1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 461 Buying a House
In Chen Jiazhi's plan, there are several areas where a lot of money will be needed next.

One aspect is to see if there is an opportunity to acquire state-owned vegetable stores, and how to operate them after the acquisition;

Secondly, it is a base for long-term broccoli production;
Thirdly, change offices.

Fourthly, preparations for exports.

However, the timing of all three is not yet set, so the funds available for future use will be far more than 3000 million.

Now it remains to be seen when the crisis in Thailand will erupt. As things stand, the Thai government has temporarily stabilized the situation through a series of internal and external measures.

But in Chen Jiazhi's view, the crisis is still there, and it is just unknown how it will evolve in the future.

Just then, Li Xiu knocked on the door and came in, asking, "Jiazhi, what would you like to eat tonight? I'm about to start cooking."

Chen Jiazhi put down his teacup and said, "What are you cooking? Come on, I'll take you out for a big meal."

Li Xiu laughed and said, "Oh, when did you find so much free time, Mr. Chen? Aren't you busy with work later?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "It's about balancing work and rest; you have to enjoy life occasionally."

"I don't believe it, this isn't like you." Li Xiu stroked her chin and paced back and forth a few times. "Is something good happening today?"

"No, that's not it. I was just thinking that it's been a long time since we've eaten out alone together."

Chen Jiazhi picked up his teacup again. "If you don't want to go, that's fine. Just make me a bowl of noodles."

Li Xiu immediately pouted and said, "Who said I didn't want to go? After we eat, how about we go see a movie?"

"Okay, okay, if you want to buy the movie theater, I'll agree to buy it for you today."

"Forget it then."

Before leaving, Li Xiu even took Chen Jiazhi to change his clothes.

After Chen Jiazhi changed in two minutes, Li Xiu was still carefully selecting her makeup, and then she took out the cosmetics she carried with her to put on makeup. These cosmetics were a gift from Xia Youche.

Bored while waiting, Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment, took out his phone and called the White Swan Hotel to reserve a private room with a view of the Pearl River.

In addition, I asked the waiter to buy a bouquet of flowers for a simple decoration.

As the first five-star hotel in mainland China, it boasts first-class environment and facilities, and last year it was ranked first in the list of the top 100 and 50 hotels in the country selected by the National Tourism Administration.

When Li Xiu drove here, her eyes were filled with deep surprise.

"Jiazhi, what brings you here? This place must be very expensive."

"Now that we're making money, shouldn't we take you out to enjoy life?"

Chen Jiazhi took her hand and led her inside. When they arrived at the private room, the waiter placed a large bouquet of roses on the table and specifically mentioned that it was arranged by Chen Jiazhi.

After ordering, Chen Jiazhi noticed that Li Xiu's eyes seemed to be sparkling.

"Did you feel surprised?"

Li Xiu's eyes crinkled into a smile. "It almost turned into a shock. If we hadn't been together all this time, I would have thought you were a completely different person. I'm not used to it."

"Uh..." Chen Jiazhi choked for a moment, poured two glasses of red wine, and handed one to Li Xiu. "Cheers, thank you for your hard work."

Li Xiu, who doesn't drink, also picked up her wine glass and gently clinked it with Chen Jiazhi's, saying, "Being with you makes everything easier."

The private room has a great location, with views of the Pearl River and the city skyline.

The construction of this city is accelerating.

Enjoying their drinks and food, Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu chatted leisurely.

From the TV series they watched yesterday, to how many vegetables they sold this morning, to topics like buying a house and a new car.

After dinner, Li Xiu, who had drunk some alcohol, felt a little dizzy, so the two of them didn't go to see a movie and instead went back to their hotel room.

That night, Chen Jiazhi felt very relaxed and comfortable.

...

After 'strengthening its internal capabilities', Kaopu Fresh's development has become increasingly stable, and Chen Jiazhi has become more composed and patient.

In contrast, Yang Jianzun was very anxious and often tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The financial turmoil in Thailand often made him recall what Liu Yunfan had relayed to Chen Jiazhi, and he was frequently awakened by fear in the middle of the night.

"Southeast Asia may be facing an economic crisis..."

Although they had never met, Mr. Chen from Kaopu Fresh left a deep impression on him.

First in Hong Kong, he helped Tong Hing Tai steal the high-end catering clients that Yu had painstakingly built up.

Now, financial turmoil hangs over Thailand once again.

After another sleepless night, Yang Jianzun came out of his room.

It was still dark, but you could vaguely see what the Yucai Market looked like.

Fengyunling has a beautiful environment and fresh air, and he prefers living in the market, where he can fall asleep better.

However, I barely slept a wink last night either.

He walked through the market, pondering what to do with Congyu.

"Good morning, Chairman. You're taking a walk so early!"

Yang Jianzun only realized it was dawn when early-rising employees greeted him.

Around 10 a.m., Yang Jianzun convened a management meeting and immediately inquired about the situation of the business in Thailand.

