Chapter 112

However, one difference between Sha Zhu and Yan Jiecheng is that Sha Zhu also taught several apprentices, and his apprentices could also give Li Jiandong a hundred times the experience return through their practice, which allowed Li Jiandong's fighting skills to reach close to the maximum level.

Li Jiandong is quite satisfied with the upgrading speed of these skills. The only drawback is that several important skills are upgrading slowly.

For example: medicine, agriculture, mechanical engineering, etc.
Among them, medicine and agriculture should be a matter of Xu Damao and Ding Qiunan's personal abilities.

They were far behind Liu Guangqi in terms of study, so even though they became Liu Guangqi's disciples earlier than him, their upgrading speed was still far behind Liu Guangqi.

Although Chang Hanqing had enough intelligence, he was already quite mature when he became a disciple, and his starting point of skill level was too high, so his subsequent upgrade speed was also very slow.

It was precisely because he accepted Chang Hanqing as his apprentice that Li Jiandong has not waited until today for him to complete his apprenticeship.

However, Li Jiandong had nothing to regret. After all, he had not met any other better disciples in the past few years.

Chang Hanqing has now achieved considerable success in the electric vehicle industry. If he had not been accepted as a disciple at that time, perhaps he would not have achieved these.

After staying in the hospital for a few days, Li Jiandong took Qin Huairu back home.

"Old Yan, don't worry. I still have some meat tickets here. You can take them back for emergency."

"Lao Li, has your factory paid wages today?"

Yan Jiecheng was planning to marry Yu Li as soon as possible. If he had married earlier, he would not have encountered such a thing.

You can't let people work and not have enough food to eat.

"Originally I was thinking of borrowing some from every household, and then going to the pigeon market to get a few more, and that should be enough. But now everyone has less tickets, and I have nowhere to borrow from. Alas."

When Yan Bugui saw so many tickets, he immediately smiled.

Fortunately, logistics is not under Li Jiandong’s jurisdiction, otherwise it would be a real headache.

Yan Bugui was not stupid either, and of course he knew that one should not show off one's wealth.

What's more, Qin Huairu recovered quickly.

Snowflakes were floating in the sky, covering the entire north city with a thin layer of white.

The special circumstances this year have caused many things to be delayed, especially light industrial products and meat production, which have been most affected. However, this kind of thing cannot be explained, and no one will understand it even if I explain it.

Yan Bugui sighed and said:

"Also, the industrial tickets are down by half, are you still going to let people pass?"

He nodded and said:
"Yes, the meat coupons and light industry coupons have been reduced a lot. We have been maintaining order all day today. The workers are very dissatisfied."

Li Jiandong stayed at home for a few days and then returned to the steel mill to continue working.

Li Jiandong was sitting in the office and felt helpless when he heard the news.

But Yu Li insisted on registering first before holding the wedding. Her birthday is in the twelfth lunar month, so they could only wait until next month to get married.

As soon as Yan Bugui opened his mouth, Li Jiandong knew what he wanted to ask.

"My child is getting married at the end of the year, and I was planning to use the industrial invoices I received this time to buy soap and towels as a dowry. Now that half of the invoices are gone, where am I supposed to pay for the rest?"

But Li Jiandong couldn't ignore the people in the compound. As soon as he returned home, Yan Bugui came to his door.

Yan Bugui really didn't expect that he could still have so much left. It really is good to be a high-ranking official.

The nineteenth day of the winter month in the lunar calendar.

"What's going on? Why is there another two taels less meat coupons this month?"

He was busy with iron training. As the deputy director of a steel rolling mill, how could he have time to rest?
Fortunately, this period did not last long. Four months later, the leaders discovered the drawbacks and gave up the unrealistic task before the first snow of winter came.

"Oh, Lao Li, thank you so much. You just held a banquet a while ago, and I thought you were gone. If I had known you were still alive, I would not have looked for anyone else but would have borrowed from you directly. It would have been much more convenient."

After all, he was the deputy factory director, and everyone knew that he had channels, although Li Jiandong had never used those channels.

The workers were all very angry. It was almost the New Year and they were doing this on purpose to make them unhappy.

He nodded repeatedly and said:

He knew that Li Jiandong was rich, but he didn't expect him to be so rich. You have to know that Li Jiandong had just hosted a promotion banquet two months ago. There were four meat dishes on each table that day. With more than ten tables in total, how much meat was consumed?

