Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 226 Self-Recommendation (Two chapters combined)

Private room on the second floor of Shuxiangju.

Bai Yunsheng took off her red down jacket, revealing a pink fitted sweater underneath; Wei Min wore a green sweater, the two of them, one pink and one green, added a touch of vibrancy to the private room.

Li Zhe also took off his woolen coat and handed the menu to Wei Min: "You've worked hard today. Order whatever you want." He then turned to Bai Yunsheng and said: "Comrade Bai, don't be so polite with me."

Wei Min took the menu and glanced at it: "Alright, let's go all out today, I'll have shredded pork with garlic sauce and boiled beef."

Bai Yunsheng frowned slightly and pouted, saying, "Minmin, eating too much spicy food can easily cause acne."

Wei Min touched her forehead, genuinely worried: "Then let's replace the shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce with salt and pepper mushrooms."

Bai Yunsheng shook his head slightly, feeling that this wasn't much better: it would still easily cause acne. He leaned over to look at the menu with Wei Min: "I'll have garlic broccoli."

After Bai Yunsheng finished speaking, he handed the menu to Li Zhe: "Mr. Li, we've ordered."

Li Zhe added another dish and a soup: a braised mandarin fish and a hot and sour soup.

Waitress Han Chunyan brought in a pot of tea, poured tea for the three of them, and then left with the written menu.

Wei Min took a sip of tea and said, "Brother Li, your restaurant is doing so well. So many customers on the first day of opening. I feel like writing a food column is a bit redundant. I'm just freeloading."

"Wei Min, you've misunderstood," Li Zhe said with a smile.
“You have to keep writing this column, I’m still waiting to read it. My restaurant just opened, and they’re offering a 8% discount, so people from the neighborhood are just coming for the novelty. Once that novelty wears off, nobody knows how many customers will stay.”

He paused for a moment and then said, "Return customers have a repurchase rate. It's not that customers will come to your restaurant every day just because they like it. Even if they like it very much, they will only come to eat here once every now and then. So it's still very important to promote and attract customers."

Furthermore, since you two are both very knowledgeable, please feel free to offer your suggestions regarding any shortcomings in the restaurant.

Bai Yunsheng chimed in, "I have indeed been to quite a few restaurants. To be honest, your restaurant is second to none in terms of ambiance, food, and service. I guarantee it will be a great success."

He gestured with his hand across the round table: "Take this rotating round table for example, it's really convenient and practical for large group meals. I've been to so many restaurants, and I've only seen two or three of them using it. In this respect alone, you've surpassed most restaurants."

Wei Min nodded: "In the past, being able to eat at state-run restaurants was a secret treat. But now, the service and food quality of state-run restaurants are really not as good as those of privately owned restaurants. Only a few old brands can barely keep up appearances."

As the three were talking, there was a knock on the door of the private room. Then, Wang Jianjun pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a tray: "These are free snacks from our restaurant, have some to tide you over."

The plate contains glutinous rice strips and popcorn.

Wei Min picked up a stick of glutinous rice, took a bite, and exclaimed, "Crunchy and delicious!"

Bai Yunsheng picked up a popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth: "I used to eat this all the time when I was a kid, but I haven't had it for a few years."

Wei Min gave a thumbs up: "Brother Li, the service at your restaurant is truly impeccable." She took out her notebook and wrote down the item "pre-meal snacks": "I've never seen these in other restaurants."

The four chatted for a while, and then the door to the private room was pushed open again. A waiter came in carrying a tray: the first dish was garlic broccoli; the second dish was boiled beef.

Bai Yunsheng first put a piece of broccoli on Wei Min's plate: "Minmin, eat more vegetables. It'll prevent pimples and internal heat, and it'll be good for your health."

Wang Jianjun glanced at Wei Min, then at Bai Yunsheng, thinking to himself: What's going on with these two? Something seems off. However, he didn't dare ask in front of them.

After eating for a while, two more dishes and a soup were served. Li Zhe pointed to the braised mandarin fish and said, "Try this dish. It's a new dish at our restaurant; it wasn't available when you came last time."

