Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 99 Dress Up
Eight in the morning.

The front courtyard of No. 7 Courtyard in Suzhou Hutong.

A Jiefang truck pulled up in front of the gate. Li Zhe got out of the passenger seat, knocked on the south gate, and said, "Brother, open the door."

After a while, Wang Jianjun, wearing a cotton-padded coat, opened the door and asked in surprise, "Zhezi, why are you here so early?"

Li Zhe laughed and said, "We're still leaving at the same time, the car is faster now."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. Yesterday, Donglaishun was complaining about the late delivery. We won't have to worry about them rushing us anymore." Wang Jianjun buttoned up his shirt, walked to the back of the truck, and opened the flap.

Li Weidong unloaded the vegetables on top, and the two of them carried the vegetable baskets into the house.

Liang Weiguo walked over and asked, "Mr. Li, do you need any help?"

"No need, just park the car and go to the guest room to rest." Drivers were precious these days, so the man was just being polite; Li Zhe didn't take it seriously.

After Li Zhe and his two companions finished preparing the vegetables, they waited for more than an hour before Sun Tao and his four companions arrived. Li Zhe then distributed the vegetables to the five of them and told them to come back at eight o'clock the next morning to pick them up.

Although the time was changed, no one was surprised; when it comes to selling vegetables, you have to get up early.

After seeing everyone off, Li Zhe asked his two brothers, "I'm planning to go to Dongsi Street to buy clothes, do you want to come?"

Li Zhe has been frequently visiting state-run restaurants to discuss business lately. Each time, he receives strange looks because of his simple attire. Although he doesn't care, it's common for people to be treated differently based on their social status. Now that he has some money, he should buy himself a decent set of clothes.

Wang Jianjun said, "Let's do it another day. I'll deliver the vegetables in the morning."

Li Weidong laughed and said, "I'll go to the market to sell vegetables. When your sister-in-law comes, I'll take her with me."

"Okay, then I'll go scout ahead first."

Li Zhe rode his bicycle westward, then northward along Jianguomen Inner Street, until he reached Dongsi Street.

This is the most bustling and lively place in Beijing, with a large number of vendors selling clothes and daily necessities, forming a dense, continuous stretch.

As Li Zhe rode his bicycle into the street corner, he heard the tape recorder of the state-run store playing "A Fire in Winter," and the sign at the store entrance read "Export to Domestic Sales."

Not far away, a vendor in a military-style cotton-padded jacket stamped his feet and shouted: "Shanghai wool sweaters! Only 30% of the price at Friendship Store!"

Li Zhe glanced at the roadside clothing stalls, but the clothes were either outdated or poorly made, and he didn't find anything he liked.

After walking a short distance, you'll find shops along the street, some privately owned and some state-owned.

Li Zhe went into the store to look at the clothes. The quality was better than that of the clothes sold at street stalls, and the styles of the clothes in the private stores were more novel than those in the state-owned stores.

The shopkeeper, a shrewd-looking woman, sat in a chair cracking sunflower seeds. "Comrade, what kind of clothes are you looking to buy? These are all the latest styles that just arrived. Take a look, they're so stylish."

Li Zhe pointed to a gray wool coat and asked, "How much does this coat cost?"

"One hundred and five."

"Wow, this is more expensive than the department store." Li Zhe turned and walked out.

“Brother, there’s a reason why mine is more expensive. Feel it for yourself. It’s from the same factory as the ones sold at the Friendship Store. The state-owned counters sell them for 280 yuan, but I’m selling them for only 150 yuan here because I have connections at the factory…”

Seeing that Li Zhe was still about to leave, she quickly said, "Why don't you name a price?"

Li Zhe gestured, "Fifty."

The proprietress spat out sunflower seed shells from her mouth. "Young man, are you trying to distract me? You can't haggle like that. Here's the deal: take it for 100 yuan."

"sixty."

"Eighty, I haven't opened for business yet today, so I'll give you a discount for good luck."

"Sixty-five, please be quick. I need to find a new outfit for myself. If I buy a few more from you, I'll still make a profit."

"Brother, don't even talk about making money, I'm actually losing money, at least seventy."

"If you add a scarf, I'll take it for seventy..."

An hour later, Li Zhe bought a suit, a turtleneck sweater, and black leather shoes. The shopkeeper also added a belt and tie, and he changed everything inside and out.

……

It was nearing noon. In the Li family's living room in Host Alley.

Li Weidong, Wang Jianjun, and Liang Weiguo sat together drinking tea and chatting.

