Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 318 Running Alongside
Daying Village, Wan'an Town, north of the village.

As dawn broke, even the distant tree shadows were only blurry outlines, but the canteen of Sijiqing Company was the first to light up, and the aroma of food wafted out.

As the weather turned cooler, employees wrapped themselves in coats and headed to the cafeteria. Some stamped their feet, some rubbed their hands, and some put their arms around each other's shoulders, chatting quietly.

Li Zhe and Lao Li also entered the cafeteria, where employees greeted them with smiles: "Mr. Li, Uncle Li, good morning!"

"Good morning," Li Zhe nodded in response.

Old Li grinned too.

Breakfast was simple: a basin piled high with white steamed buns, a bamboo basket next to it filled with golden cornbread, another basin with tea eggs, steaming millet porridge in a large iron bucket, and a basin of chopped pickled vegetables glistening with oil.

Li Zhe hadn't had cornbread for a while, so he took a cornbread, a tea egg, and a serving of pickled vegetables and millet porridge.

Old Li, on the other hand, preferred steamed buns. He would eat one in just a few bites with some pickled vegetables. Today, he had a lot of work to do, so he ate two steamed buns and drank two bowls of millet porridge in one go. His appetite was no less than that of a young man.

Before long, most of the employees finished eating. Some got up to go to the greenhouse, while others sat and rested.

Li Zhe put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and called several company executives to the small canteen.

The group sat down around the long table. Li Zhe sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone. He got straight to the point: "To put it simply, our main task today is to cover the vegetable greenhouses with plastic film."

This work is very important. If the greenhouse film isn't properly covered, it will leak air and rain in winter and won't keep the vegetables warm, so they won't grow well. Everyone knows how important this is; we can't be careless.

He paused, then continued assigning tasks: "Manager Li (Old Li), you're in charge of assisting the farmers in covering the greenhouse with plastic film. Most of them are doing this for the first time, so keep a close eye on them."

Old Li nodded, his voice booming, "Don't worry, I told them about the precautions a few days ago, there won't be any problems."

Li Zhe then looked at his uncle Wang Rongsheng and Zhu Yimin, "Team Leader Wang, you are in charge of our company's dozens of acres of directly operated greenhouses."

"Supervisor Zhu, you're in charge of the daily planting work in the vegetable greenhouses. We're short-handed for covering the greenhouses today, so you need to make sure the planting is done properly and doesn't delay the schedule."

After making the arrangements, Li Zhe looked at everyone and said, "Does anyone have any questions? If you feel there aren't enough people or if there are other issues, just say so now."

The group looked at each other and shook their heads.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Li Zhe continued, "Then let's discuss the allocation of manpower. Supervisor Zhu, how many people do you need?"

Zhu Yimin was prepared and immediately replied, "I had already done some planting work a few days ago to free up manpower to cover the greenhouse film. There isn't much planting work in the greenhouse these two days, so ten new employees will be enough for me."

Li Zhe nodded and looked at his father: "Manager Li, how many people do you need on your end?"

Old Li thought for a moment and said, "A few days ago, I specifically trained the farmers on how to cover the greenhouse film. They were all quite enthusiastic. The neighboring farmers agreed to help each other, so there's definitely no shortage of manpower. I'll just take a few experienced employees with me."

Wang Rongsheng continued, "A few days ago, Supervisor Zhu and the new employees covered several greenhouses with plastic film, and they have some experience now."

I'm leading these new employees to cover the greenhouses with plastic film at our company's own facility, and we have enough manpower. The new employees learn quickly, and with more practice, they'll be able to work independently.

"Alright, let's stick to this schedule for this morning. If any problems arise, please let me know." Li Zhe glanced at his watch and said, "Meeting adjourned."

Everyone got up and walked out of the small canteen one after another.

Li Zhe stopped Yang Xingbin, the head of the human resources department: "Head of the department, come with me to the vegetable greenhouse and see how the vegetables are growing."

Yang Xingbin looked a bit rounder and more energetic than before. Upon hearing this, he immediately replied, "Okay, Mr. Li." With that, he followed Li Zhe out of the cafeteria.

