Deputy Factory Director Li led Zhan Chunlan forward and whispered a few words in Factory Director Wang's ear.
Those words made Factory Director Wang frown even more: "Are you sure? This is no small matter!"
Deputy Factory Director Li understood his concerns and nodded in affirmation: "I'm sure, and I just read the contents of her notebook. It's very insightful and worth a try. After all, this year's export volume is indeed not as high as in previous years."
After pondering for a while, Director Wang nodded and said to Deputy Director Li, "Have her bring the item to me first, so I can have a better understanding of it."
Deputy Factory Director Li nodded, beckoned Zhan Chunlan over, and asked her to introduce him to Factory Director Wang. At the same time, he also walked to the side and called over a section chief from the production department, asking him, "Recently, have there been any substandard or defective milk candies?"
The production manager thought for a moment and shook his head: "Recently, the entire factory has replaced its production lines, and it can basically achieve fully automated production. There are very few defective products, and the employees have solved them themselves."
At this point, he added somewhat embarrassedly, "There were only a few left each time, and everyone just picked them up and finished them off. I didn't insist that anyone keep them."
Deputy Factory Director Li was somewhat disappointed. If that was the case, then he would have to rely on verbal explanations. However, it would be better to have physical samples, but it wouldn't be a big problem if he didn't...
"Oh, right." Suddenly, the section chief slapped his forehead, remembering something. "There's still a batch in the warehouse. Before the production line was changed, the workers didn't get the proportions right, which made the candies too sweet. Many workers only tried one and wouldn't try a second one, saying it was too sweet. So they're still in the warehouse."
"Really?" Deputy Factory Director Li was a little excited. Had Zhan Chunlan really been right? "Then quickly send someone to bring all that inventory over. Be fast, run!"
After saying that, Deputy Factory Director Li patted him on the shoulder, giving the section chief the illusion that he was a horse. Despite his thoughts, he didn't stop running off to call for help.
When Deputy Factory Director Li returned to Factory Director Wang's side, Zhan Chunlan had already finished her introduction. Factory Director Wang's expression had improved considerably. He looked at the young woman with satisfaction and patted her shoulder with a touch of pride: "Ah~ Old Li, we people are really getting old. We still have to rely on young people like them~"
Deputy Factory Director Li nodded in agreement: "As the old saying goes, 'The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward.' Now they are the back waves, and we, the front waves, can only be washed ashore."
Seeing that the two factory directors were finally in the mood to joke, Zhan Chunlan knew that the matter should be almost resolved. She smiled shyly and said, "We are still young and need the guidance of our seniors. The experience you have accumulated from your youth to where you are now is more valuable than our decades of hard work."
This compliment made the two factory managers burst into laughter. Glancing out of the corner of their eye, they saw the worker who had run out earlier returning with a large box of goods, so they walked up to the foreign businessman. Perhaps because they understood the problem and had a solution, their tone became much more relaxed.
"We've heard that people abroad are more accepting of sweetness than people in our country, so we specially customized a batch of candies with even higher sweetness for export. We hope everyone can try them and give us feedback. After all, we've never been abroad, and we've only made them based on our own ideas, so there might still be some differences."
After Director Wang finished speaking, he grabbed the milk candies from the box that had just been delivered and handed them to the leader of the exchange group: "Mr. Alex, would you like to try these and see how sweet they are?"
The other members of the reception group also grabbed handfuls of milk candy from their suitcases and handed them to the other members of the exchange group, making sure that everyone had a handful of milk candy.
Watching the foreigners in front of me tear open the packaging and put the milk candy in their mouths, followed by a series of exclamations like "Wow~ Oh~", "Tili Xuesi", "Nice", and "Good!", although most of them didn't know what it meant, they could tell from their expressions that they liked it, because they had been given milk candy to try before, and their expressions back then were not this excited.
Some people, unaware of the origin of this batch of candy, saw how much they enjoyed eating it and decided to peel off a piece and put it in their mouths. They immediately frowned; it was so sweet, cloyingly sweet, the kind of sweet that made their teeth ache. They wondered if their sense of taste had gone awry, how could they find something so sweet delicious?
Seeing that the foreign business delegation was indeed enjoying the food, Director Wang's confidence soared: "Mr. Alex, what do you think of the taste of this batch of customized milk candies?"
