1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 478 Buying and Selling Farms
It was another clear, sunny autumn day.

While the city's vegetable wholesale markets were mired in a price slump, Chen Jiazhi was still enjoying the warm autumn sun with his wife and children at Heli Farm.

Not far away, on the cement road in the market, Li Xiu was taking Dou Dou on a tricycle ride. The little guy was having a great time, while Li Xiu kept taking pictures with her camera.

"The temperature won't drop, and these vegetables are still growing like crazy!"

Yi Dinggan squatted down next to Chen Jiazhi. In front of them was a large field of lettuce, with each row and patch of lettuce tightly connected, leaving no gaps.

Further ahead, workers were cutting lettuce heads off one by one, then turning them upside down on the ground before packing them into boxes.

This lettuce is exceptionally tall compared to regular lettuce, and the weight of a single stalk is also far greater.

Chen Jiazhi turned his head to look at Yi Dinggan and laughed, "Isn't it good to have so many vegetables to harvest?"

“It’s good.” Yi Dinggan asked again, “But aren’t you heartbroken about engaging in a price war in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, selling at a loss?”

"After all, if we export to Japan, we won't lose money; we can even make a profit."

Yi Dinggan felt uneasy thinking that such good vegetables in front of him would not make a profit if they were sold.

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "We need to consider the long term. It may seem like we're losing money, but in reality, it can expand our customer base, which is beneficial in the long run. On the other hand, Japan may seem to be making money, but it probably won't last long."

Moreover, we've made a lot of money in the Japanese market, so it's good to give back to the domestic market as well.

The only regret is that the results in Shenzhen weren't as good as in Guangzhou.

Although he lived in the countryside, Chen Jiazhi kept a close eye on the market situation.

Relying on the reputation of Kaopu Fresh in the city and the price war, the stalls in Yuexiu have basically gained a foothold in the Yuexiu market and accumulated a relatively stable source of goods.

Only the stalls in Phuket have seen some improvement, but Hop Hing and Wing Lung are large and well-established businesses with Hong Kong backing, and they are not afraid of the price war from Reliable Fresh.

In short, we can afford to lose money.

They even engage in price wars more ruthlessly than Kaopu Fresh.

Chen Jiazhi estimated that Hexing and Yonglong also had the idea of ​​eliminating a number of competitors, clearing the market supply as soon as possible, and allowing prices to rebound quickly.

Yi Dinggan said, "It's really impressive that leafy vegetables can be ranked first in Guangzhou."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Kaopu Fresh's goal should be to be number one in the Pearl River Delta, or at least to achieve the number one market share for choy sum as soon as possible."

"This year, over a thousand mu of late-season cabbage has already been planted, and if you include the areas that have been encouraged to grow it among farmers, the total area may be two to three thousand mu."

"Hmm, not many."

Chen Jiazhi jumped off the ridge, walked into the lettuce patch, squatted down, and used his hands to check the condition of several rows of lettuce.

"The technique of 'heart-turning and reshaping' is already very mature. We can grow more lettuce this winter, and it will be useful in both Hong Kong and Japan."

Yi Dinggan asked in surprise, "Do Japanese people also like this kind of lettuce?"

Chen Jiazhi broke off a plant and said, "It looks better, is easier to process, and tastes better. There are quite a few people in the market willing to buy it."

Moreover, Americans also export lettuce to Japan. The Japanese can't hold out for long. Sooner or later, they will have to open up the market. Then there will be direct competition. Can you guess what the Japanese will choose then?
"Should we choose our lettuce or American lettuce?"

The United States ranks first in the world in terms of fertilizer and pesticide use, and its pesticide residues are also among the highest in the world.

Japan's use of cypermethrin in this incident has also harmed the interests of Americans.

Therefore, Chen Jiazhi knew that this opportunity would end sooner or later.

Sooner or later, Kaopu Fresh will face direct competition with domestic and European and American vegetable companies in the Japanese market.

“We will have a greater advantage.” Yi Dinggan pondered for a moment and said, “At least the lettuce looks better and has a higher yield, so the production cost per pound is lower and the price can be lower. The Americans may not be able to compete with us.”

