Chapter 362: Greenhouse

"Indeed, in those years, the only one who could give away grain so generously was Lou Bancheng, who was never short of money."

Zhang Ping'an chatted with Guan Daye for a while longer before leaving, and on the way home, he ran into Yan Bugui and Polan Hou.

The relationship between these two families had grown increasingly close over the past few years, and they had met the similarly-faced Pian'er Ye at the Small Tavern.

However, after confirming it repeatedly in the end, it turned out that Pian'er Ye really had no kinship with the two of them.

Back then, the three of them having the same face caused quite a sensation at the Small Tavern, and since the three were of similar age, they found they had a lot to talk about.

With the financial support of the two, Pian'er Ye had also returned to the Northeast; it is said that he has already leased a large tract of land there and is enjoying family life with his children.

Of course, Pian'er Ye did not sell off his ancestral property, but instead entrusted the two to help look after it, in case he returns in the future.

"Teacher Yan, Brother Hou, what are you two doing?"

"Oh, it's Ping'an. My cousin is home alone with nothing to do, so I invited him over to liven things up for the New Year. How about you?"

"Teacher Yan, my thoughts are much the same as yours, but Guan Daye has already made plans with someone else."

"Is it Han Chunming?"

"Yes, Brother Hou knows him too?"

"I do. That kid is a clever one in our area, and he's even traded quite a few books about antiques with me. Now, he can be considered a peer of mine."

"Hahaha, he has already taken Guan Daye as his master now; you two will have some competition."

"Heh, that's fine too. I'm idle anyway."

In the drama, Polan Hou and Han Chunming were friends despite their age gap, and it was only after Han Chunming obtained antique books from Polan Hou that he began his counterattack.

Hou Dianchen is now a bona fide invisible billionaire; his net worth is no worse than Li Huaide's. Of course, the later it gets, the higher Polan Hou's net worth becomes.

"Let's go, we're heading the same way."

"Done."

On New Year's Eve, the younger brother's family also ate at Zhang Ping'an's place—no, it should be said that they usually did, too. Compared to before, they just lived across the street, but they still ate together.

After the New Year, Zhang Ping'an returned to his hometown and found Zhang Tiezhu and the others.

"Brother Ping'an."

"Hmm, I want to set up greenhouse planting in the village. Do any of your three families or your brothers' families want to try it? The profit in this is not small."

"Sounds good."

Their procurement tasks are much easier now, and they don't need to hunt outside all year round, so they also want to find some work for their family members.

"Alright then, I'll tell you how to do it. In the afternoon, we'll go to the Back Mountain to cut bamboo and build the greenhouse. Once the plastic film and straw mats arrive, we can arrange it directly. Oh right, have your uncle come over in the afternoon to guide us."

Zhang Ping'an had seen how to build a greenhouse in the Library, and Tiezhu's father, Zhang Laidong, was a carpenter; with his assistance from the side, it shouldn't be difficult.

"Okay."

All four were people with strong execution. Tiezhu and the others called a few sons to follow, and after eating lunch, they took machetes and went to the bamboo forest in the Back Mountain.

By three in the afternoon, dozens of tall bamboo stalks from the three families' private plots had already been split into thin strips, and dozens more had been buried according to the layout lines.

"Alright, let's begin."

Following Zhang Ping'an's requirements and with the carpenter's assistance, the frame was quickly completed.

"Not bad, not bad."

Although this greenhouse was only a little over six meters wide, it was already a good start. Once the materials arrive in two days, the final steps can be arranged.

"Tiezhu, keep building a few more over the next few days."

"Sure, no problem."

Three days later, Zhang Ping'an brought the plastic hollow roofing, straw mats, and plastic film.

After a busy period, everyone quickly finished the construction of the first greenhouse, and everyone felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Everyone, seal the film well. Come and feel it in the afternoon."

The sun was intense today, and in the afternoon, everyone came to the greenhouse and indeed felt that the temperature was much higher than outside.

"My goodness, it's really warm in here, warmer than heating the kang at home."

"Yeah, it's truly magical."

