Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 262 Find a new way
Li Zhe's attire, compared to the gray overalls worn by the factory workers, made them seem like they came from two completely different worlds.

Following behind was Jin Baiwan, wearing a floral shirt and with a bulging belly. As soon as he got out of the car, he took out a cigarette case. Hong San carried a black leather bag and looked around the factory area. Li Zhenguo wore a blue work jacket, straightened his clothes, and looked into the crowd.

Factory Director Ma quickly went up to him and extended his hands: "Boss Li, you must be tired from your journey!" Li Zhe smiled and shook hands with him. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they followed Factory Director Ma toward the office building.

The workers followed behind, whispering among themselves.

"This Mr. Li looks quite impressive; he doesn't seem like a swindler."

"That car must have cost a lot of money. Looks like they really have the means."

Some people scoffed, "No matter how rich a private boss is, he won't genuinely treat us workers well."

Upon arriving at the office, Deputy Factory Director Liu quickly poured hot tea, the tea leaves unfurling in the glass, and placed it in front of Li Zhe. "Mr. Li, please have some tea."

"Thank you." Li Zhe nodded slightly.

Factory Manager Ma pushed the contract in front of Li Zhe: "Mr. Li, let's finalize the details of the lease first. The lease term will be as previously agreed, from May 15th to October 14th, a total of five months. You have the right of first refusal to renew the lease after it expires, as long as you give us one month's notice."

Li Zhe picked up the contract and looked through it: the production line consisted of the two new machines in the west factory building, equipment numbers X01 and X02, and included the auxiliary conveying and sterilization equipment. The rent was to be paid monthly at 3000 yuan per month…

Deputy Factory Director Wang adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and continued, "Regarding repairs, the factory can handle minor issues, such as circuit repairs and parts replacements. However, for major malfunctions, such as a burnt-out motor, you'll have to bear the costs."

We will provide a written inventory list with photos before and after the rental, and we will inspect it together to distinguish between normal wear and tear and damage caused by human error.

Everything else went smoothly, but some disagreements arose regarding personnel arrangements.

Factory Director Ma picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Mr. Li, could the employees be assigned by our factory, and their wages also be paid by us? This would make management easier and save you trouble."

Li Zhe put down his pen and leaned forward slightly: "Director Ma, I want to create my own brand. The workers' skills and sense of responsibility are very important; they must meet our hiring standards."

We pay the wages ourselves so we can work directly with the workers and resolve any problems immediately. This is something I cannot compromise on.

Li Zhe's attitude was very firm.

The office fell silent. Deputy Factory Director Liu patted his beer belly, wanting to smooth things over, but didn't dare to speak.

Factory Director Xie looked at the two men and said, "Mr. Li, how about this? You can hire people and pay their wages yourself, we won't interfere. But could you hire a few more people? Many workers in the factory are waiting to eat."

Li Zhenguo frowned: "Director Xie, 15 people are enough for one production line, and 30 people for two lines, which is just enough. We also need to consider the cost."

Factory Manager Ma pondered for a moment and then asked, "Boss Li, how many days off a week do you plan to give your employees?"

“Theoretically, we get two days off,” Li Zhe replied, adding, “If we work overtime, we’ll pay overtime.”

Factory Manager Ma laughed and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you still allow your employees to have fixed weekends off, right?"

“Yes,” Li Zhe replied.

Factory Director Ma suggested, "I have an idea, what do you think? Let's change the fixed two-day weekend to a rotating weekend."

In this way, the machines run non-stop even when people rest; each production line still has 15 people, but we can hire 10 more workers. Work efficiency can also be greatly improved.

Seeing Li Zhe's thoughtful expression, Director Ma continued, "You see, vegetable harvesting only lasts a few days. When we're rushing to meet the deadline, we have to work overtime. Having more people can improve efficiency, prevent the workers from getting too tired, and save you from paying so much overtime pay. Isn't that great?"

Li Zhe and Li Zhenguo exchanged a glance and whispered a few words. Although Director Ma didn't say it directly, he implied that, given a fixed wage and workload, he hoped Li Zhe could reduce wages and increase manpower.

Li Zhenguo nodded: "That's a good idea. It won't delay production and it can also help solve some employment problems for the factory."

Li Zhe smiled and looked at Factory Director Ma: "Factory Director Ma, we'll do as you say. I'll recruit 40 people."

Factory Director Ma breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Good! Boss Li is indeed straightforward!" Everyone quickly filled in the contract details, signed their names, and pressed their fingerprints.

