Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 300 Rejection
As evening falls, Yangma Village gradually quiets down, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys.

Ma Changhe returned home with a shovel on his back. He leaned the shovel against the courtyard wall and couldn't wait to walk towards the north room—his mind was preoccupied with his newborn son, and the day's fatigue was washed away by his longing for his child.

In the east room of the north house, a chubby-cheeked baby was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), his rosy cheeks and eyes closed as he slept soundly.

Wang Huilan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sewing little clothes with needle and thread in her hands. She gently patted the child and murmured, "Little rascal, when it gets cold, Mom will dress you in new clothes. They'll be warm and look good."

Ma Changhe tiptoed into the house. His face, which had been filled with worry, instantly lit up with a smile when he saw the child on the kang (a heated brick bed), and all the wrinkles on his face gathered together.

He carefully picked up the child, looking at him from left to right, unable to get enough of him, and even rubbed his stubble-covered face against the child's cheek. Perhaps pricked by the stubble, the little one burst into tears.

Ma Changhe panicked immediately, frantically trying to comfort him: "Oh dear, don't cry, don't cry, Dad didn't mean it. Wife, come and see, why is our son crying?"

"What could it be? He must have been hurt by your prick." Wang Huilan took the child and gave him a helpless glare. "He's probably hungry too. I'll feed him." As she spoke, she unbuttoned her clothes, and the little guy immediately started eating heartily, and his crying stopped instantly.

Ma Changhe grinned as he watched his son eat with gusto, saying, "Hehe, our son can really eat! He'll definitely grow up to be a strong young man!"

At this moment, the eldest daughter, Ma Zhaodi, finished her work in the kitchen, came out of the kitchen and entered the north room. She wiped the water from her hands and said, "Mother, dinner is ready. If there's nothing else, I'll go home first. Qingshan is waiting for me to cook."

“It’s alright, your dad’s back. If there’s anything, ask him to help you clean up,” Wang Huilan said, then pointed outside, “There are some freshly picked green beans and tomatoes on the table. Take some home and eat them.”

Ma Zhaodi replied, "Mom, we still have too many green beans to finish, I'll just take a few tomatoes."

Ma Changhe walked from the east room to the living room and said to Ma Zhaodi, "Zhaodi, don't leave tonight, eat at home!"

"No, Father, Qingshan will be back soon, and I have to go back to cook for him," Ma Zhaodi declined.

"Why don't you invite him over to eat with us? Tonight we'll slice some luncheon meat, fry some eggs, and have a couple of drinks together," Ma Changhe insisted.

"Dad, don't bother. You must be tired after a long day. Eat your meal and get some rest." Ma Zhaodi wanted to persuade him further.

"What's the trouble? We're all family! It's settled then." Ma Changhe waved his hand and called out to the west room, "Pan Di, Pan Di!"

Ma Pandi came out of the west room, her hair in two small braids, and asked with a puzzled look, "Dad, why did you call me?"

“Go wait at the village entrance. When you see your brother-in-law come back, invite him to our house for dinner,” Ma Changhe said, then added enticingly, “I’ll have your sister fry some eggs for you tonight.”

Ma Pandi's eyes lit up: "I can really eat scrambled eggs?"

"Don't worry, you'll get your share!" Ma Changhe waved his hand.

"Alright!" Ma Pandi cheered and ran towards the village entrance.

Ma Changhe watched his youngest daughter's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly: "That girl, all she knows is how to eat."

After saying that, he lowered his head and touched his son's little face, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face again. "Our little rascal is the best."

7 p.m.

The sound of a bicycle bell came from the courtyard gate. Ge Qingshan rode his bicycle to the Ma family's house, with Ma Pandi on the back seat and a smoked chicken hanging from the handlebars.

Ma Pandi jumped out of the car and skipped into the house, shouting, "Big sister, big sister, my brother-in-law is back!"

Ge Qingshan parked his bicycle and carried the smoked chicken into the yard.

