1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 139 Two Cars of Vegetables

The banyan tree's leaves grew increasingly lush, resembling a giant green umbrella that shielded the house beneath from the scorching sun and brought coolness to the house.

Hong Zhong was checking the accounts when he suddenly heard the sound of screeching brakes in the yard. He looked up and saw what was happening.

"Oh, what a rare guest, Mr. Chen, it's been so long since I've seen you."

Chen Jiazhi parked the car in the shade of a tree and said with a smile, "You can't entirely blame me. Boss Hong hasn't come to my field to pick vegetables for a while. Did you find some good vegetables somewhere again? Let me know so I can learn a thing or two."

Hong's heart skipped a beat.

Careless.

That was overlooked.

He forced a smile and said, "It's summer now, so the vegetables are heavily sprayed with pesticides, and I eat less of them."

"You don't trust my cooking?"

After muttering something to himself, Chen Jiazhi didn't press the matter further and asked about the driver's license. It turned out that Hong Zhong had actually found a way to get it after asking about it last time.

However, even if you take the shortcut, you still need a one-month study period and there are requirements for study hours.

Meanwhile, the tuition and other expenses added up to about 5000 yuan, and I got a Class B license.

money is not a problem.

He also plans to study driving school seriously. Although he had a Class B license in his previous life, he always drove small cars with a large license. It would be good to get more familiar with the controls of this era.

The driver's license issue was quickly settled, and the two agreed to go to the driving school the next morning to complete the formalities.

"What car is Mr. Chen planning to get?"

"A light truck, perhaps."

"Oh, are there still many vegetables in the field?"

Chen Jiazhi chuckled: "I was just planning to ask Boss Hong for a favor."

"Ok?"

"I need to hire a tricycle to help me transport my vegetables to the market tonight. I'll have to trouble Mr. Hong to recommend a reliable driver."

"Your car broke down?"

"No, one truck isn't enough. Two trucks will be just enough to collect more vegetables."

The midday sun in summer is somewhat desolate; there are few people on the road, but the chirping of cicadas adds to the noise.

Hong Zhong was stunned for a good ten seconds, his mind in turmoil, utterly shocked, with all sorts of thoughts flashing through his mind.

How many vegetables are you going to harvest today?

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "It should be about two thousand catties."

He spoke casually, but Hong had many questions he wanted to ask, but he could only keep them to himself.

"No wonder you were so eager to get my driver's license; you're really planning to buy a car. You've made quite a bit of money these past two months."

"Thankfully, God provides food."

"God has ruined everyone else's livelihood, leaving only you to eat." Hong Zhong also smiled: "I'll take care of the tricycle for you. I'll have him come to you this evening, and you can negotiate the freight fee yourselves."

"I knew Boss Hong was reliable."

Having settled two more matters, Chen Jiazhi ordered about 1,000 yuan worth of imported pesticides and then prepared to return home.

As he left, he glanced at the banyan tree a few more times. If there were this big tree in front of or behind the market, it would be much cooler.

Under the blazing sun, once you leave the shade of the banyan tree, you'll be drenched in sweat in just a minute or two.

He hasn't had a proper rest for seventeen or eighteen hours straight, from around six o'clock yesterday afternoon until now.

The relentless flow of tasks left me physically and mentally exhausted.

After returning to the market, Li Xiu waited at the door, ate a few bites of lunch hastily, took a shower, went back to her room and fell asleep immediately. Before falling asleep, she vaguely heard news coming from the radio.

"Vegetable supply is in short supply, and vegetable prices are high. The retail price of some leafy greens has exceeded 4 yuan, setting a new historical record. The market administration bureau said it will take measures..."

Soon, snoring filled the room, the fan was blowing loudly, and Li Xiu was also holding a fan, fanning him every now and then.

...

Hong Zhong and Heiwa sat at the entrance of the main room, gazing absently at the two loquat trees in the courtyard.

"Farmer Chen has two thousand catties of vegetables tonight!"

This news took Heiwa'er Hong'an a long time to process. He originally thought that taking 500 jin of vegetables a day was enough, and that he could earn four or five thousand yuan per trip.

