Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 142 Interests are heart-warming

1989, April 1.

Daying Village, a sales agency.

Unlike the cold outside, the store was still bustling with activity. A group of elderly women sat around the stove, warming themselves, chatting, and gossiping.

Initially, without the talkative wife as the focal point, the store did seem a bit deserted. After a few days, everyone gradually got used to it and suddenly realized that it wasn't so bad that no one was arguing anymore; they could freely express their opinions and choose topics they liked.

The plump aunt looked at the young woman sitting opposite her, her lips greasy, and asked, "Zhao Bing's wife, what delicious food did you make last night? The aroma could be smelled all over my yard!"

Zhao Bing's wife said with a smile, "The beef stew we made last night didn't look as fatty as pork, but it smelled especially good after stewing. I ate two extra pieces last night, and this morning I have a bit of a sore throat from the strong flavor."

Aunt Pang swallowed hard. Who wouldn't want to eat beef? But the problem is, she can't afford it! It gets scarce as the year draws to a close, and it's expensive and requires coupons. She can't afford it even if she wants to.

No, Zhao Bing's family is not as well-off as my family. How can they afford beef? She tentatively asked, "Zhao Bing's family, where do you buy your beef? How much is it per pound? Do you need coupons? I'd like to buy some to try."

Zhao Bing's wife laughed and said, "Oh dear, I really didn't know that. Zhao Bing brought this meat back; all the militiamen in the village have it, he said it was a New Year's Day bonus."

A middle-aged woman nicknamed Wang Dajiao asked, "Oh my, when did our village get such good benefits? Is the village militia short of people? I want my husband to join too!"

The plump auntie teased, "Come on, your husband isn't even as strong as me. What could he do there? My son would be more suitable." She then turned to Zhao Bing's wife and asked, "Will the village militia still receive benefits during the New Year?"

"I had no idea about that." Zhao Bing's wife was young and still looked a bit naive, and suddenly became the center of attention, making her seem a little embarrassed. "This welfare wasn't given by the village; it was given by Old Li's family."

There are many people with the surname Li in the village, but nowadays, whenever the Li family of Daying Village is mentioned, it usually refers to Li Zhenhua's family.

Wang Dajiao asked curiously, "Why does the Li family give benefits to the militia?"

The plump aunt said, "How come you don't know anything? Old Li's family has so many greenhouses for growing vegetables, they must be afraid someone will steal them, so they have the militia help guard them." She then looked at Zhao Bing's wife: "What kind of things did your family receive?"

Zhao Bing's wife counted on her fingers, "There's beef, pork, fish, rice, flour, oil, and a big piece of pork fat. There's so much stuff, my husband almost couldn't carry it all back."

Everyone looked on with envy.

The plump aunt became even more envious: "So you only gave out supplies but no money? I heard Old Li's family made a lot of money selling cucumbers, but didn't they give the patrolling militia any subsidies?"

Zhao Bing's wife replied, "The money has been paid. The village gave a subsidy of one yuan, and the Li family gave a subsidy of two yuan. My husband worked 25 days last month and received a total of 75 yuan." Patrolling in the cold weather is hard work, but Zhao Bing's wife felt there was nothing wrong with talking about it.

"Oh my goodness, so many!" Aunt Pang exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone else also looked shocked.

Wang Dajiao said with envy, "Your Zhao Bing is really capable!"

Zhao Bing's wife lowered her voice and said, "My husband Zhao Bing said that workers in vegetable greenhouses earn more, and they also get a bonus for New Year's Day."

Aunt Pang pressed on, "How much do the workers in the greenhouse earn a month?" Her husband used to work for Old Li, but he found it too tiring and didn't stick with it. Now she thought, if he had persevered, he might be growing vegetables in Old Li's greenhouse now.

Zhao Bing's wife shook her head: "I don't know. I heard that the Li family pays salaries one by one, so no one knows how much each person gets."

Suddenly, Aunt Pang seemed to remember something and looked at Zhang Yuzhen sitting behind the counter: "Yuzhen, isn't your Xiaohu working at the Li family's greenhouse now? Has he received his benefits and wages yet?"

Zhang Yuzhen's eyes lit up. Lin Xiaohu had not only received benefits but also wages, and the amount was quite substantial. She was very glad that she had made the decision to ask Wang Xiuying for help.

However, her son hadn't been there long, and she didn't want to cause any trouble or have someone steal her son's job, so she said casually, "My son Xiaohu also received benefits the other day, but he only went for a few days last month, so I didn't ask him about his wages, and I don't know how much he received."

Zhang Yuzhen didn't say anything, and everyone felt suffocated, but there was nothing they could do.

After a while, Wang Dajiao suddenly asked, "Has anyone seen Kuaizui's wife recently?"

Auntie Pang chuckled: "Never seen her before. She wouldn't dare come to the consignment shop now. She's not afraid of Yuzhen getting into fights, she's afraid of Xiaohu trying to break them up!"

"Hahaha..." Several old women were present at the time, and when they recalled the scene, they couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Yuzhen laughed along. Her son, Xiaohu, was indeed clever; otherwise, she really couldn't beat her quick-tongued wife.

