Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 323 Regret
At noon, just as the canteen bell rang to signal lunch, Ge Qingshan greeted Zhu Yimin and rode his bicycle toward Yangma Village.

With Ma Changhe's greenhouse on his mind, he pedaled quickly and arrived at the east end of Yangma Village in just over ten minutes.

As soon as I got near the greenhouse, I saw Ma Changhe standing on the rammed earth wall next to it. He waved vigorously from afar, calling out, "Qingshan! This way!"

Ge Qingshan parked his bicycle next to the rammed earth wall and strode over. Ma Changhe also jumped off the wall and rushed to meet him, his face full of anxiety: "Qingshan, you're finally back! I was so worried!"

"Dad, don't worry, I'll take a look for you now." Ge Qingshan said, first walking around the outside of the greenhouse.

He patted the rammed earth wall with his hand; the wall was thick and solid, without any cracks, and the foundation was also very stable, so he couldn't see any problems. Next, he carefully inspected the perimeter of the greenhouse film; the edges were all tightly sealed with soil, there were no leaks, and he didn't find any signs of damage.

"Let's go inside and take a look," Ge Qingshan said, lifting the cotton curtain and walking into the greenhouse. Inside, it was indeed warmer than outside, but it was still noticeably inferior to the greenhouses of Sijiqing Company.

He walked to the rammed earth wall, picked up the thermometer hanging on it, which showed "17℃" - although it was a bit higher than in the morning, it was already noon and the sun was strong, so the temperature was still a bit low.

Ge Qingshan walked slowly through the greenhouse, carefully observing every detail: the rammed earth walls were thick enough, the depth of the greenhouse foundation excavation met the standards, and there were no gaps at the joints of the greenhouse film.

He stopped and stared at the greenhouse film for a long time before suddenly noticing a problem—the surface of the film was uneven, with many tiny air bubbles and some impurities, and the thickness was uneven when touched.

He walked to the entrance of the greenhouse and looked at the greenhouse film against the sunlight. The light transmission was not good, far inferior to the greenhouse film that the company bought from the Langfang City Plastics Factory.

"Dad, where did you buy this greenhouse film?" Ge Qingshan turned around and asked.

Ma Changhe paused for a moment before replying, "I bought it from the Wan'an Town Plastics Factory. It was much cheaper than the Langfang City Plastics Factory, and it was in stock, so I didn't have to wait. I thought it was a good deal at the time."

Ge Qingshan frowned and said with certainty, "Dad, if I'm not mistaken, the problem lies with the greenhouse film."

The greenhouse film you bought is substandard; it has poor heat retention and low light transmittance. During the day, it can't fully absorb sunlight to raise the temperature, and at night it can't maintain the temperature inside the greenhouse, which is why the temperature inside is so low.

"What?" Ma Changhe panicked immediately, his voice trembling slightly. "I spent over two thousand yuan on this greenhouse film! What if it doesn't work?"

Ge Qingshan sighed and said, "Dad, luckily you discovered it early. The impact on the seedlings isn't too great yet, they're just growing a little slower. If it had been any later, when the weather got colder and the temperature dropped further, the seedlings would have been frostbitten."

The only solution now is to quickly replace the greenhouse film with a qualified film that has good heat retention and high light transmittance.

After hearing this, Ma Changhe plopped down on the ground, slapping his thighs with both hands, his face full of despair: "Damn it, replace the greenhouse film? It's easier said than done! This greenhouse has already used up all the money in the family, where am I going to get the money to buy new film!"

Besides, if I could buy qualified greenhouse film, I wouldn't have gone all the way to Wan'an Town to buy it!

He looked up at Ge Qingshan, his eyes full of pleading, as if he had grasped at the last straw: "Qingshan, you have to help your father think of a way! Your younger brother is only four months old, your sisters are still in school, and the whole family is counting on my greenhouse to make money!"
If the vegetables in this greenhouse freeze, our whole family will starve! You can't just ignore this!"

Seeing his father-in-law's anxious expression, Ge Qingshan felt bad too. He sighed and said, "Dad, it's not that I don't want to help, but I really don't have the ability."

Ma Changhe hurriedly said, "Doesn't your company have access to qualified greenhouse film? You're the team leader now, so you must have connections. Why don't you use your connections to help Dad buy some greenhouse film first?"

"I should change into it while it's still not too cold, so I can still make it in time."

