The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 18: High-Priced Vegetables

“Uncle, I’m up on the mountain. Is something wrong?” A week had passed since the treasure hunt incident, and early one morning, Fang Yun was alone on the mountain, organizing the few wine jars in his house. The village wasn’t as crowded with tourists as it had been a few days earlier—now there were only about twenty or thirty a day. However, a few elderly people had rented a house in the village closest to Fang Yun’s home and were planning to settle there long-term. A few days earlier, while chatting with one of them—a retired official named Old Wang—Old Wang had said to Fang Yun, “That herbal bath of yours is really something. After soaking in it a few times, I feel like some of my old ailments have improved a lot. It’s a real shame my old lady doesn’t have time to come.” This comment gave Fang Yun the idea to brew some medicinal wine, and he told Old Wang he’d have a surprise for him in a few days. Fang Yun made a special trip to town to find a shop that specialized in brewing liquor and bought several jars of pure grain baijiu to make the medicinal wine. However, the medicinal wine wasn’t as effective as the herbal baths; it was only particularly effective for some common ailments among the elderly. Furthermore, it was only available to tourists visiting the village, with a purchase limit per person and a high price tag. It was clearly a strategy to encourage people interested in buying the medicinal wine to visit the village frequently; as long as people came, they would spend money, and the village would earn more income. Fang Yun was still a bit small-minded; he just wanted his fellow villagers to live a little better. “What? Someone’s come to the village looking to buy greens? All right, all right, I’ll be right back.” It turned out a big-time businessman had arrived in the village wanting to buy large quantities of the greens grown there. Fang Zhong wasn’t sure what to do, so he called Fang Yun to come down the mountain and negotiate with the man. As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he saw a minivan parked in front of his house. It turned out that Fang Zhong had brought the businessman straight to Fang Yun’s home. “Fang Yun’s back. This is the big boss from the city,” Fang Zhong said as soon as he saw Fang Yun walk in, hurriedly introducing the two. “This is Fang Yun. Feel free to talk to him about anything.” “What do you mean, ‘big boss’? I’m just making a living. You can just call me by my name, Xu Jin,” said a man in his thirties sitting in a chair, quickly standing up. “Welcome to our Qiaotou Village, Mr. Xu. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Let’s eat and talk.” In China, people usually discuss business matters over a meal, and Fang Yun was no exception. Xu Jin was the owner of a restaurant in the city. Lately, business had been very slow, and no matter what he tried, things showed no sign of improving. He had even considered just closing the restaurant down. Last night, when he took his wife and children home to have dinner with his parents, the vegetable dishes on the table had him unable to put his chopsticks down. Even his son, who was usually a picky eater, made an exception and ate two bowls of rice. After the meal, everyone took a digestive tablet before they finally felt their stomachs weren’t quite so full. It immediately occurred to Xu Jin that if his restaurant served vegetable dishes like these, customers would surely flock in. Upon asking, he learned that his father—who had been staying home with nothing to do—had gone on a trip a few days earlier with some elderly neighbors from the neighborhood to Qiaotou Village, which had been quite popular lately. After tasting these vegetables at a villager’s home and finding them delicious, he had made a point of buying some to bring back. If it hadn’t been so late, Xu Jin would have rushed straight to Qiaotou Village right then and there. So first thing in the morning, he drove to the village and, with the villagers’ help, found Fang Zhong. “Brother Fang, I’ll be honest with you—the greens here are truly exceptional. They’re crisp, tender, and full of flavor. I’m planning to buy a large quantity. I’m wondering how much you can supply?” Xu Jin asked after they’d finished eating and drinking their fill. “Of course. The greens we grow in our village are just what we usually eat at home. We never use pesticides—only our own organic fertilizer. It’d be strange if they didn’t taste good.” Fang Yun was a little proud of himself, though he certainly wouldn’t tell Xu Jin that the exceptional quality was mainly due to the spring water he’d used to irrigate the crops. “Oh, you’ve never used pesticides—just organic fertilizer?” Xu Jin’s eyes lit up. This was a great selling point; he could easily attract customers by promoting “green, healthy vegetables.” After all, city dwellers these days