Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 270 Unexpected Visitor
After resting for half an hour after the meal, the sun was already high in the sky.

Old Li clapped his hands: "Let's get to work!"

Everyone immediately got up and, under the arrangement of Lao Li and Zhu Yimin, got busy in different places.

Bai Yunsheng followed him out with his camera and saw Lin Xiaohu climb up the rammed earth wall next to the greenhouse, holding the rope of the straw curtain in his hand. With a strong pull, he rolled up the straw curtain, and the sunlight shone into the greenhouse in a flash.

"Xiao Hu, you used to lift the straw curtain around 10 o'clock, why are you up so early today?" Bai Yunsheng held up a camera, the lens pointed at Lin Xiao Hu.

Lin Xiaohu sat on the wall and replied with a smile, "Director Bai, in the past, when it was cold, we had to wait until the sun was high before we could heat up the greenhouse."

Things are different now. It's only cool for a short while at night. During the day, the temperature inside the greenhouse rises quickly once the sun comes out. If we lift the straw curtains a little earlier, the vegetables can get more sun.

If it gets really hot at midday, you have to bring the straw mats down early to prevent the vegetables from wilting.

These are all things that Li Zhe said in a meeting a couple of days ago. He kept them in mind and is now showing them off in front of the camera.

While taking photos, Bai Yunsheng continued to ask, "I heard from Boss Li that once the seasonal vegetables are harvested in July, they will stop growing greenhouse vegetables. Does that mean you can take a vacation?"

"That won't do!" Lin Xiaohu waved his hand, jumped down from the wall, and patted the dirt off his body. "Brother Li said that after we finish picking the last batch of vegetables in the greenhouse at the end of June, we can only rest for a few days. In July, we will be busy digging the foundation and building new greenhouses."

"Then I'll have to train the villagers who want to grow crops in greenhouses, teaching them how to raise seedlings and how to fertilize. There's a lot of work to do!"

"Little Tiger, you seem quite happy. Aren't you afraid of getting tired with so much work?" Bai Yunsheng teased.

Lin Xiaohu scratched his head, grinning to reveal a set of white teeth: "Don't worry! I'm young and have plenty of energy. The busier I am, the happier I am. Being busy means I can earn money and learn new skills, isn't that great!"

As the two were talking, they heard a "putt-putt-putt" sound, and a farm tricycle stopped by the roadside.

Wang Rongsheng jumped out of the car, his shirt still a little dusty. He spotted Bai Yunsheng carrying a camera at a glance and immediately walked over.

"Director Bai is here! It's been a while!" Wang Rongsheng said with a smile and a warm tone.

Bai Yunsheng quickly put down the camera and greeted him with a smile: "Uncle Wang, I just arrived yesterday. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you, and I was thinking of having a chat with you today."

"Hey, I had some business to attend to and went to town. We'll talk more later." Wang Rongsheng waved his hand, his gaze falling on the camera. "Is this the camera you mentioned last time? It looks really stylish."

"Yes, this is it." Bai Yunsheng nodded. "I'll bring it over for you to see after the filming is finished."

"That would be great!" Wang Rongsheng replied, without stopping his steps, as if something was on his mind.

He found Old Li, who was working, and pulled him aside.

Seeing his expression, Old Li's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "Brother, how is Huilan? Has she given birth yet?"

Wang Rongsheng beamed, his voice rising several decibels: "It's born! It's a boy! Seven pounds and four ounces, and the big, chubby little guy's cry is quite loud! The Ma family finally has an heir!"

Old Li chuckled upon hearing this, grinning from ear to ear: "Hey! We've been waiting for a little boy! Changhe is going to be ecstatic this time!"

“That’s right!” Wang Rongsheng recalled the scene at the time. “You wouldn’t believe how happy he was. He jumped three feet high and grabbed my hand, saying that he was going to have a banquet in a few days and invite everyone to come and have some fun.”

