Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Bai Hanchuan's words were like a revelation, which made me sober up instantly. Indeed, the business world is like a battlefield, and I can no longer be as naive as before. The appearance of the anonymous letter was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples and allowing me to see the undercurrent hidden under the calm surface.

"You're right. I was too careless." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "I'll go find Lin Xiao and see if she has any clues."

After hearing my purpose, Lin Xiao was also incredulous: "How could someone write an anonymous letter to attack us? Did we do anything wrong?"

"Maybe, he just can't bear to see us doing well." I shook my head with a wry smile, but my heart felt heavier.

"By the way, Jinli, there's something that I find a little strange." Lin Xiao suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to my ear and said, "I found that some students don't seem to understand the purpose of our training class, and they even have some resistance."

"Resistance?" I was stunned for a moment, "Why?"

"They think that the techniques we teach are completely useless." Lin Xiao sighed. "Nowadays, the industry is so competitive that many people are willing to use some unfair means to maximize their profits, such as using inferior seeds and abusing pesticides. In their eyes, the green planting concept we have always adhered to has become an anomaly and even a stumbling block to their making money."

Lin Xiao’s words made my heart sink. I then realized that I had been living in an ideal world of my own while ignoring the cruelty of reality.

"It seems that the challenges we face are more severe than we imagined..." I muttered to myself. Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind, and a bold plan gradually took shape...

"Lin Xiao, can you help me contact the retired gardening master? Also, do you know any experts in botany? I think..." Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by a rapid knock on the door.

"Boom boom boom——"

I felt a chill in my heart, and a sense of foreboding arose spontaneously...

"Please come in." I suppressed my uneasiness and said in a deep voice.

The door opened, and an employee of the planting base walked in. He looked panicked and said hurriedly, "Manager Mu, something bad has happened. A group of people came outside and said they want to..."

"What are you going to do?" My heart tightened and a bad premonition came to my mind.

"They...they said they came to drop out of school!"

I gasped and my face turned pale. Seeing this, Lin Xiao asked hurriedly, "What's going on? Why did you drop out of school?"

The employee stammered, “I… I don’t know either. They just said… that the training content here is not practical and it’s useless to learn it…”

"Ridiculous!" I stood up suddenly, furious. "I'll go check it out!"

Lin Xiao and I hurried to the gate of the base, only to see a group of students gathered at the gate, all with unfriendly looks and talking a lot.

"I told you, green farming these days is just a waste of time!"

"That's right, what do those old guys know? In the market now, people only care about cheap products. Who cares if they are green or not?"

"I think this base is just trying to rip us off. We should drop out of school before we lose everything!"

……

Seeing this, I was furious, but at the same time, I felt powerless. I know that although the students' words are unpleasant to hear, they also reflect some real problems. In this era of pursuing maximum profit, the promotion of green planting concepts is indeed difficult.

"Everyone, please be quiet! I am Mu Jinli. We can talk about any problem we have!" I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and said loudly.

The crowd suddenly quieted down, and everyone's eyes were focused on me. I looked around and said in a deep voice: "I know that everyone is here to make money and live. But what I want to say is that green planting is not in opposition to making money. On the contrary, only by adhering to green planting can we ensure the quality of our products, win the trust of consumers, and achieve long-term development!"

My words caused a commotion in the crowd. Some people expressed their agreement, while others sneered.

"It's easy for you to say that. The cost of green planting is so high, and the price can't be raised. Who would buy it?" A burly student questioned loudly.

I was about to explain when an old but loud voice came from outside the crowd: "I'll answer you!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw an energetic old man, supported by Lin Xiao, slowly walking towards me.

"Who is this..." I looked at Lin Xiao puzzledly.

"He's the retired old gardening master I mentioned to you!" Lin Xiao said in a low voice.

I suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly greeted the old man. The old man waved his hand, glanced at everyone with a sharp gaze, and said loudly: "I am an old-generation gardener and have witnessed the ups and downs of this industry. I can tell you responsibly that green planting is not just empty talk, but a major issue related to future generations! You only see the immediate benefits now, but not the long-term harm! If we allow inferior products to flood the market, it will eventually damage the interests of the entire industry and even endanger our living environment!"

The old man's words were so powerful that the crowd suddenly fell silent.

