Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 202 Showdown
The residential compound of the Beijing Television Factory.

When Chen Shufang got home, she went into her daughter's room.

She glanced at her daughter's dressing table, her gaze landing on the amber-colored perfume bottle. "Tingting, how much did you pay for that Dior perfume?"

"Didn't I tell you before? It's quite expensive." Wang Ting placed the bag from Friendship Store on her study desk.

Chen Shufang picked up the perfume bottle and examined it carefully: "Your sister said this perfume costs more than 180 foreign exchange certificates, is that true?"

"Did my sister go buy perfume today?"

Chen Shufang glared at her daughter: "You brat, don't try to change the subject! Why did you accept such an expensive gift?"

Wang Ting said, "Didn't I buy him a briefcase today too?"

Chen Shufang said worriedly, "Tingting, I feel like this Li Zhe is a bit unreliable. He spends all the money he earns recklessly. Your sister also said that a carton of Marlboro cigarettes costs seventy-six foreign exchange certificates, and the two cartons he gave to your dad cost more than a hundred foreign exchange certificates. No matter how much money you have, it can't withstand spending like this!"

Wang Ting responded, "Mom, when people give gifts to Dad, it's out of respect. Would you be happy if they gave him something cheap? Besides, wasn't it you who brought us together in the first place?"

"Back then, I only knew he could make money, I never imagined he could 'waste' it like that!" Chen Shufang sighed, pointing towards the dressing table: "And those cosmetics on your table, how much did they cost? Aren't they really expensive?"

Wang Ting said, "Didn't I tell you before? The things he gave me were indeed not cheap."

“You’re just giving me the runaround.” Chen Shufang didn’t buy her daughter’s explanation. In her opinion, a bottle of perfume costing twenty or thirty foreign exchange certificates was already very expensive. Who would have thought it was worth more than one hundred and eighty foreign exchange certificates?
"Okay, I'll tell him not to send anything anymore." Wang Ting said helplessly.

Actually, when Li Zhe first gave her a gift, she felt it was too expensive and didn't dare to accept it.

But she later realized that it wouldn't be appropriate not to accept it, as Li Zhe would be unhappy.

Take that time when he bought clothes, for example. Li Zhe bought two outfits and a roll of camera film, spending over a thousand foreign exchange certificates, and carried them in large and small bags. It would be equally inappropriate if he didn't buy anything for himself.

After all, the two were shopping together, and it wouldn't make sense for Li Zhe to only buy things for himself and not for his girlfriend.

Li Zhe's spending habits are already high-end, so anything he buys is unlikely to be cheap.

If she insists on not accepting anything Li Zhe buys, it will become awkward for the two of them to go out together.

Later, she realized that the reason for this situation was the huge economic gap between the two of them.

Li Zhe earns over three thousand yuan a day, most of which is in foreign exchange certificates. His income is a thousand times that of an average person's salary.

What is expensive to ordinary people is just an ordinary item to him.

Given such a huge economic gap, if the two people are too clear about their differences, they may not be able to continue their relationship.

Chen Shufang said seriously, "This isn't just about giving gifts; it's about whether he can afford to spend money so extravagantly. He's making money now and has developed a habit of spending lavishly. What will he do when he stops making money? Wouldn't that make him a spendthrift?"

Previously, Wang Ting didn't dare to mention the actual price of the gifts Li Zhe gave her, fearing it would upset her mother. But now she felt that if she didn't say anything, her mother might nag endlessly. "Mom, Li Zhe isn't the type to spend money recklessly, so please don't worry about it."

"If this isn't considered reckless spending, then what is? Did those foreign exchange certificates just fall from the sky?"

Wang Ting countered, "Then do you know how much money he can earn in a day?"

"How much can we earn? Even if we only earn a few hundred yuan a day, it can't be this bad." Chen Shufang's voice weakened. Her family couldn't even earn a few hundred yuan a month.

“Mom, a few hundred yuan is just a small amount. He can earn at least 3000 yuan a day. This is just his normal spending, it’s not considered reckless spending.”

"What did you say? More than 3000?!" Chen Shufang exclaimed in surprise.

"Do the math yourself. He grows vegetables in more than a dozen greenhouses, producing several hundred kilograms of vegetables a day. Each kilogram sells for six or seven yuan, and cucumbers can even sell for eight yuan. The 3000 yuan I mentioned is a conservative estimate. If he spends 100 yuan, it's equivalent to you spending one mao (8 yuan). If I asked you to spend two mao on a bottle of perfume, would you think that's expensive? Would that be considered wasting money?"

"This..." Chen Shufang was so shocked she couldn't speak. She knew Li Zhe made money; in her opinion, earning a few hundred yuan a day was already a great deal. Earning several thousand yuan a day was something she couldn't even imagine.

"Mom, just keep this to yourself, don't go around telling everyone. And don't tell my sister and brother-in-law either, so they don't feel awkward." Wang Ting was a thoughtful person and didn't want any distance to grow between her and her sister.

