Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 291 Outsider
Kuai Zui's house is in the middle of the village. It's a small mud-brick house, and the wall of the toilet was washed away by the heavy rain a few days ago.

After finishing dinner, the talkative wife chatted with some aunties at the convenience store for a while. She had just returned home and was about to sit down to rest when she heard a knocking sound at the door.

"Who is it? Knocking on the door so late at night, what's the matter? We can talk about it tomorrow!" the quick-talking wife shouted from the yard, her tone tinged with impatience.

"Wife, it's me! Your husband!" A familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice came from outside the door.

The quick-talking wife paused for a moment, then realized what was happening, and hurriedly ran to the door, frantically pulling open the latch.

Seeing the man standing outside the door, tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked out, "You heartless bastard! You've been gone for over a year without a single letter, and you still know to come back! Waaah..."

Her voice was already loud, and when she cried, the sound carried throughout half the alley.

The baby in Kuai Zui's arms was so frightened that it cried out "Wah!" The sound was crisp and loud.

The quick-talking wife froze, her gaze fixed on the floral cloth bag in his arms, her voice trembling slightly: "What...what is this? Why are you holding a child? Where did this child come from?"

"Stop howling, people will laugh if they hear!" Quick-tongued man quickly covered her mouth, looked around, and said in a low voice, "The child's parents couldn't afford to raise him, so I gave them some money for nutrition and brought him back."

"From now on, she'll be our daughter. We'll have each other's company. Alright, let me in quickly. Don't stand at the door; it's not good if someone sees us."

She spoke quickly, picked up her cloth bag, and carried the child into the house.

The quick-tongued wife stood there stunned for a while before she came to her senses. She followed him into the house, closed the door, and still asked in disbelief, "Mom, how could you be so bold? You just brought the child back like that? If people find out, I don't know what they'll say!"

“What else can we do? We’ve been married for so many years and still don’t have a child. Aren’t you worried? When I was in the South, I couldn’t sleep whenever I thought about it.” Kuai Zui sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), put the baby on the kang, and carefully untied the embroidered cloth bundle—inside was a thin, dark-skinned baby girl, about three or four months old, staring at them with her round eyes, neither crying nor making a fuss.

The quick-tongued wife looked at the child and felt a little guilty—not having a child had always been a worry for her, and the women in the village would occasionally tease her about it, which had been bothering her for a long time.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Then...then why don't you bring back a boy? Boys can carry on the family line, but daughters will have to get married when they grow up."

Kuai Zui gave a wry smile and touched the child's face: "Would anyone give a boy to us? Which family with a boy would be willing to give him away? I don't expect him to carry on the family line. I just hope that when we get old, we'll have someone to serve us tea and water."

Upon hearing this, the quick-tongued wife's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She carefully reached out and held the child in her arms. Looking at the baby's dark little face and feeling the warm little body in her arms, a complicated expression appeared on her face. She murmured softly, "A daughter... I'll have a daughter now..."

……

The next day.

The early morning air in Daying Village was a bit chilly. The quick-talking wife walked out of the house with dark circles under her eyes, and the fine lines around her eyes showed signs of fatigue.

Last night, a baby suddenly appeared in the house. The baby woke up twice in the middle of the night, and because of the hot and humid weather, she barely slept.

She walked to the hand pump in the yard, pumped some cold water and washed her face. The icy water made her a little more awake, but she still couldn't muster any energy, so she simply sat on the stone stool by the door and stared blankly.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Several loud rooster crows broke the morning's tranquility, and the sky gradually brightened.

Kuai Zui rubbed his eyes and yawned as he came out of the house. Seeing his wife sitting on the stone stool, he went over and patted her on the shoulder: "Wife, why are you up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

The quick-tongued wife didn't say anything, still gazing in the direction of the courtyard gate. She asked again, "What are you doing sitting here so early in the morning, lost in thought? Are you still angry with me?"

