Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 263 Noble Man
Around 8 a.m., about 20 people had already gathered outside the Li family's greenhouse, all circling around the dazzling white Volga sedan.

The plump aunt squeezed to the front, stretched her hand halfway out and then pulled it back, just peering through the car window, her voice filled with a sense of wonder: "This car is really nice, not even a scratch, it's even shinier than the county magistrate's car!"

She was still clutching the unfinished knitting needles in her hand, and the needles swayed as she spoke, as if afraid that others wouldn't hear her praise.

Wang Dajiao tiptoed closer to the car logo, then turned back to the person behind him and gestured: "That's right! It's even better than the blue sedan that boss in the city drove the other day! Look at these wheels, they're a whole size wider than that car, it'll definitely be more stable to sit in."

She had a loud voice, which immediately drowned out the whispers around her, and even the people working in the fields in the distance glanced in her direction.

These women used to hang out at the general store, but recently the Li family's place has become even more lively than the general store, becoming the focus of the village, and they also like to gather here.

The talkative wife stood at the edge of the crowd, her eyes full of envy, but her tone was a little uncertain: "Whose car is this? I've never heard of such a nice car in our village!"

Her husband works away from home and didn't even come back for the Chinese New Year. He had been quiet for a while, afraid of gossip, but he's only become lively again in the last two weeks.

Hearing the discussion, Zhao Bing's wife showed a hint of pride. After all, her husband worked for Li Zhe. She said softly, "Is there any need to ask? It must be from the Li family. My husband said that Li Zhe bought a car a long time ago and left it in Beijing, but he hasn't driven it back yet. I think this is probably that car."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised and exclaimed, "My goodness, the second son of the Li family is so capable! He can afford such a nice car at such a young age."

"Yes, who would have thought that our village could produce such a capable person!"

"This second son of the Li family isn't married yet, is he...?"

Li Zhe had just come out of the greenhouse, still holding a notebook in his hand to record the growth of the vegetables, when he looked up and saw a crowd surrounding the car.

He paused, then quietly took a side path—not because he was afraid of the crowd, but because he knew that if he went there, people would keep asking him about car prices and connections for half an hour, and he had too many things to do today to deal with them.

Actually, the main reason he drove the car back this time was to discuss leasing the cannery. If he didn't demonstrate some capability, the factory workers would inevitably feel uneasy and wouldn't trust him as a "private boss."

Ultimately, doing business is all about appearances. Having a nice car makes you stand taller when negotiating.

Just as I was pondering this, two "beep beep" sounds came from afar, and a blue Lada came to a steady stop next to the Volga.

Qian Duoduo got out of the driver's seat, wearing a light gray jacket and carrying a black briefcase. She waved to Li Zhe from afar, saying, "Boss Li!"

Li Zhe quickly went up to him, shook hands with him, and asked with a smile, "Mr. Qian, you must have had a long journey. Was the trip smooth?"

"It's fine," Qian Duoduo replied, her eyes drifting towards the white Volga sedan.

"Mr. Qian, this way please." Li Zhe led the other party toward greenhouse number three.

Qian Duoduo's gaze remained fixed on the Volga car. He would take a few steps and then turn back to look at it. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Li, do you have a distinguished guest today? This Volga is not commonly seen."

Li Zhe smiled and shook his head: "No, no distinguished guest. This is my own car. It was parked in Beijing before, and I just drove it back today."

"Wow!" Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up immediately. She quickly walked to the car, circled around it, and gently tapped the car door with her finger: "I asked someone to find Volga's connections a while ago, but I haven't heard anything after two months. Your connections are too extensive!"

Several villagers who hadn't left overheard this and gathered around to whisper among themselves, looking at Li Zhe with a newfound respect.

Qian Duoduo's eyes were full of envy. If she weren't still thinking about the investment, she would have definitely gone in for a test drive.

