Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Cross-border Cooperation
Jiang Xi disagrees. "Every year, holidays are a time for family reunions, and gatherings with friends and family naturally involve snacks. Cakes represent sweetness, and fermented rice wine goes well with alcohol. A gift box provides both a snack to go with alcohol and something to chat about. It's a win-win situation. Plus, the two gift boxes combined make a great gift."
"In fact, everything is connected. As long as the connection is found correctly, consumers will buy it. Moreover, no one has ever made gift boxes of fermented food and pastries before. We are the first to do so. The rarer it is, the more precious it is, and the more it will attract people's interest."
Jiang Xi paused and continued, "Director Zheng, you know, people now have money in their pockets. It's not that they don't spend, but they no longer value the ordinary things they used to have. So if we want them to spend money, we have to make something extraordinary, something unique. Our Perfect Cake and Braised Sauce gift box is a one-of-a-kind item on the market, and this uniqueness is the reason people will pay for it. With this uniqueness, are we still worried about not making money?"
As Jiang Xi analyzed the situation layer by layer, Zheng Guangrong felt his blood getting hotter and hotter, and he even felt a little excited for a moment.
Jiang Xi was right. What everyone wants now is this uniqueness, because the pastry factory only sells a few things over and over again, and the buyers are only the old customers. If these old customers leave again, then who will buy these pastries?
Besides, the festival is coming soon. According to Chinese tradition, the more festive the occasion, the more money people are willing to spend. Moreover, there is the matter of gift-giving. Zheng Guangrong can already imagine that if the perfect gift box is successful, then his pastry factory will surely be able to go further.
Seeing that Zheng Guangrong was about to be convinced, Jiang Xi struck while the iron was hot: "How about I give it a try with you? We have ample experience in gift box design. I believe you also know that nowadays, it's not enough to just have good products. Gift packaging is also a science. Beautiful packaging also makes people look more prestigious. Our gift boxes will definitely be designed to be very outstanding."
Zheng Guangrong thought for a while, and still said cautiously: "You design the gift box first, and I'll take a look. If it's okay, we can produce it together."
Zheng Guangrong is still the stingy person he used to be, but he is also shrewd in business. Anyway, for this cooperation, the pastry factory only needs to produce a few pastries and reassemble them, which is not a big deal. If the gift boxes are really beautiful, then it will be a free profit.
Jiang Xi: "Okay, I'll arrange this when I get back. I'll definitely give you a surprise."
After leaving the bakery, Qian Lili was still dazed. Wasn't she supposed to buy something from the bakery? How did it become a sale?
Li Fenglan also looked at Jiang Xi differently. This comrade was enterprising, not afraid of shame, and very flexible.
Li Fenglan suddenly felt a little melancholy. Compared with those people who were just sitting there doing nothing, young people like Jiang Xi would catch up with them sooner or later and take their place. After all, the future was in the hands of these young people.
Jiang Xi thanked Li Fenglan politely: "Thank you, Minister Li. Let's have dinner together when we have time."
Li Fenglan, after seeing Jiang Xi's performance today, also wanted to make friends with him: "Okay, next time we have time, let's go out for dinner together."
After Li Fenglan had gone far away, Qian Lili finally couldn't help but ask, "Jiang Xi, when will someone in our store learn how to design gift boxes?"
Jiang Xi said: "No one in our store can design gift boxes."
Qian Lili... Jiang Xi said this with such confidence that Qian Lili thought there was a talented person in the store who could design gift boxes, but she hadn't discovered him. Unexpectedly, there really wasn't one.
"But, we just promised the pastry factory that we would design a beautiful gift box. Now no one knows how to design one. What should we do?"
Jiang Xi was neither anxious nor impatient: "Just because we don't know how to do it doesn't mean we can't find someone who can."
"Who knows it? How do I find it?" Qian Lili was confused.
Jiang Xi pointed to the bus stop sign: "Far away in the horizon, yet close at hand."
