Chapter 214 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu looked at the metal in the test tube. "Very good, let's study it further later."

Ke Shuwen's eyes sparkled. "President Qing, can we publish a paper?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Go ahead and publish it. Tuan Brassica is a mutated plant; we've already applied for a patent, so publishing a paper is fine."

Ke Shuwen's smile widened, "I've finished writing the paper. Could you take a look at it? If there are no problems, I'll submit it."

Over the past two years Qing Mengzhu had become accustomed to reading all sorts of academic papers. After carefully reviewing Ke Shuwen's paper, he nodded in approval and said, "It's acceptable to submit it. Once it's published, I'll give your group a bonus."

Ke Shuwen: "That's great, President Qing!"

There are quite a few international projects involving the smelting of metals from plants, such as smelting nickel ore from nickel hyperaccumulating plants, smelting selenium ore from selenium hyperaccumulating plants, and smelting copper ore from copper hyperaccumulating plants.

However, the enrichment efficiency of Tuan Brassica still attracted a lot of attention, mainly because its accumulation results are very good, its growth cycle is relatively short, and its efficiency is relatively high.

Tuan Brassica is a new plant, and there is very little related research and application. Many scientists are curious about it, but have no way to access it.

Ke Shuwen and her team received letters from all over the world expressing interest in Tuan Brassica and wanting more information. After being politely declined, many people still came to apply for jobs.

Qing Mengzhu made a decisive move and immediately instructed Zhao Hexi and Ke Shuwen to recruit suitable talents with excellent benefits.

That day, Duan Yu'ang called Qing Mengzhu.

Qing Mengzhu immediately suspected that something was wrong with Zhu Zi, so she washed her hands in the ditch by the field and went to the edge of the field to answer the phone.

Qing Mengzhu: "Boss Duan, did you need to see me? Is it about the bamboo?"

They had just delivered the bamboo for November a few days ago, and both the quality and quantity were better than last month's. Qing Mengzhu was a little puzzled and couldn't guess the problem on Duan Yu'ang's side.

Duan Yu'ang said with a smile, "It's not about the bamboo. I have an old friend in a mining area who read your company's paper on Tuan Brassica and thinks it's a promising plant. They want me to act as a go-between and talk to you about cooperation."

Qing Mengzhu breathed a sigh of relief, "Then come on over. We also need more experimental data. If they're interested, they can come and take a look in person."

Duan Yu'ang: "Then I'll bring my men over."

The person Duan Yu'ang brought was named Bi Luping, who was also a leader of a state-owned enterprise.

Qing Mengzhu asked about the meeting, the other party was very modest and said that it would be arranged by Qing Mengzhu.

Qing Mengzhu hosted them at home, just as she had hosted Duan Yu'ang and his group before, so hosting Bi Luping now would be no problem.

Bi Luping was a middle-aged man with a crew cut. He looked very simple and didn't have the imposing presence of a high-ranking leader.

After the two sides met and introduced themselves, Qing Mengzhu showed them the materials she had prepared in advance.

Qing Mengzhu said sincerely, "Our research on Tuan Brassica is just beginning, and we don't have much experimental data yet. We're not sure if we can be of any help. May I ask what kind of mine you have there?"

"That's no secret," Bi Luping said. "Rhodium."

A hint of confusion appeared in Qing Mengzhu's eyes. What kind of mine is this?

Bi Luping recognized it and typed it out for him. "This is rhodium, rhodium ore."

Qing Mengzhu: "So that's what it is."

Bi Luping nodded. "Rhodium is a metal that is found in very low amounts in natural ores, has many byproducts, and is very difficult to smelt."

Qing Mengzhu showed an expression of amazement.

Bi Luping continued, "Since we took over this rhodium mine, we've tried all sorts of smelting methods, but the results haven't been ideal. This time, our technicians saw your paper and noticed the enrichment effect of Tuan Brassica on multiple metals, so they wanted to give it a try."

