1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 488 Profit Sharing; Charge

Ye Chu, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinted as he observed Li Cai's retreating figure, deep in thought.

He had been selling vegetables at the Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market for almost ten years, earning him a great reputation and the title of "Vegetable King".

He likes this name.

Because of this nickname, many people who come to the wholesale market will definitely feel some fear or apprehension, if not outright fear.

Only Li Cai greeted him casually, as if they were just having a normal chat.

"Brother Chu, wasn't that someone from Kaopu Fresh just now? What were they talking about?"

A salesperson from Guangjia, who had just witnessed the scene, stepped forward and asked.

"nothing."

"Then why do we need to keep an eye on Reliable Fresh?"

Thinking about the words "lack of stamina," Ye Chu instructed, "Keep an eye on him for a few more days and see how things go, but don't keep too close an eye on him. As long as he doesn't touch cabbage or cauliflower, leave him alone for now."

Guangjia has recently been sourcing vegetables from the north, where prices are lower, making the profits from transporting them to the south very good.

Moreover, if Kaopu Fresh simply maintains its current scale, it will not have a significant impact on Guangjia, especially since Kaopu Fresh also offers niche specialty dishes such as late-season cabbage and chicken heart mustard.

This amount is nothing to worry about for Guangjia.

He should be more worried about competitors of similar size, such as Yiyuan.

After leaving Guangjia, Li Cai went to Yiyuan's stall and expressed the same sentiment: Kaopu Fresh was losing momentum.

It sounds like they've given in.

This has somewhat eased the scrutiny of Yiyuan and Guangjia regarding Kaopu Fresh.

Back at the stall, the two trucks were already unloading goods. Li Cai said to Liu Minghua, who had just finished recording a sale:
"Old Liu, I'll be going back to Huacheng in a couple of days, so I'll leave this place to you."

"An, why so suddenly? Weren't we just discussing expanding and strengthening our business a couple of days ago?" Liu Minghua asked, puzzled.

"The company's production can't keep up, and we don't have enough vegetables. If we develop too many customers, it's easy to offend people."

Li Cai said, "The most important thing in this industry is to maintain a stable supply, especially for old customers. Even after I leave, you still need to provide good service and open the boxes to check the goods every day."

"Hmm~"

Liu Minghua nodded silently, listening to Li Cai's rambling and absorbing some of Li Cai's personal experience in selling vegetables.

Two more days passed, and the daily sales at the Buji stall reached 30 tons, which felt as simple to Li Cai as eating and drinking.

He glanced back at the stall, then looked around the entire Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market.

"They'll come back sooner or later."

In mid-January, in the afternoon, cars gradually filled the parking lot of the Spruce Hotel.

These vehicles varied greatly, ranging from bread vans and light trucks with mud on their tires to minivans with company names printed on them, and even solemn and dignified sedans.

"Hey Dehai, you're in great shape. You're doing pretty well in Shanghai!"

After getting off the bus, Yi Dinggan saw Ao Dehai and went up to him, patting him hard on the chest.

Ao Dehai stood firmly and laughed, "It's winter in Shanghai now, and I've been eating beef and mutton hot pot at home every day, so I've gained some weight."

"Sure, you did a great job in Prosperity this year, making money off those Japanese devils. I've heard all about it. Your bonus this year won't be small, so don't forget to treat me to a couple of drinks."

Yi Dinggan looked Ao Dehai up and down and said, "Old Li, Yongfeng, and I are all waiting to take down the rich."

“You shouldn’t be targeting me when you’re trying to take down a rich man.” Ao Dehai teased, “Everyone knows that you, Boss Yi, are the real tycoon. Heli Farm has 5000 acres of land!”

If you ask me, it should be Mr. Yi who's treating everyone to the feast when it comes to taking down the rich. Don't you all agree?

Several farm managers, including Qi Yongfeng, Guo Mancang, Li Mingkun, and Ao Deliang, were together and started urging Yi Dinggan to treat them to a meal, creating quite a commotion.

Chen Jiazhi walked out of the hotel and shouted, "What are you all making a fuss about? Come in and start the meeting!"

A group of people filed in.

The meeting room quickly filled with people, still filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

Chen Jiazhi was the last to enter the meeting room. He looked around and saw that both shareholders and key management personnel were present.

"The purpose of calling everyone back is firstly, since we haven't seen each other for so long, we want to get together and catch up;
The second and most important thing today is the dividend distribution; the company will distribute 4000 million yuan in dividends this time.

"Mr. Chen, you're so generous!"