These words finally made the talkative wife move. She turned her head, her voice trembling with tears: "You've been gone for over a year without a single letter, and you didn't even come back for the New Year. Do you know how worried I was? I dreamt every night that something had happened to you!"

And what do you do? You come back with a child! If the villagers find out, who knows what they'll be gossiping about!"

"Honey, let's live our own lives, why care what others say?" Kuai Zui sighed and sat down next to her. "Just let those idle words go in one ear and out the other."

"Don't give me that nonsense!" The talkative wife suddenly raised her voice and questioned, "Tell me honestly, why didn't you come home for Chinese New Year last year? Did you have someone else in the south? Otherwise, why didn't you even want to come home?"

Kuai Zui frowned, didn't refute, and turned to go back into the house.

A moment later, he came out carrying a blue cloth bag. He opened the bag, took out a bankbook, and handed it to his wife: "Here, take a look at this."

The quick-tongued wife took the bankbook with suspicion, opened it, and her eyes widened instantly. Her voice trembled slightly as she exclaimed, "Good heavens! One zero, two zeros, three zeros... This, this is two thousand yuan?"

She counted the money over and over in disbelief, confirming it was two thousand yuan. Flustered and anxious, she asked, "Quick-Tongu, where did you get so much money? Don't do anything illegal or criminal! We may be poor, but we can't go astray!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Quick-tongued glared at her, his tone tinged with pride. "This is what I earned working in the south! I didn't come back for Chinese New Year last year because the construction site got an urgent job. They offered double pay for overtime during the holiday, and I wanted to earn more money, so I didn't come back."

The quick-talking wife was still worried, counting on her fingers: "You've only been gone for a year and three or four months, how could you earn so much?"

The quick-witted man said, "Hey, the South is just different from the North. The economy is vibrant, there's a demand for people everywhere, and the wages are high. As long as you can endure hardship and are willing to put in the effort, one year of work in the South can be equivalent to several years of work in the North."

His quick-tongued wife suddenly frowned, stared at him, and asked, "From what you're saying, you still want to go back to the south to work?"

"I'm thinking of staying home for a month and leaving again when it gets cooler next month." Kuai Zui's tone softened a bit as he comforted her, "Don't worry, I won't be gone for that long this time. I'll definitely come back for the New Year and bring you some floral fabric from the South."

"You're leaving so soon after you get back? Is the South really that appealing?" His quick-tongued wife immediately got anxious and grabbed his arm, saying, "If you ask me, you shouldn't go! Just stay in the village and work. It's so much better for our family to stay together."

Kuai Zui laughed and shook his head: "Wife, don't talk nonsense. I know you don't want me to leave, but I don't want to either! But if I don't make more money while I'm young, what will I do when I'm old?"

Besides, the kids will cost money when they grow up. What can they do staying in the village? Earning only three or twenty yuan a month isn't worth it."

"Hey, don't look down on our village!" The quick-tongued wife snorted defiantly, sat up straighter, and said earnestly, "Our village is different now. We have a capable person who's going to lead the whole village to prosperity!"

"Haha... What kind of capable person? I've never heard of him." The quick-tongued man laughed dismissively, thinking that his wife had been in the village for too long and was shallow-minded.

“That’s Li Zhe, the second son of the Li family in Team Four!” The quick-talking wife raised her voice. “You definitely recognize him.”

Kuai Zui thought for a moment and realized he did remember Li Zhe. The young man was quite handsome and didn't talk much. But in his eyes, he was just an ordinary farmer and didn't think there was anything special about him.

He scoffed, "Honey, don't be fooled. What can a country bumpkin like him do? Why don't you come with me to the South? I'll show you the world, let you see what skyscrapers are like, what bustling traffic is like, and what a truly capable person is."

"I'm not lying to you!" His quick-tongued wife felt a little uncomfortable when she saw that he didn't believe her. "Don't think you're so great just because you went to the South. Li Zhe has businesses in Beijing! Last year, he made hundreds of thousands just from vegetable greenhouses and restaurants! Your two thousand yuan isn't even as much as he makes in a day!"

