1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 236 Every extra cent saved is pure profit.
In an instant, Yi Dinggan's expression turned hostile, and he felt an urge to swing the fishing rod he had made from spotted bamboo at Yi Dinggan's face.

I'm still getting teased about the fish I bought from the market last time.

Then I realized that the river water was indeed a bit dirty, and there was a factory not far upstream discharging sewage into this section of the river, so I really didn't dare to eat the fish I caught.

"If anyone should buy it, it should be you."

"Okay, I'll go buy it later." Chen Jiazhi agreed with a smile, then asked, "Didn't you go fishing at the pond last time? Why aren't you going again?"

Yi Dinggan nodded and pointed to Chen Shaochang, who was still squatting and fishing.

“Dad didn’t want me to owe too many favors, so he felt embarrassed to go again after going twice.”

"Oh, then when we have time, let's find a clean river and drive over to fish."

Yi Ding chuckled dryly, "Don't just talk the talk, you need to take action soon. There's not much work lately, but if you wait until you have time, when will you ever get another chance? You want to be filial but you barely have a word to say. When have I ever seen you so awkward?!"

"Alright, alright, you're right, I'll remember that. You can continue fishing."

Chen Jiazhi said a few words, but realizing he couldn't win, he could only turn around and leave.

Actually, he felt that Yi Dinggan was right; he did have some awkwardness in his relationship with his father.

At first it was fine, but after a while it went back to the point where we barely exchanged three or five words a day.

In his previous life, his father's deafness wasn't so obvious, but now that he has a hearing aid, it's become even more pronounced.

Although he dropped out of high school because he couldn't afford food, he didn't really resent his parents much; they had actually done their best.

My father has always been rather thin and small. Before retiring due to injury, he was a skilled worker and participated in dozens of demolition missions, both large and small. His ears were injured by the blast, and his body never fully recovered. The family had little land, so it was already difficult for him to finish high school. His three older sisters all dropped out of school after elementary school, but he was the only exception.

In his previous life, he and Li Xiu were able to work and grow vegetables outside, thanks to their father's increased retirement pension, which enabled him to support their two sons for the past few years.

Sometimes, he wondered how to repay this solemn fatherly love. Now, he thought that Yi Dinggan's approach was probably the right one: to accompany him in doing things, to go fishing and shrimp catching with him.

Coming to his senses, Chen Jiazhi rode his bicycle and saw Qi Yongfeng and the others under a large banyan tree. The five of them were playing cards together.

Li Mingkun spotted him from a distance and called out, "Director Chen, want to come and do something for us?"

Chen Jiazhi said with a stern face, "You're still at work, don't go too far. You still need to inspect the fields one more time before you leave work."

"Okay, one last lap, then we'll go patrol the fields."

Chen Jiazhi didn't participate. He watched for a minute and then walked around the market again. The workers knew they weren't busy, so they chatted and laughed as they worked.

He estimates that there will be a significant reduction in the number of workers, as it is currently the season for harvesting water chestnuts, and some professional growers are also hiring people.

Chen Jiazhi didn't mind either; fewer people would be better, so they wouldn't have to work two days and rest one.

These days, it's hard to find professional vegetable harvesters, but there are plenty of temporary workers available during ordinary seasons.

When they arrived at Group 1 in the North Plot, Peng Guozhen was thinning seedlings in the lettuce field. There was a basket on his back by the ditch, and Chen Zhengyun was lying diagonally in the stroller, playing happily with a rattle in his hand.

"Mom, how much have you pulled? Do you need any help?"

Peng Guozhen straightened up and said, "No need, no need, you go and do your thing. Your dad said he'll come back later to carry it back."

Chen Jiazhi helped to talk for a while before leaving at Peng Guozhen's urging.

After working until the end of the day, Chen Jiafang and Li Xiu invited a few other people to go dig for water chestnuts.

Some farmers will not dig a second time after digging once, and will allow others to pick up the leftovers.

When Peng Guozhen heard this, she urged Chen Shaochang to go dig. They were good at finding hidden gems, just like picking peanuts back in their hometown. She also took the kids with her.

Only Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan were left to go home together after get off work. Chen Jiazhi carried a basket full of lettuce seedlings on his back, while Yi Dinggan held a fishing rod.

"Shall we go buy some fish?"

"Go ahead and buy it. I said I wanted a real show dish, and I always keep my word."

When he got home, he saw another bicycle and knew that Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu had returned and were probably catching up on sleep.

Chen Jiazhi took the lettuce seedlings to feed the rabbits. Since there was no water on the seedlings, they could be fed directly, and the rabbits ate them.

I also fed it some other grass, and watching the rabbit pout and eat the grass bite by bite was very relaxing.

Feeding rabbits is a long-standing tradition in his family. Not only his mother feeds them, but his three older sisters also each feed dozens or even hundreds of rabbits when they retire in their hometown. Every year when they go back to their hometown for the Spring Festival, they bring back a lot of vacuum-packed cold-cooked rabbits and dried rabbits to the city.

After putting down his fishing rod, Yi Dinggan also fed the rabbits and then rode his bike to the market to buy fish.

Having finished get off work early, Chen Jiazhi had some free time after feeding the rabbits, so he sat on the steps thinking about where to go to inspect the base.

Is it in the near suburbs, or in the middle or far suburbs?
Once this base is established, it will be used for at least three years, or even longer.

The advantage of the suburbs is that they are close to the market, while the advantages of the far suburbs are that the land rent is cheaper and the environment, such as the soil and water, is better.