Ge Qingshan looked troubled, but his tone was helpless yet firm: "Dad, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the company has a rule that greenhouse film should be given priority to growers who have signed cooperative planting agreements with the company."

You haven't signed an agreement with the company. If I buy it for you without authorization, I'll be violating regulations, which will not only punish me but also cause trouble for the company. I really can't help you with this."

"What about the seedlings? It's getting colder and colder, we can't just watch them freeze to death!" Ma Changhe's voice was trembling with tears.

Ge Qingshan thought for a moment: "If the temperature is too low at night, let's burn charcoal to raise the temperature."

"Charcoal burning? That would cost so much!" Ma Changhe suddenly stood up, his voice trembling.

"We have to burn charcoal, no matter how expensive it is, we can't let the seedlings freeze to death." Ge Qingshan instructed, "Also, we must pay attention to fire prevention and not set the greenhouse film on fire. In addition, we must use exhaust pipes and carbon monoxide alarms when burning charcoal, otherwise it is easy to get poisoned and it will also damage the seedlings."

"Charcoal is too expensive, how about burning wood?" Ma Changhe asked.

"Dad, how could you be so confused!" Ge Qingshan said helplessly. "Didn't my second cousin say last year that burning wood produces a lot of smoke and ash, and it's easy to produce carbon monoxide, which pollutes the air in the greenhouse, damages the seedlings, and poses a safety hazard?"

Burning smokeless coal provides a more stable heat output than wood, but it still produces smoke. Only burning smokeless charcoal ensures complete combustion, produces less smoke, and provides a longer-lasting heat, making it safer for both seedlings and people.

Ma Changhe lowered his head, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled: "Qingshan, I'll listen to you and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy charcoal in a little while. But about the membrane, can you help your father think of a solution?"

Looking at his father-in-law's expression, Ge Qingshan felt a pang of guilt. After all, they were family, and he couldn't just ignore them.

After a moment of silence, he nodded: "I understand. I will inquire further to see if there are any other channels besides the company to purchase qualified greenhouse film."

……

Wan'an Town Canned Food Factory.

A few days ago, after the production of pickled cucumbers was completed, the factory organized a thorough cleaning.

Factory Director Xie led a group of people to clean the factory area, while Li Zhenguo led another group to clean the machines and production lines.

To outsiders, such a large-scale cleaning might seem like a signal that the factory is about to shut down, but the workers inside know that it's not a shutdown at all, but rather preparation for the production of new varieties of canned goods.

After the major cleaning was completed, some employees took turns to rest and have a holiday, while others stayed at the factory to assist in the research and development of canned eight-treasure porridge. Zhong Lingling was one of the employees who stayed behind—her position was quality inspector.

At this moment, a production line in the factory had already been started, and was trial-producing the newly developed eight-treasure porridge canned goods. Zhong Lingling, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and a red "quality inspector" badge pinned to her chest, was staring at the canned goods boxes at the end of the production line.

Not far away, Wang Xiuying, dressed in the same light gray uniform as the workers, with her mask pulled down to her chin, was sniffing the ingredients in front of the container.

She held a small notebook in her hand, filled with the proportions of various ingredients. This was her experience in developing the recipe for eight-treasure porridge over the past two months.

I used to be quite adept at cooking at home in a small pot, but now that I've seen the mass production process on the production line, I realize the huge difference between hand-cooking and machine-made products. This experience has truly broadened my horizons.

In the courtyard outside the workshop, Li Zhenguo had already had a large pot set up in the factory area, with a table next to it.

After leaving the production workshop, Wang Xiuying immediately began preparing to cook the handmade eight-treasure porridge, putting the pre-soaked red beans, red dates, lotus seeds and other ingredients into the pot one by one.

As the heat slowly rises, the porridge in the pot quickly becomes thick and the aroma gradually spreads.

Although Director Xie and Li Zhenguo did not explicitly reveal Wang Xiuying's identity to the employees, "there are no secrets that stay hidden forever"—most of the factory's employees were locals from Wan'an Town, and with a little inquiry, they could easily guess that this "Consultant Wang" was none other than General Manager Li's mother.

For this reason, people around Wang Xiuying naturally showed her more respect.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the entire cannery was filled with the aroma of eight-treasure porridge. It was hard to tell whether it was cooked by Wang Xiuying by hand or mass-produced on the production line. Just then, Zhong Lingling walked out of the workshop carrying a plastic basket filled with freshly produced tin cans of eight-treasure porridge.