Zhang Ping'an took out various vegetable and fruit seeds he had prepared in advance from his car; naturally, they were all premium goods from his space.

"Daya, just like planting crops, fill the greenhouse in these few days. Remember to pull down the straw mats at night to keep it warm, and pull them up after ten in the morning. Don't worry about it on cloudy days."

"Okay."

A month later, the small green vegetables could be harvested, and two months later, the cucumbers and tomatoes were also ripe.

"Tiezhu, send all these harvests to the Lu Cuisine Garden. It's located at Shichahai."

"You got it."

Two days later at the Lu Cuisine Garden, He Daqing was also pleasantly surprised to see these vegetables. In this winter, apart from radishes and cabbage, there was almost no greenery.

"Ping'an, these vegetables?"

"Hahaha, it's a greenhouse. I had people set it up in my hometown. I didn't expect the effect to be quite good."

"Crack!" He Daqing picked up a cucumber and took a bite.

"This taste is more than just 'quite good.' Why do I feel it's even more flavorful than the ones in season?"

"As expected of a Master Worker. This is a brand-new variety. Everyone, have a taste, and let's see what we should price it at."

"Crack!" Xn

Everyone's eyes lit up. Upon entering the mouth, there was a fresh fragrance of vegetation, and upon careful tasting, there was a hint of sweetness.

"Delicious, too delicious."

"Yeah."

"I can't quite describe the feeling, but it's definitely the best I've ever eaten."

"One yuan it is."

In summer, the price of cucumbers is about two or three Sanmao per jin; a plate of smashed cucumber salad uses about one cucumber, so adding in the seasonings and the craftsmanship, one yuan is quite reasonable.

But these are out-of-season, and the taste is outstanding, so one yuan is not high at all.

"Then let's set it at one yuan and five."

"..."

"Fine, let's go with what you said first."

In the evening, at Lu Cuisine Garden.

"Yo, you have green vegetables, cucumbers, and tomatoes now? But this price?"

"That's right, the taste is excellent; you definitely won't lose out if you try it." The waiter seemed to recall the cucumber eaten in the morning, still wearing a look of lingering enjoyment.

"Alright then, since we're here, let's try something fresh first."

Green Dragon Lying on Snow, Volcano Snow, Emerald White Jade Soup, and others were quickly brought to the table.

"Hmm? Mmm~"

"Oh, not bad."

"I must say, I really must say."

In the evening, He Daqing returned, humming a little tune as he walked into Zhang Ping'an's small courtyard.

"Ping'an, these greenhouse vegetables are something else; they were almost sold out today."

"Hahaha, as long as they work. If we market them as pure, natural, and pollution-free green food, the reputation of our Lu Cuisine Garden can be raised even further."

"You kid are full of ideas. Fine, I will arrange for the waiters to say that, but you must guarantee the supply."

"No problem."

There were five greenhouses in total; supplying one restaurant would only lead to a surplus, so there was no fear of not having enough.

The renovation of Yuchufang was also nearing its end; it would be able to open in a month at most, and a few more greenhouses would need to be built just in case.

However, since the weather is warming up now, just setting up the frames will suffice; we can cover them with plastic film in late autumn.

Tiezhu and the other two families have made a fortune, and Zhang Ping'an decided to hand over the remaining two or three greenhouses to his grandfather's branch of the family.

At the beginning of June, Yuchufang opened; the grand scene was comparable to a temple fair.

"Tsk tsk, Ping'an, the stir you've caused, why do I feel it's even more intense than the opening of the Automobile City?"

"Most are just here to watch the excitement, though some are here to try something new and exotic."

Zhang Ping'an's advertising was very loud; there were as many as six First-Grade Chefs alone, not to mention many Third-Grade and Fourth-Grade ones, and even more Fifth-Grade and Sixth-Grade ones. Even the vegetable choppers were Eighth-Grade Chefs, though of course, only a couple were.

"I heard there are two families holding wedding banquets here?"

"Yes, two families."

The first-floor lobby was divided into four sections, capable of hosting four celebrations simultaneously, or combined into two, though it is estimated that few people can use a scale of this size right now.