1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 265: Road Robbery
At night, the roads are not as far as they are during the day; you can only see a limited portion of the road under the limited lights, and everything else is filled with darkness.

The darkness gave Chen Jiazhi a strange sense of security. Perhaps it was because he was too familiar with the place and was engrossed in driving, but he felt as if he were the only person left in the world.

Unfortunately, this was soon broken by Chen Zhengxu's snoring beside him.

Because they had set off a little early, Chen Jiazhi told Chen Zhengxu to take a nap while he drove.

At 1 a.m., I arrived at the market and went to the familiar stall number 56. There were already a few customers in the stall.

Xue Jun was receiving guests, and two very young men were helping with the packaging. They looked quite inexperienced and were probably temporary workers.

After finishing his work, Chen Jiazhi took out a cigarette and offered one to each person, casually asking, "How's the market lately?"

"Selling is still quite easy. I usually arrive at the market at 12 o'clock and sell out by 4 o'clock, but I can't get a good price."

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Xue Jun introduced the two temporary workers, "Ma Zhuang and Sun Qiang, both from Nanhu Province."

"This is the owner of stall number 56. You can just call him Boss Chen."

Ma Zhuang and Sun Qiang then greeted them, their eyes filled with inquiry and curiosity.

Chen Jiazhi also sized up the two men for a moment. Their names were quite good, but they didn't look strong at all, far inferior to the tall and burly Xue Jun.

After spending a short while at the stall, Chen Jiazhi learned how many dishes were available that day.

350 jin of snow peas, 2760 jin of bok choy, and 4230 jin of mustard greens were all packed in bamboo baskets.

The prices were too low, with bok choy costing 6-7 cents and mustard greens costing 4 cents. A basket of vegetables might not even be worth as much as a plastic basket, so they switched to bamboo baskets to reach a wider customer base.

Only snow peas can still sell for 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 catties), which is frighteningly stable.

Before long, Curly Hair came to get the groceries and greeted them, "It's rare to see Boss Chen come in person today!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "President Mao is still personally buying groceries every day. How much do you need today?"

"Not much." Curly pulled out a list. "240 catties of bok choy, 180 catties of mustard greens, and could you give me a little more snow peas?"

Chen Jiazhi turned his head to look at Xue Jun, who shook his head. Chen Jiazhi then uttered two words: "No."

Curly-haired man complained, "Are you the boss, or is he the boss? Do you have to listen to him?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "He's in charge here now, and he's more familiar with the situation than I am."

"There's something wrong."

Curly eventually paid and left.

Orders have decreased significantly compared to before. During the cold wave, Curly would take more than a dozen pieces of bok choy every night, but now it has almost been halved.

This market situation is not very favorable for vegetable vendors.

However, stall number 56 not only stopped using plastic crates, but also resumed its repackaging and delivery services. Coupled with the reputation that Chen Jiazhi has built up over the years, the turnover rate is still relatively fast.

Producing 3 tons of vegetables in one night is relatively low for a stall in a secondary wholesale market.

After selling vegetables for a while, Chen Jiazhi went to stroll around the market, while Chen Zhengxu was also buying other vegetables that needed to be delivered.

After looking around, there were quite a lot of dishes.

Chen Jiazhi felt that the competition was intensifying this year, and even the original temporary stalls had many unfamiliar new faces.

It seems that last year's harsh weather did not deter newcomers from entering the industry.

This year probably won't be as lucky as last year.

He can't remember key information either, so he can only rely on experience to plan the timing of crop rotation, and he won't make mistakes on a few key market nodes.

In addition, we really need to establish our own delivery system as soon as possible.

They sold out of vegetables before four o'clock, took the money, and then accompanied Chen Zhengxu to deliver to several restaurants.

Among them is Donghu Restaurant.

After Chen Jiazhi's first visit, Chen Zhengxu would occasionally come to Donghu for morning tea after delivering goods to other stores, and also deliver vegetables grown in the market to the restaurant.

Ultimately, thanks to this persistence, at the beginning of the month, restaurant owner Ding Hong agreed to give it a try.

When they arrived at Donghu Restaurant, it was still dark, but Ding Hong happened to be there.

"Mr. Ding, we've been working together for so long, how do you feel?"

Ding Hong smiled and said, "It's alright, otherwise I wouldn't continue to cooperate with you."

Looking back on the past ten days of vegetable delivery experience, Ding Hong felt that it was indeed very worry-free and effortless. Not only was the quality better, but most importantly, the cost was significantly reduced.

Chen Jiazhi also knew the reason.

First, it saves on labor costs.

Secondly, it reduces intermediate steps.

Finally, at this point, few procurement agents don't try to make a quick buck. Prices have already dropped, and if the procurement price is changed a couple of days later, they can make a profit. Few can resist that temptation.

Therefore, restaurants and hotels in later generations all developed fixed delivery systems.

However, pricing for delivery is also very important. It's too troublesome to set prices based on market conditions, and restaurants are also worried about being ripped off.

For a long period afterward, the price on a specific day within a cycle was generally used as the benchmark.

For example, if it's a month, we take the price in the middle of the month as the benchmark, and then add some profit to that to get the price for that month.

Or the price is set once a quarter.

There are even companies that set prices every six months or a year. Restaurants, hotels, and other customers will conduct cost calculations in advance and then ask the delivery company for a quote. They will then select a suitable partner within the calculated cost price range.

The methods vary. However, Chen Jiazhi currently settles accounts once a week, with a small number of orders, and both parties still need to build trust.

