Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 44 A Few Happy Families
Early morning, at the consignment shop.

Zhang Yuzhen was wiping the counter with a blue cloth, while several women chattered in her ears.

"You know, this greenhouse is really weird! When Zhu Yimin was dragged out, his face was pale and his eyes were wide open. If he hadn't been found in time, this shorty would have been seeing his great-grandmother." The quick-tongued wife patted her cotton trousers, spittle flying everywhere, as if she had witnessed it herself.

Aunt Pang asked curiously, "How is Zhu Yimin doing now?"

The quick-talking wife said, "The person has been saved, but their health has been damaged. We don't know if they will be able to work in the future."

"Oh my god, it sounds like someone is possessed by a ghost, it's really scary."

“Who says otherwise? When the Li family’s greenhouse was built, my husband also wanted to build one, but now that Zhu Yimin has gotten into trouble, he doesn’t dare to mention it anymore.”

"We can't let him mess things up. This greenhouse is not only a waste of money, but also a life-threatening business."

A group of women were chatting happily when the curtain was suddenly lifted, and Wang Xiuying walked into the store carrying a vegetable basket, her trouser legs still covered with dew from the vegetable patch.

"Oh my god, am I seeing things? Xiuying, what are you doing here?" The quick-talking wife opened her mouth wide, forgetting to spit out the sunflower seed shells, which got stuck between her teeth.

“This is a store for selling things. If you can come, why can’t I?” Wang Xiuying snorted, giving the other party a cold look.

"Xiuying's here!" Zhang Yuzhen ran out from behind the counter, her voice filled with joy. "What do you want? I'll get it for you."

Wang Xiuying and Zhang Yuzhen grew up together and could sense that the other was genuinely happy. In the end, there was no real conflict or grudge between them. They had long forgotten about the old stories of blind dates. The reason they didn't see each other was because she was holding a grudge: "My second son wants to eat dumplings. Get me four pounds of minced meat."

"Alright." Zhang Yuzhen walked to the cutting board, pointed to a piece of fat about four fingers thick, and asked, "What do you think of this piece of meat?"

"I want a leaner piece; my family doesn't like it if it's too fatty."

Hearing this, the quick-tongued wife curled her lip and said, "Look at you, so capable, still complaining about the fat."

For some reason, seeing Zhang Yuzhen and Wang Xiuying standing together made her feel uncomfortable, so she simply stood up and went outside for some fresh air.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw a carriage parked at the door, its mouth agape as it called out, "Yuzhen, come out quickly, your family has arrived!"

Zhang Yuzhen wasn't in a hurry. Her family was in the village, and she had a lot of relatives. Who knew who might come to visit?

"Grandma, Grandpa, I've come to see you!" A clear, childlike voice startled Zhang Yuzhen, who quickly walked out of the store.

Outside the store, a rubber-covered horse-drawn carriage was parked. Her daughter, Qiaomei, carried a five- or six-year-old girl off the carriage, while her son-in-law, Zhou Yongqiang, took a green artificial leather box off the carriage. The two faded red characters "Beijing" were printed on the corner, glistening in the sun.

Zhang Yuzhen looked delighted, "You're finally back! I've been waiting for you all."

"I was planning to come back to see you both on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but I've been incredibly busy at work lately, and I only managed to find the time today!" Son-in-law Zhou Yongqiang handed over the net bag.
"Qiaomei said your favorite is Caozi cake, so she went to Daoxiangcun and queued for two hours! Doesn't Dad love Babao pickles? Liubiju got them for you. There's a pair of Warrior sneakers in the box for Huzi, they're very fashionable, I'm sure he'll like them."

"I've told you so many times, we have everything we need, yet you always buy so much stuff when you come back. It's just a waste of money." Zhang Yuzhen wiped her hands on her apron before taking the net bag. Her eldest daughter marrying into a family in Beijing was her proudest achievement and the pride of the whole family.

"Look at this, sons-in-law from the capital are so much better. They buy rare and exotic items, and they speak so sweetly, like radio announcers." The quick-tongued wife craned her neck to look at the oil paper package, swallowing hard—goodness, Daoxiangcun pastries are far more precious than the peach crisps from the convenience store.

