1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 438 Selling Vegetables at the Clubhouse
As dawn broke, Huacheng woke up and looked up at the sky. It was all gray and hazy. The sun looked like a blurry egg yolk, covered by a thick layer of dust, and couldn't give off any warmth.

Even the buildings in the distance were shrouded in a gray-white veil, their outlines blurred and indistinct.

Rolling down the side window of the Jetta, there was a smell in the air, I couldn't tell if it was dust, exhaust fumes, or something drifting from a distant factory, mixed with the damp, cold morning mist. Inhaling too much of it made my throat dry and itchy.

Li Xiu quickly closed the car window again.

Chen Jiazhi said, "I'll take a nap and go home for a few days later. Staying in this smoggy weather for too long is bad for my nose and throat."

"Okay, I miss my son too."

The countryside has its advantages; at least you don't have to suffer from the smog and industrial exhaust fumes of the city. Nowadays, the environment in Guangzhou is getting worse and worse, and the public is constantly complaining.

Through several contacts with Chen Guanye, the city has already developed a governance plan, but it is still hard to say when it will be effective.

After arriving at his long-booked room at the Spruce Hotel, Chen Jiazhi fell asleep immediately; that's the good thing about being young.

...

From the Jade Vegetable Market.

The vegetable market, located at the foot of Fengyunling Mountain, is also shrouded in mist, but unlike the smog in the city, the air here is fresh and the environment is beautiful.

Nourished by the Liuxi River, the high-quality vegetables produced there are deeply loved by Yang Jianzun.

This is the source of Yu Cai Industry's confidence in its extensive operations in Hong Kong and overseas.

Yang Jianzun and his capable assistant Chang Hao walked on the cement-paved road of the vegetable market, with rows of flat vegetable fields on both sides.

It's peak production season, and the vegetable fields are lush and green, with sunlight filtering through the clouds and creating dappled golden light.

Yang Jianzun thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Chang Hao said, "We snatched two more customers from Tongxingtai's territory early this morning."

"Very good, very good." Yang Jianzun nodded in satisfaction. "Keep up the good work and try to defeat Tongxingtai as soon as possible."

“It’s difficult,” Chang Hao said. “Tongxingtai has high-quality mustard greens and lettuce, which are very well received in Hong Kong. We need to have products of the same level to completely defeat Tongxingtai.”

Otherwise, Tongxingtai could survive on just these two kinds of vegetables.

Yang Jianzun asked doubtfully, "Are the mustard greens and lettuce from Heli Farm really that good that they can't even be discounted?"

Chang Hao shook his head. "Simply lowering prices won't work; there must be alternative products."

The market sells mustard greens and lettuce, but it's neither chicken heart mustard nor Dali lettuce.

Through Liu Yunfan, they learned that the mustard greens came from a place called Pengcun in Maoming, but they didn't know exactly where it was.

As for lettuce, Yu also tried growing it, but the results were quite different from those of Heli lettuce.

They are still unsure where Heli Agriculture purchased the lettuce seeds from.

Yang Jianzun pondered, "Even if we can't defeat them, we should at least take a bite out of them. Kaopu Fresh is too much of a threat to Congyu."

Yang Jianzun chose Conghua as the location for the base because he already had the intention of pursuing a development path focused on high-quality vegetables.

However, his few interactions with the company revealed that Kaopu Fresh also prioritizes quality, and even surpasses Congyu in this regard.

The emergence of Hop Lee Agriculture, in particular, has significantly raised the ceiling for Tong Hing Tai in Hong Kong.

Once Tong Hing Tai develops, the high-end market in Hong Kong that Jade has occupied and coveted will face strong competition from Tong Hing Tai.

Moreover, he knew that Tongxingtai had just invested ten million yuan in the vegetable market and might be facing a shortage of funds.

At the same time, Kaopu Fresh has abandoned the export market and instead focused on the domestic market, which will also significantly reduce its profits.

At this point, the Hong Kong market becomes even more important to Kaopu Fresh. If Tongxingtai faces competition, Kaopu Fresh will be in a dilemma: rescuing Tongxingtai means a further decline in profits, while not rescuing Tongxingtai may lead to its collapse and the loss of its main Hong Kong channels.