Liu Yunfan, who had been promoted to supervisor, replied: "Chairman, the Bank of Thailand has significantly raised the interest rate for foreign borrowers to borrow Thai baht, and at the same time, it has reached loan agreements with Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries. The situation has stabilized, and the Thai baht to US dollar exchange rate has stabilized at 27:1..."

Liu Yunfan explained in detail that the market has regained some confidence.

"Moreover, the export business of jade to Thailand has been normal. There has been a slight delay in the payment due to exchange rate fluctuations, but the customer will pay the balance in the next two days."

Yang Jianzun nodded slightly and then asked about exports to other Southeast Asian countries, saying that they had not been affected.

But he always felt uneasy.

"Old Chang, how's it going with your contacts with local market channels?"

Chang Hao said, "I've been going to the Jiangnan Market a lot lately. Wholesalers are willing to cooperate with us, but the prices are not satisfactory."

"How much?"

"Farm-gate prices: Chinese cabbage 6.5 cents/jin, Chinese kale 6.5 cents/jin, mustard greens 5.5 cents/jin..."

With each price mentioned, Yang Jianzun's heart sank a little further. "Haven't vegetable prices been rising lately?"

"Wholesalers also need to make money."

"What if we sell them ourselves at the market?"

"That's possible, but the price might be 3-4 cents higher, but there won't be any stalls, the customer base will be unstable, and there will be an entrance fee to enter..."

Yang Jianzun had heard similar words many times, and each time he heard them, he would hesitate.

Since its setback in Hong Kong, the sales channels for jade have become overly reliant on exports.

Despite the high profits, Yang Jianzun was always uneasy about the possibility of an economic crisis in Southeast Asia. If an economic crisis really occurred and exports failed, Congyu would still be forced to sell vegetables in mainland China.

Therefore, he wanted to switch to domestic sales ahead of schedule.

However, this huge difference will be difficult for Congyu, which is used to prices for supplying Hong Kong and exporting, to adapt to.

First, a low unit price is not enough to cover production and personnel costs.

The production standards at the Jade Vegetable Market are very high; pesticides and fertilizers are used strictly according to export standards. This year, they also introduced an Israeli micro-sprinkler irrigation system.
In addition, the Yucai Market has not been established for long, and the initial costs such as infrastructure and land rent have not yet been fully recovered.

Selling domestically, while not necessarily resulting in losses, certainly means the break-even point is a long way off.

While Yang Jianzun was pondering, Liu Yunfan couldn't help but speak up again: "Chairman, Congyu should insist on exporting!"

"Even if Thailand hadn't controlled the crisis, the worst that could happen is that they would simply lose the Thai market!"

“The markets in other Southeast Asian countries are sufficient to meet the export demand for jade!” Yang Jianzun neither refuted nor stopped him.

Liu Yunfan added, "The economic crisis is just alarmist talk, and it's even possible that Chen Jiazhi deliberately said it to mislead us. Given his cunning, he could very well do something like that."

Yang Jianzun strongly agreed with the assessment that Xiao Chen was shrewd and calculating.

Given the current situation, selling domestically is tantamount to slow suicide; a desperate push for exports might offer a chance to reverse the situation.

Yang Jianzun chose to give it another shot.

Just like when he first started growing vegetables, every successful vegetable farmer has a glorious history.

...

Meanwhile, Qu Jingtai was also inspecting his Dongsheng Farm.

Panyu has a low-lying terrain, and during the Dragon Boat Festival rains, Dongsheng Farm was hit by disaster again.

Moreover, the small greenhouse was always a step behind the neighboring Jiangxin vegetable market in terms of covering the plastic film. While others were almost finished, they were only just beginning to cover the film.

Leafy vegetables that have been exposed to torrential rain will naturally not grow well.

Qu Jingtai didn't believe in superstitions, so he personally led a couple hundred people to build it again, and then he believed it.

It can't be covered up, it really can't be covered up.

In Qu Jingtai's view, small arched sheds are not suitable for large vegetable markets because they are too labor-intensive, costing money without achieving much effect.

Of course, Jiangxin Market is an exception, or rather, Kaopu Fresh is an exception; they do everything quickly.

Qu Jingtai is hesitant to say that his workers are slower than others, because if he does, the workers will bring up wages.

How much are the wages at Jiangxin Vegetable Market?

How much can Dongsheng Farm give?
Two sentences are enough to silence someone, which is why so many people flock to Huacheng, and Dongsheng Farm has never lacked workers.

But the most efficient vegetable workers will always be at the Jiangxin vegetable market next door.

The workers at Jiangxin Market will gradually move to other reliable fresh vegetable bases, continuously raising the overall quality of its workforce.
After inspecting his own farm, Qu Jingtai went to the border to look out. The Jiangxin vegetable market seemed to be his dream "scene," and the more he looked at it, the more fascinated he became.

While you can learn a lot from living with such a neighbor, it's ultimately not his, which puts a lot of pressure on Dongsheng Farm.

Qu Jingtai occasionally has thoughts of giving up.

"Manager Qu, a Chinese customer in Indonesia wrote to request bok choy. Should we ship it to him?"

