Zhang Cheng pushed the borrowed women's bicycle and squeezed into the cardboard box factory through the small door.
The factory area is quite large, but it exudes a desolate and deserted atmosphere.
It's easy to imagine that if it weren't for the county's cannery having a steady stream of cardboard box orders every year to keep it afloat, this old state-owned enterprise would probably have gone out of business long ago.
It's the dead of winter right now, and with the cannery closed, the cardboard box factory is naturally on a long holiday as well. The huge factory area is almost deserted.
The gatekeeper warmly led the way, taking Zhang Cheng to a row of low, mud-brick houses.
Zhang Cheng carefully locked the bicycle.
"Factory Director! Factory Director Sheng!" the gatekeeper shouted at the top of his lungs, looking at one of the windows with the light on.
"Who is it? Why are you shouting like that!" A sleepy, languid male voice came from inside the house, accompanied by the grating sound of a chair being dragged.
"Squeak—"
The door opened.
A slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a thick cotton-padded coat poked his head out and saw the smiling gatekeeper. He chuckled and said, "Hey, old man Zhao, did you find a gold ingot this early in the morning? You're so happy!"
"Factory Director, what are you saying!" The old gatekeeper chuckled, turned to the side, and pointed to Zhang Cheng behind him. "This comrade is here to discuss cooperation with our factory!"
Discuss cooperation?
Sheng Changnan's smile faded slightly, and he turned his gaze to Zhang Cheng with a hint of scrutiny: "Comrade, what is your surname?"
“My name is Zhang Cheng,” Zhang Cheng replied calmly.
"Oh, Mr. Zhang!" Sheng Changnan's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately stepped aside, his face once again plastered with a warm smile. "Quickly, it's freezing outside, come inside and let's talk!"
"Factory manager, you two talk, I'll head back to the gatehouse first!" the old gatekeeper said tactfully.
"Go."
Zhang Cheng strode into the office.
The room was sparsely furnished, with three peeling desks, a few creaking wooden chairs, and some discarded cardboard piled in the corner. A faint smell of ink and dust filled the air.
Sheng Changnan quickly found a white porcelain jar with a chipped rim, poured Zhang Cheng a cup of boiling water, and pointed to a chair against the wall: "Mr. Zhang, sit down, let's sit down and talk."
Zhang Cheng thanked him, sat down, and smiled, "Director Sheng, you can just call me Xiao Zhang."
"That won't do!" Sheng Changnan sat down in the chair opposite Zhang Cheng, leaning forward slightly, and asked with a mixture of anticipation and caution, "I wonder what kind of cooperation Mr. Zhang wants to discuss with our cardboard box factory?"
“I need to customize a batch of packaging cartons,” Zhang Cheng said bluntly. “Thirty centimeters long, thirty centimeters wide, and ten centimeters high.”
“This size is fine!” Sheng Changnan nodded immediately.
"The requirements are that the cardboard boxes must be of good quality, sturdy enough, and preferably waterproof," Zhang Cheng paused, then added, "In addition, the surface of the boxes needs to be printed with patterns."
Sheng Changnan's eyes lit up instantly.
Waterproof cardboard boxes? That's a technical job, and the price naturally goes up!
"Mr. Zhang, you've come to the right place!" Sheng Changnan patted his chest. "Our factory mastered the waterproof cardboard box technology years ago when we were making export packaging for canneries! As for the printing designs... if you want to customize new designs, you'll need to make new molds, which will increase the cost. I wonder how many designs you'd like to print, Mr. Zhang?"
Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment: "For now, there are two designs, one for Polygonatum and the other for a medicinal herb called Tianqi."
"Medicinal herb packaging?" Sheng Changnan was slightly taken aback, then said, "Mr. Zhang, please wait a moment!"
As he spoke, he strode to his desk, pulled out a large sheet of thick, grayish-yellow cardboard from under the desk, picked up a large pair of scissors, and began to cut it with a "snip, snip" sound.
His movements were exceptionally skillful; in just over a minute, a flat piece of cardboard was cleverly folded into a square, precisely sized cardboard box.
Sheng Changnan pulled out a pencil from the pen holder, took the cardboard box and walked quickly to Zhang Cheng's side, squatting down directly: "Mr. Zhang, let me draw a rough sketch for you first, so you can see the general effect. If it's not suitable, we can revise it."
"Thank you for your help, Director Sheng."
Sheng Changnan looked big and burly, but his hands were exceptionally dexterous. The pencil seemed to come alive in his fingertips as it scribbled across the surface of the cardboard box.
In just three or four minutes, several patterns of Solomon's Seal with gnarled roots and plump shapes were vividly presented on the cardboard box.
Zhang Cheng nodded in satisfaction. Director Sheng's skills were indeed excellent, even better than he had expected.
"Mr. Zhang, what do you think?" Sheng Changnan looked up, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
"It's mostly okay, just need a few minor adjustments." Zhang Cheng pointed to the upper left corner of the cardboard box. "Could you please add a line here, Director Sheng—[Suggested Retail Price: Two Hundred Yuan]?"
What the heck?!
Two hundred yuan? !
Sheng Changnan's hand holding the pencil trembled violently, almost puncturing the cardboard box! He looked up at Zhang Cheng in disbelief, seriously doubting whether he had misheard.
A box of Polygonatum sibiricum packaged in this tiny cardboard box, and they dare to price it at two hundred yuan? This... isn't this highway robbery? What sucker would buy it?!
But he was, after all, in business, and the customer was king. No matter how turbulent his mind was, he couldn't show it on his face.
Sheng Changnan took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and with a slightly stiff expression, followed Zhang Cheng's instructions to write down the astonishing number in the upper left corner of the box.
"The box should have a purple-gold base color to give it a luxurious feel," Zhang Cheng continued, "and the words 'Yaohui' should be printed on the bottom..."
And so another half hour passed.
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