1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 290 Taking Everything and Making Nothing
Since the topic of seedlings for planting was being brought up, Chen Jiazhi and the others went to take a look.

The seedling shed is located in a corner behind the office area, next to a foam box factory that is almost completed.

The terrain here is high, so the risk of flooding is low.

Uncovering the plastic film and entering the greenhouse, a wave of heat rushed out, revealing a row of seedlings in trays, some large and some small, arranged neatly.

"That's impressive, they even know to use bricks and planks to raise it."

This plot belongs to Group 1 of the southern section of Li Mingkun's farm. "It's for preventing flooding during torrential rains. The planting of Chinese cabbage is very aggressive, and these seedling trays are the last line of defense, which is why they were raised."

"Good."

Chen Jiazhi bent slightly as he walked into the greenhouse. Just like the cabbage in the open field, the seedlings in the plug trays were also planted very densely.

One batch every one or two days.

Chen Jiazhi stopped in front of a batch of Chinese cabbage seedlings that were already 4 to 5 centimeters tall, and pulled out a seedling from the seedling hole of the seedling tray. The seedling had strong roots and lush leaves.

Yi Dinggan stood to the side and said, "These seedlings should be transplanted in two or three days, but there's no space in the market, so we thought of clearing out a batch of green peppers."

"Forget about it." Chen Jiazhi glanced at Qi Yongfeng and Huang Rixin who had come with him. "Learn from Deliang and manage the green peppers well."

Qi Yongfeng said, "The seedlings are already old. No matter how carefully we manage them, we can only harvest one or two batches of green peppers at most. The yield per batch is also not good. If we transplant the Chinese cabbage earlier, we may be able to catch up with the market."

With so much rain, a decrease in green pepper production is inevitable. Last night, it seemed like there were plenty of green peppers, but those were stock that had been sitting unpicked for two or three days.

Harvesting green peppers when they are too ripe will also affect the overall yield.

“This is no excuse for slacking off,” Chen Jiazhi said. “Look at the state of your green peppers. No one has cleaned up the withered branches and fruits. They’re just waiting to get sick!”
Besides, nobody can predict market trends accurately; let's focus on making the money we can first!

“It’s time to strengthen management,” Yi Dinggan said. “Yongfeng, Rixin, this afternoon your men should go back to their respective groups to manage things. We can transfer more people to the southern area if needed.”

After a pause, Yi Dinggan sighed again, "But it won't be easy to harvest these seedlings; they'll probably just fall over in the end."

It would be a real shame if it collapsed like this, but nothing is ever perfect.

After inspecting the seedlings, everyone came out of the greenhouse covered in sweat, and it was getting hotter and hotter as noon approached.

Yi Dinggan led his men to adjust their work arrangements, while Chen Jiazhi rode his bicycle home.

"Jiazhi, it's hot today. I made some plum juice, and it's been in the fridge for a while. Come and have a sip, rest for a bit, and then we'll eat."

Before they even entered the house, Peng Guozhen brought out a porcelain cup filled with sour plum drink.

"Oh, then I'm in for a treat."

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward, took the enamel cup, and started chugging it down. The first taste was a refreshing sourness, like a mountain spring rushing straight to the taste buds, followed by a subtle sweetness that emerged. It was a delightful mix of sour and sweet, with a lingering and pleasant aftertaste.

The anger he felt when he patrolled the fields in the morning had also quietly dissipated.

"Ah, comfortable!"

"Having a cup of this on such a hot day is just so refreshing."

Chen Jiazhi praised, "Mom, where did you learn to make this plum juice? It tastes absolutely amazing!"

Peng Guozhen chuckled and said, "If you like it, I'll often make some. It's convenient to have a refrigerator; it'll chill quickly."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"Oh, it's not hard at all, it's not hard at all."

After resting for a while in the main room, Yi Dinggan returned on his bicycle with Chen Jiafang. Peng Guozhen happily served them two bowls of plum juice, which won high praise.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Brother Yi, the cold storage will be ready to use in two or three days. When it gets hot, we can arrange for the market canteen to cook several large pots of plum juice and put it in the cold storage to chill it. It will be more refreshing to drink then."