The quick-witted man's smile froze, and he frowned as he asked, "Honey, you haven't been scammed, have you? How could a country bumpkin like him earn so much? Did someone steal the money we have left?"

"Hey, you think you're so smart! You think you're so capable! You went to the South and now you're all high and mighty!" The talkative wife stood up angrily. "I didn't lie to you! Didn't I tell you yesterday? Tiger Girl is working with Li Zhe now, and she earns over a hundred a month, more than you made in the South!"

"Impossible!" Quick-tongued said firmly, shaking his head. "What could a young woman like her do in the village? I don't believe it!"

“It’s not just her!” The quick-tongued wife counted on her fingers. “Didn’t you say you ran into Li Jiugang last night? He and his son Li Zhiqiang both work for Li Zhe. Together, they earn five or six hundred a month, and they get rice, oil, and meat every month, plus room and board. Now, in our village, their family is one of the best off!”

"How is this possible..." Kuai Zui was still somewhat incredulous. Suddenly, he remembered the impressive large house of several hundred square meters and the rows of "sheds" he had seen in the north of the village last night, and asked, "The large house and those big black pits in the north of the village, were they caused by the second son of the Li family?"

The quick-talking wife couldn't help but laugh, saying with a hint of smugness, "What big house and big pit? How tacky! That big house is the staff canteen, it's almost an acre in size, and the staff will eat and train there from now on."
"The 'big black pit' you're talking about is a semi-underground vegetable greenhouse, specifically for growing off-season vegetables. You country bumpkin, you don't know anything about it!"

Kuai Zui stood there, stunned, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Since going to the south, he had seen many new things and his standards had risen; he truly looked down on the poor life in the village. But hearing his wife's words, coupled with what he had seen last night, he suddenly felt that perhaps the village really had changed.

After breakfast, Kuai Zui strolled out the door.

He hadn't returned to the village for over a year, and many villagers knew he had gone to work in the south. When they saw him come back, they greeted him warmly: "Quick-talker, you're back? How was it in the south?"

"Great, great!" Quick-tongued replied with a laugh, chatting about his experiences in the South. "Those skyscrapers in the South are taller than the old locust tree in our village, dozens of stories high! The roads are full of cars, and bicycles are lined up in queues! And the factories, you can't see the end of them, they're full of machines, producing hundreds of pieces of clothing a day..."

The villagers' eyes widened in astonishment, and they all asked, "Is the South really that good? You must have made a lot of money, right?" The quick-tongued man smiled and gave a few perfunctory replies.

As they chatted, he unknowingly walked to the north of the village and saw a magnificent two-story building in the distance—red brick walls, glass windows, and a courtyard wall more than two meters high all around, which looked very impressive.

Quick-witted Kuai Zui remembered what his wife had said and realized that this was Li Zhe's newly built house. He couldn't help but be surprised: "My goodness, this yard is really big. It's one of the biggest in the village."

He continued walking, becoming increasingly shocked—the once empty land was now filled with greenhouse foundations, some with newly dug pits, some with thick earthen walls already built, and others with bamboo poles erected frames, with workers busily engaged in their tasks.

A rumbling sound came from afar. Looking up, Kuai Zui saw six yellow excavators working, their mechanical arms swinging, creating a spectacular scene.

"Good heavens..." Kuai Zui was so shocked he almost opened his mouth wide. He had only ever seen one or two excavators working together in the south, but he never expected there to be six in the village!

He walked along, chatting with many villagers who were working. Everyone was talking about Li Zhe and the vegetable greenhouses, saying that Li Zhe was capable, that working with him would make money, and that the village would build a planting park in the future so that everyone could live a good life.

The faster he listened, the more curious he became, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the entrance of the canteen of Sijiqing Company.

This canteen was even more impressive than the one he had seen last night. There was a sign at the entrance that read "Sijiqing Company Staff Canteen," and he could vaguely hear cooking sounds coming from inside. It was really on par with a small factory in the south.

