1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 389 Opening

Upon hearing that it was a foreign businessman, Chen Jiazhi immediately put down the documents in his hand, took the phone, and chatted haltingly for a while. Then the other party switched to Cantonese, which he could understand.

“The other party is an Indonesian Chinese, staying at the Huaxia Hotel. I’m going there now.”

Chen Zhengxu asked, "Should we call Mi Ziqi? She might not have gone far."

“No need. Sending a female student to a hotel would definitely raise concerns for others.” Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment. “Let me ask President Xu. Yunshan isn’t far away.”

His Cantonese is limited to what he can understand, and communication is very difficult for him.

In the end, Xu Wenxiang did not come. Instead, she asked Xue Chenglin for help. The two had met once before when they participated in the exhibition.

"I'll have to trouble you again, Mr. Xue, this time."

"It's nothing," Xue Chenglin said with a smile, dressed in a well-tailored suit. "My cooperation with President Chen has always been very pleasant."

Chen Jiazhi remembered something and took out a document from the bag he was carrying.

"Mr. Xue, this is the current growth status of broccoli in Shanghai."

"The balls have already formed and are growing well, with a diameter of 3-5cm. They are expected to be harvested by early May at the latest, and the quality should be very good."

Xue Chenglin stopped and looked around. "Okay, I trust the quality of your vegetables, but can we discuss the price again?"

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Why don't we wait until we meet this guest before we talk?"

"also."

Upon entering the Huaxia Hotel, Chen Jiazhi saw a man in a white shirt holding the flyers he had handed out, accompanied by two other men, both with yellow skin.

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward and extended his right hand. "Hello, may I ask which one of you is Mr. Huang Junming from Indonesia?"

The man holding the flyer extended his hand. "Hello, that's me."

He then pointed to the picture of bok choy on the flyer and asked, "Can you ship bok choy and Chinese kale anytime?"

"of course."

"Let's find a place to sit and talk."

A moment later, the group sat down in the reception room. Chen Jiazhi introduced the products to them using photos, and Xue Chenglin provided translation.

Huang Junming, who was in the lead, nodded repeatedly as he listened.

His ancestral home is in Guangdong, and he is very familiar with Lingnan vegetables such as bok choy and Chinese kale. At the same time, there are more than 10 million Chinese in Indonesia.

Including other groups, the local demand for Cantonese dishes such as bok choy is not low.

After discussing Cantonese cuisine, Chen Jiazhi then gave a special introduction to broccoli.

"Mr. Chen, let's talk about the price. If the price is right and the standards are met, I plan to send a container back soon."

"it is good."

Chen Jiazhi quoted prices one by one according to the landed price, with Chinese cabbage at $1100 per ton, which is about 4.57 yuan per kilogram.

Chinese kale is $1120 per ton, mustard greens are $1100 per ton, and broccoli is $1800 per ton.

The seller will bear the costs of transportation and insurance before the goods arrive at the port.

This is also the same cooperation method used with the two customers from Malaysia and Singapore before.

Due to the depreciation of the RMB, with an exchange rate of approximately 8.31 against the US dollar, domestic products have a significant advantage in the international market.

With the addition of export tax rebates for agricultural products, the profit margin would be even higher than that of supplying Hong Kong.

After Huang Junming and his two companions learned about the price, they began to discuss it within their small group.

Chen Jiazhi then introduced Xue Chenglin, "Mr. Huang, this Mr. Xue is from Malaysia and is also my client. Since you two are from similar places, you can communicate with each other."

He had no choice; he couldn't communicate in the same language and could only rely on Xue Chenglin.

Fortunately, his quotes to the two companies were very similar, and his quote to Huang Junming was slightly more expensive due to the transportation distance.

Moreover, as someone with experience, Xue Chenglin can provide a certain guarantee regarding the quality of the vegetables.

Sure enough, the two started communicating.

A moment later, Xue Chenglin said, "President Chen, there are no objections to the prices of vegetables such as bok choy and kale, but the main issue is broccoli."

"Mr. Huang and I both agree that the price of $1800 per ton is too high. You need to make some concessions before we can even consider taking delivery."

Chen Jiazhi shook his head and explained, "You can check the recent international market prices for broccoli; this price is reasonable."

"Moreover, my broccoli can be on the market as early as the beginning of May. There isn't much broccoli available at that time, and the market price in your country should also be at its peak."

"At this price, you'll definitely make a profit if you buy it."

After hesitating for a moment and communicating with Huang Junming, Xue Chenglin said, "We need to verify the price."

Chen Jiazhi said, "No problem, we have plenty of time. The broccoli won't be on the market for another ten days or so."

"Well, okay."

Xue Chenglin understood his unspoken meaning; he still had time to find other clients.

Chen Jiazhi then looked at Huang Junming expectantly, "President Huang, what are your thoughts on the cauliflower and kale?"

Huang Junming chatted with his colleagues for a few minutes and said, "We need a whole container of bok choy."

"it is good."

Finally, they had made some progress. Chen Jiazhi then chatted with them for a while about the details, such as packaging specifications.

However, he's not a professional, so we'll need to find a professional to handle things later.

At this moment, he once again felt the importance of talent, and now he had to figure things out by trial and error.

But he didn't find it annoying; if he didn't understand these details, subsequent management wouldn't be smooth.

After finishing their business, Chen Jiazhi immediately invited the group to have a meal together.