have a particular fondness for so-called “green vegetables.” “Here’s the deal: I’ll buy any vegetables from the village at five times the market price. Can you supply them on a long-term basis?” Xu Jin made the decision on the spot. “Sure, that’s absolutely no problem.” A fivefold price was already quite high—typically, so-called “green” vegetables only fetch two or three times the regular price—so Fang Yun immediately agreed. Most of the village’s farmland was hilly terrain; irrigation was inconvenient, making it unsuitable for growing rice. Aside from some sweet potatoes and peanuts, they mostly grew vegetables. “Whoa…” Fang Changsheng and Fang Zhong, who were listening nearby, both sucked in a sharp breath. After all, the price of greens was already quite high—even the most common Chinese cabbage was selling for one yuan—and now someone was offering five times that price to buy them. They felt the world had gone completely crazy. “I’ll get everyone to pick the vegetables and bring them over right away.” Hearing that someone was buying greens at five times the usual price, the villagers went wild, with entire families heading out to the fields to harvest. “Everyone, be careful when picking the vegetables—don’t mix in any old or rotten ones,” Fang Zhong instructed. “Don’t worry—we folks from Qiaotou Village wouldn’t do something like that,” the villagers exclaimed in unison. Usually, when they picked greens to sell in town, they’d sort through them carefully, taking only the best to market. The ones that didn’t look good were mostly kept for the family to eat or fed to their poultry. “Niuniu, where are you going?” Fang Yun asked when she saw her daughter, carrying a small basket, getting ready to head out with her grandparents. “Niuniu is going to help Grandpa and Grandma pick vegetables. Grandma said she’ll use the money to buy something yummy for Niuniu to eat,” the little girl said, pouting her lips. That little glutton—Fang Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In less than an hour, the minivan Xu Jin had driven over was already full, and they had to call for a truck to finally load all the vegetables the villagers had brought. One by one, the villagers, each holding a few bright red bills, were grinning from ear to ear. Standing nearby, Xu Jin watched as the money in his bag dwindled, yet the smile on his face grew even brighter. Although he’d paid a high price to buy the vegetables, he was certain he could make a huge profit once he transported them back and processed them himself. Declining Fang Zhong’s invitation to stay for lunch, Xu Jin hurriedly drove off. If he rushed back now, he’d make it just in time for lunch, and he couldn’t wait to see how these vegetables would turn out. Less than two days later, Xu Jin, looking radiant, drove back to the village. This time, he was followed by two trucks. As soon as he got out of the car, Xu Jin found Fang Yun. “Brother Fang, quick, quick, quick! Help me find out if there are any more vegetables left in the village. I want it all—chicken, duck, fish, and meat. The price will definitely satisfy everyone.” The day before yesterday, as soon as Xu Jin returned to the city, he took samples of each vegetable for testing. The results astonished even the lab technicians: there were absolutely no pesticide residues, and the nutritional values were nearly double those of ordinary vegetables. Overjoyed, Xu Jin rushed back to the restaurant and immediately had a banner hung that read, “This restaurant has just received a shipment of premium organic vegetables. Everyone is welcome to come and try them.” He also posted the test report on the restaurant’s glass door. At the entrance, he set up a display rack with samples of each vegetable. At first, hardly anyone came in to eat. After all, with all the sensational advertising out there these days—where every business hypes its products to the skies—people had long since grown accustomed to viewing all However, when the first customer walked in, ordered a few of the so-called “premium organic vegetables,” and—rubbing his full belly—pulled out his phone to start calling friends and family Suddenly, the restaurant was packed to the brim. The first thing every customer did after finishing their meal was call their loved ones to tell them about the incredibly delicious premium vegetables. In just two short days, the restaurant sold out of all its vegetables. Even though Xu Jin had set the prices several times higher than other restaurants, nothing could dampen people’s enthusiasm for these vegetables. Early this morning, Xu Jin hurried to the village with his staff to buy more produce. This time, he also set his sights on the village’s meat—after all, a restaurant relying solely on vegetables would be a bit too monotonous. Xu Jin believed that if the vegetables here were this delicious, there was no reason the locally raised poultry wouldn’t be of equally high quality.