1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 214 Hitchhiking
For many days in a row, Chen Jiazhi's satchel was empty when he arrived and full when he left.

Tonight is no exception.

He stuffed the front and back compartments of his bag with banknotes of various denominations.

After getting into the car, the two were too lazy to even buy breakfast and hurriedly drove back without stopping along the way.

Everyone knows that wealth should not be flaunted, but this is really difficult for Chen Jiazhi.

That's too eye-catching!

There's no way around it; with good looks and talent, you can't be low-key even if you want to.

There's a saying going around in the market that's becoming increasingly popular: Stall number 56 doesn't sell cheap vegetables!

Every time a trade is made, it marks the peak of the market trend during that period.

It was first said by Mr. Hu, the owner of stall number 57 across from him, but Chen Jiazhi knew that it was his old customers who made the statement widely known: Damn it, they have never bought vegetables from him for less than 1 yuan per kilogram!
It's not just the crazy vegetable market this year, but also Chen Jiazhi's ability to go against the trend every time!

In this era where profits and losses are determined daily, contrarian betting is the true key to wealth.

After leaving the market, it gradually got light, and a gentle morning breeze blew in through the car window, which was very refreshing.

The two people in the car had just recovered from the excitement of the market when they saw Yi Long take the handbag, gently open it to take a look, and then quickly close it again.

Chen Jiazhi caught a glimpse of it and laughed, "Look if you want to?"

Yi Long shook his head. "I have too much money. I'm afraid it will be blown away by the wind."

Even though he had seen bags stuffed with cash many times before, Yi Long still felt very excited every time he saw it.

"Uncle, am I sick?"

"Hmm? Where do you feel unwell?"

"I feel fine," Yi Long said, clutching his bag tightly. "I just suddenly realized how easy it is to make money."

"This shows you've made progress, broadened your horizons, grown, and seen more. This will allow you to aim for even higher goals in the future." Chen Jiazhi smiled. "Think about Xiaohu. If you asked him now how much he wanted to earn a month, what would he say?"

"five hundred?"

"how about you?"

"You have to be a man who earns at least 10,000 yuan a month, right?"

After confirming that the road conditions were fine, Chen Jiazhi tilted his head slightly, his face showing disdain, and said, "Kid, you should count the money more."

"What's wrong?"

"It's worthless!"

"..."

The open space at Jiangxin Vegetable Market has exceeded 200 mu, which means that the work in the fields is not so rushed anymore.

Land preparation can be done at a slower pace.

As soon as the car entered the courtyard in front of the office building, Yi Dinggan was seen cooking noodles on a honeycomb briquette stove.

"You're back just in time; I was just about to make noodles."

Yi Long got out of the car and shouted, "Old man, I said I wanted to be like you, but my uncle scolded me for being a good-for-nothing!"

Chen Jiazhi, who was following behind, was stunned. Goodness, so that's how you understand it?
"Brother Yi, don't listen to his attempts to sow discord. That's not exactly what I said!"

Yi Long: "That's the gist of it. I said I wanted to be like you and earn 10,000 yuan a month, and my uncle scolded me for being useless."

Yi Dinggan paused for a moment, then continued downwards, saying, "That's pretty pathetic. You should at least surpass your uncle, right?"

Yi Long suddenly didn't want to say anything.

Chen Jiazhi laughed heartily.

After eating noodles, Yi Dinggan went to the fields, Yi Long took his clothes to take a shower, and Chen Jiazhi locked himself in his dormitory once again.

Count the money!

This is another huge project.

He hadn't tidied up for several days. A few days ago, he bought vegetables and just dumped them all in his dorm room without depositing them in the bank.

After four days, I estimate I've accumulated over 60,000 yuan. I absolutely have to deposit the money today.

After working for a while, Yi Long took a shower, called out, and went back to his room to sleep. Chen Jiazhi tidied up, took his clothes, locked the door, took a shower, and then rode his bike to patrol the fields.

After walking around, he felt the warmth and enthusiasm of the vegetable workers.

Whenever they see him, they greet him in various dialects or with a smile.

Ordinary vegetable workers are very pragmatic.

This manager, who rarely interacts directly with the vegetable workers, has managed to secure higher incomes for them, making him hard not to like.

Chen Jiazhi also sensed the vitality of Jiangxin Market; like rain after a long drought, everything was striving to grow, grow, and grow some more.
Well... it's too early to say it's like rain after a long drought; it really hasn't rained for a long time now.

After inspecting the fields, I went to the office to chat with Tong Gang and Xu Yao for a while, mainly about recruitment and reconciliation of accounts and payments.
After taking care of these two things, Chen Jiazhi estimated that the time was about right, so he went to the nearest Agricultural Bank of China and deposited 6 yuan.

At this point, Chen Jiazhi's personal account balance reached 16.3 yuan!

Only ten days or so have passed!
As Chen Jiazhi walked out of the bank, he stood tall and proud, once again experiencing the spirit and beauty of the times.

Of course, it would be even better to experience life all over again!

He deposited his money in Panyu city, and there happened to be a department store near the bank.

On the way, Chen Jiazhi bought some daily necessities, two textbooks for Yilong, a radio, several English tapes, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends.

