1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 391 Signing
"Please wait a moment, I need to call the Shanghai base to check what dishes are available now."

Apart from broccoli, Chen Jiazhi is unaware of the current planting area of ​​the other varieties.

Saito and Murata nodded in agreement.

Chen Jiazhi didn't try to hide it from the crowd and made a phone call in public.

Saito and Murata's idea was to each send back a whole cabinet, but it was all a mix of three kinds of vegetables.

The two containers contain at least 40 tons of Chinese cabbage, Shanghai bok choy, and romaine lettuce.

"Boss, yes, I can gather 40 tons of goods by tomorrow if needed!"

Ao Dehai was very excited, saying that this was an export order and the price should be much higher.

"There's no need to rush. I estimate that shipping within a week is feasible. The key is quality; it should at least be on par with the goods from Jiangxin Market."

"Don't worry, boss, there won't be any problems."

"Okay, then I'll take the order."

After hanging up the phone, Ao Dehai paced back and forth excitedly in his simple office.

"Yongfeng, the boss called. There might be an export order for 40 tons of green vegetables."

"Great news! Where's the broccoli?"

"There's still hope."

On the other side, facing the expectant gazes of Saito, Murata, Mi Ziqi, Tan Wangji, and the others, Chen Jiazhi simply said two words.

"It's done."

The atmosphere in the office felt much more pleasant.

Since the goods can be shipped from Shanghai, the shipping cost is reduced, and the price will be lower, which will make Saito and Murata more willing to place orders.

"Mr. Chen, now we can talk about the price."

"Ah."

Chen Jiazhi pretended to discuss things with Tan Wangji for a while, but in reality, he already had a price in mind.

The prices he quoted to Huang Junming, an Indonesian Chinese, were approximately 4.57 yuan/jin for bok choy, 4.2 yuan/jin for Shanghai bok choy, 4.57 yuan/jin for romaine lettuce, and 7.48 yuan/jin for broccoli.

Generally speaking, the export price of Chinese cabbage can reach 10 times that of the domestic price.

However, the price of Chinese cabbage in the Lingnan region has been high recently, reaching 1.8 to 2 yuan per jin, making the price difference seem small.

However, if we take the wholesale price of bok choy in Shanghai, which is 45 cents per pound, as an example, this price is more normal.

Therefore, exporting from Shanghai not only saved Chen Jiazhi on transportation costs, but also allowed him to earn a huge profit from the price difference, which was more than 1 yuan more per kilogram.

This also benefits from the lack of close communication between markets in different parts of the country and the inconvenience of transportation between production areas.

In a few years, when there are more bases in Shanghai that serve Cantonese cuisine, this advantage will disappear.

Chen Jiazhi handed the quote written by Tan Wangji to Saito Yo and Murata respectively, saying, "I think this quote is quite reasonable. Please take a look."

Saito Yo was the first to reply, "Okay, send me a container of goods according to this specification and quantity."

Naoto Murata stared in surprise, not expecting Yo Saito to be so decisive. He should at least have negotiated the price.

Broccoli, in particular, is 7.48 yuan per jin (500g), almost the same price as American products.

Saito Yo ignored him. This price was much cheaper than buying vegetables from her American daddy, so what was she hesitating for?

When can you ship the goods?

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment, "This is the first time our Shanghai base has exported goods, so we need more time to prepare. If the advance payment arrives quickly, we expect to be able to ship the goods out of the port in 5 days."

He steered the conversation back to the payment method, as it was their first time working together and they had to be cautious.

But as the saying goes, there is less competition in the domestic market now, and doing vegetable business is all about long-term, steady growth.

Saito Yo was also very straightforward in this regard, basically paying according to the usual practice.

Thus, Saito Yo's tentative order was quickly finalized, with only the broccoli requiring a sample. Immediately, everyone stared intently at Murata Naohito.

"I'll sign too."

"Pleasant to work with."

Chen Jiazhi stood up and shook hands with the two men, then said, "I'd like to invite you two to lunch. I know a very good restaurant."

He spoke in English, which the two understood. Since it was lunchtime, they agreed.

"Please, let's go over there now."

Chen Jiazhi felt that he was also very realistic and could do business with the Japanese with a calm mind.

However, he also believes that sometimes blind anger is not rational, and it is wiser to benefit from it, since development is the only way forward.

After leaving the office, Chen Jiazhi saw Li Xiu and Chen Zhengxu in the sorting workshop.

"How long have you been here? Why haven't you come in yet?"

Li Xiu smoothed her hair. "I just arrived a little while ago. I didn't come in because I was afraid of disturbing your conversation. How did it go?"

"It's done. Two more containers of goods, still shipped from Shanghai." Chen Jiazhi smiled. "Let's go have dinner together. Zhengxu, call Ding Qiao, the owner of Donghu Restaurant, and ask him to reserve a private room."

Chen Zhengxu was initially quite pleased, but then he choked for a moment, "Everyone else is called Ding Hong, but the stall's salesperson is called Ding Qiao."

Chen Jiazhi was speechless. Only after hearing this did he realize that he often confused the two people's names.

The rain was still falling, a fine drizzle like endless silk threads, rushing down in a hurry. The windshield wipers kept swaying left and right to make out the road ahead.

The rainy season is here again!

Mi Ziqi was also chatting about the weather with Saito Yo and Murata Naohito, while Chen Jiazhi occasionally chimed in with a few words in English, his sharp wit resonating with many.

Most vegetable farmers dislike the plum rain season, but it is also a booster for prices.

However, Chen Jiazhi was not confident in predicting the market conditions during this year's plum rain season, and Jiangxin Vegetable Market's planting plan did not favor the plum rain season; they were planting in the normal way.

Donghu Restaurant wasn't far away, and its ornate architecture prompted Saito Yo to offer some pretentious comments.

Following the waiter's directions, we entered a private room. Since we had work to do in the afternoon, we didn't drink any alcohol, but instead discussed the dishes.

Cantonese cuisine is characterized by its light flavors and emphasis on the original taste of ingredients, which is relatively more in line with Japanese eating habits.

Chen Jiazhi had another reason for choosing to dine at Donghu Restaurant; he specifically ordered several servings of vegetables.

In addition to the choy sum, Shanghai bok choy, and romaine lettuce that were ordered, there were also kale, mustard greens, and lettuce.

When several plates of green vegetables were served at the end of the meal, both Saito Yo and Murata Naohito were somewhat puzzled.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "This restaurant is my business partner. I supply all their vegetables directly. You two can try the taste first."

Mi Ziqi translated with some surprise, and soon Saito Yo and Murata also showed the same expression as her.

But they didn't reject it; on the contrary, they were even more interested in picking up their chopsticks and tasting each item.

First came bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, and romaine lettuce; each dish was perfectly seasoned.

Saito Yo said, "Mr. Chen, the dishes you give me must be of this quality!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "It will only be higher, not lower."

The Shanghai base hasn't entered the rainy season yet, so the quality of the vegetables there will be significantly higher than those at Jiangxin Market in the next month or two.

Saito Yo nodded in satisfaction and began to sample the three dishes not ordered: stir-fried beef with sliced ​​kale, stir-fried mustard greens, and lettuce.

Chinese kale is a thick-striped Chinese kale that resembles a chicken leg, mustard greens are chicken heart mustard, and lettuce is daikon radish.

Every dish was a pleasant surprise for the two of them, who kept exclaiming how delicious it was.

Seeing this, Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu exchanged a smile, thinking that the future orders should be secured.

(End of this chapter)