Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 176 Wang Li
The staff quarters of the Beijing Television Factory.

In Wang Guangwei's home on the second floor, four potted plants are placed on the windowsill, and Wang Guangwei is standing by the windowsill watering them with a red plastic ladle.

After watering the flowers, Wang Guangwei took out a pair of scissors and began pruning the branches. He called out to the kitchen, "Does your mom need a hanging basket? If so, I'll prune some branches and transplant it for her."

Chen Shufang, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen: "Who transplants plants in winter? Let's do it when it gets warmer in spring!"

Wang Guangwei dismissed it: "It's not like we don't have heating at home, and it's not cold inside. What's the difference between winter and spring? Can't you see that vegetables can be grown in greenhouses?"

Chen Shufang wasn't having it: "Do you think my mom's house is a vegetable shed? Besides, have you ever seen what a vegetable shed looks like? Do you know how other people grow their vegetables?"

"Alright, alright, I'm not going to argue with you. Whenever you want, that's fine." Wang Guangwei moved the hanging basket, whose branches were almost touching the ground, to the top of the cabinet: "Look, isn't it much prettier now? Even if you want it, I'd rather not have it."

"Knock knock..." Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Wang Guangwei clapped his hands and asked, "Who is it?"

"Dad, it's me. I forgot my keys." A woman's voice came from outside.

Wang Guangwei went to open the door, and standing outside was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Wang Ting. The woman was wearing a blue down jacket, had a mole on the right side of her forehead, and was slightly shorter than Wang Ting.

"Lily's here? Why are you carrying so much stuff? Come in quickly." Wang Guangwei took the bags from his daughter's hands and said with a smile, "Your mother was talking about you yesterday, saying she wanted to come see you."

Hearing the commotion, Chen Shufang came out of the kitchen. She was initially delighted to see her daughter, but then said with a hint of reproach, "You're pregnant, why aren't you staying home? What are you doing out here in the dead of winter?"

"It's okay, I came by bus, I'm not tired." Wang Li took off her blue down jacket, revealing her slightly pregnant belly.

Chen Shufang asked, "Why are you the only one here? Where's Zhigang?"

“Their company hasn’t given them a holiday yet, they’ll probably be busy for another two days.” Wang Li replied, opening the two bags she had brought. “I brought you some of the employee benefits that Zhigang’s company gave out a couple of days ago.”

“Your dad’s workplace also gave us a bonus, and we don’t need anything at home. You can keep whatever they give you for yourselves.”

Wang Li peeked into her side-lying room and asked, "Where's Tingting? She should be on winter break, right?"

"It's holiday time." Chen Shufang briefly explained Wang Ting's situation.

Upon hearing that her aunt had introduced her younger sister to a man from a rural area in another province, Wang Li looked astonished: "Mom, what were you thinking? You actually introduced Tingting to someone from out of town?"

Chen Shufang said, "Although Li Zhe is from out of town, he owns a house in Beijing."

Wang Li counted on her fingers and said, "Mom, which legitimate state-owned factory doesn't provide housing? Just like Zhigang's factory, we got a house after we got married. Next year, when we have a child, we'll apply to move to a bigger house. And it's not just about housing; the company provides welfare benefits during holidays, including food, drinks, and other necessities. Plus, many of the things the company gives out can't be bought outside even if you have money."

“Zhigang is a college graduate, and he became a cadre in his unit. How many people can be like him?” Chen Shufang was quite satisfied with her eldest son-in-law.

“Tingting is also a college student, why don’t you let her date a college student? After graduation, she will be a manager in her unit, which is better than a self-employed person from out of town.” Wang Li thought for a moment, “If you ask me, it must be my uncle who encouraged her, otherwise my aunt would not have thought of this.”

Hearing this, Chen Shufang also wavered. Could it be that she was really wrong?

Wang Li looked at her father beside her and said, "Dad, you're the office director of the Beijing TV Factory. What kind of people haven't you seen? Why didn't you stop him?"

Wang Guangwei's position wasn't very high, but it was a crucial one. He was responsible for arranging receptions for important figures who came to the factory, so he was quite knowledgeable and quick-witted.

At first, he was somewhat reluctant to accept that Li Zhe was from a rural area. Although the two had never met, after several indirect interactions, he felt that this young man was no ordinary person. For example, the young man delivered food to restaurants catering to foreigners and earned foreign exchange certificates, something that most people couldn't do.

Money can buy many things, but foreign exchange certificates can.

Furthermore, the fact that Li Zhe could open a vegetable shop catering to foreigners in the diplomatic apartment complex made him look at him with even greater admiration. He couldn't speak for everything else, but with his second daughter by his side, she could at least be financially secure.

“Li Zhe is a capable young man, and Tingting likes him too. Let them get to know each other first,” Wang Guangwei replied simply, without offering any further explanation.

Having lived with Chen Shufang for so many years, he has come to a conclusion: many people like to live within their own preconceived notions, making it difficult for them to accept external things. Wang Guangwei had tried to persuade them before, but later found that it didn't really help much, except for arguing a bit more.

For decades, state-owned enterprise workers enjoyed high treatment and status, leading many of their families to develop a sense of superiority. It will take time to change this mindset.

