Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 268 Determination
Around 9 p.m., after the family finished dinner, Chen Shuping was clearing the dishes. Li Zhenguo wanted to help wash the dishes, but Chen Shuping told him to go and rest.

After washing up, Grandma Chen and the chubby boy drew the curtains and went to bed.

The couple finally had some time alone together, returning to their cramped bedroom. Though small, it was cozy.

Chen Shuping opened the wardrobe, took out a few changes of her husband's clothes, and asked as she folded them, "How long are you going to stay in the village this time? I'll pack you some clothes, something warm, it gets chilly in the village at night, don't get cold."

She asked several questions, but didn't hear a response from her husband.

Chen Shuping looked up and saw Li Zhenguo sitting on the edge of the bed, his brow furrowed, his eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in thought, his fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the sheets. "I'm talking to you. What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Li Zhenguo snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "Wife, I want to quit my job at the Beijing Canned Food Factory."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuping's hand stopped, and the smile on her face disappeared.

She paused for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Isn't this too hasty? Although the income at the Beijing Cannery isn't high, it's a state-owned enterprise, so it's stable and provides security. How about... we wait a little longer?"

Li Zhenguo held his wife's hand and said firmly, "Wife, I didn't act on impulse."

Besides the plot of land the second son exchanged with our family, he bought two more plots. With four plots connected together, the yard is huge! They've even built a two-story villa, which is currently being renovated. Next time you and Huijing come back to the village, you can live in the villa.”

His words sounded like he was talking about homesteads and villas, and had nothing to do with resigning, but Chen Shuping understood what he meant—he felt that going back to the village and working with Li Zhe would be more promising.

Chen Shuping sighed and asked, "I also wanted you to work with the second son, but didn't he only plan to rent the cannery for five months this year? What will you do after five months? You can't just stay idle forever, can you?"

“I’ve calculated it. My second brother pays me 150 yuan a month, plus bonuses, so I can make 200 to 300 yuan a month. Even if I only work for five months, it’s still more than what I earned in a year at the cannery in Beijing.”

Li Zhenguo paused, then added, "Moreover, the five-month lease is only a temporary plan. The second son said that exporting canned goods to the Soviet Union is the foundation, and he will also find people to develop new sales channels. If the channels are opened up, we can produce canned meat even in the winter, and then we can do it long-term."

Even if the canned food market doesn't take off, I can still work with my brother in the vegetable greenhouses; I won't be idle, and I'll always make money.

Chen Shuping was still worried: "We've been in Beijing for so many years and are used to city life. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you if you go back to the village to grow vegetables? I'm also worried that you'll suffer. Can your body handle it?"

"What's so funny? Earning money with your own hands is nothing to be ashamed of." Li Zhenguo waved his hand dismissively. "My second brother is busy with business all day now, and the vegetable greenhouses are basically managed by my eldest brother. He's my own brother. If I work for him, what hardship could I possibly endure?"
Moreover, don't underestimate the vegetable greenhouses; the second son pays them quite a bit of money.

Last winter, everyone's monthly salary was 150 yuan, plus bonuses, at least two or three hundred yuan. This year it might even go up, which is much better than what I earned at the cannery.

"My God, this salary is higher than that of a regular employee in Beijing?" Chen Shuping's eyes widened in astonishment. Her factory only paid a little over seventy yuan a month; she never expected that growing vegetables in greenhouses could earn so much, even better than her government job.

“Absolutely! Not only are the salaries and bonuses high, but the benefits are no worse than those of employees in Beijing. They provide rice, flour, and oil every month, so we don't have to buy them ourselves. At the end of the year, they also give out fish, meat, and fruit. We lack nothing; it's much more convenient than working in the city.” Li Zhenguo's eyes deepened, his tone filled with anticipation for the future.

“I’ve thought it through. Huijing is getting older. In a few years, he’ll be going to high school and college. He’ll also need to buy a house and get married. I’ll earn more money these next few years to build up some assets for Huijing so he can have a less difficult life and not have to work as hard as we do.”

Looking into her husband's determined eyes, Chen Shuping recalled her son sleeping soundly—the little chubby boy had said during the day that he wanted a new schoolbag.

Her worries gradually dissipated. She took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, I support you. Go ahead and do it. I'll take care of things at home. You don't need to worry about Mom and Huijing; I can handle them."

Li Zhenguo looked at his wife, his eyes filled with gratitude.

He held his wife's hand tightly, secretly resolving to work hard and give his family a better life, so as not to let her down.

