1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 400 Foreign Trade Clerk

Huang Jianyuan was taken aback. "When did you arrange to go to Zengcheng?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "It's possible anytime. The local authorities have been very proactive, offering many policies related to water, electricity, roads, and cash subsidies. We'll have to go there to discuss the specifics."

Huang Jianyuan was dressed casually in everyday clothes today. He sat down casually in a chair and said, "What a coincidence, Conghua is the same."

How about we split up? I'll go to Conghua. A friend told me that the Five-Finger Peach Stewed Pork Bone Soup and the Liuxi Bighead Carp are both excellent local specialties; I have to try them.

Chen Jiazhi put down the documents in his hand and leaned back in his chair. "The lychee wood-roasted pork ribs and the free-range chicken cooked to order in Zengcheng are also quite good."

"Hiss~" Huang Jianyuan looked conflicted. "Now that you mention it, I'm thinking of going to Zengcheng too."

Chen Jiazhi smiled. He had gotten to know Huang Jianyuan better in the past few days and found him to be a very down-to-earth person who was extremely particular about food.

After finishing work each day, the thing I care about most is what to eat. I'm willing to drive an hour or two to find a good meal.

"Why don't we go together, one place a day, so we won't miss anything?"

"Hey, that's a good idea, let's do it this way."

Huang Jianyuan readily agreed and then asked, "Mr. Chen, do you have anything else to do today? I'd like to treat you to some wild game to nourish yourself."

Chen Jiazhi shook his head with a smile, "I'm not free, I have a lot to do. I have to interview two students from the Foreign Languages ​​and Trade University later."

What happens after the interview?

"Eat in the cafeteria."

"That's boring," Huang Jianyuan joked. "President Chen, you don't understand life at all. Now that you've made money, you should eat and drink to your heart's content."

"Tonight I asked the cafeteria to make winter melon soup with chicken. The chicken was brought from the countryside. My parents feed it to free-range chickens every day with vegetable leaves mixed with rice bran. The winter melon was also bought from a farmer in Paitan, Zengcheng. I also prepared some other ingredients for hot pot."

"Winter melon soup with hot pot is great, it's nourishing and good for your complexion!"

Huang Jianyuan immediately became interested and started talking about the various ways to make and eat winter melon soup.

A small winter melon bowl can hold all sorts of ingredients, making it just as rich and varied as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Chen Jiazhi got hungry listening to this.

"Mr. Huang, why don't you go to the cafeteria and give them some pointers? Our chefs have never made winter melon soup before."

"I'll go later. The person you're interviewing is here. I want to see how Mr. Chen conducts the interviews." Huang Jianyuan lingered in the office, refusing to leave.

Chen Jiazhi had no way to deal with him, so he looked outside and saw Chen Zhengxu appear at the door.

"Mr. Chen, the person we arranged to interview for the foreign trade sales position has arrived."

Chen Jiazhi also vaguely saw the two people interviewing behind him, and his eyebrows twitched.

I gave you the opportunity to find a partner, but you ended up attracting two men?

Thinking of the phone call his elder brother Chen Jiashun had made to him yesterday, Chen Jiazhi couldn't help but glare at Chen Zhengxu.

"You're 24 years old..."

Chen Zhengxu blinked. "President Chen, why don't we call them in first? I've done a preliminary assessment of their professional abilities, and they're two very outstanding individuals who can be trained as core members."

Chen Jiazhi glanced at him and thought, "You're so high and mighty, but how am I supposed to explain this to my elder brother?"
"Let them in."

"Okay." Chen Zhengxu walked out the door and called out again. Two men came in. One was handsome and somewhat thin, while the other had a rugged appearance.

Judging from his appearance, his first impression was quite good.

“This is our company’s boss, Mr. Chen.” Chen Zhengxu first introduced Chen Jiazhi, then pointed to Huang Jianyuan next to him, “This is our company’s shareholder, Mr. Huang.”

"These two are both graduates of the University of Foreign Studies this year, Fang Shaohua and Liu Yunfan."

Fang Shaohua was a handsome young man with delicate features, while Liu Yunfan had a rather rugged appearance. The two greeted each other neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Please sit down and let's talk. Our company doesn't have that many rules."

Chen Jiazhi invited the two to sit down, poured them tea, and then asked them about their basic information.

Age, family, major, language skills, etc.
As Chen Zhengxu said, it is quite excellent in all aspects, and Reliable Fresh is indeed lacking talent in foreign trade exports!

Regardless of gender, keeping people around is the most important thing.

So, after only a brief chat, Chen Jiazhi invited the two to join the company and frankly discussed their salary and benefits.

In summary, the company needs talents like you.

"Shaohua, Yunfan, is there anything else you'd like to know about our company?"

"No rush, you can think about it slowly."

After Chen Jiazhi poured tea for the two of them, Liu Yunfan spoke first and asked:
"Mr. Chen, I would like to know what export businesses the company is currently engaged in, and what its future development direction and plans are?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Jiazhi picked up a document from his desk and handed it to Liu Yunfan.

"It just so happens that this document came from the company's Shanghai base today. We have successively exported broccoli, bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, and romaine lettuce to Japan, and have reached some long-term cooperation agreements. The export profits are still quite substantial."

In addition, we have also established some cooperative relationships in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

As for future plans, in addition to cultivating these customers, we naturally want to expand our business to more countries and regions.

