Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 168 The Land of Vegetables
In the afternoon, customers continued to arrive at the vegetable shop, and Li Zhe roughly estimated that the number of customers exceeded that of yesterday.

By 6 p.m., the off-season vegetables were sold out again.

Customers who enter the store after 6 PM and don't buy anything inevitably complain a bit.

Li Zhe checked today's sales: he had stocked relatively few items with short shelf lives, and most of them were sold out. He only had one pork rib and two jin of Qin Chuan hybrid beef left.

We didn't order much Qin Chuan hybrid beef, the same amount as yesterday. We had more customers today but didn't sell out, which just means the repeat purchase rate is low.

Around 6 o'clock, Li Zhe asked Wang Ting to go home early, took her to the bus stop, and handed her the packaged beef: "Tingting, you haven't tried this beef before, take it home and have a taste."

"Such expensive beef should be kept in the store; it's such a waste to eat it." In Wang Ting's opinion, only foreigners would be willing to buy this kind of beef.

Li Zhe explained, "The quality of this meat is not as good as imported beef; its main selling point is freshness. When I said it would be taken off the shelves after 24 hours, I wasn't just saying that. If we sold leftover meat, we would ruin our reputation, and this meat would be even harder to sell in the future."

Upon hearing Li Zhe's words, Wang Ting took the bag, waved goodbye to him, and boarded the bus to leave.

Wang Ting arrived home at 7 p.m.

Chen Shufang was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the noise and came out: "You're back early today."

Wang Ting handed over the bag she was carrying: "Mom, this is the beef Li Zhe asked me to bring back. You can cook it tonight."

Chen Shufang took the bag and carried the meat to the kitchen: "Wow, this meat is pretty good, it's fresh and shiny, perfect for stir-frying."

Wang Ting took off her coat and put on slippers: "That's right, this is food sold to foreigners, it's expensive."

"It's just a piece of beef, how expensive can it be?" Chen Shufang said dismissively. Both her husband and her husband were employed, and he was a minor official, so they certainly didn't lack meat.

Wang Ting didn't say anything more; it was fine to let her mother live in her own world.

……

The family compound of Jianguomen Police Station.

The second floor is Director Wei's home.

Wu Fanghua was stir-frying mushrooms in the kitchen, while Director Wei was rolling out noodles beside her.

He smiled and said, "Honey, I'm really good at rolling these noodles. You'll see, everyone will love them."

Wu Fanghua said, "Why don't you mention that cooking noodles takes up a lot of fuel?"

"Haha... What's the big deal about cooking over a long heat? As long as it tastes good. Hey, turn down the heat for the fried sauce a little, cook it a little longer for the best flavor."

"Too much trouble," Wu Fanghua snorted, and turned the fire down a little.

Director Wei chuckled.

Since recognizing Wang Jianjun as her relative, Wu Fanghua's mental state has improved significantly. Upon reflection, it's possible that Wu Fanghua had longed for her family, and Wang Jianjun's arrival filled that void.

To be honest, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law haven't had it easy over there either...

Director Wei suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, did you tell Xiaomin about Lao Song introducing her to someone the other day?"

Wu Fanghua was taken aback for a moment: "He said he didn't like it because the other party was a policeman."

“So what if he’s a policeman? Am I a policeman? I think that young man is pretty good. He’s tall, good-looking, and hardworking. He has a bright future. You should persuade him to at least meet her. Maybe she’ll like him.”

Wu Fanghua replied dismissively, "Let's talk about it later."

"Knock knock..." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll go open the door. The dough is ready; you just need to cut it up and it'll be ready to cook." Director Wei clapped his hands and went to the door to open it.

They saw Wang Jianjun and Li Zhe standing outside carrying a bunch of things.

"Oh, why are you carrying so much stuff again? Come in quickly." Director Wei hurriedly helped carry it into the house.

Li Zhe said, "It wasn't much, just a piece of pork rib, two packets of pastries, and the rest were vegetables."