In Yang Jianzun's mind, it would be best to take advantage of the situation to defeat Heli Farm and Kaopu Fresh, or at least slow down their development.

On the contrary, jade is developing very well, and relying on the export market, jade has recently made a lot of profits.

Yang Jianzun plans to take advantage of this momentum to improve the base facilities, build a new base, expand product categories, and capture market share.

Once a lead is gained, the subsequent threat from Kaopu Fresh will be reduced.

Therefore, Yang Jianzun took the initiative and joined forces with several vegetable stalls to launch an offensive against Tongxingtai.

It also achieved good results.

However, Tong Hing Tai now holds two cards: chicken heart mustard and daikon radish, making it impossible to completely defeat them.

After walking for a while, Yang Jianzun looked at the bok choy glistening in the sunlight and said:

"Old Chang, at least we need to completely suppress Tongxingtai in the choy sum market. Our choy sum is just as good, and we can continue to make concessions on the price."

"Okay, Chairman."

Choy sum is the best-selling vegetable in the Pearl River Delta and is also popular in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, choy sum is also a key vegetable for Congyu. As long as Congyu gains dominance in choy sum, it will also take the lead in the high-end market.

After patrolling the market for a while, someone else rode up on a bicycle.

"Chairman Yang, the micro-irrigation manufacturers we met today have all arrived and are waiting in the conference room."

Yang Jianzun nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be there right away."

In the conference room, Cao Yu from Green Vine Company was full of confidence, while on his other side were two blond, blue-eyed foreigners.

Both parties will compete for the micro-sprinkler irrigation project in Congyu, which is a large project worth tens of millions of yuan.

Cao Yu felt that the communication process with the client went very smoothly.

Unlike the frugal and reliable Freshman, Congyu has a large budget and immediately asks for the best equipment.

At the same time, Cao Yu and Chairman Yang Jianzun also have many common topics, such as complaining about Kaopu Fresh together.

Chairman Yang was very interested in Kaopu Fresh, especially after learning that the other party was also going to do micro-sprinkler irrigation.

Cao Yu inevitably chatted a bit more, and when he learned that Kaopu Fresh's budget was only 300-500 yuan per mu, he clearly remembered Chairman Yang smiling.

It was a sneer, a mocking laugh, clearly showing disdain for such petty behavior.

"Why would you spend three or five hundred yuan on integrated water and fertilizer management?"

These were Chairman Yang's exact words, and he shared the same thoughts as Cao Yu. The two had a very pleasant conversation.

So even if his competitor is Israel's Netafim, he is confident he can compete.

Yang Jianzun arrived at the conference room soon.

Green Vine and Netafim each gave a detailed presentation of their improvement plans once again. An hour later, a senior executive from Congyu shook hands with Cao Yu. "Mr. Cao, your plan is excellent, but Chairman Yang chose Netafim. Chairman Yang believes their technology is more trustworthy and can save Congyu more management costs."

Cao Yu was somewhat dazed; months of hard work had gone down the drain.

"Can I ask about Netafim's quote?"

“I don’t recommend you ask, but if you really want to know, I can tell you.”

How much per acre?

"6000 dollars."

Cao Yu had no idea how he left Congyu; his mind was completely blank.

It wasn't until someone from the company contacted him that he said somewhat dejectedly, "Why? Our price is half the price, yet Congyu doesn't choose us."

The people from Green Vine also realized they had lost the competition.

"Israel's irrigation technology is indeed better."

"But it's half the price."

"Money is no object for jade enthusiasts."

"Yes, Congyu is not short of money."

Cao Yu had known Cong Yu for quite some time and knew that Cong Yu's export business was doing well and making a lot of money.

However, an investment of 6000 yuan per mu means that Yu needs to spend 1800 million yuan to improve irrigation facilities such as micro-sprinkler irrigation.

Making more money from jade must have been painful for him to spend 1800 million yuan, but he was truly willing to do so.

Cao Yu thought of Kaopu Fresh, and with a budget of 300 to 500 yuan per mu, he wanted to implement micro-sprinkler irrigation and integrated water and fertilizer management.

