Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"I'm a reporter from Agricultural News. I would like to interview Ms. Mu about the new varieties at your base." The other party was obviously startled by Bai Hanchuan's sudden interruption, but quickly regained her professional tone.

"New varieties?" Bai Hanchuan raised his eyebrows. "Our base hasn't cultivated any new varieties recently. Are you mistaken?"

The other party chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of subtle sarcasm: "Mr. Bai, please don't hide it. Sources revealed that your base is preparing to plant a new kind of medicinal herb recently. It is said that the yield and efficacy are far superior to the existing varieties. This is big news!"

My heart sank suddenly. It turned out that they were here for the new seeds!

Bai Hanchuan's face also darkened. He said coldly, "I don't know what you are talking about. All the planting plans of our base are in compliance with national regulations and there is no violation of the law."

"Whether it is illegal or not is not up to you to decide." The other party said in an aggressive tone, "I have some information about your new seeds. The source seems... not very legal. Ms. Mu, do you want to explain it?"

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm. The other party was clearly well prepared and had bad intentions. The so-called "information" in their hands must be fake, and their purpose was to disrupt our plans and destroy our reputation.

"What do you want?" I answered the phone and asked directly.

"I just want to give the public the truth." The other party said righteously, "If you have a clear conscience, accept my interview and clarify everything publicly."

I was about to speak, but was stopped by Bai Hanchuan. He said to the other end of the phone: "We have nothing to say. Please leave, otherwise we will take legal action to protect our rights."

After saying that, he hung up the phone directly, his face livid.

Not long after, a report titled "Shocking! Well-known planting base suspected of using illegal seeds" appeared on the front page of the "Nong Xun" website. The article took quotations out of context and deliberately distorted the facts. It described the source of our new seeds as extremely suspicious and hinted that we might be colluding with some illegal organizations.

This article was like a bomb, causing a stir in the industry. New customers called us one after another, their voices full of doubt and worry, and even some old customers expressed their concern, hoping that we could clarify the facts as soon as possible.

I looked at the news headlines that kept jumping on the computer screen, and my heart went cold. This is just the beginning, and greater challenges are still to come... The atmosphere in the base was terribly depressing, and the workers all lowered their heads to work and dared not speak loudly. I forced myself to cheer up and asked the expert group about their progress one by one.

"Mr. Mu, don't worry. We are still analyzing the characteristics of this seed. It will take some time to find a suitable planting method." The experts were sweating profusely, but there was a hint of powerlessness in their tone.

Since that report was published, planting new seeds has become a heavy burden on everyone's mind. I exchanged this seed from the space mall. The quality is naturally impeccable, but the problem is that it comes from the future!

The seeds cultivated by future technology are naturally incompatible with the current soil and climate conditions. Experts racked their brains but still could not guarantee its survival rate.

"I know everyone is working hard, but..." I looked at the sparse seedlings in the experimental field, feeling as if a stone was pressing on my heart. "Time is running out, we must produce results as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Otherwise, the crime of "illegal seeds" will be confirmed, the base will completely lose its credibility and even face more terrible consequences.

Bai Hanchuan has been very busy during this period. He mobilized all his connections and searched everywhere for evidence to prove the source of the seeds.

"How is it? Any news?" I saw him returning home tired and couldn't help but go up to him and ask.

Bai Hanchuan shook his head and hung his coat on the hanger, with a hint of bitterness in his tone: "Back then, there were very few records about this kind of medicinal material, not to mention the cultivation technology. Now there is no way to verify it."

My heart sank. Was I really at the end of my rope?

"Don't worry, I will find a way." Bai Hanchuan gently held me in his arms, trying to give me strength, "We can definitely get through this difficult time."

His embrace was warm and strong, but I couldn't feel any hope.

It was late at night and I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

"System, system!" I called out in a low voice, placing my last hope on the space system. "Is there any way to prove the origin of the seeds?"

The system was silent for a moment, and then a mechanical voice sounded in my mind: "Searching for relevant information... Sorry, no matching results were found."

My heart sank completely...

Despair entangled me like a vine, making it hard for me to breathe. There was no evidence in the system, and I couldn't find any evidence in reality. Am I really going to watch the base fall into despair? No, I won't accept that!

I sat up suddenly, my eyes scanning the dim room, and finally fell on the old tape recorder on the desk. Oh, right, the recording! If we can find the recording of the old man introducing this seed, maybe we can prove that we are not lying!

