Chapter 22: A Sudden Landslide! (Please Vote)

The plain silk and threads brought back from Jiangnan made Director Zhang of the logistics department beam with delight.

The “achievements” of He Yuzhu’s team quickly spread within the procurement section. Deputy Section Chief Sun Jianguo specifically named them during a team meeting: “Team Leader He leads with skill. This mission was accomplished brilliantly! In the future, if there are tough nuts to crack, your team will have to chew through them!”

“Don’t worry, Deputy Section Chief Sun. We guarantee to complete the tasks!” He Yuzhu responded, his gaze sweeping over his team members—Ma Hua, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Li. Xiao Wang was sharp; Xiao Li steady—both promising talents. “Next time we go far, all of you come along. We’ll take turns driving and broaden our horizons.”

A new mission arrived swiftly. The factory’s technical department’s innovation project required a special sealing material—natural rubber. Though the quantity needed was small, it demanded high purity and excellent elasticity.

Since official channels couldn’t supply it, the task once again fell to He Yuzhu.

“Rubber? That’s found in Hainan and Yunnan,” He Yuzhu pointed at the map. “Let’s head to southern Yunnan! There are many state-owned farms there; maybe they have some off-plan stock or loose rubber.”

“Master, this time bringing Xiao Wang and Xiao Li?” Ma Hua asked.

“Bring them all,” He Yuzhu decided. “Xiao Wang is meticulous—he’ll handle the accounts and documents. Xiao Li is strong—he’ll help along the way. Ma Hua, you’re in charge of the vehicle and main contacts.”

The four-man team set off promptly.

The truck wound along the rugged Yunnan-Burma Highway, with endless green mountains outside the window, mist clinging to mid-slopes, and the air so humid it felt as if water could be wrung from it.

Occasionally, they saw hill folk carrying huge bamboo baskets on steep paths, dressed in vibrant ethnic attire.

“Goodness, this road!” Xiao Li gripped the steering wheel, sweat beading on his palms. On one side was a sheer cliff, on the other a deep valley.

“Drive slowly, watch for oncoming vehicles,” He Yuzhu cautioned. “Xiao Wang, separate the letters of introduction, national grain coupons, and cash, and keep them close. Also…” He pointed to several large cardboard boxes in the truck bed, “those special tobacco and alcohol coupons approved by Director Zhang were exchanged in Kunming for twenty new metal thermos flasks and thirty pairs of protective rubber shoes. These things are worth more than money up in the mountains.”

Several days later, the truck rolled into a state-owned rubber farm in Xishuangbanna called Mengpeng.

In the farm’s office, old Yang, in charge of supply and marketing, eyed the letter of introduction and gritted his teeth. “Comrade He, it’s not that we don’t want to help. Natural rubber is a strategic material, strictly controlled! Not a drop of the designated rubber can go missing. Where would off-plan surplus come from? That scrap is long since absorbed internally!”

Hope seemed dashed. Xiao Li looked a bit discouraged. Yet He Yuzhu was calm, offering a cigarette. “Section Chief Yang, we understand. We workers engaged in technical innovation just lack this crucial material. How about this?” He gestured to Xiao Wang to open a box, revealing shiny metal thermos flasks and sturdy rubber shoes. “These are for the farm workers’ welfare—a small token from Red Star Factory. Could you help us ask if any villagers in the local settlements might have some old rubber? We’re willing to pay 20% above the supply cooperative’s price, cash on the spot.”

The gleaming metal of the thermos and the thick soles of the rubber shoes brightened old Yang’s eyes.

These days, what the mountains lacked were exactly such practical goods. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Settlements… that might be possible. Some old rubber farming households might still have blocks of pre-liberation rubber. The quality is guaranteed, but the quantity is small. I’ll ask around for you.”

Old Yang went out and returned with a Dai man dressed in a traditional jacket and headscarf named Yan Wen.

“Brother Yan Wen is from Manlong Village. He says a few elderly households there might have some old rubber,” Old Yang introduced.

Yan Wen spoke little. After looking at the thermos flasks and rubber shoes, he nodded and said in halting Mandarin, “Follow me.”

The truck followed Yan Wen’s bicycle, leaving the farm and turning onto deeper forest dirt paths.

Towering trees blocked the sky, the air filled with the damp scent of rotting leaves and the faint unique aroma of rubber trees. Eventually, they stopped at a Dai village nestled amid banana groves and bamboo.

News spread quickly. Several elderly Dai villagers rummaged under wooden floorboards of bamboo houses, producing treasured blocks of old rubber kept for many years.

The rubber blocks were dark brown, smooth on the surface, highly elastic—clearly well-preserved top quality.

The transaction required few words. He Yuzhu priced them according to quality and paid cash promptly. The thermos flasks and rubber shoes were also distributed to Yan Wen and the village as agreed.

