Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 90 Joining the gang
Early in the morning.

The first thing Li Zhe does after getting up is to inspect the vegetables in the greenhouse.

These vegetables were what he missed most in Beijing. Although he had a lot to do in the capital, he would feel uneasy every day or two and would want to come back to check on the seedlings.

Li Zhe first went to greenhouse number 4. The green peppers and strawberries were growing well, but they were still some time away from ripening. A small amount of lettuce was already edible, so Li Zhe picked one to add to his breakfast.

Greenhouse No. 1 is still the main source of income, the second batch of cucumbers is about to ripen, and the broccoli will be ready soon too.

In his past life, Li Zhe grew broccoli for several years but never really liked it, always finding it bland and not as tasty as cauliflower when stir-fried. It was only by chance that he ate a cold broccoli salad and discovered the correct way to eat this dish.

Li Zhe entered greenhouse number 2 and saw Zhou Qinghe standing next to the mushroom logs recording data. He was no longer his usual carefree self and was much more serious.

Li Zhe also went over to check; the mushrooms had only been planted recently and hadn't changed much yet.

Zhou Qinghe then noticed him: "Why do you walk so quietly?"

"You're working too hard; I've even considered paying you a salary," Li Zhe said with a smile. He had genuinely thought about it. Even if Zhou Qinghe didn't want a salary, he would still give her a red envelope (cash gift) once the mushrooms were harvested and sold.

"Are you trying to distract me? Be careful, or I might actually ask you for your wages!" Zhou Qinghe looked thinner than when she arrived.

Li Zhe asked, "Are you settling in well?"

"It's great, I'm not used to anything. My sister-in-law is good to me, and my aunt's cooking is delicious. Most importantly, your greenhouse is perfect for growing mushrooms. If you can grow a whole greenhouse of mushrooms next year, I guarantee you'll make a fortune."

“Work is important, but you also need to balance work and rest. Why don’t you go back to Beijing and rest for a few days? Sun Tao asks about you every day.” Li Zhe felt that if Zhou Qinghe didn’t go back and show her face, Sun Tao might really follow her back.

Zhou Qinghe replied dismissively, "We'll see."

"Is Brother Li here?" The curtain of tent number 2 was lifted, and Zhu Yimin walked in from outside. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked listless, lacking his usual energy.

Li Zhe greeted him warmly: "Are you feeling better, Brother Zhu?"

"I'm much better. I can't stay idle at home. I just want to go and do something." Zhu Yimin glanced at Li Zhe, then at Zhou Qinghe, and finally his gaze fell on the neatly stacked mushroom sticks.

"Brother Li, you're going to grow mushrooms?" He gave a thumbs up. "I'm truly impressed this time. You can even grow mushrooms!"

Zhu Yimin strode over: "Last year, I heard Jin Baiwan mention a mushroom grower in Gu County, so I went to visit him. I barely hinted that I wanted to learn from him before I was kicked out. Where did you learn this? You really do look like a pro!"

Li Zhe laughed and said, "Brother Zhu, you think too highly of me. I don't have that ability. The guy next to you is the real expert in growing mushrooms."

Zhu Yimin turned to look at Zhou Qinghe, his expression somewhat complicated, a mixture of surprise and doubt: "This girl doesn't look like she's from our village."

Li Zhe introduced, "This is Zhou Qinghe, a top student from Beijing Agricultural University." He then said to Zhou Qinghe, "Didn't you say that greenhouse No. 4 is a bit different from the other greenhouses? This guy is the one who built greenhouse No. 4."

The two exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised and a little appreciative.

"My apologies, Zhou. This is the first time I've ever met a college student!"

Zhou Qinghe also smiled and said, "Brother Zhu, although this is our first time meeting, I've heard a lot about you. Li Zhe even said that you are the best cook in Daying Village, a rare talent."

Zhu Yimin waved his hand: "You can't praise me like that! Putting everything else aside, I just can't grow these mushrooms. One year I grew a bunch of mixed fungi, and I was so angry that I burned them as firewood."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "Now that you two have met, there will be plenty of time to chat in the future. Brother Zhu, let's find another place to talk."

Zhu Yimin responded and followed Li Zhe outside, occasionally turning his head to look at the neatly arranged mushroom logs.

