Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 22 Past Events

"uncle."

Li Zhe was deeply saddened to see his uncle, who had passed away in the previous timeline, upon seeing the old man again.

My uncle also had a tough life. In the early 1960s, he married a female educated youth who had been sent to the countryside. She was Li Zhe's aunt. After their marriage, they had a son and a daughter.

Li Zhe's aunt's family had a bad class background. In the late 1960s, she was preparing to go to Hong Kong to stay with relatives. She wanted to take her child and uncle with her, but Li Zhe's maternal grandparents disagreed.

My uncle is a filial son. He softened at the pleading of the two elderly people, worried that no one would take care of them after he was gone.

Auntie could only leave with the two children, but was stopped halfway by Grandpa Li Zhe. She could leave, but the children couldn't. After some arguing, Auntie took her daughter away, while her cousin Wang Jianjun was taken back.

Since then, the family of four has been separated. The maternal grandmother even sought out a matchmaker to find another wife for her uncle, but the uncle refused to agree and has been raising the child alone for many years.

Even after his uncle passed away, he still missed his wife and daughter who had gone to Hong Kong, but he was never able to see them again.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the family prepared to have dinner.

“Everyone’s here today, let’s have something good to drink. Second son, bring out the Fenjiu you bought, let your uncle try it.” Old Li said this to his son, but Li Zhe was always easy to manage, so how would he know where the Fenjiu was?

Therefore, Lao Li was actually speaking to Wang Xiuying, but was conveying the message through his son.

Wang Rongsheng waved his hand, "Don't take it, that wine is too expensive, I don't like it, bulk wine is fine."

Li Zhe picked up the wine barrel and filled it for everyone.

This morning, Li Zhe went to the consignment store and bought a chicken and five catties of bulk liquor. In the future, when the family needs help, they will need more meat and alcohol.

Li Weidong, Wang Jianjun, and Zhao Tiezhu helped with the work, so they definitely wouldn't ask for wages. All he could do was make sure everyone ate and drank well and supplemented their diet.

Another reason is that he himself has a sweet tooth. In his previous life, he was a person who couldn't live without meat. Suddenly returning to this era, he really couldn't get used to this hard life. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't eat meat for a day.

Wang Xiuying invited everyone to try the chicken, saying, "This chicken is big and plump, and it's stewed to perfection."

Old Li took the lead, saying, "Come on, everyone, start eating. We're family, so don't be shy."

Li Zhe picked up a piece of chicken with the skin on, took a bite, and found it fragrant, tender, and chewy—truly delicious.

After putting down their chopsticks, Lao Li suggested that everyone raise a glass of loose liquor, and the atmosphere would naturally warm up.

When the conversation turned to the day's work, Li Zhe took the opportunity to toast everyone and thank them for their help.

Wang Rongsheng put down his wine glass and asked casually, "Xiao Zhe, your parents don't agree to build a greenhouse. What are you thinking?"

"I just want to do something to make a living, earn more money, and let my family live a better life."

“You have a good idea, but the credit union’s money is too hot to handle, and no one has ever built a greenhouse like this before. Have you thought about what to do if you lose money?” Before Li Zhe could reply, Wang Rongsheng continued, “If you ask me, don’t build such a big one this year. Build a greenhouse of 100 or 200 square meters first. If it really makes money, we can build a bigger one next year, how about that?”

Wang Xiuying quickly chimed in, "Your uncle is right. A 600-square-meter greenhouse costs 6,000 yuan, while a 100-square-meter one only costs 1,000 yuan. Even if we lose money, we can still pay it back with some effort." She nudged her husband with her elbow, "Old Li, you're right."

Old Li put down his chopsticks and nodded. "That makes sense."

Li Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, I've also thought about the method you mentioned."

However, this approach is suitable for mature industries, such as opening a restaurant. Start with a small one, gain experience, and then open a large restaurant.

Vegetable greenhouses are a new industry; no one has done it before. There are risks, but also high returns. The bigger the operation during the high-return period, the more money you make; once that period is over, you'll only earn a pittance for your hard work.

Wang Xiuying said, "What benefits or not? It's just a year later, isn't it?"

"Mother, have you forgotten about selling corn? If you can sell it today, others can sell it tomorrow. The market can change drastically in a day, let alone a year."

Growing vegetables in greenhouses is a technical job, and I'm not the only one who knows how. If I make money growing vegetables in greenhouses this year, others will definitely follow suit next year, and the price will be different... Whether it will succeed depends on this year." Li Zhe won't just grow vegetables in one mu of greenhouses; as long as he can make money, he will expand the scale.