After signing the contract, the group went to the open space in the factory area to recruit workers.

The workers had already gathered around, making a lot of noise. Some were tiptoeing forward, while others were whispering among themselves.

Factory Manager Ma stood on an old wooden crate, cleared his throat, and said, "Everyone, quiet down! Our factory has signed a lease agreement with Boss Li. Boss Li will pay 3000 yuan per month in rent, which will be used to maintain the equipment and subsidize employees in need!"

"What is a struggling employee?" someone immediately shouted, their voice filled with urgency.

Several workers with no connections or background hung their heads, thinking to themselves: they definitely wouldn't get the subsidy.

Meanwhile, people like Ma Guobin, who had connections, secretly laughed, thinking that they might be able to get money without doing any work.

Some young workers were calculating on their fingers: "3000 a month, our factory has about a hundred people. If we hire half of them and split the money among the other half, each person could get forty or fifty yuan."

But those with inside information whispered, "Boss Li only rented it for five months, the total rent is only 15000, that's only 1250 per month per year, how much can he get?"

Factory Director Ma clapped his hands: "The subsidy standards will be announced later. Let Boss Li talk about recruitment now!"

Li Zhe stood on the wooden crate and glanced at everyone: "First of all, thank you all for your support. Let me talk about the hiring standards. Skilled workers are given priority, and there is no age limit; ordinary employees should be between 18 and 35 years old, with two days off per week, eight hours of work per day, overtime pay, and the same salary as before."

The audience erupted in chaos again, with someone shouting, "Can privately owned factories be reliable?"

"That's a good point to say right now: what if you don't get paid after working overtime?"

Factory Director Xie quickly jumped onto the wooden crate: "Quiet down! Boss Li is a trusted friend of Factory Director Ma and me. His reputation is beyond question, so everyone can rest assured!"

Once things quieted down, Li Zhe continued, "We'll only be recruiting 40 people for the first phase. The internship will last one month. If you'd like to apply, go to Factory Director Xie and Supervisor Li Zhenguo to register."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience split into two groups.

Those who didn't want to work huddled together, muttering, "Private factories are too tiring and don't offer any benefits, I'm not going."
Those with heavy family burdens, like Master Zhang, and some young workers looking for stable jobs, quickly crowded around Director Xie and Li Zhenguo. Even those who had been hesitant before joined in to watch the excitement.

"Don't push! One at a time!" Director Xie shouted at the top of his lungs, but the crowd remained chaotic.

Factory Director Ma and the other deputy factory directors quickly came over to help, directing the workers to form two lines: one to register with Factory Director Xie, and the other to find Li Zhenguo.

For those who met the requirements, Factory Director Xie would take out his notebook and write down their names; for those who were over the age limit or lacked technical skills, Li Zhenguo would politely wave his hand and say, "Sorry, you don't meet the requirements."

While the recruitment was in full swing, Li Zhe followed Factory Director Ma to the finance office.

There was an old desk in the finance office, and the drawers were crammed with ledgers.

Factory Director Ma asked the accountant to produce the receipt, and Li Zhe took out 3000 yuan in cash from his bag and handed it over.

After the accountant counted the money and issued a receipt, Factory Manager Ma said with a smile, "Mr. Li, don't leave at noon. Let me treat you to a simple meal so we can have a good chat."

Li Zhe readily agreed.

The recruitment ended in the afternoon.

Li Zhenguo and Factory Director Xie organized the newly recruited workers to clean the factory area. Some swept up the waste on the ground, while others followed Li Zhenguo to inspect the production line.

Li Zhenguo squatted down next to the X01 production line, tapped the gear with a wrench, and said to the worker next to him, "This gear is a bit loose, it needs to be tightened, otherwise it will affect production."

Factory Director Xie was arranging for people to clean the sterilization equipment, muttering, "Make sure it's clean, so as not to affect the quality of the canned goods."

Throughout the factory area, the new employees were busy with their own work. Although they were tired, they all had a look of anticipation on their faces—after more than half a year, the factory was finally going to resume work.

...May 15th, morning.

The dirt roads in Yangma Village still bear the marks of last night's dew, and feel soft underfoot.

Ma Changhe's brick house is considered impressive in the village—the gray tiles are neatly stacked, and there are two rows of red bricks at the base of the walls. Although the "Fu" character pasted on the door frame last Spring Festival has faded, the edges have been carefully smoothed out.

In the east room, a thermos on the windowsill had the words "Labor is the most glorious" printed in red, and a chipped enamel basin sat on the corner of the table, half-filled with cornmeal.

