Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 91 President
Jianguomen Inner Street, Beijing.

Wang Jianjun rode a backward-facing donkey, wrapped up like a rice dumpling. He wasn't riding fast, always feeling that this thing wasn't as smooth to ride as a tricycle and was more prone to tipping over.

But there's no other way; our own vegetables are precious, and we don't feel at ease if we don't keep them in front of us and watch them.

After riding for about ten minutes, Wang Jianjun arrived at the Qianmen Roast Duck Restaurant. Instead of going through the front entrance, he went to the back entrance, stopped his donkey backwards, and called out, "Come out and get your food!"

A short while later, a young chef wearing a white hat came out from behind: "Hey, Chef Wang, you're really punctual, not a minute late!"

"I was afraid of delaying your meal, so I didn't dare to linger on the way." Wang Jianjun lifted a corner of the quilt and pointed to the vegetable basket outside. "These are your restaurant's vegetables. Please take them."

"Okay!" the young chef replied, taking the vegetable basket off the table and placing the empty basket next to it on top. "Take care."

"See you tomorrow," Wang Jianjun said, then rode off on his backwards donkey—he still had to deliver to the second house.

Wang Jianjun was walking along Chang'an Avenue when a tricycle came rushing towards him from the right side of the intersection.

With a "bang," the tricycle crashed into his backward-riding donkey.

Wang Jianjun was jolted by the impact, causing the truck to flip over and the vegetable baskets in the truck bed to tilt. Fortunately, they were covered with thick cotton blankets, so the baskets weren't seriously damaged.

"Hey! How do you ride a tricycle?" Wang Jianjun glared at the man riding the tricycle. He got off the tricycle, straightened the vegetable basket, and checked the cucumbers and spinach inside.

The spinach wasn't badly affected, but two cucumbers were chipped and broken, which made him quite distressed: "Look what you've done to my vegetables, how am I going to sell them?"

"I'm so sorry, a cat just darted out onto the road, and I was so busy dodging it that I didn't see you." The man riding the tricycle was thin. He apologized as he walked over and offered a cigarette, glancing at the vegetables in the basket: "Wow! These vegetables in your basket are unusual. Where did you get the spinach and cucumbers?"

Wang Jianjun was still angry and refused to take the cigarette: "Don't worry about where I got it. You've ruined the vegetables by driving around like this. What if someone gets hurt? Nobody rides a bike like that."

"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time. It was wrong of me to damage your vegetables. How about this—I'll buy the damaged vegetables, okay?"

Seeing that his attitude was good, Wang Jianjun's tone softened: "It's not a matter of whether you buy or not. The customer has already ordered vegetables, how can I explain if I shortchange them? Besides, my vegetables are seven yuan a pound..."

"Comrade, I don't like hearing you say that. Who can't afford a few cucumbers? Name your price, and I'll buy them!"

Wang Jianjun picked out two cucumbers with cracked skins: "I didn't bring a scale, so I can't weigh them for you. Let's just forget about them today. Please be more careful next time."

He was about to put the cucumber into the woven bag next to him when the thin man snatched it away, weighed it in his hand, and said, "I estimate it's less than a pound. Here's what I'll give you—six yuan, so you don't lose money, and I'll have a taste too."

As he spoke, he took out six yuan from his pocket and handed it to Wang Jianjun.

Seeing that the man was straightforward, Wang Jianjun felt relieved and took the money, saying, "Okay, thank you for your patronage. I have to deliver some goods now, so I won't chat with you any longer."

After saying that, Wang Jianjun rode away on his backwards donkey.

The lean man, riding on his bicycle, wiped the cucumber with his sleeve and took a bite with a crunch: "This cucumber is crisp and fresh, much fresher than the special cucumbers."

Wang Jianjun delivered the remaining vegetables to Donglaishun. Instead of going home, he rode a rickshaw to the police station's residential compound.

"Dong dong dong."

"Who is it?" a woman's voice came from inside the house.

"Auntie, I'm Jianjun."

The door opened, and Wu Fanghua, beaming with joy, stepped aside: "Jianjun, come in quickly!"

Wang Jianjun entered the living room carrying a woven bag: "Where's my uncle?"

"He's gone to the office, don't worry about him. Come on, sit on the sofa. What kind of tea would you like? We have jasmine, Longjing, and black tea at home."

"Auntie, don't bother. I came here today to bring you some vegetables so that you and my uncle can have a different taste."

When Wu Fanghua opened the woven bag, she saw that it contained spinach and cucumbers. The amount of vegetables was not large, but they looked fresh and green.

"Child, are these vegetables expensive?" "Not expensive at all. These cucumbers were all bruised during transport. Although they don't affect the taste, they won't fetch a high price. These vegetables are just for our own consumption, so please don't mind."

