Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 284 Creating Conditions

Around 9 p.m., the courtyard at No. 7 Suzhou Hutong was very quiet, with only the occasional meow of a cat drifting far away in the night.

In the backyard, the lights in the north and west rooms of the house were still on, and shadows swayed gently on the windows, with the faint sound of a woman's whispers.

Half an hour later, Li Zhe let out a long sigh of relief, lay back on the bed, and his chest rose and fell slightly.

Tan Jingya lay beside him, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush, her hair disheveled and plastered to her forehead, her whole body exuding a sense of weakness, her snow-white skin and graceful body curves faintly visible under the light.

After resting for a while, the two took a quick shower and lay back down on the bed, the blankets only covering their waists, and an ambiguous atmosphere still lingered in the air.

Tan Jingya leaned back against Li Zhe, resting her head on his arm, and whispered, "I've finished the accounts today. Our profits over the past three months have already covered the losses from buying the air conditioner and installing the telephone. Any money we make this month will be pure profit."

Li Zhe turned his head to look at her smooth hair and asked, "What about the membership fees paid by the customers? Have they been reimbursed?"

"Of course it's been paid up." Tan Jingya nodded, her tone tinged with pride. "The old members who recharged before have already used up some of their money, and recently many new members have recharged as well. Now the total membership fees have accumulated to more than five thousand yuan."

I'm thinking of holding another recharge promotion during the Mid-Autumn Festival to attract more customers to become members. What do you think?

Li Zhe counted on his fingers and laughed, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is still a long way off, more than a month away. The Qixi Festival is just a few days away. If you want to organize an event, why not do it during Qixi?"

Tan Jingya frowned slightly, looking at him with some doubt: "Qixi Festival? There are special celebrations for this festival? I've never heard of any restaurant having a Qixi Festival promotion?"

In this era, among traditional festivals, only the Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and Laba Festival are widely valued. Qixi Festival exists more as a legend of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl," and few people celebrate it specifically, let alone businesses use it for marketing.

Li Zhe also realized that the Qixi Festival at that time had not yet become the "Chinese Valentine's Day" that later became popular.

He explained with a smile: "Festivals, apart from traditional customs, are often created by businesses to attract customers."

"Look, other countries have Valentine's Day, so China can have one too! Qixi Festival is the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet; it has such a beautiful meaning, it's perfect to make it our Chinese Valentine's Day."

He paused, then his tone became more direct: "To put it bluntly, the reason our restaurant holds promotions is to attract customers and make more money. Holidays are just a marketing excuse."

If there are existing holidays, we'll use them; if there aren't, we can create our own. As long as customers feel it's a 'good deal' and 'meaningful,' they'll be willing to come and spend money.

"You can do that?" Tan Jingya's eyes widened slightly, then she looked at Li Zhe with admiration, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Honey, you're so clever to come up with such an idea. Let's do the Qixi Festival event as you suggested. I'll start working on the details tomorrow, like a set meal for two or something."

Li Zhe gently put his right arm around her slender waist, then changed the subject: "It's already August. We were just talking about opening a new store before, but now it's time to seriously discuss it. Should we really open a branch in the second half of the year? If we decide to open one, we should start preparing now."

Upon hearing "opening a branch," Tan Jingya's eyes lit up with anticipation, but she quickly hesitated: "I definitely support opening a branch; it's something we've planned for a long time. But I don't have any extra funds right now, so I can't invest any more money..."

"Don't worry about the money. I have enough funds on hand. I'll cover it for you first." Li Zhe waved his hand, his tone relaxed. "You can pay me back slowly once the new store starts making a profit."

Tan Jingya smiled and pinched his chin, teasingly saying, "What if the new store loses money? I won't have the money to pay you back."

Li Zhe's right hand slid down her waist and gently patted her plump buttocks, saying with a hint of teasing, "If we lose money, you'll have to give yourself to me and stay by my side to manage the restaurant for the rest of your life. That way, we can hire one less person."

"You're so annoying!" Tan Jingya playfully slapped him, then became serious. "When is the new store scheduled to open? If you set a date, I can plan ahead."