Looking at his nephew, whose features bore a striking resemblance to his own, Wang Rongsheng seemed to recall his younger self. "Have you made up your mind?"

Li Zhe said seriously, "It's settled."

"Even if your parents object, you're still going to do it?"

"Uncle, there aren't many opportunities in a person's life. It's my blessing to have met you. Whether I win or lose, at least I've tried, and I accept that."

"You won't regret it even if you lose money?"

"No regrets."

Wang Rongsheng took a sip of wine from his cup and said, "You're more decisive than your uncle."

Wang Rongsheng stopped mentioning greenhouse farming and drank several more glasses of wine, becoming quite tipsy. Seeing that her brother seemed off, Wang Xiuying picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks. "Brother, eat some vegetables and drink less."

"It's alright." Wang Rongsheng shook his head, paused for a moment, and continued, "Second brother, once you've made up your mind, then do it well and don't leave any regrets."

"Uncle, I'll listen to you."

"Okay, you guys keep drinking, I need to go back and get some sleep." Wang Rongsheng stood up, swaying slightly, and Wang Jianjun quickly helped him up.

Everyone stood up to see him off, but Wang Rongsheng stopped them, saying, "Jianjun can see me off, you all continue eating."

Wang Xiuying followed him out. "Brother, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Wang Rongsheng waved his hand, "I'm getting old, and I get drunk easily. My second son is a man of his own mind. Since we can't persuade him, we can't hold him back, or he'll resent us for life. I know your temper, listen to me, don't argue with the kids, let's go back." Wang Rongsheng sat on the back of the bicycle, and the two of them left.

Wang Xiuying sighed softly and watched the two leave.

On the way, Wang Jianjun asked with concern, "Dad, did you drink too fast? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No." Wang Rongsheng suddenly grabbed his son's clothes. "Jun'er, do you resent your father?"

Wang Jianjun's arm trembled slightly. His father didn't say it explicitly, but he knew what his father was asking. "So many years have passed, I've long forgotten."

The father and son didn't say anything more along the way.

Back home, Wang Jianjun helped his father to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), took off his shoes, and said, "Lie down for a while, I'll go cook some millet porridge."

Wang Rongsheng lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), a tear sliding down his cheek, and murmured, "I regret it..."

……

Evening, in the west room.

Li Zhe was soaking his feet on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Old Li lifted the curtain and came in, glancing at his son. "You must be tired today."

"A little, Dad, you should soak your feet too, there's hot water in the kettle." Li Zhe yawned.

"I'm alright, I haven't done much heavy work. Come on, let me give you a massage." Old Li got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sat behind Li Zhe, and massaged his shoulders and patted his back.

"Be gentle." Li Zhe gasped in pain.

"It'll only work if it hurts, just bear with it."

Old Li tapped for a while, then stopped. "How's it going? Feeling better now?"

Li Zhe stretched his shoulders. "Not bad."

"Hmph, you little brat, you deserve a beating." Old Li snorted and slid to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to sit next to Li Zhe. "I want to discuss something with you."

"What's the matter?"

"I remember you said that building greenhouses requires cement pillars and bamboo poles. When are you planning to buy them? Do you know how to buy them?"

Li Zhe had bought these materials in his previous life, but that was more than ten years later, and he really had no clue now. "Dad, do you have any ideas?"

“When I worked on a construction team, I used these things a lot. I could tell the quality at a glance. If you’re stuck, I can run an errand for you.”

“That would be great. There’s just been construction work on the field, and I can’t leave either. I’ll have Zhuzi take you there in a horse-drawn cart tomorrow.”

"No need, I'll go by bicycle."

"I'll give you some money tomorrow morning. If it's suitable, we'll finalize the deal."

"Okay, go to bed early after you wash your feet. I'm going back to my room." Old Li got up, slipped on his shoes, and walked out.

Li Zhe smiled. His father was used to being pushed around by things; it was rare for him to proactively take on tasks. There's always a reason for something unusual...

Li Zhe heard his parents muttering in hushed tones coming from the east room. He vaguely guessed that it was probably his mother pulling the strings behind the scenes.

In other words, her mother also changed her attitude and supported her building the greenhouse.

good thing.

When a family works together as one, focusing their efforts in the same direction, they can exert their greatest strength.

(End of this chapter)