Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 321 Breaking the situation
Daying Village, Kuai Zui's house.

In Kuai Zui's mud-brick house, the flowers on the windowsill had long since withered, leaving only dry branches swaying in the wind.

The quick-talking wife sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding her baby girl. The child was wrapped in a faded floral quilt, her little head nuzzling against her chest. Her once dark and thin face was now round and chubby, with a healthy pink hue.

"Oh my, my sweet baby, watch Mommy meow like a kitten." The quick-tongued wife pinched her throat and meowed, and the baby girl giggled and waved her little hands to grab her hair.

The radio on the nearby square table was playing a storytelling performance. The storyteller was speaking with great enthusiasm, and the quick-witted wife listened intently, occasionally frowning and nodding in agreement.

Suddenly, the storytelling stopped, and a clear female voice rang out: "What's a good gift to give when visiting relatives and friends? Delicious canned yellow peaches are a must! Plump flesh and sweet syrup, a local specialty of Langfang..."

Good peaches make authentic canned goods, with a delicious flavor—our own high-quality canned goods from Langfang! Give the gift of deliciousness…”

Before the quick-talking wife could react, the baby girl in her arms suddenly moved, stretching her little arms forward and staring blankly at the radio, making "ah ah" sounds.

"You little glutton, you want some canned yellow peaches!" The quick-talking wife was amused and rubbed her forehead against her child's cheek. "You don't even have all your teeth yet. When your little teeth start to come in, Mom will go and buy you some so you can have as many as you want."

She stood up, holding the child, and slowly paced around the room, humming along with the radio: "Delicious yellow peaches, a bite of freshness..."

With a creak, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Quick-Talker walked into the yard carrying a hoe, his face covered in mud.

He put the hoe down in the corner, went into the north room, and saw the mother and daughter laughing happily. He rubbed his hands together and came over: "What are you talking to the child about, making her so happy?"

“She’s your daughter.” The quick-talking wife handed the child to him. “She just heard an ad for canned yellow peaches on the radio and reached out to grab one. She’s such a little foodie.”

Quick-talking took the child, carefully supporting her bottom, and kissed her cheek: "It's good to be a foodie, being able to eat is a blessing! Our daughter has to grow up to be as strong as Tiger Girl, with strong arms and legs, so she won't be bullied."

"Where have you been all morning? You didn't even have breakfast at home." The quick-talking wife took the child from her arms and held him close again. She then picked up the rough porcelain bowl on the table and poured him a bowl of hot water.

Kuai Zui took a sip of hot water, wiped his mouth, and said, "I went to Li's greenhouse in the north of the village. You didn't see it, it's so cold outside that it's frosty, and the crops in the fields have long since withered, but the vegetable seedlings in their greenhouse are lush and green, even stronger than in summer."

The cucumber vines had climbed all over the trellis, and the tiny cucumbers hung down on top, a delightful sight.

The quick-tongued wife pursed her lips and gently patted the child's back: "What's so strange about this? Li Zhe started growing crops in greenhouses last year. The villagers are used to it. Only you are making a fuss about it."

"You can't say that." Quick-tongued, he raised his voice, "I went to work in the south last year, so I didn't see it with my own eyes. If I had known that growing crops in greenhouses was so profitable, I would never have gone out to suffer like that. It would have been so much better to work with the Li family."

The quick-tongued wife's eyes flickered. She had long wanted to stop her husband from going to the south. He had been gone for over a year, and when he returned, he was dark-skinned and thin, and he had brought back a child who had no parents.

Although she harbored some resentment, she gradually accepted it after seeing how pitiful the child was. "Then let's grow in greenhouses too. Many families in the village have followed suit."

Kuai Zui sighed and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "I went to the Sijiqing Company to ask, and they said that there are already hundreds of farmers who have signed up. If we want to plant, we'll have to wait until at least next year."

"What should we do then?" The quick-talking wife was also anxious. "We can't just keep waiting. Right, isn't Tiger Girl working in Li Zhe's greenhouse? She went there early and must have a good relationship with the managers at the company. Why don't we ask her for help? We're not asking for special treatment, we just want to be able to get ahead in the queue so we can plant our plants sooner."

After thinking for a while, Quick-Tongu nodded: "Hmm, I think it's a good idea. Tiger Girl is a genuine girl, and she's easy to please. She should be able to help with this."

