Year: I planted trees in Saihanba

Chapter 181 An appallingly low survival rate

The next day, before the morning sun had completely dispelled the chill of Saihanba, summer arrived at the new camp.

As soon as he stepped into the camp, he spotted Li Zhong, who was up early and active, and quickly went up to greet him.

Good morning, Teacher Li!

"Why didn't you rest a little longer?"

"Xia, good morning too!"

Li Zhong smiled gently and continued.

"When people get older, they sleep less."

Summer asked again with concern.

"Did you sleep well last night, Teacher Li?"

"Fortunately!"

Li Zhong responded, then asked Xia Tian in return.

"Xia, why don't you rest a little longer?"

Summer answered with a smile.

"I'm used to it, I get up at this time every day!"

After hearing this, Li Zhong smiled and nodded, his eyes full of admiration for the young man's self-discipline.

……

Soon everyone got up one after another.

Li Zhongzheng and his entourage were discussing something.

At this moment, Yu Zheng hurriedly walked towards Li Zhong's direction.

He had already learned about the two suitable afforestation plots from Qu He.

But he still held a sliver of hope, thinking that there might still be a chance, so he said to Li Zhong.

"Mr. Li, we need your help to check on one more patch of trees that has been planted today!"

"There's another one?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Zhong's eyes, and he couldn't help but ask in disbelief.

He could hardly believe that there was a forest in Saihanba, a place considered unsuitable for tree growth.

In his mind, planting trees in Saihanba was not that easy.

Mechanized forest farms should have been established long ago to fulfill the important task of preventing wind erosion and protecting the capital.

"Yes, there's one more!"

Yu Zheng nodded reluctantly, his expression a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

Li Zhong looked at Xia Tian, ​​who was busy not far away, and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He then smiled and nodded at him.

"Good job, Xia! Well done!"

This sudden action left Xia Tian, ​​who was busy on the sidelines and unaware of the truth, feeling completely bewildered.

He looked at Li Zhong with suspicion, but didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Soon, everyone finished their breakfast.

A large group of people set off towards the No. 1 suitable afforestation area.

(The No. 1 suitable forest plot is the one that Wu Yansheng was previously in charge of. To distinguish them, Wu Yansheng's plot will be called No. 1 suitable forest plot, and Qin Xuemei's plot will be called No. 2 suitable forest plot.)

Yu Zhenglai's feelings were somewhat complicated throughout the journey.

There was both worry about the unknown outcome and a glimmer of hope.

Soon, the group arrived at the woods.

Looking at the sparse, half-dead saplings in front of me.

Li Zhong frowned deeply.

The woodland looked completely different from the lush greenery he had seen yesterday.

The stark contrast made his heart sink.

"Xia, come here!"

Li Zhong called Xia Tian to his side, intending to ask her in detail what had happened.

"What's wrong, Teacher Li?"

Xia Tian walked up to Li Zhong and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"How is this going?"

Li Zhong pointed to the sapling in front of him, his eyes full of confusion, hoping that Xia Tian could give him a reasonable explanation.

Xia Tian was slightly taken aback, his mind racing. He had a rough idea of ​​why Li Zhong was so surprised.

“Teacher Li, what you see before you is the real picture of planting trees in Saihanba.”

Summer spoke slowly.

"If saplings from below the dam are planted in Saihanba, this is basically the case."

“We’ve tried for years, and it’s always the same.”

"That's why I came up with the idea of ​​cultivating seedlings in the Saihanba area, which led to the two afforestation plots we had before."

"And the piece of land suitable for afforestation proposed by Comrade Feng Cheng."

"It's just an isolated case; such a high survival rate only occurs around that particular tree."

"As for the saplings in other places, basically every single one planted dies."

"This area in front of us was planted with about 4000 saplings, and this is what it looks like now."

Xia Tian patiently and thoroughly explained to Li Zhong.

After listening, Li Zhong slowly nodded, inwardly lamenting that he had made the mistake of relying on empiricism.

The saplings in the several suitable afforestation areas I saw yesterday were all thriving.

This made him subconsciously believe that what he was supposed to see today should be the same scene.

But reality dealt him a heavy blow.

"Okay, I understand!"

Li Zhong nodded, indicating that he already knew the reason.

Only then did Li Zhong realize that planting trees in Saihanba was far more difficult than he had imagined.

Then, Li Zhong signaled to his entourage to start working.

Upon receiving the instructions, the accompanying personnel acted swiftly and systematically to inspect the saplings.

Yu Zhenglai and Qu He stood to the side, looking at the saplings not far away with serious expressions.

Their eyes revealed anxiety and worry.

Although I don't have much hope for this piece of land suitable for afforestation.

But seeing this tragic scene with their own eyes now makes them feel particularly heavy-hearted.

Soon, the accompanying personnel finished inspecting the saplings.

"Old Li, none of my plants have survived!"

"Old Li, I only have two trees here that might survive."

"Old Li, things are a bit better here; about eight of my trees have survived."

"Old Li, three of my trees have survived."

The four accompanying personnel reported the inspection results in turn.

Although Li Zhong was mentally prepared, he was still surprised when he heard this number.

I still feel like a huge rock is pressing down on my heart, and it's very painful.

Calculations show that the survival rate of this forest is only about 0.3%, a heartbreakingly low figure.

"Director Yu, the survival rate of this suitable afforestation land is only about 0.3%."

Li Zhong looked at Yu Zhenglai and spoke frankly.

"what?"

Although Yu Zhenglai was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback when he heard the specific numbers.

He couldn't help but be taken aback; his expression froze instantly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Teacher Li, there's another one, and it's in a slightly better condition than this one."

Xia Tian stepped forward and said another sentence to Li Zhong.

"Come on, take me to see it!"

Li Zhong looked serious, eager to learn about the other woodland.

Summer led a large group of people toward the No. 2 suitable afforestation plot.

Everyone remained silent the entire way, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Everyone was silently praying that the next piece of woodland would bring good news.

This is it!

Xia Tian pointed to the woods not far away and said to Li Zhong.

Li Zhong immediately ordered his entourage to get to work.

Several people skillfully and efficiently began to check the survival rate of the saplings.

“Mr. Li, I have about 13 saplings here that will survive.”

"Mr. Li, I have 8 trees here."

"Old Li, I'm fine here, I have 21 trees."

"Mr. Li, I have 15 trees here."

Li Zhong quickly calculated the survival rate of the saplings in his mind.

After some calculations, he concluded that the survival rate of this forest was about one percent.

The combined survival rate of the two suitable afforestation plots is approximately 0.7%.

The survival rate was shockingly low, leaving everyone present feeling incredibly frustrated.