Li Weidong asked with a face full of curiosity, "Brother Liang, did you also go to the front lines back then?"

Liang Weiguo sighed, “Back in 79, I was actually less than 17 years old. I was a clueless new recruit. The fog in the mountains of Vietnam was so thick that I couldn’t see my feet. There were traps and grenades everywhere… If it weren’t for our squad leader protecting me, I probably would have been stuck there.”

Wang Jianjun poured him another cup of tea. "Were you scared back then?"

"I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of not dying. Not only will I suffer, but I'll also implicate my comrades." Liang Weiguo's eyes were deep, as if he were recalling, "That year when we fought in Lang Son, our squad was responsible for infiltration. A comrade stepped on a landmine, and both of his legs were blown off. We took turns carrying him to break through the encirclement, and our clothes were soaked with blood..."

At this point, the atmosphere became somewhat tense, and the two brothers, Li Weidong and Li Weidong, were too embarrassed to ask any more questions.

"Dong dong..."

There was a knock on the door outside.

Wang Jianjun walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me." A familiar voice came from outside.

Wang Jianjun opened the door and was stunned to see his cousin outside. "Zhezi, why are you dressed like this?"

Li Zhe laughed and said, "Should I get you a new outfit?"

Wang Jianjun shook his head, "Damn, this outfit must be really expensive, I can't afford it."

"You'll be willing to part with it next year." Li Zhe pushed his bicycle into the yard and put the old clothes back in the bedroom.

Hearing the commotion, Li Weidong came out. Seeing his younger brother dressed so smartly, he felt a little uncomfortable. Looking at his own clothes, he felt even more awkward. "Second brother, haven't I heard that your mother is going to arrange a marriage for you?"

"Brother, I'm wearing this to meet clients and discuss business." Li Zhe replied, then greeted Liang Weiguo, "Brother Liang, are you hungry? Let's go out for dinner today to welcome you back."

"Mr. Li, no need to go through all that trouble, just eat at home."

"There's a state-run restaurant right outside the door, let's go try it," Li Zhe said, gesturing for everyone to go outside.

The restaurant was located diagonally opposite the Li family's house. A sign with black background and gold lettering, "Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant," hung at the entrance. Lifting the heavy blue cotton curtain, the spicy aroma of Sichuan peppercorns wafted out.

Eight square tables with peeling paint were crammed into the narrow room, and yellowed slogans of "Five Stresses and Four Beauties" were pasted on the walls. A boiling aluminum kettle sat on a coal stove in the corner.

Lin Qiaomei, dressed in a white uniform, came up to greet him and was clearly taken aback when she saw Li Zhe. "Brother Li, taking your friends out to eat?"

"Sister-in-law, I heard from Brother Zhou last time that you work at this restaurant, but I've never had a chance to come. Today, I'm inviting my friends to try it out." Li Zhe replied with a smile, and the four of them found a seat by the window.

"Okay, I'll give you a 10% discount later." She handed over a menu and recommended, "Our signature dishes are crispy fried meatballs and shredded pork with garlic sauce. You should try them."

Li Zhe handed the menu to Liang Weiguo and exchanged pleasantries with Lin Qiaomei, asking, "What have you been busy with lately, Brother Zhou?"

Lin Qiaomei hesitated for a moment, then said, "He went to the south to do business..."

……

Magic City.

A cold wind blew in, carrying with it the dampness of the Huangpu River.

Ji Hongbin and Zhou Yongqiang wrapped their coats tighter around themselves and hurried down the steps of the Bund Bank, their faces red from the cold but unable to hide their joy.

"Master Ji, I didn't expect to get it done so smoothly! I've really learned a lot this time." Zhou Yongqiang's voice was filled with excitement. Although he only had a principal of one thousand and earned fifty in total, after deducting the costs of this trip, he didn't have much money left. But with this experience, he wasn't afraid of not being able to make money in the future.
"Hmph, this is nothing, you'll learn slowly." Ji Hongbin's lips curled up as he gripped his coat tightly. He had scraped together 20,000 yuan in capital and made over a thousand yuan on this trip alone.

Although it's hard work, if you run it for two months, your principal can double...

Zhou Yongqiang glanced around and asked in a low voice, "Brother Ji, where are we going next?"

Ji Hongbin glared at him. "Don't act like a thief. Be open and honest. Let's eat first, then buy some newspapers to take back to the hotel to study. We'll rest for a day and set off tomorrow morning."

The two talked as they walked westward along Zhongshan East Road...

A dozen meters away, two thugs wearing bell-bottoms exchanged glances and quietly followed.

(End of this chapter)