A round of applause quickly filled the conference room, lasting for several minutes before everyone turned to look at Chen Jiazhi.

"I've finished speaking. Do you have anything else to say? If not, let's go eat."

Yi Dinggan then asked, "Won't we talk about the work for the new year?"

“I don’t really have anything in particular I want to talk about,” Chen Jiazhi said thoughtfully. “If you have any questions you want to discuss, you still have time, so you can talk about it now.”

It was quiet for a moment.

Li Cai said, "Let me go first. I want to know the specific market time, batch, and production volume of lettuce in various vegetable markets."

As all the farm managers should know, lettuce will be a very important product category for the company in Hong Kong and Japan going forward.

Every vegetable market knows the proper way to grow Italian lettuce.

Soon, Qi Yongfeng, Yi Dinggan, Qian Hua, and Ao Dehai each reported their respective plans.

Currently, the main producer of lettuce is Heli, followed by Fanrong, Xuanqiao, and Pujiang. Dongsheng Farm is scheduled to launch its lettuce on February 1st.

连州则分别会在明年3月、5月、7月、8月分别有一批生菜上市，同期其它菜场会填补1、4、6的份额。

This ensures a daily output of over 100 tons of lettuce.

Then, Li Cai and Xia Youche discussed the Hong Kong market and took notes in his notebook.

In fact, these planting plans are all in place, but each farm manager makes some minor adjustments. Face-to-face communication allows for a clearer understanding of production and market ideas.

With Li Cai taking the lead, others also raised questions and exchanged ideas, covering topics such as production, market, technology, quality management system, and so on.

"Alright, that's enough for today. If we keep talking, it'll get dark. Mr. Xu, is everything arranged?"

Seeing that Yi Dinggan was about to ask another question, Chen Jiazhi quickly interrupted him and looked at Xu Wenxiang.

"Everything is arranged. I guarantee everyone will be satisfied with the meal today."

Xu Wenxiang listened to the whole thing and felt that this team was different. They were very proactive in communicating, learning, and working, and rarely complained.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it hard to believe that this was a management team with an average education level of only junior high school.

But this team of small vegetable farmers managed to generate hundreds of millions in revenue and hundreds of millions in annual profit.

She knew that Chen Jiazhi played a decisive role in this, an achievement that she could only dream of, and his generous dividends directly benefited her.

After arriving at the hotel's private room, dishes were served one after another in no time.

The food was served quite quickly.

Chen Jiazhi first tasted a piece of roast goose, and compared to the taste of the one earlier this year, it was indeed much better.

"Mr. Huang, this roast goose must have been cooked within the last half hour."

"It's freshly cooked, probably less than half an hour ago." Huang Jianyuan nodded to Xu Wenxiang, who was looking over. "The dishes look pretty good today, Ms. Xu, you've put a lot of effort into it."

Xu Wenxiang, who was sitting not far away, said, "If things don't improve, Spruce might really go bankrupt."

Chen Jiazhi didn't join their conversation, but instead exchanged a few words with Xia Youche.

After a few bites of food, at Yi Dinggan's suggestion, Chen Jiazhi raised three glasses of wine in succession before they started drinking together.

Xia Youche approached Chen Jiazhi and said, "President Chen, investing in Heli Farm was the wisest decision I've ever made in my life. I'd like to toast you with this glass!"

This time, Tongxingtai received about 4 million yuan in dividends. Including the 2 million yuan dividend from the last time, it has recovered 60% of its 10 million yuan investment. Moreover, Heli Agriculture has expanded from 2000 mu to 5000 mu, and has even greater potential in the future.

Meanwhile, thanks to Heli's stable supply of goods, Tongxingtai's daily sales in Hong Kong have consistently remained above 50 tons, with occasional spikes. If this is taken into account, Tongxingtai would have already made a profit!

Chen Jiazhi readily drank the wine.

"President Xia, the future competition in the lettuce market in Hong Kong will depend on Tongxingtai's performance. If we can drive American lettuce out of Hong Kong, Tongxingtai's further advancement will be a sure thing!"

"Mr. Chen, just watch my performance!"

During the afternoon meeting, the topic of lettuce was frequently mentioned, and Xia Youche knew that Tongxingtai was a pioneer.

Kaopu Fresh wanted to use him to tear apart Hexing and Yonglong, but he was happy to do so.

If successful, it could very well capture a large share of the market for a single product, with unimaginable profits.

"Keep it up! Our production has the dual advantages of quality and price, we will succeed."

After Chen Jiazhi and Xia Youche bumped into each other again, they went to chat with other people. They got a share of the profits, and the atmosphere was very good.