Just as Kuai Zui was lost in thought, a white sedan drove up on the dirt road not far away.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the cafeteria. The door opened, and a young man dressed in a white shirt, trousers, and black leather shoes stepped out. He was tall and straight, with a black pager slung over his waist and a briefcase in his hand. He had a capable and composed demeanor.

Kuai Zui felt that this person looked familiar, but he dared not recognize him—his clothes and demeanor made him look like a factory owner in the south, not a farmer in the village.

……

The large canteen was filled with the aroma of food, and more than 20 newly recruited employees were eating around a long wooden table, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Today, the big pot of stew was glistening with oil. The chunks of pork, with their alternating layers of fat and lean meat, were stewed until tender. The glass noodles had soaked up all the meat juices, and the tofu and cabbage were also stewed to perfection. Next to it, there was a bamboo basket piled high with snow-white steamed buns, and a large bucket of clear soup with egg drop soup floating on top.

"This food is so delicious! It's even better than what we eat at home during Chinese New Year!" A dark-skinned man held four steamed buns in his hand, shoveling food into his mouth without caring that his lips were greasy.

He used to eat corn porridge with pickled vegetables every day at home, but since joining Sijiqing Company, he can eat white flour steamed buns every day and meat every few days. He gained several pounds in less than half a month.

The young man next to him ate even faster, finishing his bowl of food in no time. He carried the empty bowl to the window and called out to Li Jiugang inside with a smile, "Uncle Jiugang, give me another bowl of food, and more meat!"

"You little rascal, you sure have a big appetite!" Li Jiugang chuckled as he took the bowl, scooped up a full spoonful of vegetables, and even added two extra pieces of meat. "Eat slowly, don't choke. There's plenty more in the pot, enough for everyone!"

The young man carried his bowl back to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, he heard someone exclaim, "Working for Boss Li is great! Not only is the pay high, but even the food tastes so good. I used to work on a construction site in town, and every meal was just hard cornbread. This is much better!" Everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes full of satisfaction.

In the small canteen next door.

Li Zhe, Lao Li, Zhu Yimin, and Jin Baiwan sat around a square table, with a large pot of stew and steamed buns in front of them. They ate slowly, pausing from time to time to discuss things.

Li Zhe took a sip of soup and looked at the three of them: "Now is the critical time for greenhouse vegetable seedling cultivation. The company has been busy lately, so if you encounter any problems, don't keep them to yourself, just tell me in time."

Jin Baiwan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and spoke first: "Brother, there's something I really need to tell you. More and more people are joining us in growing crops in greenhouses these days, and the amount of fertilizer they use is much more than when growing crops."

I went to the town's supply and marketing cooperative and they said that their inventory is tight recently, and they're afraid they won't be able to meet our needs, especially for high-quality compound fertilizer, which is in particularly short supply.

Li Zhe put down his bowl, thought for a moment, and said, "That's easy. My second sister just got a batch of canned goods orders to be exported to the Soviet Union. When we settle accounts with the foreign trade company, we can exchange them for a batch of fertilizer. The quality is no worse than that of the supply and marketing cooperative."

"That's a great idea!" Jin Baiwan's eyes lit up. "This way, we can solve the fertilizer shortage problem and also get closer to the farmers."

Old Li, who was listening nearby, chimed in, "How about I go and talk to the farmers in advance? Ask them who wants to buy fertilizer from us, and get a count so we don't run out later."

“Sure, but don’t force it.” Li Zhe nodded. “If they want to buy it themselves from the supply and marketing cooperative, that’s fine with them. We won’t force them.”

As they were talking, Zhu Yimin, who had been eating with his head down, suddenly put down his chopsticks, sighed, and slowly said, "Brother, I also have something I want to say, but I don't know how to bring it up."

“Brother Zhu, we’re all on the same side, so let’s speak frankly and not hold back.” Li Zhe looked at him and said sincerely.

