1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 464 Gap
Due to increased vegetable supply and falling prices, even stall number 63, whose prices remained relatively stable, inevitably lost some customers.

Chen Jiazhi has been coming to the stall for the past two weeks, but hasn't seen any new customers for a long time.

A new customer arrived to inspect the goods. He seemed very eager, took a small knife from the cashier's table, and asked the ordinary-looking man in front of him.

"Boss, what kind of goods would you like to see?"

"Let's look at the bok choy first." Yang Jianzun followed to the styrofoam boxes and pointed to one that was slightly inside. "Open this one."

"Okay."

Chen Jiazhi moved the foam box on the surface, took out the foam box sandwiched in the middle, skillfully used a knife to cut around the foam box, and lifted the lid.

Yang Jianzun stared intently. The handsome young man's movements were very skilled, and his work was pleasing to the eye. After lifting the lid, he saw that the surface was covered with a very thin, almost transparent layer of sandpaper, which was laid very flat.

What's the use of this paper?

"Keep the water and moisturize, boss. When bok choy is pre-cooled in cold storage, it loses water and doesn't look fresh after it comes out of the cold. Covering it with a layer of sandpaper will solve this problem."

Yang Jianzun's eyes flashed; he hadn't seen this detail in the jade.

At this moment, the sandpaper had been peeled off, and the rows of neatly arranged cabbage hearts that were revealed instantly attracted Yang Jianzun.

The first impression was captivating, and Yang Jianzun couldn't help but move closer, turning on his flashlight to examine the scene up close.

He suppressed his surprise and calmly compared the cabbage hearts from the jade.

In terms of root length, this box of bok choy is more uniform and relatively thicker; in terms of length, this box of bok choy is shorter.
He grabbed a small handful from the side; it was icy cold to the touch, but judging from its color, it was indeed very fresh. The sandpaper that prevented water loss seemed to be really useful.

"Boss, can I shred this bok choy?"

"Hmm~"

Yang Jianzun nodded slightly and put the cabbage back as it was. He had to admit that this cabbage was better than the one from the jade plant. It was better in terms of appearance and quality, and it was even better than export products.

To describe it simply in four words: short, thick, and powerful.

"If you're not satisfied, we also have medium-grained bok choy."

"Hmm, are there different levels?"

"Yes."

Chen Jiazhi then opened another box of medium-sized bok choy, and subsequently, at the customer's request, opened boxes of kale, lettuce, and mustard greens.
"There are also romaine lettuce and Shanghai bok choy over there. Boss, I'll go open two boxes for you to take a look."

"No need for that trouble~"

"No trouble at all, it'll only take two minutes."

The handsome guy was very quick and efficient, as if he couldn't do without opening the box and inspecting the goods. His attitude was impeccable.

Chen Jiazhi also thoroughly enjoyed the unboxing; it had been a long time since he had such a satisfying unboxing experience.

Randomly opening and inspecting goods is also a way to check the consistency of products from the production base, and it is actually quite necessary.

However, because it is too stable, customers are not very enthusiastic about opening the boxes. Long-term customers, in particular, prefer to save time and may not even go to the store to check the goods once every one or two months.

Chen Jiazhi felt that this could not be relaxed.

Since the employees don't have time to open more boxes, the boss has no choice but to do it.

After opening each box, the appearance of each box of vegetables was better than before, making the unboxing experience very enjoyable.

Yang Jianzun had also finished watching, but in reality, he had long since given up on opening any more boxes.

But after the handsome guy opened box after box, he would always find himself unconsciously looking at them too.

Each time I look at it, I feel a little heavier, realizing that the jade's self-proclaimed export quality has completely fallen behind.

"Boss, I've looked at all the dishes we have. Are you satisfied? What would you like to buy?"

Yang Jianzun turned around and saw a wide variety of vegetables, including bok choy, kale, mustard greens, lettuce, romaine lettuce, Shanghai bok choy, and milk cabbage. The quality of the vegetables was excellent, no wonder customers kept coming in.

"I'll take one case of each."

Ultimately, it was hard to refuse, and it would be good to buy some to take back and study, so Yang Jianzun took out his money to pay.

When asked how to pick up the goods, he could only say that he would call someone to pick them up later.

Chen Jiazhi didn't suspect anything, nor did he complain about taking too little goods, and asked Li Cai to write down the order for him.

Just then, another person arrived, riding a tricycle, shouting at the top of their lungs in the passageway.

"God of Wealth~ Write down the order~ 20 pieces of bok choy, 10 pieces of kale, 10 pieces of lettuce."

"I've got it." Li Cai wrote it down casually.

"Remember to bring the bill today. It's been two days since you settled the account, and my finance department is waiting to transfer the money to you."

"Okay."

Chen Jiazhi recognized the man and joked, "Hulu House, has your accountant taken a liking to our God of Wealth? You're waiting for him to deliver the orders every day."

"That possibility cannot be ruled out."

The sound faded into the distance.

Yang Jianzun witnessed all of this and was somewhat surprised. Is being handsome an advantage in collecting payments?

Moreover, this was the first time he had ever seen this kind of transaction; it was too fast.