But we are currently in dire need of talent in foreign trade. Once you join us, you will be highly valued, and there will be great opportunities for advancement in the future..."

Liu Yunfan's eyes had already fallen on the information Chen Jiazhi had given him.

The document contained receipts of over one million yuan and export contracts worth several million yuan. He couldn't help but ask, "Are the export prices for broccoli from the Shanghai base really that high?"

Liu Yunfan had some experience with broccoli and had learned about some cases of international vegetable trade at school, but he felt that the price was a bit outrageous.

Chen Jiazhi's heart skipped a beat, and he smiled and said, "Good question, then my question is here too."

When the two listened attentively, he continued, "Usually, broccoli exported to Japan costs 6 to 7 yuan per kilogram. Why can the broccoli from our company's Shanghai base sell for nearly 10 yuan per kilogram?"

This question not only piqued the interest of Liu Yunfan and Fang Shaohua, but also roused Huang Jianyuan, who had been sitting slumped over.

Is the Shanghai-based base really that powerful?
"It's because of tariffs!"

After a moment's thought, the somewhat thin Fang Shaohua gave the answer, and Liu Yunfan quickly realized what he meant.

"Yes, Japan has many provisions on agricultural tariffs, one of which is seasonal tariffs, which is likely the reason why broccoli can sell for a high price."

"Completely correct!"

Chen Jiazhi snapped his fingers, satisfied with their performance.

"If you are willing to come, one of your tasks will be to plan our vegetable export strategy based on the different policies of various countries and to provide information to vegetable farms and production bases."

For example, the broccoli grown in Shanghai this time is not only grown by fewer people in China, but also because it avoids the peak season for Japanese broccoli. Without the high seasonal import tariffs, Japanese importers naturally prefer our broccoli.

Japan's agricultural tariff policy changes frequently, and other opportunities may arise in the future; the same applies to other countries.

After learning the background of the broccoli case, Liu Yunfan and Fang Shaohua felt enlightened.

This is a concrete application of professional knowledge in the industry; a proper plan can bring huge profits.

Chen Jiazhi was very satisfied with the shocked expressions on the two men's faces, and also glanced at Huang Jianyuan, who was sitting upright to the side.

"So, what's your decision? Are you interested in trying your hand at international vegetable trading with the company?"

Fang Shaohua spoke first: "President Chen, I'll go."

Liu Yunfan hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "President Chen, I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"I wouldn't call it giving pointers; I only know a little bit about it," Chen Jiazhi smiled and took a sip of tea with a relaxed air.

"You don't have to rush to leave. Sit in the office for a while, or go to the Jiangnan Market. The company has a stall there, so you can have dinner here and try the food in the company canteen. Today we made winter melon soup with chicken, and we also bought some ingredients to make hot pot together."

The two of them became somewhat shy at this moment.

Huang Jianyuan stood up and said, "We'll be working together from now on, so it's only right that we have a meal together and try my cooking. I'll personally make you some winter melon soup right now."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Mr. Huang owns several restaurants in Hong Kong; he's an excellent cook!"

Huang Jianyuan teased, "You've never even eaten my cooking, how do you know I'm good at it?"

Let me tell you, I don't just have one trick up my sleeve, I have many. I'll show you all slowly later.

Chen Jiazhi gave a thumbs up, "President Huang is so generous!"

He felt that Huang Jianyuan was becoming more and more approachable; he would never have come to the company for several days in a row like this before.

That's fine too.

This also demonstrated the company's harmonious atmosphere to the two new employees.

When the cafeteria opened for dinner in the evening, a winter melon with a wavy top was placed on each of the two tables.

As soon as the water boils, the winter melon soup bubbled and simmered, with a few pieces of chicken floating in the milky white broth and red goji berries bobbing up and down.

The most amazing thing is the winter melon itself. Its green skin is intact and unbroken, while the inside has been stewed until it is translucent. When you gently scrape the inside of the melon with a spoon, the tender and flavorful winter melon flesh falls off in a rustling sound, carrying the aroma of meat and the sweetness of seafood.

Under Huang Jianyuan's guidance, everyone drank the soup first, then ate the meat, and finally scraped the winter melon, praising it highly.

"Mr. Huang, your cooking is absolutely amazing!"

"too delicious!"

"Now I understand why winter melons from Huacheng sell so well. Zhang Qiren, who lives next door to our stall, now specializes in selling Sanshui black-skinned winter melons, and he sells dozens of tons a day!"

"Sanshui winter melons are indeed good, but today's melons are even better."

"It's mainly because Mr. Huang has excellent cooking skills."

"Hahaha……"

Time seemed to slow down in an instant, and even impatient people couldn't wait for this fresh taste.

...

Fang Shaohua and Liu Yunfan still have more than a month until graduation, but they started their internships at the company the day after their interviews.

Chen Jiazhi assigned the two to the newly established International Trade Department, and Li Cai temporarily took them to familiarize themselves with the basic situation.

He and Huang Jianyuan then embarked on an inspection tour.

Besides enjoying the local cuisine, the Conghua and Zengcheng governments also showed great sincerity, both eager to attract investment to their respective territories.

The news spread like wildfire.

Panyu and Baiyun quickly joined in the fun, and even Foshan got involved.

Chen Jiazhi also experienced the magic of money on a higher level.

(End of this chapter)