Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 16 The Vegetable Market

"Da da……"

The tractor kicked up dust as it passed, and its black exhaust pipe emitted a pungent diesel smell, making Li Zhe's driving experience unpleasant.

But that didn't stop the villagers working in the fields from craning their necks to see what was going on, their eyes following the iron ox as it rolled around.

"Who drove the Iron Bull out? It wasn't Liu Laosan."

"Looks like the second son of the Li family!"

"When did his kid learn to drive?"

Cars were a scarce commodity in this era, and drivers were skilled workers, making them highly sought-after.

To put it simply, if Li Zhe drove his tractor around the village, even the village matchmakers would have to give him a second glance.

"Dad, the second son really convinced Wang Tietou! When did he learn to drive a cart?" Li Weidong rubbed his eyes, the corn silk on the back of his hand rubbing against his face.

Old Li was also a bit confused, "Why did that stubborn mule Wang Tietou agree?"

"That's awesome!" Zhao Tiezhu stared at the sputtering iron ox and kicked the wooden wheel of his own carriage.

Li Zhe parked the tractor by the roadside, jumped off, and said to his father and the other two, "Comrades, the village party branch, out of trust in me, has agreed to lend us the tractor."

Our task now is to finish harvesting the corn before dark so we can get up early tomorrow morning and go into town to sell the fresh corn.

Old Li asked, "Second brother, you've never dealt with Secretary Wang before, so why did he agree to rent the ox to you?"

"Dad, let's get to work first, we'll talk when we get home."

Li Weidong patted the tractor, his face full of envy, "I'll go to town with you tomorrow."

"Why are you meddling in this? Just stay home." Old Li said disapprovingly. "Zhu Zi, you'll have to do this for us. When you have time, go with Lao Er on a trip."

Although Zhao Tiezhu had never been to the capital, he had traveled all over the country hauling goods and was more resourceful than a farmer. If they really encountered a road checkpoint, he would definitely be more useful than the boss.

Zhao Tiezhu grinned and said, "What's so hard about riding a tractor? I'd be happy to take a trip to the capital."

Li Weidong was displeased, and his face fell.

Li Zhe took a look and realized this wouldn't do. The eldest son was a strong laborer, and they were counting on him to do the work.

"Brother, Zhu Zi and I will go ahead and scout out the route. Once the greenhouse vegetables are grown, we'll have to go to Beijing every day. We'll not only take you, but also bring your wife and Da Ya along. The three of you can travel around as you please."

Li Weidong laughed, "Hehe, I'll tell your sister-in-law when we get back, she'll be so happy."

Old Li sighed softly. His eldest son was just like him when he was young. In the future... that's all he'll amount to.

Looking at the second son, he seems much more agreeable. Let him cause trouble if he wants; it would be even more worrying if both sons had the same personality.

Old Li looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late. Let's get to work first, and we can chat when we get back."

After the four men finished picking the corn, they threw it into urea bags and put it directly into the tractor's trailer. In the evening, after the corn harvest was finished, Li Zhe drove the tractor back to the old house and loaded the corn he had picked in the morning onto the tractor as well, so that he could drive it directly into Beijing the next morning.

……

As dawn broke and the roosters hadn't crowed yet, Old Li put on his clothes in the dark.

Hearing the noise, Wang Xiuying complained, "What are you doing? It's only this early and you're already making a fuss."

Old Li got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and whispered, "I need to get up and pack my things. I'll be going to the capital with the second son later."

"Wasn't Zhuzi going with him? Why are you going too?"

"He's not going to the county town, he's driving a tractor to Beijing. How can I feel at ease if I don't go with him?"

“Yes, I didn’t sleep well last night either.” Wang Xiuying also got up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

What are you doing?

"What am I doing? I'm cooking for you two, and you still go to the city hungry. I must have owed you something in my past life."

Old Li laughed, "Hehe, wife, you're the best. When we have the chance, I'll take you to Beijing and buy you some new clothes." "You're just all talk," Wang Xiuying retorted, unimpressed by his words. In all these years of marriage, she'd only been to Beijing two or three times. Forget new clothes, she hadn't even bought herself shoes. That was how her life would be.

