1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 154 Accounts
At dawn, a moderate rain suddenly arrived, dispelling the summer heat and bringing a gentle breeze from the river.

Chen Jiazhi, wearing rain boots and carrying an umbrella, walked through the vegetable field. Most of the small greenhouses hadn't been covered with netting last night.

The rain came suddenly, and there wasn't time to cover it up. Fortunately, the rain wasn't heavy, and no damage was caused.

He stood by the cowpea field, where tender green cowpeas drooped down. The cowpea pod-setting stage is different from the seedling stage, requiring ample water and nutrients, so this moderate rain came just in time.

After a quick walk around, I returned to the dam area; the rain was still falling.

Ao Dehai, Qi Yongfeng, and Ao Deliang were also waiting for him under the eaves. All three of them had gone out once in the morning.

"Brother Zhi, are you alright?"

"There's no problem. We'll spray the seedlings again when the weather clears up."

"Hmm~"

Chen Jiazhi took this opportunity to tell the three of them about their work, suggesting they could fertilize the plants during the rain.

He also systematically explained his knowledge of water, fertilizer, and pest management, which was essentially a mini-training session.

"Chinese cabbage grows quickly in summer and has a short growing season, so water and fertilizer management is very important. Topdressing should be done early, frequently, and extensively."

“Starting before thinning, Chinese cabbage needs to be fertilized every 5 to 7 days. Use 10 to 20 catties of urea and 20 to 40 catties of compound fertilizer per mu. The same applies to mustard greens and Chinese kale.”

"After fertilizing, you have to water it every morning and evening..."

He had only been speaking for a short while when a large crowd gathered around him. He continued speaking without stopping, explaining water and fertilizer management and pesticide use.

"When using pesticides, it's important to alternate between different types. Pesticide use must be stopped 7 days before harvest, and instead, insect-proof netting should be used."

"Okay, that's all for now."

Li Mingkun said, "Jiazhi, why do we need to use twice as much compound fertilizer as urea? Doesn't more urea make the vegetables grow faster?"

Zhou Yuqiong also said, "Yes, compound fertilizer is so expensive!"

Chen Jiazhi was amused: "Why are there so many questions? If you want to learn, just follow this ratio. If you want to save money, just use urea."

Qi Yongfeng replied, "Brother Zhi, I applied fertilizer according to this ratio both times."

Chen Jiazhi nodded and said, "We'll stick to this ratio for the next two or three months. I'll let you know if there are any adjustments."

Ao Dehai and Ao Deliang also said they remembered it.

Anyway, Boss Chen still has plenty of fertilizer, so he can go all out.

Yi Dinggan, Li Mingkun, and Guo Mancang were feeling a bit uneasy. If they continued to apply fertilizer at this frequency and intensity, the fertilizer they had just bought seemed to be insufficient.

Chen Jiazhi went inside, took out his production notebook, and made a note in today's field inspection record.

In fact, many vegetable farmers have not systematically learned how to grow vegetables and rely entirely on accumulated experience. Chen Jiazhi is the same, but he is better at summarizing than others.

Chinese cabbage has shallow roots, weak water absorption, and high water consumption, so it needs to be watered frequently to keep the soil moist.

If there is a water shortage for two or three days, the plants will bolt prematurely, resulting in a decline in quality.

In addition, Chinese cabbage grows rapidly in a short period of time and requires a lot of nutrients, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, so Yi Dinggan's suggestion to apply more urea is correct.

But compound fertilizers also contain nitrogen fertilizer!

That's why Chen Jiazhi was amused; Li Mingkun is still a bit too young.

Meanwhile, in the later stages, the demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizers for Chinese cabbage is also very obvious. Firstly, it can improve its resistance to adverse conditions, and secondly, it can improve its quality. Sufficient phosphorus and potassium fertilizers will result in a better taste for Chinese cabbage.

As for the fertilizer ratio, it was something Chen Jiazhi had figured out from years of planting in his previous life.

