Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 244 Anticipation (Long Chapter)
Evening, the family compound of Jianguomen Police Station.

Wu Fanghua's home is on the second floor. The two-bedroom apartment isn't very spacious, but she keeps it bright and tidy. There are several potted green plants on the balcony, their leaves glossy and vibrant.

Wang Jianjun stood at the door carrying a bulging net bag and knocked twice.

"Here he comes!" Wu Fanghua's voice came from inside the house, and the door creaked open. "Jianjun's here? Come in quickly, come in quickly."

"Auntie, I brought you some vegetables." Wang Jianjun smiled and walked inside, handing over the net bag. The off-season vegetables in the net bag were lush and green, so tender that they looked like they had just been picked from the garden, with a bit of moisture still clinging to the tips of the leaves.

Wu Fanghua took the vegetables, weighed them in her hand, and her face lit up with joy: "Perfect! I was just worried about not having any fresh vegetables to cook for lunch." She turned and called into the inner room, "Minmin, come out quickly, your cousin is here!"

Wei Min came out of the bedroom in response, her short, ear-length hair making her almond-shaped eyes look particularly bright. Although she had single eyelids, her cleverness was evident in them.

She wasn't very tall, and wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, radiating youthful energy. "Cousin, you're here!"

Wang Jianjun glanced at Wei Min and frowned: "Xiao Min, why do you look thinner again? No matter how important the news interview is, you still have to eat on time."

Wu Fanghua chimed in, "That's right, I've told her so many times, but she just won't listen. Jianjun, as her older brother, you have to help me keep an eye on her."

Wei Min defiantly raised her right arm, gesturing vigorously with her biceps: "Cousin, don't be fooled by appearances! This is called being fit and strong; I have real muscles!"

Wu Fanghua pursed her lips, smiled, and shook her head: "You guys chat, I'll go cook." With that, she carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Wang Jianjun knew the place well. He poured himself a glass of water, sat down on the sofa, and asked Wei Min, "Xiao Min, what news have you been covering lately?"

These words really hit a nerve with Wei Min. She lowered her voice, deliberately making the atmosphere tense, and leaned close to Wang Jianjun to say, "We're currently investigating a serial murder case. The killer is really ruthless; he just slits his own throat!"

As she spoke, she lightly stroked Wang Jianjun's neck with her hand, saying, "Don't go out tonight."

Wang Jianjun was startled by her sudden outburst and instinctively shrank back.

Upon seeing this, Wei Min burst into laughter: "Haha, I was just kidding!"

But after a couple of laughs, she stopped smiling and became serious: "Cousin, to be honest, I am indeed investigating a serial murder case, specifically targeting women. The killer is particularly ruthless, raping and killing them before even disposing of the bodies."

You should tell your female friends not to go to train stations or deserted areas, and not to talk to strangers.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianjun immediately felt worried for her: "Aren't you a woman too? Why are you getting involved in such a dangerous case? Stop investigating immediately!"

"I'm not afraid! I'm a journalist, my professional ethics are right here, the truth must be uncovered." Wei Min said confidently.
"Moreover, the murderer doesn't dare to act in crowded places; he always lures people to remote, desolate areas, especially targeting out-of-towners who are unfamiliar with Beijing. I have counter-surveillance awareness; if I really run into him, not only will he not be able to fool me, but I might even catch him!"

Wang Jianjun wanted to persuade him further, but there was a sudden knock on the door.

Wei Min remained seated, so Wang Jianjun had to get up to open the door. He thought it was his uncle, Chief Wei, returning, but when he opened the door, he saw Bai Xiaoyan, a police officer from the police station whom he had met twice but wasn't very familiar with.

Wang Jianjun was stunned for a moment before speaking: "Officer Bai, you've arrived."

Bai Xiaoyan was also surprised to find Wang Jianjun opening the door. A hint of surprise flashed across her face. She was tall and slender, and her police uniform made her look even more capable. Her short hair was neatly trimmed to her ears, and her skin was a healthy wheat color. She looked like someone who was efficient and hardworking.

Hearing the noise, Wu Fanghua peeked out from the kitchen and saw Bai Xiaoyan. She immediately greeted her warmly, "Xiaoyan's here? Please sit down. Jianjun, pour Xiaoyan a glass of water."

Wei Min quickly got up, pulled Bai Xiaoyan to sit on the sofa, and asked impatiently, "Sister Bai, do you know about that serial murder case targeting women?"