Before long, Yi Dinggan took the lead in playing a drinking game.

Fearing that he would make a fool of himself again, Chen Jiazhi took the initiative to end the drinking session when he had drunk enough.

Yan Cong drove the two back to their apartment complex. Chen Jiazhi didn't rush back either, but walked for a while longer.

"I heard Xue Jun say today that he wants to help my family sell lemons. He said it was your suggestion. Has your company started a lemon business yet?"

"No, this service was set up specifically for you."

"You're kidding me," Yi Dinggan said again. "But I still have to say thank you. Selling lemons at home is really not easy. Last time I went back, I saw the old people in the village setting up stalls by the roadside to sell lemons. They probably sat there all day and no one bought any."

"Why are you being polite to me?"

Anyue lemons are also produced in different areas. Some townships have concentrated planting areas, so there are more buyers. In other areas, farmers grow them independently, making it quite difficult to sell. Yi Dinggan's hometown belongs to the latter category. Even if they carry the lemons out to sell to buyers, the price will be driven down very low.

The buyers aren't doing charity work, but Reliable Fresh can occasionally help their hometowns.

Moreover, according to the information Xue Jun found out, the profits of lemon trading seem to be quite good, so Kaopu Fresh doesn't need to worry about losing money.

After arriving at his building, Yi Dinggan said, "Your second sister and I will be on vacation in early February. I will arrange the work at the market. I'm letting you know in advance."

"Sure." Chen Jiazhi asked, "Are you going back to your hometown on vacation?"

"No, I'm not going back this year." Yi Ding chuckled dryly. "I'm planning to take your second sister to Hong Kong for a trip. Can the company handle the paperwork?"

"It's a small matter," Chen Jiazhi said. "The company now has independent export rights, is a major supplier to Hong Kong, and has a relationship with Tong Hing Tai. Getting a work visa is no problem. It's just that Xiao Long and Xiao Hu can't go together."

"I never intended to bring them both."

"Uh…"

"gone."

Chen Jiazhi also went home, while Li Xiu was still watching TV and waiting, and had even cooked millet and red date porridge for him.

After asking a few simple questions, Li Xiu knew that Jia Zhi was not drunk and was quite sober, which surprised her.

"It's rare that you could restrain yourself on a day like today when we're supposed to be distributing dividends."

"I don't drink alcohol."

Chen Jiazhi took the millet porridge and drank it sip by sip. There were only two people at home, him and Li Xiu. His parents were still living with Dou Dou at Yi Dinggan's house.

"Honey, I'm planning to buy another house."

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

"You're really straightforward, not even bothering to ask why."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and turned his head to look at Li Xiu, who was wearing a floral long-sleeved pajama set and was leaning lazily on the sofa. Her skin, which was occasionally exposed, was as white as snow and smooth.

"What's the point of asking? How much does a house cost?"

Li Xiu also turned his head to look.

“According to what you said, this time we can get 2800 million, and after deducting taxes, we still have 2240 million. That’s enough to buy several houses, not to mention that we haven’t spent much of the last dividend.”

Chen Jiazhi quipped, "If you were to buy a luxury house in Hong Kong, this amount of money might not even be enough."

"Why do you want to buy a house in Hong Kong..." Li Xiu touched her stomach, then stopped talking.

Chen Jiazhi noticed something was wrong. "She's pregnant?"

"Not sure yet."

"Let me hear it."

Li Xiu rolled her eyes. It would be a miracle if he could tell the truth from that, but Chen Jiazhi pretended to listen anyway, so Li Xiu got up and took away the bowls and chopsticks.

"Take a shower quickly."

"Alright, let's get back to work after the shower."

"..."

The dividends arrived in my account very quickly.

In addition to distributing bonuses to the core management team, Chen Jiazhi was also generous to the other employees, with each person receiving a substantial bonus in January.

The company's high profits also gave him the confidence to do so.

This also motivates employees to be more proactive and more willing to comply with the company's management system and standards.

As January draws to a close and the Spring Festival approaches, many people have chosen to stay home.

Because of the lettuce, Chen Jiazhi also chose to stay in Huacheng.

Only when Chen Zhengxu took his girlfriend Yang Lu back to his hometown, hosted a banquet for relatives and friends, and visited the woman's home, was the marriage considered complete.

He is now wealthy and generous, and his wedding went smoothly. He returned to Huacheng at the end of January.

“My dad was saying again that you didn’t come back this year. He’s been raising fish for two years but hasn’t been able to eat them. So he specially asked me to bring you two smoked fish.”

