1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 271 Old Wu is back

People relaxed in front of the empty truck.

It was still early, so Li said, "Let's go check out number 56, it's on our way anyway."

Li Mingkun also said, "Let's go take a look. It's been a long time since I've been there. I wonder what it's like now."

Guo Mancang echoed this sentiment.

Selling vegetables for just one hour rekindled the passion of two seasoned farmers who had been away from the market for a long time.

Chen Jiazhi shared the same idea.

It seems that this vegetable has no trouble selling. With a scarce variety in hand, selling it is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

In the Jiangnan region, snow peas also sell for 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 catties), and 7500 yuan was earned in just one hour.

This made the group even more excited about stall number 56, where, in addition to snow peas, there were also nearly 10,000 kilograms of green vegetables.

"Don't rush, don't rush, take it one at a time!"

"There's a lot of stock today, so everyone who arrives early gets some."

Stall number 56 was already bustling with activity.

The truck loaded with snow peas was parked in the stall, while the Yuejin light truck was parked directly in the passageway. Combined with the flow of people and vehicles, the surrounding traffic was congested for a time.

Chen Zhengxu, Xue Jun, and Qi Yongfeng, along with two vegetable workers and two temporary workers, were also busy at work.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes in large quantities, attracting many customers, many of whom come specifically for the snow peas.

In the past, we only received about 300 jin (150 kg) of snow peas each night, but tonight we received 5000 jin (2,500 catties) of snow peas. The pent-up demand has finally exploded.

This has also boosted sales of bok choy, mustard greens, and newly arrived kale.

There were quite a few people selling vegetables at the stalls, but there was also a moment of panic.

There are many dishes, many varieties, and many people.

You shout your orders, I'll do mine, we'll each fight our own battles, but Chen, Xue, and Qi have all experienced the bustling scene of selling vegetables.

They gradually regained their footing.

Many people think that wholesaling vegetables is a "rough job" that doesn't require much technical skill.

But this actually requires a high level of meticulousness.

From order taking and order picking to delivery, transportation and handover, every step is interconnected. If one link fails, the whole thing will fail.

Especially now that there are no shortage of substitutes on the market, even snow peas are not something that ordinary people absolutely have to eat.

Every step is important.

Chen Zhengxu was still thinking about the training session last night, and some of the words were still echoing in his ears. He couldn't help but remind the busy people again and again.

"Separation and loading should be fast, but don't damage the vegetables."

"I prefer reliable delivery services."

"They are also more reliable in doing things."

Behind its reliability lies strong process management and team collaboration capabilities.

Chen Zhengxu, who was put in command by Xue Jun and Qi Yongfeng, realized how difficult it was.

The more reliable you want something to be, the harder it is to achieve, but the more reliable you are, the more convincing people become.

Stall No. 56 has attracted so many customers because it has built up its reputation and word-of-mouth over the past six months.

Even though he experienced several periods of long-term vegetable shortages and his stall was overgrown with weeds, the quality of his vegetables, harvesting standards, and specialization in varieties remained unparalleled.

In the past, my uncle would personally oversee the event when faced with such a lively scene.

For the first time, Chen Zhengxu truly felt the weight of this position.

Every order acceptance, delivery, and payment collection is a test, and reliability is something that must be maintained throughout these repetitive processes.

As time passed, Chen Zhengxu's palms and back became sweaty, as did those who were packing and distributing the goods.

However, after weathering the initial wave of customers, stall number 56 stabilized.

My tense nerves relaxed a bit.

Taking advantage of a break, Qi Yongfeng offered cigarettes to everyone, saying, "It's been so long since I've had this much fun selling vegetables!"

Chen Zhengxu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a pen and notebook in hand, chuckled, "It would be great if vegetable prices were a bit higher."

Temporary worker Ma Zhuang straightened up and said, "Bosses, we're going to make a lot of money selling all these vegetables today!"
This truckload of snow peas alone will sell for several thousand yuan, and this whole truckload of vegetables will bring in at least ten thousand yuan today!

The two vegetable vendors who had come along spoke up.

Just then, another temporary worker, Sun Qiang, carrying several bags of vegetables, said, "I'm going to deliver some goods!"

Chen Zhengxu nodded, checked the order with him, and then asked him to deliver the goods.

However, he turned around and exchanged glances with Xue Jun and Qi Yongfeng. They had discussed the robbery they had encountered on the road several times in private.

If it was premeditated, the other party was definitely trying to gather their information.

The two temporary workers recruited from the market are highly suspicious, but we cannot jump to conclusions.

...

Old Wu jogged to stall number 33. "Boss Mao, why haven't you gone to get the goods yet?"

Mao Liangcai was selling vegetables at his stall. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, I'm busy right now. I'll be there in a bit."

Old Wu said anxiously, "Several thousand kilograms of snow peas arrived at stall number 56. If you go too late, they'll be gone again. Besides, they also have some premium kale today. Could you help me get some too?"

Mao Liangcai, hands on his hips, was about to speak when a woman in the stall spoke up.

"We didn't make a single penny off you, and we're even helping you get the goods. What's in it for us? Can't you just get them yourself?"

"You!" Old Wu said angrily, "I've taken just as many of your vegetables as I've ever done!"

The woman replied, "These past two days, you've been getting all the vegetables from number 56 that you've been reselling!"