Just as Bai Xiaoyan was about to speak, Wu Fanghua came out of the kitchen and scolded Wei Min, "Xiaoyan just got off work, so don't ask her about work. Minmin, come in and help me cook."

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyan also got up to help: "Aunt Wu, let me lend a hand."

"No need, no need. You can sit in the living room and rest for a while. You must be tired after just getting off work." Wu Fanghua quickly waved her hand and pulled Wei Min into the kitchen.

Only Wang Jianjun and Bai Xiaoyan remained in the living room, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Wang Jianjun picked up the kettle on the table and poured Bai Xiaoyan a cup of tea. Bai Xiaoyan took the teacup and softly said, "Thank you."

Wang Jianjun sat on the sofa next to Bai Xiaoyan, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He glanced at Bai Xiaoyan furtively; the police uniform looked sharp and smart on her. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head: Could it be that his aunt wants them to go on a blind date?
But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought—he was from a rural area outside the city, while Officer Bai was from Beijing and a policeman. With such good conditions, how could he possibly be interested in him?
The aroma of stir-fried dishes wafted from the kitchen, and soon Wu Fanghua brought the food to the table. Four dishes and a soup, laid out generously. "Eat up, eat up, try my cooking!" Wu Fanghua warmly invited.

During the meal, Wei Min couldn't help but inquire about the serial murder case again: "Sister Bai, is there any progress in the serial murder case? I heard that the pervert cut off the female victims' breasts, he's so vicious."

Bai Xiaoyan picked up a piece of food and said slowly, "I'm not very clear about the specifics of this case, and even if I did, I can't just tell you; that's the rule."

Hearing this from the side, Wu Fanghua began to scold her daughter again: "Why is a young girl always focusing on bombings and murders? It's so dangerous. She should interview more people about everyday life, like where the crops are plentiful or which neighborhood is having a community event. Wouldn't that be better?"

Wei Min pursed her lips, said nothing, and silently shoveled rice into her bowl. This Officer Bai was not old, but he acted just like her father, which was very boring.

Seeing this, Wu Fanghua quickly put some food on Bai Xiaoyan's plate: "Xiaoyan, eat more."

"Thank you, Auntie." Bai Xiaoyan smiled.

Wu Fanghua laughed and said, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Wang Jianjun felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and his grip on his chopsticks tightened.

After the meal, Bai Xiaoyan stood up to say goodbye: "Aunt Wu, I'm leaving now. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Why don't you sit a little longer?" Wu Fanghua suggested.

"No, I have something to do." Bai Xiaoyan smiled, turned and left.

After Bai Xiaoyan left, Wu Fanghua asked her daughter to wash the dishes in the kitchen. Wei Min grumbled, "Why do I have to wash them again?" Despite her complaints, she reluctantly went into the kitchen when Wu Fanghua glared at her.

Only Wu Fanghua and Wang Jianjun remained in the living room.

Wu Fanghua looked at Wang Jianjun and asked with a smile, "Jianjun, what do you think?"

Wang Jianjun's heart skipped a beat. He knew what his aunt was asking, but he pretended not to know: "Auntie, what's wrong?"

Wu Fanghua glared at him: "Still pretending! I'm asking you, how's Officer Bai?"

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Wang Jianjun scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Auntie, I'm not suitable for him."

Wu Fanghua retorted, "Why isn't it suitable? Didn't you like Officer Bai?"

"It's not that I didn't like her, it's just that she's too good for me..." Wang Jianjun was too embarrassed to say that he wasn't good enough for her, so he lowered his head and his voice grew softer and softer.

Wu Fanghua, however, did not think so at all: "Although you two know each other before, this is the first time you've sat down to eat together, right? People need to get to know each other better to know whether they like someone or not."

Officer Bai is well-off, but you're not bad either. You're the purchasing manager at Shuxiangju now, earning more than her every month.

"Work hard under Li Zhe's guidance, and you'll definitely earn more. You need to be more confident."

She paused, then made a definitive statement: "Officer Bai is on leave in a couple of days, so you two can have a meal together. You've been in Beijing for so long, but you haven't gone out to explore. It's a good opportunity for her, a local, to show you around and help you get familiar with the city."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianjun quickly waved his hand, saying, "Isn't that inappropriate?"

