1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 136 Fiery

Chapter 136 Fiery
"Have you all eaten?"

"I ate it, Brother Zhi."

"We've all eaten, Mr. Chen~"

After exchanging greetings, Chen Jiazhi squatted down to help harvest the vegetables. The vegetables now are not as good as they were a month ago; the decline in quality also affects harvesting efficiency.

In addition, he needed to harvest more mustard greens, which is why he came to help.

As for the commission from harvesting vegetables, the six of them had already agreed to split it equally, and Chen Jiazhi's commission from harvesting vegetables was also included in their share.

During the conversation, he also learned that the Ao brothers planned to learn to ride bicycles, which he naturally supported.

It's not just because I can help him bring food, but also because once people's material needs are met, they will have more desires.

He also inquired about the situation of the four temporary workers.

Jin Feng and Xiao Xia were dedicated to helping him, and they did their best, earning high praise from everyone.

Besides helping him, Hu Chunmei and Wu Qin also have their own land to manage, but they've been hit by a disaster these past two days and have lost their motivation to work.

It is indeed very difficult.

If Chen Jiazhi doesn't remove the shade netting in the evening, the entire market is practically a blank canvas.

I estimate that many more people will quit.

As night deepened, moonlight spilled down, and a gentle breeze rustled through the vegetable field, occasionally punctuated by the cawing of crows.

The group was still working hard in the vegetable field, putting handfuls of vegetables into their baskets. They were being bitten by mosquitoes and sweating profusely. The world seemed a little desolate, but they were accompanied by the twinkling starlight.

It wasn't until just past midnight that the tricycles were piled up like a small mountain, and the four bicycles were also loaded with vegetables. Under Li Xiu's worried gaze, Chen Jiazhi successfully started the engine and set off.

It's definitely time to get a new car.

It's no wonder Li Xiu was worried; loading a whole cart full of goods like this every day carried a considerable risk.

But we need to persevere for a while longer.

The experienced driver doesn't have a driver's license yet.

Yi Dinggan, Li Mingkun, and Guo Mancang were also loaded with vegetables today, but a third of them were for the owner of the tall tricycle in front of them.

He's been helping carry groceries since he was still using a bicycle. Now that Jiazhi has switched to a tricycle, he still has to rely on the bicycle for help. Looking at this tricycle from left to right, up to down, it just doesn't seem to live up to the name of Boss Chen.

...

At the market entrance, two uniformed security guards on patrol suddenly stopped in their tracks. Across from them, a group of seventy, eighty, or ninety people had gathered.

The two were a little uneasy; if the door was blocked again, there was nothing they could do.

After standing there for a while, the crowd opposite suddenly started moving, and some people were even cheering.

"Here he comes, here he comes, Boss Chen is here."

The two of them looked out of the market and breathed a sigh of relief.

Call ~
They were there to buy groceries.

There was a lot of food, but also a lot of people waiting.

From their perspective, the driver in the driver's seat looked exceptionally small, as if he were carrying a small mountain on his back.

As they got closer, the two security guards noticed that there were four bicycles following the tricycle and recognized the people who had arrived.

The two used to smoke cigarettes from Chen, the vegetable farmer in the temporary alley, but now he is Mr. Chen, the owner of stall number 56.

Even though the location has changed, its popularity remains as high as ever!
Before the tricycle even got close, the crowd rushed over. There was some initial commotion, but after a few shouts, order was quickly restored.

The two steel pipes were somewhat conspicuous under the light.

Surrounded by the crowd, Chen Jiazhi arrived safely at stall number 56, feeling a great sense of relief.

As for Heiwa'er's vegetables, the transaction was completed a few hundred meters away from the market.

He still remembers the expressions on Yi Dinggan's and the others' faces when they learned the price: three yuan and fifty cents a pound!
Buying 500 jin of vegetables, yet paying 5 mao more than in the market—what a sucker!
The group wasn't stupid, and they tacitly kept quiet, but they were also feeling really uncomfortable.

In fact, Chen Jiazhi originally wanted to raise the price again, but there were too many people, and he didn't want Yi Dinggan and the others to notice Heiwa'er's abnormality, so he let him go today.

After getting off the bus, Chen Jiazhi quietly gave Lao Wu a thumbs up. In a critical moment, it still comes down to steel pipes.

He could tell that these guys really wanted to snatch it just a moment ago!

Uh…

Actually, 'grabbing' is the normal thing.

After all, getting one is a win.

Even in 2025, if the market for a certain vegetable booms, a truckload of goods will arrive at the market and within minutes, the truck and the area around it will be packed with people and quickly emptied, saving the owner the trouble of unloading.

Chen Jiazhi just wanted things to be more orderly.

The behavior in this era was different from that of later generations; people were more uncouth, and some people might actually refuse to pay after grabbing vegetables.

Fortunately, there were many people today, and his old customers, such as Lao Wu, also helped him make the most of the event.

No near misses.

The tricycle was also guarded by Qi Yongfeng, Yi Dinggan, and their three companions, along with Lao Wu and other regular customers. Yi Dinggan and his two companions were definitely not going anywhere, so they had no choice but to stay and sell vegetables together.

But some people were still pushing and shoving, trying to squeeze next to the tricycle.

From the moment he entered the market, Chen Jiazhi noticed that the number of people was much higher today than yesterday.

Yesterday, only his regular customers knew he had vegetables; it had been arranged before the typhoon.

After a day of fermentation, more people learned about it, and more people came to guard it, leading to the current situation.

Chen Jiazhi glanced around and saw that, apart from Lao Wu and 377 who were rather domineering and rushed to the front with steel pipes, he noticed that they were the only ones who were not.