The two walked along the ridge between the paddy fields. The ridge was still wet with dew and a little slippery underfoot. The morning breeze was cool and felt pleasant on their faces.

As they walked and talked, Li Zhe spoke first: "Manager Yang, you've been working at the company for a while now, how are you feeling?"

Yang Xingbin smiled and said sincerely, "It's great, Mr. Li. Our company has fewer things to do and less of a social obligation, unlike before when we worked at the state-owned farm, where sometimes we had to go through roundabout ways to get things done."

Although I've just taken over the HR department and have a lot to sort out and handle, I feel relaxed. To be honest, if General Manager Liu were to transfer me back to the farm now, I really wouldn't want to.

"Haha..." Li Zhe was amused by his words and asked again, "After our company implemented the new system, have the employees' attitudes and work efficiency improved?"

Yang Xingbin put away his smile and said seriously, "The vast majority of employees have gradually adapted to the new system. Some of the lazy employees in the past are now much more disciplined."

However, there were two who repeatedly failed to correct their behavior, often arriving late or leaving early, and disobeying management. I have already dismissed them.

Before firing me, I discussed it with Supervisor Ma, and she agreed with my decision. Now, the remaining employees are all following company rules, their work efficiency has improved significantly, and production is much more standardized than before.

"That's good." Li Zhe nodded, feeling relieved.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the greenhouse in the field. The greenhouse was not yet covered with plastic film; bamboo poles were erected on top, resembling huge skeletons.

Looking from the outside, Li Zhe could clearly see the cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse—they had grown to half a person's height and had been trellised. The vines climbed up the trellis, and the lush green leaves looked particularly vibrant in the dim light.

He then visited several greenhouses, where tomatoes and green peppers were growing vigorously.

Moreover, the greenhouse was very clean, and no non-compliant items such as cigarette butts were found.

Li Zhe then said with satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad, Manager Yang, you've worked hard these past few days and finally corrected that bad habit."

Instead of taking credit for himself, Yang Xingbin sincerely said, "President Li, you flatter me. I only helped to formulate the company's rules and regulations; their implementation still depends on everyone's own efforts."

Especially the company's long-term employees, they took the lead in following the rules and regulations, and they also helped me persuade other employees to follow suit. Without their assistance, even the best rules would be difficult to implement.

Li Zhe nodded and continued, "Manager Yang, let me give you a heads-up. If our company's vegetable greenhouses are profitable this year, we'll most likely expand the scale of the greenhouses next year. At that time, the number of employees will also increase, and we'll need more management talent."

You've worked on the state-run farm for so many years, you must have a lot of connections. If you have any suitable candidates, you can recommend them to the company.

As for compensation, we certainly won't treat them unfairly.

“Yes, Mr. Li,” Yang Xingbin replied immediately.

The longer he stayed at Sijiqing Company, the more he felt that the company had potential for development.

Off-season vegetables are a rarity these days, making it a highly profitable industry.

If the expanded vegetable greenhouses this year are successfully planted, the company's assets will definitely double. More importantly, it will prove the possibility of large-scale off-season vegetable cultivation—the market here is unimaginably large.

He knew that once the company expanded next year, resources and funds from all sides would flow into Sijiqing Company, which would be a huge opportunity for all employees.

However, some things can only be understood by those within our own circle; outsiders find them difficult to comprehend.

For example, even if he invited his colleagues at the state-owned farm to work at Sijiqing Company, they might not be willing—after all, in their eyes, the state-owned farm was the "iron rice bowl," while Sijiqing Company was just a "small private company."

Covering the greenhouse with plastic film is a meticulous task, and most of the growers were doing it for the first time, so their movements were inevitably a bit clumsy, and the construction speed was slower than expected. It took three days to complete the work on several hundred acres of vegetable greenhouses.

When the last greenhouse was covered with its plastic film, from a distance, the white plastic film stretched out in a continuous line, looking particularly impressive in the afterglow of the setting sun.

In the evening, the Sijiqing Company had a dinner party in the canteen.

Li Jiugang, along with two kitchen staff, pieced together the scattered square tables to create a long table that could seat ten people.

