Chapter 458 I wish you a bright future!
After learning that Chu Yinglan and Lin Ruyin had a place to live, Su Mei decided to arrange for Aunt Wang to live in the clothing store temporarily.
The clothing store is big and has many rooms, so there is no problem for Aunt Wang to live there.
After arranging the accommodation, Su Mei and Huo Jianguo took everyone out for dinner.
We had our meal at a small restaurant nearby.
This restaurant used to be the cafeteria of a clothing factory. After the clothing factory went bankrupt in the middle of the year due to poor management, the restaurant was privately contracted by the former cook in the factory.
The food in the small restaurant is cheap but tastes good, and the cafeteria is spacious and can accommodate many people eating at the same time, so Su Mei and Huo Jianguo brought everyone to the cafeteria to eat.
A group of people ate and chatted at the same time, and the scene was full of joy.
While everyone was chatting, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked up to Su Mei. After looking at Su Mei carefully for several times, he asked:
"Are you Su Mei, the owner of the clothing store on Wangfujing Street nearby?"
"Yes, I am." Su Mei looked at the man in confusion, and after realizing that she didn't know him, she asked, "Who are you? What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Hello, Shopkeeper Su. I'm the former director of the state-owned clothing factory next door. My name is Gao Weiguang." The man introduced himself to Su Mei.
After hearing the man's self-introduction, Su Mei responded, "Oh, hello, Director Gao."
Although she didn't know why Gao Weiguang greeted her, Su Mei felt that with so many people around, he probably didn't have any bad intentions.
So when faced with Gao Weiguang's sudden interruption, Su Mei was confused but still spoke to him politely.
"Actually, I have known the reputation of Manager Su for a long time. The clothes you designed are very popular. The styles of those clothes are special and they sell very well in Yanjing." Gao Weiguang said to Su Mei.
Su Mei didn't know what kind of medicine Gao Weiguang was selling, so she could only smile and say, "Thank you for the compliment. I'm just a small business owner. I don't make much money, just enough to keep myself fed."
"Manager Su, you are too modest... Your shop should be the most profitable shop in Yanjing. However... the amount of money a shop can make is limited after all. I wonder if Manager Su has ever thought about putting the clothes you designed into mass production, handing them over to clothing factories to make them, and promoting them across the country?" Gao Weiguang said to Su Mei with eagerness to try.
Promote it to all parts of the country? Su Mei looked at Gao Weiguang in confusion. All the state-owned clothing factories had closed down, so why did Gao Weiguang sound like he wanted to recruit him to make clothes?
Gao Weiguang did not say it explicitly, and Su Mei responded calmly: "The clothes I designed are not suitable for mass production. We have a master craftsman in our store, and her embroidery skills are not easily passed on to others.
All of our clothes are handmade, so all of our clothes are luxury goods. We don’t make money by selling a lot of clothes, so there is no need to cooperate with clothing manufacturers.”
"That's true!" Gao Weiguang looked at Su Mei with regret, and explained, "I've actually thought about visiting you a long time ago, and wanted to ask if you could design clothes for the clothing factory.
But I've seen the clothes you designed, and they're very complicated and can't be mass-produced.
Moreover, the prices of those clothes are not affordable for ordinary people.
So I had the idea of visiting you, but finally gave up.
I just happened to meet you again today, so I came over to ask again."
"Hasn't the clothing factory gone bankrupt? Why do you still want me to design clothes for it now?" Su Mei asked.
Gao Weiguang responded, "It is completely closed, but the factory is still there, the machines are still there, and the laid-off workers have not found new jobs yet.
Hundreds of workers and hundreds of families were in dire straits at the same time. I also hoped that a miracle would happen and the factory could start operating again.
It once supported so many families, and now it has collapsed. Alas!
After saying this, Gao Weiguang sighed and shook his head, then returned to the table where he was sitting to drink alone.
Su Mei looked at Gao Weiguang from a distance, then raised her eyes and looked at the huge but old clothing factory in the distance.
Su Mei was looking at Gao Weiguang, and everyone eating at the same table was looking at Su Mei.
They were all surprised at Su Mei's changes, not only because she became thinner and prettier, but also because of the complete change in her temperament.
The domineering and aggressive fat woman seemed to be swallowed up by Su Mei in one bite. She was completely transformed and became a strong woman with a far-reaching reputation.
After dinner, Chen Yilon led the troops back to the courtyard to rest.
Chu Yinglan asked Lin Ruyin to leave, and the mother and daughter said they were looking for a car to find Chu Yinglan's cousin.