Now that he's told that Chen, the vegetable farmer, might have 2,000 jin of vegetables, which means they can get more vegetables too, how could he not be excited?
“Anzai, I have a feeling that Chen Cai Nong will have mustard greens and kale tonight. He bought seeds before. If he has any, you can ask to buy more. He should agree. Then talk to him about going to the market to pick up the vegetables at midnight!”

"Okay, Uncle Zhong!"

Hong An then asked, "Who does Uncle Zhong plan to send for the tricycle tonight? Do you need me to find someone?"

“No need, I’ll just find a regular freight driver.” Hong Zhong shook his head and said, “I’m off, I still have to help Chen Cai Nong with his driver’s license. That kid is developing too fast.”

Hong An shared the same sentiment, noting how expensive vegetables are now, while Chen, the vegetable farmer, produces two thousand catties of vegetables a day!

It's terrifying to even think about!
...

As the sun began to set, six people wearing straw hats and with dark skin came to the dam. Two dogs that were lying down sleeping looked up at them and then went back to sleep.

Ao Dehai gently knocked on the door, and a moment later, Qi Yongfeng came out.

"Isn't it a bit too early to harvest the vegetables now?"

"Go dig the ground first."

Ao Dehai, seemingly afraid of disturbing those taking a nap, said softly, "Go dig the ground early. Boss Chen said he wanted to plant seeds today, but the ground hasn't been dug yet. We harvested a lot of vegetables today, and Jin Feng and Xiao Xia will probably have to help cut mustard greens. Boss Chen will be all alone. How long will it take him to finish digging? Forget about planting."

Qi Yongfeng was stunned. He was still a little sleepy, but he suddenly woke up. Ao Dehai really had a lot on his mind.

But it does make a lot of sense.

He knew that Brother Zhi had soaked the seeds after returning from selling vegetables, and he had mentioned it once after inspecting the fields, but he hadn't thought about it in detail. However, Ao Dehai had, and he even rallied a group of people to take action.

"Okay, let's dig the ground first."

Before long, the six long-term workers and three temporary workers, a total of nine people, were divided into two groups. One group plowed 7-2 mu of land, and the other group plowed 8-3 mu of land.

The land had been disinfected with quicklime and exposed to the sun for three days. When shallowly tilling the soil, the hoe only picked up a little clay, so it didn't affect efficiency much.

Moreover, there are nine people.

As the sun sets, long shadows fill the vegetable garden.

When Chen Jiazhi woke up, it was suddenly late. He checked the time and it was 7:30. It seemed he had overslept.

No one called him, no one disturbed him, not even the sound of dinner being served. He had indeed rested very well and was in great spirits. He got up, stretched, and saw the food left for him on the table.

One serving of stuffed bitter melon, one serving of mustard green and egg soup, and one serving of stir-fried kale with meat.

All of them were bitter vegetables.

But he thought it was alright.

In Guangzhou, people are prone to getting a sore throat or other heat-related symptoms in the summer, especially since they like to eat spicy food. Occasionally eating more bitter vegetables can help clear heat and reduce internal fire.

After dinner, Chen Jiazhi stepped out of his house. It was getting dark, and there were still remnants of sunset in the west.

He instinctively looked towards his own vegetable garden. The workers weren't harvesting the vegetables; instead, they were turning over the soil. He could also see flocks of egrets, pigeons, and sparrows foraging in the field.

Then he smiled.

There are still talented people in the team.

He went back into the house to get the pre-germinated seeds before heading to the vegetable garden.

Li Xiu was strolling around the loofah field with her two dogs when she saw him go out, so she came over as well.

"Jiazhi, the tricycle driver you asked someone to find just arrived. He asked for 35 yuan for the ride, including moving. I agreed and told him to come at this hour. I hope I didn't get ripped off?"

"No, it's about the same."

"That's good."

The two then walked one after the other toward plots seven and eight, which were not far apart.

“Dehai brought people over to dig the ground two hours early in the afternoon. It was hot and sunny then, so I asked Yilong to run an errand and buy some popsicles.”

"Yes, that's very thoughtful."

"I don't think the loofahs will last much longer; many of them have rotted."

"Are there not even a single one left?"

