1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 363 Going Home
Ota Market is the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Tokyo, but it has only been operating for a few years.

Naohito Murata worked for a vegetable company in the Daejeon Market.

Due to its limited resources, Japan relies heavily on imports for vegetables, especially in winter.

Naohito Murata's trip to China was to investigate potential sources of goods for cooperation.

Xu Wenxiang learned of this news by chance, so she asked someone to introduce her to Murata Naohito and started promoting leafy greens from Jiangxin Vegetable Market, while also mentioning broccoli.

However, Naotoshi Murakami's company has a cooperative leafy vegetable base in Guangdong and is not interested in leafy vegetables.

However, they showed interest in broccoli, which is expected to be available in late April or early May.

Before entering the tea room, Chen Jiazhi was still thinking about how to communicate with Naohito Murakami.

He doesn't speak English or Japanese, and Murata doesn't speak Chinese either, so Xu Wenxiang has to act as the translator.

Furthermore, the broccoli is still in the seedling stage and the products haven't grown yet, so we can only discuss intentions first.

Xu Wenxiang, dressed in a white suit, knocked on the door of the tea room. An ordinary-looking middle-aged man opened the door and bowed slightly upon seeing the two of them.

Chen Jiazhi was taken aback; this habit of bending over so easily was quite in line with the identity of a Japanese soldier.

He shook hands with Murata Naohito, just like Xu Wenxiang did, before sitting down.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and drinking tea for a while, they finally got down to business.

Chen Jiazhi first provided some basic information, such as the area, broccoli varieties, estimated yield, and market launch time.

While Xu Wenxiang was translating, he was also observing Murata, paying particular attention to the changes in Murata's demeanor when the topic of the listing date came up.

Chen Jiazhi noticed a momentary unease in his body language.

After the translation was completed, Naohito Murata also expressed some interest.

But he didn't seem very interested; instead, he talked a lot about broccoli farms in Japan.

It was also mentioned that they have been purchasing broccoli in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas in recent years.

In short, it gives the impression that he has a source of goods, but can also reach new growers.

Xu Wenxiang muttered to Chen Jiazhi, "Is he trying to compare prices from multiple vendors to negotiate a lower price?"

Chen Jiazhi thought to himself, "You're not stupid. The Japanese devils clearly have the same idea."

However, despite his conscious efforts, Chen Jiazhi's past life experience allowed him to understand some aspects of the Japanese broccoli market.

He stood up and faced Naohito Murata. "Mr. Murata, as far as I know, Japanese hardy broccoli varieties can only be planted in March or April and are available in May or June."

My broccoli will be available around the end of April or the beginning of May, almost a month earlier than usual.

If you are interested, we can meet at the base in a month to discuss this further.

If you're not interested or not interested enough, there's no need to waste your time; I'll find other clients.

Xu Wenxiang then translated his words into English.

Chen Jiazhi noticed that Murata Naohito seemed very surprised this time, and then exchanged a few more words with Xu Wenxiang.

"He asked you if you were sure that broccoli in Shanghai would be available in early May?"

"sure."

Having studied English before, Chen Jiazhi still knew this word.

Naohito Murata muttered a few more words, and Chen Jiazhi could tell from his expression that he was still suspicious.

He then asked Xu Wenxiang to invite him to visit the Shanghai base a month later.

"Mr. Xu, we can also recommend our leafy greens to him. Our Shanghai base also grows leafy greens such as bok choy, and the transportation distance is shorter compared to Guangdong."

"it is good."

This kind of communication, which relies on a human translator, feels very unpleasant.

Chen Jiazhi decided he needed to seriously spend some time learning English, as he would likely encounter similar situations frequently in the future.

After a while, Xu Wenxiang said, "He agreed and will go to Shanghai by April at the latest. Are you confident that you can grow broccoli?"

Chen Jiazhi raised an eyebrow, "You still don't trust my vegetable-growing skills?"

Xu Wenxiang: "You're definitely fine, but you're not in charge personally. If you mess things up, it'll be embarrassing."

Chen Jiazhi smiled at Murata Naohito, who was observing the two of them, then turned back and muttered, "I'll definitely put my heart into making money off the Japanese."

You have a need, I have a product; Chen Jiazhi felt that the initial contact went quite smoothly.

After seeing Murata Naohito off, Xu Wenxiang looked Chen Jiazhi up and down with some surprise.

“Sure, Mr. Chen, I didn’t expect you to be so good at business. I can tell that Murata is very interested in broccoli that can be marketed in Shanghai earlier.”

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Actually, it's not much different from selling vegetables at the market. Know yourself and your enemy, understand their needs, know your own advantages, and you'll have the confidence to bargain."

Xu Wenxiang asked, "How do you know when broccoli will be available in Japan, and how are you so sure that broccoli that is available earlier has an advantage?"

This can be considered the key to the dialogue between the two sides.

Xu Wenxiang even suspected that when she first met Murata Naohito, he was also interested in broccoli that was on the market early.

However, how did Chen Jiazhi find out?

"Can I smoke?" Chen Jiazhi took out a cigarette and asked. Only after receiving permission did he go to the door and light it.

Xu Wenxiang asked again, "Have you figured out how to lie to me?"

"..."

How did she know what I was thinking about making up?
After thinking for a moment, Chen Jiazhi bypassed the first question. "Because Japanese agricultural products have seasonal tariffs, when domestic agricultural products are on the market, the tariffs on imported similar agricultural products will be significantly increased."

Therefore, being able to stagger the market launch time of broccoli with that of domestic broccoli in Japan is a factor that distributors consider very much.

