the Vegetable Base was already half successful.

...

A few days later, the Anjiang County long-distance bus station welcomed a group of special guests.

Li Dakang, along with Zheng Shijun and Su Wu, waited early at the exit, occasionally standing on tiptoe to watch the arriving buses.

When a bus from Mingzhou slowly pulled into the platform, Li Dakang immediately straightened his clothes and hurried forward to meet them.

A group of people got off the bus, led by an elderly expert in his seventies, followed by several assistants and students.

"Professor Yang! You must be tired from the journey!"

Li Dakang enthusiastically shook the elderly man's hand. "I am Li Dakang, the Party Secretary of Guantian Township."

The elderly expert's surname was Yang, a leading figure in the agricultural field of Jiang Province, whose professionalism was unquestionable.

If it weren't for Guo Mingxian's influence and the personal request of the president of the provincial agricultural university, an ordinary person would really not be able to invite him.

Professor Yang pushed up his reading glasses, looked the young man in front of him up and down, and said in surprise, "You are Secretary Li?"

He turned to the assistants behind him and smiled, "The young cadres nowadays are truly becoming more and more spirited."

Li Dakang smiled modestly and took Professor Yang's luggage. "You flatter me. The car is waiting outside; let's go to the township and get settled first."

He carefully supported Professor Yang and guided everyone toward the parking lot.

On the way to Guantian Township, Li Dakang introduced, "Professor Yang, although our Guantian Township has limited basic conditions, the fellow villagers have a strong drive to lift themselves out of poverty and become wealthy. Especially the farm in Shixi Village..."

Li Dakang briefly introduced the basic situation of Guantian Township, especially mentioning the manure treatment problem at the Shixi Village farm and his preliminary ideas for building the Vegetable Base.

Professor Yang listened attentively, nodding from time to time, and occasionally asked a few key questions, fully displaying his professionalism.

When they arrived at the Township Government, the staff had already prepared clean rooms and hot tea.

At dinner, Li Dakang specially arranged a few farmhouse dishes. During the meal, he said sincerely, "Professor Yang, we want to build a Vegetable Base, but we lack professional guidance..."

Professor Yang put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Secretary Li, agricultural projects must emphasize scientificity."

"From soil testing to market positioning, every link must be rigorous."

Looking at Li Dakang's expectant eyes, he smiled and added, "However, seeing how dedicated you are, our team will definitely cooperate fully."

Upon hearing this, Li Dakang immediately stood up to pour tea for Professor Yang. "Thank you so much! We will definitely cooperate fully with your work."

He raised his teacup. "I will use tea instead of wine to toast all the experts!"

The dining table was immediately filled with the cheerful sound of clinking cups.

...

Over the next few days, Professor Yang led his team in starting an intensive field investigation.

Every morning, they would carry various testing instruments deep into the fields.

When visiting farmers, Professor Yang specifically chose to visit at dinnertime.

The villagers enthusiastically brought out the vegetables they grew themselves, and Professor Yang would taste them while asking about their planting experience.

"Brother, you grow these cabbages really well. What fertilizer do you usually use?"

He chatted cordially with the villagers, inadvertently collecting valuable first-hand information.

Based on these research results, Professor Yang's team proposed a comprehensive vegetable planting plan: suggesting the introduction of salt-alkali tolerant, disease and pest resistant, high-yield, and high-quality vegetable varieties.

At the same time, they promoted modern agricultural technologies such as drip irrigation and the use of organic fertilizers to increase crop yields and quality while reducing the impact on the environment.

The plan also emphasized the importance of recycling, proposing that the manure from those farms be treated to be harmless and then applied to the Vegetable Base as organic fertilizer, forming a green circular agricultural model of "breeding - fertilizer - planting."

This proposal made Li Dakang's eyes light up. This was exactly part of his initial vision, and now that it had received the recognition and support of a professional team, his confidence was greatly boosted.

Li Dakang had always been decisive; once he identified a direction, he acted immediately.

The day after Professor Yang's team left, he set about deploying matters regarding the construction of the Vegetable Base.

...

When the morning sunlight spilled into the office, Li Dakang was bent over his desk, writing and drawing on stationery with a fountain pen, carefully planning the subsequent work steps.

"Shijun!" Li Dakang put down his pen and called out toward the door.

Zheng Shijun pushed the door open and entered. "Secretary?"

"Go and invite Township Head Mao over. Tell him there is an important matter to discuss."

Li Dakang instructed, while neatly organizing the documents on the table.

Not long after, Township Head Mao Yungang hurried over and stood at the door, asking respectfully, "Secretary, did you ask for me?"

"Township Head Mao Yungang, sit down quickly."

Li Dakang greeted him warmly, took a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out, and handed it over.

Township Head Mao Yungang hurriedly took it with both hands, his face full of smiles. Ever since he became the Township Head of Guantian Township, he had always maintained a humble posture, willing to play a supporting role without any airs of a second-in-command, acting just like Li Dakang's capable assistant.