Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 215 New Track

2 month 14 day.

Near Jianguo Hotel.

A red and white bus stopped in front of the bus stop. A tall, beautiful girl with fair skin stepped off the bus.

She blinked her bright, lively eyes and looked around. Seeing Li Zhe standing not far away, she smiled and went to greet him: "When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?"

"I just got here a little while ago." Li Zhe extended his left hand from behind his back, offering a bouquet of bright red roses: "Tingting, Happy Valentine's Day!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Ting's eyes.

She never expected Li Zhe to celebrate Valentine's Day with her. In later generations, Valentine's Day has become a regular holiday in China, but in this era, most people don't even know about Valentine's Day, let alone celebrate it.

Wang Ting is a college student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She knows a lot about things abroad and is aware of Valentine's Day. Last year, a senior student even received a Valentine's Day gift, but that was a relatively small-scale event.

She never expected that Li Zhe would celebrate Valentine's Day with her today.

Wang Ting accepted the bright red rose, which was wrapped in cellophane, and the faint fragrance of roses filled her nostrils.

Li Zhe looked down and asked, "Do you like it?"

"Mmm, I love it, it's so beautiful! This is the first time I've seen roses up close like this, and they smell wonderful."

Li Zhe held out his right hand: "Where's my gift?"

Wang Ting pursed her lips: "I just thought you asked me out to dinner today, I didn't even think about Valentine's Day. I bought you a gift before the New Year, I was planning to give it to you at the vegetable shop. How about I give it to you tomorrow?"

"Oh no! Valentine's Day will be over tomorrow, so it won't be meaningful anymore." Li Zhe leaned closer and said with a smile, "How about you give me a kiss as a Valentine's Day gift?"

Wang Ting bit her red lips lightly, glanced around with her big eyes, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Li Zhe on the cheek like a chick pecking at rice: "Okay!"

Li Zhe casually wrapped his right arm around her slender waist and kissed her red lips.

Wang Ting's eyes widened in disbelief: "You...you're so annoying! What if someone sees us?"

"I'm ignoring you!" Wang Ting said coquettishly, her fair cheeks flushed, and she broke free from Li Zhe's hand, taking a few quick steps to distance herself from him.

"Slow down, why are you walking so fast?"

"No way! Who told you to bully me!"

"Didn't you kiss me too?"

"I kissed his cheek, you kissed..." Seeing someone walk by, Wang Ting's face turned even redder. She stopped and pinched Li Zhe's hand with her fair fingers: "Don't talk about this anymore!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Li Zhe cried out, grimacing in pain.

"Who told you to bully me!" Wang Ting snorted and turned to walk forward.

Li Zhe quickened his pace and grabbed her hand: "Do you know where we're going? Just keep walking forward."

"Huh?" Wang Ting turned her head with a blank look on her face. "Oh right, you only asked me to meet here, you didn't say where we were going to eat."

“I went to the Jianguo Hotel to discuss business a couple of days ago. The restaurant there is pretty good. I’d like to take you to try it.”

Although Wang Ting had never been to the Jianguo Hotel, she had heard of its reputation: "No, the restaurants catering to foreigners are too expensive. Let's find a place to eat Chinese food instead."

“I’m taking you to a high-end restaurant, not just to enjoy their food, but also to give you the experience. The prices aren’t cheap, but it’s not an unaffordable trip for the occasion.”

"It's just Western food, isn't it? We've had it before, and they're all pretty much the same. Why waste money on that?" Wang Ting was still a little reluctant.

Li Zhe explained, "Jianguo Hotel doesn't have a Western restaurant; it has a Chinese restaurant."

"Really?" Wang Ting's blind spot was triggered again. Although she had heard of the famous Jianguo Hotel, no one around her had been there, so naturally no one told her whether it was Chinese or Western food.

In Li Zhe's view, if his financial situation allows, it's not a bad thing to occasionally take a woman to high-end places to broaden her horizons. Once she's eaten there, seen it all, and experienced it, her perspective and mindset will be completely different, and she won't be swayed by small favors.

The two entered the Jianguo Restaurant, and Li Zhe took out his membership card. The waiter warmly led them to a table by the window.

After looking at the menu, the two ordered a steamed sea bass, a braised pork belly with abalone, three meat patties, a bowl of rice, and a ginseng and black chicken soup.

Although it's winter, the view outside the window is still beautiful. The garden has some hardy plants, and the uniquely designed pool, fountain, and rockery create a lovely atmosphere.

Wang Ting looked out the window: "Wouldn't the view be even more beautiful if we came here to dine in the spring?"

"We'll do it again when spring comes and the flowers bloom, then we'll know," Li Zhe said, pulling out a delicate box about half the size of his palm from his pocket. "This is your Valentine's Day gift. See if you like it."

"Didn't I already send flowers? Why is there another gift?" Wang Ting opened the box with a hint of curiosity. Inside was a gold bracelet with a heart-shaped pendant. "It's so pretty!" She held it in her hand, feeling its weight. "Is it copper or gold?" Li Zhe laughed, "Silly girl, who gives copper on Valentine's Day?" He took the bracelet and put it on her wrist. The delicate gold bracelet complemented her fair wrist, making them both look even more beautiful. "Do you like it?"