Upon entering greenhouse number 1, Li Zhe poured a jar of tea and handed it to Zhu Yimin. Having grown accustomed to the teaware of Beijing, drinking tea from a large jar felt somewhat incomplete.

Li Zhe didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Brother Zhu, I heard you want to work with me?" Zhu Yimin was a little reserved when he came, but after seeing the mushroom sticks in greenhouse No. 2, his idea became even stronger: "I don't have any other skills, I just know how to grow vegetables, and I like to think about growing vegetables. Rather than staying at home in the dead of winter, I might as well do something in the greenhouse."

"Brother Zhu, do you want to work for me long-term? Or are you thinking of taking back the greenhouse and starting your own business after the lease expires in six months?"

Zhu Yimin was stunned for a moment, not expecting Li Zhe to ask so directly: "I haven't thought about it either..." He felt powerless when he thought about the troubles at home.

Working under Li Zhe, he doesn't need to think too much. Even if he wants to go solo someday, he has to sort out his family affairs first, otherwise he simply won't have the motivation.

Li Zhe said, "Brother Zhu, if you want to work with me, then stay. I only have one requirement: as long as you stay here for one day, just focus on growing the vegetables well. If you want to leave, tell me half a month in advance."

Zhu Yimin is an experienced vegetable grower, and Li Zhe desperately needs a helper like him. If only immediate benefits are considered, he is even more important than Zhou Qinghe.

Old Li and his uncle were farmers who had spent half their lives cultivating the land, but they lacked experience in large-scale vegetable farming, far inferior to Zhu Yimin, the vegetable farmer. With Zhu Yimin helping to tend the greenhouse vegetables, he felt more at ease staying in Beijing.

Now it was Zhu Yimin's turn to be surprised: "Brother Li, you really agreed?"

"accepted."

"Aren't you afraid I'll steal your vegetable-growing skills and start my own business next year?"

"Brother Zhu, we're from the same village, don't be so formal." Li Zhe wasn't afraid at all. Next year, plenty of people would follow suit and plant greenhouses; one more Zhu Yimin wouldn't make a difference. Next year, the two of them would be on completely different tracks.

Zhu Yimin didn't hesitate any longer, his tone firm: "Brother Li, I'm willing to work with you! As long as I work for one day, I will definitely take good care of the vegetables in the greenhouse."

"That's enough. Let's go eat."

Li Zhe took Zhu Yimin to shed number 3 and announced the hiring of Zhu Yimin.

The people present had different expressions, and Old Li also felt very sad. When Zhu Yimin first followed the trend of building greenhouses, he regarded Zhu Yimin as a rival and was always wary of him. Later, when Zhu Yimin suffered from ammonia poisoning, he felt sorry for him. Now, Zhu Yimin is working with him and eating from the same pot.

Since my son started building the greenhouse, although it's busy and tiring, the monotonous days have become more meaningful and interesting.

Village Committee Duty Room.

As the weather gets colder, fewer people are working at the village committee office, but Wang Tietou still comes to the village committee on time, rain or shine. He turns on the coal stove, boils a kettle of water, sits by the stove to warm himself, reads the newspaper, and occasionally jots down a few sentences in his notebook with a ballpoint pen.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside: "Secretary Wang! Is Secretary Wang here?"

"Yes, come in."

Old Li pushed open the door and walked in, followed by Li Zhe, Zhu Yimin, Jin Baiwan, and Wang Rongsheng.

"Whoa! What happened at the greenhouse? Why did you all come all of a sudden?" Wang Tietou glared, thinking that someone had gone to the greenhouse to cause trouble.

"No, no!" Old Li explained with a smile, "Secretary Wang, we wanted to ask about the vegetable cooperative. Didn't you say before that the village committee agreed to set it up? We haven't heard anything since, so we came to check on it."

"I've agreed, but the bylaws haven't been finalized yet. I'll let you know as soon as they're done."

Li Zhe suggested, "Uncle Wang, all the vegetable growers from our village are here today, what's the rush? Let's discuss it this afternoon!"

Wang Tietou glanced over and, sure enough, not only had the Li family arrived, but Jin Baiwan and Zhu Yimin were also there. "Yimin, how are you feeling?"

"Uncle Wang, I'm much better now. Thank you for your concern."

Seeing this, Wang Tietou said, "Alright, let's discuss it this afternoon."

(End of this chapter)