Hearing the sound, Ma Zhaodi came out of the kitchen and asked with a smile, "You're back. Are you tired today?"

"I'm not tired." Ge Qingshan smiled and handed over the smoked chicken. "I bought a chicken, honey, can you open it?"

"Okay, come inside and eat. We've been waiting for you." Ma Zhaodi took the smoked chicken and went into the kitchen.

Ge Qingshan walked into the north room and saw a square table in the living room with four dishes already laid out on it: scrambled eggs, luncheon meat, tomatoes with brown sugar, and stir-fried green beans.

Father-in-law Ma Changhe came out of the east room, carrying a bucket of loose liquor, and said with a smile, "Qingshan is back? Come on, sit down, let's have a drink today!"

Seeing his father-in-law's beaming face, Ge Qingshan quickly smiled and asked, "Dad, what's the good news today that makes you so happy?"

"Haha, this afternoon I led some people to put up the frame of the greenhouse, and the whole greenhouse is basically completed! Isn't this a great thing?" Ma Changhe sat down at the table, unscrewed the lid of the bulk wine barrel, and poured two glasses of wine.

"That's good news!" Ge Qingshan raised his wine glass and clinked it with Ma Changhe's.

The two took a sip of wine, and Ma Zhaodi brought in a cleaned smoked chicken and placed it on the table: "Dad, drink slowly. Qingshan can't hold his liquor, don't let him drink too much."

"Don't worry, I won't drink much." Ma Changhe said, picking up a chicken leg and handing it to Ma Zhaodi, "Take this to your mother, it'll help her produce milk."

This statement is correct; breastfeeding mothers do need to supplement their nutrition. However, Ma Pandi, who was standing nearby, felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing this. She herself had reached the age where she should be having children, and her mother still had to breastfeed her newborn siblings. She felt a bit strange about it.

Ma Changhe didn't notice his daughter's thoughts and picked up another chicken leg, putting it in Ge Qingshan's bowl: "Qingshan, you work in the greenhouse every day and put in a lot of effort, so eat more meat to nourish yourself."

In the past, Ge Qingshan might not have refused—his family was poor, and nutritious food should indeed be reserved for the able-bodied men.

But things are different now. Since he started growing vegetables in greenhouses with Li Zhe, he has meat on his dinner table every day.

Ge Qingshan looked at Ma Pandi, who was staring longingly at the chicken leg, and handed it to her with a smile: "I've already eaten meat for lunch, so give this chicken leg to Pandi."

"Thank you, brother-in-law!" Ma Pandi took the chicken leg, swallowed hard, but didn't eat it immediately. Instead, she looked at Ma Changhe.

"Eat up, eat up, then hurry up and do your homework." Ma Changhe waved his hand.

Ma Pandi then happily took the chicken leg and ran back to the west room.

Ge Qingshan raised his wine glass and said to Ma Changhe, "Father, let me toast you again!"

"Okay!" The two drank another cup.

After putting down his wine glass, Ge Qingshan picked up the wine barrel and refilled his father-in-law's glass.

Ma Changhe picked up a piece of food, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Qingshan, how's your company doing lately?"

Ge Qingshan put down his chopsticks and answered seriously: "The company has recently expanded the scale of the greenhouses. In the process, we did find a lot of problems, but overall the progress is quite good - the first batch of vegetable seedlings has passed the seedling establishment period and is now growing very well."

Ma Changhe then asked, "So how many acres of greenhouses does your company currently cultivate?"

“It’s already over sixty mu,” Ge Qingshan replied.

"Wow, that's quite a lot!" Ma Changhe couldn't help but exclaim, then asked, "How many farmers are cooperating with you now? And how many greenhouses have been built?"

"We have more than 300 cooperative growers, and more than 200 greenhouses have been built. The excavators have been working non-stop, and many growers are queuing up to have their greenhouses built," Ge Qingshan said, while putting a piece of vegetable into his mouth.

