Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The arrival of the old village chief was like a ray of sunshine in winter, dispelling the stagnant despair in the office. "Don't be discouraged, children. We are farmers. We have seen all kinds of storms and waves." His wrinkled face was full of worry, but also with tenacity.

His words were like a wake-up call, awakening my confused thoughts. Yes, how could we give up so easily? We still have so many employees and so many villagers who support us. We are carrying their hopes. How can we be defeated by the difficulties in front of us?

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. "Village Chief, you're right. We can't give up."

Bai Hanchuan also put out the cigarette in his hand and walked up to the old village chief, "Don't worry, we will definitely find a way to solve this problem." Although his tone was still low, it was more determined.

The old village chief patted Bai Hanchuan on the shoulder and said, "I believe in you! You are all good kids, willing to endure hardships and have ideas. You will definitely get through this difficult time." He paused and said, "The village will also do its best to support you. If you need anything, just let me know."

The old village chief's encouragement gave us great strength. After seeing him off, only Bai Hanchuan and I were left in the office. He walked to the window, looking at the rolling hills in the distance, and remained silent. I knew he was thinking and looking for a way to solve the problem.

After a long while, he turned around, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Jinli, I think I found a breakthrough."

He walked to the desk, picked up a pen and paper, and began to write and draw on the paper, muttering to himself: "Boss Zhou's purpose should be to purchase our planting base at a low price. He spread rumors and suppressed the price just to make us desperate and have to agree to his conditions..."

He analyzed Boss Zhou's strategy and the difficulties we were facing. He had clear thinking and rigorous logic, breaking down complex problems one by one and looking for the key points to solve them.

I listened to his analysis quietly, and my originally flustered heart gradually calmed down. I began to re-examine our existing resources and think about how to make the best use of them to reverse the current situation.

"Technician Xiao Li has been researching new planting techniques. If successful, our output will increase significantly. At that time, even if Boss Zhou continues to suppress prices, we will still have a certain profit margin." I added.

Bai Hanchuan nodded, "Yes, this is one of our advantages. In addition, we can also contact some other sales channels. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."

We discussed it for a long time and developed a series of coping strategies. Although the road ahead is still full of challenges, we are no longer as confused as before.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door. I stood up and opened the door. A strange young woman was standing outside with a microphone and a notebook in her hands. "Hello, I am Zhao Lin, a reporter from the Agricultural Newspaper. Is this the harvest planting base?"

Bai Hanchuan walked up to me and signaled me not to say anything. He whispered to me, "Be careful, she might have been sent by Boss Zhou."

My heart sank, but I replied calmly, "Yes, this is the Fengshou Planting Base. What can I do for you?" My hands clenched unconsciously.

Reporter Zhao pushed his glasses up on his nose, his eyes probing: "I heard that your base has encountered some difficulties recently. I would like to know the situation. Is that okay?"

I smiled calmly and said, "They are just some small challenges. We are actively responding to them." Bai Hanchuan gently pinched my shoulder from behind, signaling me to stay calm.

"Ms. Mu, you are too modest." Reporter Zhao's tone was sharp and barely perceptible. "As far as I know, your vegetables are not selling well and your capital chain is also in trouble. This is not a 'small challenge', right?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that avoiding the issue was not an option. Instead of hiding it, I should take this opportunity to clarify the facts. "Reporter Zhao, you are right. We did encounter some difficulties. However, these difficulties were not entirely caused by our own operational problems. Someone maliciously spread rumors and damaged the reputation of our base, which led to the current situation."

"Oh? Maliciously spreading rumors? Can you tell me more specifically?" Reporter Zhao's eyes lit up, like a falcon that had caught its prey.

I glanced at Bai Hanchuan, who nodded slightly, motioning me to continue. I told reporter Zhao everything about how Boss Zhou spread rumors, suppressed prices, and tried to buy the planting base at a low price, and provided some evidence.

Reporter Zhao carefully took notes while asking for details from time to time. Her keen professional sense made her realize that there was a bigger story behind this. The interview lasted nearly two hours. At the end, reporter Zhao promised us that she would publish the true report as soon as possible.

