Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 312 Exit
That evening, at the Li family's new house.

Recently, the company cafeteria stopped providing free meals, so Li Weidong and his family of three have been eating dinner here every day, and their home is always bustling with activity.

There was meat and vegetables on the table, but Li Zhe had little appetite. He had drunk several cups and eaten a lot of vegetables with Section Chief Yao at noon, so he only served himself a bowl of corn porridge and sipped it slowly.

He looked at his younger sister, Li Na, wolfing down her food on the table and couldn't help but laugh—this girl was a typical foodie; in just one year, she had gained more than ten pounds, her cheeks were round and chubby, and she was about to become a little chubby girl.

After the meal, and after clearing away the dishes, everyone moved to the living room.

A popular TV drama was playing on TV, but everyone's attention was clearly not on the screen; they were chatting in small groups.

As soon as Li Zhe sat down on the sofa, Old Li came over and sat down next to him, his tone somewhat solemn: "Second brother, I want to discuss something with you."

"What's wrong, Dad?" Li Zhe put down his teacup and looked at his father.

“Yesterday your Uncle Zhensheng came to me and said he wanted to help your cousin Hongying find a job at the company.”

Li Zhe was taken aback, somewhat surprised: "Isn't Hongying a math teacher in the village? Why does she suddenly want to change jobs?"

"It's because she's not a tenured teacher," Old Li sighed. "She's just a substitute teacher, with a lot of work every day, but not much money, and the pay is unstable. From what your Uncle Zhensheng said, I guess she's suffered a lot at the school."

Li Zhe began to ponder. He and Li Hongying were about the same age, and he knew his cousin fairly well.

When she was in school, Li Hongying had good grades and was a reliable person. She always addressed him respectfully as "cousin," and was a girl who made things easy for everyone. He asked, "What does Hongying want to do? You don't want to grow vegetables in greenhouses, do you?"

"That won't do." Old Li quickly waved his hand. "That girl studied accounting and wants to do an office job like finance, sitting in an office, without having to be exposed to the wind and sun."

Li Zhe nodded, having a better understanding of the situation, and then asked, "Does my sister-in-law know about this? After all, she's in charge of the personnel department."

"I mentioned it to her, and she said she'd like to hear your opinion." Old Li said, glancing around the living room before calling out to Li Weidong, who was cracking sunflower seeds, "Boss, where's your wife?"

Li Weidong mumbled a reply while cracking sunflower seeds: "Probably still washing dishes in the kitchen."

Old Li gently kicked his leg: "Go wash the dishes, and tell her I need to talk to her."

Upon hearing that he was to wash the dishes, Li Weidong immediately showed a reluctant expression, but then smiled and changed the subject: "Dad, you can tell me whatever you need to do, and I'll talk to her about it later."

"What do you know about HR? Hurry up and go!" Old Li urged impatiently. Li Weidong had no choice but to reluctantly put down the sunflower seeds in his hand, stand up unwillingly, and walk towards the kitchen.

A moment later, the Malay girl came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with her apron. She walked to the center of the living room and asked, "Dad, what did you want to see me about?"

"I want to discuss Hongying's matter with you." Old Li pointed to the empty seat next to him and asked her to sit down.

Li Zhe also asked, "Sister-in-law, Hongying wants to work in the company's finance department. What do you think about this?"

Malay sat down in the chair and said with a smile, "Hongying is a good girl. She's sensible and has a sweet tongue. She always calls me 'sister-in-law' this and 'sister-in-law' that. I really like her. This morning, I actually mentioned this to Supervisor Yang..."

She paused, her tone becoming somewhat hesitant, "What Manager Yang means is that the finance department is different from other departments; it manages the company's money and needs to be extra careful."

Most of our company's employees are from Daying Village, so they're all related by marriage. He felt it best not to hire anyone with such close ties to the finance department, to avoid future problems.

In fact, it wasn't just Yang Xingbin; Li Zhe himself also had this concern.

Not only in the finance department, but also in some other important departments of the company, he does not plan to assign any more acquaintances.

Just then, Li Zhenguo, who had been sitting and listening, spoke up: "Second brother, I have an idea."

"Second Uncle, please speak." Li Zhe quickly looked at him.

“Our Good Taste Canned Food Company has only been established for a short time, and we are currently short of financial staff. Why don’t we let Hongying work at the canned food company? Hongying is a reliable and dependable girl. We would feel more at ease having a family member oversee the finances at the canned food company, wouldn’t we?” Li Zhenguo said slowly.

Li Zhe's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "That's a good idea, we can consider it."

Good Taste Company was only recently established, and its employees were all recruited from the former Wan'an Town Cannery. Although no problems have been observed yet, it's always good to be prepared. Sending some trustworthy family members to keep an eye on key departments within the factory is only the right thing to do.

