1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 270 Full of Confidence
As the art of war says, "Use the orthodox to engage, and the unorthodox to win." This strategy of upholding orthodoxy while employing unorthodox tactics is Chen Jiazhi's current approach.

"Upholding integrity" means adhering to a stable and reliable supply and safeguarding trust.

"Speculation" means betting on market trends, preparing to go all out before each major market trend and key turning point in your memory.

Chen Jiazhi spoke very enthusiastically during this training session.

A commitment to keeping one's word and adhering to contracts.

The quality is consistently high, with no deception of the young or old.

A transparent and open transaction process.

He explained his understanding of each point in detail.

"I promised the customer that I would deliver 20 boxes of premium bok choy by 6 a.m. tomorrow. Even if it's windy, rainy, or the shipping costs skyrocket, I will make sure to deliver them on time, in the correct quantity, and with guaranteed quality, even if it means paying out of my own pocket."

Either don't agree, or if you agree, you'll have to do it even if it means getting ripped off!

This isn't rigidity, but rather a reverence for commitment!

He used to be like that, having accumulated several long-term clients who had cooperated for seven or eight years, or even ten years, through his stability and reliability in his previous life.

When he was reborn last year, he did the same thing, and he was successful in the wholesale market. He gained loyal customers like Lao Wu and also subdued cunning vendors like Juanmao.

Many people are likely to become his long-term customers for eight or ten years.

But he temporarily abandoned it in order to capitalize on market trends.

Although the reasons are very valid—he is a reborn individual, he is confident that he can control the market, control customers, and make money while maintaining his integrity.

However, without reverence, perhaps just one failure is enough to plunge him into a quagmire.

I examine myself three times a day. Every training session I give to employees reminds me of my past and present experiences, from which I gain a lot.

The people in the office also applauded, and the applause lasted for a long time. The business acumen of the wholesale market is unfamiliar to many people.

It should be said that few people in this era have such a profound understanding as him.

Fraud, deception, and opportunism permeate today's wholesale markets.

trust?

Many wholesalers consider it less valuable than a piece of toilet paper.

Chen Jiazhi waved his hand to stop the crowd from continuing to applaud; he actually had a lot more to say.

Seeing the managers of various sections, such as Yi Dinggan, Li Cai, Chen Zhengxu, Ao Deliang, Qi Yongfeng, and Huang Chuan, Chen Jiazhi's mind was also filled with a flurry of inspiration.

How to identify and retain key customers.

How to establish a stable supply chain.

How to find opportunities amidst crisis.

How to control information.

How to execute efficiently.

How to mitigate risks...

But he remained calm. There are countless things to say and learn; everyone needs to hone their skills in real-world practice.

What he should be doing is taking control of the overall situation.

Those who cannot plan for the whole cannot plan for a lifetime.

His current talent is only that of an excellent market manager, but if he wants to expand and strengthen the business, he can't remain just a market manager forever.

He asked Yi Dinggan, Qi Yongfeng, Chen Zhengxu, Li Cai and others to learn and grow, but doesn't he also need to grow?
Moreover, it needs to grow even faster.

Chen Jiazhi's hand hovered in mid-air, and the applause stopped; everyone was waiting for him to give the order.

"Why are you all staring at me? Go home when it's time to go home, go eat when it's time to eat, and if you want to go on a date, hurry up and do it, I still have to go sell vegetables tonight."

"Hahaha~"

The group parted ways, laughing and joking once again.

Chen Jiazhi also returned to his office and wrote down the inspiration that had just flashed through his mind.

Although he wants to plan for the big picture, it sometimes feels quite good to bring up such small details and give advice to others.

"Manager, we're off now!"

After an unknown amount of time, the office building fell silent, and the sky outside the window darkened considerably.

Chen Jiazhi stretched, packed his things, and left work. Downstairs, he saw Li Xiu holding her child.

What brings you here?

"So, it's Manager Chen here to pick us up after get off work." Li Xiu was a little annoyed, but seeing his tired appearance, she could only say, "Let's go, let's go home and eat early. Are you going to sell vegetables tonight?"

"want."

"I didn't get much sleep again today."

"I'm going to sleep." Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and said, "I slept for a while in the morning, a while at noon, and a while more at night, so that should make up about seven hours."

"Is it possible to make up for lost sleep time?"

"Time is like water in a sponge; you can always squeeze some out."

"You're the only one who can quibble."

"Hahaha." The two had just stepped onto the road when Li Mingkun's teasing voice came from behind: "Li Xiu, let me tell you, Xiucai is getting more and more eloquent. He spoke so eloquently at the meeting today that everyone was intimidated."

Li Xiu turned around and said, "Of course! He used to be Scholar Chen, now he's Director Chen!"

Li Mingkun was speechless.

Chen Jiazhi shook his head and smiled, raising his hands high to tease Chen Zhengyun. The little guy was eight months old, with an innocent smile and naive movements. The growth of children always makes people sigh.

...

At 10 p.m., Chen Jiazhi arrived at the office building again, where a group of people were waiting for him.

An Isuzu truck and a white light truck were also fully loaded with vegetables.

"When did you arrive?"

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find my way, so I came early and took a nap in the car."

Chen Jiazhi went up and exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Bin, whom he had met at the driving school, and introduced Qi Yongfeng, who was accompanying him, as well as Chen Zhengxu, who was also driving a van to stall number 56.

Everyone then got into their respective cars.

Qi Yongfeng called out through the car window, "Brother Zhi, why don't you say a few more words?" Chen Jiazhi opened the passenger door of the Isuzu and stood at the door, shouting, "Why all the nonsense when we're selling vegetables? Let's get to work!"