The Pearl River was quite polluted back then, but the two waterways next to the Jiangxin vegetable market were relatively unaffected.

In many sections of the city's rivers, factories discharge sewage directly. For example, the Shijing River next to the Jiangnan Market is now increasingly polluted, stinking to high heaven. When vegetables rot in the market, it is estimated that a lot of vegetables are dumped directly into the river. Later, it was even jokingly called the "Black Dragon River" because the water was too black.

Similarly, soil pollution in the suburbs is much more serious than in the far suburbs.

Finding a suitable base in the suburbs would be much more difficult, but Chen Jiazhi still decided to start by considering the suburbs.

It's more convenient to grow leafy vegetables in the suburbs.

Moreover, he learned from the news that the "vegetable basket project" is now building vegetable bases.

These vegetable bases are also composed of cooperatives and vegetable markets, and locals have gradually shifted their focus to earning rent. Therefore, as long as you have the connections, finding a suitable base should be relatively easy.

Chen Jiazhi's first thought was Zhang Hua from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

He decided to try looking for it himself first, and if that didn't work, he would visit Zhang Hua again.

In fact, he already had a preferred area in mind: Baiyun District.

Firstly, it is close to the Jiangnan Market, and it is also a key area for the development of the "vegetable basket project".

Once Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai's business is established and the new base is built, they can rent stalls in the Jiangnan Market, securing a basic source of goods. Then they can find other sources, thus forming a complete supply chain...

"Uncle, my dad bought fish again!"

Just as he was deep in thought, Yi Long and Yi Dinggan returned on their bicycles.

Chen Jiazhi threw away his cigarette butt, stood up, and asked, "What kind of fish did you buy?"

Yi Dinggan, carrying the bag in his hand, smiled and said, "I bought two big silver carp. The shopkeeper said they were raised in the reservoir and tasted very fresh. I specially kept the fish heads to make chopped chili fish head. Jiazhi, shall we do it, or shall we?"

"I'll come!" came a shout from upstairs; it was Chen Zhengxu.

"Okay, shall we grab a couple more drinks tonight?"

Chen Zhengxu really wanted to agree, but then he immediately remembered that he had things to do that evening. "I won't drink. I'm going to the market with my uncle tonight!"

"Having a drink won't make a difference."

"Forget it, I'll have to quit drinking and driving from now on." After saying this, Chen Zhengxu went downstairs.

"Only your uncle has this rule about not drinking and driving," Yi Dinggan said indignantly.

Chen Jiazhi said, "It seems you've completely forgotten your determination to quit drinking for the sake of a tricycle."

"I was fooled by you."

"The tricycle was just an accident, the alcohol was the real love~"

Chen Zhengxu ignored the two bickering and went into the kitchen with the fish and ingredients to start cooking. Yi Dinggan, who hadn't gotten the upper hand in the argument, also went into the kitchen to help.

Having won back a point, Chen Jiazhi went into the living room. After returning, Yi Long fed the rabbit some grass and then went back to the living room to do his homework.

Chen Jiazhi had never seen this kind of enthusiasm for learning in him before.

It wasn't until dark that Li Xiu, Chen Jiafang, and their parents, who had gone to dig for horse hooves, returned. Except for the mother who was taking care of the children, everyone else was covered in mud.

But everyone was all smiles.

"We dug up quite a lot, probably more than ten kilograms, but some of them were accidentally broken."

After washing, we peeled the skin with a knife, revealing pure white flesh inside. We each had one. The raw water chestnuts were sweet, juicy, and crisp.

Peng Guozhen, Chen Shaochang, Yi Long, Li Cai, and Chen Zhengxu were all eating water chestnuts for the first time, and they were immediately amazed.

"good to eat."

"It tastes a bit like a pear, so sweet~"

Yi Long asked, "Mom, where did you dig it? I want to go too!"

Chen Jiazhi said, "What's the point of digging for these? They're sold at the market. Just go and buy a bag, it's so convenient!"

His words stirred up a hornet's nest, drawing condemnation from the horse hoof digging team.

"Why buy it? You can pick it up yourself, why spend money to buy it!"

"Yes."

"Jiazhi's a factory manager now, a big boss, he's amazing! He can buy anything with money!"

Chen Jiazhi was speechless after being rebuked. Fortunately, as soon as Chen Zhengxu and the others returned, the fish was put into the pot, and the boiled fish and the chopped pepper fish head were served one after another.

Chen Zhengxu's skills have once again been widely praised.

...

At night, after a light nap, around 10 p.m., Chen Jiazhi took Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu to the vicinity of Zengcuo Road.

Chen Jiazhi drove, but the two of them also left their bicycles in the car.

They need to get the goods today. If they can't sell them all before dawn, Chen Jiazhi will leave early, and the two of them will continue selling during the day.

The wholesale market is also busy during the day, and prices are a bit higher, but most of the customers are ordinary citizens buying vegetables.

This is especially true for primary wholesale markets, which are open 24/7 and are busiest from afternoon to evening.

The journey from Lingshan to Jiangnan is almost half again as far as the journey from Dongxiang Market.

But along the way, Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu were quite excited, just like when Yi Long and others went to the market to sell vegetables, imagining the scene of making a fortune in the market.

Upon arriving at the market, the two couldn't resist the urge to purchase goods from several vendors they had previously considered.

After Chen Jiazhi got out of the car, he patted the car door and called the two people over.

"Today, you'll experience grocery shopping yourselves first. Remember, the wholesale market is a battlefield; every penny you can haggle over is pure profit!"

(End of this chapter)