1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 170 Picking Up the Car
Without chemical fertilizers, vegetable yields would be halved; without pesticides, pest outbreaks would become uncontrollable. Just like people, children need nutrition to grow and need medicine when they get sick.

Especially when faced with large-scale pest and disease outbreaks, the rational use of low-toxicity pesticides is the most effective means of protection.

But the key is how to use it.

Dosage and timing are crucial.

Fertilizers need to be precisely formulated according to the crop's growth stage. Chen Jiazhi previously mentioned the proportion of topdressing for leafy vegetables.

菜心每隔5~7天就得追一次肥，每亩尿素10~20斤，复合肥20~40斤混合施用。

The key to pesticides is prevention and how to coordinate them with insect nets and shade nets. In short, it can be summarized in eight words: prevention first, integrated pest management.

Don't be silly and wait until there are bugs or diseases before you start spraying pesticides.

This is how they've spent the past month, and Ao Dehai, Qi Yongfeng, and Ao Deliang have all gained some experience.

At least I remembered the timing and ratio, how often to fertilize, how often to apply pesticides, and the approximate dosage each time.

But that's not enough.

All three of them were simply following Chen Jiazhi's instructions and had no initiative.

Moreover, this ratio fluctuates; it varies depending on the farmer's observation and intuition, whether it's higher or lower at different times.

This feeling also needs to be cultivated and reinforced repeatedly.

There will be professional instruments available later, but Chen Jiazhi has never used them. He relies entirely on his years of experience and observation with the naked eye.

It also involves soil maintenance and the selection of high-quality agricultural inputs, but these are all Chen Jiazhi's responsibilities.

Fearing the three wouldn't remember, he didn't say much more.

Many consumers in later generations are terrified of pesticides and fertilizers, but there is really no need for that.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are essential for vegetable cultivation. Even organic vegetables are permitted to use certain types of chemical fertilizers and biological pesticides.

The real health hazards come from the illegal use of highly toxic pesticides and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers.

Chen Jiazhi's awareness is not high, but he still has a moral standard. Moreover, if fertilizers and pesticides can be used accurately, it will be more beneficial to his management and the quality of the vegetables.

Chen Jiazhi said, "I'll give you another half month to adjust. Starting in September, you'll be in charge of fertilizing and spraying pesticides yourselves. Is that alright?"

All three nodded in agreement.

"Okay, that's all for now. You guys go ahead and get busy. I'm going to pick up the car. Let's have lunch together at home. Don't mind, come back early and have a couple of drinks. You can go to work a little later this afternoon."

"it is good!"

"Mr. Chen, what kind of car did you buy?"

"how much did you spend?"

"Is there a lot of food in it?"

How many people can it seat?

They had been silent during the training, but now that the topic of alcohol and cars came up, Ao Dehai and the other two started talking one after another, asking a series of questions.

No man doesn't love cars.

Especially in this day and age, a tricycle can make you the coolest kid in the village, let alone a truck.

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "The car has arrived. You'll know once I pick it up. Alright, you guys go ahead and get busy. It might rain today."

Chen Jiazhi was still worried about the typhoon.

It's already the 17th, half of August is over, and there are only a few days left, so I only thought of getting the medicine today as a preventative measure.

Walking along the vegetable field path, the seedlings planted in the last ten days or so are growing quite well and are very uniform.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this batch of seedlings should be able to catch the market.

The truck is back, so I don't have to worry about transportation anymore. I'm quite happy!

"Jiazhi, are you picking up the car now?"

Yi Dinggan, wearing a straw hat, shirtless, and with a towel draped over his shoulders, walked over. He must have been digging in the ground; his hoe was still lying there.

After taking the cigarette, Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Well, we've been talking about it for so long, it's time to bring it up again."

Yi Ding took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled two words, "That's great!"

Do you still want the tricycle?

"I bought fertilizer, but I'm still short of money."

"It's okay, I can pay you later." Chen Jiazhi smiled. "It's a third-hand item anyway, just give me 2000 yuan."

Yi Dinggan shook his head. "You've only been here for three months, and you've already halved the price again. You don't need to treat me like this."

"What about the 2500 yuan?"

"That's pretty much it."

"It's only 500 yuan." Chen Jiazhi said this casually, even though it was about to cost tens of thousands of yuan to buy a car.

“Only you don’t take 500 yuan seriously.” Yi Dinggan pondered for a moment and said, “Xiaolong told me that he still wants to study for a few more years and learn more. Don’t worry about what happened between us before.”

"What's up?"

"..." Yi Dinggan was speechless for a moment, then said, "Anyway, he is indeed better off following you than following me. Let him follow you from now on, and you can teach him more."

"What about next year?"

“I’ll try my best to get him to study here, so he can at least learn to read a few more words.”

Yi Dinggan returned to the field, picked up his hoe, and occasionally glanced up at Chen Jiazhi's receding figure.

A moment later, the roar of a mini-tiller echoed from the other side. Compared to the hoe in my hand... there was no comparison.

I don't know when, but the jealousy in my heart disappeared.

It was probably only when Xiaolong told him he wanted to study that he realized his jealousy was a bit ridiculous.

He has always been the leader of this group.

Although he started as a manual laborer, he later became a struggling vegetable farmer.

But I guess I can be considered a leader, albeit in a lesser sense.

Among the group, he was the one with a slightly better financial situation and a slightly more comfortable life.

