Director Ma huddled in a corner, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Ma Defa!"
Deputy Factory Director Li suddenly pointed at Director Ma.
"Was it you?"
Director Ma trembled and stammered.
"Director Li, I...I don't know...A farmer did come to ask about the plastic film today..."
"Farmers?"
Deputy Factory Director Li sneered.
"A farmer who can come up with a 5,000 yuan deposit? Ma Defa, Ma Defa, are you blind?
He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
"The Red Star Factory is about to go bankrupt! We planned to take over their equipment and workers next month! Now, this money is enough to keep them afloat for another six months!"
The meeting room was completely silent, except for the angry panting of Deputy Factory Director Li.
"Effective today, Ma Decai is suspended from his duties pending investigation! The deputy section chief will temporarily take over the sales department's responsibilities!"
Deputy Factory Director Li said through gritted teeth.
"Meeting adjourned!"
The cadres felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and they all lowered their heads and quickly left.
Director Ma slumped in his chair, his face ashen.
...
On the other side, in front of the warehouse of Hongxing Plastics Factory, a Jiefang brand truck was already loaded with rolls of plastic film.
The workers secured the goods with ropes, their faces beaming with long-lost smiles.
With this order, they finally saw hope.
"Comrade Su, everything is installed."
Technician Zhao wiped his sweat.
"I'll go with the car to make sure everything goes smoothly on the way."
Su Jianguo nodded and turned to Factory Director Liu.
"Director Liu, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. I'll place another order once these greenhouses are built."
Factory Director Liu held Su Jianguo's hand tightly.
"You're welcome anytime! Comrade Su, you're our factory's savior!"
As the sun set, the truck slowly drove out of the gate of Hongxing Plastics Factory.
Su Jianguo sat in the passenger seat, looking at the factory building getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.
He knew that this was not just a simple purchase, but the first step in expanding his business empire.
With this batch of high-quality plastic film and exclusive agency rights, his vegetable greenhouse plan will be greatly enhanced.
...
All the materials are almost ready.
Over the next few days, Su Jianguo began to find people to build earthen walls on the mountain.
During this period, vegetable greenhouses could only be operated using the most primitive methods.
That morning.
Su Jianguo had already stood in front of the selected hillside early on.
He took a deep breath of the earthy air and pulled out the well-worn planning map from his pocket.
"Brother Zhang, Uncle Li, look."
Su Jianguo pointed to the location of the earthen wall marked on the blueprint.
"This north wall needs to be two meters thick and at least 1.8 meters high to block the north wind."
Zhang Dazhu squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and rubbed it in his hands.
"Brother Jianguo, the soil quality is suitable, but how much soil would we need for such a thick wall?"
"I've calculated it."
Su Jianguo took a small notebook out of his pocket.
"Each greenhouse's north wall is 30 meters long, 2 meters thick, and 1.8 meters high, which is 108 cubic meters of soil. Four greenhouses would require 432 cubic meters."
The surrounding villagers gasped in shock when they heard the number.
Old Wang shook his head.
"This will take forever!"
Su Jianguo smiled, picked up a twig from the ground, and started drawing on the ground.
"We can do it this way: first dig the foundation, then sandwich it between wooden planks, fill the middle with soil, and compact it layer by layer. With twenty people working together, we can complete the foundation of one shed in a day."
"Building a nation."
Uncle Li frowned.
"Are you sure these greenhouses can really grow vegetables? The winter winds are so biting cold..."
"Uncle Li."
Su Jianguo patted the old man on the shoulder.
"I've inquired around; someone in Northeast China has already succeeded. As long as the walls are thick enough and the plastic sheeting is sturdy enough, the temperature inside can be more than ten degrees higher than outside!"
Zhang Dazhu was the first to respond.
"Brother Jianguo helped my family before, I trust you! I'll bring my two boys to help with the work right now!"
Thus, under Su Jianguo's mobilization, twenty villagers carried shovels and hoes to the hillside.
Su Jianguo was already waiting there, with prepared wooden planks, rammers, and hemp ropes piled up beside him.
"Fellow villagers."
Su Jianguo stood on a large rock, his voice booming.
"We'll start building the north wall of the first greenhouse today. The pay is one yuan and fifty cents a day, plus lunch!"
The villagers cheered.
A daily wage of 1.5 yuan was a fairly good income in rural areas at that time.
The work began quickly.
Su Jianguo personally demonstrated how to use wooden boards to shape the wall and how to compact the soil layer by layer.
He took off his coat and worked with the villagers.
"Make it even more solid!"
Su Jianguo used a wooden rammer to forcefully pound the newly filled soil layer.
"This wall needs to withstand the wind and snow all winter; it must be sturdy!"
Around noon, Wang Guixiang and several women brought over hot meals.
A large pot of stew, cornbread, and homemade pickled vegetables.
Su Jianguo and the villagers sat together, eating and discussing the work arrangements for the afternoon.
"Brother Jianguo."
Zhang Dazhu asked while munching on a cornbread bun.
"Why does this wall have to be so thick? I've never seen such elaborate walls in other people's pigsties."
Su Jianguo put down his bowl and patiently explained.
"Dazhu, this wall is nothing like a pigsty. In winter, the north wind is like a knife; if the wall is thin, the heat won't stay in, and the vegetables won't grow well. Our wall is two meters thick; even when it's below zero outside in winter, it stays above zero inside!"
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