Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 135 Path and Connection
Guangqumen Inner Street, tenement buildings.

The Chen family's living room.

Mrs. Chen, wearing thick reading glasses, sat on the bed knitting a sweater. Although she was not young, she was still a woman who couldn't sit still.

She waved to the chubby boy who was reading a book at the table, "Huijing, come here, let Grandma compare."

The chubby boy stood up and walked over somewhat listlessly: "Grandma, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Mrs. Chen held up a half-finished sweater, held it up to his chest, then had him turn around so she could show him his back: "What do you want to eat?"

The chubby boy's eyes lit up, and he grinned, "I want to eat meat!"

Mrs. Chen suddenly realized that her question was somewhat unnecessary, and just as she was about to say something, an old man's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door: "Old Mrs. Chen, we have a distinguished guest!"

Mrs. Chen was startled: "That loudmouth Song, all he does is shout nonsense all day long." She then said to the chubby boy, "Go and see who's here."

A look of joy appeared on the chubby boy's face: "Oh, could it be my second brother?" Thinking of the barbecue he had eaten at Donglaishun last time, the chubby boy's face was full of smiles, and he ran to open the door.

The door opened, and a middle-aged couple stood outside. The man was wearing a dark blue woolen overcoat, carrying two boxes of Daoxiangcun pastries in his left hand and a frozen ribbonfish in his right.

The woman wore a light blue down jacket, with her permed bangs peeking out from under a wool scarf, and shiny black leather shoes lined with fleece. She was carrying two bags from the Friendship Store.

"Auntie, Uncle, is that you?"

The woman, whom the chubby boy called "Auntie," bore a striking resemblance to Chen Shuping in her features. She smiled and asked, "What's up? Are there other guests coming today?"

"No, no." The chubby boy walked around to the side. "Auntie, Uncle, please come in."

Uncle handed the Daoxiangcun pastries to the chubby boy: "Huijing, these are for you. See if you like them."

"Hehe, thank you, Uncle! Uncle is the best!" The chubby boy was a very simple person.

"mom."

The couple entered the house and greeted the old lady with smiles.

"Shufang and Guangwei are here, please have a seat." Old Mrs. Chen stood up, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she looked at her eldest daughter and son-in-law who had entered.

The eldest daughter is a filial daughter who visits her every few days with gifts. Her husband, Wang Guangwei, is a capable man who works at a television factory in Beijing. He bought the television for the family and gives the old lady red envelopes during holidays.

Chen Shufang handed a bag to the old lady: "This is royal jelly that your eldest son-in-law bought for you. He said it's very nourishing and can even turn gray hair black."

Mrs. Chen replied with a smile, "Oh dear, you should keep it and eat it. It would be a waste to give me such good food."

Wang Guangwei said, "Grandma, I don't know if you like it or not, so I bought one bottle first. I'll buy you more after you've finished eating it."

"Just try it once, I heard this stuff is very expensive, don't waste money on it later." Mrs. Chen waved her hand. "Didn't Lili and Tingting come today?"

"Lili went to her in-laws' house. Tingting hasn't started her university break yet, but she'll definitely come to see you in a couple of days."

"Good, good, good. Tingting is the first college student in our family. This girl is beautiful and smart. She will definitely be successful in the future." Mrs. Chen said, then looked at the chubby boy next to her, "You should also study hard and become a college student like your second sister."

The chubby boy tilted his head back defiantly and said, "I don't just want to go to university, I want to get into Peking University!"

My uncle laughed and said, "What ambition! You'd better work hard. If you can really get into Peking University, I'll celebrate with you at the best restaurant in Beijing."

The chubby boy rubbed his hands together and asked with a smile, "Uncle, how about we go to Donglaishun for barbecue sometime?"

Wang Guangwei didn't seem to mind: "No problem, you can choose any kind of barbecue or hot pot, haha..."

During the conversation, Chen Shuping and her husband also went home, and the reunion of relatives was another lively occasion.

Li Zhenguo said with a smile, "Big sister, brother-in-law, please sit and rest for a while, I'll go cook."

Chen Shufang said, "Zhenguo, we bought two catties of meat when we came. Huijing likes braised pork, so you can make it for him."

"Braised pork!" Huijing exclaimed with delight. "Great! I want to eat braised pork!"