Qian Lili looked at the words Jiang Xi pointed at, Shanghai University.
As the fastest-growing city in China, Shanghai is extremely rich in both medical and educational resources.
Shanghai has many universities. Shanghai University is one of the country's leading key universities and one of the few universities in this era with a full range of majors, especially the addition of an art department.
Jiang Xi planned to find students majoring in related fields to help design gift boxes. He had never thought about art masters or art professors. He certainly couldn't afford them because he didn't have enough money or connections. However, he could still try students majoring in art. After all, many college students now work part-time to support themselves.
Jiang Xi and Qian Lili were young and had fresh-faced faces, so they went straight into the school with the other students.
Jiang Xi saw a girl with pigtails and stopped her, asking, "Comrade, how do I get to the Art Department?" The girl, with almond-shaped eyes, spoke softly, "Just turn left ahead."
Jiang Xi said: "Thank you."
The girl smiled and shook her head: "You're welcome, I'm a student in the Department of Fine Arts, so I'm more familiar with that place."
The girl warned worriedly, "There's a fork in the road ahead. Don't go the wrong way. Go straight ahead and turn left at the end of the road."
These days, studying art is still a high-end profession. Those who study art are either from wealthy families or have great ideals. After all, no matter what you study, you still have to consider the issue of food.
College students majoring in other subjects will be snatched up by factories before they even graduate, but students studying fine arts can only do a limited number of jobs. Even if they are college students, it is much more difficult for them to find a job than students majoring in other subjects.
This major has a low rate of return, but the threshold is very high. After all, artistic cells need money to be cultivated. Who would have the heart to engage in art when they can't even get enough food to eat?
Take Jiang Xi herself as an example. When she was poor, she never thought about studying art. She couldn't even get enough to eat, so how could she think about flowers and grass? She would only see the clouds as chicken legs and would never have any other thoughts.
Besides, the truly poor families couldn't even afford paper and notebooks, let alone those expensive watercolor pens, paints, and rice paper. Jiang Xi had heard that even the textbooks in the art department were much more expensive than those in other majors.
But Yang Xuerong is an exception. Although her family is not well off, she is very talented in painting. When she was in high school, she was favored by her art teacher.
Yang Xuerong was also lucky. Her art teacher was not an ordinary person. He had family inheritance and some connections in the art world.
The teacher felt that Yang Xuerong's talent was rare and she was very smart. She was reluctant to bury such a genius, so she immediately persuaded Yang Xuerong to apply for the Department of Fine Arts. She also provided financial support to Yang Xuerong and sometimes even helped Yang Xuerong find some work to do. It can be said that she helped Yang Xuerong in all aspects.
Jiang Xi was also very happy to hear that Yang Xuerong was from the art department. This girl seemed to have an extraordinary temperament.
"I'm looking for an art student to help me design a gift box. Comrade, can you take this order?"
Yang Xuerong was overjoyed. She hadn't expected to get a job just by pointing out the way. She nodded and said, "I'm from the Fine Arts Department. I can take orders. I often take orders to paint for others. I have a lot of experience and I can definitely help you with the painting."
Although Yang Xuerong was sponsored by her teacher to go to school, she was proud of herself deep down. Although she was poor, she really loved art. In order to continue painting, she had to accept the teacher's sponsorship, but she also didn't want to just accept the teacher's help without giving anything in return.
Yang Xuerong has been working part-time to earn money for her studies, hoping to pay the money back to her teachers through her own efforts.
Today, apart from the setback at the textile factory, everything else went smoothly. Jiang Xi was in a very happy mood and put forward his design requirements to Yang Xuerong.
"I wanted to design a simple gift box, highlighting its auspiciousness, grandeur, and Chinese elements, in line with people's desire for joy during the New Year and other festivals. The gift box will contain 10 items, including cakes and preserved vegetables, so it needs to be larger, similar to the traditional food boxes."
