1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 338 Exit
slap~
Chen Jiazhi leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and silently gave Xu Wenxiang a thumbs up in his heart.

Sister Xu has been really helpful lately!

Tomorrow she will bring her Malaysian and Singaporean clients to the market to see for themselves.

The distance between the hotel and the market is not short, which means the other party must have a real need, and there is an 80% chance that this deal will be completed.

At least we've made it to the exit!
With the current distribution channels in place, having an outlet would make it even more complete.

Then he thought of delivery.

"Oops~ I forgot to call Zhengxu. I was busy drinking, chatting and playing cards after I got home yesterday."

Competing for delivery customers by fighting is not a sustainable strategy. Chen Jiazhi called Chen Zhengxu to discuss customer retention and expansion.

He maintains the same view: there are still many growth markets, and at the same time, we should pursue a high-end strategy.

However, Chen Zhengxu insisted that constant forbearance would have negative effects both internally and externally.

After listening, Chen Jiazhi also felt that sometimes it was necessary to have a fight, but the key was to keep it within limits.

After talking with Chen Zhengxu, Chen Jiazhi continued to sit in his office. There were many things to do, and he needed to sort them out clearly.

When he felt dizzy and lightheaded, he left the office. The vegetable market under the setting sun was full of vitality, and as he looked around, he noticed Hong Zhong standing in front of the Friendship Agricultural Supplies store in the distance.

Oh right, I haven't had any conversations with Hongzhong since I got back.

Just then, Hong Zhong looked up and noticed him, waved, and the two met on the highway.

"Mr. Hong looks quite well lately!"

"Thanks to General Manager Chen, agricultural supplies have been selling very well recently." Hong Zhong gave a few examples and then took out a cigarette from his bag.

"I'm not smoking anymore, I just threw it away."

Chen Jiazhi inquired about the specific situation of the agricultural supply store. In addition to the business at the vegetable market, Youyi Agricultural Supply Store's sales of seeds, seeders, fiber poles, and other products to external customers had improved.

“The profit margin on seeds is quite good. The Zhongjiao No. 5 seed that you planted in the first half of the year is selling very well this month. Other varieties like the Sijiu bok choy, romaine lettuce, and Shanghai bok choy that you recommended are also selling quite well.”

No wonder you look so healthy.

“Hey, it’s all thanks to Jiangxin Market.” Hong Zhong smiled and said, “Now when I have bigger clients, I bring them to Jiangxin Market to see the results in person. As for the small farmers in the surrounding area, I let them come to the market to see for themselves. For those who are farther away, I even got photos from your wife.”

Chen Jiazhi had heard Li Xiu mention the photos before, and jokingly asked, "Shouldn't you pay the market for advertising?"

“We’re all family, why bring this up?” Hong Zhong muttered. “The prices I offer to the market for agricultural supplies are getting lower and lower, huh?”

This part is truly impeccable.

In terms of controlling agricultural input costs, thanks to its scale advantage and technological improvements, the average cost per acre of vegetable markets is gradually decreasing.

However, fertilizers and pesticides remain a pain point.

Hongzhong usually buys second-hand or third-hand fertilizers from China. Importing fertilizers from abroad incurs tariffs and is therefore not cheap.

The two discussed it for a while; this was currently the most difficult problem to solve.

“Organic fertilizer isn’t under control, is it?” Chen Jiazhi suggested, “Maybe we could try that.”

"Hmm~" Hong Zhong pondered, thinking it was feasible, as the Jiangxin vegetable market alone required a lot of organic fertilizer every year.

"But where am I going to find fertilizer? I can't exactly open a factory, can I? And if I open a factory, where will the raw materials come from? And then I'll open a chicken farm?"

"..."

Chen Jiazhi only mentioned it briefly; to actually set up a chicken farm just for some organic fertilizer would be putting the cart before the horse.

However, it reminded him of his ongoing research on seedling substrates, which could also be a direction.

There were few vehicles on the road, and the fields were busy yet peaceful.

Choy sum, mustard greens, kale, bok choy, romaine lettuce, and water spinach—each one is lush, tender, and vibrant green.

There might be some minor issues with crop rotation, but the planting management is truly top-notch.

Walking from one end to the other, Chen Jiazhi would occasionally step into the fields, scoop up a handful of soft soil, and feel the debris in the soil.

Occasionally, when encountering vegetable harvesters, they would also praise the soil with beaming smiles.

Through continuous improvement, this field has been transformed into fertile land.

Feeling the scent of the vegetable garden, Chen Jiazhi's tense nerves gradually relaxed.

Jingle bell bell~
Jingle bell bell~
"Uncle, what are you doing?" The two brothers, Yi Long and Yi Hu, stopped their bicycles one after the other by the roadside. "Playing in the mud?"

Chen Jiazhi narrowly escaped losing the fertile land he held.

"School's out? Have you done your homework?"