Wei Min picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth: "Mmm, it tastes good. It's fragrant and spicy, and the fish skin has a slightly charred aroma. Delicious!"

Bai Yunsheng reminded him, "It tastes even better if you dip it in the broth." He tasted a piece of fish and nodded slightly, "That's the taste. I remember that Emei Restaurant should have this dish. My mother loves it. I'll bring her to try it next time."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "This dish of ours is learned from Emei Restaurant. And this hot and sour soup is especially appetizing; you can drink it before or after a meal."

Wei Min put down her chopsticks and asked with some confusion, "Why would Emei Restaurant teach you this dish? Wouldn't that ruin their business?"

Li Zhe explained, "It's not really about teaching. This braised mandarin fish is a classic Sichuan dish. We tasted it and thought it was delicious, so we had our restaurant's chef recreate it."

Bai Yunsheng asked, "Mr. Li, your restaurant has quite a few dishes, why do you need to copy dishes from other restaurants? Won't having too many dishes increase the restaurant's costs?"

Li Zhe replied, "That is indeed the case. But our restaurant has just opened, and we don't know which dishes will be more popular with customers, so we prepared more dishes than usual."

We'll keep the dishes that customers like, and either improve or temporarily remove the ones that don't receive good feedback.

Another thing is that we change some of the dishes every now and then to keep things fresh for our customers.

Of course, the most popular signature dishes will definitely remain unchanged. For example, Kung Pao Chicken, Boiled Beef in Chili Oil, Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Mapo Tofu are all staples.

Bai Yunsheng nodded: "It's right to change some dishes every now and then. Otherwise, even the best restaurant will get boring eventually."

Li Zhe put down his chopsticks and said, "Comrade Bai, I'm thinking of making a promotional film about vegetable greenhouses. But I'm not very familiar with this industry, so I'd like to ask you for advice on how to do it."

Bai Yunsheng's tone was questioning: "What is your purpose in making this movie? Is it to make money in theaters, or for official publicity?"

Li Zhe poured the other person a cup of tea: "Neither. My movie won't be shown in theaters, nor is it part of the official promotion."

My goal is to broadcast this outdoors in the countryside to promote greenhouse vegetable farming to the surrounding farmers, letting them understand what winter-warm greenhouses are and how profitable they can be. This will encourage more people to grow vegetables in greenhouses. Once more people are doing this, our people won't lack fresh vegetables in the winter.

"Hey, that's a great idea, I absolutely support it." Bai Yunsheng touched his cheek.

"My skin isn't very good, especially in the dry winters in the north. If I don't eat vegetables for a day, I'm guaranteed to get pimples the next day—it's incredibly accurate."

If it's really like you say, and people grow vegetables in greenhouses during the winter, then I'll be able to eat cheap vegetables in the future.

Li Zhe said, "That's my idea. But information is relatively backward in rural areas, and many people don't know about vegetable greenhouses. That's why I thought of promoting them by showing open-air movies."

Bai Yunsheng agreed, saying, "The villagers don't have much entertainment, so they'd definitely go see an open-air movie. However, the film needs to be reviewed before it can be shot. It can only be filmed after it has been reviewed by the relevant departments."

"What is the review process?" Li Zhe asked. In this era of limited information, it was like being in a completely different field.

"Generally, a film script needs to be submitted to the film censorship agency for registration and review. Only after passing the review can filming begin. After filming is completed, it needs to be submitted to the film censorship agency for review again. Once approved, the relevant department will issue a film public screening license."

However, if it's just an open-air screening in rural areas, a film supply license isn't needed, and the approval authority is much lower-level; a county- or city-level cultural bureau might be able to approve it.

Li Zhe pressed further, "Would films of my genre be easy to pass censorship?"

Bai Yunsheng replied, "Films that conform to mainstream values ​​are more likely to pass censorship. For example, special subjects such as major revolutions and major historical events have a very high chance of being approved."