Yang Xuerong picked up the sketchbook she had brought with her and quickly sketched a few lines on it with a pencil: "Is this what you want?"
Yang Xuerong only needed a few simple strokes to outline the image of a phoenix. Although the lines were simple, they were very vivid. Jiang Xi secretly sighed that he had found a treasure.
Qian Lili was also surprised: "You draw so well."
Yang Xuerong was a little embarrassed: "I studied this, so it's only natural that I can draw like this."
I have to say that Yang Xuerong has some misunderstandings about her own level. Not everyone can be as talented as her.
Yang Xuerong showed her skill with just a few simple strokes. Jiang Xi felt that she had no problem designing a gift box. He estimated the price in his mind and said to Yang Xuerong, "I want to design a gift box specifically for the next festival. I hope you can draw it quickly. I'll give you twenty yuan for the fee."
Just by designing a gift box, you can earn 20 yuan, which is much more than what Yang Xuerong earns by drawing for others.
Yang Xuerong had a natural talent for painting, and she was very knowledgeable and interested in traditional Chinese culture. She would often draw these during practice. "No problem, I can give it to you tomorrow. No, if you need it urgently, I can finish it tonight and give it to you."
Jiang Xi said, "Don't worry, just think about it and give it to me tomorrow." Jiang Xi gave a deposit of five dollars, left his address and left.
Yang Xuerong had no plans to leave the school. She returned to the dormitory with her drawing board and prepared a good design gift box. She was a very responsible person and would do her best no matter how much money she earned. Besides, Jiang Xi was so generous, so she had to do her best.
As Yang Xuerong walked to the dormitory building with her drawing board on her back, she saw an uninvited guest. Yang Xuerong's face darkened and she lowered her head to rush into the dormitory building, but was stopped.
The man who stopped her had a pair of squinty eyes and was about 1.72 meters tall. He looked short to the naked eye, but he thought he was very dashing. He held the wall with one hand, which made his already short legs look even shorter.
The man chuckled with his mouth crooked, his voice extremely greasy: "Xue Rong, you're back. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Yang Xuerong said disgustedly, "Don't bother me anymore. I don't want to date anyone right now. I've made it very clear to you. Don't come to school to see me anymore."
The man's face changed immediately. The man's name was Liu Bo, a student from another school. Yang Xuerong was seen by Liu Bo when she was working in a bookstore.
When Liu Bo met Yang Xuerong, he was stunned by her beauty, so he followed Yang Xuerong to school and expressed his desire to date her. Yang Xuerong clearly refused, but Liu Bo was unwilling to give up and kept pestering Yang Xuerong during this period.
Liu Bo looks wretched, but he is very confident. He thinks Yang Xuerong rejected him because she is shy. After all, he is so outstanding, a college student, and his family has some money. It is easy for him to get someone like Yang Xuerong.
But he didn't expect Yang Xuerong to reject him again. Liu Bo said with a gloomy look in his eyes, "Yang Xuerong, don't be shameless. I've checked your reputation. You must have had an affair with your teacher, so he paid for you to apply for the art major. Otherwise, with your family's wealth, how could you go to university and even study in the art department!"
Yang Xuerong's pretty face flushed with anger. "Don't talk nonsense! The teacher helped me because of my talent. There's nothing wrong between us. Don't slander me, and don't ruin the teacher's reputation!"
Liu Bo groaned, "Innocent, huh? I've seen a lot of women like you, pretending to be innocent, but who knows how slutty they are behind the scenes. I'm telling you, don't play hard to get with me. While I still have some patience with you, hurry up and agree to me."
Liu Bo's words became more and more outrageous. Yang Xuerong didn't want to pay any more attention to him and was about to go directly into the dormitory building, but she didn't expect to be grabbed by Liu Bo by the wrist.
Yang Xuerong yelled, "Let me go! Stop touching me!"
