Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 218 (Two chapters combined)

2 month 16 day.

Wan'an Town Canned Food Factory.

The cannery is located on the west side of Wan'an Town. The blue bricks on the wall have begun to peel, revealing a pitted and mottled surface. The rusty iron signboard has corroded the word "canned food" to only half of it, while the sign at the entrance that reads "Advanced Collective" tells of its past honors.

Inside the guardhouse.

Old Zhang threw a dry twig into the tin stove, and the flames suddenly leaped up, casting a dancing shadow on the cracked glass window.

He poured himself a glass of hot water, sat down in a chair, and watched the news playing on the radio on the table. The host spoke in a clear and articulate voice: "Deepening economic system reform... Our reporter has learned that the factory raised 87 yuan for technological upgrades through employee stock ownership, but some veteran workers have expressed concerns about the adaptability of the imported German equipment..."

A motorcycle engine roared to life. Old Zhang peered through the glass and saw a motorcycle parked at the factory gate, with two men getting off the back seat.

The tall man was wrapped in a black woolen overcoat, the fabric gleaming in the sunlight; the fat man wore a slightly tight leather jacket, which looked somewhat familiar.

Old Zhang walked out of the guardhouse and looked the two men up and down: "What are you doing here?"

Jin Baiwan pulled a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Old Zhang through the iron fence: "Uncle Zhang, it's been a while. The factory hasn't reopened yet."

Old Zhang took the cigarette, recognized the man but couldn't place him, and replied casually, "No, we'll wait for the factory to notify us."

Jin Baiwan stood at the factory gate, peering through the iron fence: "Uncle Zhang, I remember there's a dog in the factory, isn't there? Why isn't it making a sound?"

Old Zhang tucked a cigarette behind his ear: "That dog eats more than I do, what's the point of having it?"

Li Zhe gazed at the empty factory building. Spring Festival couplets were still pasted on the glass windows, the edges of the red paper curled to a grayish-brown, looking unlike anything newly pasted this year. "Uncle Zhang, how long has the cannery been closed for the holiday?"

"How long has it been?" Old Zhang did some quick calculations and recalled, "More than two months, I think."

Li Zhe pressed further, "Are there any canned goods left in the warehouse?"

Old Zhang looked wary: "What are you doing here?"

Jin Baiwan guessed that the old man might not remember him, and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, I am Jin Baiwan from Daying Village. I supplied vegetables to your factory a couple of years ago; last time I came, I also brought you two catties of loose liquor."

"Hey kid, I was wondering why you looked so familiar." Old Zhang chuckled, much more enthusiastic than before. "The factory has tons of inventory, it's practically a small mountain. Everyone in the factory is worried about where to sell the canned goods..."

The two chatted with the old man for a while and roughly figured out the cannery's situation: the cannery had no orders and was piling up inventory; the factory couldn't pay wages, and there wasn't even a definite start date for the factory...

After saying goodbye to Lao Zhang, the two rode away on their motorcycle.

“Brother Li, Deputy Factory Director Xie’s house isn’t far from here, why don’t we just go to his house?”

"Okay, Brother Jin, what are Deputy Factory Director Xie's main responsibilities?"

"He mainly oversees procurement and safety. However, in town-owned enterprises like canneries, the division of labor is sometimes not very clear. I visited him at the end of the year before last, and at that time I felt that the cannery's business might not be doing well."

There could be many reasons why the cannery is struggling. If it's simply due to market conditions, it won't have a significant impact on Li Zhe. However, if the canned goods are of poor quality, then Li Zhe needs to reconsider his decision.

Jin Baiwan continued, "Director Xie is about the same age as me. He used to be an engineer and participated in the Sino-Vietnamese War. He was wounded in the leg and came to the cannery after being demobilized. He is a fairly upright and strict person, but also rather conservative."

Li Zhe nodded. In this era, many demobilized soldiers were assigned to work at the grassroots level.

……

Inside a flat-roofed brick house.

A man in his thirties sat on the sofa reading a book titled "Canned Food Production Technology and New Technologies." He was reading intently, taking notes as he went.

A woman in her thirties was sweeping the floor. When she swept past him, she reminded him, "Lift your feet a little."

The man frowned slightly, seemingly annoyed by the interruption, but still lifted his feet.

As the woman swept, she asked, "Today is the eleventh day of the first lunar month, when will your factory reopen?"

