NOVEL NEXT Chapter 529: Steadfast
Liu Mengjie finally understood the reason Lin Fan brought her here; Lin Fan wanted her to see the evil those people were committing.
Through their low-price strategy, they took away the customers, cutting off the livelihood of these ordinary folks, which might be their only means of survival.
That old grandmother is a very typical example: she's old, has no children or grandchildren to support her, and at her age, she still has to sell vegetables by herself with no other means to live.
Later, a farmer's wife mentioned that her husband died of an illness last year, leaving her alone with three kids. Illiterate and lacking any skills, she has to come and sell vegetables to earn a living.
They all struggle to survive; each with their own hardships, but they share one thing in common: they all rely on this job with the lowest barrier to entry, the least need for technical skills.
An uncle told Lin Fan he has been a vegetable farmer for decades, always selling his own produce, but with his age, he doesn't know how to do anything else.
Regularly, he has to transport over 200 pounds of vegetables into the city. To ensure the freshness of the vegetables, they are picked straight from the field at dawn, around one or two in the morning; many young people would be ending their vibrant night lives and preparing to sleep while he and his wife wake up to pick vegetables.
Working until four or five in the morning, he rushes to package and transport them into the city. Primarily, he wholesales the vegetables to vendors; he must arrive on time, because if he's late, it delays the vendors' purchasing and could result in his vegetables not selling. Thus, he's maintained this routine unchanged for decades.
Luckily, this job has allowed him to support his family and send his children to complete their university studies.
However, it's just a bitter fate.
His children haven't amount to much, so he has to continue relying on farming and selling vegetables for a living. Recently, his health isn't good either, needing to visit the hospital every month, each trip costing several thousand.
At over fifty years old, he's approaching old age, and for the foreseeable future, he'll continue this line of work.
Yet...
These past few days, his vegetables haven't been selling.
Transporting hundreds of pounds each day, most of it ends up being brought back.
Vegetables can't be stored; what doesn't sell today has to be discarded the next day.
He's worse off than the vendors—each throwaway amounts to hundreds of pounds.
"A few days ago, some guys in suits, with tender skin and lustrous hair, the type you could tell have never worked the field, came to my vegetable field and said they could purchase my vegetables directly. With them, I wouldn't need to transport my harvests daily since they would drive big trucks to the village for collection. Sounds promising, right? But in reality, they offered a very low price, low enough that it was equivalent to working for them for free. How could I agree to that? No way. But by not agreeing, their low-priced sales affected my business, effectively forcing me into a dead end!"
The uncle spread his hands in helplessness.
This uncle is another typical example: the vendors' route was cut off, and these farmers who usually wholesale to vendors find their vegetables unsellable without them.
They lost their ability to negotiate prices, enabling those people to collect their produce at low prices. If they don't sell, they earn nothing. If they do sell, the price is too low, tantamount to working for free.
It's truly a dead end either way.
Before coming to the vegetable market, Lin Fan had already anticipated such situations with the Wei Family's monopoly. Hearing the farmers and vendors pouring their hearts out made it all the more real.
Indeed, monopolies harm people deeply!
If the Wei Family continues unchecked, and once they succeed, other large capitalists might step in to participate, dividing the market.
If this scenario spreads across all Huaxia, how many grandmothers and farmer uncles will be cut off from their livelihoods?
Yes, community group buying is indeed convenient, one could say an inevitable product of internet development at a certain stage.
But an inevitable product doesn't mean it's reasonable—unchecked, it can breed terrible maladies.
Actions like those of the Wei Family must be stopped.
But how can they be stopped?
Though Lin Fan is the richest man in Yun City, he's merely a wealthy businessman, unable to compel the Wei Family to desist, who wouldn't heed him anyway.
The Jiangnan Wei Family sees great potential in this community group buying project from a business standpoint; it's truly an excellent project—countless communities representing endless traffic and cash flow.
How can they resist feasting on this opportunity!
They must partake and gorge themselves, this is what truly qualifies a capitalist!
What about it?
The livelihoods of farmers and vendors?
Are those the concerns of the elite? When the wheels of history roll over them, they are nothing but ants; who will remember them? While those who thrive on this project become immensely wealthy capitalists, achieving fame and fortune.
The world belongs to the elite.
That's the mindset of people like Wei Tiansheng.
A wealthy person like Lin Fan, who goes to street markets to care for farmers in Wei Tiansheng's eyes, is nothing short of foolish.
If there's money to be made and not made, one must be a fool!
No one can stop their pursuit of profit, not even Lin Fan!
If Lin Fan truly tries opposing the Wei Family, they will certainly deliver the most terrible backlash against him until Lin Fan is defeated!
In fact, after Lin Fan thwarted Wei Tiansheng's attempt to unify Yun City's underworld, the Wei Family has already prepared a big 'gift' for Lin Fan.
Lin Fan will soon receive a warning from the Wei Family.
The high and mighty Jiangnan Wei Family intends to chastise Lin Fan, the richest man in Yun City, urging him to be cautious and refrain from provoking the Wei Family any further.
Wei Tiansheng likely never imagined...
Standing at the street market, dressed in a courier suit, Lin Fan is already determined to stop the Wei Family.
There's no way the Wei Family can monopolize Yun City!
Lin Fan's influence may not be great yet, but as Yun City's richest man, he still possesses enough power to challenge the Wei Family.
"Everyone, I'm buying all your vegetables." Lin Fan declared on the spot.
He decided to buy all the unsellable vegetables, at least ensuring the vendors and farmers wouldn't suffer losses today.
This is merely a temporary fix, but it's the only action Lin Fan could take right now.
Buying all these vegetables doesn't require much money; this amount to Lin Fan is mere pocket change, but to these vendors and farmers, it's the hard-earned compensation for a day's work.
"Young man, such a kind-hearted person!"
"Such great kindness and virtue!"
The vendors and farmers broke into tears of gratitude, some even knelt before Lin Fan.
They took the money and left joyfully. Of course, if the problem isn't solved, they'll still have worries tomorrow. Yet Lin Fan's expense bought them temporary happiness, and that is worthwhile.
The grandmother thanked Lin Fan with tearful gratitude, holding Liu Mengjie's hand, "Young lady, your boyfriend is truly a kind man, you're lucky!"
Mengjie's face flushed; she wasn't Lin Fan's girlfriend after all, though she wished...
"Little Fan, what will we do with these vegetables? We can't eat so many ourselves?" Liu Mengjie asked.
Lin Fan replied, "Donate them; donate to schools and provide students with free extra vegetables."
"Hmm..." Liu Mengjie felt Lin Fan's approach was truly commendable, feeling slightly ashamed, she said, "Little Fan, I understand your purpose in bringing me to the vegetable market. I never realized before, from now on I'll buy vegetables from the market and won't participate in community group buying."
Lin Fan smiled and said, "Sister Mengjie, you aren't at fault, neither are the other customers; those responsible are the ones creating the monopoly."
Liu Mengjie asked, "But what can we do to stop them?"
Lin Fan's eyes sharpened as he said, "There's only one way."