Ma Changhe nodded, picked up his glass again, and toasted his son-in-law. After putting down his glass, he asked, "Is Li Zhe still the sole manager of your company?"

"No, there are five more supervisors now: my uncle, Brother Zhu, Teacher Chen, Brother Jin, and Miss Lai," Ge Qingshan explained.

"Lai Xiao can be a supervisor?" Ma Changhe was even more surprised to hear that his niece, Ma Lai Xiao, had also become a supervisor. "She's a woman, how can she manage people? Can others respect her?"

“Don’t underestimate my cousin!” Ge Qingshan laughed. “She’s the deputy head of the human resources department, in charge of employee training, management and attendance. Don’t let her young age fool you, she’s very influential in the company. Apart from my second cousin, everyone is most afraid of her, and no one dares to break the rules.”

Ma Changhe nodded, raised his wine glass and clinked it against Ge Qingshan's again. After putting down the glass, he said hesitantly, "Qingshan, I want to ask you for a favor."

"Father, why are you being so polite with me? Just tell me what you need to say, and I'll definitely do what I can," Ge Qingshan said.

Ma Changhe rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I've set up the greenhouse, but I haven't bought the greenhouse film yet. I went to the Langfang City Plastics Factory to ask..."
People say your company has pre-ordered all the transparent plastic film, and I can't buy any even if I wanted to. September is almost here, and it'll be time to cover the greenhouse soon… I'd like you to help me buy some transparent film. Don't worry, I'll pay you in full.”

Ge Qingshan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Dad, this is easy! Brother Jin is in charge of the agricultural supplies. I'll talk to him and have him arrange them for you first."

"Hey, as the old saying goes, 'A son-in-law is half a son.' When things really get tough, it's always family who's reliable!" Ma Changhe immediately perked up, raised his glass, and said, "Let's have another one, you and me!"

The two drank another glass of wine. After putting down his glass, Ge Qingshan said seriously, "Father, there's something I need to make clear to you first."

"What's up?" Ma Changhe asked. "You want me to help you buy greenhouse film? It's no problem to talk to Brother Jin, but there's a prerequisite—you have to sign a cooperation agreement with the company first and become a cooperative grower. Only then can I speak up for you legitimately and get Brother Jin to give you priority in arranging greenhouse film."

In Ge Qingshan's view, there was not much conflict between his father-in-law Ma Changhe and his maternal uncle and aunt, and there was no grudge between them and the Li family. This incident was a good opportunity to ease the tension between them.

Upon hearing this, Ma Changhe involuntarily frowned: "No, I will not cooperate with Sijiqing Company!"

"Dad, why don't you agree?" Ge Qingshan asked, puzzled. "What's wrong with cooperating with the company?"

“I built this greenhouse with a loan myself, why should I cooperate with them?” Ma Changhe said, his tone somewhat agitated. “I know that the so-called cooperation is just waiting for the vegetables to ripen so they can buy them at a low price. I’m not going to do that kind of unprofitable business!”

"Dad, you're mistaken!" Ge Qingshan quickly explained, "Without the company's connections, you simply can't buy greenhouse film right now. Besides, if technical problems arise in greenhouse cultivation, can you solve them yourself?"
The later stages of agricultural input procurement and vegetable sales are all troublesome matters. By cooperating with the company, they can provide technical guidance, help with the procurement of agricultural inputs, and guarantee the sales channels for your vegetables, so you don't need to worry about these things at all.

"I don't need them to help me!" Ma Changhe waved his hand firmly. "I know the technology myself, and I can buy the agricultural supplies myself. No one helped me when I was farming before, but I still managed. As for sales, I don't have to worry about selling winter vegetables. I'll just take them to the city myself and sell them. I'm sure I'll get a higher price than what they offer!"

Ge Qingshan gave a wry smile and patiently advised, "Dad, let me be frank with you. There's a severe shortage of greenhouse film right now. Plastic factories are working overtime to produce it, and the company's partner growers all have to wait in line."

If you're going to work with the company, I can help you cut in line because of our family relationship.