This is her fate, and she doesn't want to think about anything else.

"Da da da……"

After breakfast, Li Zhe drove the tractor out of Daying Village and headed north along the Jingkai Highway. At that time, the Jingkai Highway was still a two-lane road in both directions, and the road surface was bumpy and uneven. After driving for twenty minutes, he entered the DX area.

In the 1980s, DX District was located in the far suburbs of Beijing. To the people in the old city, they were considered "country bumpkins," not much different from Li Zhe and his group.

As we passed the Huangcun checkpoint, a man wearing a peaked cap tapped on the truck bed and asked, "What are you carrying?"

“It’s corn from our own field! Look how fresh the tassels are!” Li Zhe handed over a certificate stamped with a red seal, which Wang Tietou had helped him obtain yesterday.

Old Li grabbed a handful of corn and handed it to the inspector next to him.

"Hurry up and get out of the way, don't block the road!" The inspector waved his hand, leaving the corn behind to enjoy some fresh corn.

Having passed through the checkpoint without incident, Li Zhe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The tractor entered the city through the Nanyuan area. The city is mainly paved with asphalt roads, and there are no traffic lights at intersections. The tractor turned onto Guangqumen Inner Street and went straight west to the intersection with Chongwenmen Inner Street. According to Party Secretary Wang, although this route is a bit longer, it avoids congested areas.

Seeing the red brick building of Chongwenmen Market, with the sun already high in the sky, Old Li wiped the sweat from his forehead, and the anxiety that had been hanging over him finally subsided.

Along the way, Lao Li felt like he couldn't take it all in. There were all kinds of vehicles and a huge army of cyclists going to work. He was both excited and scared, but thankfully he arrived safely.

There was no parking area for farm vehicles around Chongwenmen Farmers Market, so Li Zhe parked his car in an open space on the east side of the market.

He jumped out of the car, stretched his legs, and his buttocks were numb from the bumpy ride.

"Here?" Old Li looked at the rotten vegetable leaves scattered on the ground. "Second brother, where are we going to sell corn later?"

"You guys stay here and watch over things, I'll go ask the management office." Li Zhe had already inquired about the policy with Wang Tietou: selling self-produced or wholesale agricultural products in government-designated vegetable markets does not require a business license.

Li Zhe found the management office of the vegetable market, smiled at the bald clerk, and said, "Uncle, could you arrange a temporary stall for me?"

The bald man didn't even lift his eyelids. "Stall fee is 3 yuan, deposit is 1 yuan, and management fee is 50 cents."

Li Zhe took out some money and handed the other man two packs of unfiltered Lotus cigarettes. "Uncle, could you help me find a better spot for my stall?"

"Come with me." The bald-headed manager put away his cigarette, his tone softening, and led Li Zhe into the south gate of the market, pointing to a secluded corner, "This is it."

It was called a stall, but it didn't even have a door; it was just an empty space in a bad location. "Uncle, could we move to a more open spot?"

The bald-headed manager shrugged. "Who told you to be late? If I asked someone else to swap spots with you, they'd beat you up."

Li Zhe looked around and saw that there was no empty space. "Okay, this will do."

Li Zhe met up with his father and drove the tractor directly to the vicinity of the temporary stall.

"Is this place worth 3 yuan?" Old Li felt a pang of pain. Adding the 20 yuan for renting the tractor, he had already spent over 20 yuan, which was almost a month's income for the villagers.

Oh no, I'm definitely going to lose money today. All the excitement I had about coming to Beijing is gone.

It's a little past nine in the morning, and there are quite a few people buying vegetables at the market, mostly elderly women.

Ignoring his father's sentimentality, Li Zhe poured the corn out of the urea bag, peeled off the corn husks, and said, "Zhu Zi, bring down the stove to cook the corn."

"okay."

It's called a stove, but it's really just an iron frame with a pot on it. You add firewood, light the fire, boil water, and cook corn.

"Gurgling..."

After the water boiled, it cooked for a few more minutes, and the aroma of corn wafted out of the pot, which could be smelled from a distance.

Li Zhe shouted, "Take a look! Look at this freshly picked tender corn! If you don't like it, you don't have to pay!"

(End of this chapter)