1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 402 Poverty Alleviation
A few more people joined the dinner party, and the table was soon full.

Chen Jiazhi silently pondered for a moment, but couldn't find any pattern to the invitations. There were people from all walks of life, including real estate, landscaping, flowers, automobiles, and clothing, and they weren't very familiar with each other.

It felt like a last-minute arrangement.

Coincidentally, Chen Guanye met him today and was impressed, so she invited him to join them.

Besides this, Chen Jiazhi couldn't think of any other reason. Apart from being the most handsome among everyone at the table, he was the smallest in terms of wealth and company size.

He didn't stand out much, just listening attentively, nodding attentively every few sentences the leader spoke.

Aside from that, there were no other signs.

Chen Guanye had previously served as the deputy director of the Provincial Greening Committee, so the conversation at the dinner table ranged from greening to the weather, and after a while, they started talking about the conflict between economic development and environmental protection.

At this moment, Chen Jiazhi noticed out of the corner of his eye that a waiter was asking Kang Ming at the door, presumably asking if he wanted the food served.

Chen Guanye also noticed this scene, coughed slightly twice, and everyone knew that the main topic was about to be discussed.

"I have invited everyone here today because I have a favor to ask."

In February of this year, the National Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development submitted a report on counterpart poverty alleviation work to Haizili, which determined that Guangdong and Guangxi would carry out poverty alleviation cooperation, and Huacheng may be paired with Baise.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this report will be confirmed soon.

The municipal party committee also appointed me as the leader of the Huacheng City poverty alleviation team to organize related work, which is currently in the preparatory stage.

I plan to go to Baise for research after the National Poverty Alleviation Work Conference in the second half of the year.

When leaders go to Baise to investigate poverty alleviation work, how can they go empty-handed?

By this time, even Chen Jiazhi understood Chen Guanye's meaning, so it was impossible for the others not to understand as well.

They've come to beg for alms.

Chen Jiazhi glanced at everyone's expressions without showing any emotion. They were all old foxes; no one was impatient, but there was something strange about them.

He was also thinking about what he could do, as he didn't have much of an impression of Guangxi.

The most memorable things were tangerines, sugarcane, and various fruits, followed by snail rice noodles and Wuling cars.

He had only seen Baise a few times on a map. Baise seemed to border Yunnan and was a necessary stop for highway transportation from Yunnan to Guangdong.

"I don't know much about the situation in Baise right now, but from what I can see, the local education is very backward. Many children in the mountainous areas drop out of school early because of family poverty. So I want to start from this aspect and raise funds for education poverty alleviation in the area."

Of course, if anyone is interested in investing in Baise, I can act as a go-between.

Donate or invest~
The purpose is simple and clear.

After a few seconds of silence in the private room, Peng Linji, who was sitting next to Chen Guanye, spoke first.

"Mayor Chen, supporting education is our duty, and I am personally willing to donate five million yuan to help the development of education in impoverished areas."

The fact that he spent five million yuan in one go caused many people's expressions to change slightly.

Chen Jiazhi was also thinking quickly. Now that he was on the table, there was no way to avoid it, and investing in Baise was impossible, so the only option was to donate money.

He was slightly annoyed, thinking, "Why am I acting so high and mighty?" But on the other hand, he felt this was an opportunity.

His family had no power or influence; the highest-ranking official in the family was his father-in-law, who served as the village accountant.

Now that he has come into contact with someone like Chen Guanye, who is also involved in poverty alleviation and education donations, he feels that he can do some good deeds and make some connections along the way.

The question is, how much should we donate?

The company currently has plenty of cash, but also has considerable reserves for various investments. We have also promised employees mid-year dividends and bonuses, so donating too much is not an option.

He was also the weakest among the people present.

However, donating too little makes it difficult to leave an impression and may be equivalent to donating in vain.

Chen Jiazhi continued to observe, and as Peng Linji took the lead, others also spoke up one after another, and the amount of donations was no longer so exaggerated.

There are amounts ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 yuan, but only one exceeds one million yuan.

This made Chen Jiazhi relax a bit, and he already had an idea in mind.

When it was his turn at the very end of the line, Chen Jiazhi spoke up: "Boss, Kaopu Fresh is willing to donate one million yuan to help students in impoverished mountainous areas."

Chen Guanye extended his hand and shook hands with Chen Jiazhi, "Okay, thank you Mr. Chen for your support of education in mountainous areas!"

Chen Jiazhi felt that he had achieved his goal.

One million would rank third among the people at this table, and at least at this moment, Chen Guanye had a deep and good impression of him.

"Judging from your appearance, Mr. Chen doesn't seem very old. How old are you this year?"

Sitting next to Chen Jiazhi was a landscaping contractor named Lao Jun. After Chen Jiazhi sat down, Lao Jun asked him a question.

Chen Jiazhi replied, "I'm 23 this year."

The private room fell silent instantly. The people present were all quite old, mostly over thirty.

Lao Jun remarked with admiration, "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Chen Guanye then laughed and said, "Mr. Chen also started from scratch. Three years ago, he had just come to Huacheng and only planted a few acres of vegetables. Now he has one or two thousand acres of land in Huacheng, Shanghai, Yunnan and other places, and his vegetables are exported to Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries and regions."

Everyone was somewhat surprised, but little did they know that Chen Jiazhi was even more surprised than they were.

They specifically investigated him!
But the fact that Chen Guanye made this introduction proves that his one million today was indeed well spent.

After the donations were made, the meal session began.

