Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 21 Wang Rongsheng

The Li family's old house.

"Squeak, squeak..." The cicadas chirped incessantly.

Wang Xiuying sat under the shade of a tree washing clothes, her right hand gripping a scrubbing brush and making a "swish-swish" sound as she scrubbed it on the work cloth. Her eyes were fixed on the basin, lost in thought.

"Xiuying".

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in my ears.

Wang Xiuying looked up abruptly and saw her older brother carrying a bulging half-full fertilizer bag as he stepped through the door.

"Oh my, brother, you startled me." Wang Xiuying stood up and wiped her hands on her clothes.

"What are you thinking? I called you from outside the yard. You were scrubbing clothes with your head down, weren't you afraid of ruining them?"

"No, this is a labor-intensive fabric. What are you carrying? It's quite heavy."

"Early this morning, the loudspeaker announced that your family was hiring. I was worried that you might not have enough food since the crops in the fields hadn't been harvested yet, so I brought you half a bag of cornmeal. Where should I put it?"

"Quickly, just put it in the main room, I'll give you a hand."

"No need, no need, I can do it myself."

Wang Xiuying quickened her pace, lifted the curtain, and said, "Brother, you're not young anymore. Carrying half a sack of cornmeal across half the village, don't tire yourself out."

"It's alright, Jianjun saw me to the door."

"Where's Jianjun? Why didn't he come in?"

“I didn’t let him in. Don’t you work in the fields in the north of the village? I asked him to go help out.”

Wang Xiuying poured a glass of water and handed it to him, saying, "Look at you two, we've disturbed you both. That brat, the second son, is really a handful."

"What's wrong? I've been thinking about it for ages, but I still can't figure it out. What are you doing with your household staff at this time of year?"

"Sigh..." Wang Xiuying sighed and told him about Li Zhe's plan to build a vegetable greenhouse.

Wang Rongsheng frowned as he listened, "Building vegetable greenhouses must require a lot of people, right?"

Wang Xiuying counted on her fingers, "Seven hours a day, four cents an hour, hiring twenty people, that's fifty-six yuan a day, and that doesn't even include the cost of materials." Wang Xiuying walked to the wall and lifted the plastic film covering the curtain, "This stuff covers 600 square meters and cost more than two thousand yuan."

How much would it cost to build the entire greenhouse?

"This is the total." Wang Xiuying tremblingly held up six fingers.

Wang Rongsheng's mouth dropped open. "Where did your family get so much money?!"

Wang Xiuying sighed again, "That rascal borrowed a loan from the credit union, saying it was a government-supported loan for young people to start businesses, with no interest and only the principal to be repaid on time."

Wang Rongsheng's forehead furrowed into a deep frown. "Whether this vegetable greenhouse can make money is another matter entirely. This kid actually dared to take out a loan to build a greenhouse. What if he loses money? How will he pay it back? Why don't you, as his parents, do anything about it?"

“I wanted to intervene, but they wouldn’t listen at all. Your brother-in-law is a pushover, what good is he? I was also afraid of upsetting you, so I didn’t dare to say anything.”

"Why make things worse? It's a family matter, not an outsider's. When the second son comes back, I'll have a chat with him and see what he really thinks."

Wang Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had found someone to rely on.

……

North of the village.

Li Zhe was happy to have his cousin Wang Jianjun help with the work, but he was also a little worried. His uncle was old-fashioned and probably wouldn't support him building a greenhouse.

Old Li, a kind father like him, is a rare sight these days, and he is grateful to have met such an enlightened father.

Li Zhe's uncle, Wang Rongsheng, was quite strict and had the demeanor of a patriarch, so Li Zhe both respected and feared him from a young age.

Having lived two lives, he had long since figured things out. If his uncle was merely formidable, he wouldn't be afraid of him.

The problem is that his uncle is not only strict, but also genuinely good to him.

In his previous life, after Old Li passed away unexpectedly, the people who helped his family the most were his uncle and maternal uncle.

My uncle lives in Beijing and only returns to his hometown during holidays. Every time he comes back, he gives my mother money, which is the biggest help he can provide financially.

