1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 12 The Plum Rain is Coming
After weighing, the slightly plump middle-aged man bought a total of 102 kilograms of vegetables and received 112 yuan.

Chen Jiazhi felt the bumps on the portraits of the four great men, put the money close to his body, and then began to pack the dishes.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and people in the wholesale market had to run to get to their destination. They were also very decisive when placing orders. Some people who didn't get the vegetables were shouting and making a fuss.

As for those who want to pick up bargains on leftover goods, they have no chance at all under these market conditions, and this will be the norm this year.

So, the key this year is to grow vegetables, as the market is completely undersaturated.

After packing the vegetables, Chen Jiazhi packed up and rode his bike to deliver the goods.

There happened to be someone loading goods in the Sea Lion Jinbei. He was a young man, not very skilled, and the vegetables he loaded were all over the place. The slightly fat man was holding an umbrella and cursing outside the car.

"You're so stupid, you can't even cook."

Seeing this, Chen Jiazhi parked the car aside, took out a few plastic bags and got in the car to help the young man pack the vegetables.

The young man moved very cautiously, fearing that he might spoil the food, which resulted in him working very slowly and making mistakes easily.

Chen Jiazhi was much more rough. He stacked the bags one after another without stopping. His stacking was very organized and the layers were clear. It was obvious that he was an experienced hand.

At the same time, I was also looking at the vegetables in the car. There were all kinds of vegetables, and it was obvious that it was not just for distribution to the factory.

When getting off the car, the slightly plump man handed him a cigarette and lit it. Chen Jiazhi didn't recognize what kind of cigarette it was, but there were English letters on the cigarette box.

"Sure, pretty boy, are you interested in doing it with me?"

The slightly plump man also lit a cigarette. He felt that the young man in front of him was very smart. His business was expanding little by little, and he needed manpower, so he extended an invitation.

"Thanks, Boss. However, I think being a vegetable farmer is more suitable for me. When I become successful, I will provide you with vegetables steadily."

Chen Jiazhi replied with a smile, took another deep puff of his cigarette, then got on his bicycle and disappeared into the rainy night.

……

"Mushroom duck is 3.8 yuan per catty, 4 catties and 2 ounces, a total of 15.2 yuan."

After taking the processed duck, Chen Jiazhi went back to the market to buy a black-skinned winter melon. The price of winter melon had also increased, now 35 cents per pound.

Now is the season when Huacheng winter melons are on the market in large quantities, so the price is not cheap.

At this moment, Chen Jiazhi suddenly remembered the trend of hoarding winter melons that had been going on for several months at the stalls in Huacheng Wholesale Market this year.

In July and August, storable vegetables such as winter melon and pumpkin also set price records.

However, this has little to do with him, as the season for growing winter melons in Huacheng has passed.

After buying things, Chen Jiazhi returned in the rain. The drizzle brought a hint of coolness to the hot weather.

Although the early arrival of plum rain has alleviated the early spring drought, it has also disrupted the rhythm of vegetable farmers.

When he arrived at the vegetable market, it was already past seven o'clock. He saw Li Xiu standing at the door of her house and staring at him from a distance, so Chen Jiazhi waved.

Li Xiu also waved and then went back into the house.

Because of the rain, the vegetable farmers had not gone out yet, and when they saw Chen Jiazhi coming back, no one ridiculed him anymore.

"Scholar, your crow's mouth has worked. It has been raining all night. Even Sun Wukong's words are not as effective as yours."

Fellow villager Qi Yongfeng sat on a small bench at the door, looking at the vegetable field with sorrow.

"I warned you a long time ago."

Hearing the noise, Chen Jiafang also came out. Seeing that he was soaking wet, she quickly said:

"Your clothes are all wet. Go take a hot bath. Li Xiu is scooping hot water for you. Don't catch a cold. What did you buy again? You, you idiot! Look at you, why are you wasting all this money?"

Chen Jiafang took the mallard and kept muttering to herself, her voice so loud as if she was afraid that others couldn't hear her.

It did let many people know that he had bought ducks again, which in turn aroused some people's dissatisfaction and complaints.

When Chen Jiazhi arrived at the stove at the back door, Li Xiu had already scooped half a bucket of hot water for him and placed his change of clothes on a stool nearby. Seeing him come in, she hurriedly said, "Go take a hot bath quickly, don't catch a cold."

"Okay, you keep the money first."

After being caught in the rain all night, Chen Jiazhi was afraid of catching a cold, so he took out his money and gave it to Li Xiu, then quickly took the bucket to the bathroom and washed with cold water.

At this time, the vegetable market also became lively.

The news that Chen Jiazhi had boldly raised prices last night spread through the mouths of Li and Guo. One dollar and one pound per jin! Chen Jiazhi had a lot of vegetables last night, and everyone was guessing how much he had sold them for.

In the house, Li Xiu counted the money over and over again with a smile on her face before putting it away. While cooking at the back door, Li Mingkun's wife Bai Yan couldn't help but ask Li Xiu.

"Xiu ah, how much did Jiazhi sell last night?"

Li Xiu: "Not much. Jiazhi said we have to buy pesticides and fertilizers in the next two days, so there won't be much left after we buy them."

Li Mingkun had been losing money selling vegetables for two consecutive days. Bai Yan felt a little unhappy. When she heard that Chen Jiazhi was going to buy pesticides and fertilizers again, she said:
"Li Xiu, we can't let Jiazhi do whatever he wants. Imported pesticides are so expensive, we can't let him continue to squander money like this."

