1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 326 I Won't Back Down
Chen Jiazhi had many discussions with Li Cai and Xue Jun about the new stalls to be opened, including the size of the leased location, the business direction, and the construction of the market's cold storage.

The proposed new cold storage facility in the market can be combined with the stalls, with the storefront in the front and the cold storage in the back.

Just then, a batch of new stalls will be launched in the Jiangnan Market. If he continues to choose Jiangnan, Chen Jiazhi intends to acquire two consecutive stalls in one go.

Another option is to rent a stall at the Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market in Shenzhen.

Regardless of the choice, the pressure on the supply of goods will increase significantly, and the transaction volume must be boosted.

Chen Jiazhi focused on bulk, storable vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, operating on local sources in winter and sourcing from western regions like Yunnan in summer.

The seedling bases in Yunnan will also take on functions such as organizing the supply of goods, and may even have supporting investments such as cold storage and foam boxes.

However, these are all long-term plans.

A towering building rises from the ground up, and Yunnan's seedling bases and market stalls are two key pillars.

"Brother Chen, who do you plan to put in charge of the seedling base in Yunnan?"

Faced with Li Cai's question, Chen Jiazhi already had an answer in mind: "I will go with him in the early stages, but Li Mingkun may go later."

Li Cai stroked his chin. "Isn't that a bit too conservative? He's not bold enough. Letting him organize the supply of goods or sell seedlings might cause him to suffer losses."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "He is indeed timid, but he is also quite steady in his work. The countryside is not very stable now, so we can't be too aggressive in our actions. Seedling cultivation is a long-term business, and we don't plan to make a profit within one or two years. It's suitable for him to go."

As for sourcing the goods, we can hire local people to do that.

Li Cai didn't quite understand the significance of the seedling business, and couldn't imagine how to make a profit from seedlings.

His goal is still to resolve the supply issue as soon as possible.

"If the problem can't be solved in Yunnan, could we contact vegetable brokers in the north and have them ship the vegetables over from there?"

"If the stall is open but there are no goods, that's fine. Don't be too rigid. Find a source of goods first and get the business going."

"I understand. I will first look into relevant resources."

Looking at the confident Li Cai, Chen Jiazhi still couldn't understand why he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
I need to talk to Li Xiu when I get back.

After spending half a day at the market, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun drove their square-headed Jetta back to Lingshan Town.

He didn't go to the market first, but stopped right in front of his house.

Old man Chen Shaochang sat under a big tree outside the courtyard, smoking a pipe.

After the car stopped, he stood up. "You're back? Oh, Xue Jun came along too?"

"Dad, are you smoking? I just brought back some tobacco leaves from Yunnan, they're very dry."

Anyone who has smoked leaf tobacco knows that if the tobacco is damp or not dried properly, the fire will go out while you're smoking it.

Yunnan's unique environment results in exceptionally high-quality tobacco leaves. When Xue Jun was in Tonghai, Yuxi, he bought several bundles of top-quality tobacco leaves from the local supply and marketing cooperative.

"Good, very good." Chen Shaochang took the tobacco leaves, examined them for a moment, then smiled and called out, "Guozhen, Xue Jun is here, quickly pour him a glass of water!"

"Hehe, Dad, no need, I can do it myself." Xue Jun said no, but couldn't help licking his lips. It was really hot.

At this moment, Peng Guozhen also came out of the house, along with the Yi brothers, Yi Long and Yi Hu, who were watching TV at home.

"Xue Jun is here. Come in and sit down. We have some chilled plum juice."

"Uncle, you're finally back! I got 85 points in both Chinese and Math on my final exams, which is enough to buy a computer."

Chen Jiazhi rubbed Yi Hu's head, while Yi Long went inside instead.

Upon entering the house, they found a television playing and a straw mat laid on the floor. Dou Dou immediately climbed onto Yi Long.

Peng Guozhen poured plum juice for the two of them and sat down to chat.

Chen Jiazhi picked up his son and asked Yi Long, "How did Xiaolong do on his final exams?"

Yi Long scratched his head. "It's alright, but it's still a bit short of buying a computer."

Xue Jun then asked about buying a computer. Yi Hu wanted to speak, but Yi Long subtly nudged him from behind.

Chen Jiazhi noticed that Peng Guozhen was also giving him a wink, but Chen Jiazhi still told the two brothers the truth about their agreement.

“Brother Jun, I treat everyone equally. If Xiao Bo and Yan Zi are willing to put in the effort in their studies, I will also buy them computers to help them with their studies. The same goes for my eldest sister’s two sisters.”

"This...this won't do!" Xue Jun was somewhat shocked and instinctively felt that this was not a good thing.

Chen Jiazhi waved his hand, "If I couldn't treat everyone equally, I wouldn't have made this exception, but the premise is that you have to really learn."

If I remember correctly, of his six nephews and nieces in his previous life, only Yi Hu finished junior high school.

The others dropped out of school during primary or junior high.

