1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 308 Thunder Shatters the Darkness
"Ah Yong, Jiangxin Market is really a disaster!"

Qu Jingtai arrived at the farm once again and stopped in front of the "vegetable mountain" at Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

"Young people always have to make some mistakes." Li Jiyong smiled, finding it quite satisfying to see others suffer setbacks.

Qu Jingtai looked at the vegetable fields in the distance, where the busy scene remained unchanged, and shook his head.

"But he still wants to go down this path to the bitter end."

"Not only are they still transplanting seedlings, but they haven't stopped harvesting either. That's really foolish. They should have cut their losses at this point!"

Li Jiyong is at the farm every day and knows the situation better than Qu Jingtai.

Although Jiangxin vegetable market discards tens of tons of vegetables every day, the work rhythm remains unchanged.

They were busy planting and harvesting seedlings from early morning to late at night, and they became increasingly skilled at covering the seedlings with plastic film when the weather forecast predicted rain or changes in the weather.

"It's really stupid. Harvesting alone is a huge expense, and all that's being thrown away are good vegetables."

"Unfortunately, they can't be sold."

At this point, Qu Jingtai said in a deep voice, "Ayong, we also need to raise the harvesting standards for vegetables such as bok choy and kale. They haven't been selling well lately, so the quality of the vegetables needs to be even better."

After a pause, Qu Jingtai pointed to the workers who had brought over another tricycle full of vegetables to dump.

"Putting everything else aside, their dishes are more beautiful than ours in terms of appearance, quality, and craftsmanship. We should learn from them."

"They have small arched sheds that can protect them from rain, so the vegetables they grow are naturally more beautiful."

"The input and output are not proportional. Jiangxin Vegetable Market has failed. Dongsheng should not have spent money on it."

"........."

They want high-quality products and to make money, but they are reluctant to invest in facilities.

Li Jiyong thought to himself, "No wonder you can become a boss and your business is getting bigger and bigger, while the young people in the vegetable market next door can't keep up."

If the boss is too lenient with the workers and gives them all the money, how will he make any profit?
In places like Dongsheng, there are actually quite a few vegetables available recently, but they only harvest as much as they sell each day, never more.

Once the flowers have finished blooming, weeds are sprayed directly on them, the tops are pulled up, and the plants are pushed down and started over; they are never harvested at all.

Therefore, they have fewer workers per day.

The 1500-mu farm requires at most 100 workers per day, far less than the 600-mu Jiangxin vegetable market, which employs 300 workers per day.

Dongsheng Farm is a quiet and leisurely pastoral landscape, while Jiangxin Market is more like a noisy and bustling market.

The two walked a little further.

Suddenly, dark clouds drifted in, and raindrops began to fall from the sky.

The raindrops were like drops falling into a boiling oil pan, causing an instant uproar in the market.

At the sound of shouts, hundreds of vegetable workers sprang into action like army ants.

"Cover it with plastic wrap! Cover it with plastic wrap!"

"hurry up!"

"Sister Wang, come quickly, don't take the vegetables away."

"I'm coming!"

Qu Jingtai and Li Jiyong watched as two women with plump buttocks shouted and ran, their expressions as resolute as if they were heading to the battlefield!
With a quick pull and a press, the two worked together to build a small arched shed.

clap clap clap...

The entire market was filled with synchronized movements, some even calling out to each other in coordination, their actions skillful and agile.

Li Jiyong told Qu Jingtai to go back and take shelter from the rain, but Qu Jingtai kept turning back to look at the workers, his eyes shining.

"Ah Yong, these workers are great! We must recruit them!"

"We can't dig it up, District Manager."

Li Jiyong really wanted to say directly, "You're paying too little money, who's going to work hard for you?"

Qu Jingtai was aware of the wage gap, but he was very confident, saying, "Given the current situation, Jiangxin Vegetable Market probably won't last long. Sooner or later, it will be dragged down by the high wages, and that will be our opportunity!"

"You absolutely must poach them!"

"I will definitely seize any opportunity to do so!"

Li Jiyong was very envious of such high-quality workers, watching them frantically cover the film.

Meanwhile, the workers, trying to avoid the still relatively light rain, could only be seen as their backs.

"The rain is getting heavier, hurry up."

"When you have time, stretch up the middle of the plastic film to prevent water from accumulating and damaging the vegetables."

"Ouch~"

"Where did you fall, Sister Wang?"

"I slipped and fell on my bottom, and got a little muddy."

"Oh, you have a thick butt, it's okay, there's not much left, hurry up and cover it up."

Although it was efficient, the rain came suddenly, and some vegetables got a little wet, but it was still much better than leaving them exposed to the rain.

After the plastic sheeting was put on, the vegetable workers rushed to various places to take shelter from the rain.

Chen Jiazhi also mingled in the crowd, getting soaked in the rain, and dispersed like the tide.

The rain gradually intensified.

But it didn't look scary, and it didn't give people any sense of unease. It was just another ordinary rain in South China.

The largest group of vegetable workers gathered under a newly built red brick house, and Chen Jiazhi also stopped there.

This is the main dining hall.

The building is constructed of red bricks and has a main hall that is five or six hundred square meters in size, capable of accommodating three or four hundred people for dining at the same time.

Chen Jiazhi originally didn't plan to develop such a large project, but the relevant departments approved so much land and provided policy support.

The cost per acre is only 300 yuan per square meter, and with the decoration, it can be done for more than 20 yuan, which is much higher than expected. But considering the large area, I gritted my teeth and built it.

Putting everything else aside, it at least boosted morale and strengthened the sense of belonging among the vegetable workers.

Upon his return, everyone greeted him, and Chen Jiazhi responded, mingling with the crowd, chatting and telling dirty jokes. After a while, the conversation turned to the vegetables that had been thrown away that day—more than 1000 baskets, about 20 tons of vegetables, all of which had been discarded.