She called out to Li Zhenguo and Wang Xiuying, "Director Li, Consultant Wang, the eight-treasure porridge is ready!" Li Zhenguo immediately stepped forward and asked with concern, "Is there any quality problem with the eight-treasure porridge?"

Zhong Lingling replied with a smile, "I've checked everything—the lid isn't bulging, and it sounds crisp when you tap it, so the seal is definitely fine."

"That's good." Li Zhenguo breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Have you tasted it?"

"Not yet, it just cooled down, so I rushed it over," Zhong Lingling said.

“Alright, let’s all try it.” Li Zhenguo said, opening a can of eight-treasure porridge and handing it to Wang Xiuying, “Sister-in-law, you try it first.”

Wang Xiuying took the can of food and said with a smile, "There are bowls over there, let's share it among the three of us—I can't finish it all by myself." This wasn't her being pretentious; she had simply drunk too much of the eight-treasure porridge she had been developing during this period and was really "afraid" of it.

Zhong Lingling quickly went to the table next to her and took three empty bowls. Wang Xiuying divided the eight-treasure porridge in the can evenly between the two of them, and the three of them enjoyed the canned food that had just been produced by the machine.

Li Zhenguo took a few bites and nodded: "The taste is not bad, it has the basic flavor."

Wang Xiuying smacked her lips, put down her bowl, walked to the large iron pot in the yard, gently stirred the homemade porridge in the pot with a spoon, and then turned to Li Zhenguo and Zhong Lingling and said, "My pot is ready too, you should try it and compare."

As she spoke, she served each of them a spoonful of handmade eight-treasure porridge.

Li Zhenguo took the bowl, savored it for a moment, frowned slightly, and said to Wang Xiuying, "Sister-in-law, give me another spoonful."

Wang Xiuying added another spoonful for him. After finishing the second spoonful, Li Zhenguo put down the bowl and said, "I feel that yours tastes better—it's thicker, the ingredients are chewier, and the aroma of each ingredient is better preserved, unlike machine-made ones, which have a slightly 'uniform' flavor."

Zhong Lingling nodded in agreement: "I also think that Consultant Wang's cooking is better, especially the red dates and lotus seeds, which have a richer flavor."

Li Zhenguo immediately followed up, "Sister-in-law, how do you think we should adjust the recipe for the production line? We need to narrow the difference in taste."

Wang Xiuying pondered for a while, then pointed to the freshly produced canned goods and said seriously, "I think the problem might be with the timing of when the ingredients are put into the pot—some ingredients are put in too early and cooked for too long, so they lose their chewiness and their original flavor is lost."

For example, red beans and red dates cooked in a machine become too soft, losing the grainy texture of red beans and the sweetness of red dates.

In addition, the overall viscosity is a bit lacking, possibly because the cooking temperature and time weren't controlled properly. The machine's temperature was even, but it lacked the 'smoky' quality of slow, hand-cooked food.

She spoke with great seriousness—this was her son's company, and naturally she had to do her best to help ensure its success.

After listening, Li Zhenguo turned to Zhong Lingling and said, "Xiao Zhong, after this batch is finished, call out the other employees who stayed behind and let them all try these two kinds of eight-treasure porridge. Let's gather more feedback."

“Okay, supervisor,” Zhong Lingling replied, and immediately turned to inform the other employees.

Soon, the workers who had finished their work came into the yard one after another and began to taste the two kinds of eight-treasure porridge: one hand-cooked and the other machine-produced.

Most people think Wang Xiuying's version tastes better, while a few feel that both have their own unique characteristics—machine-made versions are easier to preserve and have a more delicate texture.

Li Zhenguo took a small notebook and carefully recorded everyone's opinions one by one, and would later select the valuable suggestions.

Around 4 PM, a white Volga sedan slowly drove into the factory area. The car door opened, and Li Zhe and Wang Jianjun got out.

Li Zhe was wearing a dark blue suit and carrying a briefcase. As soon as he got out of the car, he smelled the aroma of eight-treasure porridge. "Second Uncle, Mom, I can smell this aroma from far away."

When Wang Xiuying saw her son, a smile immediately appeared on her face. Then, seeing Wang Jianjun, she asked happily, "Jianjun, why are you back too? Didn't you say you were going to oversee the renovation of the new restaurant?"

