Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 156 Transformation

Suzhou Hutongs.

Chen Shuping followed her husband on her bicycle. It was her first time here. The courtyards on both sides of the asphalt road were scattered in a staggered pattern, and the sycamore trees with their thick trunks formed a secluded and winding streetscape.

There are also many shops on both sides of the street, making life very convenient.

Before long, the two rode their bicycles to Courtyard No. 7.

Li Zhenguo got out of the car and pointed to the compound wall, saying, "This whole compound is No. 7. That's the front gate, and there are two lions squatting at the gate."

"Can't I look at it myself?" Chen Shuping glared at him. "When are you going to buy me a house? I don't need such a big courtyard house, just a house that belongs to our family."

"Cough..." Li Zhenguo coughed lightly and said with a wry smile, "It'll be soon, it'll be soon! When Xiao Jing grows up, our family will definitely buy one."

Chen Shuping was displeased: "Mom, do you think I'm not worthy to live in the house you bought just because your son has to grow up?"

Li Zhenguo realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "I'll work hard to earn money and make sure you and your daughter can live in a new house."

"That's more like it." As they spoke, the couple walked to the door, and Li Zhenguo stepped forward and knocked, "Knock knock..."

After a while, the door opened, and Li Zhe stood inside. He was delighted to see his uncle, but somewhat surprised to see his aunt.

He stepped aside and warmly greeted them, "Second Uncle, Aunt, come in quickly. I was just saying I was going to visit you this afternoon, but I didn't expect you to come by yourself."

Chen Shuping pushed her bicycle through the gate and looked at the imposing screen wall and the carved beams and painted rafters of the front yard with an envious expression: "Second brother, I heard from your uncle that you bought this courtyard house?"

Li Zhe said, "Yes, the homeowner wanted to go abroad, and since the house was empty anyway, he sold it to me. The deed has already been transferred. The homeowner will be able to move out by the end of the year."

"Hey, this little courtyard is so nice!" Seeing the few bamboo trees planted in the courtyard, which added a touch of tranquility, Chen Shuping really liked it. She thought to herself, "Let alone the whole courtyard house, I would be content if my family could buy a similar little courtyard to live in in the future."

Upon entering the living room, Chen Shuping sniffed: "Wow, what's that smell? It smells so good."

Li Zhe lifted the pot lid, revealing golden corn inside, filling the room with its aroma: "I just cooked this, and there's still quite a bit left. Take some with you when you leave."

"Corn!" Chen Shuping was genuinely surprised. This was a common sight in summer, but a rare treat in winter. The aroma of boiled corn made her mouth water.

Li Zhenguo followed behind, carrying a bunch of things, and dumped them all on the floor after entering the living room.

Li Zhe asked in surprise, "Second Uncle, why did you take so many things?"

"It's not for you." Li Zhenguo sat down at the coffee table and poured himself a cup of tea. "Second brother, did you grow this corn in the greenhouse too?"

Li Zhe placed a plate of melon seeds and peanuts on the coffee table: "My dad grew these, and he specifically asked me to bring them over for you to try."

Li Zhenguo felt a sense of comfort and asked curiously, "Why did you decide to plant corn, brother?"

"Haha..." Li Zhe laughed, "It's a long story. It must have been early September when I was building the greenhouse. The corn in the field wasn't ripe yet. I wanted to harvest the corn early to build the greenhouse, but my dad and mom both thought it was a waste of the crops."

I came up with an idea: use a tractor to transport fresh corn to Beijing to sell. At the time, my family was the only one selling fresh corn, and demand far exceeded supply. We sold corn from one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) in a single day, earning over two hundred yuan, which was higher than the price of fully ripe corn. I guess my dad got his eye on it then, and planted a small patch of corn in a greenhouse.”

Chen Shuping clapped her hands, as if she had remembered something: "I was wondering why there were so many people selling tender corn this year when I had never seen any in previous years. It turns out you started it. Tsk tsk, I have to say you're good at making money, your brain works really well."

