1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 285 Delegation of Power
"Manager, would you like to say a few words as well?"

"I don't have much to say about work; everyone has done a great job." Towards the end of the meeting, Chen Jiazhi was also pulled out by Yi Dinggan to give a summary.

"Let me talk about the salary. Last month went well, and the salary and bonus will be paid on time."

Although the yield of snow peas did not reach the desired 4000 jin per mu, an extra 100 yuan bonus will still be given.

Some people may also be concerned about Deputy Manager Yi's profit-sharing rights. I guarantee that there will be more branch farms in the future, and all six of you will have the opportunity to become branch farm managers. Each branch farm manager will receive a share of the branch farm's profits.

Of course, the basic salary and bonuses won't be lacking either~

When it comes to salary, Chen Jiazhi has never broken his promise and has never mistreated those who have contributed.

The total yield of this batch of snow peas at Jiangxin Vegetable Market was 112 million jin, with an average yield of more than 3700 jin per mu, and an output value of about 277 million yuan.

It can be said to have been a great success.

Unlike some unscrupulous bosses who would claim a loss of 200,000 yuan when they earned less, he didn't do that.

He can afford to pay each vegetable worker an extra 100 yuan, totaling about 20,000 yuan. There's no need to save this money.

His words were quite convincing.

Qi Yongfeng asked, "Manager, when will the branch farms open?"

"It depends on how well the business is doing. If we're lucky and things develop quickly, it might happen in the second half of the year. If we're unlucky, it might take two or three years."

Chen Jiazhi tapped the table. "Let's go, it's getting late, everyone should go back and rest."

Night fell completely, and the area around the market appeared peaceful and serene.

Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan arrived at their doorstep in just a few minutes on their bicycles. On the way, they encountered two dark figures, each wielding a small wooden stick, waving it around by the yard.

"Behold my Nine Swords of Dugu!"

"Oh, is there a fight going on?"

"Have you finished your homework? You're just playing around here. You're a sixth grader!"

Upon hearing the noise, the two dark figures immediately became quiet; they were Yi Long and Yi Hu.

"Uncle, old man, we've been waiting for you to come back for dinner!"

"I've finished my homework too."

"Your uncle isn't going to sell vegetables today; he'll check your homework later."

"Okay."

"Okay." The two brothers agreed in unison.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Hey, I haven't even agreed yet. If you want to check my homework, give me your sticks."

"what?"

"No." Both of them looked wary, having finally found this long, straight stick.

Chen Jiazhi raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm afraid you'll ruin other people's food. If you come knocking on my door, you won't get away with it."

"We're not that stupid."

In the end, the stick was not taken back; both brothers treasured it as a precious artifact.

Since he wasn't going to sell vegetables that night and was going to eat at home, a sumptuous meal was already prepared when he entered the house.

Boiled sliced ​​pork, braised ribbonfish, and spicy diced chicken—several main dishes in total.

"Jiazhi, want some wine?"

"Give me less."

Chen Jiazhi didn't spoil the fun; he drank with his parents and chatted about everyday matters for a while, enjoying a rare moment of leisure and comfort.

After the meal, I also spent a little time checking the homework of the two brothers, Yi Long and Yi Hu.

The difference between the two brothers can be seen from their homework. Although Yi Long is working harder than before, his foundation is too weak.

If it weren't for the fact that Yi Hu came out half a year later and had a greater language barrier, he probably would have left Yi Long behind long ago.

After tutoring Chen Zhengyun's homework, Chen Jiazhi played with him for a while, and after coaxing him to sleep, he followed him into the main room to watch TV.

The whole family was together, watching a modern drama called "A Native of Beijing in New York," a series that perfectly reflects the era. The protagonist, constantly facing setbacks, experiences the harsh realities of life, shattering the dreams of some Chinese people to seek their fortune in America.

Finished watching one episode.

Li Xiu sighed, "It seems the moon isn't rounder abroad either."

Chen Jiafang cracked sunflower seeds and discussed the plot with Li Xiu, saying, "The salary for washing dishes abroad is high, isn't it?"

"That depends on who you're comparing yourself to," Yi Dinggan snorted twice, now quite assertive in this regard.

Chen Jiafang glanced at him and said, "Look at your face, you're practically strutting around like that."

Yi Dinggan said, "Compared to my current life, I feel that growing vegetables is more promising. The protagonist, Wang Qiming, still needs his lover's financial support to succeed. How many people in reality have as many romantic encounters as those on TV!"

Look at how handsome Jiazhi and I are, we still have to rely on ourselves to succeed…

Chen Jiafang retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Chen Jiazhi joked, "Exactly, how dare you say you're as handsome as me?"

“You two are both a bit shameless,” Li Xiu laughed, then called out, “Hey, Jiazhi, get me two White Rabbit milk candies from the table.”