Wang Jianjun replied with a smile, "Auntie, it's been a few days since I've seen you! Zhezi is going back to the factory today, so I hitched a ride with him to come back and see you and everyone."

“You’re back just in time. Come and try the eight-treasure porridge that your aunt just cooked.” Wang Xiuying pulled Wang Jianjun to the table and pointed to the big iron pot and the canned food on the table, saying, “This is handmade by your aunt, and that is made on the factory production line—try which one you like and give me your opinion.”

Wang Jianjun and Li Zhe each tried two different kinds of eight-treasure porridge.

Wang Jianjun put down his bowl and said directly, "Auntie, I think yours tastes better; the machine-made ones are softer and more tender."

Li Zhe nodded, then turned to Li Zhenguo beside him and asked, "Second Uncle, have the workers tasted it? What did they say?"

Li Zhengguo handed over the notebook in his hand, "I had someone write down all the workers' opinions, take a look."

Li Zhe took the notebook and looked at it carefully. He said, "Most of the workers feel that the eight-treasure porridge produced by the machine tastes slightly worse. We still need to make some adjustments."

Li Zhenguo continued, "I just discussed a few points with my sister-in-law—first, the order in which the ingredients are put into the pot needs to be changed. For ingredients like red beans and lotus seeds that take longer to cook, we can put them in first and cook them for 20 minutes. Then we can add red dates and longan that are easy to cook until they are soft. Finally, we can add glutinous rice just before the dish is done. This way, we can preserve the texture of each ingredient."

Secondly, the cooking temperature is important. The machine is currently kept at a constant temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. Perhaps it could be adjusted to cook at a high temperature for 30 minutes first, and then simmer at a low temperature for 20 minutes, simulating the "gentle and strong heat" of hand-cooking. This would increase the viscosity and lock in the aroma.

In addition, a 'pre-soaking' step needs to be added. Currently, the ingredients are put directly into the pot. Next time, I can soak them in warm water for 2 hours beforehand to allow them to absorb enough water. This will prevent them from falling apart during cooking, reduce cooking time, and avoid them becoming too mushy.

Li Zhe listened attentively, nodding occasionally, and added, "Second Uncle, I think the 'venting' step before sealing could be extended by 10 seconds? When I tasted it just now, the machine-made canned food tasted a bit 'musty,' which might be because the venting wasn't completely removed, affecting the taste."

The two discussed the matter very seriously, one after the other. Li Zhe had high hopes for the canned eight-treasure porridge, after all, it was a key new product for the company to expand into the domestic market. If the taste was not up to standard, no amount of subsequent promotion would be of any use.

Therefore, they want to adjust even the slightest differences in taste to achieve the best possible result.

On the other side, Wang Jianjun was curious about the production process of the cannery, so Wang Xiuying took him on a tour of the factory, from the food washing area to the packaging area at the end of the production line, explaining the production details of the eight-treasure porridge as they walked.

Zhong Lingling stood not far away, watching Wang Jianjun's back, her feelings extremely complicated.

If she wasn't mistaken, the young man in the black leather jacket should be the blind date that her aunt Zhang Yuzhen had introduced to her.

When his aunt first proposed the marriage, his parents strongly opposed it—saying that Wang Jianjun's mother had abandoned her family and gone to Hong Kong, that the family's values ​​were not upright, and that he had grown up in a single-parent family and might have personality flaws, so they insisted on canceling the marriage.

It wasn't until she met Wang Jianjun today and learned that he was President Li's cousin that Zhong Lingling felt a pang of regret.

She secretly sized up Wang Jianjun: of medium height, with a neat side parting, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, much more stylish and fashionable than most of the factory workers who wore work clothes, and he also spoke with a straightforward manner.

"Sigh..." Zhong Lingling sighed softly—it would be a lie to say she didn't regret it.

If I had persisted back then, or if my parents hadn't been so stubborn, and I had actually married Wang Jianjun, with the Li family as my backing, my situation at the factory would probably be different. Maybe I could have found an easier job like Li Hongying.

But it was too late to regret it—she simply couldn't bring herself to ask her aunt Zhang Yuzhen to go to the man's house to mediate again.

"If I have to blame someone, I can only blame my bad luck," Zhong Lingling thought to herself, then turned and carried the empty basket back to the workshop...

(End of this chapter)