Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 194 Recognition
“Alright, when I get back to the village this time, I’ll promote it properly and try to get more people to join us in growing vegetables in greenhouses this winter.” Old Li understood his son’s money-making model and thought it was a good method: low capital, high profit, and most importantly, low risk.

"Dad, publicity is a complex art. How do you plan to do it?"

"I really hadn't thought of that. You're quite sharp, tell me about it."

Li Zhe thought for a moment and said, "There's an old saying: 'The law should not be taught lightly, and the teachings should not be sold cheaply.' We can't rush to teach people how to grow vegetables in greenhouses. We need to promote it indirectly so that the villagers feel that growing vegetables in greenhouses can make money. Then they will sincerely want to follow our lead and beg us to teach them how to grow them."

Old Li understood. "Just like last time you gave everyone some benefits?"

“Yes, that’s a very direct method. Before the New Year, I’ll distribute welfare again, this time more and better. This way, the villagers will know we’re actually making money, and they’ll naturally be interested in learning how to grow vegetables in greenhouses.” Li Zhe paused, then continued:

"But that's not enough; we also need to promote it through official channels. I've already been interviewed by two newspapers. I'll go to the town later and report the situation to Mayor Chen, asking him to help us promote it in the town. Just think, if the villagers knew that our cucumbers could sell for seven or eight yuan a pound, wouldn't they be tempted?"

Old Li clapped his hands and said, "That's a great idea! If the town helps promote it, the impact will be huge. If the surrounding villages follow suit, the number of people who want to grow vegetables in greenhouses will at least double."

Li Zhe also has a cultural export plan, which is to shoot a promotional video on the theme of greenhouses. He has already thought of a name for it: "Greenhouse Love Story".

This movie was specifically made for farmers; it wasn't shown in cinemas, but rather in the open air.

The main filming location was a vegetable greenhouse, and the actors were all farmers playing themselves. The equipment was either rented or borrowed; they wouldn't spend money to buy it. They also sought some support from the government and the Beijing Vegetable Company to keep costs to a minimum.

If the costs are not high and everything goes smoothly, we will start filming this year.
If the cost is too high or the equipment cannot be borrowed, then it will be postponed until next year. It doesn't need to be highly artistic; it's just to add some entertainment to the villagers' monotonous nightlife.

In short, we want to convey the message to our fellow villagers from all aspects: greenhouses are great, greenhouses are wonderful, and you can make money all year round!

……

the next morning.

365 Vegetable Store.

Early in the morning, Sun Tao was, as usual, the first to arrive at the store. He opened the door and took inventory of the items. Hearing the sound of a car outside, he went out and, sure enough, saw a military green truck parked in front of the store.

He walked to the truck, greeted Li Zhe, and then ran to the back to unload the vegetables. He noticed there were more vegetable baskets than usual today and asked with a smile, "Brother Li, another batch of vegetables has arrived?"

"Yes, another batch of new vegetables has ripened in the greenhouse, so we won't look for other sales channels before the New Year. Vegetable stores might need more vegetables these days, will they be able to sell them all?"

Sun Tao patted his chest and said confidently, "Absolutely! If we didn't have purchase restrictions, we could sell out even if we doubled the quantity of vegetables."

Li Zhe laughed and scolded, "Don't brag, kid. If you don't sell them all, I'll dock your pay."

"No way." Sun Tao chuckled and carried the vegetable basket into the shop.

Actually, many restaurants had approached him before, wanting to buy vegetables from him. Li Zhe didn't lack sales channels; the main reason he didn't expand immediately was because he needed to give gifts before the Lunar New Year and couldn't reliably supply vegetables to them.

During the period leading up to the Lunar New Year, Quanjude, Great Wall Hotel, Mona Lisa Restaurant, and vegetable shops will remain open and will be using a lot of vegetables; Li Zhe can temporarily supply them with newly harvested vegetables. After the New Year, a stable sales channel can be found.

After unloading the vegetables, the truck left.

Li Zhe and Sun Tao also entered the store. Li Zhe pointed to the last two vegetable baskets brought in and said, "Taozi, don't touch those two baskets; they're for me to give as gifts."

"Okay, Brother Li." Sun Tao moved the two vegetable baskets to the side against the wall.

"Taozi, has the duty roster for the Spring Festival period been finalized yet?"

After finishing his work, Sun Tao wiped his hands with a towel and said, "It's all arranged. The three older women who were sorting the goods will take turns resting. I'm worried we won't have enough manpower, so I'm planning to hire another one. Lin Zhixia won't be going home for the New Year, so she can also work shifts; Chen Ju and Wang Ting are both off."

I was worried we wouldn't have enough staff, so I asked Marty for another person. I didn't take a break during the Chinese New Year holiday; I was basically in the shop the whole time. That should be enough manpower.”

"Okay, I'll come help out when I have time."

Li Zhe stayed in the store for three hours.

Around 10 a.m., he hailed a minivan and took two baskets of vegetables and four gifts to the residential compound of the Beijing TV Factory.

A few days ago, Wang Ting ordered 50 kilograms of off-season vegetables for her father, and had already paid in advance. To show respect to his future father-in-law, Li Zhe personally delivered the vegetables to his door.