Mrs. Chen waved her hand: "Why are you having braised pork so late at night? Let's make some light dishes." She then said to Huijing, "I'll make you braised pork for lunch tomorrow. Eating too much at night will be hard to digest and will give you an upset stomach."

"No, no, I want to eat braised pork, Grandma, I want to eat meat!"

Chen Shuping said, "Stop yelling, look how fat you've become. You'll eat whatever I make." She then said to her husband, "Then cut off a piece and stir-fry it with some greens."

"Okay," Li Zhenguo replied and went to prepare dinner.

Mrs. Chen said to Chen Shuping, "Go and lend a hand. Once everything is almost ready, let Zhenguo have a couple of drinks with your brother-in-law."

Chen Shuping knew that her husband held a different place in the old lady's heart now, and she was happy to see it happen. She smiled and agreed, then went off to get busy.

Dinner was ready in no time: smashed cucumber, green pepper and egg, stir-fried mushrooms and meat, preserved egg and tofu, boiled peanuts, and stir-fried shredded potatoes.

Chen Shufang and her husband were somewhat surprised to see this table full of dishes.

Wang Guangwei picked up a piece of cucumber with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It was crisp and crunchy. "Wow, this cucumber is so refreshing! Where did it come from?"

Chen Shufang also ate a piece of cucumber: "I remember there were cucumbers for sale at the market a while ago, I think they were 7 yuan a pound. I haven't seen them these days. I was thinking it must be because it's cold and they can't grow in the ground. Where did you get these? These vegetables must be expensive."

Chen Shuping said, "They're expensive. Cucumbers are 8 yuan a pound, and I heard that green peppers are only available with foreign exchange certificates. We can't afford to buy them; they were given to us by relatives."

Chen Shufang was even more puzzled: "Where did this relative come from, willing to send such an expensive gift?" Li Zhenguo came out of the house with a bottle of Fenjiu liquor: "My nephew brought it a couple of days ago. He originally planned to send some to you, but the old lady guessed you would be coming in the next couple of days, so she didn't bother."

Wang Guangwei asked curiously, "Zhenguo, where did your nephew buy the vegetables? Is it possible for him to buy them again?"

Chen Shuping said with a smile, "That boy's name is Li Zhe. He grew these vegetables. If he can't buy them, then no one else can."

"Growing vegetables in this cold weather? That's quite an achievement. I've never heard of that before..." Wang Guangwei stopped himself in his tracks. Li Zhenguo came from the countryside, and his relatives were naturally from the countryside as well, so it wasn't surprising that he knew how to grow vegetables. But growing vegetables in this cold weather was something that ordinary farmers couldn't do.

Chen Shufang was also very curious: "Zhenguo, what kind of vegetables can your nephew grow? How did he manage to grow them in this freezing weather?"

Li Zhenguo replied, "They're grown in greenhouses, and there are quite a few kinds of vegetables. Besides what's on the table, there's spinach, broccoli, and lettuce. I also took some strawberries last time, but they couldn't be kept, so Huijing and her son ate them all."

Chen Shufang also looked surprised: "Wow, they can even grow strawberries!" She then looked at her sister, "Are winter strawberries tasty? What do they taste like?"

Chen Shuping laughed and said, "It tastes just like summer, you've eaten it before."

Everyone was just chatting about it as a joke, but Wang Guangwei took it to heart and said solemnly, "Zhenguo, your brother-in-law wants to ask you for a favor."

These words left Li Zhenguo somewhat at a loss. His brother-in-law was the office director of a television factory in Beijing; he was influential, powerful, and capable. What could Li Zhenguo possibly do to help him?
Seeing her husband lost in thought, Chen Shuping reminded him, "Zhenguo, your brother-in-law is talking to you." She then said to Wang Guangwei, "Brother-in-law, we're not strangers, just tell me what's on your mind."

“In a few days, leaders from the Municipal Economic Commission will be visiting our factory, and I’m in charge of arranging their reception. I’ve been busy with this these past few days, and I’m worried that there might be some shortcomings in the arrangements. It’s the same with the food; these leaders have eaten and seen all sorts of things, so it’s really hard to arrange. If we can have the dishes you mentioned, they can have a taste of something new, and my job will be much easier.”

After Wang Guangwei finished speaking, he added, "Zhenguo, money is not a problem. We'll give whatever amount is due. We can't let the child suffer."

