1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 280 Fuel and Passion of the Vegetable Market

Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan stopped to examine the somewhat mottled snow pea vines.

At this moment, the snow peas are like a tired long-distance runner, almost drained of the last bit of energy from their body.

The vines gradually lost their luster, their color became dull, and their stems were no longer as upright and resilient as they had been in their youth...

Naturally, the yield of bean pods also decreased.

But deep down it still exudes the pride of a top student, and the queue remains neat and orderly.

In the final moments, he held his head high and handed the baton to the green pepper who had just started running.

Yi Dinggan muttered to himself, "I wonder how much production is actually?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you this?"

Chen Jiazhi glanced at him with his hands in his pockets, "Three minutes. I need all the information on this batch of snow peas!"

"An? Three minutes?"

"Haha, just kidding, that's how it's always portrayed on TV."

What TV?

"forget."

"I think you just want to show off your power as the factory manager."

"Only the deputy manager would be interested in the manager showing off his power."

"you!"

"Let's go, collect the green peppers!"

Unlike the snow pea, which endures hardships in its youth, is spirited in its adulthood, and remains dashing in its old age, the green pepper has lived the refined life of a young master in Shanghai since childhood.

Having eaten well and been well-nourished since childhood, one has a strong physical foundation.

Now it stands tall and proud, its fruit plump and full; the slight wind and rain at the end of April cannot diminish its exquisite beauty.

On the contrary, the rising temperature causes its hormones to surge, leading to a vigorous period of flowering and fruiting.

Abundant achievements.

Vegetable prices are also rising steadily.

It successfully took over the baton from the snow pea and led the Jiangxin vegetable market forward.

It was evening.

It was another busy and fruitful day.

Due to the different times of sowing and seedling raising and transplanting, the 300 mu of green peppers were not harvested at the same time.

Some are served early, some are served late.

Now that we've entered the peak harvest season, we're harvesting 16 to 17 tons of green peppers every day.

In the vegetable field, some workers were pruning and trimming the green peppers, some were applying fertilizer and watering, some were loosening the soil, and others were spraying pesticides to prevent and control pests and diseases.

The market's main focus shifted from snow peas to green peppers.

Chen Jiazhi said, "The current management pace is very good. Deputy Director Yi, if we keep this up for a few more days, we'll recoup our costs!"

The price of green peppers has been rising very well recently, from 1 yuan/jin on April 22 to 1.7 yuan/jin in just 5 days.

Daily sales revenue from green peppers alone exceeded 5 yuan, and with the continued strong performance of snow peas, daily revenue had already surged to 7 yuan.

If we continue selling like this for another four days, the cumulative sales of green peppers will reach the cost line of 60 yuan.

Yi Dinggan was also aware of the sales situation.

“I’m most afraid of heavy rain now. Heavy rain can easily cause flowers and fruits to fall off, and we have to take measures to prevent and control pests and diseases, which will take several days. Not only will harvesting vegetables be tiring, but selling vegetables will also be tiring for you.”

The unified prevention and control measures have disrupted the current phased harvesting schedule, and the harvest volume may suddenly increase to thirty or forty tons on a single day, resulting in very high production and sales intensity.
If the harvest quantity is not that high, it will be even worse, with a large number of fruits falling off the tree, which may also affect the self-pollination process of the bell peppers.
Chen Jiazhi admitted that Yi Dinggan's words made sense, but he felt there was no need to be so worried, as it was only the end of April.

"You're just being dramatic!"

"When have you, Yi Dinggan, ever been so pretentious?"

"Show your fighting spirit!"

"So what if it's pouring rain? You've forgotten that saying again!" Chen Jiazhi said, each word firm and resolute: "The bigger the storm, the higher the vegetable prices!"

"As long as God doesn't kill us all at once, we'll never lose out!"

"You!" Yi Dinggan noticed the gazes of others and retorted, "Am I being pretentious? I'm just being prepared!"

"Tactically respect it, but strategically despise it, understand?"

Why are you yelling so loudly?

"That's what makes it exciting!"

"You're burning with passion in the market every day, haven't you burned out yet?"

Chen Jiazhi pointed forward and laughed loudly, "With you providing me with fuel, how can this passion burn out so easily? I think this fire will only get stronger and stronger!"

Yi Dinggan turned around and brought over two buckets and two 'iron fingernails'.

"Come on, since Director Chen is so passionate, we can't just let it burn in the market, we need to ignite it in the vegetable fields too!"

"Li Xiu!" Yi Dinggan shouted, "You be my witness! Today I'm going to have a match with the farm manager, and we'll see who wins!"

The vegetable workers around them had long been drawn to the two of them.

Li Xiu also came over, somewhat confused about the situation.

"What are we comparing?"

"Pick green peppers!"

"..."

"Great!" The vegetable workers, not wanting to miss out on something good, all cheered.

"Let's have a competition and see who's better, the deputy manager or the manager!"

"I've placed my bet! I've placed my bet!"

Yi Dinggan looked at Chen Jiazhi with a mocking expression and said, "Do you dare, Manager? You're not chickening out, are you? Where's your passion?"

"Hahaha~"

"I've heard that the manager is always full of energy at the market."

"Manager, get the fire going! Let's take him down!" "Take him down!"

"Fight! Fight!"

As more and more people became unaware of the truth, Chen Jiazhi noticed that many vegetable pickers nearby were looking up at him.

Some were still shouting, asking what had happened, wondering if the farm manager and deputy farm manager had really started fighting.

