Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 229 Bartering (Two chapters combined)

Shen Yanan organized her thoughts and continued, "The current settlement method for Sino-Soviet trade is mainly based on foreign exchange, supplemented by barter."

Our country currently has strict foreign exchange controls. All foreign exchange earnings from exports must be turned over in full and allocated by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Barter was the settlement process between the foreign trade company and the Soviet Union. Payment to us in RMB was only made after the foreign trade company sold the Soviet products. Therefore, the settlement cycle was relatively long.

Li Zhe asked instinctively, "Then can we use the payment to buy Soviet products?"

Shen Yanan smiled and said, "That's what I wanted to say. If the settlement is in RMB, it takes one week to one month for the payment to be received."

But if we're going to barter, as long as we deliver the canned goods, we can pick them up directly from our friend's trading company. It doesn't matter if we use them ourselves or sell them; all the paperwork is in order. It just depends on whether we're interested.

Li Zhe was naturally interested.

The Soviet Union lacked Chinese products, and China also lacked Soviet goods. The most commonly used was fertilizer.

In the 80s, after the implementation of the household contract responsibility system in China, farmers' enthusiasm for production increased, the planting area of ​​grain and cash crops expanded, and the demand for fertilizers increased significantly. Although the domestic fertilizer industry was also developing rapidly, its production capacity still could not keep up with the needs of large-scale agriculture, especially for high-quality fertilizers, which were in short supply. Some fertilizers, such as potash fertilizer, still had to be imported.

Off-season vegetables require a large amount of fertilizer. If large-scale greenhouse cultivation is implemented, there is a high risk of insufficient fertilizer, affecting the yield and quality of vegetables. This is one of the potential problems limiting the rapid expansion of greenhouse cultivation.

The Soviet Union had a well-developed fertilizer industry, especially in terms of stable production capacity and quality of potash, nitrogen, and compound fertilizers.

In fact, not only fertilizers, but also agricultural pesticides and fungicides from the Soviet Union are very suitable for vegetable cultivation in northern China, which can make up for the current shortcoming of the limited variety of pesticides in China.

As for agricultural machinery, Li Zhe doesn't even own a single agricultural transport vehicle yet, but he could exchange one directly from the Soviet Union if the conditions were right.

"Second sister, if we were to barter, what goods would we be able to exchange for in the Soviet Union?" Li Zhe asked.

"The main goods include steel, timber, fertilizer, automobiles, and machinery. Of course, there are also airplanes, but that's not really relevant to us. I'm not entirely sure what specific goods the foreign trade company carries right now; I'll ask my friend when we deliver the goods tomorrow."

"If there's a suitable deal, we'll trade goods; if not, then we'll ask for RMB," Shen Yanan explained.

Li Zhe nodded. For him, having fertilizer was enough. Even if they didn't have any this time, he could ask the other party to help him exchange some, and there would be many more opportunities for cooperation in the future.

After talking with his second sister, Li Zhe took a car back to Daying Village.

From a distance, Li Zhe saw a group of people gathered around the greenhouse. At first, he thought something had happened, but after getting out of the car and asking, he learned that these people had come to watch the excavator work. It's true that rural people work hard, but they also have really free time.

Wang Rongsheng was overseeing the construction site when Li Zhe walked over and asked, "Uncle, how's the construction going today?"

"Smoothly. Yesterday we were digging through the frozen soil layer. The soil below was loose, so it was easier to dig." At this point, Wang Rongsheng frowned slightly. "There were just a few kids who kept chasing after the excavator, and I had to chase them away a few times."

This could be a big deal or a small deal. If nothing goes wrong, it's a minor issue, but if something does, the construction can't continue. Li Zhe said seriously, "Uncle, talk to the militia about this and let them handle it. They know how to deal with these teenagers."

“Okay, I’ll tell Zhao Bing when I see him,” Wang Rongsheng nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a few words, Wang Rongsheng directed his men to build the rammed earth wall. Li Zhe returned to greenhouse number three and saw Old Li talking to a plump woman.

Upon seeing Li Zhe enter, the chubby girl stood up and greeted him warmly, "Brother Li, you're back!"

"Tiger Girl, what brings you here?" Li Zhe asked.

