Manager Chen is indeed efficient. He went out for five or six days and brought back news that the general manager of the largest department store in Fengcheng, the provincial capital next door, has expressed his intention to cooperate and needs Qin Xiaoyu to personally go and talk to him.
If the negotiations are successful and the contract is signed, the next step will be decoration and inventory transfer, which will require investment. Qin Xiaoyu must go with Manager Chen.
This was Qin Xiaoyu's first time visiting the capital of the neighboring province. She had only heard that it was an ancient capital, but had never been there before.
Once inside the city, it became clear that it wasn't as bustling as rumored; there was just a larger population, and everyone dressed the same. It was still a city waiting to be developed.
Manager Chen took Qin Xiaoyu to the hotel and settled her in, then immediately went to the department store.
It was the weekend, and people were coming and going. On the clothing floor, Qin Xiaoyu quickly got a general impression: it was all the same thing in a different guise.
In 1985, everything was pretty much the same everywhere; it was only in Guangzhou and Shanghai that one could see a completely different scene.
I heard it was the big boss of Riyue Apparel, and the general manager of the department store personally welcomed him. Qin Xiaoyu only realized she was the youngest when she sat down at the table.
"Director Qin is amazing, so young and promising!" The general manager spoke with a bit of an official tone, but Qin Xiaoyu tolerated it. This uncle looked to be of her father's generation, so it was nothing for him to put on airs.
"It's not just about being young and promising. You'll only know what 'decisive' means once you've worked with Factory Director Qin. If it weren't for Factory Director Qin's charisma, how could I have made the decision to resign from Xinxin Department Store?" Manager Chen remarked.
“I went to your area for a meeting last time and heard about how popular the No. 1 Department Store counter was. I’ve been looking forward to cooperating for a while now that you’ve taken the initiative to reach out to me, it’s fate that brought us together.”
"Our cooperation with the provincial capital's No. 1 Department Store is already a proven track record, so we can just use it directly." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to waste any more time.
"Okay, you guys prepare the contract. I've discussed it at the meeting, and if it's acceptable, we'll get it done right away." Despite his age, the general manager is still very efficient.
Qin Xiaoyu had all the documents ready when she came out, and handed them over at the dinner table.
The next afternoon, they were notified to go to the department store to choose the location of their counter.
Qin Xiaoyu took a look and found that the staircase in the department store was poorly constructed. The area directly opposite the staircase was not on the side; there were several counters inside. To be honest, considering the current scale, it would be a bit of a waste to incorporate them all into the store.
But if the store is located here, the counters inside will be cramped and useless.
"Director Qin? Do you really want to make the counter a separate space?" Manager Chen asked in a low voice.
"Yes, I insist on this." Qin Xiaoyu insisted that this was a basic requirement for setting up a counter; otherwise, if she set up a counter there, she would be swallowed up sooner or later.
"General Manager, with the current strength of our factory's development, we will soon be expanding. Please leave this land to us; we'll give up a small plot." Qin Xiaoyu's offer of a small plot was very tempting.
Actually, the counters tucked away inside are practically dead stock; nobody ever comes to look at them, they just walk down the stairs. The general manager, however, is happy to do him a favor.
And so, the contract was signed. Since Captain Chen couldn't spare the time, he could only find local renovation workers.
The cost has increased slightly, but it's still acceptable.
The blueprints Qin Xiaoyu drew on the spot surprised everyone. The old foreman of the construction team, who had been extremely arrogant, became respectful and addressed Qin Xiaoyu as "Director Qin" after seeing her drawings.
"Director Qin, you're really amazing. I'm just wondering, where did you learn all this at such a young age?" Manager Chen, who came from a background of dealing with people, was also curious about Qin Xiaoyu's background.
"I just read a lot of books," Qin Xiaoyu said, trying to evade the question.
As soon as the renovations began, Qin Xiaoyu placed the first order for goods. Factory Manager Xie prepared the goods and shipped them over in one day.
With the assistance of the department store's personnel department, Manager Chen began recruiting staff.
Since Manager Chen would be in charge from now on, Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to interfere too much. She was already deciding on her next steps.
The general manager extended a warm invitation, asking Qin Xiaoyu to stay and wait for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. However, she didn't want to waste the time and planned to go to Shanghai to learn from their experience. That was the economic center, a benchmark city in the 1980s, and the most commercially developed place. Without broadening her horizons, how could she talk about doing business?
The provincial capital has an airport, but plane tickets are very hard to buy. You could say they're extremely difficult to get. Flights don't run every day, and you need a letter of introduction. Even if you want to buy a ticket, you can't just do it. It's incredibly troublesome.
Qin Xiaoyu made a tough decision and decided to take the old-fashioned green train. However, she was careful, as this was not the time to save money; comfort was the most important thing. She bought a soft sleeper ticket.
She was in a bit of a rush to board, so she went through a regular carriage. The journey was chaotic, with people and goods thronging the aisles.
Back then, the train windows could be opened, unlike the fully enclosed high-speed trains of today. Even with the windows open, the smell was still unpleasant. Qin Xiaoyu pinched her nose and walked to the soft sleeper carriage. At the door, there was an arrogant train attendant who glanced at her ticket, but her attitude immediately changed, and she was respectfully escorted to her seat.
The sleeper berth was quite nice; there were two beds opposite each other, and when the door was closed, it was a private space.
The bed opposite was empty. Qin Xiaoyu hoped that no one would come, since the price of a soft sleeper was outrageously high and not just anyone could afford it.
In mid-September, the weather in the north had already turned cool, but it was still hot in the south. She brought a few light clothes, and after getting on the bus, she first arranged her suitcase, then opened the window a little and sat by the window enjoying the cool breeze, feeling very comfortable.
"Hello, ticket check." The train conductor knocked and came in, and Qin Xiaoyu handed over her ticket.
"Hasn't this person arrived yet?"
Qin Xiaoyu heard them whispering, realizing there were still people on the other side, and she was somewhat disappointed.
The journey from the provincial capital to Shanghai would take two days and two nights by train. Qin Xiaoyu was prepared for a long haul and had packed two novels in her bag.
After looking at the scenery outside for a while, she got bored. She picked up a book, but her eyelids started to droop after only three minutes.
She lay fully clothed on the bunk, the rhythmic clatter of the train on the tracks distinct, clattering...
She fell into a deep sleep.
She seemed to hear some noise in the corridor. It was time for dinner, but she still wanted to sleep. She turned over and drifted off to sleep again.
She was awakened by the aroma, her mouth watering at the sight of a feast in her dream. But her elders didn't touch their chopsticks, so she could only endure it, smacking her lips once before opening her eyes.
A dim light was on, and several lunchboxes were placed on the dining table, containing shrimp dumplings, crab roe buns, and small fish balls... all her favorite foods.
She swallowed hard, trying to pull her gaze away.
"Eat up, don't leave any for me." The speaker was the annoying Ah Lei.
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