Most of the other long-time customers were mixed in with the crowd.

Some of them left a shallow impression; they were just familiar faces. Most of them had come to buy groceries a few times, but then complained about the high prices and went elsewhere. Now that they couldn't buy the groceries elsewhere, they chose to come back.

Others were complete strangers, perhaps having heard the news somewhere and come specifically to see it.

Most of them are regular customers.

But the arrival of new faces means that the customer base is expanding, which is something to be happy about.

After thinking for a while, Chen Jiazhi had a plan in mind.

So he took a steel pipe and banged it on the tricycle twice, making a harsh sound, and then started repeatedly shouting out prices.

"Chicken hearts are 3.2 yuan per jin!"

"Mustard greens are 3.5 yuan a pound!" "Those who think it's too expensive can leave now!"

His shout drew boos from many of the waiting people, and even regular customers were surprised and uncertain.

Choy sum has gone up by 20 cents since yesterday, and mustard greens have gone up by 30 cents.
This price is truly astonishing.

Some people who couldn't bear it any longer quietly left the group, but many more stayed.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of food available today.

In addition to Heiwa'er's 500 jin, Chen Jiazhi also had 750 jin of bok choy and about 300 jin of mustard greens, totaling more than 1,000 jin of vegetables that entered the market!

In addition, Yi Dinggan, Li Mingkun, and Guo Mancang can also make up the numbers.

Vegetable prices are now at their highest point, and the demand from individual customers is continuously decreasing.

There were just too many people coming!

Regular customers were worried that he might make mistakes in his busy schedule, so they all requested to pick up the vegetables on the spot. It was more convenient to take a whole basket, but the rest had to be repackaged into individual bags.

There were so many people that there was no chance for anyone to catch their breath.

Qi Yongfeng and his three colleagues split into two groups of two and began packing according to the list given by Chen Jiazhi. They were all working up a sweat.

Chen Jiazhi stood in front of the tricycle, holding a notebook and pen, shouting out prices, directing the loading of vegetables, calculating bills and collecting money, while keeping his eyes constantly on the road. Even though he wasn't doing any physical labor, his back was already soaked with sweat.

The bustling scene at stall number 56 inevitably attracted the attention of other stall owners.

People occasionally stood in the passageway to watch the spectacle, while others looked on with envy.

"Damn it, they've sprinkled gold dust on their bok choy!"

Even Director Wang from the market management office, upon hearing about the situation, came to the intersection to take a look and was extremely satisfied.

This is the market's popularity.

Competition in the wholesale market is fierce now, and only those with good sources of goods can retain buyers.

Just like stall number 56, this one stall has attracted so many people. People who come here will probably buy other dishes as well. For example, stall number 55, which is opposite stall number 56, is also doing very well.

One person leads another, creating a virtuous cycle; such people should definitely be treated well.

Chen Jiazhi seemed to be isolated from the noise of the outside world, focusing only on the task at hand: seeing off each customer.

Chen Ze, Lao Wu, Curly Hair, 377...

Regular customers not only get their vegetables first, but Chen Jiazhi also gave them preferential treatment on the price, which is basically the same as yesterday, with no increase.

He raised prices too drastically. If the market can't handle it and things go wrong, we'll have to rely on sales from our existing customers to cover the losses.

Oh, Xu He's vegetable prices have gone up too. Premium bok choy is 3.5 yuan per jin, while Old Wu, who was in front of him, got his premium bok choy for 3.2 yuan per jin.

This obvious preferential treatment made Xu He feel that Boss Chen was truly vindictive.

It's a bit frustrating, but I have to bear it.

...

With each passing day comes a moment of relief, a moment of exhaustion, and a moment of joy.

The tangy and refreshing taste of the food being served non-stop is almost intoxicating, like wanting the metal frame bed to keep creaking and groaning all night long.

But strength has its limits, and vegetables will eventually run out.

More than a thousand kilograms of vegetables were sold out in one go, and the tricycle was empty except for a few vegetable leaves.

I felt as if every cell in my body was cheering and jumping for joy.

Chen Jiazhi offered cigarettes to Yi Dinggan and the other three, and lit them one by one with a lighter. The hands of the four men holding the cigarettes were still trembling from time to time.

The excitement continues.

The five people sat in a row on the bamboo basket, reminiscing. They were clearly tired, but they still felt like they hadn't had enough.

He only gradually relaxed after finishing a cigarette.

"Jiazhi, thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you for your help." Chen Jiazhi looked at Li Mingkun with a puzzled expression.

Li Mingkun smiled and said, "This is nothing. I'd be happy to do it a few more times to experience the excitement of selling vegetables!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "That's settled then. You can come and help out again in the next few days."

"Come!"

"Really coming?"

He then looked at Yi Dinggan and Guo Mancang.

Yi Dinggan curled his lip: "Jiazhi, do you really think Old Li is that kind? He's just trying to get more money by relying on you. He can only sell at a higher price because of you. You're really ruthless in raising prices!"

They all smiled knowingly.

Chen Jiazhi: "Are you coming or not?"

Yi Dinggan chuckled and said, "I only came to help out because we're brothers."

Li Mingkun smirked: "You're really shameless. You're just helping out your brother's business, and I'm just trying to make more money?"

"Who knows you?"

"Fuck off!"

"Is Lao Guo coming?"

"I can't let them leave me out when they're helping out."

After chatting for a while, Chen Jiazhi opened his notebook again and began to calculate the accounts for the group.

Although they were sold together, he kept a record of how much food each of the three people had, and each of them knew exactly how much.

Within two or three minutes, Chen Jiazhi gave them the money. At least he still had some income, which made him quite happy.

"Let's pack up and go home!"