Li Zhe led Qian Duoduo toward the sunshade outside the greenhouse. This shed was just built by Li Jiugang a few days ago. The bamboo poles were sturdy, and a thick canvas was placed on top. There was a red lacquered table underneath, and four long benches were wiped clean.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Qian. The conditions are simple, please bear with us," Li Zhe said, taking a teapot from a bamboo basket beside him, brewing a pot of jasmine tea, pouring a cup and handing it over.
"After I finish building the cafeteria, there will be a special reception room, and I'll give you a proper welcome dinner."

Qian Duoduo took the teacup, took a sip, and just put the cup down.

Lin Xiaohu brought over a white porcelain plate, the strawberries on it were all bright red and still glistening with water droplets. "Boss Qian, try some of our freshly picked strawberries from the greenhouse, they're very sweet!" Lin Xiaohu said sweetly, even handing over a toothpick with a smile as he spoke.

Qian Duoduo picked up a strawberry, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded: "Mmm! This strawberry is delicious. Mr. Li, your planting skills are truly top-notch."

After praising the strawberries, he put his briefcase on the table and his expression became serious: "Mr. Li, how are things going with your discussions with the shareholders about investing in Sijiqing Company, which we mentioned last time?"

Li Zhe took a sip of tea and replied, "I've discussed it with the other shareholders. With more people involved, things get more complicated, but overall, everyone agrees to your investment. They just did raise some additional requirements."

In fact, some employees don't quite understand this—they think that Sijiqing Company can make money by growing crops in greenhouses, and it has the technology and channels, so why should it let outsiders invest?

Li Zhe couldn't explain these things too clearly to them: the shareholders of Luyuan Agriculture Company behind Qian Duoduo were mostly second-generation heirs and relatives of the Agricultural Bank of China...

Sijiqing Company wants to rapidly expand its greenhouse scale and secure its sales channels through increased production. Even with more vegetable greenhouses in the future, it can still gain a foothold in the off-season industry. This requires collaboration from five parties: Sijiqing Company provides technology, farmers are responsible for planting, credit unions provide loans, Beijing Municipal Vegetable Company is responsible for purchasing, and the local government provides support.

To put it bluntly, Qian Duoduo is a representative of the Agricultural Bank system. Only by properly distributing profits can Sijiqing Company develop rapidly and grow its business larger and larger.

What Li Zhe needs to do now is to gain more leverage and capital for himself and his technicians based on cooperation.

Upon hearing that there was hope, Qian Duoduo leaned forward and said, "Please tell me, as long as the request is reasonable, I will agree to it."

Li Zhe took out an account book from under the table and spread it in front of Qian Duoduo: "Let me tell you about Sijiqing's current assets: There are 24 vegetable greenhouses that have been built, which are now planted with fruits and vegetables. They currently belong to me personally, but will be transferred to Sijiqing Company after July."

In addition, Sijiqing Company purchased a batch of high-quality fertilizers and pesticides, worth tens of thousands of yuan, as well as a tractor and a farm tricycle;

Meanwhile, Sijiqing Company had 20.43 yuan in cash in its account.

The company also has more than 20 greenhouse technicians, who are the company's most valuable asset.

Meanwhile, the company also has sales channels with several foreign-related hotels in Beijing and Quanjude and Donglaishun restaurants. Currently, the company's valuation is 500,000 yuan. He pointed to the data in the ledger and explained each item clearly.

In fact, Sijiqing Company's actual assets are 33 yuan, and the remaining tens of thousands of yuan are the premium for planting technology and sales channels.

Qian Duoduo picked up the ledger, brought it close to her eyes to examine it carefully, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement after reading it: "I didn't expect your company to be so well-off after only a short time."

"How much does Mr. Qian plan to invest?" Li Zhe asked.

Qian Duoduo put down her pen and tapped her fingers on the table: "Luyuan Agriculture wants to invest 5 yuan, what do you think?"

“No problem.” Li Zhe nodded. The amount was about what he had expected. “However, I have a small request: I hope that Luyuan will only take a share of the profits and dividends, give up its voting rights, and not participate in the company’s management.”