But soon Jia Zhi changed his mind. Not only was he willing to work hard, but he also made money on everything he planted. In Jia Fang's words, it was as if their ancestors had blessed them and enlightened them.

He also wanted to get to the point of enlightenment, so he would burn incense and pray to his ancestors for blessings from time to time, but there was still no response.

It wasn't until Yi Long told him he wanted to study that he realized his ancestors might have cast a spell on him, but he was illiterate and couldn't understand anything even if he wanted to. Wasn't this making things difficult for his ancestors?

He then thought of Yi Long, who was even less knowledgeable than him. Wouldn't things be even more difficult for him in the future?

Indeed, Yi Long could also grow vegetables with him.

But there are examples around us. To grow vegetables like a human, you need knowledge. You can only earn a pittance by doing hard labor.

Holding the hoe in his hand, Yi Dinggan felt even more energetic.

the other side,
When Chen Jiazhi returned home, he saw Yi Long rocking the baby cradle.

Yi Long laughed and said, "Uncle, Dou Dou is too naughty. He cries as soon as I stop shaking him."

Chen Jiazhi smiled, squatted down to take a look, and whispered, "Then you can rock him until he falls asleep."

"Uncle, are you going to pick up the car?"

"Okay, we're leaving right away. I can't take you with me today. Stay home and help take care of the kids. Your aunt needs to prepare lunch."

"Okay, okay, you can rest assured leaving him in my care." Yi Long patted his chest and added, "So you can drive your new car to sell vegetables tomorrow, right?"

"it should be OK."

"Great."

After checking into the kitchen and greeting Li Xiu, Chen Jiazhi went back home to change into clean clothes. He looked in the mirror and felt that he looked even better than when he was clean-cut. Why didn't anyone call him handsome anymore?
Be puzzled.

...

Buying a truck is a hassle these days.

Therefore, Chen Jiazhi opted for the premium service, picking up the car through a secondary dealer, which also included a one-stop registration service.

The Tianpingjia Auto Market in Huacheng is home to many truck dealers.

In a square, Chen Jiazhi circled a dark blue truck, examining it closely.

The rounded front of the car, with four round headlights like four bright eyes, has no fancy decorations, but instead appears more composed.

Like the simple elegance of Song Dynasty porcelain, it is unassuming yet possesses a restrained charm.

Although the interior of the carriage was simple, it was practical in every way. The most impressive thing was its pagoda-shaped instrument panel, which was pointed.

Chen Jiazhi was quite familiar with this car; time would tell.

Nanjing Yuejin 131.

It is a copy of the Japanese Isuzu model and has been in production since 1983. The standard cargo box is 4.2*2.1*0.55 meters and the nominal load capacity is 3 tons.

But the actual load capacity exceeded expectations.

In his previous life in Shanghai, Chen Jiazhi heard a boss boast that in 1998 he drove a Yuejin 131 truck from Yancheng, Jiangsu to Xi'an, carrying 9 tons of lotus roots, all on national highways, and it took him more than 3 days.

Its authenticity cannot be verified.

However, this also proves that this truck is durable and far superior to Isuzu trucks. Its advantages lie in its lower price and larger cargo capacity, making it the preferred light truck for individual business owners at this time.

After inspecting the exterior, Chen Jiazhi checked the engine number, inspected the cargo box welds, and tested the clutch.
"Hey bro, what do you think? This car's pretty good, right?"

"No problem, boss, let's pick up the car."

The place where I bought the car was recommended by Coach Zhang from the driving school; there was an extra charge for immediate delivery.

In addition, he didn't buy the standard version, but the enhanced version, with a cargo box measuring 4.5*2.2 meters and a standard load capacity of 3.5 tons.

They also installed 1.5-meter-high cargo box guardrails, and paid a total of 6.8 yuan for compulsory traffic accident insurance, vehicle registration, etc.

If you pick up the car directly from the manufacturer in Nanjing, the price will be much cheaper.

But he didn't have the time.

After checking the vehicle documents again, Chen Jiazhi finally got into the light truck. He suddenly felt very excited, and his heart was beating faster.

It wasn't an engine that was ignited, but rather a restless heart.

The Yuejin engine is indeed noisy and not very powerful, but it has injected new vitality into life and given us new expectations.

Meanwhile, at the Dongxiang vegetable market.

A group of people sat on the steps chatting, while the men and women helping with the cooking in the back kitchen would occasionally come to the front door to take another look.

"Are you back yet?"

"It should be soon, right?"

"They're not back yet?!"

The kitchen was bustling with activity as Chen Jiafang and Li Mingkun took charge of cooking, preparing one impressive dish after another.

Another dish was cooked, and Chen Jiafang asked, "Li Xiu, Jiazhi said someone has killed a chicken yet?"

"He said he would kill it himself; he had killed a chicken once before."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, he used to be terrified of killing chickens and ducks when he was a kid."

"Now that we're all grown up..."

"Yeah, now that we're all grown up, we can buy cars worth tens of thousands of yuan without hesitation. It would be nice to be able to drive one back to the village and show off a bit."

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the front yard.

"Back, back!"

“This car is huge!”

"They really bought it!"

"Wow, this truck can hold so many vegetables!"

Li Xiu and Chen Jiafang also put down their work and went to the front yard, where they saw men, women, and children all standing up and looking in one direction.

There, a dark blue truck with a rounded front drove in.

(End of this chapter)