Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 76 Borrowing Money
Zhu Yimin's home.

Zhu Yimin leaned against the bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a thick book titled "Innovation in Vegetable Planting Technology" in both hands. He was engrossed in reading it, holding a ballpoint pen in his hand, occasionally writing and drawing on the pages.

"Knock knock." There was a knock on the door. "Old Zhu, I'm coming in." The person who spoke had a loud voice, which sounded very confident.

Not long after, the curtain inside the room was lifted from the outside, and a large, sturdy figure walked in.

"Riding a bicycle in this freezing weather is a real ordeal," Jin Baiwan said, rubbing his chubby face, which was red from the cold, with both hands.

Zhu Yimin tucked the ballpoint pen into the book. "I can't entertain you right now. There's hot water in the thermos on the table. Help yourself if you want some."

"You should have something hot to drink." Jin Baiwan poured a cup of hot water, held the cup in both hands, sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), and turned to look at Zhu Yimin. "How have you been feeling these past few days? Any better?"

"Much better, I think I'll be able to go out in a few days."

"Hey, why are you in such a cold weather? If you ask me, you can go out next spring."

Zhu Yimin shook his head vigorously, "No way, those old women are already gossiping about me. If I don't show up soon, who knows what kind of dirty tricks they'll throw at me. Maybe some of them are even planning to find a new husband for my Yufeng." After saying that, he spat hard, "Pah, those gossipy women, they're so damn shameless."

Jin Baiwan was both amused and exasperated. "Enough of this nonsense, let's get down to business. Can you lend me a thousand yuan?"

Zhu Yimin looked surprised. "Old Jin, you're not short of money, so why did you suddenly decide to borrow money from me?"

Jin Pangzi explained in detail about lending money to Li Zhejian for greenhouse No. 3: "I discussed it with my wife before lending the money, and she disagreed, but I still lent it to her. Now I'm short of cash and don't want to ask her for money, so I'm asking you to lend me a thousand or so yuan. I can pay it back before the New Year."

"Li Zhe agreed to let you sell the preserved vegetables?"

"No, I just wanted to build a connection."

Zhu Yimin interrupted, "No wonder your wife disagrees. My wife would disagree too. It's not reasonable to rush to give money away like that."

“Old Zhu, we’re not the same.” Jin Baiwan sighed, holding his cup. “You have your family’s traditional vegetable-growing skills, so you can earn a living through your own abilities without having to beg for favors. We business people may look glamorous, but if we don’t have some strong connections, who doesn’t have to beg and plead?”

Zhu Yimin frowned. "Li Zhe's vegetables are ready to be sold and sold. He has money now. Aren't you going to ask for them back?"

“No.” Jin Baiwan said firmly, “He owes me money, which means there’s still a chance for cooperation. Even if there aren’t enough vegetables for me this year, he should be thinking about it next year, right? If he pays off the debt, this connection will be severed, and he might not come to me to buy vegetables in the future.”

Zhu Yimin was too lazy to think about these business matters. "Alright, when Yu Feng comes back, I'll have her give you the money."

Jin Baiwan took a sip of saliva. "Talk to your sister-in-law nicely, don't get angry."

"What's the rush? We're doing just fine." Zhu Yimin replied, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "By the way, what's the market price for vegetables in Li's greenhouse now? How much are cucumbers selling for?" Jin Baiwan was well-informed, having bought vegetables all over the surrounding area.

Jin Baiwan, with a subtle expression, kept everyone in suspense, "Guess?"

Zhu Yimin had been thinking about this a lot these past few days, and blurted out, "Four yuan?"

"Low."

"Five dollars?"

Jin Baiwan held up his palm and gestured, "Seven yuan!"

"What?" Zhu Yimin was so shocked he almost jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed). "Really? He said it himself?"

"I didn't ask him. A few days ago, I accompanied my wife to Beijing on business and we stopped by the farmers' market. Guess what? There were cucumbers for sale in the market, and when I asked, I found out they were seven yuan a pound. When I asked where they got them, they said they got them from a boss surnamed Li."

