1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 364 Comes and goes in a hurry
Walking down the dirt road from the hillside, you'll see a group of people chatting in the yard, which looks like a village intelligence station.

A group of children were playing nearby, creating a lively atmosphere.

Chen Jiazhi had just peeked out from the path beside the mud house when he was noticed.

"Scholar and Li Xiu are back! It's getting late, the New Year is almost here."

"Why call him a scholar? That couple is now big bosses."

Chen Jiazhi smiled at everyone, stepped forward to offer cigarettes to the men, and candy to the women and children.

Someone shouted across the street from Datian, "Jiaying, your brother is back!"

The village is located in a hilly area with low slopes. The slopes are covered with land, and the bottom is covered with paddy fields. The people in a team are basically located on both sides of the paddy fields.

If you shout, most households can hear you.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Jiazhi said goodbye and walked on. His parents were planning to celebrate the New Year tomorrow, and his third sister, Chen Jiaying, was probably going back to her parents' home to help out.

They traveled along the way, stopping frequently and offering cigarettes and candy to anyone they met.

When he hears that he has made a fortune, he politely recounts how running the market is like walking on thin ice, and how he is so busy every day that he barely has time to rest.

He didn't go back to his hometown to show off; he simply came back to visit.

There were so many people who looked down on him that he couldn't even count them all.

Let those who look down on him see how capable he really is?

I've already experienced it in my past life. It was exhilarating, but it also brought a lot of trouble.

Anyone who farms in the countryside knows that a vacant lot, left unattended and overgrown with weeds, will immediately attract attention once you start cultivating it, with others vying for it.

If you grow a lot of fruit in the field and can earn thousands of dollars a year, that's even better. Some people will be jealous and might even try to sabotage you or make things difficult for you. They just can't stand to see you doing well.

Returning home in glory, one thing that many people dislike is borrowing money.

You've become successful, you even say you have several million, so it shouldn't be a problem for people to borrow a few thousand or tens of thousands from you, right?

The distance from Xue Jun's house to his old house is not short, and many people greeted him and were very welcoming.

Chen Jiazhi inherited his father's wisdom: he is neither deaf nor blind, yet unfit to be the head of the household.

He finally finished a pack of cigarettes and a bag of candy before reaching his own house.

There are three mud houses in total, with walls made entirely of rammed yellow mud and roofs covered with earthen tiles.

There is also a pigsty where pigs are raised.

Several people were busy inside and outside at this time.

When Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu arrived with their child, their mother, Peng Guozhen, was already waiting to hold her grandson.

"DouDou, do you miss Grandma?"

"Think~"

The other busy people also took the time to join in the fun.

"This is Jiazhi's son. The father and son look exactly alike and are very well-behaved."

"Her eyes are strangely beautiful."

"So handsome."

Chen Jiazhi took out a handful of candy and handed it to the woman who had said that, saying, "Sister-in-law, just because you said that, I'll give you an extra handful of candy."

Jiang Lihua, who is over fifty years old, looked Jiazhi up and down and said, "Jiazhi has changed."

Chen Jiazhi chuckled and said, "You've become even more handsome, haven't you?"

"I didn't realize you'd become so shameless, you do look a bit like your second brother-in-law now," Jiang Lihua said with a smile. "Li Xiu, on the other hand, has become even more beautiful."

Li Xiu also said with a smile, "Sister-in-law looks to be in very good health."

After chatting for a while at the door, we went inside. There was an eight-immortal table against the wall in the main room, and a portrait of a great man was hanging on the wall. In the innermost corner was an earthen stove.

Chen Jiazhi put his things down, greeted everyone, and then asked, "Where's Big Brother? Zhengxu isn't here either. Sister-in-law, Zhengxu doesn't even bring back any of his girlfriends. He should be asked to come and cook."

Jiang Lihua: "Zhengxu said he's busy doing things for you every day and doesn't have time to find a partner."

