Chapter 83: You’re a Good Seedling
Qin Yan shivered in fear. Steeling herself, she was about to go in and “rescue” Su He when she realized the noise inside had quieted down.
She stopped in her tracks, deciding to observe a bit longer.
Inside the room, Professor Qu was glaring furiously at Su He.
But Su He calmly said, “Professor Qu, only guilty people raise their voices to cover their guilt. You’re not that kind of person, right?”
Professor Qu was so angry his hair seemed to stand on end!
At the agricultural institute, his word was law — even the director had to serve him tea with respect.
And now this young girl was implying he was guilty? Outrageous!
He had actually thought well of her before — now he figured he must’ve been blind!
Su He continued, “Professor Qu, please don’t be angry. Just listen to what I have to say calmly. If you still want to yell or scold after that, I won’t object.”
Professor Qu sneered, “Fine. I want to hear how you’re going to talk your way out of this!”
“Professor Qu,” Su He said, “Since you value the Jin Feng No.1 improved soybean so much, you should have considered all aspects carefully.
First, the test field was just over two li away from the pasture where villagers graze their livestock. You should have accounted for the potential problems caused by grazing animals. It was a poor choice of location.
Second, if it had to be placed there, then contingency plans should’ve been made.
There should’ve been barriers like fences or stone walls. The brigade should’ve been warned to take extra care while grazing.
Third, and most importantly — you didn’t assign the right person to the job!
Even though the internal investigation isn’t complete yet, Fan Zhen is clearly at fault.
If his dog hadn’t startled the cattle, none of this would’ve happened.
Also, if he hadn’t abandoned his post, not all of the field would’ve been destroyed. Some could’ve been salvaged.
In summary — your site selection was flawed, your contingency planning inadequate, and your personnel judgment lacking.
Can you truly say you bear no responsibility? At the very least, you are guilty of oversight!”
Professor Qu’s face turned red, his mouth opened and closed, but he couldn’t say a word.
Yes, he was notoriously stubborn. But one redeeming quality was: if you presented an argument that made sense, he would yield.
Finally, he blurted, “Even if… even if what you say is right, your uncle still bears responsibility!”
Su He nodded, “You’re absolutely right — my uncle is not blameless.
But if I can come up with a remedy, could you issue a letter of understanding?”
Professor Qu eyed her sideways. “A remedy? Don’t tell me you want to replant? The planting season’s over! It’d be useless.”
Su He nodded, “You’re right. The window for Jin Feng No.1 has passed.
But we can try planting Jingdou-18 from Jingbei Province…”
Before she could finish, Professor Qu burst into incredulous laughter.
“You silly girl! Aren’t you afraid people will laugh their heads off at that?
Jin Feng No.1 is a spring soybean. Jingdou-18 is a summer soybean.
Jingbei is ten degrees warmer than our Beiliao Province on average. That’s why they can plant Summer soybeans after harvesting winter wheat.
If we plant them here, they’ll freeze before they mature!”
Su He nodded again. “You’re right — but you’ve overlooked one thing.
Beiliao Province is long and narrow. There’s a big temperature difference between north and south.
In the south — where our county is — the temperature is only 3–5 degrees lower than Jingbei.
Frost doesn’t come until early November.
We can plant short-season spring wheat in spring — those are usually harvested by late June.
Then we plant Jingdou-18 — nicknamed ‘Quick Bean’ — which matures in about 90 days.
Of course, Jingdou-18 may not be ideally suited for our soil.
But if you could improve it, it could have a huge impact on our province’s crop layout…”
Su He had thought of this because of her research — and also from memory.
When she was little, her grandmother’s family used to do this — until the wheat and soybean yields and prices dropped, and everyone switched to corn.
Professor Qu was stunned into silence. Then he started frantically flipping through books on his shelf…
Su He shrugged and poured herself a cup of tea. Her throat was dry from talking so long.
After a while, Professor Qu turned to her, eyes wide.
“You know,” he said, “why didn’t I think of that? Even with the 3–5 degree difference, we could breed a more cold-resistant variety!”
Su He replied, “…Maybe because you’re too set in your ways?”
Professor Qu: “…”
I was being rhetorical. You didn’t have to actually answer that!
He had been stuck in his own thinking — assuming Beiliao was too cold for two harvests a year.
But the southern region could do it, with the right wheat and soybean varieties.
If it worked, it would be a huge breakthrough in crop yield for the province!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. And the more he looked at Su He, the more he liked her.
He even started thinking: it was a good thing the test field was ruined!
Otherwise, he never would’ve received such valuable information!
He agreed on the spot to issue the letter of understanding for Zhao Kaiwen — no compensation needed.
When Su He left his office, Professor Qu even walked her to the door, beaming.
Qin Yan, who had been nervously waiting outside: “…”
Professor Qu saw her and said, “It’s almost lunchtime — take Little Su to the cafeteria and get her two meat dishes. Tell them she’s my guest.”
Qin Yan: “…Ah, okay. Sure.”
Professor Qu turned to Su He, “I’ll go find the director to issue your letter. Come by in the afternoon to pick it up.”
Su He nodded, “Thank you.”
Professor Qu chuckled, “It’s no trouble at all — just a few words. You go eat with Xiao Qin.”
Qin Yan looked at the smiling Professor Qu like he was possessed.
Was this the same Professor Qu — the most stubborn man at the agricultural institute?!
That afternoon, while Su He was chatting in Qin Yan’s office, Professor Qu walked in.
The room, once filled with laughter, fell completely silent.
He handed the letter to Su He and said, “Little Su, you’re a good seedling. Interested in working here?”
Su He politely declined, “Thank you, Professor Qu. But I didn’t study this formally — I don’t think I’m qualified for a position here.”
Professor Qu immediately retorted, “Who cares about formal training?
Every single person in this room has a degree, and what are they? A bunch of useless softies!”
Everyone: “…”
What did we ever do to you?
If you want to compliment her, fine — but why drag us into it?!
And also… “a bunch of heads”?! Is that even the right way to count people?!
