Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 311 Section Chief Yao

As dusk settled, a thin veil gently enveloped Daying Village in Wan'an Town. A white Volga drove along a country road, the sound of its wheels rolling over the soil particularly clear in the quiet countryside.

Li Zhe drove the car, Li Zhenguo sat in the passenger seat, and Wang Xiuying sat in the back.

Li Zhe glanced at the road ahead from time to time and said with a smile, "Mom, you can rest assured now, right? Everyone says your eight-treasure porridge is delicious."

Hearing this, Wang Xiuying's brows relaxed slightly, but she still asked with some unease, "When the employees say it's delicious, do they really think it's delicious, or are they just being polite?" She had put a lot of effort into researching the recipe for eight-treasure porridge over the past two months, and she was afraid that her hard work would not be recognized.

Li Zhenguo turned his head, looked at Wang Xiuying in the back row, and said seriously, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. These people don't know your identity, and I told them to give honest feedback after tasting the eight-treasure porridge."

We will adjust the recipe according to their tastes before producing and packaging the eight-treasure porridge. The workers all understand the importance of this and won't make empty promises.

Wang Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on her face. Then she looked at Li Zhe curiously and asked, "Second brother, how much money will Good Taste Company give me if I use my Eight Treasure Porridge recipe?"

She felt both excited and a little apprehensive, wondering how much her secret recipe was worth.

Li Zhe said, “The kickback is divided into three parts. First, there is a one-time transfer fee of 1,000 yuan; then there is a technical service fee. In the early stages of the development of the Eight Treasure Porridge, we will invite you to the factory as a technical consultant to help adjust the taste of the canned Eight Treasure Porridge. The fee is 20 yuan each time; the last one is the patent fee. You can get one percent of the sales of the Eight Treasure Porridge canned products in the first three years.”

Wang Xiuying listened carefully and couldn't help but ask, "So, if your eight-treasure porridge can sell 100,000 yuan a year, you can still give me 1,000 yuan?" 1,000 yuan was not a small amount at the time, and she had already started to calculate it in her mind.

“That’s right, but this only applies to the first three years; it won’t be available in the fourth year,” Li Zhe added.

Wang Xiuying was secretly delighted after hearing this. She calculated that once she received the 1,000 yuan transfer fee, not only would she have recouped her R&D costs, but her hard work over the past two months would also have paid off. Adding the three years' worth of patent fees, she could easily earn at least three or four thousand yuan.

The more she thought about it, the happier she became, thinking to herself, "My son is the best; otherwise, how could such a good job have fallen into my lap?"

At this moment, Li Zhe changed the subject and looked at Li Zhenguo in the passenger seat: "Second Uncle, even if the ingredients and seasonings are the same, the taste of homemade eight-treasure porridge and canned eight-treasure porridge may be slightly different. Therefore, the initial adjustments are very important, and the taste must be strictly controlled and cannot be compromised."

Li Zhenguo nodded solemnly: "I know. I'll invite my sister-in-law to the factory later, and we'll cook the eight-treasure porridge in two different ways, then we'll all taste and compare them together."

Once the taste meets our standards, we'll proceed. I'll let you know then so you can taste it too, to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Li Zhe nodded in satisfaction, and was about to say something more when the pager on his waist suddenly beeped.

He freed one hand to take the pager from his waist, pressed the view button, and the screen displayed the phone number of Qian Duoduo, the general manager of Luyuan Company.

Li Zhe first took his uncle and mother to their new house in the north of the village, and then drove alone to the village committee.

The village committee courtyard was quiet; village secretary Wang Tietou was not there. Li Zhe found the village accountant and explained his purpose. The accountant readily lent him the office phone.

Li Zhe picked up the phone and dialed Qian Duoduo's number. "Hello, Mr. Qian, this is Li Zhe."

A hearty laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Li, how's the expansion of the vegetable greenhouse going lately?"

Li Zhe also responded with a smile: "It went very smoothly. Mr. Qian is welcome to come and inspect and provide guidance at any time."

Qian Duoduo quickly replied, "No, no, I should be the one reporting to you."

He paused, then changed the subject, "Mr. Li, I have something important to tell you. Our company's loan is basically settled. Tomorrow I'll bring the leaders from the Agricultural Bank to our company to inspect the progress of the vegetable greenhouse expansion."

Li Zhe was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Mr. Qian, do you need me to make some preparations in advance?"

