60s: I have a store

Chapter 631 The Excited Villagers
After seeing Zhou Yimin off, Village Chief Wang was still unable to calm down for a long time.

You know, he had been eyeing the plastic greenhouses in Zhoujiazhuang for a long time, and now that he finally had the chance to get a "same model", how could he not be excited?

Village Chief Wang clutched the paper with the price written by Zhou Yimin, wanting to share the good news with everyone in the village immediately. However, he thought that since it was such an important matter, he should hold a village-wide meeting to explain it clearly, so he suppressed the urge to tell everyone he met.

After finally waiting until evening, Village Chief Wang ate a few bites of rice, left his home, and went to the Shangshui Village Broadcasting Station.

The villagers of Shangshui Village had just finished dinner and hadn't even had time to clean up their dishes when they heard the loudspeaker at the village entrance blaring.

It was Village Chief Wang's voice, brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Attention everyone! After dinner, come to the village threshing ground! We're having a village-wide meeting; I have some great news to tell you all!"

The night was still chilly, and the wind made people instinctively shrink their necks.

However, the words "great thing" piqued the curiosity of the villagers in Shangshui Village. A small number of people already knew what the great thing was, but the villagers still wrapped their cotton-padded coats tightly and walked towards the threshing ground in twos and threes.

Two kerosene lamps were lit in the middle of the threshing ground, their dim light dispelling a small patch of darkness. The villagers stood in a circle around the lamps, some squatting on the ground rubbing their hands, others tucking their hands into their sleeves, whispering about what good news it could be.

Standing by the lantern, Village Chief Wang saw that almost everyone had arrived, cleared his throat, and got straight to the point: "I called everyone here today because I have something important to say. The plastic for our village's plastic greenhouses has been secured!"

He held up the paper in his hand and waved it: "Today, Zhou Yimin from Zhoujiazhuang came to our village to help us finalize the plastic issue. It all comes down to just 300 yuan for the plastic in the three greenhouses!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a low gasp of surprise immediately rose from the threshing ground.

Many villagers smiled with delight and whispered among themselves.

"Really? Only three hundred yuan? That's incredibly cheap!"

"That's right! I was worried it would cost seven or eight hundred, but it's actually less than I expected!"

"That's great! With this money to build greenhouses, we can not only have fresh vegetables to eat in winter, but also make money by selling them!"

Voices of approval rose and fell, and several villagers who had previously gone to Zhoujiazhuang with Village Chief Wang to see the greenhouses were even more excited, slapping their thighs and saying, "I knew this greenhouse would work! Three hundred yuan for fresh vegetables and income in winter, it's such a good deal! We'll make money when we sell them."

But soon, dissenting voices emerged.

An elderly man with gray hair stepped out from the crowd, frowned, and said, "Village chief, I don't think this is appropriate."

"Three hundred yuan is still money! That's several months' collective income for our village, and we're just going to spend it on plastic greenhouses?"

"Besides, our village has relied on the weather for generations. We survived without plastic greenhouses, didn't we? We ate cabbage and radishes from cellars in winter and didn't go hungry. Why waste money on this?"

As soon as the old man spoke, many villagers nodded in agreement.

A middle-aged woman chimed in, "Yes, village chief! Wouldn't it be more practical to use this money to repair the leaky roofs in the village than to build greenhouses?"

"Exactly. I heard that plastic isn't durable. If it gets blown apart or crushed by strong winds and heavy snow, we'll have to spend money to buy new ones. Wouldn't that be a waste of three hundred yuan?"

For a time, the threshing ground was divided into two factions.

Those who agree think that 300 yuan is not much, but it can bring long-term benefits and is worthwhile.

Those who opposed the idea felt that 300 yuan was a huge sum, and if it went down the drain, it would be a heavy blow to Shangshui Village.

The two groups each held their own version of events, their voices growing louder and louder. The flames of the lanterns flickered in the wind, casting flickering light on the villagers' faces.

Village Chief Wang looked at the arguing villagers but did not speak immediately.

This money is village collective property, so it's normal for everyone to have different opinions. However, looking at this scene, if we don't say something, the argument will probably go on until next year without any result.

Village Chief Wang knew that the longer this matter dragged on, the more doubts people would have. He had to settle this matter tonight.

He raised his hand and pressed down, waiting for the scene to quiet down a bit before saying in a deep voice, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me for a moment."

As soon as these words were spoken, the threshing ground became much quieter.

Village Chief Wang continued, "I know everyone's concerns, but the reason why the village is able to live the life it has now is more or less related to Zhoujiazhuang."