The result was that due to the delay, they encountered a ticket reduction.

Gregorian month.

"What kind of thing is this? Xie Cheng and Yu Li are getting married next month. It would be fine if they had less tickets for other things, but they have lost so much money on sex tickets."

It’s not that I can’t afford to stay in a high-ranking hospital, but being in a hospital is never as comfortable as staying at home.

"The meat coupons are reduced when the Chinese New Year is coming up. This will make people have a miserable New Year. Who would do such a wicked thing?"

But if you take some out occasionally, no one will mind.

It’s just that the factory’s logistics are not under Li Jiandong’s responsibility.

Li Jiandong was afraid that Yan Bugui would go out and show off, so he specifically reminded him.

Li Jiandong had a lot of tickets on him, but he didn't dare to use them easily. After all, the things given by the system had no source. If someone targeted him, it would be a troublesome thing if he couldn't explain it.

Today is the second-to-last salary payment day, but when the workers received their wages, their faces changed color.

"Hush! Keep your voice down. I'm telling you this is the last of mine. I'm giving it to you because Jie Cheng is getting married. Don't tell anyone about it when you go out. Are you going to say this is the knowledge you accumulated yourself?"

We are all workers and can work hard, but we cannot do this if we are paid less wages and various tickets.

"Don't worry, Lao Li. You helped me so much, how could I betray you? If I can't explain it clearly, I will say that I bought it from the pigeon market."

Yan Bugui got the meat ticket and left with a smile.

Li Jiandong saw Yan Bugui off, took out a few tickets and went to He Daqing's house.

This month, meat coupons and light industry coupons have been reduced, and life is difficult for everyone.

Li Jiandong planned to give out a few tickets door to door. As long as no one told each other, no one would know that Li Jiandong had so many tickets.

He Daqing is a tight-lipped person and won't talk nonsense even when he's drunk.

So Li Jiandong felt very confident in giving him the ticket.

"Old Li, I can't take this ticket. Your Qin Huairu just gave birth and needs the meat ticket more than my family does. It's okay for us to eat less, but we can't let my sister-in-law and the child starve."

He Daqing is very righteous and can resist the temptation even when he sees the hostage.

Of course, this is also related to his profession. As the canteen director of a steel mill, he can occasionally get some side dishes.

"Look at my brain. I forgot your job. Well, I won't give you the meat ticket. You have to take these light industry tickets. You have to buy a new towel or something for the New Year."

Li Jiandong insisted on leaving several industrial tickets to He Daqing.

He Daqingyue really needs this.

The canteen director is not the logistics director. He is responsible for purchasing ingredients. There is no shortage of meat and vegetables, but there is still a demand for light industry tickets.

"Okay, brother, I won't be polite with you."

He Daqing laughed and accepted the industrial ticket.

Xu Huizhen invited him, "Uncle, you haven't eaten yet, why don't you eat at my house? I'll go call Huairu and the kids."

"No, it's already been prepared at home, let's wait for another day."

After delivering the tickets, Li Jiandong said goodbye and left.

He Daqing sent him to the door. Li Jiandong was about to go back to his home when he suddenly saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Master."

"Da Mao?"

Li Jiandong turned around and saw that it was Xu Damao, whom he hadn't seen for half a year.

Xu Damao is 22 years old this year. Because he often goes to the fields to do agricultural research, he looks very strong. He carries a big bag on his shoulders. When he saw Li Jiandong, he grinned and walked over quickly.

He Daqing also recognized Xu Damao at this time.

"Isn't this the son of the old Xu family? You've been gone for more than half a year and you won't be back until the end of the year."

Xu Damao grinned:
"Hello, Uncle He, and Aunt Huizhen."

Then he turned his head and looked at Li Jiandong: "Master, I brought you some grains that I grew myself, as well as this year's batch of hybrid rice. Please try it and see how it tastes."

When Li Jiandong heard about hybrid rice, his eyes lit up.

He could see Xu Damao's agricultural level from the apprenticeship system.

But something like hybrid rice cannot be researched just by having a high level of research experience; luck is often needed.

Otherwise, with Li Jiandong's current level 3 agricultural level, he should have figured it out on his own long ago.

