1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 135 Full of Enthusiasm
Xu Wenxiang was still upset about the complete destruction of Jiangxin Market. She even drove there this morning, where the mess left by the storm was clearly visible.

She hadn't even left yet.

A scorching sun brought the remaining vegetables to their doom, leaving the management helpless.

She was so angry that she started cursing.

She was also one of the market's shareholders and had communicated with the major shareholder, so she immediately ordered the market to cease operations.

After returning to the hotel, Xu Wenxiang didn't even have time to eat before going to the restaurant to chat with some important guests.

Fortunately, the result was satisfactory.

But the vegetables on each table aroused her curiosity, so after leaving the hall, Xu Wenxiang, dressed in white, went to the kitchen.

Is Master Shi here?

"Yes, yes, Mr. Xu."

The kitchen staff had just passed their busiest time and were preparing to take a break when the boss arrived.

Chef Shi, the hotel's head chef, came over wiping his hands. "Mr. Xu, you called me here because there was a problem with the dishes earlier?"

"The food is good, and the customers' feedback is positive." Xu Wenxiang smiled, a rare occurrence, and then asked, "Are there enough green vegetables today? How's the quality?"

Master Shi nodded quickly: "Enough, enough. Xu He delivered it personally this morning, and the quality is not bad either."

"Better than a few days ago?"

"It is better, with less fiber, and it's more tender."

"How does it compare to half a month ago?"

Half a month ago? Master Shi thought for a moment and said, "It would be a little worse, but it's normal for the quality to be a little lower this season. How about I make one for Mr. Xu so you can try it?"

"No need, thank you for your trouble, Master Shi."

Xu Wenxiang left in a hurry, and then went to check on the refrigerated vegetables. The bok choy and mustard greens were in perfect condition.

So he went to Liu Xiaoying and asked her about it.

Liu Xiaoying didn't actually know exactly where Xu He bought the vegetables, but she had a guess.

"Mr. Xu, Xu He used to like to buy vegetables from a small vegetable farmer, and it's possible he will do the same this time."

"A small vegetable farmer?"

“Yes, I went there once with Gou Tao. During a meeting, Gou Tao said that his vegetable garden was in a mess and did not fit the image of the hotel.”

Xu Wenxiang raised an eyebrow and quickly remembered the small vegetable farmer she had mentioned. She had never met him, but she had heard about him many times.

It's like a persistent ghost!
"Let's confirm if it's him."

Observing Xu Wenxiang's expression, Liu Xiaoying tentatively asked, "If so, should we change it?"

"Can you find a replacement?"

"Hmm~ It's a bit difficult."

"Let's see how things go and see if he can stabilize the supply. By the way, do you know where his vegetable fields are?"

"Um... I've almost forgotten, it was Xu He who led the way last time."

"Okay, I'll go find him."

Xu Wenxiang still remembers how much Xu He admired the small vegetable farmer.

When they canceled external procurement and let Jiangxin Vegetable Market supply directly, Xu He had a big argument with Gou Tao and Liu Feng about it.

What was that sarcastic remark about Liu Feng, the manager of Jiangxin Vegetable Market?

Is a large vegetable market of several hundred acres less competitive than a small vegetable farmer with only ten acres?
If that's true, it would be embarrassing to say it out loud, but it also proves that the small vegetable farmer has some skills.

I just don't know if this skill is good enough.

……

"Ugh~ Phew~"

Chen Jiazhi slept until he naturally woke up, let out a deep and satisfied yawn, and checked the time. It was six o'clock in the afternoon, and the sound of cooking fires could be heard coming from the back door.

Only then did he put on his slippers and go wash his face.

The sun had already set, and looking out over the vegetable field, Ao Dehai and the others had already removed the shade netting, revealing the tender green vegetables.

Once tonight is over, this batch of vegetables will have passed the most dangerous period.

Under the eaves, the black dog lay on the ground, its eyes constantly glancing diagonally upwards, where there was a swallow's nest at the other end of the eaves.

“Hey, if you can catch Yanzi, the country will protect you.”

The black paparazzi ignored him and continued to lie on the ground, eyeing the swallows.

Feeling awkward, Chen Jiazhi washed his face and went into his second sister's house.

Yi Dinggan and Yi Long were both there, listening to the radio, when their second sister and Li Xiu came out carrying food.

"Hey, Jiazhi, nobody called you, you just woke up because of the smell, huh?"

"It's mainly because the food you and Li Xiu make smells so good, it makes me hungry."

"Things have changed since he became Boss Chen. He's gotten so good at talking. Eat up, eat up, dinner's ready."

Everyone sat down at the table. Dinner was still mainly seafood, with a mustard green soup served with white rice.

Yi Long picked up a piece of mustard greens and asked, "Is this the mustard greens that Uncle sells for 3.2 yuan a pound?"

Chen Jiafang said with a smile, "Yes, your aunt heard that you had never eaten it before and wanted to try it, so she specially went to the field to pick some. Give it a try."

Yi Long stuffed the mustard greens into his mouth, and immediately frowned. The taste was strange, but he still gritted his teeth and ate it.

"It tastes awful, it's bitter."

"Son, if you don't like it, just throw it up." "Old man, this vegetable costs 3.2 yuan a pound. Back home, that's enough to buy more than two pounds of meat. You think you can just throw it up like that? You're making it sound so easy!"

Yi Long shook his head as he looked at the mustard green soup in the bowl. "Selling such unpalatable vegetables for 3.2 yuan a pound, people from Guangdong really have unique tastes!"

"..."

Li Xiu had already eaten two mustard greens and picked up another one. When she heard Yi Long's words, she paused. She thought it tasted pretty good, but she didn't know what to say. So she looked at Chen Jiazhi again.

