Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 92 Cold Face
"Brother Jin, thank you so much today. Without your help and advice, the establishment of the vegetable cooperative wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Jin Baiwan waved his hand: "You're too kind, brother. I'm just filling in, I'm good at cheering and waving the flag, you're the one who's leading the charge."

Li Zhe pulled a wad of cash from his coat pocket: "Brother Jin, I borrowed 2000 from you last time when I was short of funds to build shed number 3. I've made some money selling vegetables recently, so I'm paying you back. Can you count it and see if it's correct?"

Jin Baiwan didn't take the money: "Brother Li, you can take it first. I'm not in a hurry. I can come back to get it when I need it."

Jin Baiwan refused the money, and Li Zhe didn't insist on giving it to him. He put the money aside and said, "Brother Jin, there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with. I'd like to expand the greenhouse, but it's getting cold now, and the ground is starting to freeze, making it difficult to dig. I'd like to rent two excavators. Do you know of any rental options?"

Upon hearing that Li Zhe wanted to expand the greenhouse, Jin Baiwan immediately became interested. When the weather is warm, there are many projects and it is a bit difficult to rent excavators, but now it should not be a problem: "I happen to know someone in a construction company in the county. I will go and inquire first thing tomorrow morning."

"Brother Jin, thank you so much."

"Don't be shy, just ask if you need my land." Jin Baiwan rubbed his hands together: "Brother Li, how many acres do you want to expand this time?"

Li Zhe said, "This time I plan to rent land from the village committee and sign a long-term lease. As long as there are enough funds and the weather is suitable for construction, I will expand as much as possible."

According to policy, village collectives reserve a small amount of land for adjustments to the newly added population or for public affairs; this is called reserve land. From any perspective, leasing land from the village collective is more cost-effective than leasing land from individuals, and it can reduce unnecessary disputes in the future.

These words thrilled Jin Baiwan. He had been waiting for this all along! Even if it meant using past favors, he had to find this excavator.

In the morning, on Chongwenmen Street.

The tractor was parked by the roadside. Li Zhe jumped off the tractor and ran into the bungalow with a wooden sign that read "Typing and Copying".

The shop is only a dozen square meters in total. Black spots formed by ink drips can be seen on the floor. The walls are covered with the "Regulations for the Management of Printing of Printed Materials" and handwritten fee standards.

The woman in blue overalls asked, "Comrade, what kind of document do you need printed? For your organization or for yourself?"

Li Zhe asked, "Can you print business cards?"

"Sure, how much do you need? Are there any requirements regarding paper thickness?"

"100 sheets, the paper should be thicker."

"What's your name? Do you need my business card urgently?"

"My surname is Li, and I'm not in a hurry to use it."

"It's 25 yuan for a single-sided, single-color print. If you want additional colors or special patterns, there will be an extra charge." The woman in overalls handed Li Zhe a piece of paper: "Write down what you want to print."

“Single-sided and single-color is fine.” Li Zhe picked up his pen and wrote, “Ji Province Daying Vegetable Cooperative, President Li Zhe”.

The woman in overalls glanced at it and said, "Pay first, then come back this afternoon to pick it up."

After paying the money, Li Zhe got on the tractor and went to Suzhou Hutong.

When he arrived home, Sun Tao and the others were already there, standing at the door waiting to receive the goods.

Li Zhe greeted them and was about to go inside when he saw someone riding a bicycle coming from the west.
"Officer Bai, what brings you here?"

Bai Xiaoyan got out of the car and set up the bicycle frame: "I came here to meet a friend, and I'm bringing you my temporary residence permit on the way."

"Oh, thank you so much." Li Zhe took the temporary residence permit and gestured for him to come in: "Officer Bai, come in and have a cup of tea to warm up."

Bai Xiaoyan glanced at Sun Tao and the others: "Let's do it another day. I won't disturb your business. I'm going to visit a friend."

"Officer Bai, please wait a moment." Li Zhe took out a woven bag and packed two kilograms of cucumbers and two kilograms of spinach: "These are vegetables grown by our village cooperative. Please take them home and try them. If you like them, come back again."

Bai Xiaoyan initially thought it was something like radishes and potatoes, and casually opened it, revealing a surprised expression: "Wow, cucumbers and spinach, these things are precious, so the cucumbers sold in the market are grown by you?"

"If you want to eat it in the future, just come here and get it."

"No, I have to pay you." Bai Xiaoyan said, reaching for her pocket to take out some money.

"Officer Bai, next time you pay, this time it's on me. I can't let you come all this way for nothing, can I?"

"Alright, I won't argue with you anymore. If you need anything in the future, come find me at the police station." Bai Xiaoyan said goodbye to Wang Jianjun, got on her bicycle, and turned into the alley.

Li Zhe certainly knew why they had come. Even with Wang Jianjun's connection, he didn't dare to be presumptuous, as he might need their help in the future. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Wang Jianjun's connection, he might not have accepted the cucumbers even if he offered them for free.

Sun Tao and the others had different expressions. They were all shrewd people who made a living in the market. They knew that some things could be said in one way but misunderstood in another.