“Alright, I’ll talk to Tiger Girl when she comes back from the greenhouse tonight.” The quick-talking wife smiled, looked down at the child in her arms, and said, “Our daughter has been here for a while now, and it’s not good to keep calling her ‘girl.’ We need to give her a name and register her household registration.”

The quick-tongued man's face darkened, and he patted the child's head: "I've inquired, and it seems you can't get a household registration in the village; you have to go to the town's police station. I'm thinking of finding someone I know to help me out; that should be able to get it done."

When you have some free time, go to the local store and buy some gifts. I'm going to town the day after tomorrow.

"Okay, I'll go buy it this afternoon." The quick-talking wife nodded, reached out and touched her daughter's smiling face, then hugged the child and hummed the advertising jingle on the radio.

……

The afternoon sun slanted across the dirt road in Daying Village, casting long shadows.

In front of the village store, under a sunshade on an open space, several old men were playing cards around a stone table, making a lot of noise.

Stepping into the consignment store, the room, about fifty square meters in size, was packed with people. The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of goods, including cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, needles and thread, as well as candies and biscuits.

Wang Xiuying was carrying a bamboo basket. She had just bought two jin of pork, one jin of tofu, and a packet of Sichuan peppercorns from Zhang Yuzhen. Just as she was about to leave, she was surrounded by several old women.

Zhao Bing's wife was the first to come over, her face beaming with smiles: "Aunt Xiuying, did you buy all this meat because Brother Li Zhe came back from Beijing?"

Wang Xiuying laughed and said, "No, he's still in the capital. Even though he's not home, we still have to eat meat."

Aunt Pang also came over, smiling, and said, "Xiuying, you must talk to General Manager Li more. My family also wants to grow crops in greenhouses. Could you help us get on the waiting list sooner?"

Wang Dajiao, with a pained expression, grabbed Wang Xiuying's arm and said, "Sister Xiuying, I was foolish before and shouldn't have led the trouble. Please forgive me. Please plead with General Manager Li for me so I can start growing greenhouse crops again. I promise I'll never cause trouble again!"

She had her cooperation agreement revoked because of causing trouble, and seeing others make money made her deeply regretful.

Wang Xiuying knew that these people were after Sijiqing Company and her son, but she did feel pleased to be surrounded and fawned over like this.

But her husband had already told her not to get involved in company affairs or to agree to other people's requests, so as not to cause trouble for her son.

So she just smiled and said a few perfunctory words: "I understand everyone's good intentions, but the second brother is in charge of the company's affairs, and I can't make the decisions. I'll talk to him about it later, and I'll let you know when I have any news."

Just as she was about to slip away, the curtain was lifted and her talkative wife walked in carrying a baby girl.

The quick-talking wife had always wanted to grow crops in greenhouses, and upon seeing Wang Xiuying, she immediately greeted her warmly: "Sister Xiuying, you're here too!"

Wang Xiuying simply nodded—the two families had a previous conflict, and she didn't want to talk to the quick-tongued daughter-in-law, but when she saw the baby girl in her arms, she couldn't help but take a few more glances.

She had heard that Kuai Zui had brought back a baby girl from the south, but this was the first time she had seen her, so she couldn't help but be curious.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuzhen quickly tried to smooth things over: "You fast talker, it's been a while since you've come. What brings you here today?"

"It suddenly got cold these past two days, and I was afraid the child would get cold, so I didn't dare take her out." The quick-talking wife responded and pointed to the shelf: "Yuzhen, I'm going to visit relatives, can you get me a few things?"

"Okay, what do you want?"

The quick-talking wife glanced at the shelves and said, "First, two pounds of peach shortbread, two bottles of liquor, and then..." Her gaze paused on the shelves for a moment before finally settling on the canned goods section: "And two more cans of delicious yellow peaches!"

Upon hearing "Haoziwei Yellow Peach Canned Goods," Wang Xiuying's eyes lit up immediately—Haoziwei Canned Goods Company, like Sijiqing Company, was owned by her son, but apart from her family, not many people in the village knew about it.

Seeing her quick-talking daughter-in-law offer to buy canned goods from her son's company, she felt a surge of pride and a smile appeared on her face. Her attitude towards her daughter-in-law also softened.

