1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 250 Team
Chen Jiazhi had never done street promotion, but even if he had never eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run; he had often encountered them on the street in his previous life.

Among them were platforms where you could buy groceries online. At first, Chen Jiazhi dismissed them, but later he studied them carefully.

Because the wholesale market has been severely impacted by major online grocery platforms and various delivery companies, the number of people in the market is decreasing, making business difficult, and there are even more people selling vegetables than buying them.

It is difficult for anyone involved in the vegetable industry to ignore the existence of these online platforms.

Even though Chen Jiazhi didn't understand the internet and had barely used a computer in his previous life, he was already very skilled at using a mobile phone. There was an abundance of information online, so it wasn't difficult for him to find relevant information.

When Meituan Youxuan collapsed, Chen Jiazhi, who usually just watches short videos, couldn't help but give it a few likes.

What a good death!

But given his current situation, he wants to expand into the delivery market but lacks the background and resources, so the only reliable method he can think of is on-the-ground promotion.

Go and try out the restaurants and eateries nearby, one by one. The simplest way might be the best way.

Although there are only four people at the moment, he doesn't intend to expand rapidly; it's more of an experiment.

All that's left for everyone is a psychological factor; it's just a paper tiger.

Chen Jiazhi parked his car outside a rather luxurious restaurant.

The two-story garden pavilion-style building is quite retro, and a row of red-painted pillars is also very eye-catching.

A plaque hangs on the pavilion: Donghu Restaurant.

Chen Zhengxu hesitated and said, "Uncle, is it really going to be this difficult right from the start?"

The restaurant looked quite grand, which made Chen Zhengxu, who had initially been excited, shrink back.

"I didn't ask you to go." Chen Jiazhi glanced at him and said casually, "I'll go first. Who wants to come with me? We can experience Cantonese morning tea again."

"I'll go," Xue Jun volunteered. "I wasn't full and want to try it out again."

Li Cai said, "I'd be interested in adding me too. We just need one person to guard the car."

"No, no..." Chen Zhengxu immediately sensed something was wrong. "Uncle, you didn't say we could still eat?"

"You didn't ask?" Chen Jiazhi checked his appearance. "Since we're already here, let's all go together."

Looking at the crowd at the restaurant entrance, Li Cai asked curiously, "Aren't these people tired from getting up so early to drink tea?"

"Maybe this is what it means for others to enjoy life."

Chen Jiazhi got out of the car and asked Chen Zhengxu to fill two bags with some bok choy and snow peas each. The four of them then headed straight for the restaurant.

It was barely dawn when some seasoned locals from Guangdong had already arrived.

However, it wasn't overcrowded. After asking for a seat, the waiter gave Chen Jiazhi the menu.

Chen Jiazhi didn't refuse. He took the menu and ordered a pot of black tea, as well as some dim sum such as shumai, rice noodle rolls, and fried dumplings to eat first.

I also took a look at the other dishes. Restaurants usually serve large portions of meat and fish, and when it comes to vegetables, they usually use the term "seasonal vegetables" to refer to them.

Whether it's morning tea or a regular meal, people in Guangdong like to end their meals with a plate of green vegetables.

The prices of all the dishes are not cheap.

However, for Chen Jiazhi, who had only earned a little over 1 yuan, this was just a drop in the ocean.

After looking at the menu, he ordered some more snacks that his family had never tried before, intending to pack them up and take them home.

Only at the very end did Chen Jiazhi take out the two plastic bags containing vegetables.

"Can I use the vegetables I brought to have them processed?"

Seeing the waiter's hesitant expression, Chen Jiazhi smiled gently.

"The price will remain as listed on the menu. We will also give the extra vegetables to the restaurant. In addition, these vegetables are all grown by myself. I would like to discuss with your boss the possibility of long-term cooperation. Please let me know."

He maintained a smile and tried to slow his speech to make his meaning clearer.

The waitress understood, and although she was very surprised, as a customer, she had no reason not to ask her supervisor.

A little while later, another man in his thirties arrived; he happened to be Ding Hong, the owner of the restaurant.

Chen Jiazhi gave a brief self-introduction and then reiterated his purpose for coming.

Perhaps because he was a customer, the owner listened patiently, then looked surprised and somewhat doubtful.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Boss Ding, in addition to having my own base, I also have stalls in the wholesale market. The supply of goods is stable, the prices are competitive, and the categories are complete. Through our timely and accurate delivery service, restaurants can also save time and manpower in procurement and transportation."

"It sounds pretty good," Ding Hong pondered, "but I need to think about it some more."

Chen Jiazhi nodded, not in a hurry: "Yes, Mr. Ding, this is indeed something to consider. Also, you can try the vegetables I brought. They are all grown on our own farm. I can't say the best taste, but they are definitely top-notch."

Ding Hong laughed and said, "Actually, I'm quite curious too. I've never encountered anyone delivering vegetables to my door before."

"Will not disappoint you."

Chen Zhengxu, Li Cai, and Xue Jun witnessed the entire brief conversation and felt it wasn't too difficult.

Li Cai asked, "Brother Chen, will this work?"

"Let's give it a try. We haven't put in much effort." Chen Jiazhi felt pretty good; at least others had listened attentively. Closing a deal still depends on opportunity.

"In addition, we must continue to monitor customer conversion in the market."