However, the fact is that the higher Li Jiandong's agricultural level, the more he understands the importance of luck in hybrid rice research. "Come on, let's go into the house first."

Li Jiandong helped Xu Damao take off the big bag on his shoulders, and then the two walked into the house together.

Qin Huairu came out holding the little Xunhua who was less than three months old. When Xu Damao saw her, he quickly called out respectfully, "Master's Wife."

"Hey? Damao is back. When did he come back?"

"Just got back, haven't entered the house yet."

Xu Damao smiled innocently and said that the farm work in the past few years has made his character become much more simple, which is very different from his previous shrewd appearance.

Li Jiandong took out the rice, washed it clean, and then put the pot on the stove.

While steaming the rice, Li Jiandong asked Xu Damao about his life in the fields, and Xu Damao described it vividly.

The rice was cooked soon. Li Jiandong picked up a few grains with chopsticks and put them into his mouth, chewing them slowly.

Xu Damao also looked at him expectantly and asked nervously, "Master, how does it taste?"

Li Jiandong frowned and nodded: "The taste is okay, a little hard in the mouth, but it's OK. How is the yield?"

The biggest problem with hybrid rice is yield.

If the output is not enough, it is useless to say anything.

“The yield is between 550 and 620, which is 50% higher than that of ordinary rice.

The only drawback is that the seeds need to be cultivated every year, so large-scale planting is not possible yet, but after expanding the scale next year, it should be almost ready.”

Xu Damao was very excited. After all, in previous studies, most of the yield increases did not exceed 15%. This time, the 50% increase was already a great success.

Li Jiandong was not very satisfied with the result, because the hybrid rice he knew had an output of more than 1000 kilograms per mu.

Even the varieties that were further improved later could reach 2000 kilograms, which is five times the current output.

Moreover, the taste of this variety is slightly lacking.

However, hybrid rice still has a long way to go, and this result is already very good. At least this 50% of rice is an additional improvement.

With this achievement, the country should pay more attention to hybrid rice. Previously, many countries in the world were also researching hybrid rice.

However, none of the research has produced significant results, so the funding and land allocation for Xu Damao and his research team are limited. I believe that with increased funding, hybrid rice research will make greater progress.

"Good, good, good job, Damao."

Li Jiandong patted Xu Damao on the shoulder. To be honest, among all his disciples, Xu Damao was the one that surprised Li Jiandong the most.

He has grown and changed the most, and his results are the best.

A 50% increase in production is enough to offset next year's drought.

Unfortunately, the seeds were only cultivated this year and must wait until next year for mass production, which means they can only be planted the year after next, and they still have to endure one year of the three-year drought.

I don’t know how many people will suffer this year.

But there is nothing we can do about it. We are already very lucky to have developed hybrid rice of this level nearly ten years in advance.

As the weather got colder, Liu Guangqi and his colleagues at the construction site stopped working.

Zhou Rong did not go home for the New Year and moved into the dormitory building of the tavern with Liu Guangqi.

They haven't gotten married yet, so it's dangerous for them to live together. So Li Jiandong talked to Liu Haizhong and decided to let the two children get the marriage certificate first.

Liu Haizhong certainly had no objection.

So Li Jiandong found an opportunity and called Liu Guangqi back.

"Guangqi, the end of the year holiday is coming soon. I see that you and Zhou Rong have been together for so many years. If you feel good about it, you should get married early. Otherwise, your family will have some ideas after a while."

Zhou Rong was determined to follow Liu Guangqi, but her family had little contact with Liu Guangqi.

If the two of them stay together but don't get married, her family will inevitably think something.

"Master, Dad, Zhou Rong and I have already agreed that we will get married after the hydropower station is built next year."

Liu Guangqi obviously had plans in place and had established a career and a family, so there was nothing wrong with that.

Liu Haizhong said in a muffled voice:

"Why are you waiting for next year? You and the girl are already living together, why don't you get married soon? I say, get married during the Chinese New Year when everyone has time, so your master won't have to worry about you all the time."

Liu Haizhong had never cared about Liu Guangqi's marriage. He was fully focused on his work.

But when Li Jiandong mentioned this to him, he immediately took the matter to heart and firmly defended Li Jiandong's decision.