At that time, rural credit cooperatives were still under the management of the Agricultural Bank of China. Although the credit cooperatives were developing towards independent operation to a certain extent, they still needed to apply for larger loans in accordance with the relevant management regulations of the Agricultural Bank of China. Therefore, this inspection was of great importance.

Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "This leader is a good friend of mine, and his sister-in-law is also a shareholder of Luyuan Company. We're all family, so there's no need to prepare anything special. Just prepare a couple more bottles of good wine; my friend doesn't have any other hobbies, he just likes to have a drink or two."

“Okay, then I’ll host a banquet in the company cafeteria to properly entertain you two,” Li Zhe readily agreed.

Sijiqing Company's funds have been used to stockpile agricultural supplies and expand greenhouses. Now, it urgently needs a loan to continue the expansion work. Qian Duoduo has connections at the bank and is familiar with the process. As a shareholder of Sijiqing Company, Li Zhe entrusted him to handle the matter.

……

The following morning, as the sun rose higher, it dispelled the chill of the early morning.

A blue Brada sedan drove on a dirt road in Wan'an Town, kicking up clouds of dust.

The driver was a man in his mid-twenties, not very tall, wearing a fashionable jacket, with his hair neatly combed, exuding a clever air. He was none other than Qian Duoduo, the general manager of Luyuan Company.

Sitting in the passenger seat was a man in his early thirties, somewhat overweight. His white shirt was stretched taut by his protruding belly, and the seatbelt looked rather tight on him. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a somewhat languid expression on his face.

"Mr. Qian, this road is really difficult to travel. Luckily, you're driving today, otherwise I would have suffered a lot." The bespectacled man leaned back in his seat, rubbing his slightly numb legs, his tone full of emotion.

Qian Duoduo smiled and glanced at the man: "Director Yao, if I didn't have a car, I wouldn't dare to invite you to the countryside for inspection so easily." He paused and then said, "Director Yao, don't you plan to buy a car? It would be more convenient to go wherever you want in the future."

Section Chief Yao chuckled and said somewhat helplessly, "Who doesn't like cars? The problem is, I don't have your capabilities."

"You're being too modest. If you ask me, you just have high standards and want to buy a good car, like a European or American car or a Japanese car," Qian Duoduo joked.

"Hey, I don't know much about brands, but I'm a bit overweight, so I'd like to buy one with a lot of space so it'll be more comfortable to sit in," Section Chief Yao said with a smile, rubbing his belly.

Qian Duoduo quickly replied, "That's easy. I'll help you think about it and I'm sure I can find a car that's more spacious and impressive than mine."

"Never mind, even if you find a way to buy a car, I don't have the money right now. Let's talk about it in a couple of years." Section Chief Yao waved his hand, then changed the subject, "By the way, Mr. Qian, is the headquarters of Sijiqing Company located in Daying Village? How did such a remote place catch your eye?"

Qian Duoduo smiled and said mysteriously, "Yao Ke, don't underestimate this Sijiqing Company. Although they grow vegetables in the countryside, they deal with the Beijing market. To put it bluntly, they might not even care about our small plot of land in Langfang City."

"That's impressive?" Section Chief Yao raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face, and a newfound curiosity about Sijiqing Company.

Qian Duoduo said smugly, "What do you think? Last winter and this spring, their vegetables were all delivered to hotels catering to foreign guests. Ordinary state-run restaurants couldn't even buy them. The trucks used to transport the vegetables were all provided by Quanjude."

You know the Beijing City Vegetable Company, right? That company is powerful enough that people have to come knocking on their door begging to cooperate with them.

"Hey, this is actually quite interesting." Section Chief Yao rubbed his hands together, a hint of anticipation appearing on his chubby face.

As they were talking, the car drove into Daying Village.

The village roads have become much smoother, and rows of vegetable greenhouses have been neatly built on both sides of the roads, with the bamboo frames of the greenhouses standing tall.

Section Chief Yao couldn't help but peek outside, his eyes wide with amazement, and he kept exclaiming in surprise.

"Wow, are these all from Sijiqing Company?" Section Chief Yao asked in surprise, pointing to the greenhouses outside the window.

"Some of it is grown by the company itself, and some is grown in cooperation with farmers." Qian Duoduo said, pointing to a conspicuous building not far away. "Look, that's the company canteen up ahead. We've arrived."

The car slowly came to a stop in the courtyard outside the cafeteria. Qian Duoduo got out of the car first, and as soon as she stood up, she saw Li Zhe leading a few people to greet her.