Li Cai then asked, "What if we have more customers? Who will be in charge of delivering the goods?"

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Zhengxu, you can take on the delivery work for now. You can handle both the purchasing and delivery. Also, Jun-ge can start learning to drive."

It feels like a makeshift operation. They really don't have any usable staff right now; they don't even have a business license, so recruiting talent won't be easy.

However, when building the new base, we need to consider a more formal approach.

The dishes we ordered were served one after another. Even though we ate something at the market, none of the four of us wasted any food.

"Bok choy and snow peas both taste great. If the boss actually tries them, he might be tempted, right?"

Chen Jiazhi thought to himself, then went to pay the bill. Just as he was about to leave, the owner, Ding Hong, came out again.

"Xiao Chen, how much are your bok choy and snow peas?"

"It's been quite expensive lately," Chen Jiazhi said truthfully. "Chinese cabbage is 2 yuan per jin, and snow peas are 4.5 yuan per jin."

Ding Hong didn't dwell too much on the price; he was aware of the recent market conditions and considered it a fairly reasonable price.

Moreover, he had just tasted the food in the kitchen and found it to be quite different. In addition, judging from the appearance of the dishes he brought, there was very little waste, which piqued his interest.

"You say you have a base, how many acres is it?"

Chen Jiazhi took out a cigarette and handed one to Ding Hong. "I currently own 50 mu of land and am setting up a new base. Mr. Ding doesn't need to worry about the vegetable supply at all."

Ding Hong nodded. "Let's exchange contact information. I'll contact you if I need anything."

Chen Jiazhi left the phone number for Jiangxin Vegetable Market and also noted down the number for Donghu Restaurant.

After leaving the restaurant, Chen Jiazhi found three more ordinary restaurants and let Xue Jun and the other two try them out.

This time, we didn't have dim sum, but perhaps because we brought vegetables, no one was turned away.

The vegetables were also delivered, establishing an initial impression.

Of the three stages of planting, wholesale, and distribution, Chen Jiazhi was least familiar with the distribution.

But after this trip, Chen Jiazhi felt he had gained a lot, having exposed the paper tiger in his mind.

Moreover, based on the feedback, following up further might still lead to a possible order.

His ideas on what to do next became clearer.

The door-to-door sales trip took a while, and I didn't get home until 10 o'clock. Only my two elderly parents and their grandson were home.

Chen Jiazhi was still thinking about the drinking session the night before. He gave the snacks he had brought back to the two elders, put the money away, and then rushed to the market.

In just a few days, Jiangxin Vegetable Market has harvested more than 100 mu of bok choy, but the vegetable fields look very clean and tidy, without the mess that would have been left after the harvest.

This shows that the team leader is keeping a close eye on the work progress.

Peng Guozhen and Chen Shaochang also contributed to this effort, as the chickens and rabbits they raised digested some of the vegetable leaves.

As for the vegetable fields waiting to be harvested, they will also bring considerable income to Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

After gazing at the vegetable fields from the car for a while, Chen Jiazhi spotted the group leader wandering around the fields.

I'm very curious about what Xu Wenxiang said to them after he left last night, and I'm also curious about what they were thinking.

The higher Xu Wenxiang's promises to them, the greater the chance of winning them over, and all his efforts will be wasted.

But if they couldn't win them over, it means this small team has passed another test.

Chen Jiazhi was also unsure.

However, he did not go to inspect the fields immediately. Instead, he returned to his office to think about how to develop the fields in the future and the planting plan for the next crop.

Delivery results won't be immediately apparent; the core issues remain planting and sales.

He can partially take over the planting, but since sales involve receiving money, he can't let go of it for the time being.

In addition, he also felt that he was lacking in energy, as going back and forth between the two markets was indeed very mentally taxing.

He was eager to leave Jiangxin Market as soon as possible, and perhaps Xu Wenxiang's efforts to win over others were an opportunity.

But I still need to get the money.

Just as he was deep in thought, someone gently knocked on the office door. Yi Dinggan walked in, looking like he hadn't woken up yet. His voice was hoarse as he greeted him, and there was a fresh scar on his face.

Chen Jiazhi frowned: "How much did you drink last night, and did you fall down?"

"That's not important." Yi Dinggan's expression was serious. "Don't you want to know what Xu Wenxiang said last night?"

Chen Jiazhi leaned back in his chair: "What else can I say? It's nothing more than making empty promises to you and trying to win you over."

Yi Dinggan sat down. "Do you know how big this pie is? Xu Wenxiang said you got a 400,000 yuan bonus last time, and promised that several of us would have the same opportunity!"

"What do you think?"

"I'm quite tempted. Last night, Huang Jianyuan and I were practically brothers."

Yi Dinggan shrugged again, "But I was distracted while patrolling the fields this morning, tripped and fell, which woke me up. Drawing a picture of a cake to satisfy hunger is unrealistic!"

Chen Jiazhi poured him a cup of tea.

Yi Dinggan's lips twitched. So, if I hadn't tripped and fallen, I wouldn't have even gotten a cup of tea?
"But I can't control what other people think."

"What else can we think about it? The number of people who came must be the same number who leave!"

There was another knock on the office door, and Qi Yongfeng and Ao Deliang walked in, followed by Li Mingkun and Guo Mancang.

(End of this chapter)