I searched through boxes and cabinets like I was grasping at a life-saving straw. Finally, in a dusty corner, I found the dusty tape. With trembling hands, I put it into the recorder and pressed the play button. After the rustling sound of electricity, an old but familiar voice came out.

"This kind of seed is a treasure..."

Yes, it was him! My heart went up and down with the content of the recording, but when the recording reached the key part, which was about the source of the seeds, it stopped abruptly, leaving only the endless sound of blank tape.

"No! How could this happen..." I collapsed on the ground powerlessly, my eyes blurred by tears.

At this time, there was a hurried knock on the door, followed by Bai Hanchuan's anxious voice: "Jinli, something happened! Something happened!"

I quickly wiped away my tears and opened the door, only to see Bai Hanchuan standing at the door with a grim face and a newspaper in his hand.

"What's wrong?" My heart sank suddenly and an ominous premonition came over me.

"Look!" Bai Hanchuan handed me the newspaper, his voice trembling, "They...they stopped supplying!"

I took the newspaper and saw the headline on the front page: "The planting base is caught up in the 'illegal seeds' scandal, and many suppliers have stopped supplying."

How could this happen? Are we really at the end of our rope? I leaned against the wall helplessly, and everything in front of me was dark.

"Don't worry, we will find a way..." Bai Hanchuan hugged me tightly in his arms, but his voice revealed a hint of weakness.

However, at this moment, a rapid phone ring broke the silence of the night and shattered our last glimmer of hope... The call was from the newspaper. The reporter asked us sharply about our response to the "illegal seeds" incident, and his words were full of doubts and sarcasm about our planting base. I held the phone tightly, my palms were full of cold sweat, but I was powerless to refute. After hanging up the phone, I felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if I was trapped in an invisible quagmire, sinking deeper and deeper.

Bai Hanchuan also fell silent, his usually resolute face full of fatigue and worry. I know that this crisis is more serious than any previous one. We all know what a supply cut means. Without seeds, the base cannot continue to operate, and all the hard work will go to waste, not to mention the farmers who are waiting for the autumn harvest. What should they do?

"Hanchuan, what should we do now?" I grabbed Bai Hanchuan's hand, with a hint of trembling in my tone.

He held my hand and tried to give me strength: "Don't be afraid, we still have time, there will be a way."

But his eyes betrayed him, and I could feel the coldness and trembling of his palms. We all know that this is just self-consolation. Time, what we lack most is time.

In the following days, we tried to contact new seed suppliers, but to no avail. Those suppliers either avoided the "illegal seed" incident or took the opportunity to raise the price and add insult to injury.

The feeling of despair spread like a plague in the base, the workers began to talk among themselves, and some even handed in their resignations. I watched all this with a broken heart, but I could do nothing.

"Am I really going to give up?" I murmured to myself, my voice full of bitterness.

Bai Hanchuan held me in his arms, stroked my hair gently, and said in a heavy tone: "Wait a little longer, I will find a way."

In order to find a solution, Bai Hanchuan worked non-stop and lost a lot of weight. Seeing him exhausted, I felt so distressed, but I could only stay by his side silently, encouraging and supporting him.

"There must be other ways..." I kept telling myself, but I couldn't find any clues.

Late at night, I lay in bed, but I couldn't fall asleep. Despair and anxiety gnawed at my heart like a devil. I tossed and turned, but finally I couldn't help getting up and walking into the study.

At the desk, Bai Hanchuan was still working. The dim light reflected on his tired face. My heart felt as if it was pricked by a needle, and it hurt.

I walked up to him and asked softly, "Still no clue?"

He raised his head and forced a smile: "It's almost time, go to bed first, no need to wait for me."

I shook my head and said nothing. I just walked silently behind him and began to massage his temples.

"Jinli, I'm sorry..." He suddenly spoke, his tone full of self-blame.

"Don't talk nonsense, we are a family and we have to face it together." I interrupted him, trying to make my tone sound calm.

However, my words seemed to echo in the empty valley, without any response. Bai Hanchuan suddenly grabbed my hand, his eyes burning, and his tone hurried: "Jinli, do you believe me? No matter what happens, you have to believe me..."

Before he finished speaking, I suddenly felt dizzy, my eyes went dark, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up again, I found myself in a white space, with no one around me. Only a faint voice came from the distance:

"Child, you are finally here..."