"Qiqi, I'll be going now! I'll come find you in the military dependents' area after I buy some clothes!"
Lei Yuhua glared at the car a few times, waved to Zhou Qiqi, her braid swinging behind her head, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Zhou Qiqi watched her figure disappear before turning her bike around and riding towards the garment factory.
The morning chill had dissipated somewhat, and the warm sunlight shone on her "glory" coat. Her bright and beautiful face, paired with the uniquely styled coat, attracted the attention of many passersby.
Zhang Guoqiang, who had been waiting at the factory gate since early morning, spotted her immediately.
Zhou Qiqi had just ridden to the factory gate and hadn't even gotten off her bike when Zhang Guoqiang rushed over, his forehead covered in sweat, which he didn't bother to wipe away.
"Master Zhou! You've finally arrived! Something terrible has happened on the production line!"
Zhou Qiqi's heart skipped a beat.
Zhang Guoqiang is usually a very steady person. He didn't panic like this when the factory was barely surviving and wages couldn't be paid.
However, she didn't show it on her face. Her movements remained methodical as she neatly propped up the bicycle, locked it, and spoke in a calm tone:
"Director Zhang, don't panic. The sky isn't falling. Calm down, go to your office and have a drink of water, then we can talk slowly."
Her attitude seemed to have a magical power, which eased Zhang Guoqiang's anxiety somewhat.
He followed Zhou Qiqi into the office, where Zhou Qiqi poured him a glass of warm water.
"Have a sip of water first. Tell me what happened slowly."
Zhang Guoqiang took the cup and gulped down the whole thing. After the warm water went down his throat, he wiped his face and finally caught his breath.
"Master Zhou, it's not that I'm losing my composure, it's just that this time... the situation is too urgent!"
He took a deep breath and began to speak:
“A week ago, before you left, we finalized the ‘Guanghua’ series, including the fabric, color, and style, and the samples were printed out. In the days you were away, I expedited the delivery of all the samples to several major wholesalers in Huacheng, as we had agreed, and also sent samples to the department stores we cooperate with.”
Recalling the situation at the time, his pride was impossible to hide.
"The response has been fantastic! Everyone's saying this coat is high-end and will definitely be a hit! Orders are pouring in like snowflakes, our factory's phones are ringing off the hook! I was thinking, this is finally our factory's turnaround..."
He abruptly changed the subject, his voice trembling again.
"But who knew that yesterday when our purchasing department went to the No. 1 Wool Textile Factory in the province to pick up our main material, that batch of imported Australian wool, they said... said they couldn't supply it!"
"What?"
Zhou Qiqi frowned. "Can't supply anymore? What do you mean? Wasn't the contract clearly signed in black and white?"
"Yes! That's what I said too!"
Zhang Guoqiang slapped his thigh, "But the factory manager of the wool mill also looked troubled, saying that they couldn't make the decision! It was the Planning Department of the Provincial Light Industry Bureau that suddenly issued an allocation notice yesterday! Saying that all the Australian wool import quotas for the past few months will be urgently transferred away! Not a single piece will be left for us!"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes sharpened. "What's the reason?"
"They say...they say a sister company signed a huge foreign trade order! The other party is a foreign guest with extremely high requirements, specifically requesting the use of this imported Australian wool! Ensuring the urgent task of export and supporting export earnings is the top priority, so...so our domestic sales orders have to give way, and all the quotas we originally secured have been temporarily transferred away!"
After Zhang Guoqiang finished speaking, he became completely dejected.
Previously, the First Garment Factory was on the verge of bankruptcy. The only problem was that the goods could not be sold. He only needed to focus on sales channels. But he did not expect that now that sales are good, there are more problems.
Zhou Qiqi was silent for a few seconds, then stood up. "Let's go check out the warehouse."
The warehouse was dimly lit and filled with the smell of fabric.
When Zhou Qiqi and Zhang Guoqiang arrived, several key personnel from the factory, including Master Ma, the most skilled worker, and Director Liu, who was in charge of production, were waiting there with worried expressions.
When Zhou Qiqi opened the warehouse door, the situation was even worse than she had expected.
On the shelf against the wall, only a few sparse rolls of the expensive imported double-faced wool fabric remained, pitifully piled in the corner, barely enough to make ten coats.
In stark contrast, the small warehouse next door was piled high with the supporting materials that had already arrived.
Exquisitely packaged imported resin buckles, glossy custom velvet linings, uniquely shaped shoulder pads... they were like a small mountain, almost filling half of the warehouse.
However, without the main double-faced wool fabric, all the accessories that had been ordered at great expense became waste!
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