"But if you don't cooperate, not even my second cousin can help you get the greenhouse film, let alone me. That's company policy, and no one can be an exception."

Wang Huilan came out of the east room and also tried to persuade him: "Dad, Qingshan is right. Just cooperate with the company. They're all family. Would they cheat you?"

Ma Zhaodi chimed in, "Dad, the company is very strict now. It's already quite an achievement that Qingshan is speaking up for you. Please don't be stubborn."

Ma Changhe lost his temper and slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! Stop talking! Just pretend I never mentioned this! I refuse to believe that I can't buy greenhouse film without Sijiqing Company!"

The living room fell silent instantly. Ge Qingshan looked at his father-in-law's stubbornness and sighed helplessly, knowing that further persuasion would be useless...

……

nine in the morning.

Ground floor shops at No. 20 Beichen Road, Asian Games Village.

Sun Tao had just finished dealing with the 365 Vegetable Store matter when he rushed over. Recently, he had been running between the two places, managing the vegetable store's business and helping Li Zhe oversee the preparations for the new store.

He took out his keys and opened the door of the ground floor shop, and a damp smell mixed with dust rushed out.

Sun Tao quickly opened the window to ventilate the room, then found a basin in the corner, filled it with water, and poured it on the cement floor at the doorway in an attempt to suppress the dust left over from the construction.

Just as I finished my work, I saw a man in his thirties standing at the door, with a black leather bag tucked under his right arm and a briefcase in his left hand. He had slicked-back hair and a beard.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Sun Tao stopped what he was doing, looked up and asked.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Li Zhe here?" The man walked in, smiling as he handed over a business card. "I'm Chen Yongfa from Yongfa Decoration Company. I have an appointment with Mr. Li today to discuss the renovation of the ground floor shops."

Sun Tao took the business card and glanced at it: "Hello Manager Chen, my name is Sun Tao, and I am Mr. Li's assistant. Mr. Li hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon. Please come in and have a seat."

"Assistant Sun, would you like a cigarette?" Chen Yongfa took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag, took one out and handed it to Sun Tao, then lit one for himself, the smoke slowly dissipating.

Sun Tao took the cigarette, took a puff, and, noticing Chen Yongfa's accent, asked curiously, "Manager Chen, are you a local?"

“Yes, my home is on Gulou East Street, in the old Beijing area,” Chen Yongfa replied with a smile.

“We’re not far apart. My home is near the Chongwenmen vegetable market.” Sun Tao’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “How many years have you been in the construction industry?”

“It’s been nine years,” Chen Yongfa recalled. “I joined the Second Construction Company of Beijing when I was seventeen and learned the craft from my master. Last year, I took a leave of absence without pay and started my own business, opening this decoration company.”

"So you're only twenty-six years old this year?" Sun Tao's eyes widened in surprise. "You look much older than your actual age."

Chen Yongfa stroked his beard and smiled helplessly: "In our line of work, clients all respect 'veterans,' always thinking that 'a young man with no experience is unreliable.'"

I grew this beard intentionally, and I dressed more maturely, all to put my clients at ease.

Sun Tao nodded in agreement: "That's really the case! When I was selling vegetables at the market, some older customers would ask about the prices several times before they felt comfortable with me because I looked young. They were a little uneasy about me."

As the two were chatting, a white Volga sedan pulled up outside the shop. Li Zhe got out of the car carrying a briefcase, and Sun Tao and Chen Yongfa quickly went to greet him.

"Boss Li!"

"Brother Li!"

"Sorry, Manager Chen, something came up and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Li Zhe apologized with a smile—he had just finalized the purchase of the Xidan commercial property yesterday, and this morning he went to the housing administration bureau to handle the transfer procedures, which caused the delay.

"Mr. Li, you're too kind. I just arrived too." Chen Yongfa quickly smiled and offered Li a cigarette, even taking out a lighter to light it for him.