Yi Dinggan pursed his lips and said, "President Chen, you really treat the workers well!"

Chen Jiafang said with dissatisfaction, "Don't forget your roots. You also come from a vegetable farming background. You know how hot it is to work in the vegetable fields in the summer. A bowl of chilled plum juice is really refreshing."

“How have I forgotten my roots? I never said I wouldn’t do it.” Yi Dinggan said with a defiant look, “I’m in the fields every day now, and I’m still sunbathing with you guys.”

Peng Guozhen came in carrying the dishes. "Alright, stop arguing. Eat first, and then Jiazhi should go and rest."

The Yi brothers, Yi Long and Yi Hu, will be back later, and they will eat at home in shifts.

After eating, Chen Jiazhi took a shower before quietly going to bed.

When I woke up, it was already evening. Li Xiu had already gotten up and was playing with Chen Zhengyun in the yard. Yi Long and Yi Hu were busy doing their homework and reading books. They were really going all out to buy a computer.

Peng Guozhen and Chen Shaochang were preparing dinner.

Chen Jiazhi went to the market first. The green peppers for today had been almost all picked and were being loaded onto the truck.

After walking back and forth along the road, Chen Jiazhi found that the situation in the second and third groups of the northern section had improved due to strengthened management. However, he still hoped to harvest as much as possible.

By the time they reached the car again, night had begun to fall, and the two trucks loaded with vegetables had already set off.

Chen Jiazhi asked Xu Yao for today's shopping list before going home for dinner and picking up Li Xiu to go sell vegetables.
It was another simple and unpretentious night, the only constant being the bulging banknotes.

This batch of green peppers sold really well. As long as there's stock on the market, there's no worry about selling them. The price is also high, and we never get tired of selling them. Every vegetable farmer hopes that this kind of life can last a long time.

Chen Jiazhi was no exception, but many things are beyond human control.

Just as no one expected that after two days of sunshine, the weather would suddenly turn erratic and rain intermittently for a day, much like a sixty or seventy-year-old man who always likes to pause before urinating. High temperature, high humidity~
The living environment for green bell peppers is becoming increasingly harsh. Just like humans sweating profusely in a sauna, the high temperature causes the moisture inside the bell pepper to evaporate to the surface. However, the continuous rain and humid environment prevent this moisture from dissipating in time.

This leads to the proliferation of microorganisms on the surface of fruits and vegetables, causing water-soaked spots to appear on the skin, and eventually the entire fruit to rot.
In this situation, the only option is to spray pesticides immediately after harvesting, which will further delay the harvesting time.
In contrast, the leafy vegetables in the small greenhouse were in better condition, since the plastic film blocked the rainwater.

This is also the biggest function of the small arched shed during the rainy season.

Taking advantage of the rain, which meant he didn't have to go to sell vegetables, Chen Jiazhi decided to go back to the Dongxiang vegetable market to check on the situation.

The land acquisition deadline for Dongxiang was officially set for July 1st, which means it would expire as soon as June ended.

There's still more than a month left, so there's still time to make some progress. Ao Dehai probably thinks the same way.

However, Xue Jun mainly sold vegetables at the market during this period. Vegetables from Dongxiang were all transported by trucks from other places. Chen Jiazhi really didn't know what the situation was now.

We drove on.

On the rural roads, the speed is only forty or fifty miles per hour, and the scenery on both sides of the road is unobstructed.

At this time, Panyu was very large, and the farmland was even more extensive, with golden rice paddies, jackfruits and wampee fruits laden with fruit, and pastoral scenes everywhere...

Chen Jiazhi was most interested in the vegetable fields; he knew this route very well, as it passed by many vegetable farms along the way.
Two or three months ago, these vegetable fields were still lush and green.

Now, the once fresh and green vegetable patches are now mixed with a few specks of yellow. This is only from the car; if you get closer, it might look even worse.

