1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 143 Standard
This isn't the first time Chen Jiazhi has conducted a transaction in full public view, whether in his past or present life.

Once, around 2008, a customer of his wanted to send a truckload of bok choy from Chengdu to Huacheng, which required styrofoam boxes.

He took some ice, smashed it in front of his rented house, and put it in a bag. When he brought the vegetables home, wow, just smashing an ice block attracted a dozen or twenty people to watch.

When it came time to settle the accounts and pay, it was inside the house, but people could still see through the half-open window. The two thick stacks of red banknotes greatly shocked the villagers.

In particular, an old lady would say every time she passed by the vegetable field that Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu were being foolish, renting so much land just to grow rapeseed, wondering how much money they could make. She said the couple were pitiful.

But ever since that incident, the old lady remembered that choy sum is not 'oilseed rape', but a Cantonese vegetable that can be sold not only in Guangdong, but also in Hong Kong and Japan.

Therefore, Chen Jiazhi could roughly understand Heiwa'er's feelings. He was showing off in front of others, earning more than three thousand yuan, an amount that many people couldn't earn in a year.

But Chen Jiazhi was also somewhat helpless.

Wealth is a powerful motivator, but being able to estimate someone's income is one thing, and actually seeing it for yourself is another.

Since the transaction takes place in the market, it's hard to avoid people coming to watch, even if you're settling accounts and paying money at home. There's no way to hide it, so it's better to be open and honest.

There are hardly any outsiders in this house anymore.

Moreover, he always made a big fuss when he went to the bank to deposit money, precisely to avoid risks.

It seems that before getting a driver's license and buying a car, you'll need to deposit money in the bank more frequently.

"Let's go, Mr. Chen."

"Okay, stay safe."

The light truck engine roared, and Heiwa stepped on the gas. Everyone watched the truck leave the market, and Chen Jiazhi also watched for a while.

"Uncle, are you going to buy this car too?"

"Little Liberation, it's a little too small."

"But it has two rows of seats, which can seat several people. My mom and aunt can go with you to sell vegetables then. They've always wanted to go to the wholesale market!"

Immediately, Chen Jiafang and Li Xiu had an idea, but being sensitive and surrounded by people, they didn't ask any questions. Instead, they urged Chen Jiazhi to take a shower, and prepared hot water and clothes for him.

When Chen Jiazhi carried the bucket into the shower room, there were still people chatting in the courtyard.

Before even going to the market to sell vegetables, they had already earned 3550 yuan, and many people are still reminiscing about it.

Zhou Yuqiong recalled how Guo Mancang always seemed hesitant to speak when talking about Chen Jiazhi, and she immediately understood his feelings. They were both growing vegetables, but the difference was unbearable to look at.

Bai Yan was in the same boat as her. The two stood in the dam and whispered to each other for a while, occasionally glancing enviously at a certain house.

Ao Dehai, Qi Yongfeng, and Ao Deliang each went to the vegetable fields and chatted with people about what they had seen and heard that evening.

They certainly envied their boss, but through daily interactions, they also became more aware of the gap between themselves and their boss in every aspect.

...

Just taking a shower won't wash away the day's fatigue, but it can make you feel much better. Chen Jiazhi entered the house humming a song softly.

"Xiu, go wash up."

Li Xiu took the bucket and asked, "How much would that boss's car cost?"

"I haven't asked either, but it must cost at least forty or fifty thousand." Chen Jiazhi smiled. "It's a good car; it can carry people and goods, but the cargo box is a bit small."

"I think it looks pretty good too."

FAW's little Jiefang, traveling freely to all corners of the world.

The design of the small Liberation Army van was quite appealing in those days; it was small and exquisite.

The double-row seating is both an advantage, allowing it to be used as an official vehicle, and a disadvantage, limiting its cargo-carrying capacity.

Let's take a closer look later.

"Yeah, we should take a look at more cars, they cost tens of thousands of yuan."

After Li Xiu took a shower, Chen Jiazhi lay on the bed for a short rest. Around 12:30, Yi Long knocked on the door to call him, and he got up and went out again.

At this point, not all the vegetables had been picked out yet.

"Xiaolong, you're quite enthusiastic."

"Hehe, I'm earning a salary, you know."

"Good, good, keep it up!"

Yi Long said mysteriously, "Uncle, let me tell you, I also want to save money to buy a car."

"Ok?"

"I'll buy the bicycle myself, but don't tell my parents."

"That's ambitious!" Chen Jiazhi gave him a thumbs up and whispered back, "I'll keep it a secret. Good luck!"

Encouraged, Yi Long suddenly became even more motivated. He bought his own bicycle! When he went back to his hometown, Xiao Hu and the others would be green with envy.

Ao Dehai and the others brought the vegetables back one after another. Chen Jiazhi weighed and categorized them in the open space. Chen Ze's menus for his regular customers were placed separately at the back, so they could take them with them as soon as they got off the bus, which was convenient and easy.

Yi Long was also very busy, carrying a basket of vegetables weighing thirty or forty pounds, which the young man carried without difficulty.

A short while later, Yi Dinggan, Li Mingkun, and Guo Mancang also returned.

The three of them had less food left.

When Heiwa came to get the vegetables, Chen Jiafang, Bai Yan, and Zhou Yuqiong all returned to watch the commotion, but the three of them were nowhere to be seen.

Chen Jiazhi offered cigarettes to the three men: "Brother Yi, Lao Li, Lao Guo, I'll have to trouble you guys for a favor today."