When Alex heard that the products were specially made for export, he nodded with delight. This showed that China valued them, knew their tastes, and even specially ordered a batch. After returning home, he could put up the "custom-made" sign and not worry that people wouldn't buy them.
"However..." Looking at the rather simple design and packaging in his hand, he still felt a little regretful. It would have been better if it could have been more perfect.
Seeing him looking at the packaging paper in his hand, Director Wang understood that what Zhan Chunlan had said earlier was indeed true, so he continued, "For distinguished guests like you, we not only specially customized the flavor and increased the sweetness, but also redesigned the packaging for you."
After speaking, he introduced Zhan Chunlan to everyone: "This is our packaging designer. She has designed many different styles for you. You can choose according to your own preferences."
Seeing the crowd of foreigners surrounding her, Zhan Chunlan was slightly nervous for a moment, but quickly recovered: "Everyone can see that this is packaging I designed especially for you. There are three types of outer packaging."
The first type is a simple bamboo woven candy box, which has a very classic charm. Bamboo is a technique that has been used in China for a long time and is very rich in artistic and everyday life. The shape is also simple and rustic. The inside is sewn with a layer of linen, which has a classic beauty. When you put our milk candies in the middle, the box can also be used as a storage box after the milk candies are eaten. It is very artistic and practical.
The second type is a gift box in the style of a Jiangnan garden called "A Dream in the Garden".
The outer box is shaped like a "moon gate basket," an exquisite hand-held wooden basket with a handle in the classic moon gate design found in gardens. This handle serves as both a handle and a "frame" for viewing the scenery.
The opening method is not the traditional straight opening, but requires lifting along an "S" shaped curve, imitating the feeling of "a winding path leading to a secluded spot" in a garden.
Although it's just a box, you can see three different views:
Scene 1: Lotus Breeze from All Sides. The top of the lid features a three-dimensional paper sculpture of blooming lotus flowers and leaves, exuding a fresh and elegant charm.
The second scene: Stone Shadows and Bamboo Charm. The middle layer is a box for holding milk candies, and its sides are carved into the hollow shape of Taihu stones, with the milk candies appearing and disappearing inside.
The third scene: Koi in Clear Water. The bottom of the box is printed with a pattern of several koi swimming in water. The scene is fully revealed when all the milk candies are taken out, symbolizing good fortune. It can be placed at home as a decorative item.
The third type is a Palace Museum-themed gift box called "Forbidden City".
Adopting a classic top-and-bottom structure, it symbolizes the ancient Chinese philosophy of "a round heaven and a square earth." The box is square, and the lid is a slightly domed shape, mimicking the roofline of the Forbidden City. The top of the lid features a "star chart," with a silver-embossed Big Dipper pattern at the center, paying homage to the connection between ancient astronomy and imperial power.
The box is opened via a "palace door knocker," located directly in front of the lid. To open it, one must gently "knock" (lift) this knocker, adding a touch of ceremony.
This gift box has three layers from top to bottom:
First layer: Open the palace gate, lift the "palace gate latch", and open the top and bottom cover to reveal a hollowed-out paper art card of the "Hall of Supreme Harmony". Through the latticework on the door, you can vaguely see the milk candy inside the inner box.
Second layer: A change of scenery with each step. Gently remove this layer, and you will see a three-dimensional paper-cut Hall of Supreme Harmony. A complete hollowed-out palace is placed in front of you, and the milk candy is placed in this "palace", waiting for you to come and taste it.
The third level: the Imperial Garden, located on the bottom level, is a miniature version of the Imperial Garden landscape, with all kinds of paper-cut flowers and scattered milk candies, waiting for visitors to pick them.
These three gift boxes are all exquisite in their own way, and of course, the prices vary. Customers can choose different styles according to their preferences, or even customize all three together. Buyers might even buy more than one box of candy just to collect the three different packaging options.
As the foreign businessmen listened to Zhan Chunlan's introduction, their eyes gradually lit up. They were already very interested just by looking at the design drawings, and the thought that they wanted three different gift sets even before seeing the actual products made them even more exciting. If these were shipped back to their own countries, wouldn't all the ladies and young women who love exquisite items be scrambling to buy them?
Everyone was eager to place an order. Seeing that everyone was already discussing contracts in the workshop, Factory Director Wang quickly called Deputy Factory Director Li to invite everyone to his office for a detailed discussion. They had to strike while the iron was hot and close the deal in one go!
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