It rained all morning, and after breakfast, the group took the opportunity to fertilize the plants.

Chen Jiazhi went to the warehouse halfway through and saw that there was a lot of fertilizer, but with 13 mu of extra land, this amount of fertilizer would only last for 3 months.

He couldn't find any work to do in the morning either.

Now that they've been divided into groups, it's not good for him to help any group with extra work, except for planting and harvesting.

Therefore, it is necessary to take the management perspective to coordinate the planting process, ensure that no mistakes are made, and at the same time strengthen training to improve the quality of team leaders and vegetable workers. This is also the foundation for building your own vegetable market.

After wandering around for a while, Chen Jiazhi turned back. With some free time, he had the leisure to appreciate the misty, rain-shrouded market.

A fine drizzle enveloped the glazed tile roofs, and rainwater dripped from the eaves. Li Xiu sat at her doorstep, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Two dogs, one black and one white, lay at her feet, while farmers fertilized the vegetable fields in the rain.

I wanted to record this scene.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the dam. The two dogs stood up and wagged their tails, but were unwilling to come out in the rain.

Close the umbrella and change your shoes.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Xiu, get the money. I need to go out for a bit."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiu immediately got up and went inside. After Chen Jiazhi entered, he handed him the handbag.

"They're all inside, take them and store them."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's not save it for now. I'll go order fertilizer. Later, I also plan to buy a TV and a camera. You're about to give birth, and we'll need to spend money on those too."

What do you need a camera for?

Li Xiu frowned and said that she could understand buying a TV. Now that they had money, Jia Zhi could buy it if he wanted to.

But the camera doesn't seem very practical.

Chen Jiazhi said, "I think it will be very meaningful to record some things and look back on them later. My child will be born soon, and I can show him what the place where he was born is like. If you just tell him about Dongxiang Market, he won't understand."

You can also take some photos and send them back to your hometown. Sending the child's photos back might make the father agree to come to Huacheng.

You can also have the vegetable vendor take a picture and send it to your children and elderly relatives at home.

It can also document the development of the market, and we can take more photos of ourselves... Oh no!

Li Xiu's psychological defenses were about to be breached when she saw Chen Jiazhi slap his thigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I've gotten so tanned, I can't capture my peak beauty in photos anymore. I should have bought this camera sooner, oh dear, what a loss."

Chen Jiazhi slapped himself repeatedly, extremely annoyed, which made Li Xiu laugh so hard she trembled. Chen Jiazhi then said, "Xiu, you're alright, you didn't get tanned. I'll buy some more pictures of you now so that when you're seventy or eighty, your descendants can see your heroic figure."

"Buy, buy, buy! Go ahead and buy it, okay?" Li Xiu laughed and laughed, then put her handbag back and asked, "How much money do I need to bring to order fertilizer?"

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and said, "Give me 5000 yuan first."

Li Xiu counted out 5000, and Chen Jiazhi followed suit, holding an umbrella in one hand and riding his bicycle out the door with the other.

"Ride your bike slowly."

"Do not worry."

In about ten minutes, we arrived at the agricultural supply store in Hongzhong, where large raindrops were constantly dripping from the banyan tree.

Before Chen Jiazhi had even parked his car, Hong Zhong came out to greet him: "Mr. Chen, what would you like to buy?"

"How much urea and compound fertilizer did you sell?"

Hong Zhong laughed and laughed, looking eager to get started. "Urea is 1800 yuan per ton, and compound fertilizer is 2500 yuan per ton."

Chen Jiazhi turned and left.

"Hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry!"

"Give me a fixed price."

“This is already a great deal,” Hong Zhong said. “If you go to other places, you might not find a discount like mine.”

"I have to bear the risk of counterfeit goods for you."

"It's a defective product, you said so."

"To me, it's no different from a counterfeit."

"..."

