Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 133 Duel in the Shed

Chen Shougeng visited not only the four old greenhouses, but also the ten newly expanded greenhouses.

Chen Shougeng came out of the greenhouse, his face flushed, whether from the cold or excitement, it was hard to tell. He looked at Li Zhe beside him and asked, "Boss Li, where did you learn this new type of semi-underground winter-warm vegetable greenhouse?"

“I’ve loved reading since I was a child, all kinds of books. After finishing the books, I would read old newspapers, so I have a wide range of knowledge. I’m also a farmer, so I thought that if I could grow vegetables in winter, I could not only solve the problem of vegetable shortage, but also make some money for my family. So I figured out this vegetable greenhouse myself.”

"Wow, you figured out this greenhouse all by yourself?" Chen Shougeng asked, his tone tinged with disbelief.

“Yes, I did the research myself,” Li Zhe said confidently.

What is your educational background?

"I graduated from high school."

"What a pity, someone with your talent should have gone to university." To be honest, Chen Shougeng still didn't quite believe that Li Zhe had come up with the idea for this new type of greenhouse all by himself. But even if Li Zhe had used other people's ideas and experience, the fact that he was able to actually build the greenhouse was already quite impressive. Who doesn't have a few secrets? And how many people succeed without standing on the shoulders of others? So he didn't press him for details.

Looking at Zhou Qinghe, who was chatting enthusiastically and chuckling to himself, Chen Shougeng suddenly had a thought: If only Li Zhe were also his student.

"Li Zhe, do you know anything about Beijing Agricultural University?"

Hearing this unexpected question, Li Zhe was taken aback for a moment: "I know a little about it. It's a key university in Beijing and one of the top agricultural universities in the country."

Chen Shougeng said sincerely, "You've gone to high school, so your education level isn't low. You already have the foundation to learn more specialized knowledge. Are you often in Beijing now? If you're interested, I suggest you audit classes at Beijing Agricultural University."

Li Zhe was stunned for a moment. In fact, something had been bothering him recently: as his business grew bigger and bigger, he suddenly felt a little scared, worried that he was not capable enough to cope with the future.

In his past life, he didn't possess any great abilities. His greatest strengths, besides his experience in greenhouse vegetable cultivation, were his understanding of future global trends. However, this understanding was superficial, intangible, and lacked practical application.

Chen Shougeng's sudden remark reminded him that he was still young and could still enhance his abilities through learning.

"Teacher Chen, thank you for reminding me. I will consider it carefully."

Chen Shougeng nodded. If Li Zhe doesn't listen, he will most likely become a wealthy farmer in the future; if he does listen, his potential will definitely be higher. Li Zhe's biggest advantage is his youth.

Young people are energetic and driven, and they have endless possibilities.

However, youth isn't all good. Many young people, especially those who have suddenly achieved some success, are unwilling to listen to advice. They tend to oversimplify the world, thinking, "I'm already this good without even trying; if I really work hard, what can't I do?"

These young people often reach their peak upon debut, only to decline throughout their lives.

Although he hadn't known the young man for long, he admired him and didn't want him to become complacent and just another ordinary person.

“Mr. Li, I have seen all of your vegetable greenhouses, and they are very impressive. The temperature in each greenhouse reaches over 20 degrees Celsius, which fully meets the needs of vegetable growth. Moreover, your greenhouses can be expanded on a large scale, and I am very optimistic about their future development.”

A look of anticipation appeared in Chen Shougeng's eyes. "I heard from Zhou Qinghe that you gave this kind of winter vegetable grown in a winter-warm greenhouse a name: 'off-season vegetables.' I think that's a great word, very apt."

I also want to contribute to the off-season vegetable industry. If possible, I would like to allocate a plot of land for me to cultivate some vegetable varieties suitable for greenhouse growth.

Li Zhe was happy to see Chen Shougeng's idea come true. In fact, when he first started growing vegetables in greenhouses, he discovered a problem: the seeds of this era were very different from those of later generations.

Take broccoli as an example. Nowadays, only the main head of broccoli can be harvested, and the florets on the side heads don't grow very big. But in later generations, after harvesting the main head, the side heads can also be harvested, which not only increases the yield but also extends the harvesting period.

Currently, there are few people growing off-season vegetables. However, in a few years, as more people grow them and price wars begin, the quality of the seeds will become more apparent. Good seeds result in fewer diseases, better appearance, higher yields, and greater profits, ultimately leading to better earnings.

If the seed variety is poor, prone to disease, has a bad appearance, and low yield, then competing with others on price will only result in losses. The difference accumulates little by little, and often success or failure hinges on the details. For breeding research on off-season vegetables, the earlier the better.

But there is also a distribution issue involved here, and Li Zhe felt it was better to make it clear in advance—if he puts in the money and land, and the seeds are developed, but in the end they don't belong to him, wouldn't that be ridiculous?
"Professor Chen, I can give you a plot of land for breeding research, but how should the results of the breeding research be distributed? To avoid future conflicts, it's better to discuss it in advance."

Chen Shougeng rubbed his hands together and asked, "Mr. Li, what do you think is a suitable way to allocate them?"

On the way back, Li Zhe had already thought about this problem: "We can sign a collaborative research and development agreement. I will provide the land, the money, and the materials. The ownership of the seeds I cultivate will belong to me, but the academic results will belong to you. And once the seeds generate profits, I will also give you a portion of the bonus."