“What’s wrong with that? Let’s see how it goes. They haven’t said they’re unhappy, so why are you worrying?” Seeing that Wang Jianjun was about to say something, Wu Fanghua interrupted him directly, “It’s settled then.”

Wu Fanghua knew her sister felt indebted to her nephew, and because her sister couldn't return from Hong Kong for various reasons, she, as Wang Jianjun's aunt, felt obligated to find him a good match. Looking at his aunt's unwavering expression, Wang Jianjun felt a mix of emotions. He felt he was indeed marrying above his station with Bai Xiaoyan, but the thought of having dinner alone with her also gave him a glimmer of hope…

Oh dear, what's wrong with me?
……

It's about nine o'clock in the evening.

The evening breeze in April carried the coolness of early spring, sweeping across the gray-tiled eaves of No. 7 Courtyard in Suzhou Hutong, rustling the locust tree leaves.

The streetlights in the alley had just come on, and their dim yellow light cast long shadows of the old locust trees along the roadside.

Tan Jingya pushed her bicycle into the courtyard. The creaking sound of the iron ring hitting the door hinge had barely faded when a dog barked from the backyard.

Since Li Zhe moved to the backyard, she hears dogs barking every night when she comes home. Instead of finding it annoying, she feels at ease.

She parked her bicycle at the back door, dusted off her trousers, and turned to go into the west wing. She washed her face, changed into a pale white polyester shirt and blue khaki trousers, and picked up the gift box tied with a red string from the dresser.

She went out of the west wing and saw Jinzi lying at the door of the north room. Jinzi looked up at her, then obediently lowered its head. She liked this dog quite a bit, feeling that it was more affectionate than her own "Coal Ball," and even considered getting one for herself.

As I approached the door of the north room, I heard familiar laughter coming from inside the television—it was the skit "A Heroic Mother's Day" from this year's Spring Festival Gala.

"Come in," Li Zhe's voice came through the television.

The moment I pushed open the door, a faint aroma of red wine wafted over.

Li Zhe was sitting on the mahogany sofa on the left, holding a wine glass in his hand, the crimson liquid swirling gently inside. He was wearing a light gray knit sweater today, which made his figure appear even more upright.

Seeing Tan Jingya enter, he smiled, put down his wine glass, and stood up: "Sister Tan is here, please have a seat."

Tan Jingya handed over the gift: "Mr. Li, this is a housewarming gift for you."

"Sister Tan, you're too kind. I'm just moving it from the front yard to the back yard; it's only a few steps." Li Zhe took the box, opened it, and his eyes lit up immediately—inside was a set of purple clay teaware. The teapot's body was as smooth as jade, and the spout's curve was also beautiful.

He gently stroked the patterns on the teapot with his fingertips, a surge of joy welling up inside him.

In his past life, he loved collecting tea sets. The most expensive set he owned was only a little over a hundred yuan, and the materials and craftsmanship were incomparable to this set.

"Knowing you love tea, I picked out a tea set." Tan Jingya's smile deepened as she looked at his happy expression.

Li Zhe carefully placed the tea set on the antique shelf. The set that Zhou Yongqiang had given him was placed in the east wing to receive guests, while this set was perfect for his own use in the study.

For true tea lovers, there's never enough teaware. They switch between different teaware every few days, and the taste of tea is different each time.

"I really like it, thank you, Sister Tan." Li Zhe pointed to the red wine on the coffee table and asked, "Sister Tan, this is a red wine I just bought a few days ago, would you like to try some?"

Tan Jingya quickly waved her hand: "No, no, I'm not very good at drinking."

Li Zhe poured her a glass of hot water.

Tan Jingya took the water glass, took a sip, and pulled out an account book from her red backpack: "We opened on February 25th, and the accounts for February have already been settled. Today is April 1st, and I've finished the accounts for March. Please take a look."

Li Zhe took the ledger and carefully examined it by the light of the desk lamp.

The total revenue in March was 21342 yuan, with a gross profit of 8880 yuan. After deducting miscellaneous expenses of 3800 yuan, the net profit was 5080 yuan.

He tapped the numbers lightly with his fingertips, nodding inwardly—the results were even better than expected. In Beijing at the end of the 80s, a Sichuan restaurant making this much profit was quite impressive.

"Besides basic salaries, should we give employees bonuses?" Tan Jingya asked softly. Although she was also a shareholder, she held a relatively small stake, and Li Zhe still made the final decisions regarding the restaurant.