Old Li asked again, "Brother, didn't Xiuying go to town with you? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Wang Rongsheng sighed, his tone softening again: "Huilan just gave birth and is very weak. Zhaodi has no experience, so she needs a reliable person by her side."

Xiuying stayed to help take care of Huilan and the baby, and will return in a couple of days when Huilan is feeling better.

Old Li nodded: "Okay, I'll go check on the child later and bring Xiuying a couple of changes of clothes."

……

In the afternoon, inside the brick building of greenhouse number 25.

Li Zhe was hunched over his desk, writing in a leather notebook with his pen. Although the place was simple, it was quieter and more comfortable than Greenhouse No. 3, and he used it as a temporary office.

He was holding a stack of bills in his hand, calculating the income and expenses for April and May.

The last time he tallied up his accounts was in early April. He had 204341 RMB and 246000 foreign exchange certificates.

He'd been spending money like water these past two months, meticulously calculating each expense: 13.23 yuan invested in Sijiqing Company, 8.6 foreign exchange certificates spent on Qi Baishi's "Ink Shrimp Painting," 3 yuan spent on a shop in Shuxiangju, plus building a new house, buying a video recorder, investing in a cannery, and other miscellaneous daily expenses...

All in all, I've spent nearly 20 RMB and over 9 RMB in foreign exchange certificates.

As the weather warmed up, starting from April 21st, the prices of off-season vegetables began to drop, and even hotels catering to foreign guests switched to paying in RMB, resulting in a significant decrease in foreign exchange certificate revenue.

4月蔬菜大棚收入53032块人民币、60400块外汇券；5月份收入下降的更厉害，人民币收入 34020块，外汇券就剩 7483元。

Shuxiangju made money in March and April, but the installation of air conditioners and telephones cost too much, so they are now losing money, even using up the 6200 yuan membership deposit.

365 Vegetable Store is doing alright. In April, its net profit was 9600 yuan in foreign exchange certificates. In May, with the addition of takeout service, the net profit rose to 10530 yuan in foreign exchange certificates.

Although the price of off-season vegetables has dropped, the off-season vegetables at 365 Vegetable Store are mainly used as a traffic-driving product and do not generate profit, so the impact on profits is not significant.

In addition, the installation of a telephone at the 365 Vegetable Store cost 3750 yuan.

In May, Li Zhe delivered a batch of canned goods to a foreign trade company and earned 6200 yuan.

Li Zhe spent a long time calculating on the abacus and found that after deducting expenses, he had about 90340 yuan and 238000 foreign exchange certificates left.

In addition, he also owed the credit union 112000 yuan in loans.

Although the cash holdings did not increase, the company now has two more physical companies in its hands.

"Beep beep..." A car horn suddenly sounded outside.

Li Zhe peeked out and saw a crowd gathered around the greenhouse, blocking even the dirt road north of the village. His own vegetable truck couldn't get back, and the driver was honking the horn incessantly.

There were many villagers from Daying Village in the crowd, but most were unfamiliar faces, and judging from their accents, they were probably from nearby villages.

The news that Li Zhe made money growing crops in greenhouses last year had already spread, but most people from other villages just heard it as something new and were skeptical.

A few days ago, Mayor Chen asked the villages to help promote Li Zhe's greenhouse farming achievements, which deepened the villagers' trust. When they heard that Li Zhe sold cucumbers for six yuan a pound last year, many people couldn't sit still and came to inquire.

How could the talkative wife miss such a lively scene? She and a few other women found a shady spot under an old locust tree, sat on small stools, and cracked sunflower seeds all over the ground.

The crowd parted to make way for the truck, which drove to the outside of the shed. Li Weidong jumped out of the truck and shouted for several workers to unload the goods.

Sun Qiang and Wang Ermazi happened to be nearby, so they came over to lend a hand. One of them had a limp, and the other had pockmarks on his face, but they carried things without hesitation.