Qian Duoduo was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "Don't worry, Mr. Li, we never intended to interfere with the operation. You are the expert, and we feel more at ease leaving it to you."

He knew perfectly well that his investment of 50,000 yuan was less than 10% of the shares, so even if he wanted to intervene, he had no say. He might as well do Li Zhe a favor and make him remember it.

Changing the subject, Qian Duoduo asked, "Then I'll ask a few practical questions too. How much does it cost to build a greenhouse?"

“It varies depending on the specifications and types, and the cost of building materials is also on the rise,” Li Zhe explained. “The ones I build now all have storage rooms or rest rooms, which cost more than 5000 yuan. With pesticides, fertilizers, and labor, the total cost is 6000 yuan.”

A simple vegetable greenhouse would cost around four thousand yuan, but the conditions would be less ideal, so it's better to build the complete structure from the start.

"How much do you plan to expand this year?" Qian Duoduo asked again, jotting down notes on a piece of paper.

“There are two models.” Li Zhe leaned back. “Sijiqing Company directly manages it. We want to acquire more than 100 mu, but we are currently facing a funding gap.”

"We're partnering with farmers, buying their vegetables and reselling them to a Beijing vegetable company. The project is expected to cover over 300 mu (approximately 20 hectares), and if the loan goes through, it might even be more."

Qian Duoduo immediately patted his chest and said, "I'll take care of the funding gap! I'll talk to the credit union and find you the lowest interest rate loan. I'll also urge them to process the loan for farmers. I guarantee it won't delay your expansion."

Li Zhe quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much. I'm relieved to hear that."

"Don't mention it, we'll be business partners from now on." Qian Duoduo took a sip of tea and then asked, "How many vegetables can one acre of greenhouse produce? How are the vegetable prices this year?"

"Take cucumbers as an example, a yield of over 6000 jin per mu is no problem," Li Zhe said, counting on his fingers.

“The cucumber planting and harvesting period is five or six months. After harvesting, other vegetables can be planted. From the end of August to June next year, two crops can be planted and two crops can be harvested. It's hard to say about the price of vegetables. It will definitely not be as good as last year, but it won't be too low either. After all, there are few off-season vegetables, so there's no worry about selling them.” Qian Duoduo asked, “How much extra can you get per pound if you resell them to the Beijing Vegetable Company? How much can you earn per acre?”

“The first crop is calculated at an average price difference of 50 cents,” Li Zhe said. “One crop yields 6000 jin per mu, which is 3000 yuan. The second crop will have a lower profit due to seasonal factors, so even if we only make 2000 yuan, we can still make 5000 yuan per mu after two crops. Ten mu would be 50,000 yuan, and one hundred mu would be 500,000 yuan. If a cooperative farmer can reach 300 mu, they can make a lot of money from this alone.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Duoduo's breathing quickened, and she almost dropped the pen on the table.

He knew greenhouses were profitable, but he didn't expect the profits to be so high. No wonder Li Zhe was so eager to help growers get loans. The model of cooperating with growers is more conducive to expansion, and the returns and prospects behind it are no worse than directly operating greenhouses.

He immediately replied, "Mr. Li, please feel free to expand the scale! Whether it's loans for Sijiqing Company or for the growers, it's not a problem. I guarantee it will be implemented as soon as possible, without any delays!"

The two talked for another half hour about the details, and almost everything was settled, from the investment process to the profit distribution.

Qian Duoduo now has a clearer understanding of the current situation and development of Sijiqing Company, and is even more looking forward to investing in the company.

Afterwards, Li Zhe gave Qian Duoduo a company account and arranged a time to formally sign the shareholding agreement...

……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the asphalt road on Chongwenmen West Street was scorching hot. The wooden curtain of Shuxiangju Restaurant hung limply, blocking out most of the noise from the street, but letting in some hot air.