Yi Dinggan first took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, and said, "Don't say we're helping you; we're also getting a free ride from you."

Li Mingkun smiled and said, "Yes, yes, that makes sense."

Guo Mancang added, "Helping to bring vegetables is helping out, and lending a hand at your stall is also the right thing to do."

All three of them clearly understood the difference between the two. Helping each other out only required a little effort, but the price difference brought in real income.

To be honest, the three of them also enjoyed watching Chen Jiazhi sell vegetables; even something as simple as selling vegetables had many details to explore. After smoking a cigarette, they set off.

The night sky was deep, and Chen Jiazhi drove slowly, giving him more time to observe the entire city.

Even in the middle of the night, construction sites are still brightly lit, with workers working overtime to complete the projects, demonstrating the rapid development of the city.

Yi Long, standing to the side, squinted, enjoying the cool breeze of the early morning, pondering how long it would take to buy a bicycle, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

"Hey, Xiaolong, wake up, we're here. You're drooling all over me."

"An." Yi Long immediately sat up straight and wiped his mouth: "You didn't drool!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "I saw you dozing off but you were still laughing. What wonderful thing are you thinking about? We'll be at the market soon."

There weren't many people waiting for him at the market entrance today; they were all gathered at the stalls.

As soon as Chen Jiazhi parked the car, he heard someone shouting.

"Mr. Chen, it's time to lower the price. The Market Supervision Administration has issued a notice, and during the day they also notified merchants to control the price difference between wholesale and retail. If they are caught, they will be fined!"

"It should have been lowered a long time ago! Which other shop sells bok choy for as much as you?"

"Two yuan and fifty cents is about right!"

Chen Jiazhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at the group of people who were shouting; most of them were retailers.

Although the old customer didn't say anything, he was also somewhat interested.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to respect the regulations and announced: "Today, the price for bok choy, kale, and mustard greens is the same: three yuan per jin."

Immediately, another chorus of boos erupted, and people kept shouting.

Chen Jiazhi remained unmoved.

Buy it if you like.

Some vegetable vendors who were doing retail simply turned around and left.

Chen Jiazhi wanted to chat with a few long-time clients.

Chen Ze urged directly, "Boss Chen, stop talking and get my vegetables first: 60 catties of bok choy and 30 catties each of kale and mustard greens."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and pointed to the four plastic vegetable baskets on the surface of the tricycle.

“These four pieces are all yours. From now on, I will pack the bok choy in 30-jin (15 catties) bags by net weight. Just take the bags directly. Today it’s 90 yuan per bag, so four bags would be 360 ​​yuan.”

He effectively lowered the price of premium bok choy by two cents.

Chen Ze, Lao Wu, and Xu He quickly realized what was happening, but they didn't make a fuss and just nodded slightly.

"Mr. Chen, you're getting more and more professional. This method of calculating the number of items is good and very convenient."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "But remember to return my baskets. I only bought about ten in total, and I only give you a few plastic baskets each day. Let me make it clear, it will cost 20 yuan if you lose a basket!"

"Damn, do you have to be so serious? Isn't it normal to lose one or two occasionally?"

"That's right, how can you be without any mistakes?"

Chen Jiazhi raised an eyebrow. "Old Wu, you have the nerve to say that? You've had my basket for days and haven't returned it. Have you been keeping it for yourself?"

"how is this possible?"

"I've seen it several times, but I just haven't called you out on it."

"Hey, what are you chatting about? Hurry up and get the food, get the food."

"Hahaha……"

After a period of cheerful laughter, they resumed their orderly work, as losing vegetable baskets is a common occurrence in the wholesale market.

In later generations, any wholesaler or vegetable farmer used vegetable baskets of all colors, including red, yellow, blue, green, cyan, white, and purple. The names printed on the baskets, such as "X Vegetable Market" or written in watercolor, were ground down again and again by angle grinders, and no one could figure out who its first owner was.

It's basically a zero-sum game where you take what's mine and I take what's yours.

Chen Jiazhi hated this kind of thing, but he had to take the step of setting standards, and some growing pains were inevitable.

Because Chen Ze's dishes were prepared in advance, the food was served quickly.

Yi Dinggan and his two companions, along with Yi Long, each carried a basket to the car. Chen Jiazhi collected the money, and two minutes later, Chen Ze drove away. The whole process became increasingly smooth.

Some astute individuals were already secretly amazed.

A little while later, it was Xu He's turn. He also took four dishes, which cost 360 yuan.

Chen Jiazhi quickly collected the money, then jotted down the estimate for tomorrow. When he looked up, Xu He was still there.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Xu?"

"Oh, nothing, just asking if you still have a lot of vegetables in your garden?" Xu He thought for a moment before answering.

"Anyway, you only need about a hundred pounds of vegetables a day, so it's easy."

"..."

Xu He was speechless for a moment.

It wasn't appropriate to tell her directly that her cousin, Xu Wenxiang, wanted him to secretly find out if Chen Cai Nong really had any skills.

Do I even need to touch it?
It's obvious.

The fact that there are still so many vegetables available proves that the vegetable growing techniques are top-notch.

Selling vegetables is a sophisticated business model, and today they've optimized the process again, getting better and better at every detail. Xu He has long been impressed.

Chen Jiazhi ignored him and started attending to other customers.

Xu He watched for a while and then left. He had made up his mind. No matter how Xu Wenxiang asked, the answer would be the same: Chen Cai Nong was truly skilled.

(End of this chapter)