"Your father is right. Zhou Rong is not young anymore. You are a man so you don't have any feelings, but a woman of this age who is still unmarried will feel uneasy. It just so happens that your senior brother Jie Cheng is getting married at the end of the year. Why don't you just hold the wedding together?"

Li Jiandong didn't say one more thing.

There will be a severe drought tomorrow and grain production will decrease. At that time, a formal policy will be issued to prohibit extravagant weddings. No more than three tables are allowed for wedding banquets, and only relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. can be invited, but no one else can participate.

Of course, this is all what Li Jiandong saw from street literature, and the facts may not be so.

But since we have predicted this possibility in advance, it is of course best to avoid it.

Moreover, starting next year, hydropower stations will be built on a large scale across the country. As a relatively experienced engineer in this industry, Liu Guangqi may be assigned to work somewhere.

If he is transferred to another place, he has no right to refuse. Will the wedding be postponed again and again?
You know, for most people of this era, a family is formed only after a wedding, and many people are not satisfied with just getting a marriage certificate.

Li Jiandong didn't want his apprentice to be talked about behind his back while he was doing construction work outside.

Liu Guangqi pondered for a moment and agreed:

"Master is right. Zhou Rong has done a lot for me, but I rarely think about her. How about we get married before the New Year?"

Liu Guangqi suddenly laughed. He felt that Zhou Rong would definitely be surprised to hear this news.

"Okay, then let's get married before the New Year, with the old Yan family's son, and we can save a lot of money on the banquet."

Liu Hai said happily that he was worried that he didn't have enough food and meat coupons for the wedding.

Li Jiandong rolled his eyes and thought to himself, look at what you have achieved.

Now that the decision has been made, the Liu family began to prepare for the wedding, but Li Jiandong had a lot of meetings at the end of the year and couldn't help much even if he wanted to intervene.

After being busy for a long time, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the day of the Little New Year in the north, I finally had some time to relax.

Due to the special circumstances this year, the workers did not receive much New Year's goods, and the year-end dinner was directly cancelled. After paying the wages, Director Yang briefly summarized the year's work and announced the start of the annual leave.

The workers were very disappointed and the cadres were not having a good time either.

Normally when everyone has good welfare benefits, no one minds if someone takes a little.

But this year, everyone didn’t even get much New Year’s goods. If they were given only to the cadres, the workers would definitely be furious.

As an example, Li Jiandong, Director Yang and Deputy Director Dai also took the initiative to give up their New Year's goods.

Of course, even if there are no New Year goods, they use more than ordinary workers, but the appearance must be good.

When he returned home, Yan Bugui was also depressed.

This year, No. 40 Courtyard is undoubtedly the advanced one again. The sparrows shot by Li Jiandong alone added a lot of points to the courtyard. But unfortunately, there are no rewards for the advanced courtyard this year, not even peanuts or melon seeds.

"This street is too stingy. They don't even give us peanuts or sunflower seeds. What's the point of being an advanced courtyard?"

Yan Bugui was so angry that he complained loudly in the yard.

The same goes for women, they don't have much to pursue and feel happy if they can get a little advantage.

"Old Yan, don't worry about the peanuts and sunflower seeds. Think about your son's wedding banquet first. I've been waiting in the butcher's shop for several days. I've been waiting in line for a whole day and only get half a pound of meat. No more. What do you think this little bit of meat can do?"

Liu Haizhong was also complaining nearby.

Similar situations have occurred more than once or twice this year. Since the spring, there have been many restrictions on buying meat. The most stringent one was that only 2 taels of meat were allowed at a time, which was enough to cook two dishes.

It's almost the end of the year, and I thought the meat would be sold freely, but it's still in such a mess.

If two people buy one pound of meat a day, it will take ten days to buy ten pounds.

Even if all the money is spent on the wedding during the Chinese New Year, there can be only two meat dishes on one table.

This is a wedding between two families, and two meat dishes are too shabby.

"How about letting Lao Li and the others go to the mountains again?"

Old Yan recalled that one year many years ago, due to restrictions on the purchase of meat, the people in the courtyard had no meat to eat during the New Year. That time, Li Jiandong took Xu Damao to the countryside and hunted a wild boar.

"this one"

Liu Haizhong was a little hesitant. How dare he make such a request to Li Jiandong?

(End of this chapter)