Chapter 275: The Tarnished Pearl of the Berry Research Institute

As Li Xian drove towards the Forestry Bureau, Xu Chaoyang was rubbing his temples with essential oils. 

Recently, Xu Chaoyang felt the pressure was overwhelming. Since the beginning of this year, as the forestry sector responded to the national economic reform policy and underwent internal market-oriented transformation, the entire forestry system had become chaotic.

They say a large ship is hard to steer. The forestry system, with nearly a million employees and over twenty forestry bureaus each with its own characteristics, was struggling with the process of marketization. The entire group was still in a constant state of trial and error, with plans and schemes being issued and changed frequently. Just a few months ago, there was a directive to increase timber production to support the group's export plan, but by October, the new directive encouraged outsourcing timber contracts to reduce personnel costs and save money.

It was contradictory, but it had to be implemented.

How does the Forestry Bureau make a living?

It relies on the forest!

How do the various logging camps make a living?

Through logging tasks!

If the directive was to outsource logging areas to external parties, the bureau would get a lump sum of money, but wouldn't the employees rebel? In winter, the employees depend on logging tasks for their livelihood. If parts of the logging camps were contracted out, what would happen to those workers? 

Perhaps external contractors might hire local workers for logging, but there were more complicated issues. Outsourcing involved procedures and inspections, which could disrupt the current system and create problems.

The logging camps were already chaotic during logging seasons, and outsourcing logging areas would only add to the disorder…

Xu Chaoyang was already troubled by the thought.

But there was no way around it; the higher-ups had given orders, and they had to be executed.

Patiently, Xu Chaoyang reviewed the plans formulated by the Commercial Bureau and the Forestry Administration. Without a clear idea, he set them aside and picked up another report.

Seeing this report, Xu Chaoyang's headache intensified—it was the disaster statistics submitted by the Eight-Nine Logging Camp, along with Gao Dashan's request for rent reductions and subsidies.

Heaven help us, reducing some land rent might be acceptable, but subsidies?

The Forestry Bureau was already poor; where could they find extra money?

As he was wryly smiling, there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Xu Chaoyang looked up to see Li Xian's grinning face.

Seeing Li Xian, Xu Chaoyang's eyes brightened! Although he hadn't known Li Xian for long, he had worked in the Commercial Bureau, and they had a subordinate relationship. With Wang Lin's influence and Li Xian's successful career development, Xu Chaoyang felt genuinely pleased to see him after a long time.

"When did you return? Sit down quickly." Xu Chaoyang put the report on his desk and was about to get the teapot.

Li Xian quickly stopped him. "Director Xu, don't bother, I'll be leaving soon."

"What's the hurry? Is there something urgent?" Thinking of inviting Li Xian for a meal, Xu Chaoyang raised an eyebrow. "By the way, did you return to Eight-Nine? Did you know there was a disaster at home?"

Li Xian grinned. "Director Xu, I came precisely for this reason."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chaoyang's heart lifted. He had heard from Wang Lin that Li Xian had managed the Banyang Distillery well. Although the Forestry Bureau and Banyang were different systems, the two places were close by, and Xu Chaoyang knew the situation at the distillery.

It seemed Li Xian had made a lot of money recently. In fact, Xu Chaoyang had been thinking of meeting Li Xian to discuss investment opportunities, but the chaos in the forestry sector had prevented him from finding time. The few times he called Li Xian, he was told Li Xian was not in Longjiang, and they never had the chance to meet.

Now, hearing Li Xian was here because of the hail disaster, Xu Chaoyang immediately thought of financial aid: "Are you, a young entrepreneur, here to support your hometown with some funds for the Eight-Nine Logging Camp?"

"Not quite," Li Xian chuckled.

He thought to himself: How nice of you to think so! I'm actually hoping for some support myself.

"Director Xu, I'm here today to borrow something."

"Ah?" Xu Chaoyang's hand stopped pouring water. "The bureau is in such financial trouble, and you're here to take advantage? What do you want to borrow?"

Li Xian smiled. "The Berry Research Institute."

---

The Berry Research Institute Li Xian referred to was actually the Berry Research Institute of the Longjiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, located within the Forestry Bureau.

This Berry Institute had a long history. Although it now fell under the Forestry Bureau, it had been around longer than the bureau itself. Established in 1934 as the original Manchukuo National Agricultural Experiment Station in Sui, it was renamed the Longjiang Provincial Banyang Fruit Tree Experiment Station in 1945, then changed names several times before being officially recognized as the Berry Research Institute of the Longjiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1986. Its responsibilities included the development of new cold-resistant fruit tree varieties, berry processing, and other research. It had research rooms for sea buckthorn, small berry breeding, berry resources, cherry tree research, fruit tree cultivation, crop breeding, potato seed multiplication, dry farming, and two laboratories for fruit processing and biotechnology.

However, due to funding issues, the agricultural science sector couldn't sustain it and passed it to the Forestry Bureau. Although the staffing still belonged to the Academy, the expenses were now managed by the Forestry Bureau.

The institute had more than forty scientific staff, including over ten senior and associate researchers, and more than twenty engineers with intermediate and junior titles.

Later, the Forestry Bureau felt the burden of maintaining so many staff was too great and, after several failed attempts to utilize the institute for forestry side industries, ended up losing quite a few staff.

The institute was located not far from the back of the Forestry Bureau government building. Li Xian had passed by it many times in his youth but had never seen anyone come or go and didn't know what it was for.

It wasn't until he was in Ice City and one of his dorm mates had a girlfriend from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences that he learned that this place, which he thought was researching extraterrestrials, was actually an internship site. 

When he asked what the girl usually did, she responded with something that made Li Xian spill his beer—"I just grow potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions in the experimental fields. Killing time. By the way, next time you come back, I'll bring you some vegetables. All pesticide-free, homegrown!"

A place that could have been amazing had instead become a pastoral retreat.

Given this second chance, Li Xian couldn't let this treasure trove be squandered.

As he received Xu Chaoyang's approval to go to the Berry Research Institute to acquire personnel, a major battle was unfolding inside the institute.