"I've written half of it, I'll go out for a bike ride for a bit before going back."

The two brothers took off again. There were quite a few students riding bikes in the market; it's a good place to ride bikes.

Chen Jiazhi clapped his hands, glanced at the Friendship Agricultural Supplies sign, and walked back.

People were doing all sorts of work: tilling the land, transplanting seedlings, harvesting vegetables, thinning seedlings, weeding... and now, as evening approached, there were also workers watering the plants.

It's still the same combination of water pump and water pipe. Actually, the layout of the vegetable market's drainage system would be more suitable for using a boat-type water pump, but we don't have one right now.

In addition, after consulting some materials, Chen Jiazhi also figured out something.

Sprinkler irrigation has been used in Guangzhou for a long time.

Since the commune period before the reform and opening up, sprinkler irrigation has been vigorously developed in Guangzhou as an important watering facility.

However, the household contract responsibility system implemented after the reform and opening up destroyed the conditions for the development of sprinkler irrigation facilities.

The area irrigated by sprinklers in Huacheng vegetable fields has also rapidly decreased from tens of thousands of acres to a few hundred acres.

It has also been uncommon in the last decade, possibly due to the low cost of labor.

However, Chen Jiazhi believes that sprinkler irrigation is necessary. In addition to the increase in labor costs, the availability of micro-sprinkler irrigation allows for more reasonable water and fertilizer control in the summer, which can improve the quality of vegetables under high temperature and humidity conditions.

Upon seeing the water being poured, Chen Jiazhi made a note of it.

Before they knew it, they had arrived outside the seedling shed. Yi Hu's bicycle was parked nearby, and he was just coming out of the shed.

"Uncle, why do potatoes and tomatoes look so alike?"

"How is it similar?"

Chen Jiazhi thought about the yellow potatoes and the red tomatoes; these two things didn't seem to go together.

Yi Hu stroked his chin. "If you only look at the parts of the plant above ground, they look pretty much the same."

"Forehead……"

It seems so.

Chen Jiazhi was taken aback by the question and glared at it, saying, "Why do you care so much? Just make it look like it."

Yi Hu hopped on his bicycle and said disdainfully, "If you don't know, you don't know."

"..."

Chen Jiazhi scratched his head and went into the nearest seedling shed, where he saw the tomato seedlings in the seedling trays.

"They don't look that similar, do they?"

He had just muttered something when he turned his head and saw a plastic bucket next to the shed.

There was also a tomato plant growing in the bucket, tall and looking no different from the above-ground part of the potato.

Hmm~ Chen Jiazhi vaguely remembered seeing related news before, that Tomato is Potato's mother?

Are tomatoes and potatoes both in the nightshade family?
Chen Jiazhi's eyes suddenly turned strange. He remembered that, according to scientists in later generations, tomatoes really were the mother of potatoes.

Other plants in the nightshade family include goji berries and chili peppers.

So, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and goji berries are all from the same family? Chen Jiazhi shook his head and decided to go back to his office to look at the relevant information again.

He found it quite interesting.

What if there are rootstocks among them that can be used for grafting?
Evening arrived quickly, and the last truckload of vegetables had been dispatched, but the daily debriefing meeting was still being held.

As meetings become more frequent, they gradually become more concise.

Chen Jiazhi felt there was no problem, and he only mentioned the micro-sprinkler irrigation, asking the vegetable market to organize a trial.

If this thing existed before the reform and opening up, it wouldn't be difficult to make now. The difficulty lies in refining it and creating a misting effect for watering.

We'll have to talk about that later.

After returning home, Chen Jiazhi told Yi Hu at the dinner table that tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and goji berries all belong to the nightshade family, and tomatoes might be the mother of potatoes.

His serious demeanor amused many people.

"Then what about eating fries with ketchup?" Yi Hu's question made the laughter even louder.

"What else could it be? The whole family needs to be together, right?" Chen Jiazhi smiled.

"Hahaha~"

Yi Hu then asked, "Uncle, is it possible to cultivate a plant that grows tomatoes above ground and potatoes underground?"

A one-stop solution for Di San Xian (a local specialty dish)?

Chen Jiazhi looked at Yi Hu's eyes, which were filled with a thirst for knowledge, and shook his head helplessly.

"So, would you like potato-flavored tomato, or tomato-flavored potato?"

"Haha~" The dinner table was filled with laughter.

Yi Hu thought for a moment and said, "I want to eat eggplant-flavored tomatoes and chili-flavored potatoes."

"..." Chen Jiazhi shrugged. "I, your uncle, can't do that."

"Grafting."

"..."

If this continues, the whole world will know that he's messing around with grafting.

However, to be fair, the Solanaceae family is almost as chaotic as the Citrus family.

...

The car drove through the smog-filled city, and the farther away from the city, the bluer the sky and the fresher the air.

When the market came into view, it was as if a visual dream had begun.