I struck while the iron was hot and told everyone about Lin Xiao and I's plan. I proposed to hold an industry seminar and invite industry authorities to discuss industry development issues and seek solutions.

My proposal was agreed by the old man, and he also expressed his willingness to use his connections to help me invite guests.

However, things did not go as smoothly as I imagined. When I started to contact guests, I encountered some resistance. Some people in the industry doubted my identity as a young man, some doubted the motives of the planting base, and some even directly rejected my invitation.

I suddenly felt depressed. Was my plan going to fail before it even started? At this time, Bai Hanchuan gave me great support...

"Don't worry, I will find a way to help you." Bai Hanchuan held my hand and said with a firm look in his eyes.

I had a glimmer of hope, but then I thought of a new problem: Even if I could invite guests, what about the venue and funds? Bai Hanchuan was very efficient. He used some connections to quickly help me contact several respected experts and scholars in the industry. They all expressed their willingness to attend the seminar and expressed their affirmation and support for my plan. This made me feel a little relieved.

However, after solving the problem of guests, new problems came to me: venue and funds. To hold a decent seminar, you need a large enough venue, and you also need a lot of money to pay for the venue rental, guests' food and accommodation, etc. These are not small burdens for my newly started planting base.

Lin Xiao and I have traveled all over the county, but we haven't found a suitable site. Either the site is too small or the rent is too expensive, and we simply can't afford it. Funds are also stretched. I have invested almost all my savings in the planting base, and now I really can't take out a penny.

Just when I was busy preparing for the seminar, the anonymous letter writer seemed to have sensed an opportunity and struck again. This time, he no longer sent anonymous letters in secret, but directly spread rumors, saying that my planting base used banned drugs and that the products had safety risks. He also said that I had ulterior motives for holding the seminar and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make money.

These rumors spread quickly, like a plague, and quickly spread throughout the county. Some people who were originally on the sidelines about the seminar began to waver, and some even called me to question whether it was really as the rumors said.

I was so angry that I was shaking all over, but I could do nothing. I knew that the anonymous letter writer must be trying to attack me and sabotage the seminar. I absolutely could not let him succeed!

"Jinli, don't worry, we will find evidence and expose his true face!" Lin Xiao held my hand and comforted me.

"Thank you, Lin Xiao." I looked at her gratefully. "I won't be defeated by these rumors! I will definitely run the seminar well and make those who spread rumors and cause trouble pay the price!"

I took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed the number of the local newspaper... I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger and anxiety. The despicable means of the anonymous letter writer made me sick, but I also understood that the more times like this, the more I can't lose my composure. I picked up the phone and dialed the number of the local newspaper. I want to respond to these rumors directly!

"Hello, is this the xx newspaper? I would like to publish a statement..."

After hanging up the phone, I started thinking about how to deal with the current predicament. The venue and funding issues have not been resolved, and now there are rumors. The preparations for the seminar are difficult.

"Jinli, don't lose heart. There will always be a way out." Bai Hanchuan gently held my hand, giving me encouragement and strength. "I have contacted several hotels in the city to see if I can rent a suitable venue. As for the funds, I will also find a way to raise them."

"Thank you, Hanchuan." I looked at him gratefully. His support is my greatest motivation. "I will definitely find the person who spread rumors in the dark and make him pay the price for his actions!"

At this moment, Lin Xiao rushed in with a letter in his hand, "Jinli, look, someone sent you another letter!"

My heart tightened and I quickly took the envelope, opened it, and found that this letter was different from the previous anonymous letter. The letter paper was filled with beautiful handwriting, and every word revealed the concern and support for me.

"Hello, Miss Mu. I am a retired horticulturist and have been following your planting base. I believe in your character and your products. Those rumors are nonsense, so don't take them to heart. If you need help, please feel free to contact me..."

At the end of the letter, an address and a phone number were left.

A warm feeling came over me. It turned out that there are still many kind people in this world. I immediately dialed the number on the letter, and a kind voice came from the other end of the line: "Hello, is this Miss Mu?"

"Hello, I'm Mu Jinli."

"Ms. Mu, don't worry, I believe in you and will do my best to help you..."

After hanging up the phone, I couldn't calm down for a long time. I looked at the letter in my hand, and suddenly a thought flashed through my mind: Maybe I can use the power of the Internet to let more people know the truth!

I immediately turned on my computer and began writing a public statement…