Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

“Jinli, are you crazy?!” Uncle Li grabbed my arm and lowered his voice in a hurry, “If you rush forward like this, you’ll be kicked out!”

I shook my head and pulled my arm out with all my strength, my eyes determined, "There is no other way, Uncle Li, this is our last chance, I must try!"

I clutched the document bag tightly in my hand and strode towards the main stage of the trade fair. On the stage, the sales manager of the Red Star Textile Factory was introducing their newly developed "Dacron" Dacron shirts eloquently, and applause broke out from the audience from time to time.

"Hey, comrade, comrade! You can't go up there!" The staff at the side of the stage noticed my intention and quickly reached out to stop me.

I didn't have time to explain to him, so I pushed his hand away and stepped onto the stage in two steps.

The sudden change made the originally lively atmosphere in the audience suddenly quiet down. Everyone looked at me in surprise, not understanding what was going on.

"Comrade, this is the exhibition area of ​​the trade fair, please go down immediately!" The staff member followed closely and shouted at me angrily.

I took a deep breath, ignored the staff's instructions to drive me away, and walked straight to the center of the stage. I turned to face the crowd below the stage, raised the file bag in my hand high, and said loudly: "Dear leaders, judges, and colleagues, please give me five minutes to reveal the truth behind the evaluation results of this trade fair!"

There was an uproar in the audience, with whispers and gasps of shock rising one after another.

"Who is this lesbian? What does she want to do?"

"I don't know. It looks like they're going to cause trouble!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down and don't talk. Let's see what she has to say!"

I calmed myself down, and scanned the faces below the stage that were either confused, surprised, or curious. I slowly spoke in a clear and firm voice: "I am Mu Jinli from the Hongqi Commune planting base..."

"Jinli!" Below the stage, Bai Hanchuan stood up suddenly, looking at me with a pale face and worried eyes. I saw his lips move, as if he wanted to say something, but I couldn't hear him anymore. All my attention was focused on the microphone in front of me, on every word I was about to say...

I was under tremendous pressure, ignoring all kinds of looks from the audience, and continued, "I am Mu Jinli from the Hongqi Commune planting base. Our base has also brought a product to the exhibition this time - the high-quality cotton 'Baiyun No. 1'! I know that compared with those bright and beautiful textiles, the cotton we brought is inconspicuous and even a little rustic. However, what I want to tell you is that every 'Baiyun No. 1' embodies the sweat and hard work of everyone in our planting base, and every 'Baiyun No. 1' is watered by our sweat and tears!"

I paused, opened the file bag in my hand, took out a thick stack of reports from it, and held it high: "Here are the test reports and growth records of our 'Baiyun No. 1'. Every piece of data is true and reliable, and every record is clear and complete! The 'Baiyun No. 1' in our base not only has high yield and good quality, but is also more environmentally friendly and healthier! We insist on using the most traditional planting methods, without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides, just to provide everyone with the best quality and most reliable cotton!"

I looked around the audience with a firm and sincere gaze: "I know that it is difficult to convince everyone with just a few reports and a few words. However, I hope everyone can give us a chance, a chance to prove ourselves! We at the Hongqi Commune planting base are not afraid of hardship or fatigue. We have the confidence and ability to grow the best cotton and contribute to national construction!"

I took a deep breath, slowed down my speech, and said in a more sincere tone: "We came to the trade fair this time not to compete for fame and fortune, but to let more people know that in the vast rural areas of our motherland, there are countless grassroots workers like us who are silently dedicating and struggling! We also yearn for recognition, support, and to contribute our own strength to the development of the country!"

My eyes met with Bai Hanchuan in the audience. He stood straight, his eyes burning like a flame, giving me endless strength. I knew he was worried about me, but he also knew that this was our last chance, and we could only fight with all our might. I retracted my gaze, tightly grasped the report in my hand, and continued to speak loudly: "..."

