1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 447 Good Things Keep Coming
Cao Yu was still savoring the complete explanation of the lettuce turning and shaping technique from Boss Chen's description when he suddenly felt that Boss Chen's gaze was very sharp, like a wolf poised to pounce, intimidating and chilling.

He recalled scenes of murder and burial in movies, and the already cold weather became even colder.

But Cao Yu was so anxious he was sweating profusely when he suddenly had a flash of inspiration when he saw the lettuce at his feet.

"Mr. Chen, what did we just say?"

"nothing."

Chen Jiazhi blinked and smiled nonchalantly. This Cao Yu was quite a character.

Actually, whether the technique of turning and shaping lettuce is kept secret or not is not that important, because Dali lettuce has not been widely promoted yet, and is only being promoted in the Nanjing area.

Moreover, after the Yuanmou seedling farm introduced and propagated seedlings, it became self-sufficient in reliable and fresh lettuce seeds.

It's like having double insurance.

This method will remain a niche approach for at least the next two or three years.

"I'll be going now, Mr. Cao. You can continue with your work."

"Alright, Mr. Chen, take care."

Cao Yu wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. How could Boss Chen, who had risen from a small vegetable farmer to where he was today, not have some tricks up his sleeve?

Luckily I was quick-witted, otherwise I might have been in serious trouble.

Chen Jiazhi was unaware of Cao Yu's inner thoughts as he walked along the slightly slippery paddy field ridge.

As December approached, Xiaolou Town grew colder day by day.

The weather was uncomfortable for patrolling the fields; it was damp, cold, and biting. But the farmers who were working had it even harder, their hands often turning red from the cold.

But we still need to harvest the vegetables.

The only good news is that vegetable prices have generally risen again as temperatures drop, and late-season bok choy has also increased in price once more.

Of course, it also tastes crisper and sweeter.

As Chen Jiazhi was calculating how many vegetables he needed to harvest and how much money he could make, a shout suddenly came from afar. After listening carefully, he realized that it was another phone call looking for him.

"Is it really this hard to even patrol the fields?"

He's been getting annoyed by the phone calls lately.

Once he arrived at the office, he asked, "Who called this time?"

Someone replied, "It's Director Li from the Yuanmou Base. He hasn't even hung up the phone yet."

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward, answered the phone, and asked, "Old Li, what's up?"

Li Mingkun's somber voice came through the phone, "The greenhouse vegetables have been on the market for so long, and the open-field vegetables will be taken off the shelves soon. Boss, aren't you going to come and check on them?"

Chen Jiazhi seemed to smell a strong sourness and said, "Why are you acting like a complaining woman? I've given you a lot of authority and you're still not happy."

Li Mingkun said softly, "Recently, the 100 mu of greenhouse vegetables in Huangguayuan Town have yielded very good results. Farmers who used our grafted seedlings this year have also had a good harvest, and some farmers have been producing good yields these past few days."

The yield of open-field winter vegetables in Yuanmou usually drops to a low level by December 20th. However, the fact that there are still vegetables growing now, even though it's already past January and a third of the month has passed, is enough to prove how excellent the grafted seedlings are.

After a pause, seeing no response, Li Mingkun continued, "The county also intends to increase promotion, and has mentioned several times, both openly and secretly, that they want to talk to you about it."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"We're just chatting casually. Besides, the greenhouses are doing quite well this year. You can come and take a look."

"Old Li, there's so much good news, I can't keep up!"

“I know that other bases make more money, and the big boss always comes to visit before the Chinese New Year.”

“No problem, I’ll definitely come before the New Year.” Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and then said, “Old man, I trust you. You should make the decisions for yourself.”

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely do my best."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Jiazhi once again experienced the bittersweet feeling of happiness.

There has indeed been a lot of good news lately. The mustard greens from Pengcun base are also performing very well, and Ao Deliang is also interested in letting him go for a stroll.

In comparison, the Yuanmou base is less profitable.

Although Yuanmou's winter and early spring vegetables have a climate advantage, competition from eggplant and melon vegetables is becoming increasingly fierce.

Among Yuanmou's "Three Norths" customers, Shandong has basically taken over the Northeast and North China markets, leaving only the Northwest. However, under the "vegetable basket project," greenhouses are also being developed in places like Xi'an.

As the planting area expands, the prices of eggplant, lychee, and melon vegetables are generally declining, a process that Chen Jiazhi, based on his memory, estimates will last for nearly 10 years.

Therefore, Chen Jiazhi has only a moderate interest in eggplant, melons, and other similar vegetables, except for seedlings.

He developed greenhouses specifically for growing seedlings.

As the acreage increases, vegetable prices fall, but seedlings and seeds benefit in the process.

This is also the significance of the Yuanmou Base.

After checking the calendar, Chen Jiazhi realized that the Spring Festival was not far away, and he wanted to visit the various bases as soon as possible.