Liu Bo said, "I've been chasing you for so long, and it's not that easy to leave. You have to compensate me." Yang Xuerong glared at him, "I didn't ask you to do this. I clearly refused when you first told me. What else do you want?"
Liu Bo's eyes revealed a lustful light: "What do you want? You know it, you can have an affair with that old gangster, and maybe you have an affair with other people. Since you can do that with other people, how about doing it with me once? Don't worry, I promise you will be comfortable."
Yang Xuerong was so angry that she raised her hand and slapped Liu Bo. Liu Bo didn't expect Yang Xuerong to hit him. Infuriated, he grabbed Yang Xuerong's arm and dragged her out: "You little bitch, you are so shameless that you dare to hit me. I will deal with you today and let you see how powerful I am."
Yang Xuerong was so scared that she kept crying for help: "Help! Someone is trying to catch me!"
When the students around saw this scene, some stopped and some whispered to each other.
All students in the art department know Yang Xuerong. Yang Xuerong is an outlier in the class. She doesn't talk much, is beautiful, quiet, and good at drawing, but she has a bad reputation.
Anyone who studies art has some family background, but Yang Xuerong's family is very poor. A classmate once saw Yang Xuerong and a middle-aged man at the school gate, behaving intimately. Because of this matter, the news spread among the art department. They all said that Yang Xuerong was being kept by a married woman and was having an affair with someone else.
Because of that incident, Yang Xuerong's reputation in the Art Department was ruined. Students who originally had a good impression of Yang Xuerong gradually distanced themselves from her, and her roommates also began to isolate her.
Yang Xuerong was not the type of person who liked to make friends with others. She felt very uncomfortable at first being isolated, but later she immersed herself in her studies and put the matter aside.
However, those students took Yang Xuerong's lack of explanation as a tacit agreement and once thought that there was something wrong with Yang Xuerong's personal behavior.
Now seeing Yang Xuerong being dragged forward by a strange man, the students from the art department were all watching. A boy wearing glasses couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing? Let this woman go!"
Yang Xuerong quickly called out, "Classmate, please help me! He wants to take me away. I don't know him."
Liu Bo chuckled, "Don't believe me. She's my girlfriend, and I spent a lot of money on her, but she turned her back on me. I just wanted to make things clear with her. You're a gay man, so you should understand me well. I poured my heart out to my girlfriend, only to be kicked out. Who can stand this?"
Object, spent a lot of money, these two words can't help but make people think more. When the male classmate heard this, he stopped his actions.
Yang Xuerong was extremely anxious: "Don't believe him, there's nothing between him and me, I'm not his partner."
The male student hesitated and wanted to step forward after hearing this, but Liu Bo said fiercely, "This is a matter between the two of us. Why are you getting involved? Get out of here if you know what's good for you, or I'll arrest you too!"
The male students were frightened by Liu Bo and didn't say anything. Several female students wanted to step forward, but they were a little scared when they saw Liu Bo's vicious look.
Seeing that most people were just watching and had no intention of offering help, Yang Xuerong felt a little desperate for a moment. She looked at her classmates who were watching coldly, and her whole body was trembling.
For the first time, I realized that even in college, it’s hard to tell whether someone is a human or a ghost.
Yang Xuerong continued to be dragged and she kept calling for help. During this time, some people wanted to come up to stop her, but they were glared back fiercely by Liu Bo.
Moreover, Liu Bo had no idea how long he had been scouting the area, and he had taken a rarely-traveled path. Apart from a few students from the same department, there were only two or three scattered people on the path, and Yang Xuerong could not find anyone to help her.
Yang Xuerong became increasingly desperate and kept begging Liu Bo: "Can you please let me go? I really don't want to date anyone right now. Please let me go and let's talk it out."
Liu Bo was about to succeed, so how could he let Yang Xuerong go? He turned to Yang Xuerong and said, "At first, I wanted to have a good talk with you. After all, your face is what I like. But you didn't accept my toast and then drank the forfeit wine. Then there's nothing to talk about. You were the one who didn't know what was good for you first, so don't blame me now!"