"It's just a lucky break. The policies have been relaxed now, and the market is more active. I wouldn't have dared to do this a couple of years ago." Li Zhe glanced at his watch. The corn was almost cooked. He took the pot off the coal stove, stuck three ears of corn on a chopstick, handed them to his uncle and aunt, and ate one himself.

Chen Shuping took a bite, grimacing from the heat: "Hey, you know what, it tastes really good! Even fresher and more tender than in summer."

"You're just indulging in something unusual," Li Zhenguo teased. He felt it tasted no different from what he ate in the summer; it was purely psychological.

Li Zhe thought it was too hot and didn't eat it right away: "Uncle, don't leave for lunch. You and Auntie can eat here. How about we have hot pot?"

"We won't eat here anymore. Your aunt and I want to take a bus back to Daying Village."

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Why do you suddenly want to go back when it's not a holiday?

The couple exchanged a glance, and Li Zhenguo said, "Second son, your aunt wants to introduce you to someone. She plans to go back and discuss it with your parents."

Li Zhe paused for a moment, then asked calmly, "Which family's daughter?"

Li Zhenguo smiled and said, "You've met that girl before, can you guess?"

A young girl who has a relationship with her uncle and aunt, and whom she has met herself...

"Wang Ting?" That's not hard to guess.

Chen Shuping put down the corn and looked at Li Zhe across from her: "Yes, that's my niece. Second brother, what do you think?"

A slender figure appeared in Li Zhe's mind... pretty face, fair skin, good figure, the kind of woman he liked.

Many young people his age might yearn for free love, but the problem is that Li Zhe is very mature psychologically, and he really doesn't have the ambition or motivation to pursue girls and have a relationship.

But his body is very young, and every morning he gets an erection, which makes him feel uncomfortable.

Finding someone he's physically attracted to for a blind date isn't necessarily a bad thing for him.

"pretty good."

This surprised the couple somewhat. Chen Shuping said, "I was worried that you would be shy."

Li Zhe laughed: "Haha, I'm thick-skinned."

"Thick-skinned, good, only thick-skinned people can get by." Chen Shuping praised sincerely. In her opinion, the men in the Li family were not stupid, but they all had personality flaws and were all rather introverted.

If the second brother hadn't been so shameless, he might not have been able to get out of there. "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, did you come home just to talk about this?"

“Yes, we need to tell your parents about this.” Chen Shuping took a bite of corn.

Li Zhe could make the decision himself, but it wasn't good to bypass his parents, even if it was just a formality. "Okay, we'll go back when the car comes back."

……

Daying Village.

After her son went to Beijing, Wang Xiuying took half a day off and went to the consignment store with her daughter, Daya, to inquire about her fast-talking wife.

Aunt Pang's house is not far from Kuai Zui's house. She was among the first to arrive after Kuai Zui's wife was beaten. According to her, Kuai Zui's wife screamed loudly, which frightened their grandson, who was sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed), into tears.

When she saw the talkative woman, she was disheveled, her face was covered in blood, and her body was covered in mud. She looked like a mud monkey and was in a terrible state.

She described it vividly. At first, everyone was holding back their laughter, but then someone burst out laughing, and everyone else followed suit.

It's not that they lack compassion, but rather that the quick-tongued wife used to make fun of others in the same way, making it difficult for them to sympathize with her.

Around noon, Wang Xiuying left the store and rushed back to the north of the village to help with cooking.

Just as we reached the edge of Li's field, a green Jiefang truck drove up.

"Hey, you're back early today." Wang Xiuying simply waited by the roadside.

Daya cried and wanted to find her mother, so Wang Xiuying let go of her hand and let her run to find her mother on her own.

The truck came to a stop, and the passenger door opened. Wang Xiuying was initially surprised, then her expression turned to shock: "Zhenguo, you...Shuping!"