Li Zhe put down the ledger and said firmly, "It must be issued!"

He picked up his pen and began to calculate, "This month's profits are good, so we need to make everyone happy. With higher incomes, we can improve our services and let everyone know that their efforts are worthwhile."

He took out a pen, the nib scratching on the paper. "Sister Tan, you're the manager. You've reached the expected sales target this month, so your bonus is 280 yuan." Tan Jingya's salary wasn't high; only by increasing her bonus could he motivate her to work harder.

He paused, looked up at Tan Jingya, and seeing that she didn't object, continued, "Purchasing manager Wang Jianjun, 80; foreman Lin Qiaomei did a good job, 60; the kitchen staff, 50 each..."

Looking at the numbers in the ledger, Tan Jingya's heart inexplicably raced. With her salary, bonuses, and this 280 yuan bonus, she could earn over a thousand yuan this month—equivalent to a year's salary for an average worker.

After the divorce, she was always worried about the future and never thought she could earn so much.

After writing the bonus distribution plan, Li Zhe handed it to her, took a sip of his red wine, and looked at the faint dark circles under her eyes. He softened his tone and said, "Sister Tan, you've lost a lot of weight recently. Work is important, but your health is even more important."

Tan Jingya was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Li Zhe with a look of confusion in her eyes.

Li Zhe's sudden concern made her a little nervous; her fingers tightened around the water glass, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

“Take a day off whenever you’re tired, and have Manager Wang and Foreman Lin keep a close eye on things,” Li Zhe said earnestly, leaning slightly forward. “It’ll be a good opportunity to train them as well.”

These words made Tan Jingya's heart skip a beat. The tension from before hadn't subsided, and now worry had been added to her. Her eyebrows furrowed unconsciously.

Wang Jianjun is Li Zhe's cousin. Li Zhe asked him to train him. Could it be that he wants Wang Jianjun to replace him?
She pursed her lips and remained silent, her fingers repeatedly tracing the edge of the ledger.

Li Zhe noticed her concerns and chuckled as he explained, "Sister Tan, don't overthink it. I'm just worried that you're working so hard every day, your body might not be able to handle it. Besides, a company can't rely on just one person to keep it going."

For example, our restaurant business is getting better and better, and we might open a branch in the future. At that time, you might need to move to a bigger and better new location. If the company hasn't trained other talent, what will happen to this store if you leave?

Tan Jingya asked in surprise, "Mr. Li, do you have plans to open a branch?" She had invested all her money and energy into this restaurant and had never thought that far ahead.

Li Zhe took another sip of red wine and said slowly, "Not yet. I was just giving an example. Even if it were to open, it would have to wait until this winter."

As the major shareholder, Li Zhe received a dividend of over three thousand this month. Although it's not a small amount, it's still significantly less than what he earns from other businesses.

Li Zhe paused, put down his wine glass, and said, "To be honest, the development of off-season vegetables is faster than I imagined. In a couple of years, when there are more off-season vegetables, restaurants in Beijing will not lack vegetables in winter."

Therefore, we should open a branch store. This winter is the most suitable time. We can also take advantage of the scarcity of off-season vegetables to promote the new store and attract customers.

But opening a branch requires a sufficient number of talented people to ensure the new store is profitable. I think you understand this better than I do.

Tan Jingya nodded: "Mr. Li, I understand what you mean." She looked thoughtful.

Li Zhe then reminded her, "Sister Tan, you're not only the manager of Shuxiangju, but also a shareholder."

Tan Jingya knew that Li Zhe was giving her some pointers, and a relieved smile appeared on her face: "I understand what you mean. I will take good care of Wang Jianjun and Lin Qiaomei so that they can be independent as soon as possible."

The skit on TV was at a particularly funny part, and the two of them started laughing.

Li Zhe raised his red wine glass and clinked it against her water glass: "I wish our restaurant business will get better and better!" He took a sip of wine, but seeing that she was drinking water, he felt that something was missing, so he didn't say anything.

Perhaps Tan Jingya had lost her previous restraint, or perhaps she felt it was impolite to just drink water, so she poured herself a small half-glass of red wine and clinked glasses with Li Zhe: "Mr. Li, I'd like to toast you to thank you for taking care of me during this time."

She downed the glass of red wine in one gulp, her eyes gleaming with hope for the future…

(End of this chapter)