Rows of vegetable plots stretched out neatly like silk ribbons, their tender green hearts shimmering with life under the gentle breeze.

The farmers, wearing straw hats, moved about in the fields, busily picking ripe vegetables.

"Mr. Xue, Mr. Yu, we've arrived at the market."

"Mr. Xu, this vegetable garden looks so nice."

After the car entered the market area, it slowed down and rolled down the windows. Xu Wenxiang led the guests from Malaysia and Singapore to look out over the vegetable fields.

All of them had very good senses.

"Jiangxin Vegetable Market has passed the city's certification as a pollution-free vegetable base and is also a high-quality supply base to Hong Kong. From production and packaging to transportation and sales, it is of first-class standard in the city."

Xu Wenxiang explained the situation with a smile, noting that both of them had a strong intention to buy.

Once they arrived at the plaza outside the office, the group got out of the car and were immediately drawn to a container truck being loaded outside the cold storage. They all went over to take a look.

"This dish looks good."

"It's very fresh, and the packaging and transportation were also very good. It should be fine to ship it to Malaysia."

From the cold storage to the vegetable field, Xu Wenxiang soon saw Chen Jiazhi riding his bicycle at breakneck speed.

"Mr. Chen, this is Mr. Xue Chenglin from Malaysia, and Ms. Yu Hong from Singapore."

"Mr. Xue, Mr. Yu, hello." Chen Jiazhi stepped forward to greet them, and then invited them to his office for tea, but they all wanted to walk around first.

Chen Jiazhi accompanied them, making introductions from time to time.

Xue Chenglin and Yu Hong would occasionally stop to watch the workers pick vegetables, and they would also pick vegetables themselves to check their tenderness.

Chen Jiazhi then suggested that they could try the dishes at noon, and judging from Xue and Yu's reactions, both of them really had a desire to buy them.

After walking in the fields for more than half an hour, everyone got tired and returned to the office building.

Chen Jiazhi handed the bag of vegetables that the group had picked to the kitchen, and when he came out, he saw that Xue Chenglin had another bag in his hand.

"Mr. Chen, I brought you two durians, which I picked from my own tree."

"Mr. Xue also has a durian plantation?"

In previous conversations, Chen Jiazhi knew that Xue Chenglin ran an oil palm plantation, but he had never heard him mention durian.

Xue Chenglin shook his head and smiled, "There's no garden, just two trees. We use them for our own consumption or to give away. I brought you two this time, so you can take them back and enjoy them with your family."

Chen Jiazhi took it and thanked him. He wasn't interested in this stuff, but Li Xiu liked it. However, in her previous life, she couldn't afford to buy it and had only eaten it once or twice.

After arriving at the office, we made tea and started chatting again, this time about a wider range of topics.

After taking a walk around the market, Xue Chenglin and Yu Hong both confirmed their intention to cooperate on vegetables.

During the conversation, Chen Jiazhi also learned that Xue and Yu were co-operating in an oil palm plantation.

The palm oil industry is also a pillar industry in Malaysia, with a large planting area, and the local land is also used to grow high-value cash crops.

This has led to Malaysia needing to import its vegetables and fruits, as has Singapore.

Moreover, both regions have a strong preference for leafy vegetables, and this collaboration was a result of a fortuitous coincidence.

At noon, the chefs at the market's canteen also prepared several exquisite Cantonese dishes.

In addition to the various leafy greens that the market mainly offers, there are also free-range chickens and ducks that have been prepared in advance.

In terms of ingredients, Xue and Yu were quite satisfied.

If there's money to be made, there's a high chance of developing them into long-term clients. Chen Jiazhi also had Yi Dinggan write down the information for future collaboration.

After the meal, taking advantage of Xue and Yu's absence, Chen Jiazhi came to Xu Wenxiang's side and gave her a thumbs up.

"Mr. Xu has been a great help recently, very supportive. Keep it up."

Xu Wenxiang rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid if I don't do anything soon, you, President Chen, will kick me out."

“I will act in accordance with the law and will not violate any regulations. The rights and interests of the shareholders will definitely be protected.”

Chen Jiazhi chuckled and said that when he was the market manager, he couldn't manage the finances, and there were quite a few irregularities in the market.

“That would be best.” Xu Wenxiang nodded. “If you really want to thank me, you can leave those two durians in my car.”

Chen Jiazhi: ?

When did I have to thank you?

How could you say something so shameless with such a nonchalant expression?
"Does Mr. Xu like durian?"

Xu Wenxiang turned her head to look at him and nodded, "It's not easy to buy durians in China, especially from Malaysia."

Chen Jiazhi hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up his mind. He had offended her more than once or twice, so what difference would it make if he did it again today?

"Next time, I have a lot of people at home, and two durians are just enough for everyone to try. If you really like them, Reliable Fresh can consider doing this kind of business in the future."

(End of this chapter)