"Hey, you have to say Qiaomei married well. If my daughter could marry someone from Beijing, I'd be so happy I'd wake up in my sleep." The plump aunt looked Zhou Yongqiang up and down. He was dressed in a clean and presentable Zhongshan suit. He casually rolled up his sleeve to reveal a silver watch strap, which was particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

"Qiaomei's husband, if you have any brothers who haven't had any trouble, bring them over. The girls in our village are all beautiful and virtuous, no doubt about it."

"I have a niece who looks like someone from a painting..."

"Don't be so polite. Your niece has a face that looks like a millstone, and she still has the nerve to say that." Seeing that these old women were getting more and more outrageous, Zhang Yuzhen quickly interrupted them, took her granddaughter's hand and walked into the shop. "Yinyin has grown taller again, she's almost a young lady now, and her little face is so pretty."

Wang Xiuying was also a little envious. Her own daughter had grown up, and she wondered what kind of family she could find.

Zhang Yuzhen pointed to Wang Xiuying beside her, "Yinyin, this is your Aunt Xiuying, greet her."

"Hello, Auntie."

"You're such a pretty little girl." Wang Xiuying touched the little girl's face and took out two cents from her pocket. "I know your family has plenty of food, so use these two cents to buy something you like."

The little girl didn't reach out immediately, but looked at her mother beside her.

Lin Qiaomei was also unsure.

Zhang Yuzhen smiled and said, "I'll take what my aunt gave me."

Lin Qiaomei also said, "Why don't you thank your great-aunt?"

The little girl took the money and said in her childish voice, "Thank you, Auntie."

"Good girl, that's why people from the capital are so polite." Wang Xiuying patted the girl's head again, picked up the basket, and said, "It's rare for my daughter to come back. You two chat, I'm going back now."

"I won't see you off. Come back if you need anything." Zhang Yuzhen pulled her granddaughter into the inner room, saying, "Your grandpa was just saying yesterday that Yinyin should be losing her baby teeth. He'll be so happy to see you."

Lin Qiaomei followed behind and asked softly, "Mother, don't you and Aunt Wang get along?"

"Nonsense, we grew up together, how could we not get along?" Zhang Yuzhen smiled at her son-in-law, "Yongqiang, please sit down, I'll make you some tea."

……

Li Family Greenhouse No. 3.

Early in the morning, Li Zhe drove his tractor to Langfang City to buy plastic film.

By now, the plastic film had been purchased, and he was leading people to install it. It was meticulous work, but not strenuous, and Li Zhe hadn't hired any outsiders; his own family members were skilled and efficient, so they did it quickly. After the film was firmly installed and pressed down, it was left to dry for a while until the adhesive was strong. Then, the film was lifted from one end to the top of the greenhouse, spread out along the frame, and laid flat. The edges of the film were secured with soil and sandbags. The top of the film was tightened with nylon rope, and it was fixed at the top and bottom with ground anchors, one every 2 meters, forming a mesh reinforcement. The entire greenhouse was now sealed.

The straw curtains were fixed to the top of the greenhouse, and the entire greenhouse was completely completed.

Looking at the newly completed Greenhouse No. 3, Li Weidong's eyes were filled with envy. How wonderful it would be if he could have a greenhouse himself. Recalling when his second son wanted to build a greenhouse, he thought his son had lost his mind. Now that he thought about it, they were born of the same parents, how could this kid be so crazy?

To be honest, he has the capital to build a greenhouse, but the weather is getting colder and colder, and he doesn't know if construction can still be carried out. Also, he doesn't know if his mother and wife will agree.

"The dumplings are ready!" Li Jiugang shouted, and everyone sprang to attention, rushing to wash their hands regardless of whether they had work to do.

A Malay girl, holding her child, waited by the stove. These were meatball dumplings; who wouldn't want them?

Wang Xiuying came over and said, "Give me Daya, you go and eat first."

The Malaysian was stunned.

Wang Xiuying took the child and touched her granddaughter's, saying, "Let my little girl have a dumpling wrapper later, it's so delicious."

The little girl chuckled and mumbled, "Eat, eat..."

