Travel Insurance and Unlicensed Rainfall

Xiao Liu pushed open the door and came in, handing out four temporary study manuals to everyone in turn.

"Director Zhou, the training room is ready."

"How about this?"

Sing Sing stood up and straightened his tie. "You all go with Xiao Liu to attend the fifteen-day basic training first. After the training, we'll proceed according to today's schedule."

Does anyone have any further questions?

Baobao through the handbook, somewhat puzzled. "Ability Management Regulations, is this going to be tested?"

"Of course, but you'll be exempt from the practical exercise."

The four of them followed Xiao Liu outside, while Geggebu clung to the doorframe and looked back.

"Boss, will my chicken farm be shut down because of this training?"

"Don't worry! We're still choosing a site for your fifty acres of land, and we need to get water and electricity and build houses! Even if you went there now, you'd only be sitting on the Wasteland hatching stones."

"But you can't hatch a chicken from a stone, can you?"

Sing Sing nodded seriously and said solemnly, "Not bad, you already have basic agricultural judgment skills. Maintain this level during training, and passing shouldn't be difficult. Go."

Xiao Liu led the four people out of the room, and the room became quiet.

Storm remained seated by the window, watching him. "Do our compatriots who came before also have to undergo fifteen days of training?"

"Sigh... we never had these conditions before..."

Sing Sing was a little troubled when he brought this up, because in the past, these guys would learn the local dialect wherever they were assigned.

Some dialects are difficult even for me to understand.

Fortunately, the bureau is keeping up with the times, and relevant policies are constantly being adjusted and improved.

Sing Sing's eyes lit up, and he came up with a good idea.

"You've been sitting here for ages, how about I take you somewhere to look around?"

"Oh?" Storm tilted her head. "Is this a new scouting arrangement?"

"No, no, no."

Sing Sing pulled his hat brim down and said seriously, "This is simply another way of showing you how vast our country is."

Three days later.

The off-road vehicle drove off the national highway and rolled over the gravel in the Gobi Desert.

All that could be seen outside the car window were low sand dunes and a bottomless irrigation canal.

Storm placed the tablet on her lap and looked at the scenery outside. "Evaporation rates on the outskirts of the Tarim Basin are far higher than precipitation. Did you bring me here to make me make rain?"

Sing Sing gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "No, no, no! I'm just taking you on a site visit! Creating rain is up to you to take initiative."

Storm sneered, waving the tablet around. "But you prepared all this information."

"You need to do your research before traveling! The Toke Area receives an average of 16 millimeters of rainfall per year, and 90% of it is Gobi Desert. This kind of natural scenery is not common in United States, is it?"

"Really? What does it mean that these documents also include the water requirement cycles for cotton, jujubes, and specialty orchards?"

"Introduction to local specialties!"

"And the last page?" she read aloud. "Localized rainfall at night? Diverting wind and sand? Protecting farmland?"

Sing Sing remained unfazed. "The tourism program should be more diverse, right? We'll visit the desert in the morning, study agriculture in the afternoon, and observe artificial rainmaking in the evening—making the most of our time!"

"If you want me to stay at my job, just say so."

"That won't do."

"Why?"

"Didn't you just come to take a look?"

Storm was utterly speechless at his shamelessness.

This guy told her countless times about the many water-scarce places in China along the way.

Examples include the entire Ningxia region, the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang, and the Hexi Corridor in Gansu.

There's also the Loess Plateau in Northern Shaanxi and Eastern Gansu.

It all boils down to two words.

Water shortage.

This is no longer a subtle hint or suggestion; it's a blatant declaration!

It's not that I'm unwilling to help, but why am I being so hesitant and indecisive?

Sigh... men are quite troublesome too.

Storm wasn't in a hurry either; she neither spoke nor said anything, letting them see who could hold their temper longer.

As the off-road vehicle rounded the dry riverbed, the tips of the yellowing leaves of the protective forest on both sides were visible.

Storm opened the car window, stretched her palm out, and the wind passed through her fingers without any dampness.

"There is moisture in the upper atmosphere to the west, but it's too far away, and the airflow is separated by the mountains, so it takes time to get it into the basin."

"Can you do it?"

"Can."

"Can we do it now?"

"It can be done."

"Can it be done in the car?"

Storm turned and glared at him. "Can you please stop asking me so many pointless questions?"

Driving with one hand, Sing Sing pulled out a pre-prepared folder:

"Here we have a temporary technical consultation letter from the meteorological department, water use allocation guidelines from the water resources department, and the experimental area designated by the agricultural project team."

Storm nearly laughed in exasperation, but still silently accepted it.

"Is this what you mean by 'no arrangements'?"

"How foolish! This is travel insurance! What if you see farmland lacking water, and out of kindness and compassion, you volunteer to help... I can't just let you rain without a permit, can I?"

Fine, I can't argue with you.

Storm decided to shut up.

As evening approached, the vehicle parked in front of the Shaliang Village Committee.

The village party secretary's name is Aili Muhtar.

Before coming, Comrade Old Zhou had someone make arrangements for him.

Hearing the commotion outside, Aili came out of his office, his trouser legs covered in dry dirt. Upon seeing Sing Sing, he warmly shook his hand and ushered him inside. "Oh, you must be Director Zhou! You are indeed young and promising, a truly handsome man!"

"You've traveled a long way and must be tired. Our village has limited resources, and we're afraid we won't be able to provide adequate hospitality. Please bear with us..."

After welcoming the two into the house, Aili couldn't help but ask, "We were notified that meteorological experts were coming. I thought a whole working group would be coming, so why are there only the two of you?"

Sing Sing stepped aside to introduce, "Ororo Munroe, a specialist in international climate and extreme weather management, is currently part of the delegation visiting China for research."

Aili extended his hand. "Munroe, welcome."

Ororo grasped his hand and took out the translator Sing Sing had prepared for her. "Just call me Ororo. How long has it been since the village has had any significant rainfall?"

"Sigh... it's been nine months already..."

Aili sighed and said, "There was a little snow at the beginning of the year, but it melted away in the spring. The irrigation canal was cut off once last month. The water supply was restored later, but the flow was only enough to save a part of the land."

"Where's some water?"

"The village supplies water to each household, with the water supply running for two hours every other day. The elderly have buckets, and the younger people help them fill them. The amount of water supplied to livestock has been reduced."

Sing Sing glanced at the several rolls of drip irrigation tape clustered together in the yard and deliberately asked, "Secretary Ali, why weren't these laid out?"

"Sigh... it's no use spreading water if there's no water in the fields! The village has discussed it; we'll prioritize ensuring people have drinking water, then save the jujube orchards, and we'll try to save as much cotton as we can."

What about this year's income?

"What can we do? Go out and work, and plant again next year..."

Aili led the two to the back of the village committee building, where there used to be a reservoir. The water level had receded to the lowest mark, and a few leaves that had been drying in the sun were floating on the bottom.

Storm looked at the frowning Aili: "If there were a rain, where would you want it to fall?"

"The village's drinking water storage tank."

Aili gave the answer without hesitation, but quickly shook his head in denial. "The orchard might not survive the next heat wave."

How could Storm possibly hold back after hearing this?

She quickly turned her head to look to the side.

Caught staring at her, Sing Sing awkwardly looked away at the sky, pretending nothing had happened.

All right...

Steve Zhou, you win.