With Chen Guanye's special introduction, more people interacted with Chen Jiazhi, and he collected quite a few business cards. Unfortunately, he still didn't have any.

However, he also shared common topics with Lao Jun and Ye Yunting, another flower business owner.

Greenery and flowers are at least somewhat related to farming, and Chen Jiazhi has been to the Dounan Flower Market before, so it wouldn't hurt to recommend them to the two of them.

However, Chen Guanye usually dictates the atmosphere at the dinner table.

Around nine o'clock, the dinner ended and everyone left one after another.

Just as Chen Jiazhi was about to leave, his secretary Kang Ming called him back, "President Chen, the boss wants you to sit down a little longer and have a cup of tea to sober up."

"it is good."

Chen Jiazhi was slightly tipsy, but his mind was still clear. In an instant, he realized that it might be related to the investment in the new base.

Led by Kang Ming, Chen Jiazhi entered the tea room, which was decorated in a special way, with several potted green plants.

Besides Chen Guanye, Peng Linji, Lao Jun, and Ye Yun were also present, and all three donated a considerable amount today.

Chen Guanye greeted him, "Mr. Chen, come and have some tea."

After Chen Jiazhi sat down, Chen Guanye personally poured him tea.

Chen Jiazhi tapped the table with his index and middle fingers to express his gratitude; this was a tea etiquette he had learned from Huang Jianyuan.

After Chen Jiazhi finished his tea, Chen Guanye said, "Mr. Chen, I have a suggestion regarding your investment in the new base."

Chen Jiazhi sobered up considerably in an instant and said, "Sir, I'd like to hear more details."

Chen Guanye smiled and said, "Actually, it doesn't conflict with your choice. Between Conghua and Zengcheng, I suggest you choose Zengcheng. Many towns in Zengcheng have barely escaped poverty and still need to consolidate their gains."

He emphasized the word "poverty alleviation".

Considering his newly appointed position as the head of the poverty alleviation team, Chen Jiazhi immediately understood.

"it is good!"

"Leader, Zengcheng itself is very much in line with our positioning, especially the three townships of Xiaolou, Paitan and Zhengguo, which have beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the vegetables grown there will definitely be of good quality."

Chen Guanye smiled and said to Peng Linji and the other two, "Don't underestimate President Chen just because he's young; he's quite a remarkable person."

Of the three townships mentioned by Chen Jiazhi, only Xiaolou ranks in the middle in terms of per capita income in Zengcheng County.

In 1993, Paitan had an average income of 1382 yuan per capita, ranking second to last in the county, while Zhengguo ranked last.

Although they have now escaped poverty, these are precisely the townships that Chen Guanye mentioned needing to consolidate their poverty alleviation achievements.

Chen Guanye added, "However, Mr. Chen should also remember that some things can only be the icing on the cake, and we should not put the cart before the horse. We should also be careful when choosing a base, otherwise things may not go as planned."

"clear."

Chen Jiazhi was truly flattered to receive such a kind reminder from Chen Daguan.

"Leader, I am quite confident in developing vegetable cultivation in Zengcheng, and I believe it can also contribute to the poverty alleviation cause."

Chen Guanye chuckled twice, then said to Peng Linji and the others, "Mr. Chen, you're so young, yet you speak such official jargon so fluently."

Peng Linji also joked, "The leaders all said that General Manager Chen is a wonderful person."

"Haha~" Chen Guanye laughed again, "Young Master Chen is indeed a wonderful person."

Chen Jiazhi was somewhat confused. Had he drunk too much?
And how did he become "Little General Manager Chen"?

He may be young in age, but he's not young in other aspects. Back in the day, he never lost a contest of size in the shower room at the Dongxiang vegetable market.

After finishing their business, Chen Jiazhi didn't stay long before subtly saying goodbye and leaving.

After getting into the car, Chen Jiazhi rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and looked dazed. He must have gotten involved in some kind of circle, right?
The night breeze brought a refreshing coolness to his face as Chen Jiazhi considered the company's finances.

The Chinese kale in March, followed by the watercress, and this month's broccoli, plus the fact that the market has been good for the past two months.

The company is relatively safe to allocate 1200 million yuan in cash, and still has the capacity to pay bonuses and dividends.

But now they've donated 100 million yuan.
Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment. He was sure he had enough money, and if not, he could take out a loan. Besides, earning a million wasn't difficult.

Thinking of this, he asked Xue Jun, who was driving, "Have all the seedlings been planted in Lianzhou?"

Xue Jun tilted his head. "Yes, it's been planted for a while now, and I heard it's growing quite well."

"Ah That's good."

...

Chen Jiazhi felt it was worth it to get in touch with Chen Guanye for just one million.

Moreover, choosing Zengcheng is indeed a good fit, as it allows for the development of late-season cabbage while simultaneously building a supply base for export.

This is a compromise, because late-season cabbage is less accepted overseas, except in the Pearl River Delta region.

Once the market for late-season cabbage develops in the Pearl River Delta, the sourcing bases can also switch to producing late-season cabbage.

Following this line of thought, Chen Jiazhi quickly contacted the Zengcheng County government.

Subsequently, newspapers reporting on Chen Guanye's research trip to Panyu were also published.

The article mentions Jiangxin Vegetable Market and also mentions that Kaopu Fresh plans to invest in and build a new vegetable base in Zengcheng.

Xia Youche, who was considering investing in a vegetable market in mainland China, also happened to see this news, and his hair stood on end.

(End of this chapter)