Several people carried baskets and boxes from the truck into the greenhouse, and the villagers who were watching craned their necks to look, their eyes full of curiosity.

A man with a long face got closer and peered into the basket. It was full of chopped meat, bags of rice, barrels of oil, and several cases of liquor. He was shocked and exclaimed, "My God! Why did you buy so much stuff? How much money did this cost!"

The quick-talking wife looked over and recognized the man as Wang Qi from Yangma Village. She boasted, "The Li family is making money growing crops in greenhouses, and they give their employees benefits every month."

Wang Qi still didn't believe it, scratching his head and muttering, "What kind of boss is that generous? Is he just putting on an act?"

Soon, the workers all headed towards greenhouse number three, making the onlookers even more puzzled. The quick-talking wife grabbed Tiger Girl, who was running past, and asked, "Girl, where are you all going? You're all in such a hurry."

"Auntie, Brother Li wants us to come over. It's payday!" Tiger Girl said happily, and then left.

One by one, the workers went into greenhouse number three, and soon came out smiling, each carrying something in their hands.

Not long after, Tiger Girl came out carrying several pounds of pork, a bag of rice, and a bucket of oil. Her quick-talking wife rushed up to her, grabbed her arm, and asked, "Girl, is this today's perk?"

Tiger Girl nodded: "Yes, Auntie, take it and take it home first."

The quick-talking wife asked again, "So how much money did you get this month? Tell your aunt."

Tiger Girl grinned and waved her hand, "Hehe, I won't tell you!" Then she turned and ran away.

The quick-talking wife called from behind, "Honey, come home for dinner tonight! I'll make you braised pork!" Looking at the meat in her hand, she couldn't stop smiling. "Auntie, you eat it yourself!" Tiger Girl called back, "I'm eating at the greenhouse tonight. Brother Li said he'll roast a whole lamb for us!"

"Roasted whole lamb?" The quick-talking wife paused for a moment, muttering to herself. Although she understood, she still found it novel—she had never seen a whole lamb roasted before.

Wang Qi leaned closer and, seeing the heavy load in his quick-witted wife's hands, finally believed it. He looked on with envy and said, "My god, every employee gets this much? How much money must the Li family make growing crops in greenhouses?"

The quick-tongued wife pouted, "This is nothing! We received much more during the Lunar New Year. Now that it's warmer, things don't keep well, so we've given out less!"

Zhao Bing's wife chimed in, "That's right! The winter benefits are even greater. We didn't even buy any New Year's goods; the benefits we received were enough for the whole family! They even sent a lot to my parents' house." She added, "My father-in-law asked them to send it."

As soon as he said that, Wang Qi believed him completely, and the people from other villages also became envious, each thinking to themselves: if they could follow Li Zhe to grow crops in greenhouses, maybe they could also live that kind of life.

In less than an afternoon, dozens of people from neighboring villages signed up to grow crops in greenhouses...

In the evening, a bonfire was lit again in Li Weidong's field.

Unlike the makeshift oven made of bricks last time, this time Li Zhe had his uncle make a big one in advance—find a large iron barrel, cut it in half, weld an iron frame to the bottom, and then install a furnace, and a cylindrical oven was completed, with a rotating grill rack inside.

Roasting a whole lamb is a skill that Li Jiugang didn't know how to do, so Li Zhe had to do it himself.

Slaughter a lamb, marinate it, put charcoal at the bottom of the oven, tie the lamb to the grill, cover it with an iron bucket, and the makeshift oven comes in handy.

In the afternoon, Li Zhe also received two guests: Sun Liguo from the Wan'an Town Credit Cooperative and Chen Shaohua, the son of Mayor Chen.

The two of them invested 6000 yuan each in Sijiqing Company under the name of relatives. At the same time, they only received dividends and did not participate in the company's management or vote.

With the addition of these two individuals, the development of Sijiqing Company will be more stable.

