Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 6 Showdown
"It's a good thing. It can't be explained in a few words, let's talk about it slowly after dinner."

Wang Xiuying snorted, "You little rascal, you're putting on airs now."

"Let's cook first, I'm hungry." Li Zhe didn't intend to hide the interest-free loan, but he hadn't thought of an explanation yet.

Before it got dark, the family started preparing dinner. The atmosphere was different today. The little girl was jumping around, with a smile on her face, showing her two little tiger teeth. She was even happier than during the New Year.

As Old Li chopped the meat, he said, "Today's vegetables are really tough, in a bit..."

Wang Xiuying sat by the kneading board, not even lifting her eyelids, and interrupted him, "Don't open that wine yet, save it for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Old Li looked dejected.

Li Zhe empathized with Old Li and felt sorry for him, so he simply ignored him, picked up the basin, and went outside to pick green beans.

Wang Xiuying is a capable person and a great cook. She does most of the work, from kneading dough and proofing it to steaming buns, stir-frying green beans, and making braised pork... She manages everything perfectly.

At 7 p.m., the fragrant braised pork and steamed buns were ready.

Freshly steamed buns are fluffy and soft; they taste delicious even without any side dishes.

The braised pork belly is incredibly fragrant, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, and it bouncy and springy when served on a plate.

The little girl was already impatiently sitting at the dining table, looking at this and that, constantly swallowing her saliva.

Old Li stood at the doorway of the main room, looking around. "I wonder if the eldest son and his wife have eaten yet?"

"Don't worry about it. If that couple dares to mention separating the family property, they definitely won't starve. Eat." Wang Xiuying's tone was a little unfriendly as she broke open a candy packet and handed it to the little girl. "Eat slowly, don't burn yourself."

"Mmm." The little girl started eating, taking a bite of the sugar bun and then a bite of meat, enjoying the delicious taste so much she couldn't speak.

Li Zhe was also incredibly tempted; he was a grown man but only weighed a little over 50 kilograms, and was very thin.

Old Li watched his two children eat with a smile, then put two pieces of braised pork on his wife's plate, saying, "You eat too."

He picked up a piece of green beans with his chopsticks; they were stir-fried with lard today, and they smelled especially good.

Li Zhe witnessed this scene. His father wasn't particularly capable, but he knew how to care for others. Whenever there was good food at home, he would always let others eat first.

Li Zhe picked up the braised pork and placed it in his father's and mother's bowls.

He didn't say anything else; he knew that even if he tried to persuade them, they wouldn't eat more.

Only when their family conditions improve and they have a solid financial foundation will they be able to eat as much as they want.

After eating three large steamed buns, Li Zhe felt alive again. Only by enduring hunger can one appreciate the happiness of having a full meal.

The little girl had already left the table and eaten a sweet bun and a steamed bun, so Wang Xiuying didn't dare let her eat any more.

Old Li broke off a piece of steamed bun, wiped the oil off the bottom of the plate, and the oil-soaked bun tasted even better than meat.

Wang Xiuying got up and quickly cleared away the dishes before it got dark, with the little girl helping her.

Li Zhe was preoccupied and didn't help with tidying up; instead, he went to the yard with Old Li to cool off.

With the start-up capital secured for the vegetable greenhouse project, all that's left is to get my parents' support.

In those days, information was scarce, villagers were generally conservative, and vegetable greenhouses were a novelty. It wasn't easy to get parents to accept spending several thousand yuan to build one.

"Second brother, do you still need coupons to buy alcohol at the supply and marketing cooperative?" Old Li's biggest hobby is having a couple of drinks. The Li family is not well-off, and they can only indulge in drinking during festivals and holidays.

"No need, the country has already lifted the restrictions."

"The last time I drank Fenjiu was when your second uncle brought it back from Beijing. Back then, you needed liquor coupons. It's been so many years."

"Dad, I'll buy you two bottles of Moutai to try during the New Year."

