1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 9: Watercress

The agricultural supplies store that Yi Dinggan mentioned before is on Nanpu Island. Judging from the store, the owner is quite capable.

Soon after Chen Jiazhi entered the store, a middle-aged man in a T-shirt greeted him: "Handsome boy, what are you buying?"

"Take a look at the water spinach seeds."

"Ziyong or Tengyong?"

Water spinach, also known as water spinach, is called vine spinach by people in Xichuan. It is a vegetable that can be grown in water or in dry land.

Yongcai is divided into Ziyong and Tengyong according to whether it bears fruit or not.

Ziyong propagates by seed and is more drought-resistant than vines. It is generally planted in dry land, but it can also grow in water. At the same time, according to the color of the flower, it can be divided into white Ziyong and purple Ziyong.

Tengyong is propagated by kudzu stems. It rarely blooms and is even harder to bear fruit. Its quality is better than Ziyong and its yield is higher. It is mostly cultivated in paddy fields.

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and asked directly, "Do you have Big Bone Green?"

The boss was a little surprised. "You've found the right place. Other places may not have it, but I happen to have some here. 5 yuan a pound. How much do you want?"

Daguqing is a farm variety in the suburbs of Huacheng. It has been selected and bred by local farmers over a long period of time and is adapted to the hot and humid climate environment of Lingnan.

Although the yield is not high, the resistance performance is excellent and suitable for this year's environment.

Chen Jiazhi has been thinking about it these days. There was a lot of rain in April and May this year. It would be most appropriate to harvest the current vegetables in advance and then plant water spinach.

I looked at the seeds that the boss took out and there was no problem with the quality. After thinking for a moment, I decided that the only way to save labor now was to sow them, so I would prepare more to be on the safe side.

"First, let's get 15 kilograms of seeds. We also need some quicklime. Oh, boss, I heard you have imported pesticides?"

The boss spoke Cantonese, and Chen Jiazhi guessed that he was a local and might have some connections overseas and be able to get imported goods.

"Yes, what kind do you want? What do you want it to prevent or treat?"

Chen Jiazhi: "Do you have mancozeb, avermectin, and imidacloprid?"

After listening to what Chen Jiazhi said, the boss looked at Chen Jiazhi up and down in surprise. Mancozeb is not so bad, it is already available in China.

However, avermectin is only imported on a trial basis, and imidacloprid has not yet been introduced. These vegetable farmers have some tricks up their sleeves.

"The only imported product is Dow's 'Dasheng' mancozeb wettable powder from the US, 500g/bag, 40 yuan a bag. Want one?"

"So expensive?!"

"If you go to the supply and marketing cooperative and ask, they'll charge you at least 45 yuan for a bag. Mine is a bit cheaper, but I can guarantee it's genuine!"

"There are also domestic ones, such as those from the Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology. They cost 20 yuan a bag, but you should understand their quality and stability."

"Or you can use fungicides such as chlorothalonil, carbendazim, and metalaxyl, which are more affordable."

"Let me take a look at the goods first."

After seeing the boss's imported mancozeb, Chen Jiazhi felt that there was no problem with it, and finally gritted his teeth and bought it.

Fungicides such as chlorothalonil and carbendazim can actually be used, but if they are available at home and used for a long time, the effects may not be good.

In order to preserve this crop of beans, melons and vegetables, we have to spend a lot of money.

15斤水雍菜种子75元，一袋代森锰锌45元，还买了100斤生石灰10元。

At the same time, in order to replace methyl parathion, he also bought some chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin, the brands of which were British Zeneca's "Methicone" and French Aventis' "Dimethoate", which cost another 40 yuan.

In a blink of an eye, he had spent 170 yuan, plus the 50 yuan he paid back to his second sister and the money for buying meat and vegetables, and his anger was almost gone.

If you don’t have money, you won’t be able to get angry and you won’t be able to get hard!

Unfortunately, imidacloprid and avermectin are not available. What is commonly used now are the highly toxic and extremely poisonous phosphamidon, dichlorvos and oxydemeton-methyl.

He was able to spend money to buy chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin, making him one of the most conscientious farmers in the country.

After paying the bill and telling the boss the delivery address of the quicklime, Chen Jiazhi took the seeds and pesticides and prepared to leave.

