1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 179 Two-timing?
The wooden table wasn't very big, and there were a lot of miscellaneous items on one side of the table against the wall, among which two notebooks stood out to Xu Wenxiang.

She couldn't help but think of the advice Chen Jiazhi had given her last time. He was just a small vegetable farmer, but what he wrote had left a deep impression on her.

"Hey handsome, that's your uncle's notebook, can I take a look?"

Yi Long, who had been following the baby stroller, glanced at the notebook and said uncertainly, "Is it okay?"

Xu Wenxiang picked up a black notebook, casually flipped to a page, and found neat notes.

She took her notebook and went out the back door. What came into view was a simple kitchen where a man and a woman were preparing food.

"Hey, Mr. Chen, may I take a look at your notebook?"

She saw the other person glance up, frown slightly, but still nod.

"Look."

"Thank you~"

Xu Wenxiang returned to her room, found a small stool, and sat down to read. Seeing this, Xu He also picked up another notebook.

The room suddenly fell silent, with only Yi Long rocking the baby cradle while observing the two strange people.

Little did they know that waves of emotion were gradually rising in their hearts.

After a while, Li Xiu brought out two bowls of mung bean soup.

"Here, have some mung bean soup. Don't mind it, no one in my family drinks tea, so we don't have any."

Xu Wenxiang smiled and said, "Thank you. I was thirsty, and some mung bean soup will make me feel better."

"Then you can sit down and rest for a while."

"Well, thank you for your hard work."

After quickly flipping through the notebooks, Xu Wenxiang looked up at Xu He, exchanged notebooks with him, and then quickly flipped through them again, her surprise no longer concealed.

Do you do the bookkeeping?

"Do it~" After a moment's hesitation, Xu He added, "But it's far inferior to this, there's no comparison."

Xu Wenxiang glanced down at the notebook again and smiled, "I didn't expect someone who seems so radical to be so meticulous in his work."

Xu He shook his head: "Too thin~"

Xu Wenxiang ignored him and continued reading, this time paying even closer attention, and even trying to calculate and verify certain data.

I keep a record of every day, and even if I don't go to sell vegetables one day, I won't forget to write it down.

They also often include various personal analyses and reflections, written in neat handwriting that is easy to understand and increasingly surprising the more you look at it.

Such a perfect handmade accounting book is simply too rare!
They then exchanged another production work record from Xu He, which was even more detailed than the market ledger.

It also records the development process of Chen Cai Nong.

At first, it seemed to be only two or three acres, then it grew to six or seven acres, then seventeen acres, and now it's thirty acres. The vehicles have evolved from bicycles to tricycles, and then to light trucks.
Every step of the process was crystal clear.

What vegetables to plant, how to plant them, how to sell them, how to transport them, how to package them, the input and output, and adjustments after expanding the planting area...

The final part further elevates the management aspects, including dividing the vegetable fields into groups, training vegetable workers, and cultivating group leaders.

Just looking at the dozens of pages of notes in this notebook is like experiencing the struggles of a small vegetable farmer.
She could even extend this model further: income would continue to increase, the team would mature, the area would expand, the small market would become a medium-sized market, and the small business owner would transform into a big business owner!
Xu Wenxiang's last doubts dissipated. This person was absolutely qualified; even the Jiangxin vegetable market was too small a stage for him to fully display his talents.

Suddenly, there was a lot of noise in the market. The farmers had all returned long ago, and people kept peeking in to take a look.

After a while, another man, who looked a bit like the boy in the room, brought in an eight-immortal table.

Another woman brought in a bench, and they started talking to each other, but their accents were getting heavier and heavier, making communication very difficult.

Xu Wenxiang was then surprised to find that she had no communication barriers with Chen Cai Nong.

He speaks fluent Mandarin, can understand and speak a few words of Cantonese, and occasionally utters two or three simple English words. He can also seamlessly switch between dialects when communicating with people from his hometown.

The more I think about it, the rarer it seems.

After putting down her notebook, Xu Wenxiang went to the back door and saw Boss Chen waving a spatula again.

Looking at the young woman who was helping to add firewood to the fire with a smile on her face, I suddenly felt very envious.

Li Xiu also noticed Xu Wenxiang. "Are you hungry? Dinner will be served soon."

Chen Jiazhi also glanced back at Xu Wenxiang, whose outfit was completely out of place with the surroundings.

"Xiu, bring the winter melon and pork rib soup to the table first. Cantonese people like to serve soup before the main dishes. Also, take two new pairs of bowls and chopsticks and scald them. Eat with them first. Brother Yi and Second Sister, go too. I'll stir-fry two vegetables at the end. It'll be quick."

He spoke these words quickly and rapidly in dialect, making Xu Wenxiang's head buzz.

"Mr. Xu, let's go eat first."

Now I understand.

There was a slight awkwardness at the dinner table until Chen Jiazhi brought out two plates of bok choy, at which point everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"The two Mr. Xus are just living in such modest circumstances; we cannot provide adequate hospitality."

Xu Wenxiang smiled and said, "Boss Chen's cooking skills are excellent. Your approach of combining half Sichuan cuisine and half Cantonese cuisine has really broadened my horizons."

Chen Jiazhi brought out two plates of bok choy, one blanched and the other stir-fried with dried chili peppers.

"It's funny."