He turned to look at Old Li and Malay Xiao and asked, "Dad, sister-in-law, what do you think?"

Old Li immediately said, "Wan'an Town isn't far from here, so it's convenient for Hongying to go there to work. I think it's a good idea."

Malay Xiao also chimed in, "I think it's a good idea. How about I talk to Hongying tomorrow and ask her what she thinks?"

“Okay, sister-in-law, then I’ll trouble you.” Li Zhe said with a smile, “Ask her what she thinks first. If she’s willing, let her try the cannery.”

“I understand, I’ll take care of it,” the Malaysian man readily agreed.

Li Zhe then thought of the company's recruitment and said to Malay Xiao, "Sister-in-law, there's something else. In the future, the HR department should recruit more young people. Young people are more open-minded and quicker to accept new things."

Malay novel: "We've also noticed this. Didn't the company compile a greenhouse cultivation manual? Most of the young new employees can operate according to the manual's requirements; however, some older people who think they have extensive cultivation experience are always violating the rules, and they are also the ones who get the most fines."

Li Zhe added, "In addition, when recruiting employees, we should remove the idea of ​​'priority to locals'. Whether they are from our village or from other villages, we should look at the applicant's ability, sense of responsibility, and qualities. As long as they meet the requirements, we will hire them."

“I understand. Manager Yang said something similar to me before.” Ma Lai Xiao carefully wrote it down. She also realized that people from her own village were not as easy to manage as people from other villages because of their kinship ties. Sometimes, if she criticized them, people would gossip about them behind their backs.

Li Zhe was quite pleased with the earnest look on the Malaysian boy's face. He smiled and said, "Alright, learn well from Supervisor Yang and accumulate more experience in human resources management. Once you've learned enough, I'll assign you a new position."

Malay's small eyes lit up, and he asked curiously, "What's your position? Tell me about it now."

Li Zhe deliberately kept everyone in suspense, shaking his head with a smile: "You'll find out when the time comes."

In fact, he had already made a plan. If the Good Taste Canned Food Company could develop smoothly, there would definitely be more and more employees in the future. At that time, he wanted Malay Xiao to go to the Good Taste Company as the head of the human resources department and be able to take charge.

...Around 10 a.m., Beichen Road in the Asian Games Village was still a busy construction site. The poplar trees that the workers had just transplanted on both sides of the road added a touch of life to the street.

Upon returning to Beijing, Li Zhe immediately went to the shops on the ground floor of the Asian Games Village to check on the progress of the supermarket's renovation. A brand-new signboard had already been hung at the entrance of the shops, with "365 Supermarket" written in white letters on a red background, and a row of smaller English words below.

Qin Dawei stood aside and asked respectfully, "Mr. Li, what do you think of this plaque? If you're not satisfied, we can make adjustments."

Li Zhe nodded in approval: "That's good. The signboard is big enough and simple and clear. Everyone can tell what it is at a glance. It's very good."

Qin Dawei gestured for him to enter and continued, "President Li, please go to the office and sit for a while. I'll give you a report on the progress of our work over the past few days."

"Let's go in later, a friend of mine is coming to visit soon," Li Zhe said, taking out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and handing one to Qin Dawei.

Qin Dawei took the cigarette, first took out a lighter to light it for Li Zhe, then lit one for himself and took a puff. He then reported, "Mr. Li, I've been contacting suppliers recently and have compiled a purchase list. I'll show it to you in a bit."

"Okay," Li Zhe replied.

In fact, he not only had Qin Dawei connect with procurement channels, but also arranged for Sun Tao to use the resources of Chongwenmen Vegetable Market to contact suppliers. This would allow them to compare the cost-effectiveness of the two channels and choose a more suitable partner.

"Is there any progress in recruitment?" Li Zhe asked again.

Qin Dawei immediately responded: "We have already received more than 20 applications, and 12 of them have passed the initial screening. I will notify them to come for the second interview when you are available. After they pass the second interview, we will organize training for them."

Just as Li Zhe was about to speak, he heard the sound of a car engine.

A red Lada sedan was parked on the side of the road. The door opened, and Shen Yanan got out, wearing black leather shoes and a blue women's suit. She first glanced around at the Asian Games Village venues under construction, and finally her gaze fell on the signboard of "365 Supermarket".

"Hey, bro, you have a good eye!" Shen Yanan walked over, carrying a brown briefcase. "This location will definitely see a lot of foot traffic once the Asian Games Village is built. It'll be much more impressive than your vegetable shop in the Diplomatic Residence."

"This place was found by Brother Lin, and it's really nice. I liked it at first sight. By the way, this is my newly hired supermarket manager, Manager Qin Dawei." Then she turned to Qin Dawei and introduced, "Manager Qin, this is my friend, Boss Shen Yanan."

Qin Dawei had worked at the supply and marketing cooperative for over a decade, and had long since developed the ability to judge people.

