Chapter 123 Celebration Banquet
After hearing this, Zhao Changhe explained to his entourage, "Did you hear that? Now that a good product has been made and there's market demand, we must strongly support it!
Foreign Trade Bureau, Light Industry Department, you must take the initiative to help Xiao Shen and her team solve the problems of raw materials and expanding production! We must make 'Songtaogou' and this 'milk tea' a new business card for our Qin Province's foreign trade!
A word from the leader is like giving you an imperial sword!
There was applause all around.
Shen Lingning was excited, knowing that this was support more valuable than any order!
It is also the support of her godfather for her work and the love for the Songtaogou brand.
After the exhibition, Shen Lingning and his group returned to the guesthouse. Although they were tired, they were too excited to sleep.
Jiang Chengdong's hands were shaking as he fiddled with his abacus, calculating the staggering order figures. "Director! It's a payday! It's a real payday now! But... can we do it?"
While there is excitement, there is also huge pressure on production capacity that weighs like a mountain.
Shen Lingning wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile: "If there are no conditions, we will create them. Even the leaders believe in us, what are you afraid of?!"
Her confidence gave her subordinates a lot of confidence, and they worked harder to coordinate supplies to ensure the smooth completion of the exhibition.
——
On the last day of the Canton Fair, the venue was still bustling with people, but the air was filled with a hint of restlessness and fatigue before the end.
The Songtaogou booth was an exception. Although it had already sold out, it was busier than ever.
Surrounding the place were no longer merchants asking for prices, but all kinds of people who came to congratulate, chat, or simply wanted to catch a glimpse of the "star" atmosphere.
Shen Lingning stood in the middle, wearing a half-worn Dacron shirt that was washed to a pale color but ironed very smoothly. His jet-black hair was tied into a neat bun at the back of his head, revealing his smooth forehead and a fair neck.
She had a decent smile on her face and clear eyes, and was making the final confirmation with a bearded Middle Eastern businessman in fluent English.
"Mr. Ahmed, the delivery time is confirmed. The first batch of Osmanthus soap will be shipped within 45 days. The inspection report will follow the standard as we agreed..."
She spoke slowly, her pronunciation clear, and she used simple gestures at key points. The other party nodded from time to time, a look of satisfaction on his face. The young translator sent by the Foreign Trade Department to assist her could hardly get a word in and could only look at her with admiration.
Seeing this, several European buyers who were originally on the sidelines also came forward, handed over their business cards, and inquired about the possibility of subsequent cooperation.
Shen Lingning responded calmly, answering questions about product characteristics, production capacity estimates, delivery cycles, etc. with a fluent and neither humble nor arrogant attitude. He fully demonstrated his strength and sincerity while firmly maintaining the bottom line of price and cooperation conditions.
Finally, when the last supplementary agreement was signed and the comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Trade excitedly announced the preliminary statistical results, warm applause broke out around the entire Songtaogou booth!
"One million three hundred thousand dollars! Director Shen, you created a miracle!"
The head of the foreign trade department held Shen Lingning’s hand tightly and shook it vigorously.
This news was like a bomb, instantly detonating the entire venue.
One million three hundred thousand US dollars!
In this era, for a grassroots family-run factory, it is an astronomical figure and an unimaginable brilliant achievement!
The name of Songtaogou and Shen Lingning's face were deeply imprinted in the hearts of countless people at this moment.
Before the applause subsided, a gloomy voice suddenly interrupted with a stiff tone: "Director Shen, congratulations. However, with your factory's current conditions, how can you guarantee the quality and delivery of a $1.3 million order?"
I'm curious, what's the magic that makes your tea so special? Unless you have some...undisclosed, extremely excellent ancient tea plant resources?
Perhaps we should ask an expert to verify it so that customers can truly feel at ease?"
The speaker was Yamamoto, a Japanese businessman. His eyes sparkled behind his glasses and his words seemed polite, but they were full of sharp meaning.
It implies that Shen Lingning is either unable to fulfill his contract or has special resources but is hiding them, and even hints at the possibility of fraud.
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt appeared on the faces of several foreign businessmen who had just signed the contract.
The atmosphere at the scene suddenly froze.
The comrade from the Ministry of Foreign Trade's face changed and he was about to explain.
Shen Lingning gently raised her hand to stop him. She stepped forward, her eyes calmly looking directly at Yamamoto. Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone: "Mr. Yamamoto, the magic of Songtaogou tea comes from the green mountains and clear waters and special climate of Qinnan, and from the hands and hard work of our sisters in the military factory.
Every batch of our products can withstand any standard inspection. As for the ancient tea trees you mentioned..."
She paused, her tone suddenly becoming firm and stern. "Yes, we are indeed fortunate to be able to protect some ancient tea trees that have withstood the test of centuries. They are a gift from nature, a precious treasure of our country, and the soul of Songtaogou tea."
But their roots are forever in the land of China, and their inheritance and protection are our unshirkable responsibilities and rights!
Their existence is to produce better tea for the benefit of the Chinese people and to go global, not to become bargaining chips for anyone to question our credibility and capabilities, let alone pawns in commercial games!
Her words were powerful and she cited classics, ranging from the soil and water of the tea mountains, the craftsmanship of tea making to the national heritage of century-old tea trees, and elevated the issue to the level of national resources and national dignity.
The Chinese merchants and staff around were excited and cheered.
"Well said!"
"Support Director Shen!"
"Well done, Director Shen, you have brought glory to our country!"
Those hesitant foreign businessmen were completely relieved and expressed their determination to cooperate again.
Yamamoto was left speechless by these righteous words, his face turning pale and blue. Amidst the contempt and condemnation of the crowd, he squeezed out of the crowd in embarrassment.
But when he turned around, the greed and coldness that flashed in the depths of his eyes were keenly captured by Shen Lingning.
The seeds of a long and secret battle over tea seeds have already been sown.
Chang'an is brightly lit under the night sky.
The atmosphere at the celebration banquet held by the provincial government was lively.
As the biggest "dark horse" and hero of this Canton Fair, Shen Lingning was arranged to sit near the main table and became the focus of everyone's attention.
She changed into a simple and elegant light blue striped shirt that Shen Yuchuan had prepared for her in advance. She was still bare-faced, but it was hard to hide her beautiful face and the confidence and composure that came from within.
Provincial leader Zhao Changhe personally came over with a glass of wine, beaming, "Lingning, that's amazing! You've made a great contribution to our province! On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, thank you!"
Having said that, he drank it all in one gulp.
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