The village elders smiled with missing teeth as they touched the shiny new thermos flasks.

“Master, is this much rubber enough?” Ma Hua counted the exchanged blocks—only about a dozen pounds.

“Not enough,” He Yuzhu said, looking toward rows of neatly planted rubber trees on the distant hillside. “But it’s a start. Brother Yan Wen,” he turned to Yan Wen, “can you take us into the grove to see the freshly tapped rubber?”

Yan Wen nodded. The group followed him into the rubber forest. Milky latex dripped from the tapping cuts on the bark into porcelain cups hung below, the air thickening with the scent of rubber.

“Team Leader He, look over there,” Xiao Wang, sharp-eyed, pointed to a small patch of trees. “Those trees don’t look well—the leaves are all yellow.”

He Yuzhu walked over to inspect closely. Several rubber trees had yellowing leaves and few drops of latex oozing from the tapped cuts, appearing weak.

“Sick,” Yan Wen sighed. “Recently, with heavy rain and heat, many trees got ‘yellow leaf disease.’ They don’t yield good latex. The farm technicians came to check but found no good cure.”

He Yuzhu crouched, examined the bark and tapping cuts carefully, and suddenly recalled some fragmented knowledge from a long-ago training session—“Common Rubber Tree Diseases and Simple Treatments.”

Yellow leaf disease… seemed related to nutrient deficiency or root issues? For latex stimulation… he vaguely remembered a folk remedy.

“Brother Yan Wen, find some clean wood ash and some lime water, make it strong,” He Yuzhu said, standing up.

They quickly gathered the materials. He Yuzhu directed Xiao Li and Xiao Wang to mix the wood ash with concentrated lime water into a paste and carefully apply a ring of it below the tapping cuts on the sick trees. He also asked Yan Wen to find sturdy vines to tightly bind several loops around the tree trunks.

“What’s this for?” Ma Hua asked, puzzled.

“To stimulate and aerate,” He Yuzhu gave no further explanation. He recalled this method temporarily stimulates the tree, increasing latex flow pressure, sometimes effective for mild yellow leaf disease.

After finishing, they bade farewell to Yan Wen and returned to the farm with the old rubber. He Yuzhu greeted Old Yang and promised to return in a few days for a follow-up.

Three days later, He Yuzhu’s team revisited the sick trees in Manlong Village.

The treated trunks showed a noticeable swelling ring below the tapping cuts. Although the latex flow was still modest, it was clearer, thicker, and slightly more abundant than before.

“Wow! It really helped a bit!” Yan Wen touched the trunk in surprise.

“This is an emergency measure, a temporary fix. The farm technicians still need to find a cure,” He Yuzhu admitted frankly. “But this extra latex…”

Old Yang hurried over upon hearing the news, eyeing the increased latex and then He Yuzhu with a complex look. “Team Leader He, you… understand this?”

“I’ve heard some folk remedies from the elders,” He Yuzhu said vaguely. “Section Chief Yang, can this extra latex be counted as the farm’s off-plan loss? We bought the old rubber at old prices and exchanged it for practical goods for the farm.”

Old Yang glanced at the remaining thermos flasks and rubber shoes in the truck, then at Yan Wen and the hopeful villagers. Finally, he nodded, “Alright! We’ll do it your way! But the quantity isn’t much. You handle the collection yourselves quietly.”

Thanks to the “boosted yield” from the sick trees—some ten or so pounds of latex—combined with the old rubber blocks, they finally gathered enough for the technical department’s needs.

On the return trip, Yan Wen caught up with them at the village entrance, handing He Yuzhu a bamboo tube. “Team Leader He, this is homemade herbal medicine for bruises and sprains—soak in wine and rub. Very effective!”

The truck rolled out of the lush rainforest. Xiao Li, driving, couldn’t help but ask, “Team Leader, you even know how to diagnose tree illnesses?”

“Just a lucky strike,” He Yuzhu opened the bamboo tube and inhaled the sharp herbal scent. “Mountain people live off the land—they have many tricks. The more we learn about procurement, the broader our path becomes.”

Xiao Wang diligently noted in his notebook: rubber tree yellow leaf disease, ash and lime water stimulation, vine binding… He thought their team leader truly knew a great deal.

Turning a sharp mountain bend, a dull roar and startled shouts came from ahead!

“Watch out! Landslide!” Ma Hua’s sharp eyes slammed on the brakes!

Ahead, the mountain road was half-destroyed by a torrent of mud and rocks. Several ox carts and pedestrians were trapped amid the chaos.

The muddy water, carrying stones and fallen trees, was still rushing down!

“Quick! Get out and help!” He Yuzhu was the first to fling open the door and dash out. Ma Hua, Xiao Li, and Xiao Wang followed close behind.