While the topic of vegetable greenhouses doesn't directly relate to either of those two categories, it's related to people's livelihoods and the "vegetable basket" project, and it aligns with mainstream values. Personally, I think collaborating with government departments or agricultural-related departments would increase the chances of approval.” Li Zhe thought for a moment and said, “Our local town government supports my greenhouse vegetable farming. Furthermore, I have future cooperation plans with the Beijing Vegetable Company, and they also hope to expand the scale of greenhouse vegetable cultivation as soon as possible. I've also considered asking them for some support.”

Bai Yunsheng became interested and leaned forward: "If that's the case, then things will be much easier."

First, get the script done. Then, find a partner in the town government and the Beijing Vegetable Company to secure some support and relevant certifications proving it's a three-way collaboration for this promotional film. After that, submit the script to the review department; this will greatly increase the chances of approval.

Li Zhe asked, "How much will the filming cost?"

Bai Yunsheng smiled and said, "The cost of making a movie is not fixed. Some movies can cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, while others can cost less. If it's not going to be released and quality isn't a concern, a few thousand yuan is enough."

Wang Jianjun interjected, "Why is there such a big difference?"

Bai Yunsheng explained, "Films with rural themes or corporate promotional videos are extremely simple to produce. They are mostly shown internally or used for rural promotion, and the equipment is usually rented home video cameras or old 16mm cameras. As for the staff, they can be part-time or hired temporarily, and the actors are almost paid. The costs are mainly concentrated on equipment rental, consumables (including videotapes or film), and a small amount of miscellaneous expenses. Usually, it can be done for a few thousand to ten or twenty thousand yuan."

When talking about his profession, Bai Yunsheng opened up: "Mid-budget feature films are usually small productions from local studios, distributed to local cinemas. They have a basic plot and professional actors, most of whom are actors from local theater troupes. The cinematography, photography, set design, and post-production are all of higher quality, and the budget is usually between 50,000 and 200,000 yuan."

"Next up are high-budget commercial films, with well-known directors and actors involved, using professional film cameras, a full set of lighting and sound equipment, and large-scale sets. The cost is much higher, ranging from 20 to 100 million yuan."

Li Zhe said, "The movie I'm going to make is for promotion in rural areas, and I think the first approach is pretty good. We ordinary people just want to watch a story, enjoy the excitement, and learn about something new. All those fancy backgrounds, lighting, and music are unnecessary."

As someone from a later era, Li Zhe naturally knew that good movies definitely required a lot of money. But the problem was that his movie wasn't going to be shown in theaters, and he wasn't expecting to make money; achieving the publicity goal was enough, so naturally, the less money he spent, the better.

"Comrade Bai, I don't know anyone who can make films. I'm looking for a versatile person in the film industry, someone who can be a cinematographer, director, and post-production specialist. Do you know anyone like that? Could you recommend someone?"

"Pfft." Bai Yunsheng laughed. "Mr. Li, you're really good at saving money. Are you planning to have one person direct a whole movie?"

Li Zhe waved his hand: "It won't come to that. I'll arrange some assistants for him. He just needs to take charge."

"Oh dear, it's really hard to find such well-rounded talent. First of all, you have to be able to write scripts, draw, and create storyboards; you have to be able to use camera equipment; you also have experience in directing on set, knowing how to shoot, how to record sound, how to change scenes... Such well-rounded talent is indeed rare."

At this point, Bai Yunsheng paused, raising his chin slightly, "However, there just happens to be one right in front of you."

Wei Min laughed: "Old Bai, so after all that talk, you've just been praising your own wares?"

"I'm not bragging, but I grew up on film sets and even worked at the Beijing Film Studio for a while, participating in the production of many films. I know the ins and outs inside and out. What I lack now is an opportunity, a mentor." He looked at Li Zhe as he said this.
"Brother Li, as long as you trust me, I promise to do my best to help you make this movie a success. And I won't ask for a single penny."

Wang Jianjun was a little puzzled: he always heard Li Zhe say, "There's no such thing as a free lunch," so why was this guy so enthusiastic? "Comrade Bai, what are you after if you're making a movie for free?"

