Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 294 Always
At 2 p.m., the small canteen of Sijiqing Company was quiet.

Several wooden tables were polished to a shine, and an electric fan in the corner whirred slowly. Li Zhe sat by the window, a stack of documents in front of him, and was looking down at them.

A knock came at the door, followed by the slightly hesitant voices of the Guo brothers: "Mr. Li, we're here."

"Come in."

Li Zhe put down the documents in his hand, looked up, and greeted, "Yonghong, Yongfu, please sit down."

Guo Yonghong and Guo Yongfu pushed open the door and sat down in the chairs opposite Li Zhe, leaning slightly forward, looking somewhat nervous.

Li Zhe picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for each of them: "Have some tea."

"Thank you, Mr. Li." Guo Yonghong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the warm tea slid down his throat, but it didn't put him at ease—he was still wondering what Li Zhe wanted to say to them.

Li Zhe opened the briefcase on the corner of the table, took out two stacks of money tied with rubber bands, and gently placed them in front of the two men: "This is your salary for the past two months. Count it and see if the amount is correct."

The Guo brothers were stunned for a moment. Guo Yonghong subconsciously pulled his hand back and said in surprise, "Boss Li, didn't we agree before? As long as we can learn greenhouse technology from you, we are willing to work for free and don't want wages!"

“Yes, Mr. Li, we can’t accept this money!” Guo Yongfu quickly waved his hand and pushed the money toward Li Zhe. “We are already very satisfied with learning the skills. How could we possibly take your money?”

“Since you work for the company, you are employees of Sijiqing, and it is only right that you are paid.” Li Zhe pushed the money back, his tone sincere. “The reason we didn’t mention wages to you back then was because there were too many people who wanted to come to the company to learn the technology. If we had recruited you through normal channels, you two brothers might not have been selected.”

But I've seen how hard you've worked these past two months—you're always the first to arrive at the greenhouse and the last to leave, working harder than anyone else whether it's turning the soil, cultivating seedlings, or building the sheds. You deserve this salary.

He paused, then added, "The company has its rules. If you still consider yourselves employees of Sijiqing, then accept the money. If you encounter any difficulties after returning to Shouguang, you can call the company, and I will definitely help if I can."

The Guo brothers exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with emotion. After hesitating for a moment, they finally accepted the money.

Guo Yonghong clutched the money, his voice a little hoarse: "Thank you, Boss Li. You're such a good person. We brothers will remember your kindness for the rest of our lives."

"No need to thank me, it's nothing." Li Zhe smiled, then changed the subject, "After returning to Shouguang, do you plan to grow winter-warm vegetable greenhouses?"

“Yes!” Guo Yonghong nodded vigorously, his eyes shining. “My brother and I have already discussed it. We will build it according to the specifications of our company’s greenhouses. We will dig a one-meter-deep foundation, build rammed earth walls, and use transparent film as greenhouse film. We will try our best to grow off-season vegetables this winter.”

Li Zhe pondered for a moment and said, "I've never been to Shouguang, but I've heard from friends that Shouguang's climate is different from Langfang's, and it's warmer in winter."

If you build according to the company's specifications, you don't need to dig the foundation a meter deep; dig it a little shallower—this will save on material and labor costs, and you won't have to worry about the shed being flooded during the rainy season.

Guo Yonghong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "Does the rammed earth wall need to be built that thick?"

"We have to build it. The foundation of the greenhouse is too shallow, so we can't cut corners on the rammed earth walls. A higher temperature inside the greenhouse in winter is good for vegetable growth," Li Zhe said.

Guo Yongfu also came over and asked eagerly, "Besides these, is there anything else that needs to be changed? For example, the seedling or fertilization techniques?"

“I can’t say for sure, since I’ve never been to Shouguang.” Li Zhe took out a folded drawing from his briefcase and handed it over. “This is my greenhouse design drawing. It shows the dimensions, materials, and structure. You can make appropriate adjustments based on the local soil and climate when you get back.”

If you encounter any problems you can't solve, give me a call, and we'll work on it together.

Guo Yonghong took the blueprints with both hands, unfolded them and saw that the lines were drawn neatly, and the dimensions and materials of each part were clearly marked. There were even instructions on how to build rammed earth walls and how to erect scaffolding.

His eyes reddened slightly as he clutched the blueprints tightly. "Boss Li, you've been so good to us brothers, I don't know how to thank you enough..."

“We’re all colleagues, no need to be so polite.” Li Zhe patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve already asked the kitchen to buy a lamb, we’ll have roasted whole lamb tonight.”

Last time you came, it just so happened that we had a company dinner with roast whole lamb; now that you're leaving, let's have one last lively gathering, so it'll be a fitting end.

Upon hearing this, the Guo brothers almost burst into tears—they had been worried that Li Zhe would blame them for leaving halfway through, but unexpectedly, Li Zhe not only gave them wages and blueprints, but also specially prepared a farewell banquet for them.

Guo Yonghong held Li Zhe's hand tightly, choking back tears, and said, "Boss Li, we brothers will remember your kindness for the rest of our lives! If you ever come to Shouguang in the future, we will definitely treat you well!"