However, Reliable Fresh doesn't care about technology and quality; it only needs to be cheap and usable.

This is simply the other extreme.

Cao Yu smoked a cigarette, his thoughts drifting. He recalled something the salesman had once said.

"Don't expect to get fat in one bite. It's not something that domestic products can catch up with imported technology in a short time."

"First, seize the market with extremely cheap products, and then use the profits to invest in technology and processes."

He originally thought this was a sales tactic devised by the owner of Reliable Fresh to negotiate a higher price.

But as I smoke and think about it now, I realize there's some truth to it.

Imported products are twice as expensive, and everyone else prefers to use them. Trying to catch up is wishful thinking; just surviving is a feat in itself.

However, if we change our approach and focus on selling cheap goods to seize the market, prioritizing survival before trying to catch up, we might actually have a better chance of success.

The cigarette butts on the ground quickly piled up, and when the cigarette pack was empty, Cao Yu felt he had finally understood.

He used to hate the 'cheap' requirements of Reliable Fresh, but now he is gradually starting to accept them.

Regardless of whether we can catch up, the price of nearly 20 times cheaper will definitely win us the market. At least we can secure orders for the thousands of acres of land under the Reliable Fresh brand. Even if the profit is small, it's better than nothing.

Moreover, for every order Green Vine Company gets, the foreign company gets one less. Even if it annoys his competitors, he still wants to take orders from Reliable Fresh and spread the word through this.

...

Following Yang Jianzun's instructions, Yu's office in Hong Kong sent out even more salespeople to infiltrate Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po.

By lowering prices, they secured several more orders for bok choy.

However, Xia Youche was not heartbroken after discovering this. Truly high-quality customers consider not only price but also quality and stable cooperation.

Xia Youche only wants to retain this group of customers; there's no need to spend too much effort maintaining relationships with other customers who prefer lower prices.

Because Tongxingtai also needs to make a move.

Xia Yang returned to the bar and dance hall once again, but this time he came to sell vegetables.

"Young Master Yang, why are you here so early in the morning?"

Xia Yang personally placed the two styrofoam boxes in front of the bar owner, saying, "Sister Hua, here's some food for you."

Sister Hua asked in confusion, "Why are you bringing me vegetables?"

Xia Yang skillfully opened the box with a knife, took out a vibrant green lettuce, broke off a leaf, and ate it raw.

“My family has been in the vegetable wholesale business at the Chang SW Market for decades. Recently, the competition has been fierce, so I’m helping my dad out.”

Cheung Sha Wan is the largest vegetable wholesale market in Hong Kong. Its ability to operate here for decades speaks volumes about its strength.

Sister Hua was quite surprised and said, "This is the first time I've heard you say this. Okay, from now on, I'll leave the dishes in my shop to you."

"Okay, I'll make sure you're satisfied."

After visiting several of the entertainment venues he was most familiar with, Xia Yang discovered that each of them had a considerable demand for vegetables.

Moreover, they prioritize quality and are willing to pay high prices, making their selling prices significantly higher than the delivery prices at the vegetable market.

So they really do sell vegetables here!
Xia Yang ate a piece of lettuce while reminiscing about the entertainment venues he had visited in the past.

Soon, he remembered a high-end club.

This upscale club not only offers services such as foot baths, but also provides a sumptuous breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

He recalled that the three meals included various precious seafood, meats, and high-end vegetables.

Although he didn't know the owner of the store, he got to know many of the managers.

"You're next."

He felt awkward in the wholesale market, but he felt right at home in the club.

Thanks to the acquaintance of the lobby manager, Xia Yang successfully struck up a conversation with the head chef and nervously presented his own high-quality vegetables, such as lettuce and mustard greens, under the chef's scrutinizing gaze.

However, he eventually impressed the head chef with the excellent quality of the vegetables and won the order again.

"That's fucking awesome!"

As Xia Yang walked out of the club, he waved his hand fiercely. The money he had spent on entertainment venues in the past was now playing a crucial role.

He glanced back again. This was the first time he hadn't found a woman at the club, but he had experienced a different kind of adrenaline rush while selling vegetables.

(End of this chapter)