……

North of Daying Village, the wind carried the scent of earth and grass. Two orange-yellow excavators stretched out their iron arms, rumbling so loudly that the ground trembled as they dug neat ditches in Wang Ermazi's field.

Wang Ermazi stood on the edge of the field, his pockmarked face beaming with a smile that stretched almost to his ears. He rubbed his rough hands together, his eyes fixed on the excavator, as if afraid this lively scene was just a dream.

About twenty villagers surrounded the area, crowding around to watch, chattering amongst themselves like a swarm of buzzing bees.

"You know, Wang Ermazi, just two years ago he was wearing patched pants and could barely afford a decent meal. Now he can actually build a greenhouse, I can't believe it!" The old man in the blue cloth jacket said, puffing on his pipe, his eyes full of envy.

Wang Dajiao, carrying a bamboo basket, chimed in, "Wasn't it Li Zhe who guaranteed his loan? Otherwise, would the credit union have been able to lend him money so easily?"

The old man took a puff of his pipe: "Loans aren't a good thing either. Last year, a loan officer came to my house and tried to get my eldest son to apply for one, but I kicked him out. What if we can't pay back the loan?"

Zhao Bing's wife interjected, "Uncle Wu, you've meant well but done something wrong! Last year's loan had no interest, but this year you have to pay interest. Li Zhe took out a loan last year, and not only did it have no interest, but now his business is booming. Who wouldn't envy him?"

"Hey, do you think Wang Ermazi has finally found a girlfriend now that he has money to build greenhouses?" Aunt Pang asked in a loud voice, her eyes still scanning Wang Ermazi.

The quick-tongued wife curled her lip: "His face is covered in countless pockmarks. In the past, when he went on blind dates, girls would turn around and walk away as soon as they saw him. It's so difficult!"

"That's not necessarily true! Once the greenhouses have a harvest, he can earn tens of thousands of yuan a year. He won't have to worry about finding a wife then! He'll really have to thank Li Zhe properly!" Zhao Bing's wife said.

As everyone was chatting animatedly, Wang Dajiao suddenly stood on tiptoe, pointed to the dirt road to the east, and shouted, "Hey! Look, isn't that Li Zhe and his father, Old Li?"

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, it was Li Zhe, wearing a blue shirt, walking in front with his back ramrod straight; Old Li, wearing a faded blue vest, was accompanied by a large, fat figure.

The quick-tongued wife wondered, "Why is Jin Baiwan always following Li Zhe around?"

Zhao Bing's wife replied, "Boss Jin also invested in Sijiqing Company and now works for Boss Li. However, I don't recognize the person next to him."

Wang Dajiao said, "I know, that's the contractor who built the new house for the Li family, I think his surname is Liu."

She got excited as soon as the Li family's new house was mentioned. "Hey, the Li family's two-story house is so impressive. I passed by yesterday and took a look. The exterior walls have already been painted. I heard that they've started renovations inside and they can move in by the end of the month!" Her tone was full of envy.

"I heard about it too! They're even going to tile the floor at their house. Those things are slippery and really expensive. Nobody in our village has ever used them before. Li Zhe is going to live the city life!" Aunt Pang chimed in, her eyes full of longing.

The quick-tongued wife stared wide-eyed. She hadn't been out much lately and was unaware of many things. She felt uneasy and clenched her fists, thinking to herself: No, I have to come to the north of the village more often in the future and find out more about the Li family's affairs, otherwise I'll really be outdone.

Tiger Girl, that little girl, just goes home and sleeps all day long, never telling me any useful information.

On the dirt road in the distance, Li Zhe vaguely heard the villagers talking. He glanced at the excavator but didn't stop walking—he had a lot to do today and didn't have time to chat.

At this time of year, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and construction companies are busy rushing to meet deadlines. Excavators are in high demand, and the two in front of us were borrowed by Jin Baiwan through connections. This amount of equipment is far from enough to speed up the construction of the vegetable greenhouses.

I spoke with Qian Duoduo on the phone yesterday, and he patted his chest and said he would help me find connections to try and get a few more units transferred.

Li Zhe and his group continued walking forward. The dirt road under their feet was firm, and the wild grass by the roadside grew vigorously. Occasionally, they could see a few grasshoppers hopping and darting into the grass.

Yesterday, Sijiqing Company signed a contract with the village to rent 80 mu of collective land. This land is adjacent to the 20 mu previously rented, and the two mu are connected as far as the eye can see – this is Li Zhe's initial goal for expanding the direct-operated vegetable greenhouses this year.