At this moment, the boss suddenly asked, "Handsome boy, do you really want to buy avermectin and imidacloprid?" Chen Jiazhi turned around and saw that the boss looked like he had connections. "Yes, if you can get them, I'll buy them!"

"Then come back in a few days, I should be able to get it!"

"it is good!"

Chen Jiazhi did not hesitate. He agreed but did not pay the money immediately. It was still up to him whether to buy or not. Moreover, the quality route would be very popular in the next few years, especially for high-end customers such as those supplying Hong Kong and exporting.

He knows how to grow safer and higher-quality vegetables. Since he has decided to continue growing vegetables, he will definitely strive to expand and become stronger.

Furthermore, for the safety of Li Xiu and the fetus, highly toxic pesticides such as methyl parathion cannot be left in the house for a long time.

"By the way, handsome boy, do you want to buy some fertilizer? I'll give you a discount."

Chen Jiazhi had already ridden onto the road when he heard the boss's voice from behind him. He shook his head and said, "I don't buy cheap stuff!"

The boss looked at his back and twitched his mouth. Damn, this uncool vegetable farmer is so arrogant!
Chen Jiazhi was also complaining in his heart, what the hell, the fertilizer that lacked nutrients at home was bought from here, but that was more of a manufacturer's problem.

When he arrived at the market, the boss had already delivered the quicklime.

At this time, Li Xiu and her second sister had already gone to the fields.

After Chen Jiazhi put the quicklime in place, he began to catch up on his sleep. Around noon, he heard the sound of someone cooking, so he got up and started cooking.

First, simmer the rice.

After washing the rice, pour the rice and water into the iron pot, add sawdust to the stove and start the fire. After boiling, stir it a few times with a spatula to prevent it from sticking to the pot.

Then scoop out the rice soup and start to simmer the rice. During this time, don't forget to use chopsticks to evenly poke some holes in the rice, and then simmer it again.
When I smell the fragrance of rice and there is a slight burnt aroma on the edge of the pot, I open the wooden lid, take the pot out of the pot and pour it into a bowl. The rice crust is also intact and beautiful.

"good."

Chen Jiazhi took a bite and found it very fragrant.

At this time, the vegetable farmers who had been working had returned one after another, and Chen Jiazhi began to wash the pot and prepare to cook.

The pork belly I bought this time was evenly distributed in fat and lean meat, and the oil from frying the fat was enough to make this dish.

After adding bean paste and other seasonings, the twice-cooked pork exudes a rich aroma during the stir-frying process.

"Scholar, that's amazing. Can you let me try a couple of slices later?"

Qi Yongfeng came over when he smelled the fragrance. The stoves of each family at the back were all connected, so he could see them all at a glance.

Chen Jiazhi was stir-frying twice-cooked pork and said to Qi Yongfeng, "You want to eat twice-cooked pork? If you want to eat it, hurry up and buy some vegetables and sell them."

"Then my wife can kill me!"

"Coward, you deserve not to have meat."

"Zizi, you are not as powerful as a scholar. The whole family has to obey you. We even sell the vegetable sprouts just to have a meal of meat."

Chen Jiazhili doesn't want to leave at all because of this kind of voice. You will regret it in ten days or so.

The entire Dongxiang vegetable market has been a bit sluggish recently. For example, Chen Jiazhi's behavior of making two kilograms of pork belly at a time can be considered a luxury.

Naturally, this has caused some people to be angry. Selling vegetables that haven't even grown yet just to have a good meal—isn't that just like a spendthrift?!

After the twice-cooked pork was out of the pot, Chen Jiazhi stir-fried some vegetables. At this time, Li Xiu, her second sister, and her brother-in-law also came back.

As soon as they entered the house, the fragrant aroma and the bright red twice-cooked pork whetted their appetites.

"Brother, your cooking skills are really good, hidden away. Eat, eat, come and eat quickly."

Yi Dinggan had already sat down at the table, and Chen Jiafang scolded him, "You can't even work, but you're always the best at eating!"

Despite the scolding, Chen Jiafang felt relieved. After helping her youngest brother so much, at least she didn't raise an ungrateful person.

This meal was not very good, but it satisfied the cravings of several people and they all felt extremely satisfied.

(End of this chapter)