This could affect both sales volume and price, directly impacting their interests, so Naohito Murata would naturally be very interested.

Xu Wenxiang stepped back two paces. "I see. I didn't expect President Chen to know about international trade."

Chen Jiazhi took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, then stubbed it out. "I just happened to have read about this in a book."

However, your concerns are valid; getting the vegetables grown is also crucial, otherwise everything else will be for nothing.

Broccoli is considered a delicate vegetable in most parts of China at this time, and many people have not only never eaten it, but also do not know how to grow it.

Ao Dehai himself was also a little guilty.

Xu Wenxiang: "Good to know. Stop thinking about your seeds all the time. It's much better to spend more time growing vegetables."

"You can never earn all the money in the world; you should always do something you're interested in."

Chen Jiazhi turned back and walked into the hotel. "Come on, my wife brought you some things to wish you a Happy New Year. Go get them."

A moment later, he gave Xu Wenxiang the two gift boxes he had bought on the way there.

Xu Wenxiang thanked her and took out a red envelope from her pocket and gave it to Dou Dou.

Chen Jiazhi glanced at it and knew it was very much in line with the characteristics of Guangdong, so he felt at ease teaching Dou Dou to say New Year's greetings, and to say more auspicious blessings such as "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing you prosperity).

DouDou happily offered New Year's greetings with both hands.

Chen Jiazhi greeted everyone and asked Li Xiu and the others to stay at the hotel with the children. He went to the city and bought some electronic watches and other trinkets, intending to take them back to his hometown as gifts.

The next morning, Xu Wenxiang arranged for a car to take them to the airport.

While waiting to board, Li Xiu whispered, "Jiazhi, do you get airsick on a plane?"

She gets quite carsick, and Chen Jiazhi joked, "I brought a plastic bag; if you get airsick, you can just throw up and feel better."

Li Xiu reached out and patted Chen Jiazhi on the shoulder, feeling even more frightened.

Chen Jiazhi held the baby in one arm to prevent him from running around, saying, "It's okay, it'll only be a little uncomfortable during takeoff and landing. You'll feel better if you open your mouth wide and breathe out."

The first time I flew was quite novel, but after a couple more times, it wasn't so special anymore.

Chen Jiazhi even brought a small booklet of English words. After boarding the plane, he and Li Xiu and Dou Dou flipped through the booklet together. Within minutes, the three of them fell asleep.

When it was time to disembark, Li Xiu felt a little cold, but her mental state was actually quite good.

Chen Jiazhi also put on a jacket and joked, "Show-off, looks like you'll have to study more English in the future."

Li Xiu rolled her eyes. How could she possibly learn that? She didn't even know many letters.

Before we even left the station, we heard Xue Jun shouting, "Jiazhi, Li Xiu, over here!"

Chen Jiazhi waved his hand, walked out, and said, "You have pretty sharp eyes!"

Xue Jun laughed and said, "It's mainly because your family is full of handsome men and beautiful women; you stand out wherever you go."

Chen Jiazhi thought that what was said was not wrong.

After leaving the lobby and arriving at the parking area, the white Isuzu was washed very clean.

After getting on the bus, Xue Jun said, "I arrived in Chengdu yesterday. I went to the Qingshiqiao Market to see Xiang Bin this morning. The leafy vegetables that came from Yuanmou are selling well."

Fewer people know about choy sum, but bok choy, baby bok choy, and romaine lettuce sell very quickly, and many retailers are buying them in bulk.

Qingshiqiao is currently the largest vegetable wholesale market in Chengdu.

Xiang Bin, a merchant I met in Yuanmou, was someone who bought cucumbers and tomatoes in Yuanmou and sold them in Qingshiqiao.

In January, Yuanmou planted another batch of open-field leafy vegetables, which are now ready for market.

Chen Jiazhi pondered, "Winter in Chengdu is still quite cold, so there are fewer leafy vegetables. It's normal that they sell well. It seems that Yuanmou will have another option for crop rotation in the future."

Xue Jun asked, "Shall we go and take a look at Qing Shi Bridge now?"

Chen Jiazhi shook his head. "Qingshiqiao is north of the airport. It's a long detour, so it's not worth it. Just go straight back. Just tell me the situation."

"Okay, then I'll head back."

Chen Jiazhi's hometown is Zizhong, a county in eastern Sichuan, while Yi Dinggan's hometown is Anyue. Both counties are located roughly in the middle of Chengdu and Chongqing.

The roads along the way were mostly bumpy dirt roads, with various uphill and downhill curves.

When it rains, the roads become particularly difficult to walk on.

In his memory, Chen Jiazhi had only been to Chengdu once before he was twenty years old.

At that time, my father was still building a hydroelectric power station in AB Prefecture. It took him almost two days just to travel the 100-kilometer journey from our hometown to Chengdu.

Imagine that in the future, it will only take two hours to drive and 40 minutes by high-speed train. Now, revisiting this place, Chen Jiazhi feels as if he has been through another world.

The closer you are to your hometown, the deeper this feeling becomes.

The market was packed with people, and the festive atmosphere was exceptionally strong. Only neat rice stubble remained in the terraced paddy fields, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of the earthen houses.

After parking his car in the yard of an acquaintance's house by the roadside, Chen Jiazhi carried his bags and walked along the dirt road home.

Dou Dou, dressed in bright red, held Li Xiu's hand and followed behind with unsteady steps.

After crossing a small hill, the first earthen house that comes into view is Xue Jun's house.

In front of the earthen house was a large paddy field, and on the hillside opposite the field was a bamboo forest. The earthen house in front of the bamboo forest was Chen Jiazhi's home.

(End of this chapter)