She took the initiative to ask, "Hey, you fast talker, which house are you going to visit? You've bought so many nice things."

The quick-tongued wife didn't want to say much, and just said perfunctorily, "We're going to a relative's house in town. They're a respectable person, so we can't go empty-handed."

Wang Xiuying pressed further, "Then why did you specifically buy Haoziwei canned fruit? Have you eaten it before?" The quick-talking wife shook her head, "I haven't eaten it. I heard about it on the radio. The radio said it was a local specialty of Langfang, with plump and sweet fruit. I thought it would be presentable to bring this when visiting relatives."

Hearing this, Wang Xiuying was even happier—her son's advertising hadn't been in vain; even her quick-witted daughter-in-law had been attracted.

She thought to herself, "My son is really capable. He's only been advertising for a few days, and people are already buying his products." Her smile widened.

……

It wasn't just the sales outlets in Daying Village; ever since the Langfang City Radio Station broadcast the advertisement for "Good Taste" canned goods, similar scenes have been playing out in supply and marketing cooperatives and shops in other towns and villages of Langfang City.

After hearing the advertisement, many people were curious and wanted to try what "Good Taste" canned yellow peaches tasted like. They even went to stores and specifically asked to buy this brand of canned fruit...

……

A few days later, in the office of the Wan'an Town Cannery.

In the office of the Wan'an Town Cannery, sunlight streamed through the window, casting three shadows on the floor. Li Zhe, Factory Director Xie, and Li Zhenguo sat around a sofa, with a report and several cups of hot tea on the table.

Factory Director Xie picked up a bound document and handed it to Li Zhe: "President Li, this is our company's sales report for canned yellow peaches this week. It shows the total sales volume, as well as the specific sales volume of each supply and marketing cooperative, consignment store, grocery store and farmers' market. The sales staff just compiled the data yesterday. Please take a look."

Li Zhe took the report and carefully looked through it.

The report showed that the total sales volume of "Good Taste" canned yellow peaches this week was 2.5 tons, with a gross profit of 2500 yuan. But he knew in his heart that if labor costs, factory rent, water and electricity bills, and advertising expenses were included, the company was actually losing money.

He put down the report, looked up, and asked, "Have you both looked at this data? What are your thoughts on the sales figures?"

Factory Manager Xie immediately replied, "I've seen it. According to the sales staff, most customers came to buy after hearing the radio advertisement. I personally think the advertising effect is already quite good."

You don't know, but when the Wan'an Town cannery used to make its own canned goods, it also distributed them in Langfang City, but its weekly sales were less than half a ton. Our company is just starting out, and we've already sold 2.5 tons in our first week—that's a great start!

He was afraid that Li Zhe would be discouraged by the "minor loss," so he added a sentence with a look of concern on his face.

Li Zhenguo, however, was more concerned about production and inventory issues. He frowned and said, "But if we only achieve this sales volume, our company will continue to lose money, and the risk of inventory backlog is also considerable. By the way, should we continue producing the canned eight-treasure porridge we mentioned before?"

“Production must continue!” Li Zhe said without hesitation. “We’ve only been advertising for a week, and this sales volume has already exceeded my expectations.”

The canned food market is a mature market, and 'Good Taste' is a new brand; it's impossible to make money right away. As long as we continue advertising and let more people know about the brand, the market size will definitely expand gradually, and profits will increase accordingly.

He paused, then added, "Of course, there's a crucial issue here: we need enough funds to weather this 'loss-making period.' But don't worry, I'll figure out the funding problem."

Although Li Zhe is the largest shareholder of Good Taste Canned Food Company, holding 50% of the shares, he cannot achieve absolute control. He needs to discuss with the other shareholders, either pooling their money to raise some funds or taking out a bank loan.

After listening, Director Xie looked surprised. He hadn't expected that Li Zhe, who was so young, could see so far ahead and not only wasn't affected by short-term losses, but had also planned ahead for funding.

He immediately nodded in agreement: "Mr. Li, you're absolutely right! Short-term losses don't matter; the key is to build up the brand."

I was worried you'd be anxious, but you've thought of everything even more thoroughly than we have. With your approach, our company is sure to succeed!

Li Zhenguo also breathed a sigh of relief, and the worry on his face gradually disappeared: "Since you know what you're doing, I'm relieved. I was worried before that if we blindly produce, we'd tie up our funds."