Su Mei Ze and Huo Jianguo called Aunt Wang and planned to send her to the clothing shop to rest.
When leaving the clothing factory cafeteria, Su Mei found Gao Weiguang still drinking in the corner, looking unhappy.
They were almost out the door when Su Mei went back. She stretched out two fingers and tapped the table in front of Gao Weiguang a few times, saying:
"Director Gao, if you want to reopen the clothing factory, I have some ideas. If you want to listen, you can come with me to my clothing shop and we can sit down and talk privately."
"Is there really a way?" Gao Weiguang raised his head suddenly and looked at Su Mei with hope.
Su Mei couldn't give an immediate answer to this question. She could only say, "We'll have to talk about it to find out."
"Okay, I'll go settle the bill first and then talk to you." Gao Weiguang said as he stood up.
The restaurant's chef was also eating at a nearby table. He heard the conversation between Gao Weiguang and Su Mei and immediately waved his hand:
"Director Gao, please go back to your work. I can give this to you any time before dinner."
"Master He, thank you for your help in keeping the bill." Perhaps because he was in a hurry to leave with Su Mei, Gao Weiguang was no longer in a hurry to settle the bill.
Gao Weiguang and Aunt Wang followed Su Mei and Huo Jianguo back to the clothing shop.
Back at the shop, Su Mei asked Gao Weiguang to wait in the living room while she took Aunt Wang to the guest room first.
After arranging toiletries for Aunt Wang and explaining the location and usage of the living facilities in the house, Su Mei left Aunt Wang alone in the guest room.
She returned to the living room to discuss the garment factory's affairs with Gao Weiguang.
Su Mei planned to get involved in all walks of life, so she was also going to do the clothing factory business.
Now that there is a ready-made and experienced person coming to her, Su Mei naturally would not miss the opportunity to talk.
Regardless of whether it will succeed or not, Su Mei needs to talk more with experienced people so that she can grasp more business opportunities.
Through the conversation, Su Mei learned that the main reason why this clothing factory could not continue to operate was that the styles of the clothes were too old-fashioned.
This is a clothing factory that produces fashion clothes.
It is different from those factories that produce work clothes, factory clothes and mass clothing. The clothes it produces are mainly displayed in fashion counters of department stores across the country.
Young and fashionable women are the main consumer group of these clothes.
But as a fashion, to meet the needs of women, it is necessary to constantly update the style and make it avant-garde and beautiful.
Clothing factories always fail to produce new styles, so the clothes they sell become unsalable because they are not fashionable enough.
After the sales become unsaleable, department stores will no longer purchase goods from clothing factories.
Over time, the clothing factory's business was in poor condition, and it became the first state-owned enterprise to go bankrupt after the reform and opening up.
This is also the reason why Gao Weiguang wanted to find Su Mei, as he was impressed by Su Mei's talent in designing clothes.
It’s just that the clothes designed by Su Mei are not suitable for mass production, which is why he has never taken the initiative to visit Su Mei.
After hearing the reason why the clothing factory went bankrupt, Su Mei knew that her method of saving the clothing factory must be effective.
Su Mei doesn’t have other things, but this style of clothes is something she can easily get, right?
It is true that the things she drew for Li Shufen were not suitable for mass production.
But she can also draw many types of clothing suitable for mass production, such as simple T-shirts, shirts, jeans, sportswear and other basic styles.
Although these clothes are simple, they can still attract consumers as long as they are designed properly.
Moreover, these clothes can be made in different styles for consumers to choose from. Su Mei can design many styles for just one T-shirt.
Su Mei explained her ideas to Gao Weiguang, and drew a set of sportswear and a set of casual clothes for Gao Weiguang to see on the spot. She also introduced to him different clothes that can be worn in different occasions.
She also told Gao Weiguang that he could make many more similar clothing styles.
As the director of a clothing factory, Gao Weiguang naturally has a certain foresight.
After seeing Su Mei's design drawings, he immediately became interested and asked Su Mei if she could be a designer for a clothing factory.
Designer? Su Mei has no such plan. She wants to enter this industry and share a piece of the pie, rather than exchange her own things for a fixed salary. She said:
"If a clothing factory wants my designs, we can work together. I will provide the designs, the clothing factory will be responsible for production and sales, and we will share the profits in proportion."
"Manager Su, this profit sharing ratio is not easy to work out. We have no such precedent." Gao Weiguang did not expect Su Mei to ask for a profit sharing. He was stunned involuntarily.
Su Mei smiled slightly and replied: "Director Gao, we can discuss the ratio slowly. The key is to set up the framework of cooperation first.