Chen Shufang left the house with a complicated expression. She had always thought her family was doing quite well: she had a stable job, her husband was the office director of a television factory in Beijing, and her daughter was beautiful and a graduate of a prestigious university. Although Li Zhe could earn money selling vegetables, it was still somewhat less than what her family could make.

But when she heard her daughter say that Li Zhe could earn more than 3000 yuan a day, her sense of superiority instantly crumbled. What does 3000 yuan mean? It's more than her and her husband's annual salary! And that's just Li Zhe's daily income!

She knew Li Zhe made money, but she never imagined he could make this much; it completely exceeded her expectations. At that moment, she didn't even know how to face Li Zhe anymore.

……

Wan'an Town.

Slightly intoxicated, Mayor Chen rode his bicycle home. Although it was the dead of winter, he didn't feel cold because of the alcohol.

When he arrived at his doorstep, he saw a military green truck parked in front of the house.

He was slightly taken aback. He had always told his wife and son not to entertain guests or accept gifts when he was away. And this truck looked like it had been parked for quite some time.

He recognized the truck, but he'd seen so many different kinds of people that he couldn't quite place it. Pushing the cart through the gate, he suddenly remembered: the last time he went to Daying Village, he'd ridden in this very truck.

He probably guessed who the visiting guest was.

Once inside the courtyard, the lights were on in the houses, and you could faintly hear people talking.

His son lifted the curtain and greeted him at the door: "Dad, you're finally back! Mr. Li from Daying Village has been waiting for you for half an hour."

As soon as Mayor Chen entered the house, the first thing he saw was Li Zhe, who had stood up from his chair.

That impeccably tailored wool coat and suit were a rare sight in town; it was probably this impressive attire that intimidated his wife and son, otherwise they wouldn't have kept him there for so long.

"Mayor Chen, it's been a while since we last met. The New Year is just around the corner, so I've come to wish you a Happy New Year in advance." Li Zhe stepped forward and shook hands with Mayor Chen.

Mayor Chen greeted him warmly, "It's Li Zhe! No wonder the car at the door looked so familiar. Please, have a seat!"

Mayor Chen's son pointed to the gift bag on the table and whispered, "Dad, this is from Boss Li."

Mayor Chen glanced at it and immediately recognized that the gift Li Zhe had given him was Moutai liquor. "Little Li, are you trying to make me make a mistake by giving me something so valuable?"

“Mayor Chen, you are my elder, and I am your junior. How could I come to visit you empty-handed? This is just a small token of my appreciation,” Li Zhe said sincerely.

Mayor Chen waved his hand: "No, no, I never accept gifts. Take the things back in a bit."

"Mayor Chen, I've already told you that I plan to lead the villagers to grow vegetables in greenhouses next year. We'll need the government's help and support, and I'll inevitably have to trouble you to pull some strings. You can't go empty-handed. This is what I prepared for you in advance. It wouldn't make sense for you to help and then have to pay for your own gifts."

Li Zhe's words were impeccable. Before Mayor Chen could reply, he took out two newspapers from his briefcase: "Mayor Chen, take a look. These are interview reports from two newspapers in Beijing, both about our off-season vegetables."

Mayor Chen took the newspaper and began to read it carefully. He was very interested in the "One Belt, One Town" vegetable greenhouse expansion plan that Li Zhe had previously proposed.

He's getting old now and has given up hope of promotion. Being a local, he wants to do something practical for the people in the town before he retires, so that they will remember his kindness in the future.

If Li Zhe's "One Belt, One Town" vegetable greenhouse expansion plan is successful, then the entire Wan'an Town could become a model village like Huaxi Village and Daqiuzhuang!

To put it bluntly, the reason he values ​​Li Zhe is because the two share the same goal.

He read the newspaper carefully, a hint of admiration on his face: "Good lad, you actually got it done! The newspaper raved about you a lot, you must have pulled some strings, right?"

Li Zhe had previously asked for welfare and subsidies, and he had indeed mentioned it to his superiors, but they had never given a clear response. So, he asked Wang Tietou, the Party Secretary of Daying Village, to relay a message to Li Zhe, asking him to promote the vegetable greenhouses through the newspaper so that more people would know about them.

The greater the influence and the wider the publicity, the easier it is to apply for policies and subsidies from higher-level departments. And Beijing newspapers have a greater influence on the Langfang government than local newspapers. "Do you have any extra newspapers? Give me a few more later. These are more useful than gifts; I need to take them with me when I'm making connections."

"Don't worry, I bought dozens of newspapers in advance. You can have as many as you want," Li Zhe said with a smile. "Mayor Chen, there's something else I'd like to trouble you with."

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"Could you distribute these newspapers to the village? Let the village help spread the word so that more villagers know that growing vegetables in greenhouses can be profitable, and then they will be more willing to learn."

"Hmm, that's a good idea. I'll distribute the newspapers to the village committees later and have them promote it at the party member meetings."

Li Zhe added with a smile, "Mayor Chen, your idea is excellent. At the same time, I think we can add something else, such as using the village's loudspeaker to broadcast. This way, not only Party members can hear it, but ordinary villagers can also hear it, and the publicity effect will be even better."

(End of this chapter)