1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 258 Human touch

On the surface, the villages seem peaceful and harmonious, with each household seemingly content with its own life and a simple, honest way of life. But who knows, when there's something to gain, someone might try to take advantage of the situation.

Whether or not to bring in shareholders needs to be carefully considered.

Last time, he also told Xu Wenxiang and the others to "think about it again," without completely condemning them.

I'll need to contact the relevant departments before the new year.

We drove quickly to take Ao Dehai back to Dongxiang. When we arrived, it was already 3 p.m. The market was bustling with activity and everyone was working together.

The mini-tillers roared, their sharp blades swirling up bits of soil. Some people used hoes to level the ridges, others carried plastic buckets to sow seeds mixed with sand, and still others walked among the rows of snow peas to harvest the pods.

From the boss's perspective, Chen Jiazhi felt quite comfortable, especially since Ao Dehai wasn't at the market.

Standing on the edge of the dam, looking out over the vegetable fields, Chen Jiazhi chatted with Yi Dinggan and Ao Dehai about the follow-up arrangements for the relocation and discussed the payment of wages before returning to the Jiangxin vegetable market.

Running around and driving non-stop made him feel quite tired.

Fortunately, the people in the small team are growing quickly. They all come from vegetable farming backgrounds and have a foundation. They have also been nurtured by his experience and theories. As long as the management keeps a close eye on them, they will move in the right direction when it comes to actual execution.

When the people he led were doing real work, they were truly engaged in it.

As Chen Jiazhi drove, the moment Jiangxin Vegetable Market came into view, he located Ao Deliang and Li Mingkun within five seconds. Both of them were closely monitoring the fertilization in their respective plots.

After searching around, they finally found Qi Yongfeng, who was squatting on the ground with his sleeves rolled up, leading the way in laying out the acupuncture points.

Guo Mancang, Zheng Zhong, and Huang Rixin are all in their respective positions.
Like Chen Jiazhi, Yi Dinggan also subconsciously checked the position of the group leader.

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "Don't look anymore, they're all working quite hard, they're all in the fields."

"Hahaha." Yi Dinggan laughed too. "Everyone's working hard, waiting for their salaries and bonuses."

Chen Jiazhi drove the car into the office building. "I feel like it doesn't matter whether you're the deputy director or not."

Yi Dinggan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"After the New Year, you'll lead the way and go to Jianggao first," Chen Jiazhi said thoughtfully. "Let's discuss the land rental matters."

Yi Dinggan took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. "So, after going out for a while, I've lost my job as deputy director!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "It's not that I'm laid off, it's that I've been promoted to farm manager!"

Yi Dinggan said awkwardly, "What kind of farm manager is he? He's clearly just a figurehead!"

"That's even more amazing! You're a pioneering manager!" Chen Jiazhi patted him on the shoulder. "Once things take off, I can give you dividends and shares too!"

"What if I don't do it well?" Yi Dinggan's hand holding the cigarette trembled as he rested it on the car window. "I have no experience."

"This isn't like you. You were so confident when you came to Jiangxin Market, how come you're such a disappointment now?"

"This is different!"

"What's the difference?"

“At Jiangxin Vegetable Market, even if we lose money, it’s the shareholders’ money, so it’s no big deal,” Yi Dinggan said. “Now you’re the one investing money. If I lose money for you, I’ll probably be remembered for the rest of my life.”

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "That's why I dared to entrust this to you! You can guard just Jiangxin Market every day. If it were our market, you would have to be even more attentive!"

Yi Dinggan tilted his head to look at him and nodded, "That's true, I will definitely do my best to make it for you."

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "That's enough!"

If Chen Jiazhi had to choose from among several managers, Yi Dinggan would definitely be the one he trusted most, based on decades of mutual understanding.

Moreover, his performance at Jiangxin Market during this period impressed him.

Whether at the Dongxiang Market or as a manager in his previous life, Yi Dinggan was an expert at slacking off, but now he is quite different at the Jiangxin Market.

Except when there's really nothing to do, I'll sneak away to fish or play cards; otherwise, I spend all my time in the vegetable garden.

This was beyond Chen Jiazhi's expectations.

He didn't know the reason, but he believed it was likely due to the changes he had brought about.

As the holiday draws closer, Chen Jiazhi can feel the anticipation spreading through the market.

You can often hear the vegetable workers' hopes and dreams: they look forward to eating, drinking, and having fun; they look forward to going home to reunite with their families; and they also look forward to receiving their wages.

Chen Jiazhi didn't keep anyone waiting long.

On the morning of January 22, which also happened to be the 22nd day of the 12th lunar month, after Chen Zhengxu drove the van back, Chen Jiazhi took the cardboard box he had prepared in advance and went to the Dongxiang vegetable market with Li Xiu.

Ao Dehai had already calculated his salary, commission, and bonuses, and when the car arrived, he followed it back.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Let's go to your room first."

Ao Dehai was puzzled, but he opened the door anyway, and then saw a stack of banknotes being handed over.

"I haven't calculated your salary and bonuses in detail, but they're all here."

"thank you boss."

Ao Dehai accepted the money with a slight tremor. The stack of banknotes was all dark green 100-yuan bills, and it was quite thick.

"Let's put the money away first and let the workers come back to collect it."