Li Zhe took a drag of his cigarette and gestured for him to sit down: "Let's sit down and talk. Sun Tao, pour Manager Chen a glass of water."

"Okay." Sun Tao quickly went to boil water.

Chen Yongfa opened his briefcase, took out two documents, and gently placed them on the table: "Mr. Li, this is the design drawing based on your last request, and this is a detailed quotation. Please take a look."

Li Zhe first picked up the design drawings and looked at them carefully. The drawings were clearly marked: the entrance was the cashier area, which occupied about five square meters, and inside were the merchandise area, the storage area, and the office area. The layout of water and electricity lines, sockets, and lighting fixtures was also clearly drawn.

He frowned slightly as he looked at the labels in the cashier area.

"Mr. Li, is something wrong?" Chen Yongfa noticed the change in his expression and quickly asked.

“There’s only one checkout counter in the cashier area, which is a bit insufficient,” Li Zhe explained, pointing to the blueprints. “After the supermarket opens, if there’s a peak in customer traffic, one checkout counter definitely won’t be enough, and customers will easily have to wait in line for too long.”

"Do you think we could add two more checkout counters to expand the checkout area a bit?"

“You’re right! I didn’t think it through; I didn’t consider the peak passenger flow.” Chen Yongfa immediately took out a notebook and pen from his briefcase and quickly wrote “add two cash registers” in the notebook. His handwriting was neat, and he even drew a circle to mark it.

Li Zhe continued looking at the blueprints. The division of the goods area, cashier area, storage area and office area was very clear, and the area and placement of each area were marked in detail.

The layout of the water and electricity system, the specific locations of the sockets, the installation points of the lighting fixtures, and even the connection methods of the water pipes are all clearly drawn, with great attention to detail.

He looked around and then pointed to the aisles between the shelves on the drawing, saying, "Overall, this design is not bad, but the one-meter-wide aisles between the shelves are a bit narrow."

I plan to put some shopping carts in the supermarket. Customers will be pushing them around, and a one-meter width definitely won't be enough; it'll easily cause a traffic jam. We'll need to widen them, at least to 1.2 meters.

“No problem!” Chen Yongfa immediately added notes in his notebook, the pen scratching on the paper. “I’ll revise the drawings when I get back and bring them to you first thing tomorrow morning.”

By the way, I'm also preparing the draft for the fire safety approval. I'll revise the design drawings tomorrow and send them to you together to ensure they comply with fire safety regulations.

Next, Li Zhe made several suggestions for modification regarding the ventilation design of the storage area and the location of the partitions in the office area. Chen Yongfa recorded them all in detail without showing any impatience and occasionally offered his own suggestions.

After reviewing the design drawings, Li Zhe picked up the quotation and examined it carefully.

The quotation was very detailed: the basic works included wall demolition and alteration, water and electricity renovation, floor paving, etc., totaling 0.7 yuan, and each item indicated the brand and unit price of the materials used.

Functional areas such as customized shelves and cash registers total 0.4 million yuan; supporting facilities such as lighting equipment and fire-fighting equipment total 0.2 million yuan; labor and other expenses, including construction team labor costs and material transportation costs, total 0.5 million yuan.

The total price is 1.8 yuan, the construction period is 50 days, and the payment method is 30% prepayment, 30% mid-term payment, and the final payment of 40% upon completion and acceptance.

After reviewing the documents, Li Zhe had a general idea of ​​the price – it was reasonable. However, he wasn't familiar with the costs in the renovation industry and wanted to consult someone knowledgeable about it.

He placed the quotation on the table and said, "Manager Chen, I'll keep the quotation for now. We can discuss the details of the cooperation after you've revised the design."

"Okay, okay!" Chen Yongfa's face lit up with joy, and he nodded quickly. "I'll work overtime today to revise the drawings and make sure they're delivered to you first thing tomorrow morning."

After seeing Chen Yongfa off, Li Zhe turned to Sun Tao, his expression becoming serious: "Taozi, there's something I need to talk to you about."

(End of this chapter)