"Who doesn't know what's good for him!" A voice suddenly exploded. Liu Bo looked back in surprise. It was Jiang Xi and Qian Lili.
Jiang Xi and Qian Lili came back because Jiang Xi suddenly thought that in addition to asking Yang Xuerong to design the packaging box, he could also ask Yang Xuerong to draw two posters. Anyway, Wu Ji Zao Lu was about to open, and putting up two hand-painted posters would attract more attention than a large poster with black text on a white background.
Unexpectedly, when I returned, I didn't find Yang Xuerong, but instead heard a few students whispering there.
"That Yang Xuerong doesn't look like a decent person at first glance. Now, her true identity has been exposed. She spent other people's money and got caught by a man."
"Serves her right. I told you she was involved with those guys before, but you didn't believe it. Now you see it with your own eyes, don't you believe it? Don't be fooled by her innocent appearance. She's actually very capable. Otherwise, how could she possibly have gone to an art academy? She even often goes out to paint for others. She claims to be painting for others, but who knows what she does behind the scenes?"
"The more I think about it, the more likely it is. This is the case of judging a person by his appearance but not by his heart. People like him are a disgrace to our art department. I don't know how the school recruits people and how they recruited such people."
"Haven't you seen her methods today? It's self-evident how she got here."
Qian Lili was furious: "How could they talk about me behind my back like that?"
Although Qian Lili and Yang Xuerong had only met once, Yang Xuerong was beautiful and spoke gently, and Qian Lili loved making friends. She had a natural intuition that Yang Xuerong was not that kind of person.
Jiang Xi's face was also a little gloomy. The so-called jealousy was so terrible. It was obviously a groundless thing, but these people, out of jealousy and some secret pleasure, slandered an innocent girl with empty words.
Jiang Xi asked in a deep voice, "Excuse me, have you seen Yang Xuerong? What happened just now? Where is she now?"
When the students saw Jiang Xi, they were curious at first. They looked her up and down, but then they thought she was just a young girl and didn't take it seriously: "Who are you? If you ask us, we should tell you."
Jiang Xi asked, "You guys just talked about Yang Xuerong behind her back so confidently, as if you had witnessed it with your own eyes. What's wrong? Why don't you want to say a word now? Is there something on your mind?"
Several people's expressions changed due to the sarcasm: "What's your relationship with Yang Xuerong? Are you also a restless person like her? Otherwise, how could you possibly stand up for someone like that?"
The rest of the words were not said by the few people, but considering what they just said, it is not difficult to imagine that those words must have been very unpleasant.
Jiang Xi said coldly, "I used to think Shanghai University was a prestigious institution, and all its students were well-educated. I never thought you'd gossip about others behind their backs and destroy their reputations. Do you know this is illegal? If the instructor knew he had students like you, he'd probably be ashamed!"
Jiang Xi scolded several students, their faces turning pale and blue: "Who are you? You come here to scold people for no reason."
Jiang Xi didn't intend to waste time talking to them: "Where is she now? Tell me quickly, or I will go to your principal and ask him why there is such a student in the school."
When several people heard that Jiang Xi was going to look for the principal, they were instantly frightened. One of them stammered, "She went in that direction with that guy."
Jiang Xi: "Did she follow that man, or was she forcibly taken away by that man?"
Several people didn't dare to speak. The answer was self-evident. Jiang Xi snorted, "You scum, you watched a young girl being dragged away by a man, and you were still gossiping and chatting here, not caring about her safety at all. Even if you weren't college students, but just ordinary passers-by, you're not worthy of being human!"
Qian Lili also pouted: "You are still college students. Having students like you is a disgrace to Shanghai University."
Jiang Xi and Qian Lili hurriedly followed the route to find Yang Xuerong. They asked one or two people along the way and finally saw Yang Xuerong and Liu Bo.
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