“I’m thinking of opening in early November,” Li Zhe said thoughtfully. “By then, there will be fewer seasonal summer vegetables, and our off-season vegetables will be just coming into season, which will help attract customers to the new store. What do you think of this timing?”

Tan Jingya nodded, and said thoughtfully, "If we open in early November, we'll only have less than three months to prepare. Finding a shop, decorating, hiring, training—we need to get everything done quickly. We really can't afford to delay any longer."

“So we need to act quickly,” Li Zhe said. “In that case, you, me, and Manager Wang, the three of us should keep an eye out for suitable shops.”

The location must be excellent, ideally in a high-traffic commercial area or near a residential area, avoiding the customer base of Shuxiangju while still ensuring a sufficient number of customers.

Tan Jingya then asked, "What about the shop size? Is it the same as the old shop, around 200 square meters, or a bit bigger?"

“Since it’s a new store, it definitely can’t be worse than the old one.” Li Zhe thought for a moment and gave his standards: “It should be at least 300 square meters, and the decoration should be more upscale. It should still have a large hall with eight tables on the first floor and private rooms on the second floor. This way, it can accommodate individual customers as well as small banquets, making it more flexible.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll talk to Manager Wang tomorrow and ask him to keep an eye on the store as well.” Tan Jingya nodded, her face full of anticipation.

Seeing her expectant look, Li Zhe remembered something else and asked, "By the way, when the new store opens, you'll definitely need to keep an eye on things, since you have experience. What are your plans for the old store? Who do you intend to let manage it?"

Tan Jingya pondered for a moment and said, "Manager Wang has performed well recently. When he was on the night shift, he handled all the big and small matters in the store very well without any mistakes. If we open a branch, let him take over the management of the old store, and I will go to the new store."

Li Zhe pondered for a moment. Wang Jianjun is now the purchasing manager of Shuxiangju, responsible for coordinating the procurement of ingredients.

He had previously considered having Wang Jianjun take over the old store, but then he thought that procurement was the core of the restaurant. If Wang Jianjun were to manage the old store, the procurement for the new store would have to be handled by someone else, and it would be difficult for the two stores to achieve unified procurement, which might increase costs.

In the long run, Wang Jianjun's position as purchasing manager is more important than that of the original store manager. So he asked, "Besides Manager Wang, are there any other suitable candidates?"

“I’ve been going to the courtyard house a lot lately. Manager Wang sometimes has things to do at night, so we can’t always take turns. So Supervisor Lin is also helping out with the night shift now, and he’s doing a good job. If you have other plans for Manager Wang, I think it would be appropriate for Supervisor Lin to take over the old shop,” Tan Jingya replied.

"Foreman Lin is indeed good. He is meticulous and responsible." Li Zhe nodded, having made up his mind. "Then let's tentatively let Foreman Lin take over the old store, and Manager Wang will continue to be the purchasing manager, responsible for the procurement of ingredients for both stores."

This ensures consistent ingredient quality and allows for lower prices and reduced costs through bulk purchasing.

His hands began to wander restlessly over Tan Jingya's waist again, the warm touch making her tremble slightly. She snuggled closer to Li Zhe and whispered, "There's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it? Tell me." Li Zhe lowered his head, his nose brushing against the top of her hair, and he smelled a faint scent of soap.

Tan Jingya hesitated for a moment, then said, "I want to move out and not live in the courtyard anymore."

Li Zhe was taken aback and looked at her with some surprise: "Why do you suddenly want to move out? Are you not comfortable living here? Or is there something in the courtyard that's inconvenient for you?"

“We’re a single man and a single woman living in the same courtyard, I’m worried about what the neighbors will say,” Tan Jingya whispered.

Li Zhe joked, "Why weren't you afraid before?"

“Before, we had nothing to hide, so we weren’t afraid of what people would say… But now that time has passed, it’s inevitable that some people will make wild guesses,” Tan Jingya explained.

Li Zhe put away his joking expression and said seriously, "What you said makes sense. How about this, you stay for a while longer, and I'll figure out how to get the house."

