Chapter 209 (continued)

Zhao Hexi rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Alright, I'll arrange it. These experts are internationally renowned, after all. Should we set the reception fee a bit higher? Two thousand per person per day? This will help expand our influence; consider it free advertising."

Qing Mengzhu took a deep breath. "Okay, let's book the food at the farm. We'll make it back later. Remember to take lots of videos so Dr. Gu can host us, and also take lots of photos to hang on the company wall."

Zhao Hexi: "How come you're even more shrewish than me? Okay, I've also had the footage from the news broadcast printed out, along with the gold medal certificate. We'll put them all in the publicity room later."

The fact that Qing Mengzhu's Rice was able to beat out established companies to win a gold medal has sparked the curiosity of many people.

On the day the experts were received, more than thirty people came to visit Qing Mengzhu and his team.

Everyone stood in front of the rice paddy, their gazes towards it filled with complex emotions.

"I never imagined that your Rice was grown in such ordinary fields."

"Our fields may look ordinary, but I've actually put a lot of effort into them. Many of the fertilizers are specially made, and the soil has been treated. If you're interested, I can take you to see our fertilizers later."

"I heard you have unique earthworms here, is that true? I've seen many of your papers on earthworms."

"Yes, we also have a project to develop Biological Missile using earthworms, which Dr. Gu and his team are currently researching."

Everyone turned to look at Gu Benshu.

Gu Benshu initially just wanted to find a company to work as a bartender.

Salted fish

I'm slowly retiring; I've never met so many big shots before.

Meeting the kind gazes of the bigwigs, Gu Benshu clenched his glutes, quickly bowed, and stammered that he could ask them any questions.

Since everyone seemed quite interested in Rice, let's steer the conversation back to rice.

"Mr. Qing, have you tried growing Rice alone, without raising anything else in the Rice paddies? Or are you interested in Rice alone?"

Typically, when other organisms are intercropped in Rice paddies, the overall yield of Rice is higher, but Rice will decrease.

After all, Rice cultivation requires consideration of another organism, making it impossible to manage Rice with meticulous care.

It is truly astonishing that Qing Mengzhu was able to grow such high-quality Rice while raising shrimp in the same crop.

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Next year we will try monoculture of Rice and will no longer intercrop with other crops."

One expert immediately asked, "Should we grow monoculture Rice, or the current rice varieties?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, the rice seeds might be sent to the company for processing before planting, but they probably won't be replaced."

The experts' questions were numerous and detailed. Qing Mengzhu answered them all morning, until his mouth was dry and he felt a little dizzy. Fortunately, he had some fresh bamboo juice to keep him going, which allowed him to barely persevere.

He hosted the experts until noon. After they finally finished their visit, he asked Zhao Hexi to come and take them to the farm for lunch.

The experts still had many questions to ask and warmly invited him to come along.

Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to accompany her.

With such a large group, they attract attention wherever they go.

Among the experts, some were dressed neatly and elegantly, with a refined and scholarly demeanor that set them apart from ordinary people, making them quite eye-catching. People in Pingkou Village couldn't help but take a second look at them.

The employees of Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.. also paid more attention while working, thinking that they should not bring shame to the company.

That's about it; people paid attention, but not much attention.

The arrival of a team of experts caused a huge stir among the members of their community who support agriculture, and news of the discussion spread rapidly:

[The man in the white shirt above is Professor Bai Wenru, an academician and the director of the Yuancheng University Rice Research Institute. I attended one of his lectures when I was a student.]

[Professor Cheng Yizheng is also here; it's been a long time since I've seen her.]

[Is that Edna Badgepay next to Professor Cheng Yizheng? I just read her book "Rice" a couple of days ago.]

Wow, there are more celebrities here than I've seen at academic conferences! Ji Kun, when do you hold your members' day? Is there a chance to meet the big shots this week?

[Or perhaps the experts have discussed something that we could hold a discussion about on our members' day?]

[@Customer Service Ji Kun, your company is amazing! So many experts and scholars have come to visit. Could you organize similar visits for our members?]

The employees in the media operations department of Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.. were typing away so hard they were practically sparking, and they were even eating lunch at their desks, but they still couldn't keep up with the messages.

Several universities in Vine City also received the news and immediately began to inquire, hoping to find an opportunity to speak with the students.

Of these, only Tengcheng Agricultural University has the relevant connections.

Nian Xinfei left a message for Qing Mengzhu on WeChat: [Mengzhu, have you finished your visit? Have the experts returned to the hotel yet?]

Nian Xinfei: [Our boss said he'd like to come and entertain some guests, is that convenient for him?]

There's nothing inconvenient about it. Qing Mengzhu and the others are based in Vine City, and they also need the connections from Tengcheng Agricultural University.

Therefore, Qing Mengzhu quickly sent Nian Xinfei the farm's location, indicating that they had already set off for the farm and that if Nian Xinfei and the others were interested, they could send two or three people to come and have a meal together.

After seeing Zhou Yan's instructions, Qing Mengzhu specifically reminded Nian Xinfei that too many people would be a problem, as they wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone.

Nian Xinfei replied quickly, saying that three people were coming: their college dean, their director, and him.

Of course, Nian Xinfei didn't mention that people from Vine City University also wanted to come, but they weren't familiar with Qing Mengzhu and hadn't found an opportunity. They were currently asking around the world for introductions. When their dean saw this, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

There were many experts this time, so Zhou Yan and Zhao Linling specially prepared a large hall and used screens to create some privacy, specifically to receive the experts.

Zhao Hexi arrived, and Nian Xinfei and the others also arrived.

With the pressure of hosting guests lessened, Qing Mengzhu could finally enjoy a meal in peace.

That afternoon, after finally seeing the experts off, Zhao Hexi held up her phone to show Qing Mengzhu: "Mengzhu, the members said they also want to come and visit."

Qing Mengzhu didn't even lift her eyelids, lazily leaning back in her recliner. "A visit is fine, you can find someone to organize it. As long as we don't go into the fields, everything else is fine."

Zhao Hexi: "How about I take them to see your precious fertilizer?"

Qing Mengzhu: "See? The experts have all seen it, and there's nothing the members can't see."

They use fermented fertilizer from the Interstellar Mall, which is generally undetectable to the average person.

Before Qing Mengzhu could finish speaking with Zhao Hexi, Gu Benshu and Li Ba came over to discuss the earthworm matter with Qing Mengzhu.

Gu Benshu was still excited after meeting many big shots from textbooks today, and a blush appeared on his face.

He said to Qing Mengzhu, "President Qing, the professors said they need earthworms. Should we send them some?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Will sending them earthworms affect our Biological Missile project?"

Gu Benshu shook his head. "The work here is very complicated; earthworms alone won't have much of an impact."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then let's send it. Dr. Li, where are you on this end?"

Li Ba's eyes were bright, and his cheeks seemed flushed. "I inquired with some senior professors today, and they recommended several promising young scholars. I've reviewed their papers and CVs, and they're all very good—"

Li Ba paused for a moment, then stated his ultimate goal. "I want to hire people."

Gu Benshu his hand and said loudly, "We also want to recruit people; we're short-handed."

Qing Mengzhu glanced at Zhao Hexi, and seeing that he didn't object, nodded. "You guys write up a recruitment plan, I'll take a look first."