"Why isn't Zhoujiazhuang afraid of losing money? They've already broken even in the last year or two. As long as they can hold on, it's pure profit."

The villagers who had previously objected nodded silently after hearing this; Village Chief Wang was telling the truth.

They had heard of the plastic greenhouses in Zhoujiazhuang and had been envious of them before, but as life in the village improved, they stopped thinking about it.

After all, in these difficult times, being able to have enough to eat is already a very good thing.

The white-haired old man who had just objected gradually relaxed his brow, muttering to himself, "That's true, but about the greenhouse..."

Village Chief Wang saw right through the old man's thoughts. He walked over to him and softened his tone: "Uncle Zhang, I know what you're worried about. If we don't seize this opportunity now, the village will never have another chance to live a better life."

Grandpa Zhang understood what Village Chief Wang meant, so he didn't continue to object.

The fact that the villagers can have enough to eat is thanks to the efforts of Village Chief Wang.

At this moment, Wang Jianguo also spoke up in support: "I think the village chief is right! Last year, when it came to buying grain and feed, wasn't it always Village Chief Wang who was thinking of our village?"

After hearing this, everyone understood what was going on.

Soon, more and more voices of agreement emerged.

Yes! I agree!

"I agree! We trust Village Chief Wang to get things done!"

The voices of approval grew louder and louder, and even the villagers who had previously opposed the idea gradually softened their stance.

Seeing the change in everyone's attitude, Village Chief Wang breathed a sigh of relief and raised his voice to ask, "Does anyone have any other opinions? If not, let's finalize this today and get the greenhouse built as soon as possible!"

There was a few seconds of silence in the threshing ground, then someone shouted, "No objections! We'll listen to Village Chief Wang!"

Immediately, more people chimed in, "No objections! Build greenhouses!"

Grandpa Zhang said to Village Chief Wang, "Village Chief, since everyone agrees, I won't object either. We trust you to get things done, just be careful during construction and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Don't worry, Uncle Zhang! I'll definitely keep an eye on things!" Village Chief Wang finally smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

The thing I've been longing for is finally going to happen, and I'm very happy, but I'm also worried that I might mess it up.

If this matter is messed up, the villagers probably won't agree to any future investments.

As night deepened, Village Chief Wang told everyone to go home and rest early, and that they would start preparing materials for building the greenhouse first thing tomorrow morning. The people in the threshing ground gradually dispersed, and the once bustling threshing ground suddenly became deserted.

The next morning, just as dawn broke and the villagers of Shangshui Village were preparing breakfast, they heard a familiar roar of a motorcycle coming from the village entrance.

As soon as Village Chief Wang picked up his bowl of porridge, a thought suddenly struck him: it must be Zhou Yimin coming over. In all the surrounding villages, only Zhou Yimin had a motorcycle.

He put down his bowl and ran quickly toward the village entrance. Just as he turned the corner, he saw Zhou Yimin riding a motorcycle toward him, with two large rolls of brand-new plastic trailing behind him.

"Yimin? Why are you here so early!" Village Chief Wang quickly went to greet him. When he saw the two large rolls of plastic on the back of the motorcycle, his eyes widened instantly, and his face was full of shock.

I just finalized the order for plastic with Zhou Yimin yesterday, and we hadn't even said when it would be delivered. I didn't expect Zhou Yimin to deliver it first thing the next morning!
This efficiency was far faster than he had imagined. He thought he would have to wait at least a while, but before the bamboo for building the greenhouse was even ready, the plastic was delivered first.

Now, all that's needed is to prepare the bamboo, and we can start building the greenhouse. Thinking of this, Village Chief Wang couldn't help but smile.

Zhou Yimin stopped his motorcycle: "Village Chief Wang, good morning! I calculated the amount of plastic needed yesterday and prepared it for you as soon as possible. I thought that if it was delivered early, you could build the greenhouse sooner and not waste any time."

Village Chief Wang circled the motorcycle, reached out and touched the roll of plastic, which was thick and smooth to the touch, clearly indicating it was a durable and high-quality material.

"Yimin, you're so efficient! We only decided how much we needed yesterday, and it's already here today. I thought we'd have to wait three or four days!"

He grabbed Zhou Yimin's hand, his voice filled with excitement: "Come on, come with me to my house for a bowl of hot porridge to warm yourself up!"

"No, Village Chief Wang, let's unload the plastic first." Zhou Yimin pointed to the plastic on the back of the motorcycle.