"Of course we'll ship. Indonesia isn't Thailand, so what's there to be afraid of? If our Thai customers want to buy vegetables, we can sell to them too, but we still need to prioritize supplying goods to Qu Tai Ji."

"Good~"

Although Au Tai Kee lost many high-quality customers, it didn't lose them all. Moreover, Au Tai Kee is a wholesaler and also has intermediary and retail customers.

Meanwhile, both Au Tai Kee and Tung Sing Farm are wholly owned by Au King Tai, so he is not worried about not being able to sell the vegetables.

They just wanted to sell it for a higher price.

On June 30th, as Hong Kong's return to China drew near, the streets and alleys became festive, and even the school blackboards were filled with countdowns drawn in chalk.

For the vegetable vendors at the Jiangnan Market, business has improved somewhat.

At that moment in the early hours of the morning, cheers erupted throughout the market.

Chen Jiazhi had only seen such an inspiring scene once before, during the Olympics.

As Chen Jiazhi was walking through the market, he suddenly heard someone calling him from the side.

"Jiazhi, Jiazhi~"

"Huh? Didn't you say you'd only come up tomorrow morning?" Chen Jiazhi looked at Yi Dinggan in surprise.

"A truckload of lychees was being delivered to Xue Jun's place today, so I just happened to be passing by and got on the bus."

Yi Dinggan took out a cigarette, handed one to Chen Jiazhi, and said, "I didn't bring a lighter, can I borrow your lighter?"

"I can borrow a light, but no need for a lighter."

"Tsk... He's a vegetable vendor, yet he's so stingy."

After wandering around the market for a while, Chen Jiazhi took Yi Dinggan back to the hotel.

They came to the city to look at houses, and Yi Long and Yi Hu will transfer to schools in the city next semester.

The following day, Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu took Yi Dinggan to look at houses in Liwan and Yuexiu districts for the entire morning.

Both districts have relatively good educational resources.

However, the housing prices are a bit higher, and there are relatively few new developments.

At noon, Chen Jiazhi found a Cantonese restaurant and ordered several Cantonese dishes, including poached chicken and stir-fried abalone with kale. He also specially asked Yi Dinggan for a plate of chili dipping sauce.

Yi Dinggan believes that poached chicken tastes best when dipped in chili sauce.

Under the influence of Huang Jianyuan and others, Chen Jiazhi is now slowly developing a liking for the taste of Cantonese cuisine.

After putting something in his belly, Yi Dinggan asked, "Jiazhi, where do you think is a good place to buy a house?"

Chen Jiazhi also put down his chopsticks and said, "It depends on what you value more: educational resources, future appreciation potential, or both."

Yi Dinggan shrugged and said, "I don't know anything about this. Which school do you think Xiaolong and Xiaohu should attend?"

He added, "I can spend money."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's find a property to buy near Tianhe Sports Center. You can attend the High School Affiliated to South China Normal University later. I'll lend you the money if you don't have enough."

Yi Dinggan exclaimed in surprise, "I've saved up nearly two million yuan now. Buying a house and getting my education will drain me dry?"

"How did you save so much?"

This time it was Chen Jiazhi's turn to be surprised.

Yi Dinggan raised his head slightly and laughed, "Boss Chen, my salary, bonuses and dividends are all paid by you, and your second sister and I also earn money together."

Since I spend most of my time at the market and have virtually no other expenses, I've saved it all.

Furthermore, I didn't take any cut of the profits.

Chen Jiazhi believed this, because if Yi Dinggan wanted to take the kickbacks, he would tell Chen Jiazhi frankly.

In this respect, Yi Dinggan cannot be understood in the same way as a normal person would think.

He just hadn't expected Yi Dinggan to have saved so much money.

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "We have enough money. If we want to buy in Tianhe, we can even buy an entire residential complex."

Yi Dinggan slammed his hand on the table. "It's settled then. Buy it!"

Chen Jiazhi was naturally thinking of Ming Ya Yuan. He had visited it last year or the year before. It was only sold in Hong Kong, and the purchase price could only be paid in Hong Kong dollars. The cheapest unit cost 6 to 7 Hong Kong dollars per square meter, while the luxury villa-style houses cost 1.3 Hong Kong dollars per square meter.

He hesitated to take it then, but now he can do it with ease.

In the afternoon, he took Yi Dinggan and Li Xiu to Mingya Garden, which is currently a benchmark project in the residential field of Huacheng.

The surrounding area boasts convenient transportation, comprehensive amenities, a high greening rate, and a comfortable environment.

At the same time, security and living services are more comprehensive.

Chen Jiazhi felt that living here was safe and comfortable, and Li Xiu was also very satisfied after seeing it, so there was no need to hesitate.

buy!
He bought it, and Yi Dinggan also decided to buy it.

However, the property management company still needs to contact owners who are interested in selling their houses, so we'll have to wait for now.

Chen Jiazhi is not in a hurry.

However, early the next morning, Xia Youche called to say that there was big news internationally: Thailand had announced that it was abandoning its fixed exchange rate system and switching to a managed floating exchange rate system.

The Thai baht plummeted as soon as the news broke.

(End of this chapter)