Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 185 Tasting Event
“Winter-warm vegetable greenhouses do have certain technical barriers. But with systematic training, they can be widely promoted.” Li Zhe was unclear about the specific powers of the so-called Rural Policy Research Office of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, but as long as it could promote off-season vegetables, it would be a good thing for him.

"Brother, do you have any photos or detailed data? I'd like to study them carefully." Li Guoqing's words were somewhat presumptuous, but his scholarly air and thirst for knowledge were not off-putting.

“Okay, I’ll take some photos for you later and draw some blueprints with detailed data.” Li Zhe agreed after only a slight hesitation.

This winter, vegetable greenhouses will begin planting in Shouguang, and since vegetable greenhouses produce a seasonal product, there's no point in Li Zhe hiding it anymore. He might as well openly showcase it and strive for the title of "founder of off-season vegetables."

Although it may sound shameless, his two lifetimes taught him a lesson: people who are too concerned about saving face will not live well.

Looking at the bright red strawberries and tomatoes, Li Guoqing exclaimed, "Brother, I've really learned something today. I really want to have a chat with you. How about this? Give me a call sometime when you have time. I'll treat you to dinner; you can choose the place."

Actually, Li Guoqing wanted to have a serious talk with Li Zhe. Li Zhe was currently writing a book about rural policies and reforms, but he felt the content was too bland, always repeating old ideas without any new insights. That is, until he saw the article about off-season vegetables published in the *Morning Light Daily*.

He felt that vegetable greenhouses and off-season vegetables would become a major highlight of the future development of agriculture in China. If he could be the first to publish some of his views and insights on vegetable greenhouses in his book, it would undoubtedly add a lot of luster to the book.

Unfortunately, Li Zhe's vegetable shop opened today, and he felt bad about delaying his business.

After chatting with Li Zhe for a few more minutes, he reluctantly said goodbye and left.

Li Zhe saw his second sister and Li Guoqing off at the shop entrance.

Lin Zhixia also came out, looking at Li Guoqing with a hint of admiration in her eyes: "Are you Senior Li from the Sociology Department?"

Li Guoqing was taken aback: "You're also from Peking University?"

"Senior, it really is you! My name is Lin Zhixia, and I'm from the Foreign Languages ​​Department at Beijing University. I've read your book, 'My Views on the Transformation of Chinese Society.' I think it's very forward-thinking and has practical value, so I even made a copy!"

Li Guoqing was also a little surprised, not expecting to run into his 'little fangirl' here. However, he was a popular figure at school and was used to it. He smiled and said, "Brother, your vegetable shop is really full of hidden talents."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "My vegetable shop mainly caters to foreigners, so I hired a few high-achieving students who are fluent in foreign languages ​​to help out. They can also find a way to practice their spoken English in their spare time."

"Hey, that's a good idea. You've got business acumen, bro," Li Guoqing praised, then turned to Lin Zhixia beside him and said, "Junior Lin, that book was written in my sophomore year. I'd almost forgotten about it myself, haha."

"Senior, could you sign the copy for me another day when I bring it over?"

Although this book caused a sensation at Peking University and received high praise from school leaders, department heads, and sociology giants, it was never formally published.

"I'll treat your boss, Mr. Li, to dinner and have him bring you along. I'll definitely sign your autograph." Li Guoqing was in a good mood and said to Li Zhe, "Brother, you go ahead with your work. We'll keep in touch by phone."

"Okay," Li Zhe replied with a smile, watching the two leave.

……

Today is the first day of business for the vegetable store. Sun Tao has overcome his initial nervousness and is now filled with excitement. With most items discounted by 8%, the average number of customers has increased significantly, and sales have also risen sharply. He estimates that breaking 3000 foreign exchange reserves today will definitely not be a problem.

However, he also noticed some problems. For example, the watermelons he had placed high hopes on did not attract much interest from Western foreigners, except for the Japanese female customer who showed a strong desire to buy them that morning.

After noon, there was still a quarter of the watermelon left after it was cut open. Li Zhe was worried that it would not be fresh if left for too long, so he cut it open and let the staff share it.

Sun Tao picked up a slice of watermelon, took a bite, and exclaimed, "Hey, this is delicious! Why don't these foreigners buy something this good?"

Chen Ju took a bite and ate with relish: "Today I also recommended watermelon to a European guest. He thought the watermelon wasn't sweet and didn't taste good, so he bought other fruits instead."

Sun Tao analyzed, "I estimate that there are also melons in foreign countries, but because of the varieties or regions they grow, their melons don't taste good."

Li Zhe said, "The variety is only one reason. Another reason is cultural habits and price. Watermelons are relatively expensive abroad. In addition, watermelons are large, often weighing around ten kilograms, so many people are reluctant to buy a whole watermelon, which is why they haven't developed the habit of eating watermelons."

Sun Tao finished the watermelon in his hand, the rind even turning green from biting: "Our watermelons are so good, I don't believe foreigners don't like them. Shouldn't we do some promotion and marketing, like with Qin Chuan hybrid beef?"