Just think about it, if the clothes produced by the clothing factory according to my design can sell well, the profit will be considerable.
Anyway, the clothing factory has closed down now, and my design can bring it back to life. No matter how you look at it, the clothing factory will make money."
"What Manager Su said makes sense, but even though I am the director of this factory, it is a state-owned enterprise after all, so I cannot make the decision on this matter.
Especially now that the clothing factory has closed down... I am just a layoff employee now, so I have to discuss this matter with my leader." Gao Weiguang listened carefully to Su Mei's words and felt that Su Mei's suggestion was quite right?
Her design could indeed save the garment factory, allowing it to reopen and become profitable, and also allowing the factory's original employees to return to work.
This is a win-win situation, but it's a pity that Gao Weiguang himself cannot make the decision on this matter.
Su Mei also understood, and she said to Gao Weiguang: "It's okay, there's no rush for this matter, you can go back and discuss it with someone slowly."
"Manager Su, thank you for your understanding. I will report to my superiors as soon as I get back and try to give you an answer as soon as possible." Gao Weiguang couldn't make a decision and knew it was useless to say more, so he took Su Mei's design draft and said he would come back to her after discussing it.
Seeing that Gao Weiguang was about to take the design draft away, Su Mei found a camera to take pictures of the design draft. She said to Gao Weiguang bluntly:
"I had to take photos to leave evidence to prove that these clothes were my creation and not stolen."
"I understand, I understand." Gao Weiguang admired Su Mei's honesty. In order to reassure Su Mei, he even signed the design draft and asked Su Mei to take a photo.
Su Mei didn't hesitate and took another picture with her camera.
After sending Gao Weiguang out, Su Mei and Huo Jianguo were also about to leave.
They are going to the security company to prepare for tomorrow's opening ceremony.
The couple rode their bicycles to the security company.
The company occupies a large area, and the retired soldiers who have already stationed there are undergoing military training in the barracks within the company.
Su Mei followed Huo Jianguo to take a look at their training venue.
Seeing Huo Jianguo coming, the warriors saluted him in unison and shouted:
"Hello, instructor!"
"Hello, comrades." Huo Jianguo also returned a military salute.
Because the company implemented militarized management and all the people recruited were soldiers, Su Mei felt like he was returning to a frontier army.
After taking a look at the training grounds, Huo Jianguo called a few people to check with him the procedures for tomorrow's opening ceremony to make sure there would be no problems tomorrow.
Su Mei went to look at the food to be prepared for entertaining the guests tomorrow.
The food prepared this time was very rich, with many modern delicacies that Su Mei had learned in modern times.
Time quickly came to the next day.
Cathay Pacific Security Group has finally opened for business, and the opening ceremony was extremely lively.
People from all walks of life came to congratulate, and the scene was filled with flowers and red carpets, creating a festive atmosphere.
Su Mei and Huo Jianguo stood at the door in their best attire to greet every guest.
Chen Yilon and his comrades from the border were the first to arrive. They were all in high spirits, adding a solemn atmosphere to the opening ceremony.
As time went by, guests arrived one after another. The opening ceremony officially began. Huo Jianguo took the stage and delivered a passionate speech, thanking all parties for their support and looking forward to the company's bright future.
Su Mei was also invited to the stage to express her expectations and blessings for the company.
After the speech, Chen Yilon, Chu Zhonghua, Lu Zhenhai, Feng Shenghui and Qin Zhengting were invited to the stage to cut the red ribbon for the security group.
In order to amplify the impact of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Su Mei specially invited the media to record the ribbon-cutting scene so that it could be published in newspapers the next day.
Amid the sound of firecrackers, the ribbon-cutting ceremony ended perfectly, and everyone began to taste the sumptuous food.
The guests were full of praise for the modern delicacies prepared by Su Mei, and some even came to ask about the cooking method.
There are special logistical preparations for Chinese cuisine. Su Mei mainly prepared some food from the West. She prepared steak, pizza, sushi, pasta, grilled chicken wings, French fries, burgers, sandwiches, egg tarts, pork floss basil, puffs, fruit salad, vegetable salad and other foods.
The cooking methods of these foods are simple and far less complicated than Chinese cuisine, so when someone asks about them, Su Mei will explain them one by one with a smile.
The ceremony was successful, the banquet was lively, and the food was delicious. It was a grand and perfect opening ceremony.
This completely solved Huo Jianguo's employment problem. From now on, Huo Jianguo would have to walk his own path. Looking at Huo Jianguo's solemn military uniform, Su Mei whispered in his ear through the noisy voices:
"I wish you all the best in the future!"