1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 160 The Nth Day of Missing Chen Caixin

Upon hearing about the death caused by pesticide residue in Hong Kong, Chen Jiazhi's heart skipped a beat. Hong An and Hong Biao shouldn't have been delivering goods to Hong Kong recently, right?
He couldn't guarantee that Hong Biao and his associates wouldn't source goods from outside.

After all, before the handover, the profits from selling vegetables in Hong Kong were really high.

Yi Dinggan noticed his unusual behavior.

"Jiazhi, what's wrong?"

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "There has been a pesticide poisoning incident in Hong Kong, and people have died. Brother Yi, how long until your dish comes out?"

"A week or so."

"Control your medication use; it's probably having a significant impact lately."

"I didn't break any rules."

"Too much dosage is never good."

"Don't worry about losing control of pests and diseases. Do you think everyone is as wealthy as you? I invested all the money I had earned before, and if it gets infested with pests, it's all over."

Chen Jiafang and Yi Long listened without saying a word, but judging from their expressions, Chen Jiafang clearly agreed with Yi Dinggan.

After the meal, Li Mingkun and Guo Mancang also learned about the pesticide residue poisoning incident involving Xiangjiang vegetables, which gave them a real headache.

However, there is no indication of any adjustment, which likely reflects the attitude of the majority of vegetable farmers.

At this critical juncture, how can we easily reduce the amount of pesticides used?

Chen Jiazhi was at a loss. The three of them had invested all their savings, so there was no point in saying anything more and they could only go back inside.

The room now has a crib, a bamboo basket, a solid wood frame, and a mosquito net.

Little Bean is sleeping soundly.

Li Xiu was also there. She had just finished eating the postpartum meal prepared by her second sister and was about to take the bowl over when Chen Jiazhi saw her and took the bowl to the kitchen before returning to catch up on sleep.

The fan was whirring loudly, it was unbearably hot, and I was also feeling uneasy.

That's still too risky.

He shouldn't have participated in the water smuggling; if something happens to Hong Biao and the others, he might also be affected.

I slept until evening when suddenly Hongzhong's shouts came from the dam area.

"Boss Chen, Boss Chen!"

Chen Jiazhi rolled over and got up, pushed open the door and went out. When he saw Hong Zhong's smile, he instantly felt relieved.

"Mr. Hong, what's the matter?"

"Let me pick some bok choy hearts."

"The bok choy is still a little small."

"I see." Hong Zhong smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now, I'll come back in a few days."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Stir-frying small bok choy is actually quite good. Come on, I'll take you there."

Hong Zhong pulled out a plastic bag with his bare hand.

The two had reached a tacit understanding; Hong Zhong's smiling appearance indicated that they hadn't been shipping goods to Hong Kong recently.

The earliest batch of bok choy is currently at 2-6 months old, and it is covered with insect-proof netting and shade netting.

"We haven't sprayed any pesticides. We can harvest it in a few more days," Chen Jiazhi said with a smile, preparing to remove the insect-proof netting.

"Forget it, I won't pinch anymore, it'll delay your pest control." Hong Zhong looked at the sealed insect netting and suddenly didn't want to pinch the vegetables anymore.

He looked around again and saw several tightly closed insect-proof nets and shade nets, and immediately understood what was going on.

Mr. Chen's dishes are still as reassuring as ever, it's a pity that things have gotten tense.

Hong Zhong then said, "You should know why I've come here, right?"

"clear."

Chen Jiazhi looked around and saw that the four people in Group Two were thinning seedlings, some distance apart.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Jiazhi finally spoke up: "Has Mr. Hong ever considered seriously doing a vegetable supply business to Hong Kong?"

Hong Zhong was surprised for a moment. This was the real talk. He said, "I definitely want to, but the vegetable market is a tough hurdle. They take the lion's share of the profits."

In Hong Kong, each "vegetable stall" represents an independent vegetable wholesaler, most of which are family-run businesses.

They have fixed stalls and storage space, and are responsible for purchasing, sorting and wholesaling vegetables from local farmers or importers.

Large vegetable markets are usually associated with organized crime, using various means to monopolize one or two types of vegetables.

Only a small number of forces can bypass them.

Chen Jiazhi has some knowledge of the current operating model of Xiangjiang Vegetables.

"Could we supply directly to the restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets there?"

“It’s not easy,” Hong Zhong said. “There’s an association among the vegetable stalls called Vegetable Union. Restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets all get their vegetables from the stalls through order contracts.”

Once a restaurant breaks its contract, especially for key vegetables like bok choy and kale, the restaurant can forget about easily buying other types of vegetables.

Therefore, even if customs clearance and transportation can be handled, the vegetable market remains an unavoidable factor, and restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong will not easily deviate from their contracts.

Under the setting sun, with a clear view of the surrounding area, Chen Jiazhi and Hong Zhong chatted for a while about the Xiangjiang Market in the vegetable field.

Supply control, logistics barriers, and gray-area tactics are the three weapons that enable traditional vegetable market monopolies.

Hong Zhong and his group did not have the ability to break through.

Chen Jiazhi said, "But continuing like this isn't a solution. If it goes on for too long, something bad will definitely happen. I'm okay; at most, I'll just get a fine. But you guys will be in real trouble."

“I came to see you for another reason.” Hong Zhong shook his head: “The crackdown has been strict lately, so I may have to take a break for a while. At least I won’t be doing it again in the summer.”

Chen Jiazhi breathed a sigh of relief. Earning less money was not a big deal; he was just afraid that the group would be stubborn and insist on going ahead, which would make it difficult for him to get off the bus.

It's fine as it is now.