Upon reaching the newly rented land, Li Zhe stopped, accompanied by Lao Li, Jin Baiwan, and Liu Jinliang from the construction team. Liu Jinliang had been in charge of building the Li family's new house before; now that the main structure was complete, only the finishing touches remained. Li Zhe turned to Liu Jinliang with a smile and said, "Master Liu, I invited you here today because there's a new project we'd like you to oversee and see how to plan it appropriately."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jinliang's eyes immediately lit up, and his face showed anticipation. He quickly asked, "Mr. Li, are you planning to build a factory here?"

Although Li Zhe is usually busy and doesn't often go to the new house construction site, he is generous—he always adds extra food for the workers when he goes, and he doesn't fuss over small things. Liu Jinliang has a good impression of him.

Li Zhe waved his hand and explained, "It's not a factory. To be precise, we want to build a planting park on this newly rented land, which will include a new canteen, meeting rooms, rest rooms, storage rooms, training rooms, and office areas."

However, the company has just expanded its greenhouses, and funds are still a bit tight. So, we want to build the canteen first, and then plan the locations of other functional areas in advance and build them gradually later.

After listening, Liu Jinliang suddenly understood and nodded: "I understand. You want me to plan the layout of the entire planting area first, and then determine the specific location and construction plan of the canteen, right?"

“That’s right, you’re an expert in this area, more experienced than me, so you can definitely plan it more reasonably,” Li Zhe said with a smile, his tone full of trust.

Liu Jinliang patted his chest and readily agreed: "No problem! Boss Li, don't worry, I'll take care of this. Here's what we'll do: first, take me on a tour of this land and tell me your thoughts and requirements, then we'll discuss the specifics."

Afterwards, Li Zhe took Liu Jinliang for a leisurely stroll around the newly rented land.

As Liu Jinliang walked, he stomped his feet on the ground to feel the hardness of the soil. Every now and then, he would squat down, grab a handful of soil and rub it in his hands, and then look around to observe the surrounding terrain.

He stopped and asked, "Mr. Li, how would you like the distances between the various functional areas of the plantation to be arranged? Are there any special requirements? For example, the storage room should be close to the greenhouse for easy handling of vegetables."

As Li Zhe walked, he replied, "Master Liu, I hope the location of the plantation can be easily accessible, as vegetables and supplies will have to pass through here in the future. Also, this surrounding area will be used to grow vegetable greenhouses, so it would be best if the plantation and the greenhouses could be easily accessible."

After thinking for a while, Liu Jinliang pointed to an empty area near the north road of the village and said, "Why don't we build a planting park next to the north road of the village? It's close to the road, so it's convenient to transport materials and vegetables. The terrain is also flat, which is suitable for building houses."

Please tell me the approximate area and requirements of the main functional areas in the plantation, and I will draw up a building structure distribution plan for you to see if it suits your needs.

Li Zhe thought the same thing and nodded, then said, "I want to build a large canteen first. This canteen will not only provide meals for the workers, but can also be used as a meeting room, training room and reception room. It should be able to accommodate about two hundred people."

Chef Liu, you have a lot of experience, do you have any good suggestions for the cafeteria design?

Liu Jinliang squatted on the ground, took out a twig from his canvas bag and drew on the ground. As he drew, he said, "Boss Li, I understand what you mean - you want the canteen to take on multiple functions before other facilities in the planting area are built, so that you can save a lot of costs."

I suggest dividing the cafeteria into three areas:

The first is the dining area, which should be 200 to 300 square meters. This should be the core area of ​​the canteen, and it should be spacious, bright, and convenient for workers to eat.
The second is the back kitchen area, which is 100 to 150 square meters. It needs to have a work area, a food preparation area, and a dishwashing area. The work area should be larger to make it easier for the chefs to work.

The third is the auxiliary functional area, which is also 100 to 150 square meters. It can include a storage room, a small canteen, a utility room, and a rest room.

In this way, you can hold small meetings or receive guests in the small canteen, and decorate the canteen nicely to make it look presentable;

Large-scale meetings or training sessions can be held in the dining area. Keep the initial renovations simple; just equip the essentials like stoves and tables first. Add the less essential equipment later when funds allow.

He paused, then pointed to the sketch on the ground and explained in detail: "I suggest that the tables in the dining area be arranged in a row-column pattern, with each table seating 4 people. Including the surrounding aisles, each table will take up about two or three square meters. For 200 people, we would need 50 tables."
In addition, a main passageway 1.2 to 1.5 meters wide should be reserved, with 2 to 3 horizontal passageways and 2 vertical passageways, so that workers can easily enter and exit when eating or holding meetings without feeling crowded.
There should also be 3 to 4 food pick-up points, each capable of serving approximately 40 to 60 people, to avoid people wasting time queuing for food.