He felt that neither the people buying nor selling vegetables were acting normally, so he shook his head, realizing he couldn't stay there any longer.

He then hailed a tricycle from the roadside and brought the vegetables back to his stall to sell them on behalf of others.

Chang Hao, the sales manager of Congyu, also came today. He and the sales staff were all somewhat incredulous to see that the boss had gone out and brought back a truckload of vegetables.

"Chairman, what's this?"

"Buy the vegetables from stall number 63 and compare them to find the differences."

Yang Jianzun's calm words stunned everyone. After unloading the goods and seeing the true nature of the goods, they understood his intention.

The difference is obvious.

As time went by, business in front of the jade truck gradually increased, but the turnover was still somewhat slow compared to the volume of incoming goods.

Yang Jianzun recalled what he saw and heard at the No. 63 site, and found it hard to compare.

As some customers have said, No. 63 has always been a market trendsetter in leafy vegetables.

Yang Jianzun persisted until three or four in the morning before saying, "Let's lower the price."

Chang Hao was still unwilling to give up, saying, "Lowering the price any further would mean we'd lose money!"

Yang Jianzun said, "We'll sell the labor costs and pesticide money first before making any other plans."

Around 5 p.m., he went to the vicinity of stall number 63 again, but the handsome guy with slightly dark skin was nowhere to be seen, and the food at the stall was almost finished.

Despite being significantly more expensive, it sold out much earlier than most similar stalls, and its daily sales were quite substantial.

However, Yang Jianzun now understands.

He saw the gap; the other party's service and quality were top-notch and had maintained that for quite some time. In the short term, no one in this market could rival No. 63.

Once you recognize and identify the gap, you'll naturally want to catch up.

However, with her blood loss continuing, Congyu can only think about how to get through this hurdle.

...

Qu Jingtai is also selling vegetables, but he can't sell them all, he simply can't sell them all.

In addition to Dongsheng Farm, Qu Taiji also has bases in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Conghua.

The Conghua base covers an area of ​​2,000 mu, and its production situation is gradually improving this year, with the output of vegetables increasing steadily.

However, producing a large quantity of food at this time is not really good news.

Qu Jingtai spent his days running around the Xiangjiang market, and the competition in the Xiangjiang leafy vegetable market became increasingly fierce.

That day, he contacted Li Jiyong, the manager of Dongsheng Farm, and asked, "Has anything changed at Jiangxin Vegetable Market?"

"Maybe not."

"What vegetables have they planted recently?"

"Still bok choy, Chinese kale, or something like that." "Are you sure?"

“I ride my bike around every day to check on the seeds that have been planted. I pick them up and examine them.”

"..." Qu Jingtai then asked, "Has there been any change in the amount of food served?"

Li Jiyong pondered for a moment and said, "No, I ran into their manager yesterday and chatted for a bit. They're not affected by the vegetable sales and aren't under any pressure. Manager Qi was even complaining that the cold storage hasn't had a chance to fill up because he's worried about a typhoon."

"understood."

Qu Jingtai felt he had learned a lot from Jiangxin Vegetable Market, but it seemed he hadn't grasped the essence. Why did he not feel any sales pressure at all?

"Old Li, plant fewer leafy vegetables recently and diversify the varieties. The market sales pressure is too great."

"Aren't you going to plant seeds along with those from Jiangxin Vegetable Market anymore?"

"I'm not going to follow that anymore; the proportion of leafy greens is too high."

“Okay, I’ll go to the Jiangxin Vegetable Market nursery to order a batch of seedlings later.”

Qu Jingtai was speechless. He had been tricked by someone, yet he was rushing to give them money. His lips moved, but in the end, he did not stop them.

Having ready-made seedlings is much faster than cultivating them from scratch.

...

After viewing the property twice, Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan finally bought a house each in Mingya Garden, next to Tianhe Sports Center.

Although the apartment layouts are different, the joy they bring is the same.

Housing is always a big deal.

After signing the contract and receiving the keys, both families went to the city to look at the house.

Wow, what a huge villa!

"This house is so cool!"

After visiting the house Yi Dinggan bought, the group then went to visit the luxury villa that Chen Jiazhi had purchased. Yi Long and Yi Hu exclaimed in surprise as soon as they entered.

Chen Shaochang and Peng Guozhen were also happily looking around.

"This house is so beautiful!"

Chen Jiazhi, pulling Dou Dou who was about to run around, said to Li Xiu, "Xiu, the matter of replacing the furniture is now in your hands, okay?"

"I don't know how to buy it either."

Li Xiu smiled, feeling quite pleased with herself after getting a new house in Huacheng.

When she was a child, she shared a room with her parents and two older sisters, a total of five people. After she married Jiazhi, she had her own room, but it was still an adobe house.

After arriving in Huacheng, she and Jiazhi could only share a room with her sister and brother-in-law at the Dongxiang vegetable market. They shared a dry toilet and a bathroom, and had to build their own stove, which made their daily life very inconvenient.

Things got much better after I went to Jiangxin Market, but it was still rented.

