1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Call me if you need anything after Chapter 302.

For people who sell vegetables year-round, buying and selecting vegetables is also an important basic skill.

In Hong Kong, the ability to distinguish between good and bad bok choy is a skill that every vegetable vendor is proficient in.

The moment the bok choy in the styrofoam box was revealed, it caught the eye of this regular customer.

Clearly, this basket of vegetables is the phoenix!
He picked up a handful of bok choy from the corner and examined it. The roots were even and uniform in size, and the center of the head was a consistent color without any woody white spots. It felt cool to the touch.

"Hiss~ It's cold now. Old Xia, get me a 300-pound styrofoam box full of bok choy!"

Xia Youche was also surprised. Having cooperated with Jiangxin Vegetable Market several times, he certainly knew that the vegetables there were good.

But it's already June, how come the vegetables still look so good?

Moreover, the bok choy was graded by size, and he saw the word "medium" written on the styrofoam box, which meant medium-thick bok choy.

They changed from bamboo baskets to styrofoam boxes.
It gives the impression of a poor boy transforming into a rich young master.

Unconvinced, he randomly opened two more boxes, both containing the same goods. Placed together, they looked exactly like twins.

This action also attracted the attention of two other customers, who had already taken the bamboo baskets of vegetables but now changed their minds.

"Old Xia, the price is the same, but give me this kind of bok choy too."

"Me too, I want one of these too."

Xia Youche suppressed his shock and said, "This kind of bok choy costs two cents more per pound."

"You can't do that! I heard you complaining about the quality of the food!"

"Yes, I heard it too."

Xia Youche carried several handfuls of vegetables out of the styrofoam box, revealing a black bag underneath, which he picked up.

"I was only dissatisfied because the purchase price was high, but now I see it was worth the money."

"This dish is not only chilled, but also has ice packs added, so you don't have to worry about it not being fresh for several days. All of these things have costs, so how could the price be the same?"

The group touched it and found it was indeed true.

It was also because of Xia's act of carrying the vegetables that the complete packaging of the bok choy was revealed: foam box + pre-cooling + ice pack + moisture-retaining paper, plus high-quality bok choy.

Among the dishes supplied to Hong Kong, pre-cooled dishes account for a very small percentage, while those using ice packs are in the middle.

There are also some that are not preserved and are shipped immediately after harvesting. However, these are usually from nearby bases, and the shipment volume cannot be too large, as they must be used up on the same day.

The bok choy in front of us, which is perfectly preserved and of good quality, is already the best we can get this season.

"Two cents more is fine, just pack five more boxes for me, with ice packs to keep them fresh, then I won't have to run around every day."

“I’ll add three more boxes. Today is Children’s Day and tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. We don’t know how much we’ll need, so it’s good to have more stock.”

In an instant, the number of orders increased.

Xia Youche is both happy and frustrated. This truckload of bok choy is being shipped out incredibly quickly. After comparing the two, most customers prefer styrofoam boxes to bamboo baskets.

It wasn't until the styrofoam-boxed bok choy sold out that the bok choy in bamboo baskets resumed its shipping speed.

It's dawn,
Tongxingtai Vegetable Market was still busy, with Xia Youche sitting at the cashier calculating sales figures.

Tongxingtai is considered a mid-to-high-end vegetable market in Hong Kong, with a considerable daily sales volume of vegetables. However, green peppers and bok choy do not account for a large proportion of the vegetables sold at Jiangxin Market.

However, among all the vegetables, it stands out so much.

There are more competitors in the market for green bell peppers, but they are still selling well, and the profit margin of this single item remains the highest in the vegetable market.

That's why he was willing to sell the bok choy from Jiangxin Market, and he offered a pretty good price for it.

This resulted in lower profits compared to other sources of bok choy. Now, upon comparison, the profit margin for bok choy in styrofoam boxes is still lower, but not by much.

The key is that it's in high demand, and high demand means high sales volume.

Choy sum is different from green bell peppers. It sells very well in Hong Kong and is a popular vegetable.

Tongxingtai's sales of choy sum have been average in the past, but if they can increase the volume, wouldn't the profits come out?
That's why he felt that Jiangxin Vegetable Market was so glaringly obvious in the supplier list.

Mudd!

I should have agreed to him yesterday.

If you want to win them back now, well, it's very simple, just one phone call is enough.

Alternatively, you could be more assertive and continue to take smaller orders.

After all, he knew that Jiangxin Vegetable Market had received a monthly supply quota of 400 tons to Hong Kong.

If this task is not completed, it will severely damage the market's reputation.

But Xia had a car and dared not gamble.

The market owner is a stubborn person.

They have also opened up sales channels in mainland China. Blocking their supply to Hong Kong is likely to backfire, and it is not impossible for the stubborn ones to give up supplying Hong Kong.

Then Tongxingtai will suffer a huge loss.

Earning one million less is the same as losing one million, isn't it?
Moreover, is it even possible to block it?
When the other party sends out this truckload of high-quality bok choy, the initiative is no longer in his hands.

If he's already tempted, how can he not be tempted by the other food stalls?

Hong Kong's large food market has allies, but they are like rats hiding in a gutter, unfit for public display.

Thanks to the supply guarantee from the mainland, the vegetable market in Hong Kong has remained relatively stable most of the time.

As the handover drew near, companies like Hop Hing and Wing Lung invested heavily in vegetable markets on the mainland, and this underground cooperation gradually became a mere formality.

If Jiangxin Market can connect with other vegetable stalls, there's a good chance someone will be interested.