After seeing off reporter Zhao, I felt relieved. At least, we have a chance to speak out and let the outside world know the truth of the matter.

The next day, the Agricultural News published a report by reporter Zhao, detailing the fate of the Fengshou planting base and exposing the malicious competition of boss Zhou. As soon as the report came out, it immediately attracted widespread attention.

That evening, Bai Hanchuan received a call from a respected industry veteran. He had read the report and called to express his concern, and shared some of the industry's experience and suggestions on dealing with similar crises. The advice from the veteran made Bai Hanchuan suddenly enlightened, and he found a new idea and began to work on developing a more effective response strategy.

I watched Bai Hanchuan busy at work, and my heart was filled with gratitude. In times of crisis, there are always warm people who lend a helping hand, which makes us more determined to overcome difficulties.

"Jinli, come here." Bai Hanchuan put down the phone and waved at me. He pointed at a document on the table, his face solemn, "Look, this is..." Before he finished speaking, technician Xiao Li ran in hurriedly, "Boss Bai, Boss Mu, I...I think I found it..."

Before Bai Hanchuan finished speaking, technician Xiao Li rushed in, sweating and flushed, as if he had run a long way. "Boss Bai, Boss Mu, I... I think I found something..." He stuttered, too excited to express himself.

Bai Hanchuan and I looked at each other, and a glimmer of hope rose in our hearts. Could it be that a turning point had come?

"Xiao Li, speak slowly, what's the matter?" Bai Hanchuan signaled him to calm down.

Xiao Li took a deep breath and calmed down his excitement. "I... When I was checking the No. 3 experimental field, I found a new grafting method that can effectively increase the yield of tomatoes, shorten the growth period, and reduce costs!"

I was shocked. A new grafting method? Reduce costs and increase production? This is a timely help! We have been looking for ways to reduce costs, but we have not found an effective breakthrough. If Xiao Li's discovery is really feasible, then our predicament may be solved.

"Are you sure? Is this method reliable?" I asked anxiously.

Xiao Li nodded affirmatively: "I have conducted experiments on a small scale, and the results are very significant. If it can be promoted to the entire base, the output can be increased by at least 30% and the cost can be reduced by 15%!"

Hearing this number, Bai Hanchuan and I were delighted. This undoubtedly gave us a shot in the arm.

"That's great, Xiao Li, you've worked hard! This discovery is so important!" Bai Hanchuan patted Xiao Li on the shoulder, his tone full of appreciation.

I also excitedly held Xiao Li's hand: "Xiao Li, you are really the lucky star of our base! When the base overcomes the difficulties, I will definitely reward you well!"

Xiao Li smiled shyly and scratched his head.

Just as we were immersed in joy, I remembered a list of potential customers that I had overlooked when I was sorting out the base's information. I quickly found the list and handed it to Bai Hanchuan: "Look, these are some customers I found before who are interested in our vegetable varieties. We didn't contact them before because of Boss Zhou's interference. Now we can give it a try."

Bai Hanchuan took the list and read it carefully, his brows gradually relaxed: "These customers are not small in scale. If we can reach cooperation with them, our sales problem can also be solved."

The dawn of hope illuminates us again.

However, just as we were about to contact these customers, Bai Hanchuan received a strange call. A deep male voice said on the other end of the phone: "I heard that Fengshou Planting Base has encountered some troubles recently. I am very interested in your project and would like to talk to you about investment."

The mysterious investor finally showed up.

Bai Hanchuan and I exchanged glances, feeling both hopeful and worried. What was the purpose of this mysterious investor? Was his appearance a blessing or a curse?

"Excuse me, who are you?" Bai Hanchuan asked cautiously.

"My last name is Shen, you can call me Mr. Shen. I will be at your base at ten o'clock tomorrow morning for our interview." After the other party said that, he hung up the phone.

Mr. Shen...

I looked at Bai Hanchuan, my mind full of questions. Who is this Mr. Shen? Why is he suddenly interested in our base? What are his investment conditions?

Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly, his eyes firm: "No matter what, we must be prepared."

I nodded and took a deep breath. Tomorrow will be an important day... A knock on the door suddenly broke the silence in the office.