"Where is the site for the shed that we measured yesterday? Just unload it there, so we don't have to move it again."

"Okay! I'll take you there right away!" Village Chief Wang nodded hurriedly, leading the way while calling out to the village.

"Old Chen! Old Li! Come out quickly! Yimin has delivered the plastic! Go to the east end of the village to unload it!"

Soon, several villagers ran over, and when they saw the plastic on the back of the motorcycle, they were all as shocked as Village Chief Wang.

"My goodness, that's so fast!" Old Chen exclaimed, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"We just said we needed plastic yesterday, and it arrived today. Yimin's efficiency is truly impressive!"

The group worked together to unload the plastic from the motorcycle and carried it towards the site for building the shed at the east end of the village.

However, the process was not easy. Although the plastic was not heavy, it was difficult to grip, making it hard to exert force, and you had to stop and adjust from time to time.

What should have been a five-minute walk took more than ten minutes.

Upon arriving at the designated location, everyone carefully placed the plastic items on the open ground.

Looking at the brand-new plastic on the ground, Village Chief Wang felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, and he couldn't hide his smile any longer: "Yimin, thank you so much!!"

Zhou Yimin smiled and nodded: "Village Chief Wang, no need to be so polite. I also have my own selfish reasons. When your village grows the crops, you must consider our steel plant!"

Village Chief Wang quickly replied, "That's for sure!"

Even if Zhou Yimin didn't say anything, he would still do it.

You should know that the steel mill is famous for its generosity; its prices are much higher than those of the commune, and its requirements are not as many.

Zhou Yimin said, "Village Chief Wang, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, he drove away on his motorcycle.

Village Chief Wang originally wanted to give them a ride, but he couldn't make it in time and had to turn back.

But as Village Chief Wang was walking back, he heard a cacophony of voices, even more lively than when the plastic was being unloaded.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurried over there. From a distance, he could see that the spot where the plastic had just been laid out was surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

The surrounding field ridges were filled with villagers, all craning their necks to get closer to the center, their chatter carried on the wind.

It turns out that the news of Zhou Yimin delivering plastic had already spread.

You should know that plastic is a rare commodity. Most people in the village have only heard of it but have never seen it in person, let alone such a large roll of plastic that can cover a greenhouse.

So after hearing the news, everyone rushed to celebrate the New Year, and the scene was just like a bustling market.

"This is plastic? It looks so slippery!" An older woman wearing a patched cotton-padded coat stood on tiptoe to look inside, her eyes full of curiosity.

"It's even shinier than cloth! Look at the light, it reflects the sun!" The man next to him pointed, his voice full of amazement.

A few of the bolder children, taking advantage of the adults' inattention, quietly squeezed next to the plastic and reached out to touch it.

The moment their fingertips touched the plastic, their eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but whisper, "So soft! And warm too!"

With the children taking the lead, several bolder villagers also reached out and touched it, discussing as they did so: "Is this thing really frost-resistant? If we put it on a greenhouse in winter, vegetables can grow inside?"

More and more villagers wanted to touch it, which caused a crowd to gather. Some people accidentally stepped on the edge of the plastic, and others reached out and tugged at it to test how sturdy it was.

This scene was witnessed by Village Chief Wang, who had just arrived. His heart tightened, and he quickly pushed through the crowd, shouting, "Make way! Make way! Don't push over the plastic!"

Upon hearing Village Chief Wang's voice, the villagers stopped what they were doing and stepped back to the sides.

Village Chief Wang walked quickly to the plastic, squatted down and examined it carefully. The surface of the plastic was smooth, without scratches, and the edges were not broken. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up, looked at the villagers gathered around him, and said in a serious tone, "I understand that you all want to see something new, but you can't do it like this. If the plastic is accidentally broken, then the three hundred yuan will be wasted."

Upon hearing Village Chief Wang's words, the villagers' curiosity lessened and their caution increased.

The person who had just touched the plastic quietly put their hand behind their back, afraid they might have damaged it. They wouldn't be able to get that much money even if they sold themselves.

Village Chief Wang continued, "Once the greenhouses are built, everyone will have plenty of opportunities to see them! Right now, the plastic has to be stored properly; we can't keep crowding around touching it like this. Everyone, disperse!"

The villagers looked at each other, still somewhat reluctant to part, but they knew that Village Chief Wang was right.

Some people turned and left first, and the others followed suit, but they couldn't help but look back a couple of times as they left.

Soon, the huge place was left with only Village Chief Wang.

(End of this chapter)