"Mr. Qian, welcome, welcome." Li Zhe quickly stepped forward and extended his hand warmly.

Qian Duoduo quickly grasped Li Zhe's hand, exchanged a few polite words, and then turned to point to Section Chief Yao beside him, introducing him: "President Li, this is Section Chief Yao Xinong of the Agricultural Bank's Credit Department, who is in charge of large-scale loan business. He has come here specifically to inspect our company."

Li Zhe immediately extended his hand and said with a smile, "Hello, Section Chief Yao."

Section Chief Yao shook Li Zhe's hand, looked him up and down, and said in surprise, "President Li, I didn't expect you to be so young. You are truly young and promising."

"Section Chief Yao, you flatter me." Li Zhe smiled modestly and gestured for them to proceed. "You two must be tired from your journey. Let's go to the canteen to rest and have some water."

Having grown accustomed to the mud houses of the countryside along the way, Section Chief Yao was somewhat taken aback when he suddenly saw a 500-square-meter, grandly decorated canteen. He couldn't help but exclaim, "General Manager Li, your company's canteen is truly impressive!"

Li Zhe explained, "The company is constantly growing, and we will be hiring more and more employees in the future, so we built a large canteen. In addition to providing meals for employees, we also use it for training and meetings for employees and cooperative farmers."

There's also a small canteen next door, which is specifically for receiving distinguished guests. As he spoke, Li Zhe had already invited the two of them into the small canteen.

The small canteen was simply decorated, but it was clean and tidy. A round table was placed in the middle, with several chairs around it.

After the two sat down, Jin Baiwan, who had been standing next to Li Zhe, picked up a thermos, brewed a pot of tea, and poured it for them.

Li Zhe pointed to Jin Baiwan and introduced, "Section Chief Yao, this is our company's Vice President Jin, who is mainly responsible for the company's procurement work."

Actually, this identity was assigned by Li Zhe on the spot, just so that he could appear more formal when receiving guests and make them feel respected enough.

When Section Chief Yao saw the company's vice president personally pouring tea, he quickly straightened the teacup on the table and said politely, "Thank you, Vice President Jin."

After exchanging pleasantries, Section Chief Yao got down to business, asking, "General Manager Li, how many acres of vegetable greenhouses does our company currently have?"

Li Zhe put down his teacup and answered seriously: "There are currently 70 mu of completed vegetable greenhouses, another 200 mu of vegetable greenhouses in cooperation with growers, and more than 100 mu under construction."

We will provide technical support to our partner growers and be responsible for purchasing their vegetables, which will then be sold to Beijing City Vegetable Company.

Section Chief Yao nodded and continued, "How many employees does your company have now?"

"The company currently has fifty-six employees, and the number will continue to increase as the greenhouse expansion project progresses," Li Zhe answered truthfully. Section Chief Yao took a sip of tea and asked, "Mr. Li, how much sales do you expect from these seventy acres of completed vegetable greenhouses in a year?" This was one of his most pressing concerns, as it directly related to the company's repayment ability.

Li Zhe lowered his head and thought for a moment. After carefully calculating, he replied, "Vegetable greenhouse cultivation is cyclical. We grow off-season vegetables, starting in August and continuing until June of next year. We can probably grow two crops."

The first harvest will fetch a higher price, with sales reaching approximately 20,000 yuan per mu; the second harvest will be cheaper, with sales around 15,000 yuan per mu. Therefore, the annual sales from the 70-mu greenhouse are projected to be around 2.4 million yuan.

After hearing this, Section Chief Yao's eyes widened in surprise: "According to you, not only can we recover our costs in the first year, but we can also make a profit?"

In his view, agricultural projects usually involve large investments, long cycles, and slow returns, so he never expected that Sijiqing Company could have such high expected sales.

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Profitability is certain, but planting and labor costs are not low, and agricultural input prices are constantly fluctuating, so it's hard to say exactly how much profit we'll make right now. However, we are confident that with proper management, the profit margin is still quite large."

Section Chief Yao nodded and then asked, "So, what are the main purposes of our company's loan application this time? Approximately how much funding is needed?"

Li Zhe answered frankly: "It's mainly used for the expansion of vegetable greenhouses, including building new greenhouses, purchasing agricultural supplies, and some working capital needs."

The company's reserve funds have already been invested in initial expansion and agricultural input reserves, so this loan is urgently needed to advance subsequent work.

Section Chief Yao then asked, "If the loan is approved, what is the repayment plan?"