It's the end of the year, and we've had a very fruitful year, so we can't let our subordinates feel disheartened.

In the afternoon, Chen Jiazhi did not go to inspect the fields again. He stayed in the office until dark. After Li Xiu and Chen Jiafang went home for a while, Yi Dinggan returned, all bundled up, carrying a bucket in his hand.

"Jiazhi, give me a cigarette."

Chen Jiazhi lit a cigarette for him and asked, "Why are you back so late? And what are you doing carrying a bucket?"

Yi Dinggan took a comfortable puff of his cigarette and said, "It's all because of Li Cai. He asked me to bait the spot for him, but he never comes to fish."

Chen Jiazhi laughed, "Then why did you keep calling him?"

"I'm thinking of refilling the fishing spot so I can go fishing when I have some free time."

Have you ever gone fishing?

"No, we only baited the nest."

"What you're doing isn't called baiting, it's called fish farming."

Busy from morning till night, there's no time to go fishing. Even Li Cai, who had promised to come, simply stood them up.

After joking around for a while, Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan stood at the office door, watching the cold storage being filled with vegetables on the other side.

"I went to look at the lettuce this afternoon and had a new idea."

"What new thing are you going to plant this time?"

Yi Dinggan immediately became interested. The mention of "new ideas" made him feel like he was about to make a lot of money again.

Chen Jiazhi glanced at him sideways, "Where are there so many new things? And they're even related to Italian lettuce."

Yi Dinggan asked curiously, "Tell me about it."

Chen Jiazhi explained the technique of turning and shaping lettuce leaves in detail, and Yi Dinggan listened intently. He had just heard about Tongxingtai's fierce competition in Hong Kong a few days ago.

Lettuce was also mentioned.

Yi Dinggan asked, "Isn't the majority of Hong Kong's lettuce sourced from the United States?"

“That’s right.” Chen Jiazhi pondered, “I want to get rid of American goods.”

"Do it!"

Yi Dinggan had no doubts about the technology; if Jiazhi said it could work, then it definitely could.

This is all experience.

"Besides you, who else knows about this technology?"

“Old Guo and Cao Yu,” Chen Jiazhi said. “But Cao Yu said he would keep it a secret.”

"That's good."

With its high production volume, appealing appearance, and superior quality, coupled with domestic production costs far lower than those in the United States, Yi Dinggan is brimming with confidence.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Try the effect on a small area first. Be careful when pressing down on the heart, as it is easy to get infected if you make a wound."

Perhaps we could try using machines to reshape the core, like a blower or something. I'll have Hongzhong look for one later..."

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the two had already decided on their plan. If they could actually pull it off, they could not only bleed Hop Hing and Wing Lung dry, but also drive the Americans out of Hong Kong.

The two delivered the last truckload of vegetables outside the cold storage before rubbing their hands together and heading home.

A fire was burning in the yard, and the family simply sat around it with their rice bowls and ate.

It was really cold that day.

After finishing their meal, they chatted around the fire, and Li Xiu and Chen Jiafang asked about what had happened that afternoon.

"Jiazhi, what were you talking about with Lao Guo and President Cao in the lettuce field this afternoon?"

There was nothing to hide from the family, so Chen Jiazhi explained his next steps.

To his surprise, the way people were looking at him became increasingly strange. Chen Jiazhi thought it was ash from burning coals on his face, so he wiped his face, but there was nothing there.

"What do you want to see me do?"

"Uncle, you still say you're not good at fighting with people!"

"What's so special about that!"

"You're very shrewd and calculating. Those who are your rivals are truly miserable."

"Tsk tsk... I just want to see the Americans get the short end of the stick!"

"Jiazhi is indeed very clever."

"Haha, Jiazhi has taught us another lesson; this is business warfare!"

Under Yi Long and Yi Hu's guidance, the art style was quickly distorted.

Chen Jiazhi felt wronged and said, "What kind of business war is this? Legitimate business wars are all about watering money trees."

"Uncle, at least make your lie believable."

"Exactly, you're more like trying to fool DouDou."

Chen Jiazhi felt helpless; why did no one listen to him when he told the truth?

"I'm not good at fighting with people, I just present the better options to the customers and let them make the decision."

"Xu~"

"Hey, you guys went too far."

Yi Dinggan waved his hand and said, "This matter should also be kept secret. Once we leave this room, we can't tell anyone else."

Yi Long said seriously, "Don't worry, I won't eat lettuce until I take down the Americans, let alone mention lettuce reshaping technology to outsiders."

Yi Hu scoffed, "I think you just don't want to eat vegetables, you only want to eat meat."

“You two rascals~” Yi Dinggan blinked, “You have to keep it a secret after you take down the Americans, otherwise if word gets out, your uncle will really become the cunning mastermind behind it all~ It will affect his reputation.”

Chen Jiazhi felt increasingly helpless as he listened; it made him seem like he was very scheming.

He's such a simple person; all he wants is to provide his customers with better vegetables.