Chen Shougeng gave a wry smile: "Then wouldn't I be working for you?"

“Professor Chen, we are collaborating. To put it bluntly, if you quit, even if I own the seeds, I won’t be able to do any further research. Neither of us can do without the other; only through cooperation can we achieve a win-win situation.”

Teacher Chen thought for a moment: "I'll consider it and give you an answer tomorrow." "Second brother, dinner's ready! Quickly invite Teacher Chen into the shed for dinner!" Old Li's voice came from afar.

Li Zhe replied with a smile, "Teacher Chen, no rush, let's go eat first."

Li Zhe led Chen Shougeng into greenhouse number 3. "Teacher Chen, we eat and live in the greenhouse. The place is a bit simple. Please forgive us if we are not hospitable enough."

Before Chen Shougeng could speak, Zhou Qinghe interjected, "It's alright! Our agricultural university is different from other schools. Our Professor Chen wishes he could spend 20 hours a day in the fields!"

Teacher Chen was both amused and exasperated by Zhou Qinghe's words, but she did not refute them.

The meal was very lavish, with fish, meat, and vegetables—even more abundant than what Chen Shougeng himself ate at home. He felt a little embarrassed and said to Li Zhe, "Mr. Li, you're too kind. Next time, you don't need to cook so much. I eat very simply; I'm not picky. As long as I'm full, that's enough."

Actually, this meal wasn't specially prepared by Li Zhe. The Li family already eats very well. The people working for the Li family now are all relatives and friends, and they all earn money with Li Zhe. They are all generous and buy some meat every now and then, so they naturally don't lack food.

Li Zhe didn't say anything explicitly, but raised a glass of wine and said, "Teacher Chen, let me toast you. Welcome to visit Daying Village!"

"Thank you, thank you." Chen Shougeng picked up his glass and, seeing Li Zhe finish his drink, he did the same. Perhaps because he didn't drink often, he coughed a couple of times, his throat a little sore.

During the meal, everyone couldn't help but steal glances at Chen Shougeng—he was a teacher at Beijing Agricultural University!

In their village, he was like a god of literature. At first, everyone was somewhat in awe of him. But after the meal, they found that Chen Shougeng was down-to-earth, just like a knowledgeable, cultured, and well-mannered farmer, and they had a very good impression of him.

After dinner, Li Zhe wanted to invite Chen Shougeng to stay at his home, but Chen Shougeng declined. He explained that his purpose in coming was to tour the greenhouses, not only during the day but also because the nighttime observation data was crucial. Li Zhe tried to persuade him but failed, so he let it go.

After making arrangements for Chen Shougeng, Li Zhe called Lao Li and Wang Xiuying to greenhouse number 1 for a talk.

"Mom, what's that quick-tongued wife doing here today? Is she here to cause trouble?"

Hearing this, Wang Xiuying laughed: "She doesn't have the energy to cause trouble now, she's all listless, how could she care about your greenhouse?"

"What's going on?" Old Li also became interested.

Wang Xiuying laughed and said, "It's all thanks to your idea back then, that I exposed what that fast-talking wife did in public. Everyone knows what kind of person she is now, her reputation is ruined, who would want to associate with her? She's a very easy-going person, but suddenly nobody talks to her, and she can't go to the store to chat with people, so she's been staying at home all day, almost getting sick from being cooped up. She begged me for help, hoping that Zhang Yuzhen would forgive her and allow her to go to the store."

Li Zhe and Lao Li looked at each other, both unable to understand their fast-talking wife's thought process: There are all kinds of people in the world!

"Alright, as long as she's not here to cause trouble, I can't be bothered with her." Li Zhe is too busy with his own affairs to bother with her nonsense. He thinks his talkative wife is just bored.

Wang Xiuying then said, "Second son, there's something else I want to tell you."

"what's up?"

“A couple of days ago, when you weren’t home, Yuzhen brought her son Lin Xiaohu to visit. They brought a lot of things to thank you.”

"Thank me for what?" Li Zhe asked, somewhat surprised.

"When Lin Dingyuan sent Lin Xiaohu to the factory, didn't you remind Lin Xiaohu? But Lin Xiaohu didn't listen and still went to work in the fan factory, which is why he suffered. Zhang Yuzhen knows about this and insists on thanking you."

Old Li frowned and said, "Oh, there's this thing too? How come I didn't know? But since Lin Xiaohu didn't listen, there's no need for him to make this special trip, is there?"

Wang Xiuying chuckled: "You guessed it, she had something else on her mind."

After waiting a while and seeing that no one responded or asked any questions, Wang Xiuying had to continue herself: "Yuzhen wants Lin Xiaohu to work in our greenhouse and asked me to put in a good word for her."

Although Wang Xiuying tried her best to hide it, Li Zhe could still sense her barely suppressed pleasure. These two friends had been rivals for half their lives, and she had finally won.

However, Li Zhe will not lower his requirements for employees because of this.

He considered it carefully: Lin Xiaohu was a familiar and clever young man with the energy and drive of youth. As for his experience in the factory, it was nothing—failure was the norm in life, a lesson Li Zhe had learned in his previous life: if success were easy, that would be a problem.

As the greenhouses continue to expand, Li Zhe will need more and more manpower. "Okay, let him come."

(End of this chapter)