Chapter 145 A hot potato, a big rat, falls into a rice jar and swims.
Zheng Jianguo, the director of Hongxing Textile Factory, had some connections with the Light Industry Bureau. He took the lead in seizing all the substandard dyes and, together with other textile factories in the province, reserved only the high-priced medium and long cotton for Feiyan Textile Factory.
Every year, dealing with the high prices of medium and long cotton is a headache for every textile mill, because no one wants this "hot potato." Most of what is provided to the public is ordinary cotton fabric, which doesn't need such high-quality cotton at all. Any textile mill that allocates too much medium and long cotton will lose money, because the price of cotton is too high and the amount of fabric produced is too small.
Therefore, many factories have agreed to an equal distribution model, with each factory taking a portion of the medium-length cotton, and everyone suffering losses.
This time, Hongxing Textile Factory conspired with other textile factories to "scam" Feiyan Textile Factory. "You think you're so capable? You want to get into foreign trade? This year's hot potato is yours!"
Furthermore, Feiyan Textile Factory had its own grievances, which it couldn't express. The cotton was all top-quality cotton; had it been treated unfairly?
The finest cotton is all given to Feiyan Textile Factory!!!
"This cotton...this cotton! They've gone too far!" Assistant He and Yang Zhixia were practically dizzy when they saw the raw cotton allocated to the factory this year. Yang Zhixia stomped her foot angrily: "Aren't they going too far?"
Representative Jie pursed his lips. He didn't really understand the cotton distribution issues in the factory, but seeing the grim expressions on the faces of those around him, he knew the situation was serious.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the cotton? This cotton looks... fine."
Assistant He looked miserable: "Great! It's precisely because it's too good! Where would ordinary cotton cloth need so much good cotton?"
"Director Qin, our inventory is running low. We need to find someone to replace the cotton as soon as possible! We need to get this batch of cotton out of the market!"
"But exchanging this expensive cotton for something else... that's harder than climbing to heaven! This stuff is a hot potato no matter where you go!"
Assistant He was sweating profusely with anxiety. He turned to look at Qin Xiangxiang again, only to find that the factory director was extremely calm. Yang Zhixia was also surprised and uncertain, thinking that their factory director was too calm.
The factory suffered such a huge loss, yet Factory Director Qin didn't even get angry!
However, no one expected that when Qin Xiangxiang looked at the newly delivered raw cotton, she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up. She had to try her best to keep her expression steady and not laugh out loud!
Sending all this high-quality cotton to her fussy little factory, what do you call that?
This is like throwing a meat bun to a dog – it's gone forever!
Pshaw, I can't compare myself to a dog.
But for Qin Xiangxiang at this moment, it was like a little mouse falling into a rice jar. She once told her mother, Zhou Aodong, that if she could freely choose cotton, she would choose all the high-priced cotton!
Under the same quota, low-priced cotton allows for the purchase of more cotton and the production of more fabric; while high-priced cotton... results in a significant loss of fabric.
But high-priced cotton also means—it's good quality!
If given two options to choose from, one is coarse linen clothing, and the other is fine silk and satin, most people would choose fine silk and satin rather than coarse linen clothing.
With this cotton, Feiyan Textile Factory can use ultra-high count medium-length cotton yarn of 140-200 count to make high-end shirt fabrics such as "poplin". Poplin has the soft touch of silk and cotton, the fabric has a luster and smooth feel that are almost close to real silk, and it also has the breathability of cotton.
They can also blend high-count cotton yarn with mulberry silk, and other medium-length cotton yarns of 80 to 100 count can be made into seersucker. This seersucker has a natural texture and is breathable and does not cling to the body, making it perfect for summer and suitable for mid-range summer clothing.
...
The shrewd, lazy factory manager Qin Xiangxiang thought: With such a good pile of cotton, I should at least get myself a high-end shirt so as not to be unworthy of the other factory managers' kindness.
Furthermore, they resolutely refuse to print "tractor," "sickle," or "hoe" on the poplin produced in their own village.
While others wear non-breathable polyester in the summer, I wear seersucker!
Even a giant rat can't swim in a rice jar, and a salted fish has to find a way to turn itself over. Qin Xiangxiang's mind was racing, trying to figure out how she could reasonably dress herself in high-end fabrics in this era.
Wearing a high-end fabric in summer, feeling the cool sea breeze – that's the ultimate way to enjoy life! That's the pursuit of a truly sophisticated person!
Even though Dacron is popular among ordinary people, it is still a low-end synthetic fabric. Ordinary pure cotton is too thick and has a rough texture... True connoisseurs wear high-end goods!
"Don't worry." Qin Xiangxiang quickly came up with an idea. People like her have always been most concerned about "eating, drinking and having fun" since they were young. They want good food, good drinks, good sleep, good clothes... everything has to be good.
She is willing to spare no expense to study diligently for the sake of this word "good".