Ma Changhe stared at his wife Wang Huilan's round belly, his eyes crinkling into a smile. He gently placed his rough palm on her belly as if touching a rare treasure: "That's wonderful! When my son comes out, I guarantee he'll be a big, healthy boy weighing eight pounds, hehe!"

Wang Huilan, her belly protruding, leaned against the headboard of the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with a floral cloth. She reached out and tugged at her husband's sleeve, her voice low: "Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid someone will hear you?"

At forty years old, she already had fine lines around her eyes, and she couldn't help but touch her stomach while speaking, a gesture that concealed both anticipation and a hint of unease.

"Yes, yes, keep your voice down." Ma Changhe already has three daughters, so he shouldn't have any more children. That's why he keeps his wife at home and doesn't dare to go out.

He paused, glanced out the window, and suddenly frowned: "This boss is so inconsiderate! Tell her to come and serve you earlier, it's almost nine o'clock and she still hasn't come."

“Zhao Di got married, and her husband’s family has a lot to do, so things might have been delayed.” Wang Huilan sighed, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers. “The children are all grown up now and have their own ideas. Don’t always get angry with them.”

"Ideas? Is her husband Ge Qingshan what you call having ideas?" Ma Changhe slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel basin shake. "What did I tell him back then? I said, 'Quit your job at Li Zhe's greenhouse and come back to the village to build greenhouses with me. It'll definitely be better than working for someone else!'"
He was all all smiles and nodding in agreement then, but he changed his mind and went back to working for Li Zhe! Isn't he treating me, his father-in-law, like a fool?

Wang Huilan looked at her husband's flushed face and said nothing more.

She knew that her husband both admired Li Zhe's abilities and was too ashamed to ask him for help—because of her advanced maternal age pregnancy, her older brother and sister were somewhat resentful of her husband, and they almost broke off their relationship due to a quarrel. Later, when Ma Changhe quit his job at the Li family, things became even more unpleasant.

Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from the courtyard gate.

Ma Changhe peeked out and saw his eldest daughter, Ma Zhaodi, pushing a bicycle into the yard, with a cloth bag tied to the back seat. He immediately got up, grabbed the canvas bag from the side of the kang (a heated brick bed), lifted the curtain with the words "Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture" printed on it, and went outside.

"Dad, where are you going? My mother is about to give birth, aren't you going to stay home and take care of her?" Ma Zhaodi put down her bicycle and looked at her father's anxious appearance with a surprised expression.

She was wearing a light blue polyester shirt, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and there was a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, clearly indicating that she was in a hurry.

"None of your business!" Ma Changhe said, then stepped onto his bicycle, turned the handlebars, and rode out of the village in a cloud of dust.

Ma Zhaodi stood there, watching her father's back, shook her head helplessly, and turned to go into the house.

Ma Changhe rode his bicycle toward Beisu Town. The wheat on both sides of the country road had turned yellow, and when the wind blew, the wheat waves rolled, carrying a fragrance of wheat.

He encountered several fellow villagers carrying hoes on the road, but when they greeted him, he only gave vague replies, his mind only on the loan—the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative wouldn't approve it, but he was determined to get it approved in Beisu Town.

Beisu Town is much more lively than Yangma Village. A wooden sign at the town entrance reads "Welcome to Beisu Town," and shops line the streets one after another.

There were small shops selling agricultural supplies, with fertilizer bags piled up at the entrance; there were tailor shops, with new dress designs pasted on their windows; and there was a supply and marketing cooperative, with people crowding the entrance to buy things.

Ma Changhe had no interest in browsing and rode straight to the credit union.

The Beisu Town Credit Cooperative is a two-story red brick building with a red sign with yellow lettering hanging at the entrance that reads "Beisu Town Rural Credit Cooperative".

Upon entering, there were several long tables in the hall, and a counter against the wall. Behind the counter sat a girl with big eyes, wearing two thick braids with red ribbons tied to the ends.

When she saw Ma Changhe come in, she glanced at him and asked, "Fellow villager, what kind of business do you need?"

"I need a loan." Ma Changhe walked to the counter, put his canvas bag on it, took out his ID card and land use certificate, and pushed them over.

The big-eyed girl picked up the document, glanced at it, and immediately frowned: "You're from Yangma Village in Wan'an Town? Why are you applying for a loan at our Beisu Town Credit Cooperative? Did you take out a loan at another credit cooperative before and not pay it back?"

She spoke with a slight local accent, her tone full of vigilance—villagers usually take out loans within their own town; those who come from other towns to take out loans are mostly problematic.