"it is good!"

Chen Jiazhi took the cardboard box to the kitchen, took out stacks of banknotes, some neat and some loose, and arranged them neatly. It was quite an impactful sight.

"Hey Xiu, remember to take a good picture of me later, okay?"

"You have to believe in your own appearance." As Ao Dehai shouted in the yard, all the vegetable workers scurried back, vying with each other.

Soon, the cafeteria was packed with people.

A word of thanks, a thank you, and hands full of hard-earned money.

"Count the money."

"What should we order? What's good to order?"

Everyone received at least a thousand yuan. Seeing their genuine smiles, Chen Jiazhi became even more determined to work hard.

In the afternoon, Jiangxin vegetable market also distributed wages.

The money was laid out on the long table in the conference room, and the workers lined up to receive it, creating a spectacular scene.

The team leader and Xu Yao checked everything one by one, and only after confirming that everything was correct did they issue the signatures.

When settling wages for the vegetable growers, it's okay to overcharge them, but you can't undercharge them. Every bit of hard work must be rewarded.

After distributing the vegetables to the workers, Xu Wenxiang, who had also waited a while, personally distributed the wages to the six group leaders.

On average, each person received more than 6,000 yuan, and then it was Yi Dinggan who received 12,000 yuan!

The amount was determined by Chen Jiazhi.

He could sense her reluctance because the group leader's treatment severely disrupted the original salary structure.

If the team leader receives so much, what about the other managers?

But this was something Xu Wenxiang had agreed to from the beginning.

Moreover, Chen Jiazhi believes that the income they generate is reasonable, given the revenue they have generated.

From the 15th to the 21st, the daily income from selling only snow peas was 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. Including today, the sales volume of the 8 days has once again accumulated to 310,000 yuan.

The total wages for the vegetable workers and several team leaders amounted to about 15 yuan, less than half of the total.

However reluctantly, Chen Jiazhi advised her to always smile, hand over the money with both hands, and say "thank you for your hard work" when distributing wages.

The group leaders understood perfectly, accepting the gifts with both hands and sincerely thanking them.

When he finally looked at her smile, Chen Jiazhi couldn't tell whether it was genuine or feigned.

He is more inclined to believe it is genuine.

Because anyone who has experienced such an occasion finds it hard not to enjoy being genuinely thanked.

After the wages were paid, it was getting dark. Chen Jiazhi and Xu Wenxiang stood side by side on the second-floor corridor. The last refrigerated truck loaded with snow peas disappeared at the end of the road.

The team leader, who was about to go on holiday, was also doing the final wrap-up and handover of work.

Xu Wenxiang said, "Now I suddenly understand why you are so good to your subordinates."

“Running a vegetable market is different from running a hotel.” Chen Jiazhi rested his chin on his hand, looking at the afterglow on the horizon. “It’s not too late for you to understand now.”

Xu Wenxiang smiled and said, "So shouldn't I give you one too?"

Chen Jiazhi tilted his head and stretched out his hand, which he had been supporting himself with. "I also have a salary, 1,200 yuan a month. I was just about to ask you for it."

Xu Wenxiang was somewhat taken aback, "You really are... really..."

She wanted to say that someone who had already received nearly 60 yuan in bonuses was still thinking about this small amount of salary, but what could she do when she had actually prepared for it?

Xu Wenxiang opened her bag and handed over a wad of cash.

"Thanks a lot."

Chen Jiazhi took it and weighed it in his hand. "That's quite a lot. Thank you, Mr. Xu. You're very generous!"

Xu Wenxiang said, "Actually, I'm still a little dazed. How could I have made so much money in less than half a year?"

Chen Jiazhi pointed to himself, then to the team leader who was still busy downstairs, "Because you hired the right person!"

"Yes, you invited the right person!"

In less than six months, she earned 147 million yuan, and the small vegetable farmer had really given her a huge surprise.

She wants to continue this partnership.

"Have you found a good location for the new base?"

"We've identified three or four targets." Chen Jiazhi skillfully concealed the setbacks of the past two or three days. "The progress is pretty good."

Xu Wenxiang originally said directly, "Our cooperation is going quite well, and we can actually continue like this."

"I'm a very practical person," Chen Jiazhi said thoughtfully. "What can you offer me?"

Xu Wenxiang: "Regarding sales channels and local relationships, if needed, we can even register a Hong Kong-funded company to form a joint venture with you, which can save you a lot of trouble."

"Sales channels?" Chen Jiazhi chuckled, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Like now, I know nothing about them? I even have to worry about whether I can get the money smoothly?"

Xu Wenxiang pondered for a moment and said, "If we can continue to deepen our cooperation, the relevant resources will definitely be made available to you."

In addition, I heard you hired two people to do wholesale and distribution at the market. Besides the vegetable delivery for Spruce Hotel, I can also connect you with more industry resources..."

“Let’s talk again after the New Year. The new base is in Jianggao Town, Baiyun District. You can think about whether you have any resources in that area.” Chen Jiazhi waved the banknotes in his hand. “I’m off work now. Mr. Xu, you’re quite a person.”

Jianggao Town, Baiyun District
Xu Wenxiang pondered the meaning behind his words and realized that he was not without his concerns; he was indeed a ruthless and fickle person.

(End of this chapter)