Li Zhe smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll definitely go if I have the chance!"

……

evening.

A military green truck pulled up in front of the canteen. The passenger door opened, and Bai Yunsheng jumped out, wearing a white shirt and white trousers, carrying a blue backpack.

Lin Xiaohu was already waiting at the door. As soon as he saw him, he ran over and said, "Director Bai, you're finally back!" "I'm back!" Bai Yunsheng said with a smile. "I heard from Boss Li that the greenhouse has started cultivating seedlings, so I quickly finished up my work at the TV station and came over. Xiaohu, there's some camera equipment in the trunk. Help me carry it out."

The two of them carried the heavy equipment case down to the cafeteria. Suddenly, Bai Yunsheng sniffed, "It smells so good! What's that smell?"

"Hey, Brother Li knew you were coming back today, so he specially had someone buy a sheep. We're having roast whole lamb for dinner tonight!" Lin Xiaohu said proudly.

"This aroma is so tempting! I ate it once last time, and I've been craving it for the past two months." Bai Yunsheng quickened his pace considerably. As soon as he reached the entrance of the canteen, he saw a large oven in the courtyard. Li Jiugang was brushing oil onto the golden-brown roasted mutton, and the aroma filled the entire courtyard.

"Brother Wine Jar, your skills are getting better and better!" Bai Yunsheng greeted him with a smile.

"Director Bai is back!" Li Jiugang looked up, wiping his hands. "Today we're not only having a whole roasted lamb, but also two roasted chickens. I guarantee you'll have your fill!"

Hearing the commotion, the employees all came over and greeted Bai Yunsheng warmly.

Before long, the roasted lamb was ready. Li Jiugang opened the oven, and the golden, glistening lamb emitted an enticing aroma. The oil dripped onto the charcoal fire and sizzled, instantly filling the air with fragrance.

"Let's eat roasted mutton!" Li Jiugang shouted, and everyone gathered around.

These days, roasted whole lamb is a rare treat, probably unique in the entire Langfang City. Many new employees are eating it for the first time and can't wait to try it.

Looking at the lively crowd, Bai Yunsheng had an idea and called out, "Xiaohu, come and help!" Bai Yunsheng opened his camera equipment case and quickly set up the camera. "Let's film everyone eating roasted whole lamb. It'll be perfect material for a documentary!"

Lin Xiaohu quickly ran over and helped adjust the camera angle.

The camera started up, recording the scene of everyone sitting together, tearing at the fragrant mutton, drinking ice-cold beer, and eating sweet watermelon. Even the Guo brothers had smiles on their faces, temporarily forgetting the sadness before parting.

……

In the open space not far away, Li Zhe held a juicy lamb chop in his hand, gnawing on it while watching the scene of everyone laughing and joking.

Old Li sat to the side, chatting with him from time to time about the progress of seedling cultivation in the greenhouse.

Just then, Ma Lai came over carrying a porcelain plate with sliced ​​watermelon on it. The watermelon had red flesh and black seeds, and it looked very refreshing. She handed a slice to Old Li first: "Dad, have a slice of watermelon to cleanse your palate. It was just fished out of the well, and it's so juicy and sweet."

Old Li took the watermelon, took a big bite, and said with a smile, "Mmm, sweet! It's still so cool in Jingshui Town."

The young man from Malaysia handed another piece to Li Zhe, his eyes filled with anticipation, and tentatively asked, "Second brother, do you still stand by what you said yesterday?"

Li Zhe finished a lamb chop and swallowed the meat in his mouth: "What are you talking about?"

"It's about making me the deputy head of the human resources department!" the Malaysian man quickly reminded him, his tone tinged with urgency.

Li Zhe then remembered this and couldn't help but laugh: "Does my brother agree? Wasn't he worried that you would offend someone?"

“Why wouldn’t I agree!” Ma Lai Xiao immediately straightened his back. “We talked until midnight last night. He said that as long as it’s for the good of the company, he supports my work! Besides, I also promised him that I would definitely follow the rules and not do anything reckless.”

Li Zhe wiped his hands with a tissue and looked at the Malaysian girl seriously: "Sister-in-law, let me confirm with you again, do you really want to be the deputy head of the personnel department?"

This job is nothing like growing crops in a greenhouse. You have to manage dozens of people, keep attendance records, set rules, and most importantly, you'll offend people. If relatives or friends say something to you, don't take it to heart.

"I'm not afraid!" The young man from Malaysia nodded emphatically, his eyes full of determination. "Second brother, don't worry, if I want to do it, I will definitely do it well."

Li Zhe then asked, "Then let me ask you, if you were really made the deputy head of the human resources department, what do you plan to do?"

After thinking for a moment, the young Malay said, "Second brother, can you give me a hint? Just tell me the general direction."

Li Zhe patiently explained, "Sister-in-law, you're new to the HR department, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. I don't expect you to immediately create a complete system. Just focus on a few practical rules that address the current problems in our company."

The young Malaysian was full of energy: "Okay, I understand. I'll give you the plan tomorrow."

……

Two chapters today, I'll post the first one.

There will be a chapter later.

(End of this chapter)