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Be confident, we'll definitely beat the Americans."

Today, several of Kaopu Fresh's bases are proficient in the technique of turning and shaping Italian lettuce.

The lettuce grown has been well received in the Japanese, Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets.

This is the market's choice.

This technology was originally one of the techniques invented and used by vegetable farmers due to market demand, but Chen Jiazhi brought it out more than ten years earlier.

Interestingly, while merchants may not have noticed the anomaly yet, customers are showing a more pronounced preference when choosing lettuce.

After chatting for a while, Yi Dinggan went back to work, and Chen Jiazhi went to play with Li Xiu and her son.

DouDou pedaled the tricycle with her little legs and shouted, "Daddy, come and chase me!"

Chen Jiazhi said, "I'll give you ten seconds to run. Ride faster, or I'll spank you if you catch up."

"Ah, I don't want to be spanked."

Dou Dou kicked her little legs very fast, but unfortunately the wheels were too small. Chen Jiazhi caught up with her in a few strides, stopped the car, picked Dou Dou up and spanked her a few times.

Dou Dou didn't cry. After landing, she got back on her bike and said, "Daddy, let's chase again!"

Chen Jiazhi said with a sinister smile, "If I catch you again, it won't be as simple as just a spanking."

You definitely won't catch me this time!

"Hey~ I think you're just asking for a beating." Chen Jiazhi was about to chase after him when Yi Dinggan rode his motorcycle over here again.

DouDou saw this and turned back.

Yi Dinggan said, "Boss Chen, Xia Youche called and asked where you are. He said he has something important to discuss with you."

"Okay, I'll go back and call him back right away."

DouDou then rode up to the motorcycle and called out, "Young master, will you play with me?"

Yi Ding chuckled dryly and said, "Why would I play games with you?"

"You're my son-in-law~"

"Oh ho, fine, you come and chase me."

"it is good!"

...

"Hey, Mr. Xia, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Chen, what did you do to Qu Jingtai?"

Xia Youche's first words made Chen Jiazhi pause for a moment. What did Qu Jingtai want with Xia Youche?
"It doesn't seem like anything, I just slightly lowered the price when selling vegetables at the market."

It seems that this is the only thing. In order not to upset others, he didn't directly poach Wang Xiaodong.

"He contacted me and said he couldn't find you."

"Why did he contact me?"

"Are you buying Dongsheng Farm?"

"What?!"

Chen Jiazhi was surprised. Had Au Tai Kee already come to this point?
“Mr. Chen, you heard me right. Qu Jingtai came to my stall this morning to tell me that he wants to talk to you in person. He doesn’t seem to be in a good state.”

Xia Youche was also thinking to himself, "What are you pretending for at a time like this? Your true colors have already been revealed."

Not only was Qu Jingtai in poor condition, but he was also terrified when he heard the news in the morning.

If Tong Xingtai had gone to run a vegetable market back then, would Xia Youche be in an even more miserable situation than Qu Jingtai now?

Thank goodness, Mr. Chen and I are on the same side.

Did he say where to talk?

“I arranged to meet him in Hong Kong.” Xia Youche said, “Mr. Chen, come here. He won’t dare to do anything to you. Your safety is absolutely guaranteed. After we’re done talking, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

"..."

I think you just want to watch the show.

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Forget it, let him come to Huacheng and we'll talk at Jiangxin Market."

"alright."

Xia Youche was a little disappointed, as he had missed a great show. He really wanted to see how Qu Jingtai was pressured to lower the price, which would also highlight how wise he had been to invest in Heli Agriculture.

Thinking of this, Xia Youche asked, "Boss Chen, will Heli distribute dividends this year?"

"Yes, and I must thank Tongxingtai for their understanding during this time."

Because the supply of goods was shifting towards Japan, Chen Jiazhi and Xia Youche conspired to deliberately control the amount of goods that Heli Agriculture shipped to Tongxingtai.

This actually impacted Tongxingtai's profits.

"It's alright, we're all in this together, and they recently compensated me with more goods from Shanghai."

Xia Youche suddenly felt that he might have indirectly contributed to the defeat of Dongsheng Farm.