Each table was set with ten sets of bowls and chopsticks, as well as a jar of bulk sorghum liquor, the mouth of which was sealed with red cloth—this setup was exactly like a banquet for a wedding in the village.

Li Jiugang was the canteen manager and was most skilled at preparing meals. Under his arrangement, everyone sat together in an orderly fashion.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Li Zhe walked to the high platform in front of the cafeteria, cleared his throat, and said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment, I have a few words to say." The originally noisy cafeteria instantly fell silent, and all the employees looked at him.

Li Zhe glanced at everyone and continued, "Thank you all for your hard work these past three days! The successful completion of the greenhouse covering wouldn't have been possible without everyone's efforts. Tonight's dinner is to reward everyone, so eat and drink to your heart's content!"

"it is good!"

"Thank you, Mr. Li," the audience responded.

Once the noise from below subsided, Li Zhe continued, "The weather is getting colder and colder. In the days to come, everyone needs to take extra care of the vegetables in our greenhouse."

Also, I have some good news to share. The company has secured a loan of 300,000 RMB from the credit union and will continue to expand the greenhouses.

When off-season vegetables come to market, we'll make money, and everyone's hard work will pay off. We'll not only get wages, but also generous bonuses!

I can assure you all that your bonuses will definitely be higher than your salaries!

As soon as the words were spoken, cheers erupted in the cafeteria. Some clapped their hands excitedly, some said to each other "Great!", and some were calculating how much money they could earn next month.

Looking at the bustling scene before him, Li Zhe was filled with emotion—from just a few greenhouses at the beginning to hundreds of greenhouses now, from just a few people at the beginning to dozens of employees now, Sijiqing Company's success today is inseparable from everyone's hard work.

"Alright everyone, stop standing and sit down to eat!" Li Zhe said with a smile. "There's plenty of food and drink today, so eat and drink to your heart's content!"

He waved and shouted, "Serve the food!"

Soon, several young employees brought out dishes on wooden trays. The first dish was "fried lotus root," with golden lotus root coated in batter and meat filling inside. Most of it was snatched up as soon as it hit the table.

Next up was "braised pork with glass noodles," with large chunks of pork belly stewed until glistening with oil, and glass noodles soaked up the meat juices, trembling as they clung to the edge of the bowl.

Li Zhensheng took a bite of the vermicelli and muttered, "These vermicelli are stewed perfectly, just like the ones I make at home!"

The third dish is "Cauliflower and Tofu Stew with Crispy Pork". The crispy pork is fried in advance and stewed with tofu and cabbage. It is crispy but not mushy, and the tofu is full of meat flavor.

It was Zhou Qinghe's first time eating this dish. She scooped up two spoonfuls and her eyes were full of surprise: "This tofu is delicious, even more fragrant than meat!"

Next came stewed chicken pieces, beef stewed with potatoes, cold pig's ears salad, braised carp, stir-fried mixed vegetables, steamed pumpkin, and finally egg drop soup with egg flowers, cilantro and dried shrimp floating in it. A bowl of this hot soup made me feel completely comfortable.

In the cafeteria, some people were chatting, some were drinking, and some were toasting each other, creating a particularly lively atmosphere.

Li Zhe also found a table and sat down with Lao Li, Zhu Yimin, Jin Baiwan, Yang Xingbin and others.

He raised his glass to everyone and said, "Come on, everyone, you've all worked hard! I wish our company all the best!"

"cheers!"

The glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound; the liquid swayed, reflecting the lamplight and the hope in everyone's eyes...

……

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Mona Lisa Restaurant in Beijing.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the carpet in the living room. A checkered tablecloth held white porcelain cutlery and silver knives and forks, the tablecloth folded into an elegant swan shape. A gramophone in the corner played soothing jazz, mingling with the subtle aroma of coffee, creating a space that was both stylish and tranquil.

Several tables of customers were already seated in the restaurant, mostly foreigners with high noses and deep-set eyes, with one or two well-dressed Chinese people mixed in occasionally.

Su Mingyuan, dressed in the restaurant's uniform white shirt and black bow tie, escorted the Soviet couple to the door and said in fairly fluent Russian, "Have a pleasant day."

He watched the two get into the taxi before turning around to return to the restaurant.