Zhu Yimin rubbed his hands together, his face showing some difficulty, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, then I'll be frank. I'm not afraid of offending anyone—I don't think our newly recruited group is up to par."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the small canteen immediately quieted down.

A while ago, due to the expansion of the greenhouse, the company recruited more than 20 new employees, most of whom were relatives or friends in the village. Some were relatives of the employees, and some were recommended by the village officials.

This wasn't something Li Zhe did intentionally; it's just that in rural agriculture, this kind of situation is hard to avoid.

Li Zhe's tone turned serious. "Brother Zhu, tell me what the specific problems are, and we'll work together to find a solution."

“What worries me most is fire prevention,” Zhu Yimin said with a frown and a heavy tone. “These past two days, when I went to inspect the seedling sheds, I always found cigarette butts in the corners. As you know, the sunshade on the top of the seedling sheds is made of synthetic fiber cloth, which is particularly flammable;

The seedling trays in the shed are also made of plastic. If a fire breaks out, the entire seedling shed will be burned down, and all our seedlings for this season will be ruined!

I've told them several times that smoking is not allowed in the shed, but some people just don't take it seriously.

Li Zhe nodded, his expression also becoming serious: "Fire prevention is indeed a major issue, and we cannot be careless in the slightest. Brother Zhu, please continue. Are there any other questions?"

"There are also issues with improper operation." Zhu Yimin sighed again. "Before transplanting the tomato seedlings last week, I gave special training to the new employees, repeatedly emphasizing that the seedbed should be fertilized and thoroughly watered before transplanting so that the seedlings can survive."

When I went to check yesterday, I found that three-tenths of the seedbed had not been fertilized at all, and the water had only been applied to the surface, while the soil underneath was still dry.

"The weather's so hot now, those seedlings are already starting to wilt. Even if we try to salvage them now, the chances of them surviving are slim, and even if they do, the future yield will be affected."

Li Zhe countered, "Do you know who's in charge of those three-tenths of an acre?"

Zhu Yimin thought for a moment and said, "I really can't remember that."

Li Zhe nodded. This wasn't just a matter of improper operation; there were also oversights in management. "Does anyone else have any other questions?"

"There's also the issue of employee leave," Old Li added. "I'm in charge of arranging the daily farm work, and I've noticed that the leave arrangements have been a bit chaotic lately."

Normally, no one asks for leave, but if one person does, everyone else follows suit, and they all only say so the night before. There's no time to find a replacement the next day, and the work in the fields is delayed.

As Li Zhe listened, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, gradually getting a sense of what was going on.

When the company was just starting out, there were few people, mostly relatives and friends. Everyone worked together as one, and things were well-organized without much management.

But now that the company is bigger and there are more people, their minds are more complicated, and it's clear that the old, extensive management methods are no longer feasible.

“This isn’t your fault, it was my oversight.” Li Zhe looked up at everyone. “Later, we’ll draft an employee management system that clearly stipulates fire prevention requirements, operating procedures, leave procedures, and reward and punishment measures—those who do well will be rewarded.”
Those who violate the regulations will be punished accordingly, regardless of who they are.

Also, let's find another time to hold a meeting with all employees, explain the rules clearly, and make everyone understand that we are now a formal company, not the small workshop we used to be.

Jin Baiwan nodded: "Brother, you've thought this through. With the system in place, we have more confidence in managing things and don't have to worry about offending people anymore."

“Yes, with a system in place, everyone follows the rules, and it’s fair.” Zhu Yimin’s worried expression eased somewhat.

Li Zhe picked up his bowl, took a sip of soup, and pondered in his mind—the system is only the first step; next, he needs to find someone who understands management, preferably an 'outsider' who dares to offend people.

The other party should be responsible for employee training and daily management, and the responsibilities of each position should be clearly defined. The capable should be promoted, the average should step aside, and the incompetent should be dismissed. Only in this way can the company truly get on the right track and support greater development in the future.

(End of this chapter)