Hong Zhong ultimately didn't pick the cabbage hearts, but Chen Jiazhi gave him two handfuls of freshly picked cowpeas. Because of the abundant fertilizer, the cowpeas grew well and were tender, which pleased Hong Zhong.

"Thanks, Mr. Chen. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll definitely help if I can."

"I do have something to say."

"You're really not being polite. Okay, what is it?"

"Can you help me find a Shanghai green seed, bred by the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, called Xia Dongqing?"

"How do I find this?"

"Hmm~" Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Keep an eye on relevant newspapers and magazines to see if they have a phone number. Call and ask, and then see if you can wire money and have them mail the seeds over."

Chen Jiazhi paused for a moment, then said, "If you can, you can do the same thing not only with Shanghai bok choy, but also with other seeds. Good seeds are hard to find now, so if you can make a name for yourself in the seed business, the profits can be quite substantial."

Hong Zhong's eyes lit up, as if he had found another way, and he left satisfied. Chen Jiazhi also went home again, took the pre-germinated seeds, and went out to sow them.

A few days ago, I had Yongfeng and Dehai sow some seeds, but the germination was not satisfactory. Some were too dense, some were too sparse, and some were even bare.

The mustard greens that Deliang planted are quite good, but both batches of mustard greens need to be transplanted.

After sowing the seeds, watering them, and covering them with netting, it got dark.

Cowpeas are also easy to store, and there weren't many of them, so they were picked early and scattered into baskets before being loaded onto the truck.

The vegetable workers rarely get off work so early.

After dinner, Qi Yongfeng called out, "Brother Zhi, wanna go eel fishing tonight?"

"I'm not going. You guys go ahead, but don't ruin other people's rice paddies."

Chen Jiazhi didn't turn his head and continued writing in his notebook.

These past few days, with more free time, the vegetable farmers have had more recreational activities.

Going out to catch fish and eels has become the most common activity for men.

Besides Qi Yongfeng, the Ao brothers also went along. They had money in their pockets and weren't worried about not being able to afford the seasonings for cooking fish and shrimp.

It's fun, and it also adds a dish to the family's meal, so everyone is quite excited.

On the contrary, Chen Jiazhi hadn't gone for two days.

He was thinking about the crop rotation schedule for August, because he only remembered there was a typhoon, but forgot when it would arrive.

The original plan was to rush to grow bok choy at the end of August or the beginning of September.

But now that Hong Biao's path has been cut off, there's no need to be so aggressive. We should proceed steadily, with the three major varieties of bok choy, Chinese kale, and mustard greens advancing in tandem.

...

early morning.

As soon as Chen Jiazhi entered the market, people greeted him. When he reached stall number 56, several people came to buy cowpeas.

"Boss Chen, 30 jin of cowpeas!"

"60 jin, I want 60 jin!"

Some people didn't even yell; as soon as the car stopped, they jumped on and started loading vegetables, and then the others followed suit.

Before long, most of the cowpeas in the truck were gone.

Yi Long was dumbfounded. He finally witnessed the scene of people scrambling for vegetables. Luckily, he insisted on coming along.

"Uncle, what do we do now?"

"What else can we do but weigh it and collect the money?"

Curly was a step too late. When he got to stall number 56, he only saw an empty truck and two people preparing to close up shop.

Chen Jiazhi also saw him and laughed, "You're a step too late, the vegetables are sold out."

Curly exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really that ruthless? I'm not late either!"

Chen Jiazhi shrugged.

Perhaps it's because of word-of-mouth that his food has gained a reputation, and regular customers in the market are more confident in his dishes and don't have to worry about pesticide residues.

In addition, he sells cowpeas at a normal price, and there aren't many of them, so it's normal that they sell so quickly.

"You're amazing!" Curly asked again, "What about the bok choy? Could you harvest some earlier?"

Chen Jiazhi smiled helplessly, "I've said it many times, it's at midnight on the 30th, I'm leaving now."

I finished work early, arrived at the market at 1:30, and went home at 2:00. After getting home, I could sleep for two or three hours. It was great.

When he left, many people in the wholesale market had not yet arrived, both the vegetable sellers and buyers.

By three o'clock, there were a few more people around. While Mao Liangcai was looking for goods, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

Looking back, it was Xu He.

"Why are you here today?"

"I came to find Chen Cai Nong, but he hasn't arrived yet."

"He sold them all and went home."

"..." Xu He was somewhat surprised, but not at all strange.

Mao Liangcai: "I went to him to buy bok choy, and he said it was still the 30th."

Xu He nodded: "I also have some other things to do, so I'll come earlier tomorrow."

"Where did you buy your bok choy these past two days?"

"I didn't buy any."

"Did not buy?"

"Yeah, it'll rot by the time you get it home, so it's better not to buy it at all."

"I never imagined that spruce trees would be in this state."

"And you, coming so early every day, where do you buy your bok choy?"

"I didn't buy any vegetables either."

"Well, you're no good either. Arriving early or leaving late doesn't make any difference!"

"I dare not buy it."

"Now I'm even more afraid to buy it."

The two, sharing the same plight, sighed softly, refrained from hurting each other further, and went their separate ways.

After Mr. Chen informed them that there were no vegetables available, the two of them made preparations and found other sources of supply.

But not only do they not keep well, they even rot as soon as they are taken home, which makes people hesitant to buy them.

Now that something has happened in Hong Kong, I dare not take any vegetables at will.

Xu He drove headlong to the next market, wondering why Boss Chen had run out of vegetables.

Perhaps we shouldn't call him Boss Chen, as that would disrupt his feng shui and luck; we should just call him Farmer Chen.

It's dawn,
Old Wu, who works at stall number 18, checked today's dishes and order list, and then looked at the date: July 28th.

It's the fifth day of missing Chen Caixin.

We have to wait another day for that man to return.

(End of this chapter)