"Brother Li, I'm here to apply for a job. I want to work with you on greenhouse farming." Tiger Girl's voice was loud and energetic.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then found it somewhat amusing. In his previous life, he and Hu Niu were colleagues at the fan factory; when he resigned from the factory, Hu Niu was still working there.

"Tiger Girl, didn't you work at the fan factory? Why did you give up a perfectly good job as a worker and come work for me?"

Tiger Girl hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Li, I won't lie to you. This fan factory hasn't made any money in the past two years, otherwise Xiao Hu wouldn't have quit. I think working for you is more promising than working at the fan factory."

“Tiger Girl, growing vegetables in the countryside is much harder than working in a fan factory. I’m worried you won’t be able to handle it,” Li Zhe said anxiously.

"Don't worry, Brother Li, I'm not afraid of hardship. I'm strong enough to do anything others can do." Tiger Girl said confidently, extending her right arm. "How about we arm wrestle? Who knows, I might be stronger than you!"

"Will your parents agree?" Li Zhe changed the subject; this girl was really something.

“Why would they disagree? They know the fan factory doesn’t make money,” Tiger Girl explained. “Besides, my dad is the workshop foreman at the fan factory. If I want to go back to work, it’s just a matter of a word, isn’t it?”

"Okay, you can start your internship for three days. However, there will be no salary during the internship, only meals will be provided; if you pass the assessment after the internship, you can stay and work; if it's not suitable, you can look for another job."

Tiger Girl stared wide-eyed and said excitedly, "Brother Li, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely do my best!"

"Alright, you can go now. Just come back to work tomorrow." Li Zhe waved his hand.

"Why bother with tomorrow? I can start working today!" Tiger Girl said excitedly as she left the greenhouse.

"This girl has a good temperament, much better than the one from the 'Quick-Talking' family," Old Li muttered, then said to Li Zhe, "Second brother, you're back just in time. I have something to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Li Zhe pulled up a chair and sat down opposite his father.

"Lin Xiaohu came to see me today and said he's got the land for our new house approved. He knows we want to buy land, so he wants to sell it to us. What do you think?" Old Li asked.

Li Zhe chuckled: "This kid's really clever. How much does he plan to sell it for?"

“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.” Old Li paused, then continued, “He can’t make the decision. I have to talk to his father. I’ve also inquired in the village, and a plot of land for building a house costs about a thousand yuan.”

Li Zhe nodded: "Okay, then you go and negotiate. As long as it's not too outrageous, a slightly higher price is fine."

Old Li shook his head: "The Lin family is a smart family, and Xiao Hu is happy to work with us. They won't ask for a high price. Of course, we won't try to lower the price either, since building the houses together is more important to us."

Li Zhe secretly calculated that if he bought Lin Xiaohu's plot of land, his family would have three plots of land connected together, with a total area of ​​nearly 600 square meters, which would be enough to build one or two two-story houses.

“Dad, you should talk to the Lin family as soon as possible. The weather is getting warmer, and construction on the new house can start soon,” Li Zhe suggested.

"Okay, I'll go to the Lin family tomorrow." Although he didn't know why his son was in such a hurry to build a house, Old Li was used to listening to his son's arrangements. He would do whatever his son said, and his son would definitely have more ideas than him.

……

the next morning.

Mona Lisa Restaurant.

Su Mingyuan hurriedly entered the restaurant, went into the dressing room to change his clothes, and ran into Mati as soon as he came out of the dressing room.

He glanced down at his watch: "Sister Ma, I'm not late today. I'm already a minute early after changing into my work clothes."

Marty was somewhat amused and exasperated, thinking to himself: If you didn't know Russian... humph.

"Sister Ma, I'm going to work."

"Wait a minute, the boss needs to see you. He wants you to go upstairs."

Su Mingyuan was a little puzzled: "What do you want with me?"

"How would I know? I'm just a messenger. Go ask the boss." Marty said, and went to the lobby.

Su Mingyuan straightened his clothes and quickly ran upstairs to the second floor. Although being a waiter wasn't a respectable job, the pay was high! With the monthly bonus, he earned more than his father. After working there for a while, he didn't seem to dislike it as much anymore.

Upon reaching the second floor, he saw Shen Yanan, dressed neatly and seemingly about to leave: "Boss, you were looking for me?"

Shen Yanan looked him up and down: "Change your clothes and come out with me."