Bai Yunsheng replied, "I just love making movies, and no matter how big or small the film is, it's all my work, and that's enough."

Li Zhe felt that he might not even be as old as Bai Yunsheng, yet this guy was already calling him "brother," clearly showing his interest in making the movie. He just didn't know what Bai Yunsheng's capabilities were yet.

Li Zhe wasn't in a hurry. He had the funding in his hands; if it was suitable, he'd let someone else film it; if not, he'd find a professional. He'd just give it a try.

He tentatively asked, "Comrade Bai, can you write screenplays?"

Bai Yunsheng tilted his head. "Oh, what do you mean by 'can'? I started writing screenplays independently when I was 16. I've written a whole stack of screenplays. I'll bring them to you to take a look another day."

Li Zhe thought to himself: Why am I looking at that? "Let's talk about the script for the vegetable greenhouse instead."

Bai Yunsheng took out a notebook: "Brother Li, tell me your requirements for the film. For example, what is your purpose in making the film, what is the general plot, what is the story, what do you want to express, and what is the style of the film?"

Li Zhe thought about it carefully: "The purpose of making this film is to promote vegetable greenhouses and let the villagers who watch the film know that growing vegetables in greenhouses can make money. At the same time, I want to make the film as entertaining as possible to attract more villagers to watch it."

I've already thought of a title for the movie—"A Love Story in a Greenhouse." I think the title can reflect the overall style of the film to some extent.

Bai Yunsheng nodded: "Hearing the name you mentioned, I know what kind of movie you want."

He organized his thoughts and continued, "What you want to film is a lighthearted and humorous rural love story with a focus on vegetable greenhouses."

Li Zhe said, "You're right. I hope we can add some dramatic conflict to give the villagers something to talk about and attract more attention. Also, the main storyline is about growing vegetables in greenhouses, while the romance is just a secondary plot."

It doesn't need to be a passionate, dramatic romance; it just needs that hazy, ambiguous feeling.

Bai Yunsheng gave him an approving look: "Brother Li, you understand movies."

Wei Min joked, "Old Bai, it's just making a movie, we don't need to go to such lengths."

Bai Yunsheng glared at him: "Get out of the way, I'm talking to Brother Li about serious business. Brother Li, when do you want to officially start filming?"

"It should be around July or August this year. Building vegetable greenhouses and growing off-season vegetables is seasonal. Too early is unnecessary, and too late is too late."

Bai Yunsheng clapped his hands: "Oh dear, it's almost March, only three or four months left. There's a lot to prepare for making a movie, we need to hurry up."

Li Zhe asked, "Comrade Bai, how long do you think it will take you to write the script?"

Bai Yunsheng paused for a moment, then pondered for a long time: "That's hard to say. If I have inspiration, I might finish writing it in a week; if I don't, it will take some more effort..."

Bai Yunsheng had indeed written screenplays, but the problem was that he had lived in the city since childhood and had never even seen the countryside, let alone a vegetable greenhouse. This left him somewhat at a loss for words!

Wei Min saw right through him and laughed, "What inspiration? You just don't know how to write it." He then looked at Li Zhe beside him and said, "Brother Li, it's better to let me write the script than to have him write it."

Li Zhe countered, "Then how do you want to write it?"

Wei Min shrugged: "I don't know either..."

Li Zhe: "..."

Well, another unreliable one.

Wei Min touched her nose. "I think writing a script is the same as writing a reporter's article. Without on-site interviews, you can't just rely on imagination; you can't capture the essence. Brother Li, if you could give me more information about vegetable greenhouses, or take me to see them in person, I would know how to write it."

Bai Yunsheng snapped his fingers: "Brother Li, take me to your greenhouse farm and tell me about your experience. I guarantee I can write a script within a week."

Wei Min said, "Brother Li, I went too. I've been wanting to see your vegetable greenhouse for a long time and do an on-site interview."

Li Zhe glanced at his watch: "Let's go then. The delivery truck will be here soon."

(End of this chapter)