Third Sister and Xue Jun's sons, Xiao Bo and Yanzi, are also formidable. They grew up close to his family and had frequent interactions. When their two sons were left behind in their hometown, they were spared much bullying thanks to their two cousins.

Once, when DouDou and Chen Zhengyun were bullied, Yanzi, who was still in the first year of junior high school, grabbed a kitchen knife and chased the junior high school boy around the village twice for her life.
I have always respected him and Li Xiu.

I don't see my older sister's two daughters as often, but they are both normal families and there's not much trouble between them.

According to the original trajectory, apart from Yi Hu, none of the six nephews and nieces could concentrate on their studies.

If this incident can lead to some changes in these individuals, that would be even better.

Of course, there was still plenty of gossip. Peng Guozhen said that Wu Ying from her eldest sister's family had stopped going to school.

However, some gossip should be ignored.

Xue Jun understood, shook his head and smiled wryly, "It seems I also need to find a way to bring my two children out to study."

Chen Jiazhi said, "It would be best if we could get them together. Given the environment in our hometown, it might take decades to produce a college student. Besides, tuition fees in rural areas are rising, so it's better to get them out of school sooner rather than later."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with your third sister."

After chatting for a while, Peng Guozhen started preparing dinner. Xue Jun went into the kitchen to help, and Chen Jiazhi asked him if he wanted to go to the market. Without thinking, he refused.

Chen Jiazhi scoffed, saying that when he visited his father-in-law's house, he had never cooked a meal.

The sun was already on its way down the mountain, but the heat was still intense.

After riding my bike for a short while, my clothes were soaked with sweat, but the market under the setting sun felt especially welcoming.

On the side of a field road, he encountered Li Xiu, who was also wearing a straw hat and riding a bicycle.

"Great job, Xiu! You're riding this bike pretty well now."

"It's alright~" Li Xiu smiled and stopped beside him. "Are you tired from running around outside?"

"Not tired." Chen Jiazhi also got out of the car and asked, "How were you at home? Were you tired?"

Li Xiu shook her head and said, "It's alright. I only go out for a bike ride in the morning and evening, and I don't go to the market much. But, during the time you weren't around, things went pretty smoothly on both sides."

The two pushed their carts and chatted as they walked, from household chores to market management, and as Li Xiu said, everything was going quite smoothly.

Chen Jiazhi also praised Li Xiu for playing the role of 'supervisor' very well.

After going around in circles, the two returned to the office, where Chen Jiazhi spoke with the heads of each department and group in turn.

He learned about everything from production, packaging, warehousing, shipping, recruitment, and payment collection, to the large canteen that had already started, as well as the new base and nursery under construction. He even chatted with Hong Zhong for a while.

He didn't make any arrangements; he simply gathered information about the situation.

By the time I finished, it was already evening.

"Jiazhi, you really can't stay still for a moment. You need to rest more."

"It's one thing to be busy in Guangzhou, but you also have to go to Yunnan and Shanghai. You'll be even busier in the future. Look at you, you don't gain any weight at all~" A big table of dishes was prepared for dinner. The eldest sister, Chen Jiahua, and Wu Chengyong also came. The group ate and chatted. When the topic of work came up, Peng Guozhen, who had taken a couple of sips of wine, started to ramble on.

Chen Shaochang's glare at her was useless.

“Where did I say something wrong? Look at Xiaohu, he’s only been here a short time, but he’s already grown taller and gained weight. Among all these people, Jiazhi is the thinnest. He’s running around outside every day, how can he eat and sleep well?”

“Hey, we’ve really been eating and sleeping well while we’re out here,” Chen Jiazhi added. “If you don’t believe me, ask Xue Jun. He knows. We’re eating out and staying in hotels every day.”

"Yes, Jiazhi is very generous, but the expenses are a bit much. He even took me to the Oriental Pearl Tower for a meal..."

As Xue Jun recounted his experiences, everyone's attention was drawn to what they had seen and heard on the trip.

Dinner was quite enjoyable.

After dinner, Yi Dinggan, along with Wu Chengyong and Xue Jun, played cards with his father-in-law for a while.

Chen Jiazhi stood by and watched for a while. His three brothers-in-law were all quite cunning, trying their best to give way to their father, but they couldn't do it openly.

Feeling awkward, Chen Jiazhi watched TV with the child in the living room for a while before returning to his room to organize the content for tomorrow's meeting.

"Jiazhi, go wash up and get ready for bed." Li Xiu pushed open the door and walked in. "Mom is right, you should rest more. You're thinking about work again as soon as you get back."

Chen Jiazhi put down his pen and leaned back in his chair. "So many people are counting on me to make money!"

"You mean Brother Yi and the others?"

"Hmm~ It's not just them, is it?" Chen Jiazhi stood up and laughed, "Don't think about it too much. I'm going to take a shower and get ready to come back and pay my dues."

Li Xiu blushed, gritted her teeth, and whispered, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

"Heh, you just wait."