"Mmm, I'll listen to you." Tan Jingya snuggled closer to him, like a docile kitten, her cheek pressed against his chest, where she could clearly hear his heartbeat.

Li Zhe took a deep breath and sighed inwardly—the blessing of having multiple wives is indeed not so easy to enjoy.

Everything has two sides. Once you've made a choice, you have to make proper arrangements for the consequences so that you can enjoy the present moment with peace of mind.

The night outside the window grew darker, and the lights inside the room dimmed. The two nestled together, no longer speaking, simply enjoying each other's warmth.

...At seven o'clock in the evening, Hougou Hutong was quiet, with only a few houses having their lights on.

A white Volga sedan slowly pulled up at the entrance of the alley. Li Zhe and Sun Tao got out one after the other. Li Zhe opened the trunk, and Sun Tao bent down and pulled out a bulging woven bag, with the edges of some exquisitely packaged items peeking out from the opening.

"Brother Li, is this your first time visiting Director Han's house?" Sun Tao weighed the bag in his hand and walked into the alley as if he knew the way well.

"This is my first time here. This place isn't far from the Suzhou Hutong where I live." Li Zhe looked around. Some vines were climbing on the brick walls on both sides of the hutong. Not far away was the back gate of Chongwenmen Vegetable Market. Although he had never been to Hougou Hutong before, he was quite familiar with the surrounding area.

"Follow me, Aunt Han's house is on the east side of the alley!" Sun Tao led the way, turning two corners before entering a large courtyard.

By the pond in the center of the courtyard, a woman in a floral shirt was squatting down washing clothes. When she saw the two of them come in, she looked up and smiled, "Oh, Sun Tao is here!"

"Sister Liu, haven't you cooked yet?" Sun Tao greeted her with a smile, without stopping.

"No, your brother Liu is coming home late today, no rush," Liu's wife replied, her gaze falling on Li Zhe. She asked curiously, "Who is this young man? He looks quite impressive."

"My buddy, he came with me to see Aunt Han." Sun Tao didn't explain much, and quickened his pace.

"What's the rush?" Aunt Liu joked. "Qinghe isn't home today, you wouldn't see her even if you came."

“I know she’s not home. That’s why I came to see Aunt Han today. If she were home, I wouldn’t bother coming!” Sun Tao retorted stubbornly.

"Hey, you're just being stubborn! You used to follow Qinghe around all the time, don't you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Aunt Liu laughed even harder.

"Alright, you've got an eye for detail now, haven't you? I'm not going to chat with you anymore, see you later!" Sun Tao said, then led Li Zhe towards the backyard. From a distance, he called out, "Aunt Han, Aunt Han!"

"Oh, Sun Tao and Li Zhe are here! Come in and have a seat!" Director Han lifted the curtain and greeted them with a smile, then asked, "Have you eaten yet? If not, I'll cook for you; there are plenty of dishes at home."

"Director Han, please don't bother. We've already eaten before we came," Li Zhe quickly said.

Sun Tao glanced at a cup of malted milk powder and a peach shortbread on the table and frowned: "Aunt Han, is this what you're having for dinner?"

"We ate too much at lunch, and I'm too lazy to cook dinner for myself. Besides, isn't this fine?" Director Han gestured to the two of them, "Please sit down, I'll go pour you some tea."

Taking the opportunity, Sun Tao took the contents out of the woven bag and placed the exquisite bags with the words "Friendship Store" printed on them on the table: "Aunt Han, these are all things Brother Li brought for you."

Director Han said with a slightly reproachful tone, "We're already so familiar with each other, why did you bring anything? You're just wasting money. Don't do this again."

"Director Han, it's great news that you've been promoted from deputy director to director. We wanted to share in the joy," Li Zhe explained with a smile. "These things were gifts from friends. I had nothing to do with them at home, so I brought them to you as a token of my appreciation."

Li Zhe brought four items: the first was a cashmere sweater, which was very popular at the time and was considered a high-end item, just right for Director Han's age;
The second item was two packs of Marlboro cigarettes. Director Han herself doesn't smoke, but given her rank, she inevitably needs to socialize, and foreign cigarettes are a rare commodity, so giving them as a gift would be prestigious.

