The living room of a house in a residential complex.
Ding Ding and Gao Yi, who had been overjoyed by the news that Ding Yun was the top scorer in liberal arts in their province, were completely stunned and exchanged glances when Ding Yun declared her intention to apply to the provincial agricultural university.
After a long while, Gao Yi asked with a furrowed brow, "Xiao Yun, why would you have such an idea? Agricultural university must be very tough. I remember having to farm and things like that. Can you endure such hardship? You've never worked in the fields since you were little."
"Yes, with your grades, you could easily get into any good university and find a good job after graduation. Why insist on applying to agricultural university? I've heard that the research environment in agricultural universities is much more arduous than before. The most important thing in current agricultural research is cultivating cold- and drought-resistant crops. So, when it comes to planting, it's impossible to do it in greenhouses. You'll likely have to work in fields with temperatures over forty degrees Celsius, harvesting experimental crops. You might even have to farm in minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius. Even if you don't plant much, it's still very hard work! You can't endure this hardship, so listen to your mother and me, and apply for a regular major. Whether it's economics, literature, or any other field, just apply for a common major. We don't need you to research seeds," Ding Ding chimed in with persuasion.
For him, his daughter becoming the top liberal arts scorer in the province was more than just a stroke of luck; it was akin to a volcanic eruption from his ancestral grave. Having such an accomplished daughter go to farm seemed like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. Naturally, he had to dissuade her.
"Dad, Mom, if the government isn't deeply concerned about the future, and isn't very clear that extreme weather is unlikely to disappear, why would they make such a firm decision and make so many changes? And this is also for our family's consideration. How long do you think our country's grain reserves can last? Five years or ten years? I don't think the country will consume all its grain reserves. Some must be set aside. Even if I can't achieve anything significant, after graduating from agricultural university, it will be easy to find a job in a related field. I believe that in four or five years, jobs in such fields will be the most sought after. Or, at the very least, you'll be assured of food and clothing. It might even bring some benefits to the family. For example, seventy years ago, have you ever heard of people working in grain stations or restaurants going hungry?"
Ding Yun didn't try to persuade her parents by saying she liked it or that she was contributing to the country. Instead, she took a different approach, speculating about the future and the benefits of her current choice if that future came to pass.
Sometimes, certain beliefs are hard to change, like the view that studying agriculture is not promising. But once pointed out, certain things become clear, such as the pessimistic outlook for the future situation. And if the future situation is indeed bleak, those studying agriculture might secure a stable job.
Under Ding Yun's persuasion, Ding Ding and Gao Yi, who also had low expectations for the future, discussed and deliberated for a long time before reluctantly agreeing to her applying to agricultural university. However, their agreement still required further discussion and modification of the specific reasons. That is, if outsiders inquired or interviews were conducted, they couldn't reveal these reasons. They would have to say it was for the country and the people, to solve the food problem, and to address the difficulties caused by frequent extreme weather conditions, which led her to dedicate herself to agricultural studies. This way, her reputation would be better, and people would praise her.
Subsequently, as expected, people from the university came to congratulate her, conduct interviews and take photos, and even the government awarded her. In short, Ding Yun went through all the procedures that past top scorers had experienced. Because she expressed her desire to dedicate herself to agricultural studies, she received even more attention and praise than other top scorers. Although some people made sarcastic remarks, calling it a show, most people were primarily laudatory, believing that the more high-quality talents entered agricultural universities, the greater the hope of cultivating crops that could solve the current predicament.
After some time, the buzz gradually subsided. Ding Yun also quickly enrolled in school. Upon starting her studies, she completed all theoretical knowledge at the fastest pace possible and began actively applying to participate in practical work and some projects related to the differentiation and breeding or hybridization of good seed varieties. She became known as a genius and a workaholic at the agricultural university. After all, when it was cold, she could wear a warming jade, and when it was hot, she could wear a cooling jade. Whether working in the fields at over forty degrees Celsius or minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius, Ding Yun was much more comfortable and less distressed than others. She naturally worked more than others. What was wrong with earning the nickname of a workaholic?
While Ding Yun was completing her studies, the global environment continued to change. China's active macro-control stood in stark contrast to other countries' laissez-faire approach. This was not the critical point. The critical point was that due to other countries' passive and hands-off policies, even the most diligent efforts made domestically yielded limited rapid results. This was because current environmental issues were not regional problems but global ones. Regional changes had a very small impact on the world.
For example, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and afforestation were areas where China had always performed well, significantly increasing expenditure in recent years. But in other countries, a forest fire lasting more than half a year could wipe out decades of domestic efforts, releasing countless amounts of carbon dioxide. How could this possibly help mitigate extreme weather? The vast amount of carbon dioxide emitted did not stay in one place; it eventually entered the global environmental cycle, forcing people worldwide to pay for their inaction. Moreover, as summer temperatures continued to rise, the frequency of forest fires worldwide also increased. However, while China could actively respond, even ordinary citizens participated in firefighting, quickly extinguishing forest fires in their nascent stages or at least preventing them from getting out of control. Other countries struggled to achieve this, with fires burning for months.
Every year, carbon dioxide emissions from forest fires alone were almost comparable to industrial emissions, not to mention the loss of forests and their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. In short, the global situation was quite dire. In just a few years, the number of people living below the poverty line worldwide had surged from over a billion to nearly three billion. No one could do anything about it. Even countries that had previously exported grain were now largely forced to stop. Furthermore, destructive environmental practices, such as overfishing, had not decreased due to environmental degradation; in fact, they were becoming more severe. As food supplies dwindled, people sought other alternatives. Facing starvation in the coming month, many could no longer consider the future, so they continued to exploit resources indiscriminately. This created a vicious cycle. The worse the environment became, the more people were compelled to damage it and catch marine life to survive, leading to further environmental degradation. Countries that could have received aid were now experiencing mass starvation. Countries heavily reliant on grain imports were experiencing significant unrest. Only a few sparsely populated countries were relatively less affected.
China was currently relying on its reserves to cope. However, compared to other countries, or rather, compared to all countries worldwide, China had an advantage: it had pioneered artificial starch technology years ago. The technology was not mature, and it was costly and energy-intensive. But, in any case, it provided a safety net. With sufficient energy, it could ensure that people did not starve.