“If you can tell the difference between fakes and genuine products, why would I dare to fool you?” Hong Zhong waved his hand: “Come on, come on, I’ll give you a 50 yuan discount on each item.”

“It should be at least 100 yuan cheaper, right? I just shared my experience of running an agricultural supply store with you last time.” Chen Jiazhi entered the store, looked around, and said, “Look, your supplies look much better now.”

Hong Zhong: "I really can't lower the price anymore. I'm giving you the price at cost now, and I don't sell inferior goods. The price will be even higher. I don't have much business now."

Chen Jiazhi said, "You need to build up your reputation first. Once people find that your products are more effective, you'll naturally have more repeat customers."

"hope so."

Hong Zhong still held no hope.

After reviewing the samples, Chen Jiazhi finally ordered 1.5 tons of urea and 3 tons of compound fertilizer.

Hong Zhong calculated the total price to be 9975 yuan, and he couldn't round it down.

Prices have indeed risen quite a bit.

He still remembers that when he first came to buy, urea was only 1400 yuan per ton and compound fertilizer was 1800 yuan per ton.

It has increased by nearly 30% in three months.

If it were an ordinary farmer, they really wouldn't be willing to use fertilizer.

Indeed, business at Hongzhong's shop was very poor; farmers were reluctant to use fertilizer, and Chen Jiazhi was a super big customer.

1994 was indeed a very chaotic year in the history of agricultural inputs in China. Supply was tight, distribution was chaotic, counterfeit fertilizers and substandard fertilizers appeared everywhere, and farmers were cheated and deceived by selling inferior products as superior ones.

Farmers are unwilling to buy, nor dare to invest.

This naturally gave Chen Jiazhi some opportunities.

He understands conventional methods of identification and is willing to invest in and use chemical fertilizers, so the yield and quality of the vegetables he grows are naturally better.

This is also an advantage.

After staying at Hongzhong's shop for a while, the rain stopped, so he found some porters to load the truck and prepare for delivery.

Chen Jiazhi went back first to get money from Li Xiu. He paid a deposit of 5000 yuan, but still owed 4975 yuan.

Li Xiu took out her bag again and asked, "Has the price of fertilizer gone up again?"

Chen Jiazhi: "Hmm, if Boss Hong is so reluctant to even waive 5 yuan, he should definitely bargain down to the bottom."

Li Xiu nodded, "Yes, we should spend what we need to. We still have more than 1900 yuan left at home, enough to buy a black and white TV. I just don't know how much a camera will cost."

"Why buy a black and white TV? If you're going to buy one, buy a color TV. We'll be back in a couple more days selling vegetables."

After taking the money, Chen Jiazhi didn't rush to leave. Hong Zhong hadn't arrived yet, so he sat on the table and calculated his recent expenses.

Small arched shed, fermented pig manure, shade netting, mini tiller, water pump, fertilizer, driving school registration fee~
In less than ten days, 3.1 yuan was spent.

After earning 3578 yuan this morning, my total income since the typhoon season started is close to 6.6 yuan.

Of the money, 3 yuan was deposited in the bank, bringing the total savings to 6.6 yuan, and there was also 1900 yuan in cash at home.

6.6-3.1-3-0.19=0.31，盘点下来存在3100元左右的缺口。

"Tell me, Xiu, have you been hiding my secret stash of money from me?"

Li Xiu looked bewildered, blinked, and then said, "Shouldn't you be the one hiding your secret stash of money?"

"Haha, I was just kidding."

Chen Jiazhi laughed for a while, then said, "I also bought some small things, and the seeds didn't cost money. There are also daily expenses, so it all adds up to about the same."

Li Xiu: "Would you like to make the accounts even more detailed?"

"Well, this is fine as it is. I just need to keep an eye on things," Chen Jiazhi said with a smile. "There shouldn't be any major expenses later, so I can focus on saving money to buy a TV, a camera, and a car."

Li Xiu: "What if you want to acquire land again?"

Chen Jiazhi: “…”

(End of this chapter)