The third item was a box of chocolates and a box of butter cookies; the fourth item was a gift box of bird's nest.

"You've all had a long day, sit down and rest for a bit." Director Han brought over two cups of tea and casually asked, "How's business at '365 Vegetable Store' lately?"

Sun Tao and Li Zhe exchanged a glance and said, "Aunt Han, I came in a hurry last time and didn't have time to tell you that our vegetable shop's business has really been affected recently."

"What happened?" Director Han pressed.

Sun Tao explained, "The Chaonei Vegetable Market has also opened a vegetable shop in the Diplomatic Residence, called 'Chaonei Vegetable Market First Foreign-Related Vegetable Shop,' or 'Chaonei Vegetable Shop' for short. They sell whatever we sell, which is clearly an attempt to steal our business."

"A poor imitation," Director Han scoffed, then asked, "Will it have a significant impact on business?"

"It has had some impact, but we are actively adjusting our response," Sun Tao replied.

Li Zhe didn't speak, but he sensed something different in Director Han's words "imitating others poorly," so he pressed on, "Director Han, do you think the opening of the foreign-related vegetable store at the Chaonei Vegetable Market is for making money, or is there some other purpose?"

"Wanting to earn foreign exchange certificates is one thing, but on the other hand, I guess they saw that the Chongwenmen vegetable market received commendation from higher authorities and wanted to follow suit," Director Han said with a smile.

Li Zhe nodded, roughly understanding what she meant.

Director Han suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Qinghe hasn't been back for a while. What's she busy with? Is she still growing vegetables?"

Sun Tao immediately perked up his ears. He was also very concerned about Zhou Qinghe's movements, but he was too embarrassed to keep asking Li Zhe.

“Director Han, you need to change how you address her. Now you should call her ‘Teacher Zhou’,” Li Zhe said with a smile. “Teacher Zhou is now training the farmers in the village. Everyone likes her lectures. She is also very enthusiastic and busy.”

Director Han smiled and then turned to business: "Speaking of growers, how large is the scale of your Sijiqing Company's vegetable greenhouses this year?"

“About five hundred acres,” Li Zhe replied.

"Wow, that's quite a lot!" Director Han exclaimed, then suggested, "Could you supply some vegetables to our Chongwenmen vegetable market?"

"It depends on the situation," Li Zhe said truthfully. "Although the planting scale is large this year, most of the vegetables were purchased by the Beijing Municipal Vegetable Company and distributed by them. The Beijing market is so big that it's a bit tight after all that."

Director Han nodded and then asked, "So when do you think ordinary people will be able to eat winter vegetables?"

"Next winter," Li Zhe said confidently.

Director Han looked expectant and said with emotion, "If the people of Beijing can really eat affordable winter vegetables, you will have done a great job."

"Not really." Li Zhe waved his hand. "Even without me, Li Zhe, there would be Wang Zhe and Sun Zhe. With the development of science and technology and planting techniques, the promotion of overwintering vegetables will become a trend."

"Well done, you're quite humble despite your young age," Director Han said with a hint of appreciation.

In her opinion, if it were any other young person doing this kind of work, they would have gone completely astray long ago. Just from this point of view, Li Zhe is quite extraordinary.

After chatting for a while, Li Zhe changed the subject: "Director Han, our '365 Vegetable Store' has been in business for some time now. The channels are stable, the profits are good, and it has received a lot of positive feedback from customers. So I'm thinking of opening another branch. What do you think?"

Director Han frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Where do you want to open a branch?"

"I chose a location near Sanlitun." Li Zhe chose this location not because he valued the famous Sanlitun bar street, but because it was near the Second Embassy District.

This area is home to a large number of diplomats and their families, making it a concentrated area for expatriates. Opening a vegetable shop catering to foreigners here would offer a substantial potential customer base, and the business would likely be just as successful as the diplomatic apartments.

Director Han pondered for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "The State Council recently issued a document that clearly states that individual businesses and private enterprises cannot operate under the guise of state-owned or collective enterprises. Opening a branch now would be tantamount to going against the rules, which is not a good idea."

(End of this chapter)