"Mr. Chen, I'll go contact Qu Jingtai now."

"Wait a minute." Chen Jiazhi asked again, "How has Tongxingtai's lettuce sales been these past two months?" "It's been very good, but there's not enough stock. Customers who come late basically can't get any."

When lettuce was mentioned, Xia Youche said a few more words. Last year, he felt that lettuce at Jiangxin Market sold very well, and he had been buying it.

But this year, especially from October until now, lettuce has been sold out almost every day, with first come, first served.

He had a retail customer who came to pick up lettuce many times, only to leave empty-handed each time. But he persisted, just to sell lettuce once.

Xia felt a little guilty about it.

But they didn't back down. There were just too many customers like that. That's how it is in the wholesale market. If you want to buy popular goods, you either need luck or connections.

After listening, Chen Jiazhi understood and pondered, "If Dali lettuce is available in abundance, how many new customers do you estimate we could get?"

"I can't estimate, but it definitely won't be a shortage." Xia Youche felt his heart pound twice. "Boss Chen, is there enough lettuce?"

“If it sells well, we’ll make sure there’s enough,” Chen Jiazhi said. “But we’ll have to wait until around the Spring Festival. You can make some preparations a little in advance.”

Xia Youchedao: "Great! Let's target Hexing this time!"

"Keep it low-key." Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "We just want to drive American lettuce out of Hong Kong."

"Alright, let's take on the Americans!" Xia Youche thought to himself, "This isn't exactly low-key!"
"Alright, that's settled. Quickly contact Qu Jingtai, buy the Dongsheng Farm, and start planting lettuce."

Chen Jiazhi had not expected such a pleasant surprise.

Although Dongsheng Farm looks like a mess on the surface, Chen Jiazhi recalled for a moment and felt that its foundation was actually quite good.

With a little more effort in its management, it can become an excellent farmers' market.

The key point is that it is adjacent to Jiangxin Vegetable Market. If the two are merged, it will be a large vegetable market covering 2400 acres.

Qu Jingtai's decision to sell at this point indicates that he can no longer hold out, and he can only try to negotiate a lower price.

Thinking of this, Chen Jiazhi dialed Jiangxin Vegetable Market again, and Tong Gang answered the phone.

"Supervisor Tong, let Director Qi answer the phone."

"Ah, okay, boss."

Tong Gang was surprised when his boss, who had disappeared for several days, suddenly called. He quickly agreed and went to the market to call Qi Yongfeng.

Did the boss say what it was about?

"No, I just said I was looking for you."

Qi Yongfeng thought there was more good news from the market, but when he answered the phone, his boss asked him to evaluate the price of Dongsheng Farm.

He was stunned for a moment. "Boss, what does this mean?"

"Literally, the owner of Dongsheng Farm was trying to sell me the farm, so naturally I had to evaluate a price."

"What?!" Qi Yongfeng exclaimed in surprise, "Dongsheng Farm is for sale?"

“Yes, you heard me right.” Chen Jiazhi smiled. “Yongfeng, whether you can become a large farm manager overseeing 2400 acres of land depends on this.”

"Hiss~" Qi Yongfeng felt his scalp tingle, and the amplification suddenly increased two or three times!
After letting him calm down for a while, Chen Jiazhi said again, "Go and get an assessment done quickly. I estimate that we'll be at Jiangxin Market to discuss this matter in the next couple of days."

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Qi Yongfeng excitedly agreed.

As he turned to leave, Tong Gang, Xu Yao, and the others were already standing in the hallway outside.

Tong Gang asked, "Director Qi, is there anything we can do for you?"

Qi Yongfeng waved his hand aggressively, "Let's go, let's go to Dongsheng Farm together!"

"I'll go get some people!" Seeing this, Tong Gang thought a fight was about to break out. "Wang Hong, go and get the steel pipes for building the shed in the warehouse!"

"What are you doing? What are you doing with that steel pipe?"

"Aren't we going to fight?"

"Hit you my foot! Do I look like I'm going to fight?" Qi Yongfeng glanced at him sideways.

Tong Gang was speechless. With your big size and the actions and momentum you just showed, you looked like you were going to fight.