Wang Guangwei's position was rather special, giving him access to firsthand information about the factory. From what he understood, the workers' welfare system was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain...

Seeing that the mother and daughter were about to say something more, Wang Guangwei said to his wife, "Lily loves apples the most. Wash the Fuji apples I sent a couple of days ago and cut them into a fruit platter."

Chen Shufang retorted, "Why aren't you going?"

Wang Guangwei waved his hand: "I dare not go, I'm afraid you'll say I've messed up the kitchen again."

"That's right! I just asked you to cook a meal, and look at the mess you've made of the kitchen. I've told you so many times to clean up as you use it. By the time the meal was cooked, it would have been almost cleaned up." Chen Shufang said in a matter-of-fact manner.

“I don’t have your skills; I can’t multitask. I prefer to finish cooking before cleaning up.” Chen Shufang retorted, “Then you clean up! I’m the one who cleaned up.”

"Why didn't I tidy up? The kitchen knife and cutting board were all put away properly."

Chen Shufang pointed towards the kitchen: "Did you clean the table? Did you wipe the stove? That cloth for wiping the table, wash it after you're done using it, don't just leave it crumpled up there, I've told you so many times..."

Wang Guangwei did not respond and did not want to argue anymore, so he let the other party continue talking.

Chen Shufang scolded her husband, and feeling better, she went into the kitchen to cut fruit.

Wang Guangwei snorted, "Look at you, you've made me sound like I'm nothing."

Wang Li laughed and said, "That's just my mom's temper, you know that. Once she's vented, she'll go cut you some fruit anyway."

Wang Guangwei whispered, "If this were in my factory, I would fire her no matter what."

"Haha..." Wang Li laughed and casually asked, "Dad, will my brother be able to come back for Chinese New Year this year?"

Wang Guangwei glanced at the kitchen and lowered his voice: "Keep your voice down, don't mention that kid in front of your mom, or she'll scold me again."

Besides his two daughters, Wang Guangwei also has a son who is one year older than Wang Ting.

This son was mischievous from a young age and was spoiled by his wife. In junior high school, he got into fights and almost broke someone's head. In high school, to avenge a female classmate, he organized classmates to fight with thugs, almost failing to graduate, let alone go to university.

Wang Guangwei had no choice but to ask someone to send him to the army. He couldn't manage him himself, so he had to let the army discipline him.

To everyone's surprise, his wife didn't agree. She felt that their son was suffering by joining the army, as they wouldn't see each other all year round. She would cry every time she mentioned their son, and the couple argued about it a lot.

Wang Guangwei thought for a moment: "He should have family visit leave this year, but I don't know if he will be able to come back."

Wang Li didn't bring it up again, and changed the subject: "Dad, you still need to pay attention to Tingting's marriage. I still think she should find someone with a proper job."

Wang Guangwei nodded: "I've got it. I'll talk to her about it later."

……

365 Vegetable Store on Jianguomenwai Street.

In the afternoon, Li Zhe took a bus to the vegetable store.

Before even entering the store, I could hear the sound of someone reading English aloud coming from inside.

Li Zhe opened the shop door. There were no customers in the shop at this time. Wang Ting and Chen Ju were chatting together, Lin Zhixia was reading a book, three middle-aged women were huddled together, and Sun Tao was sitting in the corner reading English.

Upon seeing Li Zhe enter, he quickly stood up and said, "Brother Li, you've arrived."

Li Zhe asked with a smile, "Are you practicing your English?"

Sun Tao scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "There aren't many customers in the shop at this time, so I can practice for a while. There are also three college students in the shop, and they can help me correct my pronunciation if it's not accurate."

"That's good, keep learning." As long as it doesn't affect the shop's business, Li Zhe won't interfere too much.

Sun Tao put the book away: "Brother Li, you've come at the right time. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What did you say?"

“Brother Li, our shop has heating, it’s not super warm, but it’s around seven or eight degrees. I’m worried that the meat won’t be fresh if it’s left out for too long.” Sun Tao walked to the meat section and pointed to an empty space next to it. “I’m thinking of buying a freezer to put here, that way we can better ensure the quality of the meat.”

Li Zhe nodded; a freezer was definitely necessary. He didn't buy it immediately, partly because the weather was cold now and the impact wasn't too significant; however, he would definitely need one once the weather warmed up.

Furthermore, compared to freezers, Li Zhe prefers to install refrigerated display cases, which are more in line with the positioning of the vegetable store catering to foreign customers.

However, refrigerated display cases are a rarity these days, and their prices are relatively high. Since profitability wasn't certain at the beginning, Li Zhe didn't want to invest too much.

However, judging from the current situation, the vegetable store catering to foreign customers is doing well, especially the meat section, which has high profit margins. Li Zhe is also considering purchasing refrigerated display cases.

Li Zhe turned to Wang Ting beside him and asked, "Are you busy this afternoon?"

Wang Ting instinctively replied, "It's nothing, what's wrong?"

"Come with me." Li Zhe decided to go to the Friendship Store to check out the prices of the refrigerated display cases before making a decision...

(End of this chapter)