Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 95 Militia
In the morning, at the Li family's field.

The village's reserved land is separated from Li's land by a dirt road, and Li Zhe had already chosen a location to build the greenhouse.

He invited the village secretary over and pointed to the plot of land in front of him: "Uncle Wang, this land is close to my house, and I'd like to rent it. Building a greenhouse there will make it easier to take care of both sides." Besides being close to the Li family's land, this land also had another advantage: it was situated on higher ground.

Wang Tietou stepped onto the frosty dirt road, squinting as he surveyed the open space: "You're really something, kid. You managed to carve this out yourself. Alright, you can rent the village land first. How many acres of vegetable greenhouses are you planning to build this time?"

Li Zhe rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold: "I plan to dig out the foundation of the 20 mu of land I've leased. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the rural credit cooperative and give Director Sun the supply contracts for Donglaishun and Quanjude, and try to get as much loan amount as possible."

"Old Sun called me yesterday and said he didn't expect you to actually secure the supply order from Quanjude," Wang Tietou remarked, then followed up with, "With the weather getting colder, when do you plan to start construction?"

Li Zhe kicked away the clod of dirt under his feet and replied, "Boss Jin came to my house last night and said he has already contacted an excavator. If everything goes smoothly, construction should begin this afternoon."

"Wow, that's pretty fast. How many people are you planning to hire this time? It's the off-season for farming now, and although the weather is cold, some people are still willing to come out and earn money." Wang Tietou also hopes that the villagers can earn more money to buy more New Year's goods and have a prosperous New Year.

Li Zhe wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter around himself and was about to speak when suddenly a bicycle sped along the dirt road. The accountant riding it, Feng, shouted from afar, "Secretary, the town called and wants you to go to a meeting right away!"

Wang Tietou asked, "What happened?"

Accountant Feng replied, "They didn't say that on the phone, but they told you to go to town immediately."

"Alright, give me your bicycle." Wang Tietou snatched Accountant Feng's bicycle and said to Lao Li and Li Zhe, "We'll talk about hiring later. I'm going to town now."

Without waiting for Li Zhe's reply, he got on his bicycle and rode away.

Old Li and Accountant Feng exchanged a few pleasantries, but Accountant Feng, feeling the cold weather, returned to the village committee after only a few words.

Old Li and his son used lime to spread straight lines, marking out the excavation locations for the greenhouse foundation.

Jin Baiwan was quite reliable; he found three excavators in the afternoon. After meeting the workers, Li Zhe first offered them cigarettes, then showed the three workers the excavation site and briefly explained the requirements: first, dig a 30-centimeter-deep layer of fertile soil and place it on the south side of the pit for easy backfilling; then, dig a one-meter-deep layer of soil and place it on the north side of the pit.

These days, only experienced workers can operate excavators, so Li Zhe's request was simple for them. With the weather getting colder, most construction companies had already stopped work; rather than staying idle at home, it was better to come out and earn some extra money.

Li Zhe then gave each of them a pack of cigarettes, and the three excavator operators started working immediately without saying a word.

Old Li squatted down on the edge of the field, lit a cigarette, and exclaimed, "Wow, this machine is really amazing. The ground is starting to freeze. If we were to dig it by hand, it would take a lot of effort."

Li Zhe continued, "We'll have to hire some people to build the rammed earth wall later."

Old Li asked, "How many people are you planning to recruit this time?"

Li Zhe replied, "Let's recruit more people. Keep an eye out for those who are honest and hardworking; we'll keep them. As the number of greenhouses increases, we won't be able to manage with just these few people."

Old Li nodded: "You're right, we need to hire a few more reliable people."

The commotion at Li's land was quite significant, attracting many villagers to watch the spectacle.

When the Li family first started building their greenhouse, it attracted a lot of attention from the villagers, who were all curious whether cucumbers could grow there in the winter. Later, when the Zhu family's greenhouse had an accident, the villagers felt that greenhouses were dangerous and a menace, and their curiosity faded. Now that the Li family is making a big fuss again, the villagers' curiosity has been reignited: Did Old Li's cucumbers freeze to death?
Some villagers who knew about the situation also saw the Li family sending vegetables to Beijing...

