On a winter morning, the warm sunlight pierced through the thin mist and gently spilled over the ancient fields, breathing new life into the time-worn land.
Li Yi stood alone by the field ridge, his posture tall and straight like an old pine rooted in the soil. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed into the distance at the endless expanse of farmland. In this slack farming season, the fields looked slightly desolate. Remnants of crop stubble trembled in the cold wind, rustling as if recounting the toil and harvest of the past year. But in Li Yi's eyes, this desolation was only temporary. His eyes sparkled with vision, already sketching a prosperous scene after the agricultural reform: granaries full of grain in every household, villagers smiling with contentment, children laughing and playing in the fields, and the elderly sitting at their doorsteps enjoying the warm sun—a picture of peace.
"Your Majesty, will this reform succeed?" A worried voice broke the silence. Li Yi turned to see an old farmer standing beside him. The farmer wore a washed-out cotton-padded jacket with patched cuffs and cloth shoes caked in mud, clearly a lifelong laborer. His brows were furrowed, and the wrinkles on his forehead were like deep gullies carved by time in the field ridges, each hiding the hardships of life and fear of the unknown. His cloudy eyes were full of unease and doubt, and his lips trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, this commoner has never planted such new crop varieties. I'm really unsure."
Li Yi smiled gently and reassuringly, reaching out to pat the old farmer's shoulder. "Uncle, don't worry! These new varieties were developed by many experts after years of day and night research and repeated trials. They have high yields, strong disease resistance, and are perfectly suited to our soil and climate. As long as you plant them using scientific methods, life will definitely get better, and your income could even double!"
Still, Li Yi knew it would not be easy to make these farmers, who had clung to traditional planting methods for generations, accept new things. This was undoubtedly a formidable challenge.
To smoothly implement the agricultural reform and encourage farmers to plant new varieties, Li Yi had been as busy as a wind-up machine recently, losing weight so that his cheeks hollowed out and his once-fitting clothes hung loosely on him. He left the palace in disguise and visited each household one by one. At every home, he patiently explained the advantages of the new varieties, detailing everything from the seeds' shape and color to their growth characteristics, soil pH and fertility requirements, adaptability to different climates, projected per-mu yields, market popularity, and sales prospects.
Moreover, he rolled up his trousers and stepped into the fields, ignoring the mud on his legs, to teach farmers hand-by-hand the proper sowing depth, spacing, and how to fertilize and irrigate correctly. Yet despite his exhaustive efforts and tireless running around in the fields, many farmers remained skeptical and cautious.
"Your Majesty, if the harvest is poor, how will my family survive?" Another middle-aged farmer asked with a worried frown. He wore a tattered jacket, his hands calloused from years of labor, and dirt still lingered under his nails. His eyes were filled with fear of future uncertainties—he had elderly parents to support and children studying in a private school, all relying on the harvest from these few mu of land. Any risk could be a disaster, plunging the family into endless hardship if they failed.
Li Yi deeply understood the farmers' concerns. For generations, they had depended on the land for survival; it was their lifeblood, and every change could affect their family's livelihood and future. He bowed his head, deep in thought, quickly considering how to allay their fears. Then he looked up, his gaze firm, and said earnestly, "I know everyone is uneasy. Here's a proposal: if you're worried, you can plant the new variety on a small portion of your land this year as a trial. If the harvest is good, you can expand the planting area next year. Besides, from sowing to harvest, I will provide full technical guidance. No matter the problem, day or night, just call, and I'll come immediately!"
After Li Yi's persuasive efforts, some bold and open-minded young farmers finally decided to give it a try. Looking at their mixed expressions—eyes shining with longing for a better life yet tinged with fear of failure—Li Yi vowed secretly to make the reform a success, live up to their trust, and turn this land into a true source of hope.
Meanwhile, in a simple laboratory at the other end of the village, Lin Yue was buried in a sea of experimental equipment and herbal samples, busily at work. The lab had rows of old experiment tables cluttered with various bottles and jars containing herbal extracts of different colors. Lin Yue wore a white lab coat, her hair casually tied back with a few strands falling by her cheeks. She was fully focused on studying how herbs could prevent and control crop diseases and pests, hoping to find a green and environmentally friendly method to reduce pesticide use, make agricultural products healthier and safer, and safeguard people's dietary health from the source while contributing to the land's sustainable development.
"Lin Yue, can this herbal extract really effectively prevent and control pests?" Assistant Xiao Wang asked, looking at a pile of failed experimental samples with a doubtful expression and a hint of skepticism in his voice. Xiao Wang was a recent college graduate full of vitality, but he couldn't help feeling disheartened by repeated failures.
Lin Yue looked up confidently, her eyes shining with determination, and nodded firmly. "Theoretically, it's entirely feasible. These herbs contain many natural antibacterial and insect-repellent components. For example, matrine in Sophora flavescens can inhibit many pests, and pyrethrin in Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium can effectively repel mosquitoes and insects. As long as we optimize the formula and extraction process through experiments, we will definitely achieve good prevention and control effects."