Li Zhenguo frowned slightly: "Brother-in-law, it's not just about money. This is Li Zhe's first year growing winter vegetables, so the yield is not high. Right now, it mainly supplies Quanjude, Donglaishun, and some restaurants catering to foreigners. That's why my sister said that we can't buy them on the market. The restaurants have a fixed daily supply. I'm not sure if they can spare any extra vegetables."

Wang Guangwei had no doubt about these words; truly scarce items had already been snapped up and would not circulate in the market at all.

He raised his glass, clinked it with Li Zhenguo's, and drank it all in one gulp: "I've been stuck in this position for many years. The factory director wants to promote me. As long as the leaders of the Municipal Economic Commission approve it, it will be done. So this reception is very important."

"Zhenguo, no matter what, you have to help your brother-in-law this time."

Chen Shufang frowned, unaccustomed to her husband's attitude: "Guangwei, don't put so much pressure on Zhenguo. Whether he can be competent as deputy factory director is not something that can be decided over this one meal."

Wang Guangwei glared at his wife: "What do you know! Is this about a meal? This is about attitude! How many important national affairs are discussed over a meal? You can only work well if you eat and drink well!"

Mrs. Chen also spoke up: "Zhenguo, your brother-in-law has endured so many years of hardship, can you help him think of a solution?"

"Okay, I'll go ask Li Zhe tomorrow." To be fair, his brother-in-law has been quite good to his family. Not to mention, his current job was found with his brother-in-law's help.

Wang Guangwei raised his glass: "Zhenguo, let me toast you. Regardless of whether it works out or not, I appreciate your kindness!"

Chen Shuping smiled broadly: "Brother-in-law, we're all family, you're being too formal."

……

early morning.

The front courtyard of No. 7 Hutong, Suzhou.

After Sun Tao and the others finished picking up their vegetables and were about to leave, Li Zhe stopped them and said, "I'm thinking of starting a vegetable company. Do any of you guys have any connections?"

Everyone looked at each other with different expressions.

They had been working with Li Zhe for less than two months, and seeing his business grow bigger and bigger, it was impossible not to feel envious.

Hong San stepped forward: "Boss Li, I can't say I have connections, but I do know a little about this."

"Alright, you guys get back to work, I'll have a chat with Boss Hong." Li Zhe said with a smile as he saw everyone off.

Sun Tao walked out of the house, feeling quite uneasy. He suddenly felt a sense of crisis, as if he could no longer keep up with Li Zhe's pace.

He thought of Zhou Qinghe again.
No, we must work harder and absolutely cannot fall behind.
But where should he begin? He couldn't figure it out for a moment. Perhaps he should talk to Qinghe; she always had the most ideas.

Li Zhe asked Hong San to stay, pouring him a cup of tea: "Mr. Hong, are you also planning to start a vegetable company?"

"You jest, I don't have that kind of ability. To be honest, I have some connections in the Industry and Commerce Bureau, and I supply some of the vegetables to the bureau." Hong San gestured with his teacup and continued:
"Now that the policy has been relaxed and private companies can be registered, the procedures are extremely complicated. Compared with state-owned enterprises, private enterprises are at a disadvantage and face considerable difficulties in operation."

Of course, with Mr. Li's abilities, these aren't problems. The key is the approval process; it involves running around to departments like the Industry and Commerce Bureau, Health Bureau, and Commerce Bureau, and the entire process takes at least three to six months. If any step gets stuck, all the previous efforts will be wasted.

Li Zhe nodded and listened attentively.

Hong San took a sip of tea: "You're very busy, it would be best to find someone to 'take care of things' for you."

I have a friend who used to work at the Industry and Commerce Bureau. After retiring last year, he specializes in helping people with paperwork. He has connections in these departments; what others need to do three to five times, he can get stamped in one go, with a much higher success rate.

"How much is the service fee? Is this person reliable?"

"Usually it's between three and five hundred, no contract, no refund if it fails." Hong San changed the subject, "However, I have a good relationship with him, so I can charge the lowest rate. If it can't be done, the fee will be fully refunded."

"Okay, please schedule a time for a face-to-face meeting."

"No problem, you go ahead with your work, I'll give you an answer tomorrow." Hong San got up and took his leave.

Li Zhe saw her to the door, thinking that his second sister's connections might be more effective, but why owe someone a favor when it could be done for a little money?
There's one more chapter, to be updated around 6 PM.

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(End of this chapter)