Chen Shaohua's eyes never left the oven. He grew up in the town and used to look down on the food in the village, but when he heard that a whole roasted lamb was going to be roasted, he immediately became interested—he had only heard of it, but had never actually eaten it.

Everyone sat around the campfire, beer bottles in their hands, watermelon in their mouths, and the aroma of roasted lamb made their mouths water.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the distance, shattering the surrounding tranquility.

Li Zhe put down his beer bottle, straightened up and looked over there. He saw several militiamen walking quickly over, with two men in the middle.

The man walking in front was about forty years old, with a stocky build, several deep lines etched on his dark face, and the cuffs of his coarse cloth jacket were worn and frayed. He was clutching an old cloth bag tightly in his hand.

The younger one following behind was slightly shorter, with narrow shoulders, mud on his trouser legs, and his head hung even lower, his fingers nervously twisting the hem of his clothes.

Li Zhe strode forward and asked the militia leader, "Brother Zhao, what's going on?"

Zhao Bing stopped and pointed to the two men behind him, his tone wary: "Brother Li, when we were patrolling near greenhouse number 15, we found these two acting suspiciously. They squatted by the rammed earth wall for a long time and kept peeking into the greenhouse. We quickly went up and stopped them."

Judging from their accents, these two don't sound local; they might be out-of-town thieves trying to steal things.

"We're not thieves!" the older man hurriedly said, his thick Shandong accent sounding somewhat flustered. "It's the first time we've seen such thick rammed earth walls. We just wanted to see what the inside of the greenhouse was like, we had no other intentions!"

Li Zhe recognized the accent and leaned forward: "Fellow villager, what's your name? Where are you from?"

The older man quickly pulled a neatly folded red cloth bag from his pocket, inside which were two crumpled ID cards. He handed them over with both hands: "My name is Guo Yonghong, and this is my brother Guo Yongfu. We heard that you teach people how to grow vegetables in greenhouses and grow them in winter, so we came here specifically to learn the techniques."

Li Zhe took the documents and looked them over. After seeing their place of origin, he was somewhat surprised: "You're from Shouguang, Shandong Province?"

“Yes, we also grow crops in greenhouses where we are, but we don’t have the same level of expertise as you do here,” Guo Yonghong replied honestly.

Li Zhe had heard of Shouguang before – it was the future "Vegetable Capital of China".

He mentally calculated the time; this winter should be the first time Shouguang produces vegetables for overwintering. Combining this with what the two had just said, he already had a general idea in mind.

Li Zhe turned to Zhao Bing and the others and said, "Brother Zhao, thank you for your hard work. Go to greenhouse number three tomorrow to collect your bonus; consider it a subsidy for us brothers."

Zhao Bing quickly waved his hand, a simple smile on his face: "Brother Li, don't be so polite, this is what we should do! The village militia has been receiving subsidies from you, how can we ask for bonuses?"

"One thing at a time, but what's essential can't be missing." Li Zhe patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "By the way, tell the guys the roasted lamb is almost ready, come over and have a taste later."

"Okay!" Zhao Bing replied cheerfully, his eyes and brows beaming with joy.

At this moment, Li Weidong took out several bottles of chilled beer from the well basin next to him and handed them out to the militiamen one by one. Zhao Bing took the beer, pried open the bottle cap with a "pop," and took a big gulp, the icy liquid running down the corner of his mouth.

Guo Yongfu, who was standing to the side, was both thirsty and hungry. His eyes were fixed on the beer in Zhao Bing's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and he was full of envy.

Guo Yonghong also quietly swallowed, his lips cracked from dryness.

Seeing this, Li Zhe turned around, opened two more bottles of beer, and handed them to the two brothers: "Fellow villagers, have some beer to quench your thirst."

Guo Yonghong paused for a moment, then hesitated before raising his eyes, not daring to answer immediately.

Guo Yongfu hurriedly took it, quickly said "thank you," and then gulped down more than half the bottle in one go, his forehead beaded with sweat.