Just as Su Mingyuan reached the steps, he saw Li Zhe carrying a black briefcase approaching. Su Mingyuan immediately went to greet him with a smile, "Mr. Li, you've arrived."

"Da Zhuang, it's been a while. How have you been lately?" Li Zhe took out a pack of foreign cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to him.

Su Mingyuan quickly waved his hand to decline: "Mr. Li, we can't smoke during work hours. If you're looking for Ms. Shen, she's on the second floor."

Li Zhe put the cigarette back in the pack, smiled and shook his head: "I'm not looking for your boss, I came here specifically to see you. Come on, let's go upstairs and find a place to talk."

"Huh? You wanted to see me?" Su Mingyuan's eyes widened slightly, his face full of surprise.

"Let's go, we'll talk about it upstairs." Li Zhe patted his shoulder and turned to walk towards the stairs to the second floor. Su Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, then greeted his colleague and quickly followed.

The second floor was quieter than the first floor. The previous area was already open for business, and the other half was enclosed by blue waterproof cloth. You could vaguely hear the sounds of electric drills and hammers hitting wood inside.

Li Zhe glanced around the business area but didn't see Shen Yanan. Just as he was about to ask, Su Mingyuan spoke up first: "Mr. Li, our boss Shen is probably in the newly renovated private room."

Li Zhe nodded and walked straight towards the area enclosed by the waterproof tarpaulin, lifting the curtain to go inside.

The light inside was dimmer than outside, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of sawdust and paint. Several workers were busy working around a wooden door.

Shen Yanan, wearing a beige knitted sweater, pointed to a door and said to the construction worker in front of her, "Try it again. There was a 'creaking' sound when you opened the door just now. The hinges must not be properly adjusted. We need to straighten them, otherwise it will be annoying for the guests to hear them while they are eating."

The worker nodded, took a ruler, measured it, and muttered, "Understood, Boss Shen, I'll adjust it right away."

Shen Yanan then turned around and saw Li Zhe. She immediately smiled and waved, "Brother, you're here. Find a place to sit for a while. I'll finish explaining things to them and then come find you right away."

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, don't worry about me." Li Zhe glanced around and saw that the private rooms were mostly finished, but they were still missing some decorations.

He returned to the booth area, found a seat by the window, and waved to Su Mingyuan, who was still standing there: "Da Zhuang, come sit down."

Su Mingyuan quickly walked over and sat down in the chair opposite Li Zhe, leaning forward slightly, his face still showing confusion: "Mr. Li, what do you want to see me about?"

Li Zhe didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I have a friend who's also in your School of Foreign Languages. Recently, her teacher told her that there's an opportunity to go to the United States as an exchange student. I'm not very familiar with your school's rules, so I wanted to ask you, do you think her chances of going to the United States are high?"

Upon hearing the words "exchange student," Su Mingyuan frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously picking at the corner of the table, as if recalling something unpleasant.

After a few seconds, he looked up and asked, "Does your friend hold a position in the student union? Like a member or a minister?"

“No, she’s just an ordinary student and doesn’t participate in the student council.” Li Zhe shook his head.

"Has she ever won any awards at the school level or above? Like being a model student or an outstanding student?" Su Mingyuan asked again, his tone somewhat probing.

"No, her grades are okay, but not good enough to win awards," Li Zhe shook his head again.

Su Mingyuan sighed and shook his head: "Does he have any background? Never mind, since you've already asked me, he probably doesn't have any background."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Our school has very few spots for studying abroad, and it's always a scramble. People with positions and honors are all lined up, but your friend has nothing..."

I estimate my chances of getting a spot are slim.

Li Zhe thought for a moment and added, "By the way, she was selected to greet foreign guests on the reviewing stand during this National Day ceremony because of her good spoken English. Would you consider that a plus?"

"Hehe, I know about that. I was on the reviewing stand too, guiding the Soviet delegation." Su Mingyuan gave a wry smile, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"But so what? When they need you, they say you're capable and perform well, but when it comes to allocating spots, it's a completely different story."

I thought I had performed quite well and should be able to secure a spot to study in the Soviet Union, but what happened?
I didn't get anything; I was just a runner-up.

(End of this chapter)