"...We will not give up. We will keep working hard to promote 'Baiyun No. 1' across the country so that more people can wear clothes made of it!" I shouted the last sentence with all my strength.

However, what responded to me was not the applause I expected, but a noisy discussion.

"What is 'Baiyun No. 1'? I have never heard of it, and yet you dare to come to the exhibition? You are really overestimating yourself!"

"That's right. Young people nowadays are becoming more and more impetuous. Instead of working hard on the land, they just think about these crooked ways!"

"Go down quickly! Don't waste our time!"

Someone in the audience started to make a noise. The harsh sound was like needles, piercing my eardrums and my heart.

I saw people on the jury whispering among themselves, with undisguised disdain and ridicule on their faces. Soon, a staff member came over and said to me expressionlessly: "Comrade, please stop talking immediately. Your product does not meet our exhibition standards. Please leave the booth as soon as possible!"

I bit my lip, the grievance and anger in my heart erupted like a volcano, almost drowning me. Am I really wrong? Is the cotton we worked so hard to grow really worthless?

Just when I was about to despair, an old but loud voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Wait!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old man in plain clothes pushing through the crowd and walking to the front of the stage. I recognized him. It was Uncle Li who had come to our base to buy fruits before!

"Comrade, please don't chase her away. I believe in her!" Uncle Li pointed at me and said firmly, "I have eaten the fruits grown at their base. They taste absolutely amazing! I believe the cotton they grow will be no worse!"

Uncle Li turned around, facing the audience, and raised his voice: "Fellow villagers, you have to believe me! I have lived for most of my life, and I can still tell what is good and what is bad! What this girl said is true, their cotton is definitely good stuff!"

Uncle Li's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples. The discussion in the crowd gradually died down, and some people began to turn their eyes to me, with a little more inquiry and curiosity in their eyes.

I looked at Uncle Li, my heart filled with gratitude. His words were like a ray of light, illuminating the corner of my heart that was about to be swallowed by darkness.

"Old comrade, you..." The staff member wanted to say something but was interrupted by Uncle Li.

"Don't say anything. I know what you are going to say. But I'm telling you, I'm going to speak a fair word for this girl today!" Uncle Li said, pulling out a cloth bag from his pocket and throwing it on the table with a "pop" sound...

The things in the cloth bag made a dull sound as they hit each other. I looked closely and found that it was... money!

"Old man, what are you doing?" I asked in surprise, at a loss as to what to do.

Uncle Li waved his hand and said loudly: "Girl, don't get me wrong, this is a little gift from me, an old man. I'll buy your cotton!"

As he spoke, he opened the cloth bag. I could then see clearly that it was filled with scattered banknotes. It was obvious that they had been saved for a long time.

"Uncle, this..." My nose felt sore and I almost couldn't hold back my tears.

Uncle Li's action was like a spark, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the crowd.

"Yes, we want to buy it too!" An old lady squeezed to the front and took out a few crumpled bills from her pocket. "Girl, how much do you want for this cotton?"

"I want to buy some too! Give me two pounds!"

"And me, I want one too!"

More and more customers gathered around and paid for my cotton. I watched this scene with excitement, and my originally cold and desperate heart was gradually filled with warmth and hope.

However, there was still no reaction from the jury. They just watched it all coldly, as if we were just a bunch of clowns.

I know in my heart that relying solely on these scattered customers will not change the fate of "Baiyun No. 1" at all, let alone convince those high-ranking evaluation experts.

I took a deep breath and looked firmly in the direction of the judging panel.

"Dear leaders and experts, I know my behavior is a bit rash, but please believe me, 'Baiyun No. 1' is really an excellent cotton variety!" I paused, "I..."

I was just about to say something else when I suddenly felt a warm big hand holding mine. I turned around and saw it was Bai Hanchuan.

He smiled at me, his eyes full of encouragement and support. Then he took a step and walked towards the judges' table...