Now she needs to start thinking about how to get nice clothes.
"Assistant He, have you seen the news? Do you know about the 43 plan?" Qin Xiangxiang drawled out her words, reminding everyone in the factory.
Yang Zhixia said, "The 43 plan? I only know that the country will spend 4.3 billion foreign exchange to import four major chemical production lines, as well as petroleum fertilizer and other production lines."
"Yes, right now is a time when the country is short of foreign exchange. However, in the textile sector, the country has adopted a strategy this year: to earn foreign exchange by importing cotton, processing it, and then exporting the cotton fabric."
Qin Xiangxiang smiled and said, "Our factory can apply to import ordinary cotton to make ordinary cotton fabric. The foreign exchange we earn from exporting clothing will offset this. In this way, we also earn foreign exchange for the country!"
Assistant He asked doubtfully, "Isn't this enough...? We still need to make military cloth."
"Besides, the factory's good cotton isn't enough for all the cotton we need. What are we going to do? We can't let this good cotton go to waste."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Are you guys stupid? We'll use this good cotton to make high-count cotton yarn! Anyway, the factory has imported buttonhole machines. After we finish this batch of T-shirts, we'll make high-end shirts."
Let that idiot Zheng Jianguo try to steal T-shirt orders. Actually, Qin Xiangxiang thinks that low-end T-shirts are not a long-term solution. The quantity is too large and the work is too hard. In order to complete the orders, too many female workers need to be hired. Moreover, there is not much technical content. Once other textile factories learn from this, the price will not be as good.
Moreover, low-end T-shirts are fast-moving consumer goods. If a certain print is popular this year, it may not sell next year and will easily accumulate in stock. And how can they possibly come up with exciting prints every year? Perhaps after a while, foreign buyers will stop buying them.
Only high-end fabrics can create classic designs that will stand the test of time.
In order to fulfill orders, we blindly expanded the number of female workers... What will happen to support these female workers if we can't get any more orders in the future?
Yang Zhixia: "High-end fabric? Are you going to make tractor-printed fabric? Factory manager... the tractor-printed silk from the silk weaving factory is not selling well, and our high-end products are not selling well."
In fact, there is a significant gap in the market for high-end textile products at the Canton Fair, because many factories dare not venture into this area. When making high-end shirts, what colors and prints should they choose?
Would dressing too nicely be considered too "bourgeois"?
However, if the prints featured images of agricultural implements such as tractors, the petty bourgeoisie would no longer be considered petty bourgeoisie, but foreign businesses would not buy into these prints.
Qin Xiangxiang decisively replied, "Mawangdui!"
A silk factory in Shanghai can showcase replicas of Mawangdui silk at this year's Canton Fair, and they can also learn from the patterns unearthed from Mawangdui.
Assistant He and Yang Zhixia asked in confusion, "Mawangdui?!"
"This is a world-class archaeological discovery! It's a source of national confidence and pride!"
Starting in 1971, many literary works were gradually unbanned and released. For example, the Four Great Classical Novels, such as Journey to the West, were available in Xinhua bookstores for people to read and watch.
The Mawangdui archaeological discovery, unearthed in the 1970s, was a sensational find worldwide and remains a hot topic globally. The period between 1972 and 1974 was particularly active in Mawangdui archaeological excavation and research.
Releasing anything related to Mawangdui during this period can easily attract worldwide attention.
Previously, Qin Xiangxiang didn't pay much attention to Mawangdui, since they mainly produced cotton textiles and didn't have any high-end products. They might as well make salted fish T-shirts and other simple printed items. She hadn't expected this.
Now they've given her the finest cotton, so they can make high-end cotton fabrics—this is a real opportunity!
Now that Feiyan Textile Factory has both high-grade cotton and imported buttonhole machines, it would be unreasonable for them not to produce high-end shirts.
Qin Xiangxiang became more and more excited as she thought about it. Her eyes shone, and when her mind raced, her tongue was quicker than anyone else's. She came up with a whole bunch of high-sounding words: "We must respond to the call of 'making the past serve the present'! We will send young workers to the Mawangdui archaeological excavation site to learn! Our Feiyan Textile Factory will cultivate working-class artists! We must break down the four olds and create a new aesthetic for workers and peasants!"
The slogan "using the past to serve the present" was the most effective, because with the global shock caused by Mawangdui, it was indeed something that could arouse national pride, hence the name "using the past to serve the present".
Yang Zhixia paused for a few seconds, then immediately clapped: "Factory Director! Your mind is so sharp! You're so smart!"
Assistant He also came to his senses: "Factory Director, you are the pillar of our Feiyan Textile Factory! You are truly a modern-day Zhuge Liang... Have we turned the impossible into the possible?"
That's an absolutely brilliant idea!
"Factory manager, we need to send people over quickly. Time waits for no one! We need to finish before the Spring Canton Fair. We don't have much time left."
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