Zhu Yimin was stunned for a long time, muttering, "Damn, how much money did this make?"

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Jin Baiwan teased.

"I'd be green with envy if it were anyone else, but I'm not jealous of the Li family making this money." "Just because they saved your life?"

“It’s not just that.” Zhu Yimin waved his hand. “A few days ago, I wanted to rent out the greenhouse. The price was 1,200 for six months, but Yu Feng was afraid that the price would be too high and she would not be able to rent it out. She insisted on lowering the price by 200, but I did not agree. I was afraid that she would be pressured to lower the price when negotiating, so I wrote a contract and asked her to take it with her. As a result, this silly woman lowered the price by 200 and directly asked for 1,000.”

Later, when Li Zhe saw my contract, he signed it for 1,200 without saying a word. Just based on that, his willingness to not haggle, he's a truly honest person.

Jin Baiwan pondered for a moment, "Then I should definitely bet my money with him. When there's a surplus of vegetables, I guarantee he'll think of me first."

The two chatted for a while longer, but Zhou Yufeng still hadn't returned. Jin Baiwan glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late, let's head back now and come back another day."

"Okay, I'll come pick up the money tomorrow afternoon."

"Take good care of yourself. Once you're feeling better, we'll have a good drink together, you two brothers." Jin Baiwan said, then got up and left.

As evening fell, the Zhu family's gate creaked open, and Zhou Yufeng led her daughter Zhu Wen into the courtyard.

"Mom, I'm hungry. When are we eating?" Zhu Wen called out. This girl was a year older than Li Na, came from a well-off family, ate well, was half a head taller than Li Na, and had a more robust build.

"Eat, eat, all you do is eat. Go do your homework." Zhou Yufeng hates being urged to eat.

"Honey, don't rush to cook, I have something to tell you." Zhu Yimin's voice came from the inner room.

Zhou Yufeng lifted the curtain and entered the room, poured herself a glass of warm water and gulped it down. "What kind of trouble is this now?"

"It's a serious matter. Jin Baiwan wants to borrow some money from our family."

"Borrow money?" Zhou Yufeng's forehead furrowed deeply. "His business is so big, why would he need to borrow money from us?"

"Business is tight, but I can pay it back in a month or two. How much cash do you have at home? If not, go to the credit union tomorrow morning to withdraw some."

"Zhu Yimin!" Zhou Yufeng slammed her cup on the table. "Why did you agree to this without consulting me?"

"Isn't this exactly what we're discussing with you?"

Zhou Yufeng raised her voice, "You call this a discussion? It's clearly telling me to withdraw money! It was the same when we built the greenhouse. When have you ever treated me like family?"

"What kind of talk is that? What kind of relationship do we have with Jin Baiwan? Back when we built the greenhouses, he ran around doing everything for us, and when I was poisoned and fainted, he was the first to find me. Now that he's borrowing a thousand or so yuan, how could I not help?"

"If he hadn't egged you on to build that damn greenhouse, would you have gotten poisoned? If you ask me, he's got ulterior motives! I'm not lending you the money! If you want it, take it yourself." Zhou Yufeng said this and stormed off.

Zhu Yimin was stunned for a moment before shouting to the outer room, "Wenwen, has your mother taken poison?"

Zhu Wen poked her head in, "Dad, don't get angry, your health is important."

"How can I not be angry? The Jin family has been friends with us for two generations. They helped us a lot when we were in trouble in the past. Now that they have asked for money, how can I not go and call your mother over so I can talk to her properly?"

"Calling them back is just making noise."

"Don't argue, Dad promises to talk nicely."

"It's no use talking," Zhu Wen stammered, twisting her fingers. "Her Majesty has no money."

"How could that be? All of our savings of over four thousand are with her!" Zhu Yimin coughed anxiously.

"Dad!" Zhu Wen quickly stepped forward and patted his back. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd worry."

Zhu Yimin grabbed his daughter's arm. "Wenwen, explain yourself! Where did the money go?"

(End of this chapter)