Since the educated youth returned to the city, my sister-in-law has rarely come back more than once a year. Why did she suddenly come back when it's neither a holiday nor a festival? Has she changed her ways?

"Sister-in-law." The couple walked over with smiles.

However, Chen Shuping's smile was somewhat awkward.

Wang Xiuying said with emotion, "Shuping, it's been more than a year since we last saw each other."

“Yes, transportation used to be inconvenient, but now with my second brother’s car, it’s much more convenient whether we’re going home or to Beijing.” Chen Shuping took the initiative to step forward and hold her sister-in-law’s hand.

Wang Xiuying said, "It's cold outside, let's talk inside the shed. Why didn't you send a message beforehand? I could have prepared something and made you something nice to eat."

Chen Shuping said, "We originally planned to come back for the Chinese New Year, but something came up at the last minute, so we changed it to today."

"What's wrong?" Wang Xiuying looked at her sister-in-law and then at her brother-in-law.

Li Zhenguo laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, this is good news. We'll talk about it together when we see my brother."

Seeing Li Zhenguo carrying a bunch of things, Wang Xiuying frowned and said, "Zhenguo, we don't need anything at home, why did you buy all this stuff?"

Li Zhenguo responded: "Last time I came back in a hurry and didn't bring anything. This time, Shuping and I can't come back empty-handed. We have things for you and my brother, and also for the children."

Wang Xiuying looked back: "Didn't the second son come back with us?"

Li Zhenguo said, "He wanted to come back with us, but I stopped him. We're not outsiders, we can come back on our own, why waste the child's time? Let him be busy."

Wang Xiuying led the two into the greenhouse and showed Chen Shuping the vegetables inside. Chen Shuping recalled the dozen or so bright white greenhouses she had seen after getting off the bus and asked, "Are all those dozen or so greenhouses on the east side growing the same thing?"

“Same here. Those ten greenhouses are newly built. A batch of leafy vegetables just ripened. I’ll take some with you when you leave so your mother can try them at home,” Wang Xiuying said with a smile.

Regardless of what kind of person Old Mrs. Chen is, Wang Xiuying can't neglect her brother-in-law who lives in the Chen family home.

Old Li heard the commotion and hurriedly entered the greenhouse, grinning as he said, "Zhenguo, Shuping, why are you back today?"

Li Zhenguo stopped keeping them in suspense: "Brother, sister-in-law, we came back today to find a partner for our second son."

Wang Xiuying's eyes widened, and she asked instinctively, "Whose daughter is this?"

Chen Shuping responded with a smile: "She's my eldest sister's second daughter. She's nineteen years old this year, one year younger than your second son. She's currently a sophomore at Beijing Foreign Studies University."

A university student from Beijing! That's quite remarkable.

Old Li was initially overjoyed, but then he remembered that his wife had said she didn't want to marry a daughter-in-law from Beijing.

He secretly broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that his wife would act stubbornly again at this critical juncture.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Xiuying's eyes lit up and a smile bloomed on her face: "Oh my, this is wonderful! I saw that girl once when she was little, and she was such a beautiful young woman."

Chen Shuping took a photo out of her pocket and handed it over: "This is a photo of that girl now, take a look."

"Wow, she's really beautiful, and has a great figure too. She's even prettier than when she was little." Wang Xiuying took the photo and examined it carefully. The girl in the photo had delicate features and was wearing a fashionable dress; she was indeed quite different from the girls in the village. She couldn't help but ask, "Does the second son know about this?"

Chen Shuping smiled and said, "I know, we asked him before we came. He met that girl once and said she was quite nice."

"That's good. As long as the two children are happy, that's better than anything else." Wang Xiuying smiled from ear to ear, carefully putting away the photo. "I'll keep this photo. I'll let the villagers see what the seven fairies who came down from heaven look like."

Old Li listened from the side, speechless, wondering to himself: What's wrong with my wife today? Didn't she keep saying she didn't want to find a daughter-in-law from Beijing?

(End of this chapter)