Chen Jiazhi actually quite likes bitter vegetables, so he also picked up some mustard greens to eat. After tasting them, he laughed and said, "The taste is indeed not good enough."

Yi Long: "See? Even my uncle can't get used to it."

Chen Jiazhi shook his head: "It's not that I'm not used to the taste, it's that this Shui Dong mustard is not authentic enough. The seeds are problematic, and the place of origin and planting method are also wrong. Real Shui Dong mustard is not bitter, it crumbles at the slightest touch, it's crisp and refreshing with no residue, and it tastes sweet, just like eating an apple."

Yi Long's eyes widened, and he pointed at the mustard soup with his chopsticks. "Does this mustard green taste like an apple?"

Yi Dinggan, Chen Jiafang, and Li Xiu also gave him a look that said, "You're lying to a child."

Chen Jiazhi asked with a smile, "Do you know why it's called Shui Dong Jie?"

Several people shook their heads.

"Shuidong is a place name, a town in Maoming. Only the mustard greens grown in the town are called Shuidong mustard greens, and the mustard greens from one particular village are the most famous..."

Chen Jiazhi simply told him everything he knew in detail.

In its previous life, the water mustard was very famous in the agricultural wholesale market.

It is a unique variety created by seeds cultivated and optimized by breeders in Maoming over many years, and further enhanced by the unique climate and soil of Shuidong.

With few leaves and many stems, and very little fiber, the heart of the cabbage will not form a rolled shape, but rather a crisp and tender small heart-shaped package.

He had eaten it a few times in the early 20th century in his previous life, but he hadn't eaten the authentic version since then, because its reputation had grown so much that it was no longer available through ordinary channels.

However, although Shui Dong Jie is now somewhat famous, the brand will not truly flourish until after 2000.

During the casual conversation, Chen Jiazhi also thought that perhaps he could try making water mustard in the future.

In fact, he had similar plans long ago. For example, Zengcheng cabbage is not well-known at present, and no one has realized its value yet.
Further afield lies Ningxia cabbage, currently still largely undeveloped...

These are some of the most important sources of goods in his memory, and they are also related to future development.

But it's too early to talk about these things now.

Chen Jiazhi's choice of words is quite sophisticated: things like "it crumbles at the slightest touch," "it's shaped like a chicken heart," and "it tastes like an apple."
The group immediately pictured it, and their expressions conveyed the same message: they wanted to eat it.

Chen Jiazhi had no choice but to agree, saying that Shui Dongjie was indeed worth a try.

He has a stall; you could try becoming a distributor.

Maoming is in western Guangdong, a distance of three or four hundred kilometers. Transportation was inconvenient in this era, so it was uncertain when we could get there. Or perhaps we could go by water? Shuidong seems to be near the sea.

After dinner, Chen Jiazhi chatted with Yi Dinggan for a while. It was almost seven o'clock when he ran into Li Bin in the dam area.

"Jiazhi, have you finished writing the letter?"

"It's finished. Wait a moment, I'll go get it." Chen Jiazhi lit a cigarette before going back into the house to get the envelope and hand it to Li Bin. "Thank you for your help this time."

Li Bin smiled and said, "It's just that it's on the way, but you've changed so much that I might not be able to explain it when we get back."

"Just tell the truth."

"That's exactly where the difficulty lies."

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment: "It's okay. I wrote it in detail in the letter. My parents should believe it. It's none of anyone else's business."

Then you can help me persuade them to come over, saying I need their help taking care of the kids.

"..." Li Bin scratched his head, "Why is the difficulty getting higher and higher?"

"Haha, there's no other way, I'll have to trouble you this time." Chen Jiazhi laughed, "If you need anything in the future, or if you want to come to Huacheng to grow vegetables again, you can come to me."

"it is good."

"I'll get back to work now; there's still a lot of work to be done in the fields."

"Okay, you can go ahead and get busy."

Holding the letter in his hand, Li Bin felt a heavy burden on his shoulders; he estimated that he would cause quite a stir when he returned.

What to say?

They say Chen Jiazhi makes four or five thousand yuan a day selling vegetables? That's an amount most villagers might not earn in several years.

...

In the vegetable field, six farmhands were already harvesting the heart of the cabbage. They had to start early today because there were plenty of cabbages!
It was rare for all six of them to get together, and Qi Yongfeng kept showing off his morning experiences at the market.

"You didn't see it, they've already taken over a dozen cigarettes. Zhi-ge and I couldn't refuse even if we wanted to!"

"Bok choy is at least three yuan a pound, and mustard greens are three yuan twenty cents a pound. Just two bags of vegetables will cost one hundred yuan..."

"It's a pity you can't ride bikes, otherwise you should really go to the market."

Ao Dehai and Ao Deliang remained silent. It would be a lie to say they weren't envious; just hearing about it every day was enough to excite them.

What would it be like to actually go to the market?

After listening to Qi Yongfeng show off for a while, and seeing that her own husband was clearly envious, Zhao Yu said, "Dehai, why don't you go buy a bicycle too? You have plenty of time at noon, so you can learn how to ride one."

"Have it."

Ao Dehai then agreed, and Ao Deliang and Lai Guihui also planned to buy one, as it would be easy for the two families to buy a bicycle with their combined income.

Huang Juan glared at Qi Yongfeng. "It's one thing for you to show off how well the vegetables are selling and how high the boss's income is, but why are you bringing up a bicycle?"
Suddenly, no one spoke in the vegetable field, only the crisp sound of fingernails pinching the vegetables could be heard.

When Chen Jiazhi arrived, he saw this scene: everyone was busy picking vegetables, full of energy.

(End of this chapter)