After getting out of the car, Li Zhe gave the driver some money and asked him to help him carry his belongings upstairs. Then, he straightened his clothes and knocked on the Wang family's door: "Knock knock..."

The door opened, and Wang Ting stood gracefully in the doorway, wearing a pink sweater and wide-leg pants. Even though the clothes were loose, they still accentuated her figure.

Seeing that Li Zhe was still carrying a gift, she whispered, "Didn't I say we didn't need to bring a gift?"

"I brought some fruit from our store for your uncle and aunt to try, and some strawberries that you like." Li Zhe brought four gifts: strawberries, oranges, two packs of cigarettes, and a box of pastries.

Wang Ting smiled; she'd eaten plenty of strawberries at the shop these past few days. She took the things from Li Zhe's hands. "Come in quickly." Then, she called out to the house, "Mom and Dad, Li Zhe's here." Wang Guangwei had heard the door open earlier and came over to greet them, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, you even made a special trip to deliver these."

"Uncle, you don't need to be so polite. Just let me know in advance if you want any dishes in the future."

Wang Guangwei looked to be in his early forties, with a refined and gentle appearance, and a leader-like demeanor in his every move.

He and Li Zhe carried the vegetable basket into the living room together, and he lifted the cotton-padded coat on top to take a look: "Wow, these vegetables are really fresh, were they just picked this morning?"

"Yes, they are all new dishes. You ordered fifty catties of vegetables, and I brought you sixty catties. You can keep the extra ten catties for yourself."

Wang Guangwei laughed and said, "That's great! We have everything we need for the New Year, except for these out-of-season vegetables. If I remember correctly, that's what they're called, right?"

"Yes, that's the name."

At this moment, Chen Shufang also came out of the kitchen and greeted him warmly, "Li Zhe is here, please sit down. Tingting said you like to eat meat, so I'll show off my skills and make braised pork for you at noon today."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie! I've heard from Tingting that you're a great cook, so I'm really in for a treat today."

Wang Ting pointed to the gift bag on the coffee table, "Mom, this is a gift Li Zhe brought for you."

Chen Shufang glanced inside but couldn't see what it was. She smiled and said, "From now on, you can't bring anything when you come over for dinner. You guys rest for a bit, I'll go cook." After saying that, Chen Shufang went into the kitchen.

Wang Guangwei brewed a pot of tea and said, "Come, sit down and have some tea."

Li Zhe tried to take the teapot, but said, "Uncle, let me do it."

"No need, please sit down." Wang Guangwei held up the teapot, intending to pour water for Li Zhe.

Li Zhe made a gesture of support with his hand.

Wang Ting took out strawberries from the bag and said to Li Zhe, "You chat with my dad for a while, I'll go wash some fruit."

"Go ahead." Li Zhe nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

This was the first time Wang Guangwei had met Li Zhe, and he sized him up. The young man was good-looking, tall, and dressed very well, giving him a distinguished air.

"Li Zhe, Tingting told me that your vegetable store catering to foreigners is doing quite well."

Li Zhe put down his teacup and said, "Yes, mainly because of the off-season vegetables that attract customers. Although it hasn't been open for long, it already has a stable customer base."

Wang Guangwei pressed further, "Besides off-season vegetables, does your vegetable shop also sell other goods?"

"Yes, there are also some meats, fruits, and groceries, all of which are food-related products."

Wang Guangwei, who had served as the office director for many years, was a very shrewd and capable person. "If you don't include the profit from off-season vegetables, is your store profitable?"

"profit."

Wang Guangwei nodded secretly. He knew that off-season vegetables were profitable, but it was impressive that Li Zhe's shop was still profitable even without considering the profits from off-season vegetables.

He asked with some curiosity, "Weren't you supplying vegetables to restaurants before? Why did you suddenly decide to open a general vegetable store?"

Li Zhe didn't answer immediately. He picked up the teapot and poured Wang Guangwei a cup of tea before slowly saying, "The reason I can make money now is mainly because I'm the only one who can grow off-season vegetables. But the barrier to entry for growing off-season vegetables isn't very high, and more and more people will follow suit in the future."

With fewer off-season vegetables available, I can be selective about my customers and distribution channels.

Once there are more off-season vegetables available, the roles will reverse, with customers and distribution channels choosing which vegetable vendors to supply. Farmers might even proactively lower prices to compete for sales channels.

Li Zhe glanced at Wang Guangwei, and seeing that the other was listening attentively, continued, "I want to establish my own sales channel. That way, even if more people grow off-season vegetables in the future, it won't affect my sales channel. I'll grow my own vegetables and sell them myself, forming a complete industrial chain."

"Industrial chain! Your idea is excellent!" Wang Guangwei's surprise was palpable.

Li Zhe's words just now gave Wang Guangwei a new understanding of him.

Previously, he had always thought that Li Zhe was a clever rural lad who made money from the scarcity of winter vegetables. Although he had some business acumen, he was essentially a farmer.

Wang Guangwei had considered that Li Zhe's biggest weakness was instability: now that winter vegetables were scarce, he could make money; but what would happen to him when everyone started growing winter vegetables?

It now seems that Li Zhe had foreseen this and made a longer-term plan...

This young man is something else!

(End of this chapter)