Old Li shook his head and smiled wryly, "You're talking big, kid. Do you know how much a bottle of Moutai costs? It's not something we can afford. I'd be content if I could drink Fenjiu." "As long as I build the winter-warming vegetable greenhouses, each greenhouse can earn at least tens of thousands of yuan. What kind of liquor can't I afford then?"

"Second brother, it's good that young people are energetic, but we have to take it one step at a time and not always think big. Building a greenhouse is expensive, where are we going to get so much money?"

"Dad, now that the money issue is resolved, will you support me in building a vegetable greenhouse?"

Old Li hesitated for a moment, glanced at the main room, and said, "Wait until your mother has finished tidying up, then ask her."

Li Zhe wasn't surprised and laughed, "Listen to my mother, you can forget about drinking Fenjiu."

"Hey, brat, how dare you talk like that?"

"Dad, I just want to earn more money so I can take good care of you."

Old Li looked at his son, frowned, and said, "Tell me, how do you plan to solve the money problem?"

"We'll talk about it when my mother is done with her work."

"Hmph." Old Li snorted and turned his head away.

After cleaning up the dishes, the little girl ran out to play with the neighbors.

Wang Xiuying took a palm-leaf fan and went to the courtyard to cool off. She sat down next to Li Zhe and asked, "What did you do in town today? Where did you get so much money to buy things?"

Last year, Li Zhe gave most of the money he earned working away from home to Wang Xiuying for safekeeping. In this day and age, as long as you're not married, your parents will treat you like a child, making it difficult for you to be financially independent.

“I went to town to inquire about growing vegetables in greenhouses. I was just thinking of discussing it with you and my dad and getting your opinions.”

Wang Xiuying sighed softly, not expecting her son to still be so persistent. "Second son, building a vegetable greenhouse costs a lot of money; it's not something to be taken lightly."

"Mother, I really want to make something of myself."

"Then tell me what your plans are, how much it will cost to build the greenhouse, do you know all that? Building a business isn't something you can accomplish just by talking."

"I've found out that it costs five thousand yuan to build a vegetable greenhouse."

"What? Five thousand is needed?" Wang Xiuying was amused and annoyed. She thought to herself, "She's still just a child. She doesn't know how hard it is to earn money. Which family can come up with that much money all at once?"

Seeing his mother's smile, Li Zhe also smiled, "Mom, you agree?"

Wang Xiuying shrugged. “I agree. But we don’t have any money at home. If you want to build a vegetable greenhouse, you’ll have to earn the money yourself. Once you’ve saved enough, you can build it however you want.”

"Dad, what are you thinking?"

Old Li vaguely sensed that something was wrong with his son, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He muttered, "Just listen to your mother."

Li Zhe stood up and went inside.

Even though he is an adult, his parents still treat him like a child. No matter how much he talks, it's all in vain, and he doesn't get their attention.

Not long after, he came out of the house with a military green backpack and took out a wad of ten-yuan bills from the bag.

"My goodness, how come there's so much money!" Wang Xiuying snatched the money and counted it in the yard, counting it twice. "50 bills! This is 500 yuan. Second son, where did you get so much money?"

"I went to town on business today and happened to pass by the credit union, so I went in to inquire about interest-free loans. The director of the credit union was very supportive when he heard that I wanted to build a vegetable greenhouse."

They said my project aligns with the Ministry of Agriculture's "Vegetable Basket Project," a key support project, and directly approved a loan of 6,000 yuan for me. The loan term is 5 years, and at maturity, only the principal needs to be repaid, with no interest.

"How did this get into interest-free loans again? He even borrowed six thousand yuan! Why are you always causing trouble?" Wang Xiuying was completely exasperated, glaring at her husband beside her. "As his father, aren't you going to do anything about it? What are you going to do if he can't pay back all this money on time?"

Old Li was having a headache. Why was I being dragged into this again?
I've said it, but nobody listens.

(End of this chapter)