This two-story Sichuan restaurant, spanning over 200 square meters, was just past lunchtime and still a while before dinner, so it was a quiet period. The coal stoves in the kitchen had long been shut off, and only the occasional, sparse clatter of bowls and plates drifted through the air.

Tan Jingya sat behind the counter by the door, her off-white shirt sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing her slender wrists.

She held an account book in her hand, but her eyes kept drifting towards the street—the bicycles darted past like thin threads, and occasionally a pedestrian in a polyester short-sleeved shirt would hurry by, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He would raise his hand to wipe it, and the sweat stains would spread on his clothes.

By late May, Beijing had lost its coolness. The sun had been scorching these past few days, with the highest temperature soaring to 28 or 29 degrees Celsius. Many people on the street had changed into lighter clothing.

Tan Jingya traced the words "Air conditioner deposit 8000 yuan" on the ledger with her fingertip, and only then did she feel a little more at ease—six air conditioners had been ordered and could be installed at the beginning of next month. Even if it got hot, she wouldn't have to worry about it affecting her business.

"Wow--"

Han Chunyan walked over with a faded rag in her hand. A few beads of sweat clung to the ends of her short, ear-length hair and slid down her cheeks.

She first wiped along the edge of the counter, then quickly went into the kitchen, scrubbing the rag in the enamel basin until it creaked. After wringing it dry, she came back to wipe it a second time, not even missing the crevices in the corners of the cabinet.

Tan Jingya couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, alright, stop wiping. You can see your reflection in the counter now. If you keep wiping, the paint will chip."

Han Chunyan stopped what she was doing, a shy smile appearing on her dark face, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity: "Manager Tan, are we really going to install telephones in our restaurant?"

She gripped the rag tighter, her knuckles turning white—she had been in Beijing for almost three months and hadn't called home yet. Although she had written a few letters, she always longed to hear her parents' voices.

"Of course it's fake?" Tan Jingya closed the ledger and tapped the small hole reserved on the side of the counter with her fingertip. "Just put it here. It will be so convenient for customers to make a phone call to book a private room or ask for the menu."

"Then...can I use the restaurant's phone?" Han Chunyan's voice was extremely soft, as if she was afraid of startling something. "I'll pay for it. I know exactly how much it costs per minute. I will never take advantage of the restaurant."

Seeing her nervousness, Tan Jingya couldn't help but laugh: "It's definitely not possible when it's busy. You can use it whenever you want after the evening market closes or when it's not busy in the afternoon."

"Thank you, Sister Tan!" Han Chunyan's eyes lit up immediately, her lips curled up high, revealing two small tiger teeth, and her hand that was gripping the rag loosened.

"Missing home?" Tan Jingya handed over a glass of cold water, with a layer of water droplets condensing on the glass.

"It's not that I'm homesick!" Han Chunyan quickly waved her hand, her tone tinged with a hint of pride. "I just want to tell my parents that I'm doing great here. Boss Li and Sister Tan are taking good care of me, and I'm the highest earner in the store now!"

Tan Jingya knew perfectly well that Han Chunyan's "most" only meant earning a bonus of ten or eight yuan more than the other waitresses. Tan Jingya didn't point it out, but just smiled and ruffled her hair: "Yes, our Chunyan is the most capable."

Just then, the curtain was lifted with a "whoosh," and two people walked in, enveloped in two wisps of hot air. The one in front was a tall man, wearing dark green overalls with the words "Post and Telecommunications" printed on them, carrying a heavy toolbox on his shoulder, the metal buckles clanging.

The short man behind him had a blue postal and telecommunications armband pinned to his arm, and was clutching a roll of black electrical wire in his hand. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, leaving a small, sticky damp patch on the collar of his work clothes.

"Comrade, is this the ground floor shop at No. 43 Chongwenmen West Street?" The tall man spoke first, his voice a little hoarse. He took out a small notebook from his pocket, paused the pen tip on the paper, and then licked the pen tip.