Li Zhe said, "We plan to repay the loan in three years. The first two years will mainly be for interest, and the third year will be for both principal and interest."

After Section Chief Yao had finished asking his questions, Li Zhe suggested, "Section Chief Yao, General Manager Qian, it's still early. Let me take you to visit our vegetable greenhouses so you can see our planting process firsthand."

Section Chief Yao and Qian Duoduo both readily agreed.

Li Zhe called over production supervisor Zhu Yimin, and then, together with Jin Baiwan and Zhu Yimin, accompanied Section Chief Yao and Qian Duoduo to the greenhouse area.

Along the way, Section Chief Yao looked at the neatly arranged greenhouses on both sides of the road, his heart filled with curiosity.

Stepping into the greenhouse, seeing the lush green seedlings growing vigorously, he couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Li, these seedlings look great, but in winter, with the weather so cold, aren't they afraid of freezing?"

Li Zhe explained with a smile, "Section Chief Yao, don't worry, the weather is still warm, so we haven't covered the greenhouse with plastic film yet."

In a few days, when the weather gets cooler, we will cover the greenhouse with the transparent film. Our greenhouse uses rammed earth walls and an excavated foundation for insulation, which, combined with the sunlight through the transparent film, provides excellent insulation.

Even in winter, the temperature inside the greenhouse can be maintained within a suitable range for vegetable growth, and will not affect the growth of the vegetables.

Zhu Yimin added, "Section Chief Yao, we also adjust the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse according to the different growth needs of various vegetables. Moreover, the vegetable varieties we select are carefully chosen, with strong cold resistance, making them very suitable for greenhouse cultivation."

As Section Chief Yao listened to their introductions, he nodded frequently, gaining even greater approval for Sijiqing Company's planting techniques. He visited several greenhouses, and the vegetables in each one were growing well, showing no signs of pests or diseases.

Before we knew it, it was almost noon, the sun was getting scorching, and the weather was getting hot.

Li Zhe glanced at the time and said, "Section Chief Yao, General Manager Qian, it's getting late. Let's go back to the cafeteria and try the food there."

The group nodded and walked together toward the cafeteria.

When they returned to the small canteen, Li Jiugang and the kitchen staff had already prepared the meal.

Yesterday, Li Zhe told him that he was going to entertain important guests today, and that the guests liked to drink, so he asked him to prepare a few more snacks to go with the drinks.

Li Jiugang deftly directed his staff to serve the dishes, and soon the table was filled with a sumptuous feast: the stir-fried pork intestines were fragrant, the peanuts with celery were refreshing, the preserved eggs were chewy, the pig ears with cucumber were crisp and refreshing, the smoked chicken was tempting, the braised fish had a rich broth, and the stewed beef with potatoes was tender and flavorful.

A table full of dishes, a good mix of meat and vegetables, looks very appetizing.

After Li Jiugang finished serving the dishes, he saw Jin Baiwan take out a bottle of Moutai from the cabinet, and his eyes lit up immediately.

He enjoys drinking occasionally, but he had never tasted such an expensive liquor as Moutai before. Smelling the aroma of Moutai filling the air, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling somewhat intoxicated.

However, he also knew that today was an occasion to receive important guests, and it was not convenient for him to linger, so he was about to turn around and leave.

Seeing this, Li Zhe quickly called out to him, "Brother Wine Jar, don't go! Stay and have a drink with me."

As he spoke, he introduced to Section Chief Yao, "Section Chief Yao, this is Li Jiugang, our company's logistics supervisor. He's the one who oversaw the preparation of all the dishes we're eating today."

Section Chief Yao smiled and looked at Li Jiugang, saying, "Supervisor Li, thank you for your hard work."

Li Jiugang said with a smile, "Section Chief Yao, these are just some home-style dishes, please don't mind them."

Li Zhe pulled Li Jiugang down to sit and said, "Brother Jiugang, we're all family here today, let's have a drink together."

Li Jiugang loves drinking and lively gatherings, and with him around, the atmosphere at the dinner table is sure to be even more vibrant.

After everyone sat down, Li Zhe picked up his chopsticks and said, "Section Chief Yao, General Manager Qian, everyone, please don't be shy. Quickly pick up your chopsticks and try the food. See if the dishes in our canteen suit your taste."

Section Chief Yao picked up a piece of stir-fried pork intestines with his chopsticks, chewed it, and nodded in praise: "These pork intestines are stir-fried to perfection, not fishy or greasy, and cooked just right."