Li Zhe remembered all of this. His uncle was always there to help the Li family with anything, big or small. When the Li family built their new house, his uncle contributed both money and labor. After the house was finished, his uncle even fell ill from exhaustion and had to rest for a full half month. Li Zhe appreciated all of this, so how could he not respect him?

Li Zhe felt he could persuade his uncle, who was strict but reasonable.

He suppressed his thoughts and picked up a shovel to dig the soil with the villagers. The sun was scorching, and they sweated profusely as soon as they started working. He had also prepared a bucket of mung bean soup in advance so that the villagers could rest and drink some mung bean soup when they were tired from working.

Although digging is hard work, the time passes quickly when the men, young and old, gather together, chatting and laughing.

Before we knew it, it was evening.

Li Zhiqiang wiped the sweat from his neck with the towel, straightened up, and pounded his lower back. He was really tired after digging for several hours, and his whole body ached, but the pay was really high.

He genuinely envied Li Zhe, his cousin who was two years younger than him. Li Zhe was able to run his own business in his early twenties and still receive his father's support and help.

Then look at yourself. Your father is an alcoholic. When he's sober, he belongs to Daying Village, but when he's drunk, Daying Village belongs to him. A few years ago, your mother was also driven away. Whenever there's a little money in the family, he takes it to buy alcohol.

Li Zhiqiang is already twenty-two years old, and he doesn't even have a marriage prospective partner. His family is so poor that even the mice have gone hungry.

Early in the morning, his father heard the loudspeaker and asked him to go to Li Zhe's house to help out. Actually, he wanted him to see if he could get a free drink. If Li Zhe's family provided drinks and food, his father would come to help out in the afternoon.

As a result, Li Zhe gave out money but not meals, and his father became too lazy to come.

Even though I could buy wine with the money I earned, people just wouldn't come.

"Men, young and old, it's time to get off work. Come here and collect your wages." Old Li shouted as he stepped on the mound of earth to the south. "Whoever I call, come and collect your money."

"Ma Baoping."

"Zhang Wenhai".

"Li Shuwen".

Old Li called for help, and Li Zhe calculated and paid each person according to their working hours.

A moment later, Li Zhiqiang's name was called.

Li Zhe looked at the workbook and said, "Qiangzi, seven hours is two yuan and eighty cents."

"Uncle, we're all family. I'm just here to help. I won't take any money." Li Zhiqiang shrank back.

“There are so many people here, if you don’t take it, how will others take it?” Li Zhe stuffed the money into his calloused hands. “Come to my house for dinner tonight, we’ll have a few drinks.”

"No, my dad is still waiting at home."

Logically, Li Zhe should have taken the opportunity to invite his father, who was also his elder brother, to his home for dinner. However, Li Zhe knew very well what kind of person that guy was; his own amount of wine wasn't even enough for the father to drink alone.

"Uncle, you're busy. I'll come again tomorrow."

"Grandpa, Uncle Weidong, I'm leaving." Li Zhiqiang said goodbye to the father and his two sons, then shouldered his shovel and left.

Li Zhenhua shook his head and sighed, "He was a good kid, what a pity."

……

The Li family's old house.

Wang Xiuying was cooking in the yard, while Wang Rongsheng assisted her. Inside the house, a square table had already been set up, and a young girl was arranging the bowls and chopsticks.

"Xiao Na, lift the curtain," Wang Rongsheng called out.

The little girl walked to the door, lifted the curtain, and saw her uncle carrying a white porcelain basin filled with chicken pieces.

The little girl sniffed the air and couldn't help but swallow hard. It was the first time she had ever seen chicken this year. "It smells so good!"

Wang Rongsheng smiled, picked up a chicken leg and put it in the porcelain bowl, "Eat up, or your mouth will start drooling."

"Thank you, Uncle." The little girl took the bowl with both hands, grabbed a chicken leg, and took a big bite. It was so hot that she slurped it up, but she didn't want to let go. "Mmm, delicious, the meat is so tender."

Ever since Li Zhe took out a loan from the credit union, the Li family's meals have improved dramatically, the little girl's face has become rounder, and her sallow skin has regained its color.

Hearing voices outside, Wang Rongsheng lifted the curtain and stepped out of the main room...

(End of this chapter)