The rumbling sound of the tractor entering the village immediately drew out the winter-idling villagers.
Dressed in their thick winter coats, they ran out to see what the commotion was all about.
“A tractor! It’s a tractor!”
The excited cries of children echoed as their snot-nosed, rosy-cheeked faces lit up, chasing after the vehicle.
“How come there’s a tractor in our brigade?”
“Wow, this tractor looks so impressive! And isn’t that the brigade leader and Song Zhiqing on it?”
It wasn’t just the children who were thrilled; even the adults followed behind the tractor, clearly showing how much tractors were revered in these days.
When the tractor came to a stop, the leaders and the brigade leader disembarked, followed by others.
The group, led by the brigade leader, headed straight to Lin Zhen’s home.
The scene was so grand that not only villagers but even the educated youths came out to see.
A crowd gathered outside Lin Zhen’s house, some climbing onto the walls, craning their necks to peek inside and figure out what was going on.
“Could it be that Lin Zhen got into trouble? Why else would so many leaders show up?”
The question came from Deng Chunhua.
“Bah, of course it’s someone from your Lin family stirring things up again. Can’t you stand seeing Lin Zhen do well? If you ask me, it’s probably good news. Otherwise, why isn’t it the Public Security Bureau coming?”
“Exactly! Besides, look at the brigade leader’s smiling face and the fact that the leaders came back on a tractor. It must be good news!”
The old Lin family glared with jealousy, their eyes red with envy. What if it really was something good? Why couldn’t the good fortune have landed on their family instead?
Inside the room where off-season vegetables were being grown, the leaders gazed at the neatly arranged baskets filled with vibrant, thriving vegetables. Their faces were full of smiles.
“Wonderful, just wonderful! These are growing beautifully. How long have they been cultivated? Have you added any special fertilizers to the soil? Do you have to maintain the room temperature morning and night?”
Secretary Wang, clearly knowledgeable about farming, asked practical questions.
Song Wei answered each question in detail.
“But if the temperature has to stay constant all the time, that’s too fuel-intensive. Plus, not everyone can spare a room for this kind of farming. The costs might be too high,” he commented.
Song Wei responded, “That’s why we’re planning to use greenhouses instead.”
“Greenhouses?”
Song Wei explained the principles of greenhouse farming, and the leaders nodded repeatedly in approval.
“It seems like you’ve already prepared well for this. In that case, we’re reassured. We’ll approve this project—go ahead and implement it!”
Hearing this, the brigade leader and the others visibly relaxed, grinning from ear to ear.
“Great work, Song Zhiqing! You’re exactly the kind of talent our country needs—someone who truly comes to the countryside to help farmers!”
Song Wei felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but thick-skinned enough not to blush.
In truth, she was just standing on the shoulders of giants, taking advantage of what she already knew.
But of course, she didn’t dare say that.
After finishing their discussions, the leaders left, visibly pleased.
The villagers, watching the leaders’ delighted expressions as they departed, immediately knew something good had happened.
The moment the leaders were gone, the crowd surged forward.
“Brigade leader, what happened?”
“Lin Zhen, what’s going on? Why did so many leaders come to your house?”
The flood of questions rained down, creating a noisy buzz. The brigade leader raised his hands, gesturing for silence.
“Everyone, calm down and listen to me. Quiet down!”
With his loud voice, the surrounding villagers fell silent, their eager eyes fixed on him.
Song Wei also noticed the Lin family squeezing their way forward, looking particularly interested.
She heard they were still quarreling among themselves and no longer even stood together. When their gazes met, they glared at each other like sworn enemies.
It seemed their household was anything but harmonious these days.
“Since everyone is here, I’ll take this opportunity to explain. First, we must thank Song Zhiqing for growing off-season vegetables.”
The brigade leader’s words had barely landed when all eyes turned to Song Wei.
“Off-season vegetables? What’s that?”
“Yeah, what kind of thing is that?”
The brigade leader continued, “It means growing vegetables like bok choy, leeks, and carrots even in cold weather like this.”
The crowd immediately erupted like a pot of boiling oil.
“That’s impossible! How can vegetables grow in this cold? Brigade leader, have you gone senile?”
“This isn’t funny. We’ve farmed our whole lives—don’t you think we’d know what can grow and when? Even cabbages and radishes won’t grow in this weather!”
“Brigade leader, just be honest with us. No need to make things up to trick us!”
In short, no one believed it.
“Quiet! Listen to me! Why would I lie to you? What good would it do me? The leaders came today specifically because of these off-season vegetables. Just because we can’t grow them doesn’t mean Song Zhiqing can’t. She figured out a way to grow them, and they’re thriving.”
He continued, “I went to the leaders today, and they approved a large-scale off-season vegetable farming project for this winter. We’ll find ways to sell the produce. But it’s different from our usual farming—we’ll need to build greenhouses to keep the temperature warmer than outside. Only then can the vegetables grow. So now I’m asking: who’s interested in participating?”
“Can we really grow them?”
“Can we see the vegetables?”
Song Wei suggested to the brigade leader, “Why don’t we bring out a basket for everyone to see?”
With so many people crowding around, she worried someone might pluck the leaves off the plants.
The brigade leader nodded. “Alright, let’s have a few strong men bring out a basket, but don’t linger too long. We don’t want the seedlings to freeze.”
He selected a few strong villagers to carry a basket of vegetables outside.
When the crowd saw the thriving vegetables, they went wild.
“It’s real! They actually grew vegetables!”
“So many of them! Song Zhiqing is amazing!”
“Can we really sell these vegetables and make money? What’s a greenhouse? Can we build one too?”
Questions flew like arrows as the brigade leader hurriedly instructed the men to take the vegetables back inside, lest they freeze.
He then climbed to a higher spot and explained what a greenhouse was: a structure designed to keep the temperature warm enough for vegetables to grow.
He detailed the materials needed and proposed an investment model where villagers could contribute funds to build greenhouses and share the profits proportionally.
“In short, any amount you invest will be recorded. Once we sell the vegetables, profits will be split according to your contributions. Our brigade is fair and won’t force anyone to invest. Go home, discuss it with your families, and if you’re interested, come to my house to register tomorrow. You have three days to decide. After that, we’ll head to the city’s plastic factory to buy materials.”
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