He's always very decisive when it comes to shopping; if he likes something, he buys it. It didn't even take him half an hour before he drove back to the market.

As soon as the car stopped, Xu Yao called from upstairs: "Director Chen, General Manager Xu just called you and asked you to come back and call her back."

"Okay, here we come."

Chen Jiazhi quickly climbed the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Tong Gang came out of his office and greeted him.

"Manager, we have an interview scheduled for 5 PM this afternoon. We need you to review the candidate." Tong Gang usually doesn't stay in the office building during these two time periods, and Xu Yao is also mostly away, so as not to disturb the manager's rest.

But there's no way to hire people.

Chen Jiazhi nodded. "Let him handle the procurement."

Procurement is necessary, but it's not good for Chen Jiazhi to keep large-scale purchases in his hands, and he doesn't have the energy to search for goods everywhere.

The purchasing agent who was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon was also someone with connections, arranged by shareholder Huang Jianyuan.

Chen Jiazhi didn't care, as long as he could get things done.

A 600-acre vegetable market with four or five managers may seem like a small number of staff, but it's actually sufficient.

He also has six group leaders.

In normal management, team leaders should also have some reserve funds so they can buy small items they need directly.

Although there will be some wear and tear from handling, the efficiency is incomparable.

The procurement department only handles bulk purchases of pesticides, fertilizers, seeds, agricultural films, and equipment.

Oh, and there's also the warehouse manager Cheng Tiantian, who has already been fired by Chen Jiazhi. He never goes easy on people like that, so he's just letting the new purchasing agent take over for now.

After returning to his office, Chen Jiazhi spent a moment reviewing personnel management before dialing Xu Wenxiang's number.

"Hello, Mr. Xu, it's me, Chen Jiazhi. What can I do for you?"

Xu Wenxiang asked urgently, "Director Chen, how many kale florets do we have in our market?"

Chen Jiazhi immediately understood.

"Eight batches, each batch covering 10 mu, totaling 80 mu of kale. The estimated yield is... well... 170,000 to 180,000 jin should be no problem."

The sound of breathing could be clearly heard on the phone.

After receiving a definite answer, Xu Wenxiang was somewhat dazed. When did Jiangxin Vegetable Market have such good fortune?
It took me a while to realize that there was no sound on the phone.

"Hello, Manager Chen, are you still there?"

"I'm listening. Tell me what you need."

Xu Wenxiang asked in surprise, "Aren't you even a little bit curious?"

Chen Jiazhi chuckled and said, "What's there to be curious about? I sell vegetables at night too, so I know there's a shortage of kale in the market. Kale is about to take off."

"Take off?" Xu Wenxiang repeated softly, then smiled and said, "Yes, the mustard greens are about to take off."

She paused, then said emphatically, "Hong Kong buyers have already raised the price of Chinese kale to 4 yuan per kilogram!"

If the yield is 170,000 jin (85,000 kg), that's 680,000 yuan.
Chen Jiazhi did a quick mental calculation and smiled, "Congratulations, Mr. Xu!"

“Congratulations to us,” Xu Wenxiang said with a smile. “Director Chen, I’d like to start producing a batch of kale today.”

"I think we can wait a couple more days."

"It's already pretty good, let's secure the profits sooner rather than later."

"Okay, send me the order details later and I'll make the arrangements."

Xu Wenxiang was surprised: "Why did you agree so readily this time? This isn't like you."

"I have a favor to ask," Chen Jiazhi smiled. "Could I hitch a ride with you? I also have ten acres of kale in Dongxiang."

"..."

Finally came.

Xu Wenxiang had long anticipated this day.

But she didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and she found it hard to refuse the person on the other end of the phone.

After waiting for a while without a reply, Chen Jiazhi explained, "I will ship the goods in the last few days, so it won't affect Jiangxin Vegetable Market."

"it is good."

He was concise and to the point, and then hung up.

Chen Jiazhi didn't care at all.

Vegetables supplied to Hong Kong are much more expensive than those on the mainland. On the mainland, it is currently difficult to sell kale for 4 yuan per kilogram.

By catching this ride, they can make an extra fortune, but it's a hardship for those in the market.

After longing for it for so long, it's very likely that it will all come to nothing again.

Chen Jiazhi had a moment of weakness, thinking about whether he should take some to the market to sell.
He then denied it himself.

For a period of time in the previous few months, he had been obsessed with stability and pursuing the sale of a fixed variety of vegetables every day.

This is the key to market competition in later generations.

It's also very effective now, captivating a group of buyers and easily winning over even the most difficult curly-haired guy.

But after several attempts, he realized that this strategy was too simplistic and didn't maximize profits.

Why did he have to go through a market downturn?

Just focus on a few key time points each year and launch a fierce attack!

He's now like a rootless duckweed, and he'll probably leave Dongxiang Market soon. He won't stay in this market for long either, and Jiangxin Market is just a passing phase for him.

Stability is not the issue we need to consider right now; rapid, unbridled growth is.

After the phone call, Chen Jiazhi had a better understanding of the vegetables to be harvested during the upcoming cold wave.

Go all out, who cares about endurance, just enjoy yourself first.

After the phone call, Chen Jiazhi felt much better and slept much better.

(End of this chapter)