"Make way, what are you all doing blocking the road?" Wang Tietou shouted as he rode his bicycle.

An old man chuckled and teased, "Hey, Secretary Wang, where have you been riding your bicycle in this freezing weather? Your beard's practically frozen into icicles."

"Old Hu is just spouting nonsense. Next time you quarrel with your wife, don't come to me to mediate."

Wang Tietou parked his bicycle and headed towards the Li family. Looking at the excavator that had already started working, he said, "Wow, you're pretty quick. You've already started working?"

"Brother Jin is awesome, he found three machines right away, so we won't dawdle. The later it gets, the colder it gets, and the harder it will be to dig the ground." Li Zhe said with a smile, "Uncle Wang, did you just come back from town? Have you eaten yet? If not, come to my place for a bite to eat."

Wang Tietou waved his hand: "I've already eaten, but it's terribly cold today. Let me come to your house for a cup of hot water."

Li Zhe sensed that the other person didn't seem to be just drinking water, but rather had something to say to him. The two went into greenhouse number 3 together, and Li Zhe poured him a tub of hot water: "Uncle Wang, what happened in town? They urgently called you over."

Wang Tietou took a sip of hot water and said, "Yesterday, two vegetable vendors came from the capital and went all over the surrounding villages, asking around about who grew vegetable greenhouses, saying they wanted to buy cucumbers. I guess those two lost money and got robbed outside Beizhuang Village."

Li Zhe pondered for a moment and then said, "No outsiders came to our greenhouse yesterday."

"The two couldn't find a place, so they headed back home as it got late. They were intercepted on the way. The one riding the motorcycle was hit on the head with a stick and was completely stunned. The person on the back of the motorcycle tried to run away, but was caught and beaten even worse. He still has a bruised and swollen face and a broken head. He'll probably be in bed for a while."

Wang Tietou became increasingly angry as he spoke, "Those highway robbers are real bastards. They just robbed people of their money, and then they stripped them naked. The two of them went to the village for help in their underwear and almost got arrested as hooligans."

Thinking of the motorcycle that had traveled the same route as them yesterday afternoon, Li Zhe guessed that it probably wasn't just about harvesting vegetables. "Uncle Wang, what are those two people's names?"

"Sigh, I can't remember the names of the other people, but there's one named Ma De that I remember clearly. What, do you know him?"

"I don't really remember, I'm just asking." Li Zhe roughly knew what was going on, but there was no need to bring it up. "Uncle Wang, what does it mean that the town sent you there?"

"Mayor Liu said that accidents tend to happen around the end of the year, and he told our village to be more vigilant. Those who are capable should organize the militia for night patrols. He also asked all the villages to help investigate the whereabouts of those robbers, so that they won't come back to harm people again."

These days, poverty breeds boldness. Li Zhe, who transports vegetables to Beijing every day, is always worried about getting into trouble on the road. Ma De is from Beijing, and if something happens to them, it will definitely attract the attention of local leaders, and public security management will be stricter, which is a good thing for Li Zhe.

"Uncle Wang, if our village organizes militia patrols, could you set up my greenhouse as a patrol point? Also, my family is currently expanding the greenhouse, and we don't have enough manpower to do the work. Could you find two militiamen to accompany us on the delivery?"

Wang Tietou glared at him: "You're just dreaming. Even if I agree, do you think the rest of the village will?"

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, I'd like to donate some money in the name of the vegetable cooperative to subsidize the militia members who participate in patrols and escorting vehicles. What do you think?"

Wang Tietou was initially facing a dilemma—the town hadn't allocated any funds, and the village could only offer limited subsidies. Organizing militia patrols in this freezing weather would inevitably lead to complaints and dissatisfaction among some militia members. If Li Zhe could actually provide some subsidies, things would be much easier to handle.

“It’s good that you’re willing to do your part for the village. Let’s discuss some rules later.”

(End of this chapter)