Around noon, Su Jianjun's wife, Wang Guixiang, brought over the food.
Everyone sat around on the edge of the field eating, discussing the greenhouse all at once.
"Brother Jianguo."
Zhang Dazhu asked while munching on a cornbread bun.
"Can these cucumbers really grow in winter?"
Su Jianguo nodded with a smile.
"Not only will it grow, but it will also produce a lot! When the first batch of cucumbers comes, the whole village will have a taste!"
"That would be wonderful!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
In the afternoon, Su Jianguo began preparing for seedling cultivation.
He scooped the seeds out of the bowl; they were already slightly swollen.
Old Wang came over to take a look.
"These cucumbers need to be soaked in warm water before planting."
"Yes, that's what the manual says too."
Su Jianguo took out the thermometer and carefully adjusted the water temperature.
Old Wang stared in surprise at the thermometer in his hand.
"Wow, you even have this foreign stuff?"
"It was borrowed specifically from the agricultural technology station."
Su Jianguo smiled.
"Temperature is crucial for seedling cultivation; even a slight deviation can cause problems."
As the sun began to set, the first batch of seeds had already been sown.
Su Jianguo carefully labeled each seedling tray, recording the sowing time and variety.
"Someone needs to keep watch at night."
He said to his younger brother.
"The temperature must not be lower than 15 degrees Celsius."
"I stayed!"
Su Jianjun volunteered.
"Brother, you should go back and rest. You didn't sleep a wink last night."
Su Jianguo shook his head.
"The first few days are the most crucial; I need to oversee them personally."
As night fell, everyone else went home, leaving only Su Jianguo and his brother in the seedling shed.
Su Jianguo lit the kerosene stove and carefully adjusted the temperature.
"Big brother."
Su Jianjun asked, yawning.
"If this really grows successfully, won't our village become famous?"
Su Jianguo added a piece of coal to the stove.
"It won't just be famous; everyone in Beijing will be coming to buy vegetables from us!"
...
The next morning.
Su Jianguo rubbed his sore eyes and carefully lifted the straw curtain covering the seedling tray.
There was no change in the seedling tray.
This is normal; cucumbers typically germinate five to seven days after planting.
"Brother, why isn't it sprouting at all? Could it be that it won't grow?"
Su Jianjun squatted down beside him, looking worried.
Su Jianguo's lips curled into a smile.
"Don't worry, it'll probably take five or six days for it to sprout. Remember to water it when you have time."
"Don't worry, brother, I remember."
Su Jianjun patted his chest and guaranteed.
"Go to town on your errands, I'll keep an eye on things here."
Su Jianguo nodded, stood up, and patted the mud off his pants.
The seedlings have been successfully cultivated; now comes the most important task.
He must hurry back to Beijing.
The plastic film is crucial for greenhouses and cannot be taken lightly.
After a quick breakfast, Su Jianguo got on his bicycle and started his journey back to the city.
He had already begun to plan the procurement in his mind.
The plastic film must be transparent, durable, and have good heat insulation properties, and it must also be wide enough to reduce seams.
Three hours later, Su Jianguo finally saw the familiar outline of Beijing.
Instead of going home, he rode his bicycle directly to the state-owned Fourth Plastics Factory located in the east of the city.
This is the largest plastic products manufacturer in North China, and theoretically should be able to provide the materials he needs.
The tall iron gate of the plastic factory was tightly closed. In the guard room at the entrance, a middle-aged guard in blue overalls was reading a newspaper with his legs crossed.
Su Jianguo parked his bicycle, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked over.
"Hello, comrade."
Su Jianguo greeted him politely.
"I'd like to purchase some agricultural plastic film."
The gatekeeper didn't even look up, continuing to flip through his newspaper.
Do you have a letter of introduction?
"letter of introduction?"
Su Jianguo was taken aback.
"I am making this purchase personally and do not have a letter of introduction from my company."
The gatekeeper then looked up and sized up Su Jianguo. He saw that Su was wearing an ordinary blue Zhongshan suit, had dark skin, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
"Individual purchase? Our factory doesn't sell to individuals. Go queue up at the supply and marketing cooperative."
Su Jianguo was already mentally prepared. He took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it over.
"Comrade, please help me. I'm setting up winter vegetable greenhouses and need specially made plastic film, but the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have the right kind."
The security guard took the cigarette, smelled it, and his expression softened slightly.
Winter vegetable greenhouses? Isn't that ridiculous?
Even so, he still took out a register from the drawer.
"Please register first: your name, workplace, and reason for registration."
Su Jianguo filled in the information carefully, and the gatekeeper glanced at it and said slowly.
"Wait here, I'll call the sales department."
After saying that, he picked up the old-fashioned crank telephone and dialed a few numbers.
The person on the other end of the phone seemed very impatient. The security guard responded with a few "uh-huhs" and then hung up before speaking to Su Jianguo.
"Director Ma said that those making individual purchases will have to wait for further notice, and he doesn't have time to see you today."
"Comrade, could you make an exception?"
Su Jianguo then took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.
I came all the way from Sujiatun just for this.
The security guard weighed the cigarette box in his hand and finally relented.
"I can see you've had a tough time. Here's what we'll do: go to the second floor of office building number three and find Director Ma in the sales department. Don't tell them I sent you."
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