This is the only house that truly belongs to me, and it's a large house that I've only ever seen on TV before.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "You have such a good eye for aesthetics, so just buy whatever you like. Buy whatever you think is good, and if you want to change anything, just redecorate."

Is that okay?

"What's wrong with my own home?"

Chen Jiazhi grabbed his son, who was trying to run away, and said, "Dou Dou, how about Mom makes you a toy room?"

DouDou is 3 years old this year. Her big eyes are exceptionally bright, and she smiles broadly when she hears about a toy room.

"I want it, I want the toy room, Mommy."

"Okay, I'll get it for you."

Chen Jiazhi also looked around again, inside and out, and found that the bedroom, study, dining room and everything else were complete.

After viewing the house, the group went for a walk in the neighborhood.

Yi Dinggan and Chen Jiafang walked over to Chen Jiazhi. "Jiazhi, when you meet the people from the school later, how should you handle things? I've prepared two bottles of wine for each person, and I've also put the money in an envelope inside. If that's not enough, I'll slip in another one separately."

Chen Jiazhi asked about the amount and nodded, saying, "That's enough. I've already put in a good word for it."

"Okay, then I'll be relieved."

"You should have been relieved to leave things to me."

Yi Ding also paid for the lunch he treated the school staff to. At the dinner table, he displayed his social skills, drinking and chatting happily with everyone, and finally finalized the transfer.

But he was also drunk.

Chen Jiazhi hadn't seen him drunk for a while. After the school people left, Yi Dinggan pulled Yi Long and Yi Hu aside and gave them a lecture. After Chen Jiazhi pulled him back, Yi Long ran to hide in the new house and cried.

"It's okay, let him cry for a while and he'll be fine. You all go play, there are tennis courts and a swimming pool in the community."

"Let's go, everyone go. Second sister, you go too. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him."

After everyone left, Chen Jiazhi lit a cigarette and stood guard outside the door. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh.

"Oh, it would be so good if Li Xiu could bring the camera and record it."

When Yi Dinggan was young, he was prone to drunken outbursts and had several bizarre experiences, such as hugging a telephone pole and a banana tree while crying and calling for his mother.

Another time, he wanted to fight with his second sister, but Chen Jiazhi knocked him down with one punch and then pinned him to the ground...

Chen Jiazhi can't help but laugh when he thinks about these experiences, which also makes him very adept at handling these matters now.

But opportunities are becoming increasingly scarce.

It's rare to see Yi Dinggan so drunk today.

The crying in the room lasted for more than ten minutes before quickly turning into snoring.

Chen Jiazhi smoked a cigarette and looked at the greenery of the community from the balcony, knowing that this matter was over and that tomorrow he would still be the vegetable grower, Boss Yi.

After sobering up in the afternoon, Yi Dinggan asked Chen Zhengxu to arrange a van, and he took his family back to the countryside.

Before leaving, Chen Jiazhi mentioned to him that they could plan to order more lettuce.

The technique of turning and shaping the heart leaves has been applied, and the machine for blowing air onto the heart leaves has been designed and improved and is now usable.

Chen Jiazhi then went back to his hotel room to sleep, and reappeared at the market entrance in the early hours of the morning.

As the financial crisis unfolds, competition in the vegetable market is intensifying.

However, apart from the price, stall number 63 did not feel that it was difficult to ship the goods, and the vegetables from Heli Farm were supplied more to Tongxingtai in Hong Kong.

Chen Jiazhi maintained his habit of talking to Xia Youche every morning, and the Hong Kong market remained stable.

Xia Youche also specifically praised the market for the significant effect of strengthening quality control management.

The bok choy is shorter, thicker, and more uniform, and its appearance alone can attract customers.

He was very pleased with the compliments he received from clients in Hong Kong.

As Chen Jiazhi entered the market, he took his usual walk around the market. At the stall selling vegetables from Congyu, he saw a somewhat familiar figure. The man had bought vegetables from stall number 63 a couple of days ago, and Chen Jiazhi had personally opened the box to check the goods for him.

Judging from this, this person holds a fairly high position in the jade industry.

Approaching the box, Chen Jiazhi glanced down at the vegetables inside and chuckled, "So, it turns out you're from Yu."

Yang Jianzun had already seen the person who came, and felt a little embarrassed, but he had a good impression of this person.

Besides being skilled at selling vegetables, he's also handsome. These past two days, he's been frequently inquiring about information related to stall number 63.

Rumors such as "handsome guys make good dishes" and "because the stall owner is handsome, the customer's finance department is urging him to submit the documents and make the payment" are widely discussed.

"I am Yang Jianzun, the chairman of Congyu." Yang Jianzun thought for a moment, introduced himself, and then invited, "Handsome young man, would you be interested in giving Congyu a try?"

Chen Jiazhi paused for a moment, then his expression turned playful. "You're really persistent in poaching talent from Yu. I wonder how much salary Chairman Yang would offer me?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Chen Jiazhi, the owner of Kaopu Fresh."

Yang Jianzun was momentarily stunned, perhaps because he hadn't expected to meet under these circumstances.

He looked rather disheveled.

(End of this chapter)