For some reason, the people at Dongsheng Farm have been very short-tempered lately, and have had several verbal disputes with the vegetable market.

"Manager, if we're not going to fight, then what are we going to do?"

"Dongsheng Farm might become ours in the future, can't we go and take a look beforehand?"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

The crowd erupted in excitement, eagerly demanding more details. Dongsheng Farm covers 1500 mu, 600 mu more than Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

If Jiangxin Vegetable Market could swallow up Dongsheng Farm, that would be terrible.

"Brother Gang, I can't believe it!"

Xu Yao, who was last, asked Tong Gang, "Three years ago, we almost went bankrupt, right?"

Tong Gang nodded and said, "There were hardly any people left in the market at the time. I was looking for a job and preparing to run away when the boss came with Manager Yi, Manager Qi and a few others."

Xu Yao pursed her lips and said, "It's only been three years."

Tong Gang: "For the boss, three years is enough. After all, at his fastest, he can produce a batch of vegetables in twenty days."

Xu Yao: "Fast and fierce?"

Tong Gang: "..."

The very next day, Chen Jiazhi arrived at Jiangxin Market, where he was met by Qu Jingtai, who was in a dejected state and whose eyes held a hint of resentment.

Chen Jiazhi poured Qu Jingtai a cup of tea and said, "Mr. Qu, try to take it easy."

Qu Jingtai glanced at Qi Yongfeng standing next to Chen Jiazhi and gave up the idea of ​​taking action.

"Stop talking nonsense, fifteen million is yours for the price of fifteen million."

"three million."

"You...you've gone too far!" Qu Jingtai gritted his teeth and said, "Is this how you bargain?"

"Now you see it, don't you?" Chen Jiazhi shrugged and said, "President Qu, you shouldn't be asking for such a price. Do you really think Dongsheng Farm is worth 15 million?"

Qu Jingtai said in a deep voice, "I've spent over 20 million yuan at the market!"

"If I hadn't been forced into this situation, do you think I would have willingly sold myself?"

"Are they waiting for this money to pay their employees' salaries? Or are they unable to afford the seed money?"

Chen Jiazhi pressed for answers, but Qu Jingtai remained silent, seemingly having been correctly guessed.

"I'll offer a maximum of eight million!"

"This price is very fair."

Chen Jiazhi said a couple of sentences and then held up one finger, “Cash. Once the process is complete, the money will be in your account immediately. With this money, your other vegetable markets can at least last for a long time.”

"We've already come this far, do you want to fall before dawn?"

In November, the Pearl River Delta region also reaches the point of cooling down. As long as the temperature drops, coupled with farmers' low enthusiasm for planting, the market will quickly reverse.

These were not only things Chen Jiazhi could think of, but Qu Jingtai had also thought of them long ago.

However, Chen Jiazhi's patient persuasion made him even more convinced of his judgment: continuing to endure would only lead to a complete defeat, while cutting off one arm to survive would give him a chance to make a comeback.

"make a deal."

"Eight million is eight million!"

Chen Jiazhi stood up and extended his right hand to Qu Jingtai. "Congratulations, Mr. Qu, you made the right decision."

Qu Jingtai stiffly extended his hand, and then suddenly exerted force when they shook hands.

Chen Jiazhi felt the force coming from his hand, smiled slightly, and said, "Do you think I've been planting crops for nothing all these years?"

While increasing the pressure, Chen Jiazhi asked again, "General Manager Qu, why haven't I seen your company's General Manager Wang Xiaodong selling vegetables at the stalls lately? Has he gone back to managing the vegetable market?"

Qu Jingtai was slightly taken aback.

It was this moment of hesitation that allowed Chen Jiazhi to gradually gain the upper hand in the struggle.

Qu Jingtai said with a pained expression, "He has already quit his job!"

Having received an unexpected but satisfactory answer, Chen Jiazhi released his grip.

In his previous life, Wang Xiaodong was able to come up with the idea of ​​growing Cantonese cuisine in Shanghai and make a name for himself, so he must have been quite capable.

Qu Jingtai couldn't retain his employees, so he wanted to bring them under his wing and have his former boss work for him. That would be a pretty good feeling.

(End of this chapter)