In reality, however, the experiment was more difficult than imagined. The outdated equipment often broke down, and some key reagents were in short supply, making each experiment feel like struggling through a thicket of thorns. Time and again, experiments failed, and the data was always unsatisfactory, but Lin Yue did not lose heart. Like a tireless soldier, she fought on despite setbacks. After each failure, she carefully organized the experimental data, analyzing every detail—from the steps of the experiment and the ratio of herbs to the temperature and time of extraction—without missing any possible problem. She also consulted a large number of professional materials, from ancient agricultural books to modern academic journals, seeking inspiration and solutions. When facing difficulties, she traveled to research institutions in the city to consult experts in related fields. Finally, after countless days and nights of hard work and numerous attempts, she successfully developed an efficient herbal control agent.
"Great!" Lin Yue exclaimed, leaping from her chair and clutching the test tube containing the herbal agent, her eyes welling with tears of joy. "Now we can finally help farmers solve the big problem of pests and diseases!" At that moment, she felt all her efforts had been worth it; the sleepless nights and tiredness had turned into joy and satisfaction.
When Li Yi learned of Lin Yue's achievement, he was so excited he almost jumped up. "Lin Yue, this is just what we needed!" he exclaimed. "With this, farmers will have more assurance in planting the new varieties!" The two immediately decided to join forces to promote the agricultural reform and herbal control technology to every village.
They carefully organized one training lecture after another. To ensure farmers could understand and learn the techniques, they translated complex technical knowledge into simple, everyday language. Li Yi used daily examples to explain planting principles—for instance, comparing seed germination to a child's growth, which requires suitable temperature, moisture, and nutrients. Lin Yue used simple charts to show how the herbal agent worked. They also created vivid images and videos, projecting them in the village square to attract many villagers.
At the lectures, they not only explained the key points of planting new varieties and using herbal pest control but also taught practical operations hand-by-hand. Li Yi demonstrated proper sowing and thinning, while Lin Yue guided farmers on diluting and spraying the herbal agent.
However, the promotion process was not smooth. Some farmers were deeply conservative and instinctively resisted new things, ignoring all persuasions from Li Yi and Lin Yue. A nearly seventy-year-old grandfather sat in his courtyard, smoking a pipe, and said slowly, "I've farmed my whole life using the same methods. No matter how good new things are, I dare not try them. If I lose, my old bones can't afford the loss."
Some farmers attended the training but struggled to follow the new technical requirements in practice, accustomed as they were to traditional methods. Once, when Li Yi checked a farmer's field, he found the new variety was planted, but the density and fertilizer amount were incorrect. He patiently explained the correct method again, but the farmer said dismissively, "I've farmed for decades—need you to teach me? I think this way is fine." Helpless, Li Yi had to persuade him repeatedly, explaining the principles of scientific farming and comparing real-world yields. He even took the farmer to visit other fields planted correctly, showing him the visible difference, before the farmer reluctantly agreed.
Lin Yue also faced challenges in promoting the herbal agent. Some farmers doubted this odorless substance that didn't look like traditional pesticides, worrying it wouldn't work. Lin Yue conducted live field demonstrations, selecting a pest-ridden field and spraying the agent on half while leaving the other half untreated. Within days, the pests on the treated crops decreased significantly, their leaves turning green and healthy, while the untreated half was riddled with holes from insects. After multiple demonstrations and patient explanations, farmers gradually felt reassured.
As time passed, with the joint efforts of Li Yi and Lin Yue, more and more farmers began to accept and actively participate in the agricultural reform. In spring, the warm spring breeze swept across the fields like a gentle messenger. The newly sown crop seeds sprouted one after another, and the tender green seedlings thrived under the sun and rain, forming a vast green ocean where gentle winds caused waves of green. In summer, when pests and diseases arrived as expected, Lin Yue's herbal agent played a huge role. The once-rampant pests fled at the agent's effect, and the crops remained safe and vigorous under its protection, stretching their leaves in the sun. In autumn, golden sunlight bathed the earth, and the fields reaped a bountiful harvest. Heavy wheat ears bent the stalks, plump fruits hung from the vines, and farmers' faces beamed with happiness. They shuttled through the fields, swinging their sickles to harvest a year's hope, their laughter echoing over the fields.
"Thank you so much!" An elderly farmer with white hair grasped Li Yi and Lin Yue's hands excitedly, his voice trembling. "This year's harvest is much better than previous years. Life finally has hope!" His rough, cracked hands were like old tree bark, but the gratitude they conveyed was incomparably warm.
Li Yi and Lin Yue smiled at each other, their eyes filled with relief and pride. Looking at this land of hope and the farmers' joy of harvest, they felt a deep sense of accomplishment and confidence in future agricultural development. The road of agricultural reform was still long, and there might be more challenges ahead—such as market price fluctuations, extreme weather, and the constant update of new technologies. But they firmly believed that as long as they persevered, they could make this land shine even brighter and ensure every farmer lived a rich and happy life. They knew they were not just promoting new planting techniques and control methods but also striving for the land's future and farmers' better lives.
With this belief, they would continue to walk steadfastly on the path of agricultural reform, writing their own glorious chapter. In the days to come, they planned to further expand the agricultural industry chain, introduce deep processing projects for agricultural products, increase their added value, and help farmers gain more profits, truly making this land a fertile soil nurturing hope and happiness.