Last night, the man surnamed Chen mentioned Hexing and Yonglong, so he probably has their contact information.

After much deliberation, someone called again to order bok choy, specifically requesting it to be packed in a styrofoam box.
Xia Youche eventually dialed the phone again, placed the order for green peppers as usual, and requested two more truckloads of bok choy.

The person who answered the phone was accountant Xu Yao.

"Hey, Mr. Xia, didn't we agree to send a truckload of bok choy every two days?"

"The situation has changed; sales are actually quite good." "Oh, then you might have to call Mr. Chen again later."

"Mr. Chen called me yesterday and asked me to increase my orders."

"But we're selling quite well in Huacheng too. Today we only harvested 30 tons of bok choy, and I don't even know if that's enough to sell for me."

Xia Youche's expression changed upon hearing this, "30 tons isn't enough for you to sell?!"

Xu Yao said, "President Chen hasn't returned yet, and we're still unclear about what happened last night, but we didn't have enough bok choy to sell the day before yesterday."

Xia Youche pondered for a moment and said, "Our price is higher, so they'll definitely sell to me first!"

"It's up to Mr. Chen to decide."

Xu Yao actually used a little trick. The day before yesterday, she only harvested about ten tons of bok choy. Last night, she harvested 24 tons of bok choy. Today, she harvested 30 tons, which may not be sold out in one day.

However, she had been dealing with Tongxingtai for a long time and knew that Xia Youche had always wanted to suppress the price of bok choy in the market.

That's why they deliberately reduced the amount of goods they took.

The sudden demand for an increase is definitely driven by self-interest.

How could she possibly tell the truth?

Xia returned empty-handed, and suddenly felt a little anxious. Could it be that this Chen guy had already hooked up with someone else?
Chen Jiazhi didn't have time to flirt with anyone; he was busy with a big matter in the city.

spend money!

First, he took 15 yuan in cash to pick up the car.

Then, driving his newly bought Jetta, he spent 20,000 yuan to buy a cube-shaped computer.

Then he spent another 38,000 yuan to buy six Motorola pagers with Chinese characters and one mobile phone.

After going around in circles, I spent nearly 21 yuan in cash.

However, making money is still faster than spending money.

Chen Jiazhi calculated that, including the green peppers and choy sum supplied to Hong Kong, if all the vegetables could be sold today, the estimated income would be as high as 21.655 yuan.

Although he hasn't sold out yet, he feels that selling them all will be no problem when the next batch arrives tonight.

In other words, the money spent is less than the daily income.

"I didn't get to spend enough money!"

Chen Jiazhi was driving his boxy Jetta when he still felt the urge to make a purchase.

Xue Jun played with the pager he had just acquired with great delight.

With this thing, I can easily find and return phone calls when I'm out, as long as I don't go too far out, which makes things much more convenient.

Moreover, having a pager on your waist makes you look much more dashing when you walk down the street.

A short while later, the Jetta and Isuzu stopped one after the other in front of a building, and the people in the cars got out one after another.

Chen Jiazhi held the heavy mobile phone in his hand and looked around at his surroundings.

This is outside a side entrance of the Jiangnan Market, next to Zengcha Road.

Besides the Gangnam Market, there is a wholesale market under construction nearby, but the area is mostly farmland.

After looking around, Chen Jiazhi's gaze returned to the building in front of him.

It's called a building, but it's actually only two stories high, and it's a bare-bones building.

"It looks pretty ordinary without any renovations!"

Chen Jiazhi started finding fault, and a middle-aged man wearing dress pants with his shirt tucked into his waistband stepped forward.

"But there are several wholesale markets that have been built or are under construction in this area, and they will definitely develop in the future, making it a sure way to make money in business!"

Chen Zhengxu quickly stepped forward to introduce the two men, explaining that the middle-aged man was Du Jian, the owner of the building, who was planning to sell it.

By this time, it was already clear that this young man was the leader of the group. His brand-new Jetta sedan and the mobile phone he was holding proved that he was quite powerful.

"I originally intended to build this place to do business, but I'm short of cash, so I'm thinking of selling it."

"Mr. Chen, if you really want it, I'll sell it to you for 1200 yuan per square meter. It's a two-story building, about 600 square meters, for a total of 72 yuan. This building is yours!"

Are the property ownership certificates complete?

"complete."

"I need to verify it first." Chen Jiazhi pointed to the small building in front of him and said with a smile, "If the procedures are complete and the property rights are compliant, I will buy it here."

"It's definitely compliant and legal."

"That's best."

That's how he always buys things; once he sees something he likes, he doesn't hesitate. He spends money when he should and earns money when he should.

Moreover, although this place is remote now, it can definitely develop in the future.

Because it is close to Gangnam Market, and it will most likely become part of Gangnam Market in the future.

Buying it now for over 700,000 yuan is a sure thing, no risk whatsoever.

The renovation of the sorting center won't cost much, and the space will be sufficient for a long time.

Within minutes, Chen Jiazhi made his decision, emphasizing speed.

All that's left is the process; for an investment of several hundred thousand, you definitely need to consult a lawyer.

After buying the property, Chen Jiazhi went back to his stall.

It was already 2 p.m., and the vegetables were not yet sold out, but there were not many left. There were also very few people around. Li Cai was half-lying on the table, dozing off.

Chen Jiazhi placed a pager on the table. "Here, this is for you."

"Holy crap, I have one too?"

“Not only do you have one, Zhengxu and I both have one too.” Xue Jun also showed off the pager clipped to his waist, a smirk playing on his lips. “Call me if you need anything.”

(End of this chapter)