After following up with a few delivery customers, it only took them an hour and a half before the two headed back home.

Chen Jiazhi has gained a clearer understanding of market development.

Xue Jun, Chen Zhengxu, and even Li Cai were all newcomers, not very familiar with the vegetable industry, and everything was just beginning.

In short, there is a shortage of talent.

The domestic wholesale market is still in its infancy, and there is a severe shortage of industry-related talent. It is difficult to find people to recruit.

We can only put in more effort to cultivate it.

Fortunately, both Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai have a good educational background and are young and eager to learn. With two more years of experience, they may have the opportunity to take charge on their own.

"Zhengxu, how about I hire a few more workers for you?"

Chen Zhengxu, who was driving, asked in surprise, "Are you going to expand the scale?"

“Yes,” Chen Jiazhi pondered. “Jiangxin Market is so big, we can’t rely entirely on supplying the Hong Kong market, and we can’t rely on outsiders either. We need to have our own channels.”

“I think I can give it a try.” After a moment of contemplation, Chen Zhengxu said, “Uncle, I really enjoy this line of work. My life has never been so exciting.”

Chen Jiazhi smiled. "Really? Staying up all night every day must be tough, right?"

Chen Zhengxu said, "But it makes money."

Chen Jiazhi lit two cigarettes and gave one to Chen Zhengxu. "Then let's hire people. From now on, you'll be in charge of the distribution center!"

Just then, a beam of intense light shone straight in.

Visibility wasn't great at the moment, but Chen Jiazhi still managed to vaguely make out a number of figures. He immediately roared anxiously, "Don't stop! Speed ​​up! Speed ​​up! Charge through!"

Chen Zhengxu, who had originally intended to step on the brake, instantly moved his foot to the accelerator, and the van roared forward.

The bright light immediately dissipated.

"Watch out for stones!" Chen Jiazhi shouted again, wishing he were the one driving.

Bang bang bang!
boom!
After bumping against a few stones, a gunshot rang out, the van swerved twice, but eventually continued forward.

They only breathed a sigh of relief after they had run far away.

I was robbed on the street in the city.
Fortunately, it was in the city, and it was almost dawn. Blocking the road wasn't as convenient as on rural roads, otherwise we might not have been able to escape.

Chen Jiazhi rolled down the car window, flicked off his cigarette ash, and asked Chen Zhengxu with a smile, "Do you still find it exciting?"

Chen Zhengxu gripped the steering wheel tightly, tense, but shouted, "Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"

"Wonderful my foot! I can see your hands are shaking!"

"I was afraid of crashing." Chen Zhengxu relaxed a little. "Uncle, give me another cigarette. It fell under the seat earlier."

Chen Jiazhi lit another one for him.

Chen Zhengxu took a drag of his cigarette, and his usually composed expression suddenly turned ruthless.

"Uncle, let's get a couple of guns too, or I can go back to my hometown to get them. My dad has two rifles hidden at home."

"No, don't move that gun."

His eldest cousin, Chen Jiashun, had kept those two guns for decades. They were Chiang Kai-shek rifles left by his eldest and second uncles; they were antiques.

In the past two years, guns have been confiscated, and in the next two years, there will be a crackdown. All other guns have been confiscated, but his older cousin has kept these two guns hidden away.

My two uncles both died on the battlefield, leaving behind few possessions. This gun is mainly a keepsake.

Ten years later, during the Lunar New Year, several pairs of wild ducks appeared in the winter paddy fields.

Chen Zhengxu's eldest nephew, who was also Chen Jiazhi's eldest grandnephew, couldn't resist the urge to hunt wild ducks with his family's rifle. This attracted the attention of the entire brigade, and as a result, the rifle was confiscated by the authorities.

Chen Zhengxu was no stranger to guns, and even Chen Jiazhi had handled them many times. His father, Chen Shaochang, was an expert in guns and cannons.

Today's events also served as a reminder to Chen Jiazhi. Things are still quite chaotic right now, and he's never encountered anything like this before. Besides being extra cautious, there's also the factor of good luck, but good luck can't last forever.

Especially as money accumulates, it's only a matter of time before someone becomes a target.

It's getting daylight.

“I feel like something’s not quite right.” Chen Zhengxu frowned and said, “Xue Jun and I have always been very careful, and not many people know who is holding the money.”

“Uncle, something happened as soon as you arrived today. The time and place are also wrong. If it is a coincidence, it should not have happened in the city, nor should it have been done so close to dawn.”

Chen Jiazhi was also taken aback, and slowly said, "We've been watched for a long time?"

"Probably." Chen Zhengxu nodded. "Uncle, how many people in this market know where you live?"

“I mentioned last year that I lived in Dongxiang Market, and many people knew that, but only one or two people knew that I came to Jiangxin Market.”

Chen Jiazhi pondered, "If I hadn't come to Jiangxin Market, this might have happened last year?"

"I don't know. You'll have to be more careful from now on, Uncle." Chen Zhengxu pondered. "It would be best to get two guns. Give one to Uncle at home and we'll get the other from outside. Using steel pipes and machetes for self-defense is a bit too weak."

Whenever something happens, Chen Jiazhi feels that Chen Zhengxu, who was originally very composed, seems to have his bloodline power activated and become passionate and excited.

"I'll think of a way. Don't say anything when we get home."

When it comes to his family, Chen Jiazhi feels he really needs to be careful, as things are different now and he has quite a bit of wealth.

(End of this chapter)