Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 169
Daying Village.

Li Na is already on winter break, so Wang Xiuying doesn't need to cook for her separately anymore. After getting up and washing up, Li Na goes straight to the greenhouse to eat.

Compared to the first half of the year, Li Na has become much stronger and has gained some weight. During the holidays, besides doing her homework, she spends her time helping out in the greenhouse.

She really likes vegetable greenhouses and has a special affection for them.

Before they had greenhouses for growing vegetables, eating meat was a luxury for her family. They could only afford white sugar and brown sugar during the Lunar New Year, and even then, they could only have a small bite each time.

Ever since her second brother built the vegetable greenhouse, the family's life has been getting better and better. Now they can eat meat almost every day, and they never miss out on any sweets. She never dared to dream of such a happy life before.

She knew very well that the greenhouse had changed her family's life. She always worked incredibly hard in the vegetable greenhouse. Although it was tiring, she felt fulfilled.

The mother and daughter arrived at the vegetable greenhouse and helped each other cook.

Before long, Ma Lai Xiao and Zhou Qinghe arrived, and the two of them also went into the greenhouse to work. Li Na was forced to help take care of Daya.

She felt that Daya was too noisy, and she preferred working in the vegetable greenhouse to taking care of Daya.

After finishing breakfast, Wang Xiuying washed the dishes. Just as she was about to sit down and rest for a while, she heard someone calling her from outside the greenhouse:

"Xiuying!"

The voice was familiar; Wang Xiuying knew who it was immediately. She lifted the curtain of the greenhouse and stepped outside, where she saw Zhang Yuzhen approaching. "Yuzhen, what brings you here? Is there something you need?"

Zhang Yuzhen smiled and said, "What do I have to do? But you, why haven't you been to the store these past few days? What have you been busy with?"

"It's cold outside, come in and let's talk." Wang Xiuying invited her into the greenhouse and offered her some sunflower seeds and peanuts. "It's all about the greenhouse. The weather forecast says it'll snow in a couple of days, so let's get the work done now, so we don't scramble later."

Zhang Yuzhen said, "I've also heard from Xiaohu that growing vegetables in greenhouses is quite a hassle."

“Who says otherwise? Ever since this greenhouse was built, it’s never been left unattended,” Wang Xiuying replied, then asked, “What brings you here today?”

Zhang Yuzhen looked outside and asked, "Does your second son have a girlfriend?"

Wang Xiuying laughed and asked in return, "What, are you going to introduce a potential partner to my second son?"

"My son Xiaohu told me that a college student surnamed Zhou is working at your house. Haven't you thought about setting him up with your second son?"

As soon as Zhang Yuzhen spoke, Wang Xiuying knew what she was up to. Lin Xiaohu was always hanging around Zhou Qinghe; anyone with eyes could see through his little scheme.

Wang Xiuying didn't hide anything from her, saying, "Qinghe is a good person, but she's not suitable for my second son."

Zhang Yuzhen pressed further, "What's wrong with it? Xiaohu said that girl is quite nice."

“She’s a good girl. She’s assertive, hardworking, and can endure hardship. She’s a wonderful girl. But my second son is also assertive. They’re a good match as friends. But if two assertive people live together, it’s fine as long as nothing goes wrong, but once something does happen, they’re bound to argue all the time.” Wang Xiuying understood her son’s character quite well.

Take Zhou Qinghe's arrival in Daying Village, for example; this isn't something an ordinary girl would do. Wang Xiuying admires Zhou Qinghe's adventurous spirit. But if her own daughter-in-law dared to do the same, she would be the first to object.

My second son is the undisputed boss at home now. If he marries a domineering wife, he'll be causing a huge ruckus.

"That's true. I've heard that college students in this city are all very opinionated," Zhang Yuzhen said with a smile. "My son, Xiaohu, has a soft temper and wants to find a wife who is assertive. Do you think they're a good match?"

"Is your Xiaohu interested in someone, or is it her status as a college student? I heard that the girl is quite well-off, and her mother is a cadre..." Wang Xiuying didn't finish her sentence, but gave a knowing look.

"Ahem..." Zhang Yuzhen coughed lightly, "Then she must have taken a liking to someone, right? Do you think there's a chance for them?"

"How can I possibly understand the children's situation?" Wang Xiuying shook her head, somewhat pessimistic, as the gap in their family circumstances was too great.

The man is from the countryside, while the woman is not only from the city but also a college student. Isn't this a classic case of a toad trying to eat swan meat?

Zhang Yuzhen continued, "My husband said that the girl has a good impression of him. The two of them often chat together and get along very well."

Wang Xiuying smiled and replied perfunctorily, "That's good. Let the two children spend more time together. If they're willing, the matter is already half settled."

“Hey, who says otherwise?” Zhang Yuzhen beamed. Her eldest daughter had married into the capital, and if her younger son could also marry a woman from the capital and go to the capital with her, then the Lin family would be the only one of its kind in the surrounding area.

……

365 Vegetable Store in Beijing.

Around 10 a.m., Wang Ting arrived at the vegetable shop and busied herself for a while.

Everyone in the shop could see her relationship with Li Zhe, and they knew she was just there to help out and wasn't getting paid, so no one accused her of giving special treatment.

As noon approached, the shop became less busy, and the employees went out for lunch, leaving only Li Zhe and Wang Ting to mind the shop.