On the table, there were not only sunflower seeds and peanuts, but also classic White Rabbit milk candy, which Li Xiu loved to eat.

Chen Jiazhi also loves White Rabbit candy.

After taking two candies, he moved with lightning speed to Li Xiu's side and whispered in her ear, "Go upstairs!"

渍！
Li Xiu glared at him.

Chen Jiazhi had already made an excuse to go upstairs.

A short while later, Li Xiu also came up. "Why did you call me up?"

"I want to eat White Rabbit candy too."

...

Just past midnight, after a period of activity, stall number 63 shut down again.

There was a snap.

Li Cai sat on the scale, lit a cigarette, and after a while, he felt that he wasn't selling enough vegetables.

Even now, some people are still walking by with a hint of regret.

"Sold out of green peppers again?" A woman stopped in front of the stall and said with a hint of resentment, "Young man, could you save some green peppers for me tomorrow?"

Li Cai exhaled a puff of smoke, "I can't keep you here, sis, you'd better come sooner."

Someone else passed by, shook their head, and complained, "Short and weak!"

If it weren't for the fact that this person had bought groceries from him before, Li would have definitely argued with him.

However, looking at it now, there is indeed a shortage of vegetables. Ten tons of vegetables a day is hardly enough to sell!

Even in this remote last row, the transaction volume of stall number 63 was among the lowest.

After packing his things, Li was about to head to the distribution center when a market management staff member passed by.

"Number 63, I heard you have 300 acres of sweet peppers being harvested, but why are there fewer every day?"

Li Cai recognized this person as Wang Qi, the manager of the Jiangnan Market, who was about 30 years old.

"Manager Wang, the recent rains have affected the vegetable market, and we've been trying to find suppliers these past few days."

"Well, I was just asking."

It would be more like they'd ask every single day.

Li Cai silently complained that Wang Qi had been subtly hinting at the decline in business volume at the stalls every day he passed by.

From a practical business perspective, stall number 63 is currently operating at a loss.

Before long, Li Cai arrived at the distribution center, where a considerable amount of vegetables were stored in the warehouse. There were homegrown green peppers, bok choy, kale, and mustard greens, as well as radishes, cabbages, and cowpeas purchased from outside sources.

Compared to the stall business, the delivery business is progressing quite well, which makes Li Cai even more eager to expand his supply.

After sorting out the accounts, Li Cai went to the market again to chat with the active vegetable brokers.

Vegetable brokers are like intermediaries, providing information about production areas and contacting buyers from other regions to purchase the vegetables when they are ripe and ready for harvest.

This is also a way to find sources of goods in wholesale markets.

Recently, he, Xue Jun, and Chen Jiazhi have all been in contact with agents, but ultimately they still need to go to the production area to make the purchases.

He had also heard Chen Jiazhi mention another method: using an agent.

The entire process, from purchasing and sourcing vehicles to shipping, is handled in one go. After placing an order by phone, a vehicle can be dispatched directly to the market.

However, after wandering around the market for so many days, I still haven't received a business card from a vegetable broker.

I've heard there are many brokers like this in Shandong.

There aren't many active brokers in the Jiangnan market to begin with, and even fewer offer agency services.

But some people are indeed looking for sales channels.
After going back and forth, Li Cai gathered a lot of information before returning to the distribution center.

Chen Zhengxu has also returned.

"Zhengxu, you've been doing a great job lately. The delivery business is growing bigger and bigger."

"It's still far from enough." Chen Zhengxu wasn't very satisfied. "We've hit a bottleneck recently. We can only deliver about 2,000 kilograms of vegetables a day at most, and the profit isn't much."

Oh, by the way, I'm also planning to go to the market tomorrow morning. Wait for me, okay?

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Li Cai, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, watched the busy Chen Zhengxu and the sorting workers, feeling that they were also vegetable transporters.

……

The next day, Chen Jiazhi lay lazily in bed.

After a long period of busy life, when he finally relaxes, that impulse and excitement are fully manifested in a 20-something-year-old corpus cavernosum. Besides burning in the wholesale market, he can also burn at home.

She comfortably rolled over, opened her eyes, and saw Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu standing outside the door.

Chen Jiazhi quickly pulled the blanket over his erect lower body to avoid startling the person.

"They're all back?"

"Yes, I've already had breakfast. I saw you weren't up yet, so I came up to wake you. There are some things I need to report on."

Get up, wash up, eat breakfast~
There was no one else in the house besides the three of them; even Chen Shaochang and Peng Guozhen had taken their grandson to the market.

Li Cai and Chen Zhengxu each started talking about their work from the previous night.

"Last night I contacted a few more brokers and left the phone number of their distribution centers. They all said they would contact us when they had vegetables. In the past few days, we have also collected a lot of sources of goods, most of which are in the surrounding area."

