Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 89 Cooperative

Li family's field in Daying Village.

A yellow light shone from shed number 3; Old Li and his team had just laid the power line today. People would be living here permanently, and it would be really inconvenient without electricity.

Old Li would occasionally peek out from behind the thick curtain, muttering, "It's so late, why isn't he back yet?"

Wang Xiuying patted the sunflower seed shells off her hands and couldn't sit still any longer: "Why don't we go to the village entrance to greet them?"

Old Li shook his head: "You didn't bring anything valuable on the way back, so it should be fine. Let's wait a bit longer. Why don't you take Xiaona home first?"

"Hmph, I'll be worried about it all night if I go back now. There's still rice cooking in the pot, I'll go heat it up."

"Don't get too excited yet. They've come back so late; they might have already eaten on the way back."

Wang Xiuying boldly guessed: "Could it be that the second son took them out to eat again?"

It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious. Wang Xiuying had hardly ever been to a restaurant in her entire life. She didn't even know which way the door to Quanjude was open.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..." The sound of a tractor came from outside. Old Li and his wife hurriedly came out of the greenhouse, and Li Na stopped doing her homework, put down her pen, and followed them out.

The tractor was parked by the roadside. Li Zhe jumped off and asked, "Mom, why aren't we home yet?"

Seeing her two sons return, Wang Xiuying felt relieved: "I was just about to leave. Why are you so late today?"

"When I came back, I went to the credit union in town. I brought some cucumbers and spinach for Director Sun. We were able to build this greenhouse thanks to his help. Now that the vegetables are growing, we can't forget his kindness."

Old Li slapped his thigh: "That's right, how could I forget about that?"

Wang Xiuying was indeed a little worried and asked her second brother, "Eldest brother, did you go too? Didn't Director Sun ask you where the loan money went? I hope nothing bad will happen."

Li Weidong's cheeks were flushed, and he seemed a little drunk: "It's nothing, I've already talked to Director Sun. We're not running the chicken farm anymore, and we'll build greenhouses next year. Director Sun even praised me as a reliable person."

Wang Xiuying felt relieved: "That's good. I was afraid the authorities would investigate. Now that it's out in the open, it's all good."

Li Weidong glanced into the greenhouse: "Mom, where's my wife?"

Old Li said, "It was getting dark, so I had her take Qinghe and Daya home to avoid them having to walk in the dark."

Li Na ran over, wrinkled her little nose, sniffed Li Weidong, and then sniffed Li Zhe: "Big brother, second brother, did you go out to eat again?"

Li Weidong patted her head and laughed, "Your nose is almost as shiny as gold. Director Sun treated us to a meal at a restaurant. The second brother wanted to pay, but they wouldn't let him and just put the bill on him."

"Xiao Na, I'll take you out to eat later too," Li Zhe comforted her, taking a yellow paper package out of the tractor's back. "This is what I bought for you."

Li Na held it in her hands and smelled it: "Second brother, what did you buy?"

"The donkey rolls."

"Donkey roll?" Li Na muttered to herself. "Is it donkey meat? My teacher once said, 'Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground.' I've never eaten it before. Doesn't it smell delicious?" As she spoke, Li Na smelled it again through the paper package.

Wang Xiuying felt both sad and amused: "Silly girl, this donkey roll is a snack, not meat."

Li Na swallowed hard, "Is it sweet?"

"It should be sweet." Although Wang Xiuying had never tried it herself, she had heard people say, "It's a famous snack in Beijing."

Listening to his mother and sister's conversation, Li Zhe felt a pang of sadness. "Take it slow," he thought, "the better days are ahead."

Old Li urged, "It's getting late, you should all go home. We can talk about it tomorrow." The others dispersed, leaving only Old Li and his father.

Old Li then asked, "Second brother, tell me the truth. Did you have something else to discuss with Director Sun today?"

“You always overthink things.” Li Zhe poured himself a glass of warm water and drank half of it in one gulp. “But you guessed it. I did talk to Director Sun about some other things.”

Old Li gave him a knowing look: "What did you say to Director Sun? It's not about getting a loan again, is it?"

Li Zhe didn't hide anything, "I do have this idea. I want to continue expanding the greenhouses. Dad, what do you think?"

"Hey, what do you think?" Old Li gestured with his hands. "Yesterday at noon, I was shoveling soil with a shovel. It was almost a foot thick with frost. It's definitely harder to dig than when it's warm, but it's not impossible. As long as we work hard and are willing to pay, we should be able to find people. It'll just take a bit longer."

Li Zhe asked with a smile, "You don't object to me expanding the greenhouse?"

“I’m not some old-fashioned feudalist. Growing cucumbers is like making money. Who would complain about money?” Old Li snorted. “If you really want to do it, hurry up. The colder it gets, the harder it is to dig them.”

"This time I want to find a machine to dig." Before, it wasn't that Li Zhe didn't want to use one, but the conditions didn't allow it. Borrowing a tractor in the countryside is difficult enough, let alone an excavator if you don't have the connections.

No one adds firewood to the cold stove, but a hot meal has a helper in the kitchen; the shed becomes a local culinary expert, the shed falls and the village laughs at him like a fool; that's him.

Old Li asked, "What did Director Sun say about the loan?"

"Director Sun said that the increase in personal loan amount is limited, and suggested that I go to the village collective, not only because the loan amount is higher, but also because I might be able to get government support; I mentioned to him the matter of setting up a vegetable cooperative, and he said that as long as the cooperative's president and Party Secretary Wang sign, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Oh dear." These things are beyond Old Li's comprehension.

He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open. After thinking for a while, he said, "Second brother, if we take out a loan in the name of the vegetable cooperative, will the profits go to our family or the cooperative?"

"Director Sun suggested that when establishing the cooperative, a special clause on 'project contracting' should be included, clearly stating that members can independently contract projects approved by the cooperative. As long as it is passed by a resolution at the members' meeting and the contract terms are clearly stated, it will be fine."

Old Li, cracking sunflower seeds, said, "Sounds alright, but is there anything wrong with it?"

"Yes, it's earmarked for specific purposes. The loan must be used to purchase agricultural supplies related to vegetable greenhouses, and the use of funds must be monitored by the cooperative. All purchase receipts must be retained." As his network of contacts in Beijing expands, the importance of identity becomes more apparent. Even if it weren't for loan considerations, Li Zhe still needs an identity that can be printed on his business card.

Old Li tossed the sunflower seed shells into the winnowing basket. "Alright, let's go to the village committee to see Secretary Wang tomorrow. He promised us before, so I don't think there will be any problem."

After finishing their business, Li Zhe asked with a smile, "Brother said you needed to talk to me, what is it?"

"Zhu Yimin went to shed number 4 yesterday."

Li Zhe was somewhat surprised to hear this: "He's recovered?"

"He doesn't seem to have any major problems, but he looks a bit haggard, like he's got something on his mind." Old Li grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and continued cracking them open. "He asked if we were hiring, saying he wanted to work with us."

Li Zhe countered, "Does he intend to take back the greenhouse?"

"I don't think he meant it, and he's not in the mood for it. I heard he and his wife had a fight. What do you think? Should we keep him here?"

Li Zhe said, "I'll talk to him tomorrow. If he really wants to work for us, we'll keep him."

Old Li reminded him, "Second brother, aren't you worried that he'll steal our techniques and start his own business next year?"

Li Zhe smiled, not worried at all. His greatest advantage wasn't his skills, but rather his knowledge and vision...

(End of this chapter)