Tan Jingya immediately stood up from behind the counter and quickly went to greet them: "That's right, that's right, we're the ones who need to install telephones here! Please have a seat, both of you." She then said to Han Chunyan, who was standing next to her, "Pour a pot of iced tea for both of you to cool off in the heat."

Han Chunyan immediately agreed, ran out carrying an enamel teapot, and also took two porcelain bowls with her.

The short man put the power cord on the ground with a "thud," took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and said, "The initial installation fee, labor and material costs, handling fees, and the fee for activating long-distance direct dialing add up to 380 yuan. Do you have any problems with that?"

“No problem.” Tan Jingya nodded and pointed to the counter, saying, “We’ll put it here so it’s convenient for customers to make phone calls, and it’ll save us trouble keeping track of the orders.”

The two stopped talking. The tall man opened his toolbox, took out a screwdriver and wire strippers, squatted in the corner next to the counter, and "thump thump" chiseled a small hole and embedded the gray junction box in it.
The short man held an electrical wire and laid it openly along the base of the wall. The black wire, like a small snake, ran from the junction box to the small hole reserved next to the counter. He would press it down from time to time, afraid that the wire would come loose.

Han Chunyan watched intently from the side, her eyes wide, as the workers used wire strippers to peel off the outer sheath of the wires, revealing the copper core inside, and then carefully connected them to the telephone terminals. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

After the phone was installed, the tall man picked up the receiver, dialed a number, and said into the receiver, "Hello, is this the switchboard? Could you please test the line at No. 43 Chongwenmen West Street?"

After a few seconds, he nodded to Tan Jingya: "It's working now, try it yourself."

Tan Jingya held the red handset, the cold plastic pressed against her ear, and for a moment she couldn't think of who to call. Her mind raced, and then she suddenly remembered Li Zhe's pager—

She dialed the number on the phone and waited for the voice on the other end saying, "Hello, this is the Beijing Paging Service." She then said softly, "Please send a message to pager number 683219 saying that the phone at Shuxiangju has been installed and everything is going smoothly."

After receiving the reply from the paging station, Tan Jingya couldn't help but smile, and even her eyes were filled with laughter.

Han Chunyan brought over a plate of sliced ​​apples and placed it in front of the chefs. The apple pieces were all the same size and had been cored: "Chefs, have some fruit to cool off in the heat."

"Thank you."

After finishing their apples, the two postal workers packed up their toolboxes and left. Han Chunyan saw them to the door and immediately turned back to stare at the telephone on the counter, as if it were some kind of treasure.

"Sister Tan, you're amazing." She suddenly looked at Tan Jingya with a hint of admiration on her face.

Tan Jingya was pondering how to memorize a number when she heard this, and she was stunned: "How am I so good at this?"

"You manage everything in the restaurant by yourself, from the dining area to the kitchen, and you arrange everything perfectly. The business is still booming. Isn't that amazing?" Han Chunyan said earnestly, clutching the hem of her clothes. "If I could be like you, my parents would be overjoyed."

Upon hearing this, Tan Jingya seemed to see her former self, and her heart softened. She took Han Chunyan's hand, her palm slightly rough: "Chunyan, as long as you are willing to work hard and put your heart into it, you will definitely be able to live the life you want in the future."

You're only seventeen, you have plenty of opportunities.

"Really?" Han Chunyan looked up at her, her eyes full of expectation, but also a little disbelief.

"Of course it's true." Tan Jingya nodded and patted the back of her hand.

"Sister Tan, if that day ever comes, you will be my benefactor!" Han Chunyan said sincerely—if Tan Jingya hadn't made an exception and recruited her, who knows where she would be now.

Tan Jingya patted her shoulder with a smile: "You little rascal, your words are sweeter than honey. Go and rest for a while, we'll have to prepare dinner soon, don't be too tired."

Han Chunyan patted her arm and raised her chin: "Sister Tan, don't worry, I have plenty of strength."

……

Some readers have commented that updates are a bit late.

The market analysis team plans to adjust the update time to 8 AM.

Update tomorrow at 8 AM!

(End of this chapter)