Liu Jin looked somewhat depressed; he genuinely wanted to find a suitable manufacturer for the company.
However, the Lin family is used to being in a dominant position and calculates profits and benefits with precision down to the decimal point. They would never allow anyone to be taken advantage of.
However, Chen Jing was used to being in a dominant position. Even without investment, he could expand his factory on his own. How could he allow himself to become someone else's contract manufacturer? Especially when someone else held the dominant position in this contract manufacturing?
As for Song Wu, who negotiated on his behalf, he had been a prominent figure in the Huacheng black market for many years. He and Chen Jing had enough funds to build the factory themselves, so it was impossible for him to be an assistant to the northern guests.
Lin Chen asked them in detail about the negotiation process, and in the end he was extremely helpless.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Who is the designer of that Sansheng Workshop? Have you found out her background?"
Liu Jin shook his head: "I couldn't find anything. They keep their secrets very well. Everyone says that the design drafts were bought by their boss from students at the Academy of Fine Arts."
"A student from the art academy?"
“Yes, Huacheng has a nationally renowned art academy. I heard that the design students there have excellent grades. This time, I contacted some of the best art students from the 1977 and 1978 graduating classes, looked at some of their works, left them their addresses, and asked them to send us any good design drafts they had, and we would buy them.”
Liu Jin pulled out another folder containing seven or eight design drafts. These were the drafts he had chosen and bought for twenty yuan each.
Lin Chen carefully looked through each design draft for a while, then tossed them aside.
These designs are all quite novel and similar to those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, but for some reason, he always felt that they were just a little bit lacking compared to the designs from the small workshops in the courtyard houses.
Last time, Xie An deliberately caused trouble for Chen Jing's courtyard house, but Chen Jing suddenly left, and then Xie An had the matter suppressed.
It's unclear what Xie An discovered, but Ji Xia looked at him with coldness on several occasions. Although she didn't confront him directly, her attitude was completely different.
Lin Chen felt secretly frustrated; if things continued like this, it seemed even more impossible for him and her to be together.
"Let the design department take a look at these design drafts. Also, there are several art academies and design institutes in China. Keep an eye out for them and try to find some outstanding designers to bring back."
Liu Jin agreed, and Lin Chen flipped through the other contracts: "Choose the two garment factories with the most favorable terms and sign them, then hire our own designers... Let's focus on developing our own business."
...
Time flew by amidst the biting winter winds and snowflakes, and before we knew it, it was New Year's Day of 1980.
Most universities and government agencies were on holiday, and Beijing residents, dressed in thick cotton-padded coats and fashionable new clothes, took to the streets in groups.
Red lanterns and small flags were hung on both sides of the street, making the whole capital city festive and full of the New Year atmosphere.
On this day, many shops opened on Wangfujing Street, and the festive sounds of firecrackers and cheerful songs echoed through the streets, adding to the joy and prosperity of the lively New Year's Day.
The policy allowing private and individual businesses has been released, and many shops that received the news in advance have chosen to open on New Year's Day.
Chen Jing and Ji Xia had made preparations for this day well in advance, training their employees two weeks ahead of time and tidying up the shop and stocking it with goods three days prior.
On New Year's Day, Ji Xia put on the latest style long cotton coat, a beautiful knitted hat and scarf, gloves, and knee-high sheepskin boots. Fully dressed up, she took Jiang Qingci's hand and strolled to Wangfujing with Liu Yujuan, Rong Ruoshi, and a few others, chatting and laughing.
On a rare sunny day, the sunlight burst forth in thousands of golden rays across the gray sky, like an autumn chrysanthemum quietly blooming in the sky, sprinkling the faint fragrance of the sun upon the world. Even though the cold wind still lingered, it still felt warm and cozy.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians. In the busy downtown area, several girls dressed in "Zhongqing" clothing were handing out flyers to young men and women with big smiles, carrying a thick stack of flyers in their hands.
Someone took the flyer and glanced at it curiously: "What is this? Is the dress on it a wedding gown? It's so beautiful..."
A girl turned around and pointed to the shop with two rows of flower baskets at the entrance: "Zhongqing Home Textiles is having a grand opening sale today! The latest wedding dresses, the most fashionable wedding gowns, and the most beautiful eight-piece bedding sets are all available with gifts. Even if you don't buy anything, you're welcome to come and take a look..."
Following the direction they pointed, in the brightest shop window on Wangfujing Street, several models dressed in beautiful kimonos, wedding dresses, and bridesmaid dresses stood in neat rows, attracting a large group of trendy girls.
In front of Zhongpu Clothing Store, two rows of flower baskets, each about half a person tall, are neatly arranged to welcome customers.
Jiang Qingci tugged at Ji Xia in surprise: "That shop is the one your family owns? Is it full of wedding dresses?"
Ji Xia nodded to the girls handing out flyers, then smiled and said, "Yes, it's my family's. Today is the grand opening with a big sale, so my husband has been busy all day. That's why I had time to go shopping with you guys!"
"Did you design all these new styles? Let's see your wedding dress designs together."
No girl is uninterested in a beautiful wedding dress.
When the crystal chandelier in the shop window lit up, the eye-catching new wedding dresses worn by the six female mannequins attracted many girls to walk inside together.
When Jiang Cairong arrived at the shop, she and a few close friends were strolling around inside.
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