But soon everyone knew what had happened: a competition to pick green peppers!
It's pretty boring, but it also seems kind of interesting.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Do you think I'm afraid of you? But what's the point of picking just one basket? Let's have a competition to see who picks the most green peppers until the end of the workday. Whoever picks the most wins, okay?"

"Come on then, you think you can scare me?"

"Count me in! Count me in!" Qi Yongfeng shouted from twenty or thirty meters away, "Give me a chance to win against the field manager and deputy field manager!"

"Hahaha~"

Whether they came to watch the excitement or were engrossed in picking green peppers to earn commission, everyone felt the burning passion in the market at that moment.

The farm manager and deputy farm manager got down to work, and once they started picking green peppers, they couldn't see anything else but the green peppers.

They really treated picking green peppers like a competition.

Time passed slowly, and the vegetable workers returned to their posts, but they would still occasionally look up in one direction, all curious about the outcome of the competition.

At the same time, I felt inexplicably excited, as if I was about to be ignited by Director Chen's passion.
The farmers make money selling vegetables, and they make money too!

A new agricultural supply store has opened next to the market, with a sign hanging on the roof that reads: Friendship Agricultural Supplies.

Standing at the shop entrance, Hong Zhong could feel the bustling atmosphere inside the market.

He had just bought the agricultural supplies business rights of the local plant protection station and hadn't even started stocking the products when he received an order from Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

The bamboo strips, plastic film, pesticides, and fertilizers needed to grow 300 mu of green vegetables.

Aside from seeds and base fertilizer, the bulk of the profits come from him, with each order exceeding 20 yuan. He has never fought such a lucrative battle before.

He's very motivated!
...

Chen Jiazhi admitted that he was acting.

But it was more of a genuine expression of his feelings; he still preferred himself when he was working.

So he was very serious when picking green peppers, putting all his energy into it. He picked with his right hand and carried them with his left. When he couldn't carry them all, he put them into the bucket behind him. After filling the bucket, he put them into a burlap sack, and soon the sack was full.

One bag after another.

The two only stopped when the sun was setting and they had finished picking all the green peppers for the day.

Vegetable workers and team leaders are stationed by the roadside to weigh and record the weights. Each bag is ultimately weighed to 40 jin (20 catties) for easy sale in the market.

The vegetable workers carried the green peppers they had picked to the roadside to wait for them to be weighed.

Chen Jiazhi was also there, with Yi Dinggan not far from him. Both of them were drenched in sweat, each sizing up the other's results.

Li Xiu said with amusement, "Jiazhi, why are you guys still so childish? Do you really want to decide who wins and who loses?"

Chen Jiazhi took the tissue Li Xiu handed him and wiped his sweat. "Today I have to make him admit defeat."

The voice was just loud enough for Yi Dinggan to hear: "It's still uncertain who will win or lose!"

Qi Yongfeng, who was unable to participate in the competition, shouted from the sidelines, "Deliang, bring the tricycle over here. First, address the farm manager and deputy farm manager?"

The other vegetable workers, who were waiting to see what would happen, also chimed in.

"Yes, we're not in a rush. Let's address the farm manager and deputy farm manager first."

Who do you think will win?

"Who can say for sure? Can't you see? Both the farm manager and the deputy farm manager have put in a lot of effort."

"Wow, yeah, they've picked so much in such a short time!"

Does it meet the standards?

At the request of the masses, Ao Deliang drove the Shifeng tricycle to the two men with a smile, took down the platform scale, and organized the workers to weigh and determine the weight.

The data is compiled one by one.

Yi Dinggan harvested 263 jin (approximately 181.5 catties), and the quality inspection also met the requirements, causing quite a stir.

Next was Chen Jiazhi, who picked 248 jin (approximately 124 catties), slightly less than Chen Jiazhi.

"Director Chen, what do we have to say now?"

"You're awesome."

Yi Dinggan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, was practically smug.

When I got home that evening, I casually showed off to my two sons.

Chen Jiafang watched her husband sitting for a while, then standing, and then grinning to himself, and wondered, "Is it really necessary? It's just a simple 'You're amazing' sentence, isn't it?"

"You do not understand."

Yi Dinggan felt himself burning up. To hell with God!
...

"Prices have gone up! Prices have gone up!"

"Snow peas are 2.3 yuan per jin, and green peppers are 1.8 yuan per jin!"

"First come, first served!"

As night fell, Chen Jiazhi returned to his other home turf. The 'farming expert' had lost, but he was still the invincible vegetable-selling expert.

Shout it out loud!
After a brief hesitation, the buyers started a new round of placing orders and taking delivery.

Most of the customers at this stall are secondary wholesalers. They don't have much time to wander around. They go straight to their target, place an order, pay, take the goods, and leave, only to repeat the same actions at the next stall.

There wasn't much haggling or picking and choosing.

The key is speed and efficiency: fast unloading, fast pickup, fast handling, and fast transactions.
Naturally, they sold out quickly.

There has never been any clearance sale since stall number 63 opened.

Even most retailers who arrive after 3 or 4 a.m. have no idea what kind of food stall number 63 sells.

The top performers in the market are just that incredibly popular!

In the early morning of April 28th, the daily sales of stall number 63 exceeded 80,000 yuan.

On April 30th, the wholesale price of green peppers rose to 2 yuan per jin, and daily sales exceeded 90,000 yuan, setting a new record!

At this point, the snow peas officially took their leave, and the green peppers took over, continuing to provide fuel and power for the Jiangxin vegetable market!
(End of this chapter)