"Hey, what are you all laughing about? You're all so happy?" The curtain of the consignment shop was lifted from the outside, and Wang Xiuying walked in.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Despite her plump figure, Auntie Pang was quick-witted. She stood up and handed over her stool: "Xiuying's here! What have you been up to lately? It's been a while since you've come." "Just dealing with things in the greenhouse, busy as can be," Auntie Pang replied. Her sudden enthusiasm made Xiuying a little uncomfortable.

Wang Dajiao pulled a handful of peanuts from her pocket and handed them over: "Sister Xiuying, these are peanuts that my family roasted ourselves. Try them and see if they're good."

Zhao Bing's wife also greeted them warmly...

The other women also gathered around. After some pleasantries, they subtly inquired about the greenhouse workers' benefits and wages…

……

Wang Xiuying stayed at the store for half an hour, constantly being praised and flattered. She felt lightheaded, as if she were about to ascend to heaven if the conversation continued.

She made an excuse and left the store.

Ever since her son started earning money, she's become much more quick-witted and is no longer the stubborn Wang Xiuying she used to be.

She felt something was off today, and after returning to the greenhouse, she told her husband, Lao Li, about it.

After hearing this, Old Li's expression also became somewhat solemn. He thought to himself: Has the Li family been a bit too high-profile these past two days?
That evening, after everyone had left, the couple found Li Zhe and told him what had happened.

Li Zhe smiled and asked in return, "Father, what are you worried about?"

Old Li said, "Second brother, have we been a bit too high-profile lately? Giving out welfare benefits, high salaries and bonuses... I'm afraid some people in the village will be jealous."

Li Zhe thought for a moment and replied, "Actually, our family has expanded by more than a dozen greenhouses. Regardless of whether we give out welfare or bonuses, everyone in the village knows that our family is making money, and those who are envious will still be envious."

I distribute these bonuses and benefits to boost morale and team spirit. If I don't provide bonuses and benefits to those around me when I earn so much money each month, who would want to work for me?

Old Li knew his son had a point, and not sending the money was definitely not an option: "Second son, have you thought about what will happen if everyone in the village knows we're making money and wants to grow vegetables in greenhouses like us next year?"

Li Zhe poured a tub of hot water, took a sip, and said, "Didn't I already say that when I received Mayor Chen before?"

Old Li subconsciously said, "I thought you were just being polite, trying to get a subsidy."

Li Zhe shook his head: "It's not just polite talk. Next year, I do want to select some people to build greenhouses, and the number can't be too small. It's not a bad thing for outsiders to know that our family is making money, so that more people will follow us to grow vegetables in greenhouses."

Old Li took out a cigarette from his pocket, hesitated for a moment, and then tucked it behind his ear: "I agree with expanding the greenhouses. But the question is how large should the expansion be? Actually, I think expanding by a few dozen acres next year would be enough. Any more than that, and we won't be able to manage it."

Li Zhe said with a wry smile, "Dad, a few dozen acres definitely won't be enough."

Wang Xiuying advised, "Second son, I think your father is right. You have to take it one step at a time. This year it's a dozen acres, next year it'll be several dozen acres. This pace of development is already quite fast. Didn't you say before that you wanted to make a fortune quietly? There's no need to teach too many people all at once." People are selfish; why should they teach their own skills to others for free?

“Father, Mother, I understand what you mean, and I know you mean well, but the problem I'm facing now is that if I don't move forward, I'll fall behind…” Li Zhe hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, “What I'm really worried about isn't the outsiders; with the militia there, they can't cause any trouble…”

Although Li Zhe didn't name names, Lao Li and Wang Xiuying understood. Wang Xiuying was a little puzzled: "The people working in the greenhouse are all relatives and friends, what's there to worry about?"

Li Zhe didn't answer, but instead asked, "Dad, off-season vegetables can be sold until May or June next year. By then, do you think you'll be able to learn all the techniques for growing greenhouse vegetables?"

"It should be possible." Old Li was originally a farmer. "Although there is a certain learning curve to this greenhouse, as long as you work hard for a while, you can learn it."

Li Zhe continued, "Next year, if you were asked to build a greenhouse yourself, could you manage it?"

Old Li thought about it seriously for a while and said, "After studying for another five or six months, it should be fine."

“I think it’s fine too. And it’s not just you; everyone in the greenhouse, as long as they’re not too stupid, can work on their own.” Li Zhe shrugged, glanced into the greenhouse, and lowered his voice: “So, do you think I can keep them next year?”

Old Li didn't answer immediately, but thought about it seriously. He had been working with Li Zhe on the greenhouse since September, and now he could handle most of the work inside, except for fertilizing, spraying pesticides, and dealing with vegetable diseases. He felt that by May or June next year, he would have learned most of the skills, and building his own greenhouse next winter would definitely be no problem.

The workers' wages and bonuses are currently around 300-400 yuan each, and they should be able to save over 1,000 yuan by May or June next year. They can then take out a 6,000 yuan loan from the credit union, and by autumn, they can build one greenhouse and dig the foundation for another. Once the vegetables in the greenhouse are profitable by November next year, they can build the second greenhouse. This way, they can build at least two greenhouses by next winter.

Li Zhe now sells vegetables from four greenhouses, earning a lot but also incurring considerable expenses. He's unsure how much profit he makes from each greenhouse, but conservatively speaking, he could earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan from both combined.

The profits are enormous...

If it weren't for his biological father, he would have already planned to go it alone next year, let alone someone else.

(End of this chapter)