Qing Mengzhu took out her phone. "Can I check the information about rhodium mines first?"

Bi Luping gestured for him to proceed.

With his permission, Qing Mengzhu began investigating from the side.

When Qing Mengzhu checked, the first piece of information she found was the price of rhodium.

The international price of rhodium today is 5,100 yuan per gram, which is more than seven times the price of gold!

So expensive!

When Qing Mengzhu looked at rhodium again, her feelings were completely different.

Such an expensive metal deserves to be smelted using whatever method is available.

They received more than 4,000 seeds on their first attempt at planting Tuan Brassica.

In the second round, when they planted Tuan Brassica * at the chemical plant, they also grafted the flower stalks of Tuan Brassica onto mustard greens. The flowers successfully produced seeds, and they later harvested 143 jin (76.5 kg) of seeds.

After Li Ba's screening and processing, a total of 129 jin of qualified seeds remained.

This number is already quite large.

They had previously planned to cultivate some of the seeds into seedlings and plant them at the chemical plant, then treat the plant's soil.

The other part is planted directly in unpolluted, fertile soil, specifically for seed production, so that grafting won't be so troublesome every time.

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "Our seeds haven't received market approval yet, so it's not convenient to sell them—"

Bi Luping immediately replied, "If it's inconvenient to sell, we can jointly develop applications. We're willing to provide the venue and share experimental data with your company, but we hope to have priority in purchasing Tuan Brassica seeds later."

Qing Mengzhu had originally intended to offer them some, but upon hearing his question, she blinked and asked, "Is that alright?"

Duan Yu'ang chimed in, "There are many similar collaborations now; you can sign a contract to protect the rights of both parties."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's no problem. Please let me think about it for two days, and I'll see how to proceed."

Seeing his strong willingness to cooperate, Bi Luping happily said, "Okay, we'll prepare a proposal for you to review first."

Qing Mengzhu shook hands with Bi Luping: "Thank you for your hard work."

Bi Luping laughed heartily, "It's no trouble at all, just wait for our contract."

Bi Luping and his company submitted their contract very quickly.

Qing Mengzhu consulted the law firm that worked with Zhuxi and found that Bi Luping's terms were very attractive, so she was inclined to sign a contract.

After learning about this, Ke Shuwen excitedly came to Qing Mengzhu and asked, "President Qing, have you decided to cooperate with Huase Yishan Metallurgical Construction Group Co., Ltd."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. This company is a subsidiary of Huaxia Limited Mining Group Co., Ltd.., a large wholly-owned subsidiary directly managed by the state. Zhuxi's cooperation with them would be very beneficial to enhancing his reputation and qualifications.

Ke Shuwen's eyes lit up. "Do you need someone to be stationed there? I'd like to apply to go!"

Qing Mengzhu cautioned, "If you go, the business trip might take a long time, and the environment there is quite complicated."

Ke Shuwen: "I can overcome all these difficulties!"

Ke Shuwen said, "I am very interested in this project and hope you can give me a chance. There is only finishing work left at the chemical plant, which Xie Yibin and his team can handle. If there are any problems they cannot solve, I can also provide remote guidance."

Seeing how eager she was to take on the project, Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and agreed, "Let's talk to them again to see how to cooperate, and try our best to secure better living conditions while ensuring your safety."

Ke Shuwen: "Okay, President Qing. After we get there, we will definitely work hard, conduct more experiments, and bring back as much experimental data as possible so that we can understand the situation of Tuan Brassica as soon as possible and Tuan Brassica its seeds to market soon."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Ke Shuwen's eyes lit up. "It's not hard work at all, I really like this!"

Ke Shuwen glanced at Qing Mengzhu and said earnestly, "I have a feeling that once the seeds of Tuan Brassica are officially on the market, they will definitely become our company's star seeds, the kind that are world-renowned."

Qing Mengzhu and said, "Then I'll accept your kind words."