The Malay girl picked up the bowl of dumplings from the table, walked to the wall, squatted down, looked at the snow-white, big-bellied dumplings, and swallowed them in one gulp. They were so hot that she grimaced, but she refused to spit them out.

Li Weidong walked over and asked, "Honey, are the dumplings delicious?"

"Mmm, I've never eaten such delicious dumplings before," the Malaysian boy mumbled after swallowing another dumpling.

"Why don't you eat at the table? It's tiring to squat." Li Weidong poured some vinegar from his bowl for Ma Laixiao.

“I’ve been used to it since I was a child. My brother always gets the best food at home. If I don’t avoid him, I won’t get anything to eat.”

Li Weidong felt a pang of heartache for no apparent reason, and scooped the dumplings from his bowl to his wife, saying, "Eat slowly, there are still some left in the pot."

……

A wisp of gray smoke rose from the roof of Zhang Yuzhen's brick house.

The store closed earlier than usual, and Zhang Yuzhen busied herself in the kitchen as soon as she got home.

She was overjoyed when her daughter and her family came back from Beijing to visit, feeling as if it were Chinese New Year, and she put extra care into cooking.

"The braised fish is here!" Zhang Yuzhen called out, carrying a large porcelain plate from the kitchen into the main room. The table was filled with all kinds of dishes, and her daughter and her family of three sat around the table.

Zhang Yuzhen specially placed the braised fish in front of her son-in-law, as she remembered that he loved this dish the most.

Zhou Yongqiang said, "Mom, you and Dad, please sit down quickly. There's enough food to start the feast."

"You guys eat first. There's another dish, Four Happiness Meatballs, that will be ready soon. My daughter Yinyin loves this dish the most, doesn't she?"

"Mmm." The little girl nodded, her mouth greasy from the breakfast.

Lin Dingyuan walked over with a bottle of Xifeng liquor. "How about we have some of this today?"

"Oh, I've never had this before. It's one of the thirteen famous wines. I've been wanting to try it for a long time." Zhou Yongqiang got up, took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and poured a glass for his father-in-law first.

"Good, good." Seeing how sensible his son-in-law was, Lin Dingyuan was already three-tenths drunk even before drinking any alcohol.

"Dad, I'd like to offer you a toast and wish you a long and prosperous life."

"Good, good." Lin Dingyuan was genuinely happy, and he kept saying "good" over and over.

Zhou Yongqiang put down his wine glass. "It's a pity that Hu Zi isn't home. Otherwise, the three of us could drink together. That would be much more enjoyable."

"Let's wait until the New Year. Tiger's factory will be closed for the holidays, then you can come back and the three of us can have a good drink together."

"Hey, that's great." The father-in-law and son-in-law chatted and drank together, and Lin Dingyuan became more and more satisfied with his son-in-law.

"The Four Happiness Meatballs are here!" Zhang Yuzhen placed the plate in front of her granddaughter.

"Mom, there's so much food already, sit down and eat too." Lin Qiaomei pulled her mother's arm and made her sit down next to her.

Zhang Yuzhen picked up her chopsticks and placed a four-happiness meatball on her granddaughter's plate. "Yinyin, try it and see if it's good. You all can eat too."

Zhou Yongqiang poured Zhang Yuzhen a glass of wine, "Mother, your cooking skills are comparable to those of the head chef at Taifeng Restaurant. I must toast you and wish you eternal youth and beauty."

"I'm already so old, what's there to be pretty about, haha." Zhang Yuzhen laughed from ear to ear, tilted her head back and drank it down, the spiciness making her pull on her collar.

After a few drinks, Zhou Yongqiang was also a little drunk. He turned his head to wink at his wife, but Lin Qiaomei didn't look at him and instead put food on her youngest daughter's plate.

"Ahem." Zhou Yongqiang's throat tightened, and he coughed lightly. "Father, Mother, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it? Tell me." Lin Dingyuan put down his chopsticks, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Yongqiang downed a glass of wine, took a deep breath, and said, “A childhood friend of mine is going to do business in the south and wants to take me with him… I’m a little short on cash, so I’d like to borrow some from you two to tide me over.”

(End of this chapter)