Chen Zhengxu placed the local specialties he brought from his hometown in his office, and after sitting down, he told Chen Jiazhi about his family situation.

As Chen Jiazhi brewed tea, he listened attentively, saying, "You've just gotten married, you should stay a few more days before coming back."

Chen Zhengxu pondered for a moment and said, "It's alright, my family understands, and I don't want to miss out on the business opportunities during the Spring Festival."

Chen Jiazhi looked up and said, "If that's the reason, there's really no need for this. There's always more work to be done, and besides, I'm here watching over things."

Vegetable prices have risen significantly recently, and various vegetable markets have made preparations accordingly.

The Dongsheng Farm, which was taken over at the end of November, will also produce its first batch of lettuce on February 1, with plans to mainly ship it to Hong Kong and Japan.

During this period, except for the two or three days of Chinese New Year, Kaopu Fresh will be very busy.

Chen Zhengxu smiled and said, "More people means more strength."

Now that everyone was back, Chen Jiazhi didn't say much, and he was also moved by Chen Zhengxu's work attitude.

...

It had just rained lightly; the sky was overcast, but the ground was only slightly damp.

Qi Yongfeng rode his motorcycle from Jiangxin Vegetable Market to Dongsheng Farm and drove onto the farm road.

He rode very slowly, his gaze shifting between the left and the right.

The first lettuce leaf grew very tall, with curled leaves and wavy edges that unfolded layer by layer. The outer layer was emerald green, and the inner layer was pale yellow, with a natural color gradient that looked fresh and vibrant.

"This heart-turning plastic surgery technique is amazing!"

Qi Yongfeng had grown lettuce for a long time and could personally feel the difference between ordinary lettuce and his own lettuce.

First of all, it wins hands down in terms of appearance.

Secondly, the texture is extremely crisp, tender, and sweet, even better than the non-cooked kind.

Finally, there's the yield; each vegetable is larger, and the yield per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres) can easily reach over 4000 jin (a Chinese unit of weight, approximately 0.5 catties).

This lettuce is perfect.

As the motorcycle sped up, the lettuce on both sides receded like a reflection.

The lettuce gets smaller as time goes on, but 1300 acres of land have been planted with lettuce, which will be an important guarantee for a reliable supply of fresh lettuce in the coming month.

This will be the first batch of vegetables produced by Dongsheng Farm after the change of ownership, like a new beginning.

The motorcycle went from one end to the other, then turned around and returned to the office.

Several vegetable workers had just finished cleaning the cold storage in Dongsheng.

"Director Qi, the cold storage is all cleaned up. When are we going to harvest the lettuce?"

"Just today."

In the afternoon, lettuce was harvested.

The vegetable workers moved through the fields of lettuce, bending down to harvest, carefully sorting, quickly packing, and pre-cooling in the warehouse. The next day, trucks loaded with lettuce drove out of Dongsheng Farm.

"Boss, we've finished distributing today's lettuce, a total of 100 tons. From now on, Dongsheng will be able to produce about 100 tons of lettuce every day for the next month."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. The market will not let you down."

Night had fallen completely, and Chen Jiazhi headed towards his stall in the Jiangnan Market.

Although the target market this time is Hong Kong, there is also a market for it in mainland China.

Upon arriving at the stall, at least ten trucks loaded with vegetables were parked in the four-lane area, surrounded by rows of tricycles, with people coming and going in a steady stream to pick up vegetables.

The scene was quite spectacular.

"Is Mr. Chen here to inspect the goods again today?"

"Boss Chen comes quite often!"

"I'm so used to unpacking boxes that I feel uneasy if I don't unpack two boxes a day."

Chen Jiazhi chatted with many old customers who greeted him, and then began his daily random unboxing.

Snap~ Snap~ It's a box of vegetables; quality control management remains consistent.

A short while later, he opened a box of lettuce from Dongsheng Farm and took out a head to examine it closely.

A passing customer saw it and exclaimed, "Wow, Mr. Chen, the lettuce looks amazing today!"

"Not bad, how many boxes do you want?"

"Take it!" The man made the decision without hesitation.

This commotion quickly attracted the attention of others, who came to watch.

Actually, this kind of lettuce has been on the market for a while and is very popular, but in the past, after distribution, the amount sent to Jiangnan was small.

Now, with the strong output from Dongsheng Farm, the quantity has increased.

Customers who had been watching placed orders for lettuce, but Chen Jiazhi was more concerned about whether Dali Lettuce could launch an offensive against American lettuce in Hong Kong.

(End of this chapter)