The two sat by the window near the door, chatting and basking in the sun.

The sunlight shone on Wang Ting's fair cheeks, making them appear even more radiant. "The beef I brought back yesterday was delicious, and my parents both said it was wonderful. My mom even asked me to thank you."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "That's great, I've gained another potential client."

"Potential customers?" Wang Ting muttered to herself. It was a new term, but it wasn't hard to understand even though it was the first time she'd heard it.

She thought to herself, "You're getting ahead of yourself. If my mom knew the price, she wouldn't even be willing to eat it, let alone buy it."

Li Zhe handed her a piece of chocolate. "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

Wang Ting opened the bag, broke off a small piece, and gave the remaining half to Li Zhe. "I don't eat much, so you decide." Li Zhe: "..."

Yesterday at noon, the two of them ate meat pies with nails. The meat pies were fresh out of the pan, and they were bursting with juice when you bit into them. They were especially delicious. Li Zhe ate five in one go and also drank a bowl of beef soup.

Li Zhe suggested, "How about we go eat Western food?"

"No, it's too expensive!" Wang Ting thought it was okay to eat there occasionally.

"My friend owns a restaurant, so I can get a 50% discount."

Wang Ting ate a small bite of chocolate, "It's not cheap either."

"I've already topped up my account at the store."

Wang Ting didn't understand: "Recharge what?"

Li Zhe explained the membership card and prepaid recharge program to her.

Wang Ting frowned slightly and lowered her voice, saying, "Your friend is really good at business."

"Haha, she'll be happy to hear you say that."

The store's employees returned one after another, and Li Zhe and his companion tidied up briefly before strolling over to the Mona Lisa Restaurant.

Mona Lisa Restaurant is very close to the Diplomatic Residences, just a few minutes' walk away.

As soon as he entered, Li Zhe saw Su Mingyuan, who in turn saw him and Wang Ting beside him.

Su Mingyuan's first impression was that this girl was really beautiful. But upon closer inspection, she seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

Li Zhe greeted him and went straight upstairs to the second floor.

Li Zhe saw Shen Yanan sitting at the bar talking to Marty. He waved but didn't go over. Instead, he found a table by the window on the second floor and sat down.

Wang Ting surveyed the restaurant's interior, then looked out through the glass. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and in a good location. She thought to herself, "This restaurant must be expensive."

Li Zhe handed her the menu: "What would you like to eat?"

Wang Ting asked in a low voice, "Does this place only accept foreign exchange certificates?"

"Yes, the owner here is named Shen Yanan, and I usually call her Second Sister. She's a nice person and loves making friends."

Wang Ting nodded, looked down at the menu, and ordered a plate of spaghetti.

Li Zhe ordered a pan-fried lamb chop, a seafood risotto, a Provençal fish soup, and two glasses of lemonade.

After the two finished ordering, the second sister came over, squinting at Wang Ting: "Wow, this girl is really pretty. Where did you bring her from?"

"Second sister, this is my girlfriend, Wang Ting, whom my family introduced us to." Li Zhe then said to Wang Ting, "This is the restaurant owner, Mr. Shen."

Shen Yanan sat down next to her with a smile: "Sure, this is your first time bringing your partner here, so this meal is on me!"

Knowing her straightforward personality, Li Zhe didn't stand on ceremony and said with a smile, "Thank you, Second Sister."

The second sister waved to the waiter and ordered two more dishes.

"Hey bro, how's your vegetable shop going?"

"Business is alright, but there are still quite a few problems. With off-season vegetables attracting customers, the problems aren't too big."

"How are the Qinchuan hybrid cattle selling?"

"The first day went well, but the repurchase rate was just average. I feel that foreign customers are still not very satisfied." At noon today, Li Zhe roughly took stock of the goods, and there was still quite a lot of hybrid Qin Chuan beef left.

The second sister thought for a moment and said, "I'd like to get some Qinchuan crossbred cattle for my shop. Could you help me get in touch with them?"

Li Zhe took the lemonade from the waiter and asked, "Didn't you say you didn't need it? Why did you change your mind? Are you short of money?"

"No, that's not it. I recently added some new dishes to my restaurant: a Russian-style beef stew and a French-style oxtail stew. Using imported beef for these two dishes would be too expensive and not profitable; the chef also felt that using yellow beef wouldn't be suitable, so he suggested that I use Qin Chuan hybrid beef instead. This would save on costs, and he can also make a similar taste."

My second sister counted on her fingers and said, "A pound of Qin Chuan hybrid beef costs ten foreign exchange certificates, while a pound of imported beef costs fifty foreign exchange certificates. This dish is several tens of yuan more expensive."

"Okay, I'll go back to the shop later and have Sun Tao go to the Chongwenmen market to order a small batch for you to try." Li Zhe nodded. This stewed beef is different from pan-fried steak; domestic beef can be used as a substitute.

Wang Ting listened quietly from the side, feeling that this Mr. Shen was indeed very good at doing business.

The waiter brought a glass of red wine, and my second sister took a sip and said, "Little brother, were you in the newspaper the other day?"

Li Zhe laughed and said, "You saw it?"

"No," the second sister shook her head and smiled, "It was a friend of a friend who saw the news in the newspaper and wanted to get to know you."

Li Zhe asked in confusion, "What does he do? Why do he want to know me?"

(End of this chapter)