Mr. Jiang grinned, revealing his gold teeth, and thought to himself, "Wow, I never realized Mr. Li was so capable. I've never heard of a temporary residence permit being delivered right to my door."

The others had their own thoughts, but none of them took the initiative to ask.

The back gate of Courtyard No. 7.

"Bang, bang." There was a knock on the door. Tan Jingya went to open it: "Who is it?" There was no response.

Tan Jingya opened the door a crack and peeked out. She saw a policewoman standing outside and looked her over carefully. "Are you Officer Bai?"

Bai Xiaoyan parked the car at the entrance: "Is Ji Hongbin here?"

“It’s home, please come in.” Tan Jingya stepped aside.

Bai Xiaoyan pushed the cart through the gate, leaned against the wall, and entered the courtyard with practiced ease.

Tan Jingya called into the house, "Hongbin, Officer Bai is here."

Ji Hongbin, wearing a military green overcoat, came out of the north room: "Oh, you're not going to work today?"

"I ran some errands and stopped by to see you. You're such a show-off, why are you wearing a coat at home?"

"Your mouth can choke someone to death." Ji Hongbin led Bai Xiaoyan into the east wing and sat down on the sofa: "Speak, what do you want to see me about?"

"Wow, you won't even let me have a sip of water. You're really stingy." Bai Xiaoyan walked around the room. "Your room is nicely decorated."

Ji Hongbin picked up the thermos and brewed a pot of tea: "You have the nerve to say that? Every time we have a gathering, I ask Qiangzi to call you, but you're either working overtime or have something else to do. Are you really that busy?"

"Hey, you're right, I'm not busy at all. I just don't care to see you." Bai Xiaoyan sat across from her on the sofa, legs crossed.

Ji Hongbin poured her a cup of tea: "Then why did you come today? It's not like the sun rose in the west."

"Alright, stop joking around, let's talk about something serious." Bai Xiaoyan put down her teacup, her face grave. "I heard from Qiangzi that you're going to the south to deal in treasury bonds."

“Hey, he’s got a real silver tongue, even you…” Ji Hongbin said, then seemed to remember something, “He lent you money? Hey, that bastard is something else.”

“We’re all buddies, he only asked me because he was really desperate. I’m not here today for money.” She waved her hand, staring into Ji Hongbin’s eyes: “Let’s just say, is it absolutely necessary to liquidate these treasury bonds?”

Ji Hongbin retorted, "What? This shouldn't be illegal, right? Or did you receive some kind of information?"

“I’m not the only one breaking the law; I would have handcuffed you long ago.” Bai Xiaoyan picked up her teacup and drank it in one gulp. “Do you know how many cases related to treasury bond trading have happened in the past six months? You only think about going out to do business, but some people will also treat you as a business opportunity. If something really happens, it won’t just be a matter of money.”

“Yanzi, I know this is risky, but I’ve made up my mind, and I’m definitely going to do it.” Ji Hongbin’s expression was firm, and he was not swayed by Bai Xiaoyan’s words.

Bai Xiaoyan stared at him for two seconds, then gave a bitter smile: "I knew long ago that I couldn't persuade you. You've always been like this since you were little; once you've made up your mind, you won't easily change it."

Bai Xiaoyan took out a document and placed it on the table: "This is a summary of precautions for going out. Take a look at it carefully and memorize it. Be extra careful, especially in places like train stations, hotels, bus stations, restaurants, and banks."

Also, if something really happens, don't be stingy with your money..."

"Yanzi, thank you for making this special trip."

"You're mistaken. I didn't come here specifically to see you. I came to deliver a temporary residence permit to your front yard tenant and just happened to drop by to check on you."

"Hey, you're really funny. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone proactively delivering temporary residence permits to someone's door."

"Believe it or not, I'm giving you a piece of advice: don't assume that just because someone is from out of town, they're easy to bully."

Ji Hongbin understood the underlying meaning: "What do you mean? Does this person have connections?"

"Don't ask anymore. Just be polite when you meet in the future. I think the two brothers are easy to get along with."

“My relationship with them is that of landlord and tenant. One goes through the front door, and the other through the back door. We never see each other normally.” Ji Hongbin paused and continued, “But Zhou Yongqiang has been thinking about doing business with that guy surnamed Li.”

Bai Xiaoyan said, "Tell Zhou Yongqiang to do business properly and not to play tricks, or he'll be the one who suffers in the end."

Ji Hongbin took a sip of tea: "He'll be here in a bit. You can talk to him yourself."

"I'm too lazy to talk to him, I'm leaving." Bai Xiaoyan got up and went straight out of the house.

Ji Hongbin caught up from behind: "Hey, what's the rush? It's almost noon, have lunch before you go."

Tan Jingya also heard the commotion and came over to persuade her, "Yes, Officer Bai, I'm stewing beef right now, it'll be ready in a bit."

"You guys eat, I'm allergic to beef." Bai Xiaoyan said, then pushed her bicycle and rushed out, not giving the two a chance to persuade her again.

Tan Jingya stood at the door: "Hongbin, Officer Bai was fine just now, how could he leave so suddenly?"

Ji Hongbin's face was somewhat unpleasant: "Ignore her. She's always had the temper of a dog; she can turn on you in an instant."

(End of this chapter)