Chen Jiazhi also sat at the table, sharing a bench with Li Xiu, with Xu Wenxiang to Li Xiu's left.

Xu Wenxiang didn't talk about serious matters at the dinner table, only occasionally praising how delicious the food was, but she didn't eat much, just taking a few bites.

After the meal, Chen Jiafang and Li Xiu went to clear the dishes, Yi Dinggan also pulled Yi Long back into the house, and Chen Jiazhi went to make sure Ao Dehai had covered the net before returning home.

It was noon, but the sky was already somewhat dusky.

“Mr. Xu, if we finish this discussion sooner, you should still have time to go back. This shabby room of mine is not comfortable for sheltering from the typhoon.”

"That depends on whether Boss Chen is willing or not." Xu Wenxiang was not in a hurry at all, her eyes occasionally glancing towards the kitchen at the back door.

Chen Jiazhi didn't want to keep her hanging. He went out, took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked out at the vegetable field and the sky while smoking.

Xu Wenxiang and Xu He also came out.

There were vegetable farmers nearby, but they didn't come any closer; they just occasionally glanced at the plants with curiosity.

With a cigarette between his fingers, Chen Jiazhi pointed to the vegetable field, exuding an air of commanding authority.

"My vegetable garden is full of vegetables. We survived the typhoon successfully and will have a good income again!"

Xu Wenxiang crossed her arms: "So?"

Chen Jiazhi glanced at it and thought it was indeed quite impressive. He wondered if he should explain how many vegetables were growing in his field.

Then I realized it wasn't necessary.

"I can't leave."

"You didn't even listen to the conditions."

"I've heard of it before."

"New conditions."

"Then let's hear it."

"Base salary + commission on food production + bonuses, plus stock dividends..."

Chen Jiazhi chuckled. "I didn't expect you to be so willing to spend money."

Xu Wenxiang smiled and said, "You may not want to agree, but you should also consider your wife's opinion."

Just then, Li Xiu arrived at the door, stammering and hesitant to speak.

Xu Wenxiang said, "He probably doesn't want you to be so tired. You are the pillar of the family. If you collapse from exhaustion, what will happen to them, mother and child?"

Seeing his silence, Li Xiu hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Jiazhi, I'll listen to you."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and shrugged smugly at the stunned Xu Wenxiang.

"Mr. Xu, would you please make yourself at home?"

Xu Wenxiang was caught off guard by Li Xiu's change of heart and said urgently, "You can name your own conditions."

Chen Jiazhi glanced at the families of Ao Dehai, Qi Yongfeng, and Ao Deliang, who were listening intently to the side.

"I can't leave."

Xu Wenxiang glanced at the people around her and suddenly smiled, "Maybe you don't have to leave. I've already said, you can name your own conditions."

Chen Jiazhi seemed lost in thought, while Li Xiu suddenly froze. Wouldn't this make Jiazhi even more tired?!

Even Xu He found it hard to believe.

Xu Wenxiang said, "It's not a problem for a person to have two careers; the key is how you balance them."

Chen Jiazhi asked in surprise, "You can do that?"

“I believe you have the ability,” Xu Wenxiang said with a smile. “However, there are conditions attached to your choice. If you don’t do a good job, we’ll have to replace you.”

Chen Jiazhi took out another cigarette and lit it.

Xu Wenxiang said, "You still have time to consider. This opportunity will be reserved for you until September."

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Chen Jiazhi slowly nodded under Xu Wenxiang's expectant gaze.

The wind picked up and became violent, making the vegetable shed howl and hair fly everywhere.

Yi Dinggan exclaimed, "Oh no! The typhoon is coming. There's no way to leave now. We'd better get out of there quickly!"

He heard what was said earlier.

A moment later, the group went back into the house.

Li Xiu vacated her own bed and replaced it with a newly bought straw mat so that Xu Wenxiang and the other person could rest.

The two couldn't actually sleep. Xu He picked up a magazine and started reading, while Xu Wenxiang kept playing with the child. After the child fell asleep, she chatted with Li Xiu about parenting.

With a fierce storm raging outside and outsiders present, Chen Jiazhi had no chance of sleeping.

After lying down for a while, he got up, took out the playing cards he had bought recently, and played cards with Xu Wenxiang and Xu He.

With good card skills and a bit of luck, he single-handedly defeated the two siblings, winning over a hundred yuan.

As evening approached, the wind and rain subsided, and Xu Wenxiang and her companion drove away from the market.

"Sister, Chen Cai Nong might agree this time."

"Ha, what a profit-driven bastard, he has no humanity at all."

Xu Wenxiang was a little surprised by this person's pragmatism. He was determined just a moment ago, but his attitude changed immediately after hearing that he could have his cake and eat it too.

"This family is also enviable; the husband and wife support each other, their son is well-behaved, and their circumstances are gradually improving."

"Hasn't my brother-in-law come back yet?"

"I've always been in Hong Kong." Xu Wenxiang shook her head. "I've given up on that idea. Since I can't get pregnant, I can only hold on to my career."

"what did the doctor say?"

“We can’t find anything, it might be congenital.” Xu Wenxiang pondered, “He compensated me with the shares of the hotel and the vegetable market.”

No wonder, but after figuring it out, Xu felt even more upset, hoping that the man surnamed Chen could revive the market.

(End of this chapter)