Shen Yanan's demeanor and attire exuded an "extraordinary" aura. He quickly moved forward, his face beaming with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Shen! I've heard Mr. Li mention you before, and today I'm finally meeting you in person."

Shen Yanan simply nodded slightly, her gaze already drifting towards the open supermarket door: "How's the interior decorating? When will it open? I'm looking forward to coming and supporting you."

"It's still early. The floor tiles were just laid, and the shelves haven't been installed yet." Li Zhe led her inside. The newly laid floor tiles gleamed with a light gray light. Two workers were squatting in a corner laying tile film, and cement buckets and shovels were scattered on the ground.

He pointed to the inner area: "This area is planned to be used for vegetables and fruits, just like my 365 Vegetable Store, which are all traffic-driving products. That's the grain and oil section, and further in are daily necessities. The office is at the very back."

Shen Yanan followed him around and nodded: "The layout is quite clear, much more organized than the supply and marketing cooperative, and it's more convenient for ordinary people to buy things."

Turning to the office door, Li Zhe pushed it open. Inside were two desks, a metal cabinet, and unpainted walls, revealing mottled cement.

He pulled up a chair for Shen Yanan to sit on, and poured a cup of tea from the thermos: "Second sister, the conditions are still simple, please bear with us."

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Shen Yanan took a sip of tea and placed her briefcase on the table. "I'm here today for two reasons: first, to check out your supermarket, and second, to discuss something important with you. A friend of mine knows you can grow off-season vegetables and, through my connections, wants to get to know you."

Li Zhe paused, holding his teacup. "What does your friend do? Does he also own a restaurant?"

Shen Yanan put down her teacup and leaned forward. "No, I work in foreign trade."

Li Zhe paused for a moment, then laughed: "Foreign trade? Could it be that he wants to sell my off-season vegetables abroad?" He pondered, "The Korean Peninsula? No. An island nation? That's a bit far, the vegetables would probably suffer a lot of damage if they were shipped there."

Shen Yanan smiled and revealed the answer: "It's either an island nation or the Korean Peninsula."

Li Zhe looked puzzled: "Wait a minute, doesn't our country not have diplomatic relations with the South Peninsula yet?"

“Diplomatic relations haven’t been finalized yet, but there has already been some small-scale trade, mainly involving textiles, agricultural products, and light industrial goods. So, are you interested?” Shen Yanan asked.

Li Zhe confirmed, "Your friend wants to sell off-season vegetables to the South Peninsula to earn foreign exchange?"

“That’s right. They said that as long as you agree, we can sign the contract now and they will pay a deposit first,” Shen Yanan added.

"Let's forget about signing the contract. The vegetables aren't ripe yet. Let's talk about it later," Li Zhe said calmly.

He was indeed short of money before, but Qian Duoduo had already helped him get a loan of 300,000 yuan, which was enough to support Sijiqing Company in expanding its greenhouses; by the time the loan was used up, the off-season vegetables should be ripe and profitable, and then he would no longer have to worry about funding.

Shen Yanan could tell that Li Zhe wasn't very interested, but she didn't give up: "My friend said that if you have any ideas or conditions, you can bring them up for discussion."

Li Zhe took a sip of tea: "Second Sister, what do you plan to use to pay? If it's RMB, I have my own sales channels, so there's no need to sell to them; besides, Shanghai's market is so big, yet it's still short of off-season vegetables. It would be better to sell the surplus vegetables in Shanghai."

Shen Yanan immediately realized what she meant and asked with a smile, "Brother, you also want to earn foreign exchange?"

Li Zhe countered, "Second Sister, foreign exchange is a valuable resource. Don't you want to earn some?"

“Who wouldn’t want that!” Shen Yanan laughed. “Brother, I understand what you mean. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to them later. If they’re sincere, I’ll arrange for you two to meet and discuss it in detail.”

Since the matter was still uncertain, Li Zhe stopped dwelling on it and instead talked to Shen Yanan about the "Good Taste" company.

"By the way, Second Sister, didn't we produce a batch of canned yellow peaches a while ago? I'm thinking that if we only rely on exporting to the Soviet Union, we'll be too dependent on policy, it will be difficult to expand the company's scale, and the risks will be high. So we plan to expand into the domestic sales market."

However, building brand awareness won't be easy at first. I'm thinking of advertising through Langfang Radio to let more people know about our "Good Taste" brand. What do you think?

"That's a great idea! Radio stations have a wide reach, and people love listening to them, so the publicity effect is sure to be good." Shen Yanan immediately agreed, then added:
"If the promotion by Langfang City Radio Station is effective, we can even take the canned goods to Beijing to sell. I have a friend who works at a radio station in Beijing, so we can ask him to help with the promotion."

The two then began discussing the radio station's promotion strategy, from time slot selection and broadcast duration to advertising content...

(End of this chapter)