"Where to?" "You'll find out when we get there." Shen Yanan walked straight out.

Su Mingyuan pressed further, "Then if I go out with you, it won't count as skipping work, right?"

Shen Yanan glared at him: "Not only will it not count as absenteeism, I'll also give you a bonus."

"Hey, you should have said so earlier! If I had known there was such a good thing, why would I have changed my clothes?" Su Mingyuan rushed down the stairs first.

After he changed his clothes and entered the lobby, he saw Shen Yanan push open the door and leave. He greeted Marty and followed her out.

A truck was parked on the side of the road. Li Zhe got out of the passenger seat and said, "Second sister, let's get in the car and go."

Shen Yanan looked at the truck: "All 20 tons of canned goods are on this truck?"

Li Zhe shook his head with a smile: "How could that be? There were two even bigger trucks, which were arranged by the cannery to deliver the goods. They went directly to the Beijing Railway Station warehouse after picking up the goods from the warehouse."

“Hey, I knew it.” Shen Yanan pointed to Su Mingyuan behind her: “He speaks Russian. Let’s ask him to come along. He might come in handy.”

"You're so thoughtful." Li Zhe waved his hand. "Da Zhuang, get in the car."

"Screw you!" Su Mingyuan was furious and walked expressionlessly to the passenger seat. Li Zhe patted him on the shoulder: "There aren't enough seats in the front, go to the back."

Su Mingyuan glanced at the back of the truck and was stunned: "I...you..." He was even angrier, but in the end he didn't say anything and obediently climbed into the back of the truck.

Li Zhe could tell from the look in his eyes that the kid was somewhat unconvinced.

so what?

I love the way you can't stand me but can't do anything about it!

Once in the passenger seat, Li Zhe asked, "Second Sister, what Soviet stuff have you got your eye on? And why did you bring this kid along?"

Shen Yanan beamed: "Guess what I've got my eye on?"

"How could I possibly guess that? Just tell me directly."

"I won't tell you if you don't guess. You'll find out when you get there," Shen Yanan said with an expectant look on her face.

For a moment, Li Zhe really couldn't guess what she wanted to buy, and he was too lazy to think about it. After chatting for a few minutes, the truck arrived at the Beijing Railway Station warehouse.

Upon arriving at the west gate of the train station warehouse, two larger trucks were parked not far away. Seeing Li Zhe get out of the trucks, Jin Baiwan and Hong San also came to greet him.

Li Zhe introduced Shen Yanan to them. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, a man strode out of the warehouse.

The man, who looked to be in his early thirties, was wearing a navy blue Zhongshan suit and a commemorative medal for Sino-Soviet friendship on his left breast. He greeted people from a distance, saying, "Davarishiharasho!"

Su Mingyuan reminded him, "He's greeting us, but his Russian pronunciation..." He pursed his lips and didn't finish his sentence.

"Miss Shen, I thought you would arrive this afternoon. Please forgive any inconvenience." The man jogged a few steps and took the initiative to shake hands with Shen Yanan.

Shen Yanan smiled and said, "I was thinking of coming as soon as possible to get things done quickly."

"You're right, it's better to be early than late," the man replied with a smile.

Shen Yanan introduced Li Zhe: "This is Wu Shaohui, the manager of the foreign trade company."

Li Zhe shook hands with the other party and said, "Hello Manager Wu, my name is Li Zhe. I hope to take care of you in the future." As the two were close together, Li Zhe could faintly smell the alcohol.

Wu Shaohui also looked Li Zhe up and down: "Hello, Mr. Li, you are truly a promising young man."

Shen Yanan pointed to the truck behind her: "Manager Wu, the first batch of canned goods has arrived for you. It's a total of 20 tons—8 tons of pickled cucumbers, 7 tons of green beans, and 5 tons of canned tomatoes. Please take a look."

"Okay," Wu Shaohui replied, calling over a few of his men to direct the truck into the warehouse. Then he said to the two men:
“Miss Shen, Mr. Li, the inspection may take some time. Let’s go to my office for a while. I have some freshly arrived Georgian black tea, it’s really authentic.”

A foreign black tea is described as "extremely authentic," which sounds rather incongruous.

Wu Shaohui led the two into a small gray brick building. The office was on the east side of the first floor, with a sign that read "Manager of Dongfang Foreign Trade Company" hanging at the door.