Li Zhe listened attentively, nodding occasionally. After Liu Jinliang finished speaking, he asked, "Master Liu, according to this plan, how much would it cost to build this canteen?" This was also the question that Li Zhe was most concerned about.

Liu Jinliang looked up at Li Zhe: "Boss Li, how do you plan to renovate the interior of the cafeteria? Do you just want to paint the walls and lay cement floors, or would you like to make it more upscale?"

Li Zhe said without hesitation: "Just simple decoration, whitewash the walls, lay cement on the floor, as long as it's clean and tidy. I mainly want to build a practical place, not something too fancy."

Liu Jinliang lowered his head and pondered for a while, tapping his finger lightly on the ground as he calculated the labor and building material costs. Then he looked up and said, "Boss Li, prices have been fluctuating a lot lately. The prices of building materials like cement and steel bars change every day, so I can't give you a precise figure right now."

However, in my experience, even with simple renovations, labor, and all necessary building materials, constructing the entire cafeteria would cost around eight to ten thousand yuan.

The budget was within Li Zhe's expectations. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Okay, Master Liu, please make me a detailed cost list later, clearly listing all the costs of labor and building materials. I still need to communicate with the other shareholders of the company about this. Once everyone agrees, we can start construction as soon as possible."

"No problem!" Liu Jinliang readily agreed, a happy expression on his face—he also hoped to win this project, not only to earn more money, but also to build a good relationship with Li Zhe, which might lead to more opportunities for cooperation in the future.

The four chatted for a while about the details of building the canteen, such as the orientation of the doors and windows and the ventilation, before heading towards the Li family's No. 3 vegetable greenhouse.

As soon as we reached the edge of the greenhouse, we saw Wang Rongsheng and Wang Xiuying hurriedly climbing onto a blue tricycle. Ge Qingshan sat in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel and instructing, "Uncle, Aunt, slow down, don't fall."

Seeing that the two looked flustered and were walking hurriedly, Old Li quickly stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Brother, Xiuying, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

As Wang Xiuying climbed onto the tricycle, she gasped for breath: "Huilan's water broke, and she's already been taken to the town's health center. Zhaodi just sent someone to tell us to hurry over and check on her; she might be about to give birth!"

Old Li got anxious when he heard this: "This is such a big deal! I'll go with you, the extra person can lend a hand!"

"Don't go. Just stay home and wait for news! There are too many people at the health center, so it won't help. We'll call you again if anything happens." Wang Xiuying waved her hand and then urged Ge Qingshan, "Qingshan, drive quickly, don't waste time!"

Ge Qingshan responded and slammed on the gas pedal. The tricycle sputtered and sputtered, belching black smoke, as it sped toward the town's health center.

Old Li stood there, watching the tricycle gradually disappear into the distance until it was out of sight, before turning to Li Zhe beside him and sighing: "Your uncle has been hoping for a son for so many years, I don't know if he'll get his wish this time..."

"If we have another daughter, with his temper, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause."

Li Zhe listened, smiled, and said nothing—in this life, there are gains and losses, so there's no need to be too attached.

He glanced at his watch; the hour hand was pointing to eleven. He turned to Old Li and said, "Dad, I have a lunch appointment with Mayor Chen today. Would you like to come along?"

Old Li quickly waved his hand, looking a little awkward: "I won't go. You're all talking about serious matters, I wouldn't be able to join in. You should take Baiwan with you, he understands these social situations better." Old Li was shy and afraid of embarrassing himself at the dinner table and making his son lose face.

Li Zhe knew what his father was thinking, so he didn't press him. He only instructed, "Director Bai might be back today. Please help him take care of him."

When Old Li heard that Bai Yunsheng was coming back, his face immediately lit up with a smile and his eyes lit up: "Oh! Director Bai is coming back? It's been a while. Xiao Hu and Qing He were talking about him yesterday. I have to say, I really miss him after not seeing him for so long."

Li Zhe said with a smile, "That's perfect. He'll stay a few more days this time and start filming the documentary."

Old Li asked again, puzzled, "I remember you said before that Director Bai was here to make a movie, so why did it change to a documentary?"

Li Zhe explained, "We will make both a movie and a documentary; there's no conflict between them. The documentary will mainly focus on the process of growing vegetables in greenhouses and the changes in the lives of the villagers, which will be quite meaningful."

Old Li listened and nodded as if he understood: "Okay, film more about our village so that outsiders can see the changes in our village."

(End of this chapter)