"You think I don't want to start work?" The man put down the book in his hand, wanting to say something, but then waved his hand and said, "Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

The woman complained, "How am I supposed to understand if you don't tell me? I knew it all along: if your factory isn't operating, and you're not working, we won't have any money. We can't just rely on those few acres of land to make a living. Your position as deputy factory manager sounds impressive, but you don't even earn as much as some people who work outside all year round..."

The man glared at her and said with dissatisfaction, "Yao Cuifen, you didn't say that a few years ago when our factory was doing well."

"Oh dear, as you said yourself, that's all ancient history from years ago. Everyone says that now that we've reformed and opened up, the economy is getting better every day, but your factory is getting worse and worse. I don't think you can handle being the deputy factory director..."

"Shut up!" the man snapped, abruptly standing up from the sofa. "I can tell, you just don't like me and are looking for trouble."

The woman threw the broom on the ground: "I'm looking for trouble? What trouble am I looking for? I'm the one who cooks the meals in this house, and I'm the one who takes care of the children. Tell me, what have you ever done in this house?"

"Alright, I won't argue with you. If you think I'm in the way, I'll just leave!" The man stood up, pulled his military overcoat from the hook on the wall, put it on, and went straight out of the yard.

The woman stood at the doorway, hands on her hips, and shouted, "Go on, get out of here! Xie Mantun, if you're so capable, then don't come back!"

Xie Mantun stormed out of the courtyard gate. After taking a few steps, he saw a motorcycle drive by, brush past him, and stop right in front of his house.

He stopped and turned to look back. The burly man on the motorcycle looked familiar, and the man also turned to look at him.

"Director Xie," the man on the motorcycle called out his name directly.

Xie Mantun sized the other person up and down: "Are you Boss Jin?"

Seeing that the other person was dressed neatly and about to leave, Jin Baiwan subconsciously asked, "Director Xie, where are you going?"

"Hehe, nothing much, just going out for a stroll." Xie Mantun smiled. "Mr. Jin, you came to see me?"

"Yes. It's been a while since we last met, so I was thinking of getting together with you. Do you have time at noon? Let's find a restaurant and sit for a while."

Xie Mantun knew his wife's stubborn temper very well, especially since he had been earning less money in the past two years, making her even more intolerant. If he brought friends back at this time, she would definitely give him a hard time.

"Mr. Jin, a new restaurant just opened in town last year. Let me take you to try it. Lunch will be on me," Xie Mantun said, forcing himself to speak. He didn't have much money in his pocket, so he could only put it on credit first.

Jin Baiwan laughed and said, "It's just the two of us treating you to dinner, how could we let you pay?"

Li Zhe and Jin Baiwan both got off their motorcycles. Jin Baiwan pointed to Li Zhe and introduced him, "Director Xie, this is my brother Li from the same village."

Li Zhe extended his right hand to shake hands with the other party: "Director Xie, I've heard so much about you. My name is Li Zhe, and I'm a vegetable grower from Daying Village."

"I don't deserve such praise. I don't have any famous name." Xie Mantun shook hands with Li Zhe. Seeing that the other party was well-dressed and spoke eloquently, he didn't look like a vegetable grower at all. However, since they had just met and were not familiar with each other, he was too embarrassed to ask.

The three chatted as they walked a few hundred meters. Xie Mantun pointed to a small restaurant: "This donkey meat restaurant opened last year. I ate there before the New Year, and the taste was quite authentic."

Jin Baiwan laughed and said, "Donkey meat is a good thing. I've been craving it for a long time. My wife also craved it during the New Year. I bought some raw donkey meat to stew. Although it tasted okay, it was still not quite the same as what you get in restaurants."

The three entered the restaurant. Xie Mantun knew the owner and directly requested a private room, ordering a donkey meat platter, a mixed shredded vegetables dish, a serving of peanuts, a serving of preserved egg and tofu, three bowls of donkey offal soup, and three baked buns.

Li Zhe saw that there were donkey meat dumplings on the menu on the wall, so he ordered another serving of donkey meat dumplings.

Jin Baiwan had two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) on his motorcycle. He opened one bottle and poured three glasses of liquor.

"Director Xie, it's been a while since we've had a drink. Here, let me toast you."

Xie Mantun picked up his wine glass and said to Li Zhe beside him, "Come on, let's drink together."

Li Zhe also raised his glass and drank with the two of them. After setting down his glass, Xie Mantun couldn't help but ask, "Boss Jin, what brings you here today?"

Jin Baiwan picked up the wine bottle and poured another glass for the other man: "Here's the thing. Brother Li wanted to buy some canned goods and asked if I knew anyone here, so I introduced him to you."