That night, Li Xiu brought up the matter of hiring bodyguards with him again, and especially after learning that she was going out again, she strongly urged him to bring Xue Jun with him.

...

As the days went by, Chen Jiazhi embarked on his year-end inspection tour.

As the weather gets colder, vegetable prices are rising, igniting the Spring Festival market ahead of schedule.

Kaopu Fresh's sales volume at its three vegetable markets in Guangdong has declined, but thanks to rising vegetable prices, its daily revenue has reached a new high.

Especially the late-season cabbage, under the stimulation of low temperature, has an even sweeter taste, and its reputation continues to grow, making its reputation as a leader among Lingnan winter vegetables more and more secure.

Meanwhile, as the number of late-season bok choy grown by individual farmers decreases, it has become difficult for Taiji in Yuhe District to organize supplies again.

In contrast, Tongxingtai, with its stable supply of goods, has great potential. While eroding Taiji's customers in Yuhe District, it is also making its control of channels more stable.

By January 16th, the Laba Festival, Tongxingtai had completed signing contracts with all of the initial 88 high-quality target clients.

The established goals have been achieved.

Tongxingtai stopped poaching its employees, leaving some for others, as its supply chain had reached its limit.

In short, even Heli Agriculture's late-season cabbage is not enough to meet demand.

Beforehand, Chen Jiazhi thought he had prepared enough, but he still underestimated the charm of the sweet and refreshing late-season cabbage.

Starting from Heli No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 farms, Chen Jiazhi eventually arrived at the Pengcun base in Maoming.

Every time Chen Jiazhi sees the base managed by Ao Deliang, he is impressed by how beautifully it is maintained.

This is what an ideal vegetable garden should look like.

Pengcun is also much warmer than Xiaolou Town, making patrolling the vegetable fields much more comfortable.

Compared to late-ripening mustard greens, chicken heart mustard greens have less of the frost-induced irritation. The taste is outstanding and amazing, but not explosive enough.

Mustard greens are also less popular than bok choy.

However, Chen Jiazhi was still very satisfied with the performance of the Pengcun base.

Since the National Day holiday, the supply of mustard greens has remained stable, increasing from only 20 to 30 tons per day at the beginning to 60 tons now!
Looking out at the fields of chicken heart mustard waiting to be harvested, Chen Jiazhi exclaimed, "Deliang, your crop timing plan is absolutely brilliant. The peak yield coincides perfectly with the best market conditions."

Ao Deliang smiled and said, "After all, I was one of Teacher Chen's first students."

Chen Jiazhi paused in place, recalling the crop rotation plan he had explained to Ao Dehai, Ao Deliang, and Qi Yongfeng at the Dongxiang vegetable market, and shook his head.

“These days, the average price of chicken heart mustard is 2.8 yuan per kilogram across various channels. 60 tons a day would be 33.6 yuan a day. The return on this lesson has already exceeded expectations.”

"Actually, more often than not, you're the one who has this intention, thinking about checking the calendar and speculating on future market changes. You must have been eyeing the Spring Festival market for a while now?"

Ao Deliang nodded in surprise, "Yes, because the taste of chicken heart mustard is good around the Spring Festival and the market demand is also high. Last year, the supply could not meet the demand during this period, so we made this planting plan."

It sounds simple, and it really is simple, but it's very effective.

Chen Jiazhi checked the accounts of the Pengcun base and found that it had sold 6 million yuan worth of goods in the three months from October to December.

However, in January of this year, as the daily vegetable production increased, the daily income was at least around 150,000 yuan, and the growth curve was very impressive, rising all the way to the current daily income of more than 300,000 yuan, showing an astonishing explosive growth.

When Chen Jiazhi left Pengcun, he was still immersed in joy.

"I never expected that the junior cook I hired would grow up so quickly."

"Because you have something that is truly taught."

This time, Chen Jiazhi brought Xue Jun along again, and the fruit stall was temporarily handed over to other people to look after.

Xue Jun added, "Ao Deliang mentioned it many times, saying that these were all things you taught him, and he was only trying to use them, but he never expected to actually encounter them."

Chen Jiazhi pondered and said, "There might be an element of luck involved, but to be able to harvest all the vegetables on a thousand acres of land at the planned time, and to have vegetables growing every single day since the beginning of October, that takes real skill."

Some people, even if you tell them there will be opportunities during the Spring Festival, will still miss out.

Because he doesn't understand his seeds, soil, and the climate change in his region, among other factors.

Xue Jun remained silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Teacher Chen, could you teach me how to do fruit business?"

"I do not know either."

"You can."

"I really don't know how."

"Is there really a market for tangerines?"

"Have."

"Then why did you say you couldn't..."

The topic of the fruit business became an interlude for the two along the way.

The unknown always evokes fear, but the challenge of the unknown is also part of the fun.

Moreover, they have more and more capital to make a fuss.

(End of this chapter)