"Mmm, I like it." Wang Ting shook her wrist; this was her first piece of gold jewelry. "Is it very expensive?"

"It's not expensive, I'm glad you like it." The current price of gold is tens of yuan per gram, and Li Zhe spent about 300 yuan on this bracelet. If it were in later generations, it would sell for at least six or seven thousand yuan.

Although the price isn't cheap, gold is still a better store of value compared to other gifts.

Wang Ting swung her arms and posed for a while, and then the waiter brought the food up.

The sea bass is delicious and has a delicate texture;
The Mending meat pie has a crispy outer crust, juicy meat filling, and a perfect ratio of lean to fat. One bite and the aroma is irresistible.
Braised pork belly with abalone: ​​The abalone is fresh and delicious, and the braised pork belly is pure meat. The abalone absorbs the aroma of the meat juice, making it even more delicious.

The black chicken soup tasted good too, and Wang Ting drank two bowls.

The two had almost finished eating when a man in a suit walked over and greeted them with a smile, "Mr. Li, you brought your friends to dinner without telling me? I could have had someone make a reservation for you in advance."

Li Zhe knew the other party was just being polite, so he didn't take it seriously. He smiled and said, "The membership card you gave me last time was quite useful." Li Zhe stood up, shook hands with the other party, invited her to sit down, and then sat down next to Wang Ting.

"Mr. Li, is this disturbing your meal with your friends?"

"It's okay, this is my boyfriend."

"Manager Chang, have you eaten?" Li Zhe waved to a waiter not far away. "Hello, we'd like to order more food."

"Mr. Li, I've already eaten," Chang Cheng replied, then said to the approaching waiter, "Brew a pot of Qimen black tea and put it on my tab."

The waiter responded and left.

“Mr. Li, you mentioned last time that you wanted to find a Sichuan chef, and I’ve found one for you. He’s an apprentice of our hotel’s head Sichuan chef, and besides Sichuan cuisine, he also knows some Hunan cuisine.” Chang Cheng took out a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Li Zhe. “This chef’s surname is Wu, and this is his contact information. You can contact him directly.”

"Manager Chang, thank you so much. Please come when we open in a few days and give us your valuable feedback."

Chang Cheng smiled and replied, "Thank you for the invitation. Unless there is a major event at the hotel, I will definitely attend."

At this moment, the waiter brought over a pot of tea and poured tea for the three of them.

Li Zhe raised his teacup: "I'll offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

Chang Cheng picked up his teacup, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Wang Ting. "Hey," he thought, "this girl is really beautiful, with such a great presence." He didn't dare look any longer, his gaze shifting to the dining table, where he saw the bouquet of fiery red roses.

He pointed to the roses: "Mr. Li, did you grow these roses too?"

Li Zhe put down his teacup: "Yes, isn't this Valentine's Day in the West? We happen to have a batch of newly opened roses in our greenhouse. We Chinese don't pay much attention to this, but foreigners like it."

"Mr. Li, do you grow a lot of roses? Could you spare a batch for our hotel? We have quite a few foreign guests staying here." Chang Cheng lowered his voice: "Quite a few foreigners, they like this kind of thing."

Li Zhe said, "Today is Valentine's Day, so the earliest I can deliver to you is tomorrow, and the quantity won't be too large. Will you still need it?"

"Of course we can use them. It's a pity we missed them today, but these old... foreign friends usually like roses and the like. In their words, it's called romance."

I like to put a flower on the table before dinner; I just love that touch. It's just that it's temporarily unavailable due to seasonal reasons.

If you can supply it, we can cooperate long-term.

Li Zhe nodded. The rose production was indeed low, and today was only the first day of trial sales. Besides the 365 Vegetable Store selling them to attract customers, the Mona Lisa Restaurant also had some. They would need to see market feedback to determine the supply volume to the Jianguo Hotel.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before Chang Cheng took his leave.

Li Zhe and Wang Ting hadn't seen each other for a while, so they weren't in a hurry to leave and sat in the restaurant drinking tea and chatting.

Wang Ting picked up another rose and smelled it: "Do you sell this flower in your store?"

"Yes, we just received the goods today, priced at three yuan per branch."

"So expensive! It's worth a day's wages for an average person."

"Foreigners think differently from us Chinese. They have better material conditions and value spiritual life. Romance and ambiance are also part of their lives. People with average living conditions don't buy flowers, and those who do buy flowers are not short of money. In addition, roses are produced in small quantities, so the price is naturally not cheap."

Wang Ting joked, "I think if you plant more flowers this year, you might earn more than you would selling vegetables."

What was said without intention was taken to heart by the listener. The country's current material conditions are not abundant, and the flower market is still a niche market, but there's never a shortage of wealthy people. The more niche the market, the higher the profits often are.

Li Zhe decided to go back and do some research to see if this track had any potential...

(End of this chapter)