Upon hearing that the other party wanted to buy canned goods, Xie Mantun's eyes immediately lit up. The biggest problem for their cannery right now was the lack of orders; the unsold inventory meant they couldn't pay their workers' wages.

If the canned goods can actually be sold, Jin Baiwan will have been a great help.

He cast a grateful glance at Jin Baiwan, calming himself down before asking, "Brother Li, how many cans of food are you planning to buy?"

The second sister mentioned a canned food purchase order of around 100 tons, but Li Zhe couldn't reveal all the details to her, so he vaguely replied, "Probably a few dozen tons."

Hearing the amount, Xie Mantun was even more delighted; this was a major client. If this deal went through, the cannery could be revitalized.

He took a deep breath: "Brother Li, what kind of canned goods are you planning to buy?"

Li Zhe took out a piece of paper and handed it over, which contained a list of canned food items to purchase.

Xie Mantun took the list and looked at it: "Our factory has most of the canned goods you requested."

Li Zhe pressed further, "Could you tell me which canned goods are unavailable?"

Xie Mantun pointed to the list and replied, "We don't have canned pickles or green beans. We sold out of canned beef at the end of last year, and we don't have canned oranges either, but we have most of the others."

During the conversation, the door to the private room opened, and the waiter began serving the dishes.

The three of them drank another round of wine, eating and talking at the same time.

The donkey meat is fresh and fragrant, and the freshly baked flatbread is crispy and crunchy. With donkey meat, tendons, and intestines, each bite is a delightful combination of lean and fatty meat, with distinct layers that are incredibly satisfying.

Li Zhe ate a donkey meat sandwich in a few bites, clapped his hands, and continued talking about business.

He took out a pen from his briefcase and crossed out the canned goods that weren't on the list. He then highlighted the pickled cucumbers, because his uncle's cannery didn't make pickled cucumbers either.

"Director Xie, what are the technical difficulties in producing these pickled cucumber cans? Why can't your factory produce them?"

"The pickling method for these cucumbers is indeed a bit different from ordinary canned goods, but you couldn't say it's particularly difficult," Xie Mantun said, taking a bite of donkey meat intestines, putting down his chopsticks.
"The factory has no inventory mainly due to two considerations. First, Chinese people don't really like canned food, especially canned vegetables. These pickled cucumbers sell very little domestically; they were mostly exported before. In the past two years, with the decrease in foreign trade orders and the decline in demand, production has naturally decreased."

Another point is that the variety of cucumbers used to make pickled cucumbers is different from the regular cucumbers we eat. Mr. Jin should be aware of this. For example, if we want to make canned tomatoes, we just need to tell Mr. Jin, and he can get them from the surrounding vegetable farmers.

But to make canned pickles, you need a special variety of pickle cucumber. We rarely grow them around here.

Jin Baiwan added: "The cucumbers we usually eat are prickly cucumbers. They have prickles on the skin, are long and thin, have a lot of water, and have tender flesh. They are suitable for eating raw or stir-frying. However, if they are used to pickle and can, they will easily soften and release water, and the taste will be worse."
The variety of cucumber used for pickling is relatively short, with a thicker skin and a crisper texture. It doesn't easily become mushy after pickling, maintaining its shape and crispness, but it's not very palatable when eaten raw.

Therefore, most farmers grow prickly cucumbers. If they need to buy them temporarily, it's almost impossible to find a source.

Jin Baiwan thought for a moment and continued, "The same goes for green beans. I've heard that many people in the south eat them, but not many in the north, and they're not grown much either. A lot of them are grown specifically for export, so it's difficult to buy them on short notice."

Li Zhe roughly understood the situation and toasted the two men with a glass of wine.

After a good meal and drinks, the three of them, led by Xie Mantun, returned to the cannery.

Old Zhang came out of the guardhouse, opened the large iron gate, and asked, "Director Xie, what brings you here?"

“These two friends want to buy canned goods from our factory. I’ll take them to the warehouse to see the goods.”

"Hey, that's great, I'll go get you the key." Old Zhang said and quickly ran back to the guardhouse.

Xie Mantun said, "During the holiday, the warehouse will have two locks. The key to one lock is with the gatekeeper, and the key to the other lock is with me and the factory manager."

After receiving the key, Xie Mantun led the two into the warehouse. The warehouse was very large, and perhaps because it had never seen sunlight for a long time, it was very cold inside.

There were low wooden shelves at the bottom of the warehouse, with cardboard boxes stacked on top, neatly piled high.