Li Zhe raised his glass and said with a smile, "Section Chief Yao, you've come from afar. Let me first toast you on behalf of Sijiqing Company."

Section Chief Yao looked at the red ribbon on the wine bottle and said, "President Li, this is far too high-class."

"Section Chief Yao, you are a distinguished guest, and this is your first time visiting our company. It's only right that we do this." Li Zhe toasted with the other party.

The group ate a few bites of food and chatted for a while.

Li Jiugang also raised a glass of wine: "Section Chief Yao, this is a toast to you. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit our company. I'll drink it first!" After saying that, he raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Section Chief Yao didn't hesitate and said with a smile, "Supervisor Li is very straightforward, I'll do it too."

The atmosphere at the table gradually warmed up. Li, the wine-grubber, was very sweet-talking, and he kept coming up with toasts. Section Chief Yao, who loved to drink, unknowingly drank too much.

Qian Duoduo occasionally chimed in, but her eyes would frequently glance at Li Zhe, and the two exchanged a knowing look.

After the three bottles of Moutai were finished, Li Zhe asked the kitchen to bring over two cans of yellow peaches. He opened them and poured them into a porcelain bowl: "Section Chief Yao, General Manager Qian, try our own canned fruit. It's sweet and refreshing."

Section Chief Yao scooped up a spoonful of yellow peaches, chewed on the crisp, sweet flesh, squinted his eyes, and nodded: "This canned fruit is good, better than what the supply and marketing cooperative sells."

“My friend and I started a canned food company. We originally exported to the Soviet Union, but we produced an extra batch to try the domestic market,” Li Zhe casually mentioned.

Section Chief Yao was already a little drunk, and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, okay, it'll definitely sell well."

After finishing his meal, Li Zhe asked Jin Baiwan to take Section Chief Yao to the rest room, leaving only him and Qian Duoduo in the small canteen.

Li Zhe brewed a pot of strong tea and poured a cup for Qian Duoduo: "President Qian, is Section Chief Yao alright after drinking so much? And about the loan, he didn't give a clear answer earlier..."

Qian Duoduo picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Don't worry, Section Chief Yao has a good drinking habit. If he drinks too much, he'll just take a nap and it won't matter. Since he didn't object to the loan, it's pretty much settled."

Li Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, then pressed on, "What about the loan interest?"

Qian Duoduo put down her teacup, her expression becoming more serious: "I tried to help you apply for an interest-free loan before, but the higher-ups are strict now, and it wasn't approved. Later, I pulled some strings and managed to get you a low-interest loan from the credit union—a three-year term with an annual interest rate of two percent."

As you know, the annual interest rate for ordinary loans is now over 12%, so this rate is already very favorable.

Li Zhe nodded. Interest rates were generally frighteningly high in this era, so getting a 2% annual interest rate was indeed quite good. "Mr. Qian, thank you for your trouble."

"Hey, we're all family, it's only right," Qian Duoduo said nonchalantly.

Li Zhe leaned forward, "There's another matter I'd like to trouble you with. Our Haoziwei Canned Food Company wants to expand into the domestic market, but we're not well-known in Langfang. We'd like to advertise on the radio. You have a wide network in Langfang, so I was wondering if you know anyone there?"

“That’s easy!” Qian Duoduo slapped his thigh. “My childhood friend works at a radio station. I’ll ask him when I get back.”

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Qian! You've been a great help to me."

"We're all friends, helping each other is only right, don't be shy," Qian Duoduo said with a smile and a wave of her hand.

The two chatted about the canned food for a while longer until four o'clock in the afternoon when they heard noises coming from the break room. Section Chief Yao came out rubbing his temples, his face still a little flushed: "Sorry, I overslept."

The three of them brewed another pot of tea and rested for half an hour.

Section Chief Yao and his companion got up to take their leave. Li Zhe carried the prepared gifts to Qian Duoduo's car. Section Chief Yao exchanged a few polite words but didn't refuse, accepting them with a smile.

Qian Duoduo started the car, and Section Chief Yao rolled down the window, still waving to Li Zhe: "President Li, come to the city to have a drink with me sometime!"

The car slowly drove out of the yard. Li Zhe stood at the door and watched the car disappear around the corner of the village entrance. As long as the loan was received, he could continue to expand the greenhouse.

As the sun gradually sets in the west, it shines on the rows of vegetable greenhouses, revealing a vibrant sense of life...

(End of this chapter)