However, Huang Junming and his two companions still needed to discuss cooperation with others, so they declined.

After leaving the Huaxia Hotel, Chen Jiazhi invited Xue Chenglin again.

"Next time, Mr. Chen. I didn't come to the Canton Fair just to buy groceries."

Chen Jiazhi shook hands with him, "Okay, Mr. Xue, I wish you a successful trip." Xue Chenglin smiled, "Yes, I won't forget to check the price of broccoli when I get back."

"Haha, Mr. Xue, I can guarantee that. You can check out the prices quoted by Americans, and you'll see that my price is very reasonable."

"Okay, I will, Mr. Chen, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

After seeing Xue Chenglin off, Chen Jiazhi looked back at the sign of the Huaxia Hotel.

"You have to persevere in everything, and here it is!"

After rewarding himself with a cigarette, Chen Jiazhi walked towards his Jetta. He had finally achieved results after three days of persistent running.

By the time we got back to the distribution center, it was already dark.

Chen Zhengxu had already gone off to work, and apart from the workers, only Li Xiu was left in the office reading and waiting at the distribution center.

"Learning English?"

"Hmm~ Ah." Li Xiu was a little startled. After regaining her senses, she asked, "Jiazhi, you're back so early? Have you eaten?"

"We've secured an order for a whole container of bok choy," Chen Jiazhi said with a smile. "At $1100 per ton, that's $2.2 for the whole container."

"Impressive," Li Xiu praised, then added, "You haven't had time to eat yet, have you? I'll go to the kitchen and make you a bowl of noodles."

"You did a great job today, remember to give me two extra eggs."

"When have I ever wronged you?" Li Xiu rolled her eyes. "Why don't you sit down and rest for a while?"

"okay."

Chen Jiazhi also picked up the book that Li Xiu had been reading and started listening to the audio player. He felt more motivated to learn English.

Not long after, Li Xiu brought out a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.

"Jiazhi, come and eat."

"It's delicious."

Chen Jiazhi ate it in big mouthfuls, finishing a fried egg in just two bites.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Li Xiu sat down next to her. "Why didn't you treat anyone to a meal when you were discussing business?"

"They're all busy doing business. Besides me, they've also made appointments with other clients. The Canton Fair is only a few days long, and they're all trying to make the most of every single day."

"These business people are really hardworking."

After watching Chen Jiazhi eat noodles for a while, Li Xiucai remembered the container of bok choy he had mentioned earlier, and belatedly revealed his joy.

"Jiazhi, can we close another deal in the next two days?"

"Yes," Chen Jiazhi said in a deep voice. "We'll try our best to sell the broccoli in Shanghai. I've quoted $1800 a ton for broccoli, which is almost 7.5 yuan per kilogram!"

Li Xiu asked in surprise, "Is broccoli really that expensive?"

"It's worth the price."

Chen Jiazhi had actually weighed the price repeatedly, and he even felt that he had quoted too low a price.

This price was originally intended for Japan, as shipping costs to Southeast Asia are higher.

According to his recollection, due to fierce competition, the export price of broccoli in China declined year after year.

After the profits were exhausted, a retaliatory rebound occurred one year.

However, broccoli exports have only just begun in the last two years, so the price should still be quite attractive.

He also took advantage of the time difference.

4 month 18 day.

Chen Jiazhi got up early to contact the vegetable market and asked Tan Wangji to come to the city as soon as possible to coordinate the export matters.

At this time, Ding Qiao and Chen Zhengxu, who had worked a night shift, returned.

"Mr. Chen, I heard from the workers that we received an export order for bok choy yesterday?"

“Yes,” Chen Jiazhi said with a smile, “A whole container, 20 tons, worth $2.2.”

Chen Zhengxu said, "Okay, we've finally opened for business, and the profits are pretty good."

“Not only is it good, but the price is 4.57 yuan per kilogram. When you calculate it, the profit is very beautiful.” Chen Jiazhi pondered, “Zhengxu, you should also learn some foreign trade and English.”

Chen Zhengxu shook his head vigorously, "I'd better not, I get a headache just looking at words."

Chen Jiazhi joked, "You could ask Mi Ziqi for advice!"

“Forget it, we’re not on the same page. She’s doing this part-time job to save money for going abroad.” Chen Zhengxu walked inside. “I’m going to get busy now. Ao Deliang is waiting to report his figures to him.”

"Isn't it always this many?"

"..."

After breakfast, Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu sat in the office for a while longer.

Mi Ziqi arrived late as the agreed-upon work time approached. Three consecutive days without orders or phone calls had left her somewhat disheartened, and she even felt a slight sense of disdain.

It's a bit of a pipe dream for a vegetable wholesaler to think he can get business at the Canton Fair.

"Good morning, Mi Ziqi."

"Good morning." Mi Ziqi maintained basic courtesy when greeting the young couple who owned the business. "Should I still be sitting in the office waiting for the phone call today?"

"No need. You and Li Xiu wait for me outside the exhibition hall today. Bring your cell phone."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "I opened a deal last night. There should still be opportunities in the next couple of days. I'll try to finalize the deal on the spot."

Was last night's order also an export order?

"Well, it was a bit late then, so I had to find a client in Malaysia to help me with the translation."

Mi Ziqi was slightly surprised and a little regretful. If she had stayed a little longer, she would have gotten the chance to earn double the salary.

(End of this chapter)