Chen Jiazhi said indignantly, "This kid is framing me! I even gave him a day off to find a girlfriend, and he just throws mud at me like this. No way, I have to settle accounts with him. Sister-in-law, where are they? I'm going to find them!"

Jiang Lihua: "I think you're trying to slip away too. Look at Li Xiu, she's already put on an apron and is ready to help!"

My aunt said you cook really well now, especially fish, but I don't believe it unless you show off your skills tonight~

"Okay, sister-in-law, where's the fish?"

"Jiashun and Zhengxu have gone to pull the nets, they should be back soon."

"Then I'll go take a look too."

After saying that, he prepared to leave, and Li Xiu told him to take Dou Dou with him.

My eldest cousin, Chen Jiashun, has a small pond at home, which he has been raising fish for many years.

However, as soon as Chen Jiazhi stepped out of his house, he saw three men carrying buckets returning from afar: Chen Jiashun, and his two sons, Chen Zhengyan and Chen Zhengxu.

He waited in the courtyard.

He felt a little regretful, because casting nets to fish was something he had loved doing since he was a child!

The rice paddies in the village are mostly winter paddy fields. After the rice is harvested in the summer, the paddy fields are basically impossible to dry out, and rapeseed cannot be planted in them.

The large fields were filled with water, providing a habitat for fish, shrimp, loach, eels, and other aquatic life, which became a part of many people's childhood memories.

Many adults also earn some pocket money through this.

After standing there for a moment, Chen Jiashun and his two sons also saw him.

When did Jiazhi arrive?

"We just arrived a little while ago." Chen Jiazhi also stepped forward to offer a cigarette and taught Dou Dou how to greet people, but the little guy was clearly more interested in the lively fish in the bucket.

"These silver carp are quite big!"

Chen Jiashun said, "We're lucky. I estimate each one weighs about seven or eight pounds. I was thinking of clearing the pond a few days ago, but you never came back. You've never failed to help me catch fish before when I cleared the pond. If I had actually cleared the pond, you would have hated me!"

Chen Jiazhi smiled. He had indeed returned quite late; tomorrow was New Year's Eve. Because of him, the family's New Year celebrations had been delayed until the very last day.

And judging from the way my parents are doing it, they've been preparing for the night before, so I reckon quite a few people will be coming tomorrow.

After all, with a new member in the family, the family situation has improved considerably, so it's only right to have some fun.

That evening, Chen Jiazhi put on his provincial uniform and made a steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, which won a round of applause.

He had never cooked at home before; he was used to being waited on hand and foot.

This performance truly impressed those who knew him.

Not to mention that those who went out with him all did very well.

Chen Zhengxu, Xue Jun, Li Cai, and the others who returned first helped him spread the word. They drove back, and although they couldn't drive to his doorstep, they could still drive people to the market in town.

Chen Jiazhi initially felt it was a bit ostentatious, but when he saw everyone praising him and his parents' obvious joy, he was secretly pleased.

After a satisfying meal, the conversation naturally turned to work, with Chen Jiashun and the others eager to hear what the person involved had to say.

After all, all sorts of rumors are circulating in the village now.

After listening, Chen Jiazhi smiled wryly, "Brother, it's not that serious. It's just growing vegetables, but there's a better market for them outside."

Moreover, apart from one base that's making a profit, the others are all losing money. Considering all of this, this year has actually been rather average.

Although Chen Jiashun was a farmer, he was actually quite educated and had beautiful calligraphy skills.

When the village needs calligraphy services for weddings or funerals, they almost always ask him to do it.

"Anyway, I still want to thank you for taking Zhengxu out. His return has brought honor to me and your sister-in-law. Come on, let's have a drink."

Chen Jiazhi also raised his glass, saying, "Mainly because Zhengxu himself is also very capable, learns things quickly, and is steady in his work."

Chen Jiashun smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then put down his wine glass, as if he wanted to say something.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Lihua said directly, "Jiazhi, there's something else. My husband Zhengyan and his wife also want to go out and hang out with you."