Xie Mantun explained, "We have a total of 6 warehouses. This warehouse is specifically used to store canned meat, including luncheon meat and canned pork. We used to also have canned fish, but we stopped producing it last year because sales were so-so."

Li Zhe tentatively asked, "Director Xie, I've heard that your factory hasn't been doing very well these past two years, and you have a lot of unsold canned goods. Is the poor sales due to quality issues?"

"No, no, no, the quality of our canned goods is absolutely guaranteed. I'll show you our production line in a bit. Our machines are all new equipment imported from abroad three years ago." At this point, Xie Mantun couldn't help but sigh.
"I'm not afraid to admit it, but when the market was good a few years ago, our factory did make some money. Later, because the equipment was aging and frequently broke down, each breakdown would delay the project schedule."

Our factory gritted our teeth and bought a batch of new machines, hoping to make a big splash. But the canned food market got worse every day, and even the best machines couldn't be used effectively. Who can you turn to for justice?

He said with a hint of self-reproach, "In the end, it's also our fault for not accurately judging the market. If we hadn't used all the factory's money to buy new equipment, the factory wouldn't be in such a difficult situation now."

Li Zhe nodded: Even canneries in the capital city have trouble selling their products, let alone a cannery in a small town.

"Director Xie, may we take a look at the canned goods?"

"Of course, you see, I was so busy talking that I forgot about the important matter." Xie Mantun used a key to open a cardboard box, took out a can of meat, and handed it to Li Zhe.

Li Zhe took it and saw that it was a one-pound can of meat, with a date from June of last year and a shelf life of 24 months. The tin box felt quite sturdy. Li Zhe weighed it in his hand, then casually tossed it to the ground. The can of meat fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Xie Mantun was taken aback at first, then guessed what was going on: "Mr. Li, are you planning to export this batch of canned goods?"

“That’s right.” Li Zhe nodded. “I’ve taken on an export order. The distance is quite far, and bumps and knocks are inevitable during transportation. If the quality is poor, the loss rate will be relatively high, and I’m afraid it will be difficult to explain later.”

Xie Mantun's gaze towards Li Zhe changed. To be able to secure foreign trade business at this time of year meant this man was no ordinary person. Looking at his clothes and appearance, she rarely saw anything like him, not just in Wan'an Town, but even in Langfang City.

When did such a person emerge from Daying Village?
Li Zhe opened the can of meat; it was a box of braised pork, covered in a layer of oil. He took a bite and found it fragrant, greasy, and salty, causing him to frown involuntarily.

Xie Mantun reminded him, "Mr. Li, this canned meat is frozen now, so you can't taste its original flavor. It will taste better if you heat it up."

Jin Baiwan said, "Why don't we try some canned fruit? It's delicious when it's cold."

Xie Mantun quickly said, "Yes, yes, I'll take you there."

The three of them moved to another warehouse and opened a can of yellow peaches to taste. They were very sweet, and the peach flavor was quite authentic—it was that classic taste.

Jin Baiwan also ate a piece of canned yellow peach and said to Xie Mantun beside him, "Director Xie, could you bring us some samples? We'd like to take them back and try them."

Xie Mantun readily agreed, "No problem. I'll pack a few bottles of each type of canned food for you two in a bit." He added again, "When you taste the canned meat, be sure to heat it up a bit so you can really taste its original flavor."

Afterwards, Xie Mantun packed some samples for the two men and took them to the cannery gate, asking, "When do you expect to receive the goods? I'll have the workers pack and ship them in advance."

Li Zhe said, "Director Xie, let me be honest with you. Our profit margin isn't high; we just earn a meager living. We've inquired about prices at other canneries before, so we have some understanding of the market situation."

We're all from the same town, so if the prices are similar, we'll definitely prioritize ordering from your factory. But if the price difference is significant, we can't afford to lose money, right?
Therefore, I hope you can also give us a bottom line price. As long as the price is right, we can cooperate long-term.

Although Li Zhe phrased it tactfully, Xie Mantun understood: "Mr. Li, the price of canned goods isn't something I can decide alone. How about this: could you leave me your contact information? Once I've finalized the price, I'll contact you, and we can sit down and discuss it properly."

“No problem.” Li Zhe handed the other party a business card. “Director Xie, I look forward to cooperating with your factory.”

"Me too." Xie Mantun warmly shook hands with the two and watched Li Zhe and the other leave.

He clenched his fist forcefully: "Damn it, finally an order! This time I'm going to make the most of it."

This order is crucial to the future of the entire factory and represents our hope for resuming production...

(End of this chapter)