"I've never applied for a loan before!" Ma Changhe hurriedly waved his hand, his tone somewhat anxious. "I just wanted to get a loan to build a vegetable greenhouse, but the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative wouldn't approve it. I had no choice but to come here."

The big-eyed girl chuckled and tapped her pen on the paper: "Fellow villager, I'm not trying to discourage you, but growing vegetables in a greenhouse is a technical job. Seedling cultivation, fertilization, temperature control—each of these requires skill."
The Wan'an Town Credit Union probably won't approve your application because they're worried you'll lose money and won't be able to repay it. I advise you to consider another project, like buying some fertilizer and pesticides and doing some simple planting; the risk is much lower.”

Ma Changhe retorted defiantly, "How do you know I don't understand the technology of growing vegetables in greenhouses?"

The big-eyed girl laughed, "If you understood, then why wouldn't the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative give you a loan? I've heard that the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative has helped hundreds of farmers apply for loans, and dozens of them have been approved."

"Who do they think they are? If it weren't for Li Zhe guaranteeing their loan, would the Wan'an Town Credit Union have given them a loan?" Ma Changhe said dismissively.

"Oh? You know Li Zhe?" A slightly shrewd voice came from the side.

Ma Changhe turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in his forties walking over. He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a scrutinizing look.

"He has to call me uncle, do you think I know him?" Ma Changhe straightened his back and sized up the other person. "Who are you?"

"I am Jiang Sanhai, the director of the Beisu Town Credit Union." The middle-aged man extended his hand, his smile becoming even more friendly. "Fellow villager, please sit down. Don't stand and talk."

Ma Changhe quickly stood up. "Director Jiang, please sit down." He wanted to offer his seat to Jiang Sanhai, but the other man pressed him back into his chair.

Ma Changhe was somewhat flattered and placed his hands on his knees, appearing a little reserved.

"Fellow villager, since you're Li Zhe's uncle and know about greenhouse technology, why don't you ask Li Zhe to guarantee your loan?" Jiang Sanhai pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked casually, his gaze falling on Ma Changhe's documents.

Ma Changhe chuckled awkwardly: "I had a little falling out with the Li family before and resigned from their greenhouse. Now I want to go it alone, and it would be embarrassing to ask them to be my guarantor again."

He paused, then quickly added, "Director Jiang, I really know the technology. I participated in the construction of Li Zhe's greenhouses. I led the construction of the rammed earth walls. I know exactly how deep the trenches should be, what size greenhouse film to use, when to start seedling cultivation, and when to water and fertilize!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, rattling off all the technical terms he had learned in the greenhouse, from seedling temperature and fertilizer ratios to pest and disease control, explaining them in great detail.

Jiang Sanhai's initially skeptical gaze gradually turned serious—these words couldn't have been made up casually; it seemed this fellow villager really had some skill.

"Hey fellow villager, what's your name?" Jiang Sanhai asked.

"Ma Changhe".

How much loan do you want?

Ma Changhe's heart skipped a beat. He originally wanted to borrow 6,000, but he was afraid that Jiang Sanhai would think it was too much. He gritted his teeth and said, "5,000 will do. I have some savings of my own, enough to build a vegetable greenhouse."

After listening, Jiang Sanhai waved to the big-eyed girl behind the counter: "Xiao Zeng, apply for a special loan for Ma Laoxiang's vegetable greenhouse, follow the procedures."

Upon hearing this, Ma Changhe's eyes lit up instantly, and he was so excited that he almost stood up: "Thank you, Director Jiang! Don't worry, I will definitely do my job well and repay the loan on time!"

"You're welcome, fellow villager." Jiang Sanhai smiled, got up, poured a cup of hot water and handed it to Ma Changhe. "Tell me more about Li Zhe's greenhouse. I'd like to hear it and learn from his experience."

He was making plans in his mind—Sun Liguo of the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative had received an award for supporting greenhouse growers and was about to be promoted. If he could also make a success of his business in Beisu Town, he might be able to take a step up as well.

Ma Changhe took the water glass, feeling relieved, and became more talkative.

He spoke animatedly, starting with how Li Zhe built his first greenhouse, then how to grow off-season vegetables, and how popular the vegetables were in Beijing.

Jiang Sanhai sat to the side, nodding from time to time and occasionally asking a question or two. The two chatted enthusiastically.

Sitting behind the counter, holding a loan application form, Xiao Zeng watched the two people chatting happily and muttered to himself, "Are they even going to process the loan or not?"

(End of this chapter)