"Also, the melon you picked is already turning yellow, and the others should have some seeds too."

"Hmm, we'll pick one then."

After chatting for a bit, we arrived at the field where the soil was being turned over. Each worker had salt stains on their face and neck. Two dogs ran into the field, which stirred up a flock of birds that were looking for food.

Some of the soil had dried out considerably after being exposed to the sun, while others, having just been turned over, remained moist, making them barely suitable for sowing.

The land is almost completely turned over.

Chen Jiazhi also joined in, and after turning over the soil, he explained to everyone again how to harvest the vegetables and how much to harvest.

They were divided into three groups, with three people in each group.

Ao Dehai led Zhao Yu and Huang Juan to harvest transplanted bok choy and mustard greens, while Ao Deliang led Lai Guihui and Qi Yongfeng to harvest bok choy for live streaming.

Three temporary workers were cutting mustard greens.

With only a few hundred yuan left in cash, Li Xiu stayed in the field a little longer, sometimes watching him sow seeds, sometimes looking at the patches of green vegetables. Occasionally, a cool breeze would blow by, making her feel even more relaxed.

Sowing, watering, and covering with netting~
After sowing the seeds, you must cover them with nets day and night, because there are many birds in the summer, and if you don't cover them with nets, most of the seeds will be lost overnight.

After finishing all that, I went to check on the harvesting progress.

Ao Dehai told him to go home and rest a bit more. Knowing that he was a thoughtful person, Chen Jiazhi gave him a few instructions and then went home, where he slept for another two hours.

When I got up again, basket after basket of vegetables had filled half of the yard.

The heat has lessened, replaced by the tranquility of a summer night.

The hired tricycle arrived. The driver, surnamed Zeng, was wearing a white vest that revealed his strong arms, suggesting he had carried a lot of goods.

After Chen Jiazhi and three male workers did some simple sorting and weighing of the vegetables, they began loading them onto the truck.

The two vehicles still had room to spare.

Everyone had different thoughts. It didn't seem like long ago that they started using one bicycle to transport vegetables and then two bicycles to carry them.

Yi Dinggan and the other two watched silently, and could only watch. They used to be able to help, but now they could help less and less.

Only Yi Long was quite excited, showing no signs of the fatigue from getting up in the middle of the night, and was looking forward to going to the market to sell vegetables.

The journey was smooth.

Yi Long sat quietly next to Chen Jiazhi, just watching him drive, watching the night view of the Pearl River, and watching another side of the city.

The first customer was still Heiwa'er.

He wasn't surprised to see two cars arrive, nor did he ask any questions. He simply looked at the two cars to see what dishes were in them.

"Boss Chen, can I order the mustard greens today? And the kale too, I want some too."

Chen Jiazhi smiled at his actions and said, "Okay, I'll give you 200 jin of mustard greens. How much kale do you want?"

"Can I have all the kale?"

"It's also three yuan and fifty cents a pound."

"Price is not a problem."

"Alright, you can have all the kale too."

"Okay, let's weigh it."

"I've weighed all the goods I gave you, so just load them."

The vegetables for Heiwa were all loaded onto Master Zeng's truck and emptied in no time, making his 35 yuan a breeze.

But the chance is gone.

Heiwa'er Hong'an wants to go directly to the field to get the vegetables tomorrow night, because he arrives at the market too late.

Chen Jiazhi had no objection to it; in fact, he went to find Hong Zhong with this idea in mind.

Hong Zhongye was indeed very perceptive.

"Let's settle the accounts, Mr. Chen."

"There's no need to calculate this. It's all round numbers. It's a total of 900 jin of vegetables, so I'll charge you 3150 yuan."

"Hiss~ Mr. Chen, it's your turn to make a fortune!"

Hong An counted the banknotes one by one, feeling a little reluctant. This kind of vegetable was really profitable, but it was a pity that Uncle Zhong didn't agree to let them set up their own farm.

In an instant, it sold for more than 3,000 yuan. Yi Long's eyes widened in disbelief. Back home, a big fat pig only sold for about 200 yuan!
Before long, Yi Dinggan and the other two, who had been lagging behind, caught up and headed to the market together.

(End of this chapter)