Li Zhe then asked, "That's a good idea! Does anyone have any good promotional methods? I'll give him a bonus if the store adopts it."

Having experienced the information age, Li Zhe had some experience in publicity. However, as the old saying goes, "Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang." He still hoped his subordinates could proactively solve problems, rather than relying on him, the boss, when things went wrong.

Wang Ting ate her watermelon very politely, and was the last to finish. She put down the rind, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and thought of Suzuki Mieko, who had eaten watermelon that morning: "That Japanese customer tried a small piece of watermelon before buying it, and only bought most of it because she thought it was delicious. Westerners haven't developed the habit of eating watermelon before. We could launch a tasting event, cutting the watermelon into small pieces and skewering them with toothpicks for customers to try. As long as some of them find it delicious, we can cultivate a group of customers who will buy watermelons."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "That's a good idea! We can expand on it further. Not only watermelons can be sampled, but other fruits can also be sampled. If customers like it, they will naturally buy it; if they don't like it, it won't leave a bad impression on them."

Sun Tao took out his notebook and wrote down what the two of them had said.

After another discussion, the group made a detailed plan for the tasting event. At four o'clock in the afternoon, more customers started coming in. Sun Tao cut another watermelon in half, then cut a small piece into slices and offered them to customers who entered the store to try.

The crisp, sweet, and juicy taste of the watermelon quickly won over some foreigners, and a whole watermelon was sold out in slices.

At 6 p.m., the off-season vegetables were sold out again, and Li Zhe asked Sun Tao to put up a sign that read "Off-season vegetables sold out".

With fewer customers entering the store, Li Zhe began to inventory the goods and tally the day's sales. By 7 p.m., the total sales amounted to 3885 yuan in foreign exchange certificates.

Because most items in the store were discounted by 20%, the net profit was not much different from that during the trial operation period. However, the purpose of the discount was to attract customers, and Li Zhe was very satisfied with the sales figures.

In winter, it gets dark early; by seven o'clock, it's already completely dark.

Li Zhe took Wang Ting home by bus.

Li Zhe grasped the other person's fair hand and said with concern, "You've had a busy day today, you must be tired. I'll give you a day off tomorrow, so you can rest."

"I'm a little tired, but I don't need to rest all day. I'll catch up by sleeping in. I'll go a little later tomorrow morning." Wang Ting took a delicate bag out of her bag and handed it to Li Zhe: "This is a gift for your opening!"

Li Zhe was somewhat surprised: "What gift?"

"Open it yourself and see!"

Li Zhe took a black box out of the bag, opened the clasp, and inside was a black fountain pen with a gold clip. He opened the cap to reveal a beautiful gold nib.

"Hero 100!"

Li Zhe recognized the pen immediately. In his previous life, he had been obsessed with writing with a fountain pen for a while and had even bought a Hero fountain pen, but the Hero pen he bought was the most ordinary one, costing only a few yuan.

At the time, he remembered that the best fountain pen in China was the Hero 100. Although he wanted to buy it, he couldn't afford it.

Li Zhe took out his notebook from his briefcase and tried writing a few words. The ink was full and coherent, and the writing was very smooth.

"Thank you, I like this gift very much."

Unlike the more diverse eras that followed, this time was marked by material scarcity, and the ways of expressing emotions were more subtle. Fountain pens were seen as a symbol of "progress," and it was popular for couples to give each other fountain pens as gifts. Electronic products were relatively rare in this era, making fountain pens highly practical.

Seeing that Li Zhe liked the pen she had given him, Wang Ting smiled with relief.

She thought about giving Li Zhe a gift for a long time. She was still in school and didn't have much money, while Li Zhe not only earned money but also had an incredibly high spending power.

Choosing a gift for him is difficult.

Either it wasn't suitable, or even if it was, she couldn't afford it. After much deliberation, she finally chose the best domestically made fountain pen.

Li Zhe escorted Wang Ting to her doorstep and watched her go inside before leaving.

Li Zhe wasn't very interested in going to Wang Ting's house; she didn't live alone, and it would be awkward to go there.

As for actively trying to build a good relationship with Wang Ting's parents, Li Zhe wasn't very interested.

……

Half an hour later, Li Zhe returned to No. 7 Courtyard in Suzhou Hutong.

As soon as he knocked on the door, Wang Jianjun winked at him: "Zhezi, Boss Ji is here to see you."

As Li Zhe entered the living room, Ji Hongbin stood up from beside the coffee table and greeted him, "Mr. Li."

"Boss Ji is here," Li Zhe replied with a smile. "What brings you here today?"

Ji Hongbin took out a bunch of keys from his pocket: "These are the keys to the front yard. We're leaving tomorrow. I came here today specifically to let you know."

Li Zhe took the heavy keys: "Have you booked the plane tickets?"

"Tomorrow at 3 PM, we'll board the plane in Beijing, transfer twice, and arrive in New York!" Ji Hongbin's tone was filled with excitement, and the dejected look on his face when handing over the keys had faded considerably.

(End of this chapter)