The pork ribs were taken from the store by Li Zhe, the pastries were bought by Wang Jianjun, and the vegetables were all damaged or of poor quality. As vegetable production increased, so did the amount of waste; now they simply couldn't finish them all.

Wu Fanghua also came out of the kitchen: "Jianjun and Xiaozhe are here."

"Auntie."

"Auntie," the two greeted each other.

Li Zhe asked, "What delicious food are you making? Let me help you."

Wu Fanghua waved her hand: "No need, everything is ready. We'll have noodles with soybean paste tonight. You've all been busy all day, sit down and rest for a while."

"You two are in for a treat! I made the noodles tonight, they're incredibly chewy!" Director Wei said as he poured water from the teapot.

Li Zhe sat on the sofa and laughed, "That's great, I love eating Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)."

In his past life, Li Zhe was too lazy to cook, so he would just fry a pot of sauce. The first day he would eat noodles with the sauce, and he would put the leftover sauce in the refrigerator. The next day he would cook another pot of instant noodles, put the sauce in and mix it up, and that would be another meal. One batch of sauce could last him three or four meals.

I wouldn't dare say it's incredibly delicious, but it's definitely better than the fried sauce at restaurants.

Wang Jianjun went to the kitchen to talk to Wu Fanghua.

Li Zhe picked up the teapot and poured a glass of water for Director Wei. Director Wei gave a slight nod and asked, "I heard you opened a vegetable shop in the diplomatic residences?"

"Yes, it just had a trial opening yesterday, it hasn't officially opened yet."

Director Wei thought to himself, "Shops in the diplomatic apartments aren't easy to rent. This kid must have some connections to be able to open a shop there." "How's business?"

"It's alright, there are quite a few customers, all coming for the off-season vegetables." Li Zhe also poured himself a cup of black tea.

"Hey, I read Xiaomin's newspaper article. She used the term 'off-season vegetables' very well..." Director Wei was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock..." Director Wei got up to open the door, and after the door opened, he was stunned for a moment.

There were two people standing at the door: Wei Min and a person with delicate features.

"Xiaomin, you brought your friend back?" Director Wei sized up the person next to him: wearing a red down jacket, a ponytail, white trousers, and a small blue shoulder bag...

She...no, he...has an Adam's apple!

"Yes, he's a guy I met while climbing the Great Wall."

"Hello, Uncle, my name is Bai Yunsheng." The handsome young man spoke in a high-pitched voice as he took the initiative to shake hands with Director Wei.

Out of politeness, Director Wei shook hands with the other party, then quickly withdrew his right hand: "Come in and sit down."

"Uncle, I'm sorry to bother you. This is a gift for you." Bai Yunsheng handed over two exquisite bags with the Friendship Store logo on them.

Director Wei instinctively took the bag and stepped aside. Bai Yunsheng walked past him with small, quick steps, leaving a trail of fragrance in her wake…

Director Wei shuddered—his daughter, Xiaomin, never used perfume and rarely used cosmetics…

Under Director Wei's astonished gaze, Bai Yunsheng took off her red down jacket and hung it on the wall, revealing a pink tight-fitting sweater...

Wang Jianjun was also taken aback and stood at the kitchen door in a daze.

Li Zhe was alright; he had seen plenty of fashionable people in his previous life, but they were indeed rare in this era.

Seeing that there were still people in the room, Bai Yunsheng introduced himself generously: "Hello everyone, my name is Bai Yunsheng, I am a professional photographer, and I currently work at Beijing TV Station. You can also call me by my English name, Ken."

Bai Yunsheng's arrival made the atmosphere somewhat unusual.

Director Wei sat silently on the sofa. He was a rather traditional man, and he found it very displeasing to look at a man with a braid, wearing makeup, and dressed in a effeminate manner.

Just two days ago, he told his daughter about introducing her to a potential partner, and today she brought home a sissy. He closed his eyes, feeling a tightness in his chest...

The atmosphere was somewhat subdued during the meal.

