18: Chapter 18, six more cars

Zhao Jian took a taxi to the Vegetable Market.

Unfortunately, the Tofu Beauty had already packed up her stall by this time.

Without the beauty to keep him company, he had no choice but to wait in boredom.

"Hey? Young man. Young man, do you remember me?"

An auntie wearing an armband walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

How could he forget? This was the kind-hearted auntie who had spoken up for him after his argument with Yao Xiaohui at the Vegetable Market last time.

"Hello, Auntie. I remember; you stood up for justice for me."

Zhao Jian's remark about standing up for justice made the auntie beam with joy.

She loved children who were polite and sensible.

"The matter I mentioned last time about my granddaughter has some progress. Wait until she's on break this Saturday, and you two can arrange to have a meal. Meet each other."

The Administrator auntie spoke mysteriously.

Zhao Jian recalled the situation that day and finally remembered that the auntie wanted to introduce her granddaughter to him.

"Auntie, there's no need, I…"

Before he could finish, the auntie grasped his hand and urged: "Young man, I see you're an honest child, just meet her. Whether it works out or not depends on you young people. Don't worry, it's our own restaurant, it won't cost you anything."

It was hard to refuse.

It wasn't that he was greedy for a free meal, but that the auntie was truly kind-hearted.

And since she had once stood up for him, he couldn't refuse too bluntly.

Besides, it was just a meeting; the girl might not even be interested in him.

"Then I will follow your arrangements, Auntie."

Hearing Zhao Jian agree, the Administrator auntie walked away happily.

Just then, a delivery truck drove over from afar.

The structure of the Vegetable Market was no different from a wholesale market, but it was filled with stalls and shelves inside.

The truck couldn't drive in.

Fortunately, there was a large open space outside.

Zhao Jian walked over; it was the truck of cilantro he had ordered.

The driver was the seller; he saw Zhao Jian as he got off the truck.

"Little Brother, do you still want it? It's all fresh. If you want, I'll open it up for you to see."

The Middle-aged Man driving had been nervous the whole way.

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became, worrying that this was a test from Old Black Huang.

This Young man, he shouldn't be a shill they sent!

"Yes, open it up and let me have a look."

Zhao Jian didn't know the Middle-aged Man's inner turmoil.

The cargo hold opened, and he saw the cilantro leaves inside were tender and vibrant. They were all fresh.

He felt relieved.

"I'll take all of it, calculate the total. Also, I'm renting this truck for a day; don't unload the goods."

The price of cilantro would skyrocket today.

Loading and unloading were troublesome and would result in spoilage. It was better to keep it on the truck for resale.

"I have the waybill here. The net weight is 2 tons, totaling 5,000 yuan."

"I'll waive the truck rental fee. There's no work at home, so the truck would just be sitting there anyway."

Zhao Jian went nearby to print a simple contract.

He signed it and paid.

Just as he was planning to have lunch and look for buyers after the price skyrocketed in the afternoon.

The Middle-aged Man with a worried face asked impulsively:

"Is your demand for cilantro large?"

Could it be that he had more?

"Large, I'll take as much as you have."

The worry suddenly vanished, replaced by hope and joy.

"Really? You'll take as much as I have?"

Zhao Jian had already accumulated 430,000 yuan in savings.

At 5,000 yuan per truckload, he could indeed say he would take as much as available.

"I have six more trucks! Should I bring them all to you?"

When Zhao Jian nodded and reprinted the new contract, the Middle-aged Man was moved to tears.

He choked up and said: "Whatever I plant this year, I lose money on; I've lost my entire capital. If the cilantro didn't sell, it would just rot in the field. Fortunately, I met you, Little Brother. Thank you."

Zhao Jian thought to himself: That thank you is unnecessary; just don't break the contract this afternoon.

Soon, the six trucks of cilantro were delivered.

He also paid them 1,000 yuan for the rental of each truck.

Just as Zhao Jian was browsing the web, constantly monitoring vegetable prices.

Someone walked near him and stomped heavily.

And coughed.

He looked up and saw a young woman clinging to the arm of a bald, greasy man.

He recognized the young woman—Yao Xiaohui.

Was this a father and daughter coming to buy vegetables?

"Zhao Jian, you pauper! Last time you wouldn't admit to selling tofu, how are you going to deny selling vegetables this time?"

"Do you dare say these trucks of vegetables aren't yours?"

Yao Xiaohui looked as if she had caught him red-handed.

She was smiling happily.

The bald man looked over, with undisguised hostility in his eyes.

Zhao Jian understood.

They were father and daughter; family sticks together regardless of reason.

"I am indeed selling vegetables."

He admitted it openly and then retorted: "But what the hell does it have to do with you?"

She was choked by Zhao Jian's words.

Oh no, it really didn't have anything to do with her.

Unable to gain the upper hand verbally, Yao Xiaohui clung tightly to the bald man's arm and acted coquettishly:

"Hubby, this person is bullying me!"

What? Zhao Jian recoiled in shock.

This greasy man wasn't her father, but her boyfriend?

"My friend, our market has regulations. You must have a permit to sell products at an assigned stall. To apply for a stall permit, you need to pay a 100-yuan fee and submit copies of relevant documents. Do you have a permit?"

The greasy man spoke politely.

But the smug smile on his face looked quite punchable.

Zhao Jian didn't know who he was, so he didn't rush to answer.

At this moment, Yao Xiaohui took the initiative to show off:

"My husband is the manager of the Chengxi Vegetable Market. Do you know how much power a manager has? If he says you can't sell, you can't sell!"

She was very proud.

Hearing this, Zhao Jian nodded and asked: "So, as long as it's inside the Vegetable Market, it's all under your control?"

"That's right! As long as it's in the market, whether you're buying or selling, my husband has the final say!"

The more she said, the more excited Yao Xiaohui became.

She even kissed the greasy man on the cheek right in front of Zhao Jian.

Was she showing off?

The bald man puffed out his chest and said nothing.

This tacit attitude further boosted Yao Xiaohui's confidence.

"But I'm outside the market."

"What?" Yao Xiaohui's brain overloaded.

"I said, I'm outside the market. You can't control me."

His seven trucks were all parked in the open space, some distance away from the Vegetable Market.

In an instant, Yao Xiaohui's face flushed red.

Her husband also lost his proud expression.

"Little Brother, you are still young. You might not understand the rules here. I can't control your trucks parked in the open space. But can you guarantee the vegetables won't enter the market? Apologize to my girlfriend, and show some appreciation."

"I can make the call to settle the grudge between you two."

With a gloomy face, the bald man's words sounded like advice, but were more of a threat.

Zhao Jian didn't buy it.

"Show some appreciation? Are you soliciting a bribe?"

He took out his phone and started recording.

Yao Xiaohui saw his action and tried to grab it: "What are you doing? You're not allowed to record!"

She was held back by the bald man.

"Little Brother, fine! If I let you sell a single piece of vegetable in Chengxi, I won't be surnamed Huang!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

As he walked, he made a phone call and said loudly on purpose:

"Hello, this is Huang Xu. Do you see the big trucks at the west gate open space? These trucks are not allowed to enter our market for distribution. Whoever dares to accept them, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Quite fierce.

Zhao Jian didn't care.

He never intended to wholesale to the Vegetable Market in the first place.

When the price rises to 22 yuan per kilogram, there will be plenty of buyers who will take the initiative to contact him.