"Such good vegetables, it's such a waste to throw them away, why can't they be sold, Mr. Chen?"

"Why don't you plant fewer seedlings? If you plant too many, you won't be able to sell them and they'll just fall apart, and you'll lose a lot too!"

"You can charge less first, right?"

Hearing this, Chen Jiazhi smiled. In later generations, this would be considered a traitor to the workers, and the workers were even sympathizing with the capitalists.
Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "The vegetable market has its own operating strategy. All you need to do is to do your jobs well, which is the biggest help you can give to the vegetable market."

There's no need to worry about the market withholding wages, nor is there any need to worry about the market going out of business.

The market sold very well a few months ago; this is just a low point. Maybe if we can get through today, we'll see the light at the end of the tunnel!

One of the migrant workers shouted, "Everyone needs to roll up their sleeves and work hard! I've worked in many places, but only Boss Chen treats us like human beings."

"Mr. Chen, you must keep your market open, otherwise we won't know where to go next."

The sound of raindrops could not dampen the high spirits of the workers, who encouraged each other.

Chen Jiazhi knew that they were genuinely afraid the market would go out of business.

The rain stopped after another half hour. Some of the vegetables were covered with plastic film early, so they can still be harvested and stored, and seedlings can also be planted.

Anyway, every time we harvest a batch, we transplant another batch, and it's a continuous supply.

...

"Mr. Chen, I heard that the vegetables dumped at the market have piled up into a mountain."

"It's rare to see Mr. Xu showing such concern for the vegetable market."

“Xia Youche came to me and asked me to persuade you not to be so stubborn. He said that you have signed an exclusive agreement with Tongxingtai and he will smooth things over with the relevant connections. You can sell 10 tons more vegetables a day.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t sign,” Chen Jiazhi smiled. “But I still understand the difference between having a full meal once and having a full meal every day. Besides, these extra 10 tons won’t solve the problem.”

"You're dumping tons of food!"

Is it going to go bankrupt?

"It's all money we've lost!"

Is it going to go bankrupt?

"You!" Xu Wenxiang rubbed her forehead. "What other conditions do you want to negotiate? The price he offered is already quite good."

“I know, but it’s not enough,” Chen Jiazhi said thoughtfully. “Besides, I also want to include the profit margin in the agreement. If we breach the contract, the exclusivity agreement will no longer be valid.”

"This is difficult~"

"The current market environment is just tough, but we'll get through it if we just hold on."

"You've been through this for half a month now, haven't you felt even a little bit emotional?"

"My heart is now at peace."

"..."

Even when Xu Wenxiang was the major shareholder, there was nothing that could be done about him; now there's even less to be done.

Chen Jiazhi was quite free today, and had time to chat with her, from the vegetable market to Kaopu Fresh.

Xu Wenxiang and Huang Jianyuan wanted the vegetable market to invest in Kaopu Fresh, and the previous loan was converted into shares.

Chen Jiazhi then proposed that Kaopu Fresh take control of Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

The shares the two own in the market would be converted into shares in Kaopu Fresh, but the value would be reduced.

Xu Wenxiang disagreed. From the current perspective, the value of the vegetable market far exceeds that of the so-called reliable fresh food company. It should be the share appreciation that matters.

However, Chen Jiazhi also disagreed with the vegetable market's offer to exchange loans to Kaopu Fresh for shares.

This matter will be left unresolved for now.

Just a few minutes after ending the call with Xu Wenxiang, Xia Youche called again.

"Mr. Chen, why bother? The vegetables we worked so hard to harvest are just going to be thrown away after a few days in the warehouse. It's a complete waste of money and pointless. It would be much better to sell them to us."

“How could it be meaningless?” Chen Jiazhi thought of the rotting vegetable mountain and said, “These vegetables have all rotted in the ground and eventually turned into nutrients for the soil. The vegetables grown later will be just as good.”

"Alright, this shop will be closed after today."

Xia Youche said, "We have a lot of vegetables lately, so I've contacted other suppliers. I won't be taking yours for the time being. I'm just letting you know, so please don't mind."

"It's business, I understand."

After the vegetables were sent to the market in the evening, new vegetables were immediately brought into the cold storage. The cold storage was always full, with a capacity of about 300 tons.

Every night at the debriefing meeting, everyone was on high alert.

Seeing a cold storage full of vegetables, and vegetables still growing continuously from the fields, I felt immense pressure.

Chen Jiazhi, however, only sensed the vibrant life and flourishing of all things.
That evening, a light, unremarkable rain fell again in Huacheng.

Shenzhen

Approximately 250 to 300 truckloads of vegetables are transported from the Wenjindu Port in Shenzhen to Hong Kong every day.

Ye Yuliang is a customs inspector; all vehicles entering and leaving the country must pass through his inspection.

Inspectors are also among the key targets for bribery by smugglers and other criminals.

In the 1980s, Hong Kong's used cars, electronic products, and other goods generated astonishing profits in the mainland market.

The Wenjindu Port sees a constant stream of trucks entering every day, and smugglers are taking advantage of loopholes to create a smuggling frenzy.

Unlike Ye Yuliang, he did not participate in smuggling, but he had other ways to make money.

He and a colleague were mainly responsible for inspecting and releasing vegetables supplied to Hong Kong.

By simply following the vehicle information provided by Xiangjiang Dacailan, releasing some vehicles in a timely manner, and delaying competing vehicles, one can earn a substantial reward with minimal risk.

That day, as usual, he opened the gate to let Hexing's container trucks pass.

Unexpectedly, the sky suddenly exploded with thunder, shattering the darkness, a fierce wind arose, and a torrential downpour began.

(End of this chapter)