Seeing that his younger brother had drunk it, Guo Yonghong didn't stand on ceremony anymore. He took the beer, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of the bottle, his tense body relaxing slightly.

"Drink slowly, there's plenty of beer, get more if you're still hungry." Li Zhe chuckled and brought over two stools, placing them in front of the two men. "Fellow villagers, please sit down. Tell me, why did you come here to learn greenhouse farming techniques?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Guo Yonghong spoke first, his tone somewhat tentative: "Comrade, what's your name?"

"My name is Li Zhe, and I'm in charge of all these vegetable greenhouses."

"So it's Boss Li!" Guo Yonghong's eyes immediately showed admiration, and he leaned forward slightly. "We also grow crops in greenhouses, but compared to yours, we are far behind! That's why we thought we'd like to learn from you how to grow crops in greenhouses in winter."

Li Zhe pressed further, "How did you find your way here?"

Guo Yonghong sighed and slowly said, "There are quite a few people in Shouguang who grow 'spring-warm greenhouses,' which are made of earthen walls and plastic film, and they can make vegetables ripen earlier than in-season ones. In the past two years, the scale of greenhouse cultivation has increased, so the village entrusted the two of us to go to Beijing to find sales channels."

When we arrived in Beijing, we learned that fresh vegetables were available for sale even in winter. So we inquired along the way, wanting to see what greenhouses for growing vegetables in winter looked like, and finally we found you here.

Hearing this, Zhu Yimin became interested and squatted down next to him, asking, "Are there many people growing crops in greenhouses where you live?"

“There are many! But they are all ‘spring-warm greenhouses’.” Guo Yonghong shook his head, his tone full of helplessness. “Those greenhouses have poor insulation, so they have to be heated in winter. Not only are the costs high, but the yield is also low and the harvest is unstable. If it gets too cold, we simply don’t plant them.”

Li Zhe then asked, "Where do you usually sell the vegetables you grow?"

“Before, the scale was small, and we sold our products at the vegetable market in the city,” Guo Yonghong replied. “In the past two years, the scale has grown, and the villagers have been thinking about having my brother and me go out to find sales channels. We went to Beijing hoping to get a higher price so that everyone could earn more.”

At this moment, Guo Yongfu, who hadn't said much, couldn't help but speak up, his eyes full of anticipation: "Boss Li, we heard that you can grow cucumbers here even in the dead of winter, is that true?"

Li Zhe nodded and said affirmatively, "It's true."

The two brothers' eyes lit up instantly. They looked at each other again, and Guo Yonghong took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Boss Li, we really want to learn how to grow crops in greenhouses from you. If you're willing to teach us, we can pay the tuition!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding militiamen and villagers immediately became wary, their eyes all falling on the Guo brothers.

Li Zhe neither immediately agreed nor directly refused. He simply glanced at his watch and smiled, trying to smooth things over: "The whole roasted lamb should be ready soon. It's better that you've come at the right time than early. Let's eat lamb first and have some fun. We can discuss the greenhouse project another day."

He didn't give the two a chance to continue speaking and turned to walk towards the oven.

The lamb was roasted in the oven for more than three hours. Although it took a long time, the low heat made it easier to control and prevented it from burning.

When the grill was brought out, the lamb was roasted to a perfect crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Golden oil droplets dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma instantly filled the air, making people swallow their saliva.

Li Zhe picked up a knife and began distributing the meat to everyone. Immediately, the crowd gathered around in layers, most of them seeing a whole roasted lamb for the first time, their eyes filled with novelty and anticipation.

The chopped meat was divided into several large iron plates, and everyone scrambled to eat it, sharing pieces with ice-cold beer. Laughter and chatter rose and fell, carrying far and wide.

Only the Guo brothers looked preoccupied, glancing every now and then at the white greenhouse in the distance, their eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity, anticipation, and unease...

(End of this chapter)