Old Wu was even angrier: "The problem lies with your own vegetables! The bok choy was fresh and tender the day before, but yesterday it was wilted and had yellow leaves mixed in. It's not what you ordered. I've already been generous by not causing you any trouble!"

The woman yelled back, "Cash on delivery! You misjudged it, who can you blame but yourself!" "What are you yelling about!"

Mao Liangcai glared at his wife in annoyance, then turned around to get a cigarette and said in a deep voice, "Old Wu, don't worry, I'll go to No. 56 to get the goods for you in a bit. I'll get you whatever you need."

Old Wu suppressed his anger and said, "Boss, I almost ruined the reputation of so many of my customers by selling leftovers from yesterday. What am I supposed to do?"
"Let's talk about it later... later!"

Mao Liangcai's heart skipped a beat. That one sentence, "We'll talk about it later," was enough to spell the death of this deal.

"Then where are you going to find vegetables?"

"So many people are waiting to see me back down. Since that's the case, let's just let them have their way sooner rather than later." Old Wu shrugged. "Businessmen make money, so it's better to be carefree."

Soon, a fierce argument broke out at stall number 33 over a truckload of vegetables that they had misjudged during procurement.

Old Wu shook his head, wondering to himself: What would he do if Chen, the vegetable farmer, had misjudged the quality of the produce and bought inferior goods?

Should we pretend we don't know and sell the inferior goods as superior ones, or tell the customer the truth and sell them at a low price?

He doesn't know.

But he was prepared to face ridicule from his neighbors; he shouldn't have been so absolute in the first place.

He had vegetable purchase orders from government agencies and departments. As government officials, they needed to eat well and had high requirements for quality.

So for a long time, he would buy them back and re-sort and process them.

Until that man appeared.

He took the art of handsome men producing delicious food to the extreme.

In every basket of vegetables, you can hardly find any defective products, and every single vegetable never has yellow leaves, insect holes, or spotted leaves.

Not only did he become picky about food, but the person in charge of the canteen downstream from him also became picky about food.

Even if you buy their goods and they process them again, they still can't replicate the appearance and quality of item number 56.

Every time No. 56 ran out of food, it was a great torment for him.

However, not only did stall number 56 suffer from overgrown weeds twice, but it also launched a surprise attack, temporarily cutting off its supply of vegetables, thus breaking its promise to provide the much-anticipated kale.

That's why there's that famous saying that people sometimes remind me of: "If I buy your groceries again, I'll be a dog."

Nowadays, curly hair has become unreliable.

Old Wu was exhausted. What did a businessman care about saving face? The market had been a bit slow lately, so he decided to make a fool of himself to lighten the mood.

Thinking about it this way made him feel a little better.

However, the market has reached its peak trading period, with a large flow of people. Presumably, there will be even more people at number 56.

But if you go too late, you might not be able to buy the vegetables you want.

Old Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.

As expected, the passageway where stall number 56 was located was already packed with cars and people, causing severe congestion.

Just then, he suddenly heard a familiar voice, loud and clear, filled with undisguised surprise.

"Boss Wu!"

Old Wu turned around and looked at the truck that was blocked to the side. He saw a handsome young man get out of the passenger seat.

"Mr. Chen... Mr. Chen~"

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward with a smile: "Oh my, it's been so long! Come on, have a smoke. Did you buy your groceries today? If not, help me get rid of some. We have a lot of groceries lately, and we really need loyal customers like you to patronize our business!"

Old Wu paused, sensing that something was amiss.

"You haven't bought groceries yet? Then you have to support my business today!"

"Are you still upset? You're a grown man, you shouldn't take such a small thing to heart. Come on, let's look at the vegetables, they're all top-quality greens."

Without saying a word, Chen Jiazhi pulled him into the stall.

Old Wu had no choice but to follow, but his eyes met those scrutinizing colleagues, as if to say: You all saw it, he dragged me here to buy it, it wasn't my own initiative.

He saved his manly pride.

not easy.

Chen Jiazhi moved into number 56, returning to his home turf, and for the first time, he freely shouted his wares in the wholesale market.

"The bok choy, kale, mustard greens, and snow peas are all top-quality produce. Come and take a look!"

"Old Wu, what kind of goods are you carrying?"

With the steps now in place, Lao Wu couldn't wait to pull out the list and recite the numbers to Chen Zhengxu.

"Okay, boss, just a moment, I'll prepare your order right away."

"I trust your quality. Handsome guys make good food, right? Just send me number 18 later. How much is it in total?"

"627 yuan."

Old Wu paid the money, said goodbye, and left nonchalantly, the thorn in his throat gone.

Chen Jiazhi also felt very relaxed. Gambling on the market is fun in the short term, but a long-term business can be very profitable, and he wanted both.

So, for the remaining two hours, Chen Jiazhi started using facial recognition to visit one of his old customers in the market.

Tell them that the steady, persistent, and occasionally explosive handsome vegetable farmer is back.

It's not shabby to earn money.

If you want your employees to be reliable, then you must be a reliable boss first.

Even if he has to give up No. 56, he will take his clients with him.

Despite the sluggish vegetable prices, No. 56 easily sold out 15,000 jin of vegetables thanks to its established reputation.

Selling vegetables is not difficult; the difficulty lies in establishing an unwavering reputation for integrity.

This flag was tilted; now we need to straighten it, then reinforce it, reinforce it, and reinforce it again…

(End of this chapter)