Chapter 8: The Vegetable Seller and the Plastic Greenhouse

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Yu Yang had never imagined that the highly anticipated pea sprouts would suddenly find a market because of the monk temples. Moreover, these monk temples might even develop into stable clients, forming the core customer base of his family business.

But it was nighttime, with no sunlight. Forcing the strong men to get up and work now would only produce yellowish, crooked sprouts that couldn’t fetch a good price. Fortunately, the giant heated kang bed in the courtyard had already been set up with a plastic greenhouse, obscuring the view inside. By tomorrow morning, production would explode.

Additionally, Sixth Uncle’s pea sprouts were about to mature. The Second Granny and Third Grandpa, both elderly and nearsighted, allowed them to accelerate the growth speed at their places. This way, tonight they could harvest the yield from 0.03 acres, roughly ten large baskets of pea sprouts.

Yu Yang immediately instructed his eldest brother to take the vegetable vendor who had arrived first to Sixth Uncle’s house to pick up the goods. One heated kang bed, about 0.01 acres in size, produced three and a half baskets of pea sprouts. Including the large baskets and the sieves used for layering, the wholesale price was 320 yuan.

Of course, next time there would be no need to pay for the baskets again. The empty baskets would be exchanged for full ones, and only the cost of the sprouts would be charged.

Sixth Uncle counted the money, his face creasing again with a smile. “Three yuan, this meal cannot be missed.”

Yu Yang paid no mind and, with the vegetable vendor, hurried to Second Granny’s house, harvested more pea sprouts, loaded them, and delivered the goods. The 320 yuan naturally went straight into their own pockets.

Then came Third Grandpa’s house, another 320 yuan.

The first vegetable vendor to arrive loaded ten large baskets, clearly satisfied.

Before leaving, he slipped a pack of soft-box Huaxia cigarettes to Yu Yang. “Brother Yu, please take good care of me in the future.”

Yu Yang accepted without refusal and said earnestly, “I’ve got you noted!”

The vendor was even happier, started his agricultural tricycle, and, amidst envious and jealous looks from other vendors, took the dirt road west out of the village and disappeared onto the provincial highway.

Meanwhile, the east side of the village was still lined with all sorts of vehicles, but to save fuel and electricity, their engines and lights were successively turned off, making it hard to see clearly.

In fact, in this day and age, being a vegetable vendor wasn’t a fixed profession. Most were farmers taking advantage of idle farming seasons or returning from work, unwilling to let their farm machinery sit idle, so they came out to do some small business.

But being a vendor meant starting early and working late.

Some had to queue at the agricultural wholesale market as early as one or two in the morning. After loading their trucks, they would rush nonstop to the market, snatch a stall, and shout to sell.

When business was good, they closed shop at noon.

When business was bad, the whole day’s work was wasted.

Moreover, when queuing to pick up goods at the wholesale market, if they encountered local bullies, they might have to pay a venue management fee just to enter.

Those who were inexperienced or unfamiliar would only lose more and more.

Therefore, not many persevered. After ten or fifteen days, they would quit.

Yu Yang recalled his experience selling pea sprouts in another world while strolling around with his eldest brother.

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The vegetable vendors who came to pick up goods were clearly experienced hands; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sensed the business opportunity so quickly.

After parking, they wrapped themselves in military cotton coats or old quilts and covered their heads to sleep.

But they often woke up to check their place in line.

“Let’s all rest a bit. The goods won’t be ready until 10 a.m. tomorrow.”

“10 a.m.? I’m in a hurry to get to the market. If I don’t get there early to secure a good stall, someone else will snatch it.”

“I can’t help it. The pea sprouts need time to grow. It’s not something I can control.”

“Morning or evening doesn’t matter. I just care whether there will be enough sprouts. If I wait all night and get nothing, it’s a waste.”

“There will definitely be enough!”

Fifty meters by thirty meters, 1,500 square meters, about 2.25 acres.

Based on 0.03 acres producing about ten baskets, by tomorrow morning they could harvest 750 baskets.

And by three in the afternoon, another 750 baskets.

Because it was winter and the sun set early, they wouldn’t plant a third batch that day.

Still, 750 baskets times two, a total of 1,500 baskets, was more than enough to satisfy all the waiting vendors.

“Assuming each basket wholesales for 90 yuan, total revenue would be 135,000 yuan.”

“Why did I estimate 200,000 yuan income in the morning?”

“Could wholesale and retail really differ that much?”

Yu Yang didn’t mind the 65,000 yuan difference. Because strong men’s proper use was farming.

If some of them followed him to the market or went street to street selling, it would delay planting and reduce output.

Also, they were upstream in the industry, while the vegetable vendors were the channel and terminal, together forming a complete production and sales chain.

Otherwise, they couldn’t grow big and strong.

For example, if they had to sell 1,500 baskets themselves, how long would it take?

Here, they could get 135,000 yuan on the spot tomorrow.

Of course, in another world, countless upstream industries were strangled by channels.

They couldn’t leave everything to the vendors. They had to set up warehouses, supply points, even direct sales stores.

So that if one day all the vendors stopped coming for any reason, their pea sprouts wouldn’t rot at home.

Therefore,

Yu Yang returned home, sat by the cast-iron stove in the east room, and wrote down his follow-up plans.

“The plastic greenhouse industry needs to expand. After getting payment tomorrow, I’ll talk to the village chief about buying some land.”

“I don’t know if that old man will be cooperative.”

“Next, break out of the circle of Shiliying, Hangai Township, and the Buddha Temple. Set up warehouses in the small lakeside town to the east and open new markets.”

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“Also, install a landline, buy a mobile phone, hire two accountants, build several rooms, and establish an agricultural company.”

“Finally, take out a bank loan and repeat the above steps to form a cycle.”

...

The next day.

Yu Yang was awakened from sleep by a series of alert sounds.

[Current farmland has reached the quantity limit. You need more farmers to cultivate more land.]

[Current farmers have reached the population limit. You need more houses to accommodate more people.]

Farmers: 5/5, each unit holds 0.01 acre (66.6 square meters), consuming 20 units of food daily, or can provide for themselves.

[Farmland: 5/5 units, can accelerate crop growth. Currently planting soybeans; with sufficient sunlight, expected to mature in 30 days.]

“So it’s a manpower shortage,” Yu Yang breathed a sigh of relief and got up to inspect the courtyard and the super heated kang.

No, now it was called a plastic greenhouse.

In the once spacious yard lay half a cylindrical structure horizontally.

The middle was a hollow wall built of red bricks, hiding smoke channels inside.

On both sides were two underground fire pits. If one could see underground, they would find the cylindrical structure had been hollowed out one meter deep, with smoke channels inside.

At this moment, the two fire pits were burning coal, drawing oxygen from the air. The combustion, mixed with sulfur compounds, moved through the smoke channels underground forming convection, then surged into the hollow wall, and finally discharged into the air.

No blowers or exhaust fans were needed.

“Isn’t this just forced convection within heat convection?”

“I thought it was something miraculous.”

Yu Yang said as he stepped into the plastic greenhouse.

Only one-fifth of the spacious area was being utilized.

The rest required more strong men.

“Eldest brother, go carry Fourth Granny over.”

“Second brother, go carry Fifth Grandpa over.”

“Third brother, in the alley to the west, there are two Five Guarantees households…”

A moment later,

Yu family village became lively once more.

“Three Yuan, tell your men to put down my mother!”

“Son, stop blocking! Mother wants to enjoy life now, have some meat-stuffed bread!”

“???”