After taking a shower and having a satisfying and intense sexual encounter, Chen Jiazhi sat half-upright on the bed, smoking a cigarette, feeling relaxed and content.

The next day, Chen Jiazhi organized a meeting at the vegetable market. Thanks to the preliminary investigation and exchange the day before, the meeting went very smoothly.

In addition to daily work, seedling greenhouses, nurseries, and new landscaping are also continuing.

At the same time, two new projects were also decided upon: Yuanmou Nursery and Shanghai Vegetable Market.

However, the other two shareholders of the vegetable market expressed their dissatisfaction with the investment in Yunnan.

The coastal areas are the economic center, and investing in remote mountainous regions is unacceptable to both Xu and Huang, regardless of the reason.

"Mr. Xu, if you can't accept it, then withdraw your investment. You will still receive your share of the dividends due."

"I will not back down."

"If they don't offer a refund, then we have no choice but to accept it."

"I still have reservations. Yunnan is too remote and poor, and the transportation is inconvenient. I don't see any investment value there."

"Then withdraw your shares."

“I won’t back down.” Xu Wenxiang pondered for a moment and said, “Huang and I can provide more support for Kaopu Fresh, and we can even let Kaopu Fresh integrate the vegetable market.”

"Well, this is fine."

It's likely that the two of them also noticed the news that Guangzhou is planning to build a pollution-free vegetable city.

Chen Jiazhi added, "However, you can't interfere with my investment. I'm definitely going to Yunnan. If you don't think it's a good investment, you should withdraw your shares sooner rather than later. You can still make a considerable profit by withdrawing now."

If I really go to Yunnan, who knows where I'll spend all the money in my account!

"You!" Xu Wenxiang laughed in anger, "You're not that kind of person!"

“Don’t be so confident. You’re not good at judging people either,” Chen Jiazhi said again. “You should withdraw your shares.”

"No retreat."

With a snap, the phone was hung up.

Chen Jiazhi called again, and as soon as the call was answered, he said, "Withdraw your investment!"

"Don't retreat!"

If you try calling again, you won't get through.

Chen Jiazhi quietly took a few steps towards the door. As soon as he opened it, he saw Xu Yao, Tong Gang, Huang Chuan, and Tan Wangji disappearing hurriedly down the corridor.

...

Xu Wenxiang contacted Huang Jianyuan and brought up Chen Jiazhi's matter of asking them to withdraw their shares.

"Mr. Xu, what do you think?"

"No retreat. Putting everything else aside, Chen Jiazhi is very capable in running a vegetable market, and the market's profitability is ridiculously good. He should just go and invest in Yunnan and Shanghai."

Huang Jianyuan was a little anxious. "What if he never pays dividends to shareholders, or even transfers assets under the guise of investment?"

"He shouldn't be that kind of person," Xu Wenxiang pondered. "If he were going to manipulate things, the market and stall owners wouldn't use a consignment fee for settlement; they would just buy directly at a lower price."

Huang Jianyuan understood. "From now on, can we only rely on his character?"

Xu Wenxiang tacitly agreed.

Huang Jianyuan muttered, "It would be better to just withdraw my shares and take the money."

"Sure, to tell you the truth, the market currently has 852 million yuan in cash in its accounts. Chen Jiazhi has promised to give you dividends if you withdraw your investment now, but are you willing to give it up?"

"Over eight million..." Huang Jianyuan said in shock, "How is that possible? It's only been a short time!"

"real."

Xu Wenxiang already knew about it, but she still couldn't help but feel uneasy when the topic came up.

"We've spent so much time and energy working on hotels, but we earn far less than we do at the vegetable market."

Are you still willing to withdraw now?

Huang Jianyuan hesitated. He could get a sum of money by withdrawing his shares now, but he had already made eight million in six months. What if he was given more time?
The investment prospects in Yunnan remain to be seen, but he feels that investing in a vegetable market in Shanghai has a promising future.

Moreover, this person really has a knack for running a vegetable market.

Xu Wenxiang added, "Chen Jiazhi just feels that we haven't played our due role and are just getting paid without contributing anything, so he's reminding us now."

Huang Jianyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "So that's why you've been actively looking for customers for Kaopu Fresh lately?"

Xu Wenxiang smiled, which can be taken as an admission, "I just spoke with him and I agreed to integrate Kaopu Fresh and the vegetable market."

"..." Huang Jianyuan pondered the gains and losses. Taking a sum of money was certainly good, but the market's earning power was too tempting to resist.

Xu Wenxiang made it very clear that Chen Jiazhi was dissatisfied with the value they provided.

After the supply channels to Hong Kong were initially blocked, he had to reopen them himself.

In the months that followed, he and Xu Wen focused on the hotel and their own business, so it's no wonder they were upset.

What else can I offer?

Perhaps his identity as a Hong Konger is a resource, not to mention that he also runs a restaurant, so he must have something he needs.

"I've thought it through, I'm not backing out."

(End of this chapter)