After entering, the office was about 20 square meters. A photo of the Chinese and Soviet flags hung on the wall, and a copy of the "Foreign Exchange Control Regulations" was on the desk. Several bottles of vodka were also in the cabinet opposite the desk...

Wu Shaohui invited the two to sit on the sofa, took out a copper kettle from the cupboard, poured hot water into it from the thermos, and then placed the kettle on the coal stove, saying, "The traditional way in Georgia is to brew tea. The tea soup is darker in color, has a richer aroma, and a particularly complex taste."

Shen Yanan smiled and said, "I had it once in the Soviet Union last year, and it really tasted good."

"I have quite a lot of good Soviet tea here. I'll take some with me when I leave." The water boiled, and Wu Shaohui added some black tea to it.

Shen Yanan said, "Manager Wu, I remember the last time we met, you said that we could use the proceeds from selling canned goods to directly purchase Soviet goods from the foreign trade company, is that right?"

“Yes, it’s a barter system. The Soviet Union is vast and rich in resources, and its heavy industry is more advanced than ours. They also have the resources and industrial products we need.” Wu Shaohui stood up, took a document from his office drawer, and handed it to Shen Yanan.
"Ms. Shen, this is an order for imported goods from the Soviet Union. We have everything listed on it in our warehouse. You can purchase it directly with the payment."

Shen Yanan quickly glanced at the list, pointed to the car list, and asked, "Are there still Volga and Lada models left?"

"Yes, they're in the warehouse. We've delivered dozens of cars this time—seven Volgas, one of which has already been reserved by a company; and six Ladas. You can choose whichever you like." Wu Shaohui poured tea for the two of them, carrying a teapot.

"Miss Shen, would you like to try my black tea and see if it's authentic?"

Shen Yanan had no interest in tasting it right now. She took a sip and said perfunctorily, "Not bad, it tastes pretty good."

She changed the subject and asked, "Manager Wu, you've handled a lot of cars, which brand do you think is better, Lada or Volga?"

Wu Shaohui thought for a moment and said, "I think both cars are good. The Volga has a larger body size, a more imposing appearance, emphasizes comfort, and has a certain level of class, making it more suitable for official or business occasions."

Lada is known for its durability and ease of maintenance. Spare parts are readily available, making it ideal for grassroots organizations, small businesses, and individual entrepreneurs.

Whichever of these two cars you think is more suitable, that's the one you should buy.

Shen Yanan asked, "What about the price?"

Wu Shaohui recalled for a moment and replied: "The Volga is more expensive. The regular import price is 9 yuan, while our barter trade is around 8 yuan. The price of a used car is between 2.5 and 3.5 yuan."
The standard import price for a Lada is 8 yuan, while our barter trade price is around 7 yuan. Used Ladas are priced between 3 and 4 yuan.

Wu Shaohui paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "The price of a new car is fixed, but if you want to buy a used car, I can give you the biggest discount."

She wanted to check out the car before deciding, so she turned to Li Zhe beside her and asked, "Brother, what do you want to buy?"

Li Zhe pointed to the list of agricultural supplies on the inventory list: "Manager Wu, I would like to import fertilizers and pesticides, such as compound fertilizers of carbon, phosphorus and potassium, sodium nitrate and calcium, potassium dihydrogen phosphate; as well as organophosphate insecticides, Bordeaux mixture, growth regulators, etc. Do you have all of these?"

"Yes, this batch of goods just arrived. Everything on the list is here. I'll take you to the warehouse to see it in a bit."

"Thank you," Li Zhe said, his voice filled with joy.

These Soviet fertilizers were purer and more stable, dissolved quickly, left no residue, and were less likely to burn roots, making them much more effective than domestic fertilizers at present.

Off-season vegetables have higher requirements for fertilizers and a greater demand.

Domestic production of high-quality fertilizers is insufficient, and the country relies on imports, which are in short supply and difficult to purchase.

These fertilizers and pesticides were a huge boost for Li Zhe. The off-season vegetables grown using the same methods yielded higher production, were of better quality, and were more likely to dominate the high-end market.

After finishing her cup of black tea, the second sister couldn't contain herself any longer. "Manager Wu, could you take us to the warehouse to see the goods?"

(End of this chapter)