Everything that needed to be said had already been said.

The three cars disappeared into the night one after another.

Li Cai drove, and Chen Jiazhi took a short nap in the car before arriving at Jiangnan Market.

Two or three months later, the market became more active, and Chen Jiazhi asked Li Cai to take Guo Mancang and Li Mingkun to the temporary parking area for selling vegetables.

He himself went to the market office.

It was not yet 12 o'clock. Chen Jiazhi had not found Ye Canjiang, but he had managed to get information about the stall.

Jiangnan currently has only 60 stalls, while the market plans to have around 130 stalls by next year.

The market also needs to attract investment.

In addition, more and more wholesale markets are being planned and built in the surrounding area.

Therefore, after Chen Jiazhi stated that he owned a 600-mu vegetable market, Tan Qiu, the market's investment manager, also showed great enthusiasm.

"Mr. Chen, our market is currently lacking merchants who own their own bases!"

"However, how many vegetables can your 600-mu base produce in a year? On average, how many vegetables can you produce per day?"

"Because we are positioned as a first-tier agricultural wholesale market, we need to ensure a sufficient supply of goods to attract customers, so there are entry requirements."

"Ideally, the average daily transaction volume should be 20 to 30 tons. Besides your own vegetable market, do you have other sources of goods?"

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and said truthfully, "Not for now, but there are relevant plans. My vegetable market should be able to produce 6000 tons of vegetables every year, mostly leafy greens. The remaining vegetables should not be too difficult to find."

Tan Qiu asked in surprise, "Are you sure you can produce 6000 tons?"

This is equivalent to producing 10 tons of vegetables per acre per year, and those are leafy greens. Tan Qiu thought he was exaggerating.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Words are no proof. If you're interested, Manager Tan and General Manager Ye are welcome to come and visit."

Tan Qiu nodded. "I believe President Ye will also be interested."

Just past midnight, the Gangnam Market began to show its busy side.

But in reality, it is still very weak.

No one could have imagined that it would one day develop into a leading enterprise in the country.

Chen Jiazhi wasn't particularly familiar with the development trajectory of Jiangnan, but he could deduce some information from its name.

Jiangnan is currently an agricultural and sideline products market, but its future name will include "fruits and vegetables".

It's quite simple that after launching Jiangnan, they expanded into the fruit business, and they might even do better in that business.

Perhaps he'll have a chance to try it someday.

However, merchants and markets complement each other but also compete with each other. Any wholesale market that grows too large will inevitably encounter many problems.

Judging from these few interactions, Chen Jiazhi has shed his rosy view of the Jiangnan market.

Not only does he need a stall, but the Jiangnan Market also needs him.

Why is it necessary to attract investment?
It's precisely because there aren't enough merchants who meet his requirements.

Chen Jiazhi has already met the threshold.

After leaving the market office, Chen Jiazhi walked towards the temporary stall.

The temporary stall was just an open space with nothing to shelter it from the wind and rain, and trucks lined up with their rear ends facing the passage.

Chen Jiazhi walked along the road, looking around.

March is the season when winter-planted vegetables are abundant on the market, with a wide variety of leafy greens and melons available.

The sounds of trading were constant.

People in Guangzhou who love vegetables are in for a treat.

Chen Jiazhi's attention was mainly focused on bok choy, mustard greens, Chinese kale, chili peppers, and snow peas.

These are the mainstays of open-field winter vegetable cultivation in South China.

However, their fates differ. You can see bok choy, Chinese kale, mustard greens, and chili peppers from time to time, and the prices are very low.

Only the snow peas were nowhere to be found.

After a cold wave, it's likely that only the open-air snow peas on the Leizhou Peninsula in the southernmost part of mainland China will be able to survive the winter.

However, the Leizhou Peninsula vegetable base mainly targets the northern market and is one of the main bases for transporting vegetables from the south to the north.

In terms of varieties, they prefer vegetables that are easy to store, such as chili peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, bitter melons, and cucumbers.

Snow peas are not included.

This is also the reason why the price of hot and sweet peppers in Huacheng is currently 'sluggish'.

However, the chili peppers from the Leizhou Peninsula can only last until early May at most, and may even be taken off the shelves as early as April due to the impact of the cold wave.

This is also the window of opportunity that Chen Jiazhi is targeting.

Sweet peppers from the Leizhou Peninsula have been taken off the shelves, and early spring sweet peppers from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and northern China are also experiencing a shortage due to the cold wave, which may only be able to meet local supply. The rainy season in Guangzhou has not yet arrived.

If multiple factors are satisfied simultaneously.

With 300 acres of sweet peppers, he only needs half a month to make a small profit, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of yuan a month.

This is market analysis.

This is also one of the secrets to why many large vegetable markets in later generations were able to make stable profits in a blood-soaked industry environment.

He currently lacks a person or team to collect information such as local weather, planting area, and market conditions.

We can only rely on our own analysis, speculation, and strategizing from news and major events.
He walked quickly, mentally reviewing what dishes were on each vehicle.

The repeated arrivals of truckloads of green peppers did not affect his mindset.

He believed his judgment was correct.

Just like the snow peas that were still being harvested, he could see the Isuzu light truck surrounded by crowds and vehicles from a distance.

The first-tier agricultural wholesale market is awesome; 5000 jin of bean pods were sold out in less than an hour.

In an instant, Li Mingkun and Guo Mancang, who had been somewhat worried, became full of confidence.

It really was just 10,000 catties of bean pods.

(End of this chapter)