"Sure, the market is always hiring."

Chen Jiazhi wasn't too surprised. He didn't have any issues with Chen Zhengyan, except that his wife, Zhou Ping, was a troublemaker.

In my past life, I went out to work many times, but every time I would get into conflicts with people, sometimes even resulting in mutual injury.

In the end, Chen Zhengyan had no choice but to let Zhou Ping stay in her hometown to farm and raise the children.

This time, he couldn't very well refuse his sister-in-law Jiang Lihua.

My sister-in-law is really nice; her pickled cabbage is exceptional, and it's incredibly delicious when used to make pickled cabbage fish.

Moreover, although Zhou Ping has a lot of work to do, she is actually very capable. She can carry a load of corn and millet weighing over 100 jin (50 kg) from the mountain all the way home in one go. She is also quite good at delicate work such as knitting woolen gloves.

"Zhengyan, Zhou Ping, is it alright for you to go to the market and plant vegetables first?"

Chen Zhengyan said, "No problem, we've been farming at home for a long time."

Zhou Ping then asked, "How much salary will this pay us per month?"

Chen Jiashun frowned slightly. "Just go with them. Jiazhi wouldn't let you suffer, would he?"

The main issue is that Chen Zhengxu has already returned in triumph, so asking this question is somewhat redundant.

"It's alright, this matter needs to be clarified."

Chen Jiazhi pondered and said, "Now there are different types of jobs in the market. The highest-paid job is the vegetable harvester. The basic wage is 12 yuan per day. With commission and bonuses, one can earn 800 to 900 yuan a month. In good times, one can earn 1200 to 1300 yuan. But it requires a lot of skill and speed."

Other jobs pay less.

Chen Jiazhi recounted the whole story, also for the others to hear.

Everyone listened attentively, since it was about wages, and there was always a lot of comparison in the village.

And this income is already quite high.

Chen Zhengxu gave his older brother Chen Zhengyan a wink, and the latter scratched his head before calling Chen Jiazhi, who was five or six years younger than him, "Uncle."

"Uncle, whatever work you assign us, we'll do it!"

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, there is another job with good potential. The income in the future will not be lower than that of a vegetable harvester. The vegetable market is also in short supply right now."

He then explained that grafting workers are in real short supply right now.

Ultimately, tempted by the high salary, Chen Zhengyan and Zhou Ping also agreed to learn grafting.

After chatting for a while, it got dark, so we started clearing away the dishes and preparing for tomorrow's family reunion dinner.

The next day, the house was indeed crowded and lively.

Chen Jiazhi was busy welcoming and seeing off guests, while Li Xiu slipped into the group of women wearing aprons.

After a lively day, a few strings of firecrackers are set off in the evening, and the New Year is over.

During this time, some people came looking for work, and Chen Jiazhi suggested that they develop in the direction of grafting work.

The villagers generally have low levels of education, and few of them did business outside the village in their previous lives. Most of them were engaged in the dirtiest and most tiring jobs in society.

Everyone in the village knew that he grew vegetables outside and hadn't been able to escape farming.

Those who manage to reach him generally don't have many connections and are mentally prepared to farm.

In this way, Chen Jiazhi actually recruited a lot of reserve workers for the grafting team.

After the New Year, Chen Jiazhi made an appointment with his eldest cousin's family to visit the ancestral graves.

Afterwards, I visited my father-in-law's family in the next village.

Besides Li Cai, the sixth brother, Li Xiu also had an eldest brother and a second brother, both of whom were carpenters and had separated from the family.

The father-in-law's family had already learned about Chen Jiazhi's changes through Li Cai, so they were naturally extremely surprised.

As for Li Xiu's third and fourth sisters, they married far away and did not return to their hometown for the New Year, so they did not go.

After spending two or three days visiting relatives and friends, Chen Jiazhi, concerned about the situation at each base, returned home.

They came and went in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)