Li Zhe smiled and then asked, "How's the preparation for the eight-treasure porridge cans going?"

Li Zhenguo immediately replied, "The last batch of raw materials for the pickled cucumber cans is almost finished. The raw materials for the eight-treasure porridge have also been purchased, and the newly added equipment has been maintained."

"Once the last batch of pickled cucumbers is produced, we'll clean the machines, adjust the parameters, and immediately switch to producing canned eight-treasure porridge."

Factory Director Xie added, "After I finish my work in the next few days, I will organize another training session for the employees. The production process for eight-treasure porridge is different from that for canned yellow peaches, so we need to let everyone familiarize themselves with the operating procedures in advance to avoid problems during production."

Li Zhe nodded: "Okay, I'll have my mother come to the factory to help out later. She invented the recipe for Eight Treasure Porridge, so I'll have her help adjust the flavor and proportions to ensure that every batch of canned goods tastes the same."

The three then discussed the details of the eight-treasure porridge cans.

When discussing packaging, Li Zhenguo suggested, "Unlike canned peaches, eight-treasure porridge needs to be easy to carry. I don't think glass jars are suitable because they're easily broken. How about tin cans? They're small and lightweight, making them convenient to eat at home or take with you when you go out."

Factory Director Xie added, "The packaging design also needs to be improved to highlight the characteristics of 'home-style' and 'nutritious'. For example, printing a bowl of steaming eight-treasure porridge, along with the words 'exclusive secret recipe', can not only reflect the product's unique features but also make consumers feel a sense of familiarity."

Li Zhe thought their suggestion was reasonable and nodded, saying, "Okay, we'll use the tin box you suggested, with a design that highlights 'homestyle' and 'secret recipe'."

Factory Director Xie said, "I will show you the design plan as soon as it is completed."

Li Zhe nodded, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Another point is pricing. We need to consider costs, but also consumer acceptance. What do you think is a suitable price?"

After thinking for a moment, Director Xie said, "Most canned rice porridge on the market sells for 1.5 yuan a can. Our recipe is more unique and uses more ingredients, so we can set the price at 1.8 yuan a can. It won't be too expensive, but it will still show our difference."

Li Zhenguo shook his head slightly: "I think the price is a bit low. The canned food on the market uses very few ingredients, usually just rice, millet, mung beans, red beans, and sugar. Our company's eight-treasure porridge uses a lot of ingredients, so the cost is much higher, and the price should be higher."

Li Zhe thought for a moment and asked, "How many grams of the previous canned rice porridge?"

Li Zhenguo replied, "430 grams per can."

Li Zhe said, "Our eight-treasure porridge is richer in ingredients and nutrition. 430 grams is simply too much for the elderly and children to finish. I suggest adjusting it to 360 grams. If it tastes good, everyone will buy it again. If it doesn't taste good, no matter how much you make, it won't help."

Li Zhenguo and Factory Director Xie both nodded in agreement.

Factory Director Xie continued, "The canned yellow peaches opened up the market through radio advertising. We can continue to use this approach for eight-treasure porridge, and add some new features."

For example, salespeople could go to various supply and marketing cooperatives and grocery stores to conduct tasting events, allowing consumers to try the food first and then buy it if they like it.

Li Zhenguo lit a cigarette and took a puff: "We can also cooperate with the shops that used to sell canned yellow peaches, and have them put the eight-treasure porridge and canned yellow peaches together for sale, and do a 'buy two get one free' promotion to boost sales."

Li Zhe noted down these ideas, glanced at the calendar, and said, "Now that we've almost finished discussing this, and the pickled cucumber cans are almost finished producing, we should also put the eight-treasure porridge cans on the agenda as soon as possible, and have a certain amount of stock before 'Laba Festival'."

"To avoid making a fool of ourselves if we run ads but can't keep up with the supply."

Li Zhenguo and Factory Director Xie exchanged a glance, their faces full of smiles.

Li Zhenguo said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on production and adjust the flavor of the canned goods as soon as possible to start mass production."

Factory Director Xie rubbed his hands together: "If the eight-treasure porridge sells well, our company will have completely established itself in the domestic market!"

Li Zhe emphasized, "Production efficiency is important, but quality control is even more crucial. There must be absolutely no quality issues!"

(End of this chapter)