…
Of this 2,200-catty order, tomatoes accounted for over sixty percent, more than 1,600 catties.
This was quite normal, as this was an agricultural market after all, and vegetables were the most sold agricultural products.
Chu Tianshu calculated in his mind: with large quantities of ripe fruits harvested every hour, he could complete the transaction today!
The three-wheeled mini truck was fully loaded, carrying about 1,000 catties per trip.
Soon, this truckload of goods was completely divided up.
Chu Tianshu recorded the accounts. Both parties exchanged money and goods simultaneously.
He said with a smile, “Everyone please wait a moment, I’ll go get another truckload.”
“Go ahead, try to be quick.”
Although they said this, the vegetable vendors didn’t push too hard.
Watermelons and tomatoes could last for several days, so it was fine to stock up in the afternoon.
Unlike leafy greens, where freshness could be determined just by looking at the leaves.
…
Chu Tianshu rushed back to the Old House.
After plugging in the three-wheeled truck to charge, he immediately entered the Space.
He wasn’t in a hurry to pick the fruits first – he needed to plant more tomatoes and watermelons!
Fortunately, when he planted tomatoes yesterday, he had sown too many seeds. The extra seedlings he had pulled out and left aside had now grown considerably and were sporadically bearing fruit.
There was still time to replant them in the soil!
He had only planted about thirty tomato plants in total, mainly because weeding and tilling the soil were too exhausting.
Tomatoes themselves are annual or perennial herbaceous plants, meaning they wouldn’t die in winter as long as temperatures weren’t too low.
In this Space, the temperature remained stable above 20 degrees Celsius, which was excellent.
The tomato plants grew taller and taller, now reaching about 1.3 to 1.4 meters.
Sometimes news reports featured these incredible crops: 8-meter-tall chili plants, 4-meter-long loofahs, world record-breaking giant pumpkins weighing 782 kilograms…
While working, Chu Tianshu calculated that for plants that could bear fruit continuously, he would need to increase the spacing between them.
But he couldn’t let them grow too tall either – wouldn’t they become like trees? He’d need a ladder to pick the fruits.
Additionally, too many branches didn’t necessarily mean more fruit.
The nutrients the mother plant could absorb were limited – too many fruits would lower the overall quality.
In the future, he would need to prune the branches.
Chu Tianshu planted another thirty tomato plants and forty watermelon plants.
Only after planting did he quickly harvest the ripe fruits.
This harvest was also quite good.
He estimated it would be enough to complete the order.
…
Forty minutes later.
Today’s transactions were completed.
Over 4,000 yuan, in cash or through online transfers, found their way into Chu Tianshu’s pocket.
Money in hand brings peace of mind.
He was somewhat tired, but quite satisfied.
He took the opportunity to create a Nan Dang Kou Agricultural Products Group using his new WeChat account, inviting some vegetable vendors to join.
Chu Tianshu said, “Friends, if you think the products are good tomorrow, contact me. We can start long-term cooperation the day after tomorrow.”
Those who didn’t contact him would end their business here.
He left Nan Dang Kou and, looking at the remaining hundred or so catties of goods in the truck, thought for a moment before heading to another agricultural market in town.
From today’s experience, the waters of the agricultural market weren’t as deep as he had imagined.
After all, this was among ordinary people, unlike large supermarkets with their internal politics and fierce competition.
The other agricultural market was called “Hong Ta” because it was near Hong Ta Village.
Hong Ta was a good several miles from Nan Dang Kou, each serving the residents in their respective surrounding areas.
In reality, few people would travel over ten miles just for daily grocery shopping.
It could be said that the competition between these two markets was extremely weak.
This time, Chu Tianshu encountered no obstacles. He had learned his lesson and went straight to the busiest vendors in Hong Ta.
When these vendors heard that the tomatoes were selling like hotcakes in Nan Dang Kou, they immediately took the matter seriously.
Chu Tianshu showed them his transaction records to prove he wasn’t lying.
Unexpectedly, one vendor directly called a friend in Nan Dang Kou to verify.
“Really? Good, good… That’s quite rare… Alright, I understand.”
A single phone call provided a lot of information.
The goods supplied by Chu Tianshu were of exceptionally consistent quality.
Hundreds of pounds of watermelons and tomatoes, and not a single defective one among them!
What an outstanding supplier!
As for the price, it was slightly higher compared to the market situation. But given the quality, it was acceptable.
…
In the end.
Several major vendors in Hong Ta decided to follow Nan Dang Kou’s lead and take a small batch of goods to test the market.
They would assess the situation tomorrow and make a final decision the day after.
As a result, the orders from Hong Ta were much smaller, totaling just over 800 pounds of tomatoes and 150 pounds of watermelons.
Even so, the amount came close to 2,000 yuan.
This was within Chu Tianshu’s expectations.
Since Nan Dang Kou was near the old town center, the population was slightly denser.
Although there were many residents near Hong Ta as well, it wasn’t the town center, so purchasing power was somewhat weaker.
Chu Tianshu made another trip back and delivered another load of goods.
He pocketed another 2,000 yuan.
…
Since early morning, he had been running back and forth multiple times. His electric tricycle’s battery and wheels were exhausted.
Chu Tianshu was tired too. He had spent the whole day running around, moving goods, cutting watermelons, and farming.
But the rewards were quite satisfying—
Wholesaling to the fruit store in the morning earned him 2,000 yuan;
Nan Dang Kou brought in 4,000 yuan, and Hong Ta 2,000 yuan.
On top of that, his mother set up a stall near the elementary school. Since it was the first day and the produce was novel, she likely made around 1,500 yuan for the day.
Adding it all up, the day’s income was close to 10,000 yuan!
Every bit of it was earned through hard work, and Chu Tianshu felt an immense sense of accomplishment.
Of course, if someone else were doing wholesale like this, this income wouldn’t be considered much after deducting costs.
But what costs did Chu Tianshu have?
The money for seeds?
That was negligible—it was practically a zero-cost business!
Returning home, he collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move an inch.
He was tired and very hungry, but he didn’t feel like eating just yet.
He decided to take a short nap first.
After calculating his earnings, his mood was still quite cheerful.
Well, yesterday’s fish sales brought in 5,000 yuan, and Boss Zhou later compensated him another 3,000 yuan.
His mother had given him 15,000 yuan, and he originally had 4,000 yuan on hand.
Now, he had a total of 37,000 yuan.
It wasn’t a lot, but it was still somewhat useful.
For example, it was enough to lease a set of second-hand agricultural machinery, including a Rotary Tiller, a tractor, and a Seeder.
The problem was that no one had contacted him yet about selling machinery.
After today’s exhausting work, Chu Tianshu felt that a panel van should take priority over agricultural machinery.
No matter how much he grew, how would he transport it all?
His own small truck was just too small—a mere electric tricycle that could only hold up to 1,000 pounds when fully loaded.
“First, get a small truck for under 40,000 yuan!”
Chu Tianshu set his goal. After resting for a while, he posted a message on his new WeChat Moments and sent a few messages in local groups.
After waiting a few hours with no response, he decided to browse online himself.
There are definitely more second-hand trucks than second-hand agricultural machinery.
Surprisingly.
Less than half an hour after the message was sent.
Zhou Sai suddenly messaged him: “You want to buy a second-hand truck?”
Chu Tianshu sat up abruptly: “Yes, Boss Zhou, do you have any leads?”
There was no reason for him to privately message without cause.