Wu Fanghua spoke first, asking Bai Yunsheng, "Comrade Bai, how did you and Xiaomin meet?"

“We met while climbing the Great Wall. I met Minmin when I was filming a documentary. We encountered many difficulties during the climb, and she always encouraged and helped me. Without her, I might not have been able to persevere.”

Bai Yunsheng nodded, his expression complex, and turned to Wei Min, saying, "Minmin, thank you!"

Wei Min laughed and said, "We're all brothers, so thanking me would be too formal."

Li Zhe asked, "Comrade Bai, what types of programs have you filmed?"

Bai Yunsheng slightly raised his pointed chin and pursed his lips: "I worked at the Beijing Film Studio for a period of time before, and I filmed 'The Troubleshooters,' 'The Foolish Manager,' and 'Dream of the Red Chamber.'"

Li Zhe asked in surprise, "Are you the cinematographer for these three films and television dramas?"

Bai Yunsheng smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Assistant."

Li Zhe nodded: "That's still very impressive."

Bai Yunsheng said earnestly, "It's alright. I've loved art since I was a child. My dad used to be a photographer, and my mom was a traditional opera teacher. When I was little, I loved going to film sets with my dad. Hey, it was so much fun!"

Wang Jianjun chimed in, "I've seen 'The Foolish Manager,' it's quite interesting. The story in the movie is about us self-employed individuals..."

Throughout the meal, Director Wei remained silent with a gloomy face.

Li Zhe also sensed something was wrong, and after finishing his meal, he said goodbye to Wang Jianjun and left.

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Bai Yunsheng also took his leave.

Wei Min saw the three of them to the door: "You can go together, I won't see you off."

Bai Yunsheng turned around, waving goodbye to Wei Min: "Minmin, thank you for your hospitality today. I'll treat you to dinner another day!"

Seeing Li Zhe and Wang Jianjun leave, Bai Yunsheng hurried after them, calling out, "Jianjun, Li Zhe, wait for me..."

He was a very outgoing person, and when he called out "Jianjun," Wang Jianjun was a little taken aback.

Once downstairs, Li Zhe handed the other person a business card: "Comrade Bai, this is my business card. I run a vegetable shop in the Diplomatic Residence. You can come and browse when you have time; I'll give you a discount."

"Thank you." Bai Yunsheng handed Li Zhe a business card, then waved to the two of them and disappeared into the crowd with small, quick steps.

Wang Jianjun shook his head, muttering, "This guy, why does he look and dress like a woman?"

"Brother, the world is a big place, there's no need to make a fuss." Li Zhe put the business card away.

Wang Jianjun, familiar with Li Zhe's style, laughed and said, "What are you up to now, kid?"

"Having more friends means having more options," Li Zhe said with a smile.

He's not particularly interested in the film and television industry. However, he plans to shoot a promotional video about greenhouses next year. Li Zhe doesn't have any connections in this area, but maybe this guy can help.

The reason for filming the promotional drama is simple: to get more people to grow vegetables in greenhouses like him! Li Zhe wants to gain a foothold in the off-season vegetable industry, but he can't do it alone; he must expand the scale of growers.

When talking about the vegetable industry, one cannot ignore Shouguang, the "hometown of vegetables".

The earliest documented instance of off-season vegetables in Shouguang dates back to 1989. However, Li Zhe estimates that Shouguang had likely been cultivating vegetables in greenhouses before that; this technology didn't appear suddenly but rather accumulated over many years. In 1989, a new type of semi-basement greenhouse was built, and the temperature was finally right enough to grow winter cucumbers, which were then rapidly promoted.

The local government provided substantial support, and the following year, the number of vegetable greenhouses in Shouguang County exceeded 5000 mu.

This data may be inflated, as not all greenhouses can grow off-season vegetables, but Li Zhe estimates that there should be at least a thousand acres.

Shouguang is in Luzhou, while Li Zhe's base of operations is in Jizhou.

If he couldn't grow to a certain scale by the winter of 1990, he would be completely unable to compete with Shouguang...

(End of this chapter)