"Brother Chen, how about I go and buy two truckloads to try it out? I'll send the vegetables back as soon as possible."

The desire on Li Cai's face was intense.

After yesterday's argument with Li Xiu and a night's rest, Chen Jiazhi's mind softened.

They should be given more opportunities.

After thinking for a while, Chen Jiazhi said, "Okay, I'll let you go first this time. Ship it from Qingyuan or Foshan first, leafy vegetables first, but make sure it's properly packaged, preferably with ice packs to keep it fresh."

If all else fails, send vegetables that store well; don't rush to make money on the first two shipments.

"Brother Chen, don't worry," Li Cai said. "After spending a month in the market and receiving your personal guidance, I'm no longer a complete novice."

You have to believe me, I'll make money on my very first truckload of vegetables!

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Alright, it's good to have confidence. I'll have Xue Jun go with you. I'll be waiting for your triumphant return."

After confirming the shipping details, the matter was settled.

However, Chen Jiazhi will also go out, but it will be postponed, as purchasing through vegetable brokers is not a reliable method.

There are currently few vegetable brokers in the Jiangnan Market. In fact, it wasn't until 1998 that the number of brokers in the Jiangnan Market began to grow significantly, and it is still in its infancy.

Moreover, agents and agents usually profit from both sides, making a fortune in the middle. He still prefers to cooperate directly with the base.

Because of Huang Jianyuan and Huang Chuan, Chen Jiazhi considered Lianzhou as the first alternative location.

Then, Chen Zhengxu brought up delivery, complaining that the daily delivery volume of about 2,000 kilograms was too low, and the daily gross profit was only two or three hundred yuan.

After listening, Chen Jiazhi asked, "Have you been following up with potential clients all along?"

Chen Zhengxu nodded and said, "We've kept in touch, and someone visits regularly, but many organizations have established channels, and we don't have any connections."

"Don't worry about personal connections. Just maintain long-term contact with the purchasing staff of your company or restaurant. When their channels run into problems, as long as you can fill the gap in time and put out the fire a few times, they will never forget you."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "The key to developing the delivery business is persistence and accumulation over time. Sometimes, all it takes is a trigger for the business to explode."

In addition, we must also maintain good service and reputation with existing customers.

Do you remember the name of the distribution center?
Reliable!

We don't need personal connections, nor do we engage in price wars; we just want to be the most reliable delivery service!
When restaurant owners, purchasing agents, and canteen managers know that they can buy from you without worry—that the goods arrive on time, are consistently high-quality, are in the correct weight, and you'll cover any problems—they'll become inseparable from you.

This trust-based customer loyalty is something competitors can't sway even with low prices.

You're doing a great job right now, and it's very valuable, but it hasn't reached the point where you can unleash your full potential.

So don't be discouraged, keep going and visit more new clients!
"The real money-making opportunity will come when the scale grows."

Chen Zhengxu pondered these words and was deeply moved. Currently, the distribution center is not actually making a profit after deducting costs.

But now he has found value in doing this.

“I understand. The important thing now is to ensure stable supply and quality.” Chen Zhengxu pondered, “The so-called opportunity for business expansion could be a sudden change in weather, or it could be a temporary demand, etc.”

When supply issues arise on the demand side, they will naturally think of us.

Chen Jiazhi said, "That's roughly the idea. So, you need to improve your sorting and delivery team to ensure that when needed, there are people fighting alongside you in tough battles!"

Chen Zhengxu scratched his head. "Ao Dehai won't let us go. The Dongxiang vegetable market has been quite busy lately."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "It'll be soon. The Dongxiang vegetable market will be open in a little over a month at most."

The three chatted at home for about an hour. Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai were both very ambitious and wanted to expand their business.

It's so inspiring.

That's fine too.

Only when people with the same goal come together to work are they more likely to succeed.

...

Throughout the first half of May, Jiangxin Market seemed to have been given a more powerful new heart.

With a slight increase in the price of green peppers, daily income has risen to 10 yuan.

The workers' wages were paid in full. Although the target yield per acre for the Dutch beans was not achieved, an extra 100 yuan bonus was still given.

This won the support of many workers.

It had just rained lightly, and the ditch beside the vegetable market was overflowing with water, but even though Chen Jiazhi was sweating from walking around in his rain boots, there was no standing water in the vegetable plots.

"Well done, Director Yi."

"Have the wages been paid? The workers are very motivated, they won't let a single blade of grass go to waste..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yi Ding paused, stunned. "Wait, what did you call me?"

“Director Yi,” Chen Jiazhi smiled, “if you’re not happy about it, I can add the title of deputy.”

"No, I'd like to!"

(End of this chapter)