"Your family eats well at home, and your auntie is really happy about it! Have lunch here, and your auntie will cook you something delicious..."

In a corner of the apartment building, a man shivered from the cold, stamping his feet and sneezing: "Damn it, why isn't he coming out yet?"

……

In this small duty room of a dozen square meters, several men discussed until evening and finally drafted the cooperative's articles of association.

Full name: Daying Village Vegetable Production Cooperative, Langfang City, Hebei Province.

Purpose: In accordance with the household contract responsibility system policy, based on the principles of voluntary association, democratic management, and mutual assistance in development, we aim to integrate village collective resources, improve the efficiency of vegetable cultivation, and increase the income of our members.

Business scope: vegetable planting, collective procurement of agricultural materials, technology promotion, joint sales, integrated land development...

Members' rights: Priority in renting village collective tractors and irrigation equipment; members can apply to contract idle village collective land...

Obligations: To contribute 4 yuan per month as a club fee, and to promise to abide by the charter and collective labor arrangements...

Benefits: The cooperative centrally procures fertilizers and seeds, supplying them to members at cost price...

Membership requirements: Must be 18 years of age or older and registered in this village; existing members include Li Zhe, Zhu Yimin, Jin Baiwan, Li Zhenhua, Wang Rongsheng, Li Jiugang, and Li Zhiqiang.
Li Zhe was elected as the president (chairman of the board) and legal representative of the cooperative, and is in charge of daily operations.

The board of directors consists of four members: Zhu Yimin, Jin Baiwan, Li Zhenhua, and Li Jiugang. They assist the chairman in handling affairs and are in charge of production, sales, and other business.

One supervisor, Wang Tietou; accountant, Wang Rongsheng.
Although it was a makeshift operation, it was of great significance to Li Zhe. Under the dual-track economic system, lacking collective status put him in a very passive position, depriving him of even the right to participate in many things. The village collective's bowl wasn't big, but it gave him the right to serve.

In the evening, Li Zhe invited everyone to dinner to celebrate the official establishment of the vegetable cooperative.

Wang Xiuying stewed a pot of Chinese cabbage, with meat, vermicelli, and tofu. The aroma could be smelled from afar. This kind of big pot of stew tastes even better than abalone and lobster.

In winter, supplies become scarce, and meat is not as plentiful in the general stores as usual. I cut up two pieces of luncheon meat, a few salted duck eggs, a plate of smashed cucumber, and a serving of boiled peanuts, which will be my appetizer for dinner.

Li Zhe took out a package of Hongmei's food and handed it out to everyone: "The meal I prepared on short notice is a bit simple. Please forgive me if there are any shortcomings in our hospitality. In a few days, I will prepare more meat and treat everyone to a better meal."

Li Jiugang said, "Hey, what we eat isn't important. The point of men getting together is to have a good time. It's not bad to have a place like this for a gathering."

Jin Baiwan laughed and said, "Brother Li is too modest. Life is better now, and we can eat meat every few days. But not everyone can afford to eat cucumber salad in the dead of winter. This stuff is the perfect match for wine."

Party Secretary Wang put down his chopsticks: "Million, you're the one who doesn't lack meat. There are still many people in our village who crave meat. You're also a capable person. If you have the chance, you should help out the people in our village."

Jin Baiwan laughed and said, "Uncle Wang, don't worry. If our village needs to buy agricultural supplies in the future, I can help you find out the prices. If you want to sell vegetables, I can also help you find channels. It's no big deal."

Wang Tietou raised his glass: "Just for those words, I have to toast you."

"Oh, you flatter me. I can't let you toast me; I should be the one toasting you." Jin Baiwan picked up his wine glass with both hands, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.

Wang Tietou then said to Li Zhe, who was standing next to him, "Zhezi, you are now the head of the vegetable cooperative. How far this vegetable cooperative can develop in the future depends on you. If you need anything from the village committee, just come and find me. I can't say for sure about other things, but in our village, I still have a lot of influence."

"Uncle Wang, I feel at ease knowing you said that." Li Zhe also picked up his wine cup. "I'll drink this, you can drink as you like."

"I'll drink it too." Wang Tietou slurped down the wine in one gulp, emptying his glass, and quickly picked up a piece of cucumber to tide him over.

Seeing that Li Jiugang had also raised his glass and was looking at him, Wang Tietou quickly reached out to stop him: "No, no, I need to take a break. Jiugang, find someone else to drink with first. Find Brother Rongsheng, he can hold his liquor well."

Li Jiugang, holding his wine glass, turned to look at Wang Rongsheng beside him: "Uncle, I'd like to offer you a toast."

Everyone chatted and laughed, toasting each other for nearly two hours.

At 8 PM, the guests had all left. Li Zhe kept Jin Baiwan behind...

(End of this chapter)