This is an unavoidable flaw for leafy vegetables grown outdoors.

With more rain, the situation will become more difficult. Leafy vegetables usually have juicy leaves with high water content. When exposed to high temperature and humidity for a long time, the originally tender and green leaves will become lifeless, as if they are being eroded by an invisible force, gradually losing moisture and luster, and eventually rotting into a pile of useless rotten leaves.

Some rot in the field, some rot during transportation, and some rot when sold... Only the finest of the best make it to the dinner table.

Therefore, you often see farmers selling vegetables for 1 yuan per kilogram at wholesale prices, but when buying vegetables in the city, the price becomes 6 to 7 yuan per kilogram.

The losses incurred during the journey are ultimately passed on to the consumer.

of course there are exceptions.

When leafy greens are declining in popularity, it is precisely the time for gourds and beans to make a comeback.

Cucumbers, winter melons, and bitter melons are more resistant to waterlogging and have better storage life, resulting in a more stable supply and more affordable prices.

After wandering around, we arrived at Dongxiang Market, where the glazed tile house still stood alone in the center of the market.

The pattering rain pattered on the plastic sheeting in the vegetable field, and the sound of the engine attracted the vegetable workers in the room, who all poked their heads out.

Two large dogs, one black and one white, stood under the eaves barking, but when the car stopped, they started shaking their heads.

"Boss Chen is here!"

"Boss Chen."

The vegetable farmers greeted each other; most were familiar faces, and their skin was generally dark, which is a characteristic of the industry.

Chen Jiahua, Wu Chengyong, and Chen Jiaying were also present, already familiar with life at the market.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Jiazhi, holding an umbrella, changed into the rain boots he had brought with him and walked into the vegetable field with Ao Dehai.

The rain was neither heavy nor light; all I could hear was the sound of raindrops hitting the thin film.

Bending down to look into the ventilated end of the small arched shed, the bok choy stood upright on the dry vegetable patch.

There are also quite a few open spaces.

After a rough look at the 50 acres of land, the rain subsided a bit.

Chen Jiazhi said, "We've been serving quite a lot of dishes lately!"

Although he doesn't come often, the amount of vegetables he produces doesn't lie. Recently, as long as the weather is suitable for harvesting in Dongxiang, the yield is at least tens of thousands of catties, or 5 tons.

Ao Dehai looked the same, but he was in good spirits. He smiled and said, "I guess I'm used to living a life of eating big fish and meat. Suddenly selling cheap vegetables feels rather boring, so I thought I'd try my luck."

This batch has been harvested from about 30 mu (approximately 2 hectares) of land, and the price is currently average, but there's still a chance to harvest about 10 mu (approximately 1.6 hectares) in early June.

It's understandable to speculate on market trends, and this trend was started by Chen Jiazhi.

The Dongxiang vegetable market has indeed been much less active in the past month or two compared to before.

Chen Jiazhi pointed to the distance and asked, "What's the plan for the open space?"

"Let's continue planting when the weather clears up," Ao Dehai said with a smile. "There's still more than a month left, so at least one crop of vegetables shouldn't be a problem."

Chen Jiazhi gazed at the open space, thought for a while, and then pondered, "There's a batch of bok choy seedlings in plug trays at Jiangxin Market. Buying them and transplanting them seems like a good idea!"

"Huh?!" Ao Dehai exclaimed in surprise, "Did Jiangxin Vegetable Market specially cultivate seedlings?"

"Yes, quite a few. I've been worried about not having enough land to plant them lately."

“Then buy it!” Ao Dehai said. “There are 10 acres of open land here. We can finish harvesting this batch soon, and even after the batch is harvested in early June, we can transplant the seedlings. We can definitely harvest before the land is requisitioned.”

"Maybe one of these batches of vegetables will be in high demand!"

"That's a good idea, let's do it!"

Chen Jiazhi almost exclaimed in praise, "This land is so fertile, it's been completely absorbed! All that manure we've used this year hasn't been in vain!"
(End of this chapter)