"Jiazhi said he knew what was going on."

Seeing that others were also coming over, Li Xiu said, "By the way, Sister Bai Yan, did you spray the pesticides yesterday? Jiazhi said that the continuous rain will easily make the vegetables sick."

Suddenly, several women who were ready to make a move retreated. Bai Yan was silent. She wanted to refute but didn't know how to start. The rain was still falling.

Moreover, most people applied their pesticides too late yesterday, and it rained in the evening, so it's hard to say how effective the pesticides were. On the other hand, Chen Jiazhi applied his pesticides around noon.
At this time, under the eaves of the room at the far end, Jia Suzhen shouted loudly: "It's raining so hard, the vegetable prices will go up later. The sooner we sell now, the more we will lose later!"

"That's right. It's not worthwhile to take it now. Only the scholar is so cruel and willing to do it."

When Chen Jiazhi came out of the shower, he happened to hear such a discussion and was a little speechless. This was the performance of a green hand who didn't understand any technology at all.

Most of these vegetable farmers are still young. Except for Yi Dinggan and Guo Mancang, they have not experienced the cruel punishment of nature.
After returning to the house, Li Xiu gave the money back to Chen Jiazhi and said, "I counted it. It's 317 yuan in total. It's all here."

Chen Jiazhi estimated that after buying the meat and vegetables, the cost would be about the same. He looked at Li Xiu with a smile and asked, "Have you counted it?"

"I counted it several times, there's no doubt about it." He looked like a little money-grubber. In his previous life, Li Xiu loved counting money the most.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and handed the money back. "Keep the money for now. It's not convenient to buy fertilizer and pesticides when it rains. Go again in a couple of days."

It rained all morning and most vegetable farmers did not go out.

Chen Jiazhi, who had been catching up on a morning's sleep, was awakened by the aroma of stir-fried duck meat. In addition, his second sister also stewed old duck and winter melon soup.

The four of them enjoyed lunch very much.

Yi Dinggan also poured a glass of wine for him and Chen Jiazhi, and talked about the duck meat, saying "it's delicious" every time.

In the next room, Li Mingkun looked at the all-vegetarian meal and felt a bit bland. Bai Yan watched him picking at the dish and scolded him, "If you want to eat meat, can't you buy it yourself? Aren't you selling vegetables every day?"

Li Mingkun said in a moderately loud voice, "We can't make ends meet. We still have to buy pesticides and fertilizers later, and our two children back home are still skinny."

This is the case in many families. Even if they sell their food, they dare not eat and drink as much as they want.

Only Chen Jiazhi, who was used to having meat for every meal in later generations, dared to splurge like this.

In the afternoon, the sky cleared up again and the vegetable farmers breathed a sigh of relief. They watched Chen Jiazhi pick up the frames to harvest the vegetables. Although they no longer made sarcastic remarks, they did not take it seriously.

With his selling method, consumption level, and purchase of imported pesticides, etc., he would not be able to make any money in the end.

I sold vegetables for three consecutive days.
Chen Jiazhi's No. 1 plot is completely empty, and the Shanghai greens in No. 2 plot have also been cleared out, leaving only a small piece of Chinese cabbage, which can be harvested today.

More than 100 kilograms of lettuce from the largest plot No. 5 have been sold, but there are still a lot left. The Chinese cabbage and bok choy from Plot No. 5 have not been touched either.

During these three days, Chen Jiazhi was able to earn more than 300 yuan every day. After deducting the money for buying meat and paying Brother Yi's rent, plus the money he earned from previous sales, Li Xiu already had more than 1,000 yuan in his pocket.

Smelling the aroma of meat coming from the back door, Chen Jiazhi got out of bed, took out the notebook under his pillow and made a few more notes.

Mainly a few big customers who often buy vegetables from him.

The number 976 represents the Sea Lion Jinbei, which delivers to hotels, restaurants and factories;

The short-haired older woman's surname is Zhang, and she is a vendor at a nearby retail market;
Futian five-star three-wheeled vehicle, initially bought 21 kilograms of Shanghai Qing on the tail end of the market, but in the past two or three days, it has taken a lot of goods, the identity of which is unknown;

There was also a man with curly hair, whose code name Chen Jiazhi wrote was Curly Cabbage Head. He liked to pick up leftovers. He had originally been the first to get the 21 kilograms of Shanghai greens, but after a moment of hesitation, it was snatched away by a Foton three-wheeled vehicle. He had also taken vegetables two or three times recently...

He recorded the types and quantities of goods these people took every day in order to calculate the maximum number of vegetables he could sell.

The rain was intermittent for the past three days, coming one day and stopping the next. Some vegetable fields had already been plagued by pests and diseases. On the sunny day, Chen Jiazhi also spread quicklime on Field No. 1, but the land had not been plowed yet.

Some vegetable farmers have also started to follow Chen Jiazhi's example and sell vegetables in advance. After all, the price is acceptable and the money only counts when the vegetables are sold, but the quantity is not large.

Chen Jiazhi looked at the calendar on the wall. Tomorrow is Qingming Festival, so the vegetables should sell better. The rain will probably not stop in the next few days. It is very close to the time when plum rain will cause root rot in his memory.

He planned to charge more for the dishes.

(End of this chapter)