Chapter 314 Delaying to help her develop lipstick!
After a long journey, Qin Xiangxiang and her group arrived in Guangzhou by ship, then traveled to Shenzhen. Finally, as their car entered the Shenzhen area, they were greeted by construction sites everywhere.
Construction was in full swing everywhere. Bulldozers and pile drivers were everywhere. Migrant workers in old gray overalls and Hong Kong businessmen in floral shirts and bell-bottoms were everywhere. Cantonese, Hakka, Hunanese, Sichuanese, and other languages were all mixed together in a chaotic mess. You couldn't hear a single word of authentic Mandarin.
It was comparable to a large-scale mix of military camps from all over the country.
"Director Qin, my goodness, there's so much dust, it's all yellow soil."
"On one side are rice paddies, and on the other side are skyscrapers."
...
Qin Xiangxiang looked at the special economic zone in front of her and was dumbfounded. She realized that the city with the most urban aesthetics was probably Shanghai. The steel and concrete buildings in front of her seemed to have no warmth at all.
Furthermore, the presence of rice paddies, fishponds, and skyscrapers in the same frame creates a sense of discontinuity, as if one were stepping directly from a primitive society into a future technological society.
"Director Qin, it's a pleasure to meet you..." The person who came to greet them was Zhou Fang, a young cadre from the Special Economic Zone Development Company. He was not tall, only 1.7 meters, with dark skin, but big and bright eyes. He was wearing a slightly loose and ill-fitting blue suit. What was most surprising was that he actually rode an imported motorcycle to get here!
This motorcycle would be an unimaginable symbol of wealth in Shanghai, but in Shenzhen, even a lowly young cadre can ride an imported motorcycle.
Qin Xiang thought to himself: "Then I, as a factory director, must be driving an imported car in Shenzhen."
Ignore everything else, just get her an imported car.
"Welcome everyone! The conditions are simple, please don't mind!" Zhou Fang spoke Mandarin with a strong Cantonese accent and at a very fast pace.
Everyone at Feiyan Textile Factory, including Qin Xiangxiang, was shocked by his imported motorcycle.
Is this considered rudimentary?
The group of twelve was accommodated at the Luohu Guesthouse, a newly built four-story building. The rooms were double rooms, and most surprisingly, every room in the guesthouse was equipped with a window air conditioner.
The bathroom has a squat toilet and a shower head, and hot water is supplied directly, but the water pressure is unstable, the water flow is sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and sometimes cold and sometimes hot.
On the coffee table in each room, there were two bottles of Coca-Cola and a few cookies with foreign writing on them.
"Factory manager, is it safe to drink this medicine-like substance?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "Not only can it be drunk, but it can also be used to caramelize sugar!"
Qin Xiangxiang was familiar with Coca-Cola, but she wasn't interested in drinking it for the time being. She turned on the air conditioner and listened to the rumbling sound of the compressor, which made her face feel cool.
After they settled in at the guesthouse, Zhou Fang hosted a welcome dinner for them. Instead of the guesthouse's canteen, they went to a very large open-air food stall.
Hundreds of folding tables and plastic stools were set up, and the chefs were cooking right there on the roadside, with bright light bulbs overhead and many small insects flying around them.
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
This is different from the "petit-bourgeois lifestyle" she imagined in the special economic zone. In fact, even 30 or 40 years later, places like Guangzhou and Shenzhen have not developed much of a petit-bourgeois sentiment; people still wear flip-flops and use plastic stools.
She felt very awkward.
Stir-fried razor clams, boiled shrimp, stir-fried crab... seafood dishes from the open-air food stalls are served one after another, looking novel and fresh, giving off a particularly bold feeling, perfect for pairing with a few bottles of beer.
Wearing flip-flops, sitting on plastic stools, enjoying the sea breeze, drinking beer and eating at a street food stall.
Qin Xiangxiang felt that something was wrong.
Putting aside that odd feeling, the Cantonese food was quite delicious; the shrimp was fresh and sweet, at least edible.
She thought to herself: Li Jianzhi, Li Jianzhi, what if your wife stayed in Pengcheng for a few days, wearing flip-flops, beach shorts and a floral shirt, eating seafood and drinking beer?
Your eyes are probably going to pop out.
After finishing their meal, they went back to the guesthouse to sleep. The next day, they had to handle various formalities. The letters of introduction they had brought from Shanghai were practically worthless here. Zhou Fang simply said:
"They don't accept letters of introduction here, nor do they need those things. We discuss contracts and focus on capital... How long until the factory is built? We need to make money."
The biggest difficulty is that making phone calls is not convenient. It is a luxury to even call Li Jianzhi every day. Calling Shanghai requires going through a long-distance transfer, which is very troublesome.
Qin Xiangxiang has not only temporarily lost contact with Li Jianzhi, but also with Feiyan Textile Factory.
It seems they really have come to the border.
"Director Qin, I suggest your textile factory cooperate with our Hong Kong investors. You don't need to worry at all. You only need to be responsible for production, and we will handle the sales. It's similar to the old state-owned enterprise model... We can sign a long-term sales agreement."
There are many Hong Kong business owners in Shenzhen. After arriving in Shenzhen, they quickly met one of them who wanted to cooperate and sign a long-term exclusive sales agreement, while they would only be responsible for production...
Qin Xiangxiang felt a headache coming on.
First of all, Feiyan Textile Factory is different from other state-owned textile factories. They don't have to worry about sales, so this long-term exclusive sales agreement is not tempting to Qin Xiangxiang.
However, the terms offered by Hong Kong businessman Shao Yunliang were extremely favorable, and everyone in the factory became excited. "These terms from the Hong Kong businessman are really good! Factory manager, why don't we sign a cooperation agreement with him..."
"Wait, don't rush." Qin Xiangxiang didn't forget Li Jianzhi's warning when he came. The better the conditions, the more likely there is a trap. The conditions offered by this Hong Kong businessman are too favorable. On the surface, this contract seems to be completely beneficial to Feiyan Textile Factory.
“We’ve carefully studied the contract terms and can’t see anything wrong with them. Factory director, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Wang Youyou, a young cadre in the factory, was a radical. He was attracted by the Hong Kong businessman’s rosy description of the future.
They only handle production, while the other party buys all the goods under a long-term contract. They offer Feiyan Textile Factory very attractive prices. As long as you cooperate with Shao Yunliang, it's a business that's guaranteed to make money without lifting a finger.
Qin Xiangxiang frowned: "Our factory doesn't lack sales, there's no need to cooperate with him, and the contract terms are too good, I feel something is wrong."
...Does Qin Xiang think I can live a peaceful and uneventful life?
She didn't believe it.
Qin Xiangxiang decided to "delay it for a while." She was currently focused on researching imported cosmetics. When she came from Shanghai, she was full of anticipation for these imported products. However, after purchasing a batch of top-tier international cosmetics, she discovered…
Imported goods are not necessarily good.
"Many things I put on my face are worse than not using them at all!" Qin Xiangxiang already had fair skin and a beautiful oval face without any bumps or blemishes. After applying a layer of imported foundation, her originally fair face turned into a wall covered in ash.
This is absolutely "negative beauty".
Leaving aside the foundation, the lipsticks were also a mess of colors, which was truly speechless, especially the "pinkish-purple" lipstick that Qin Xiangxiang was holding.
Qin Xiangxiang clicked her tongue in amazement: "If I put this on, I'll look like a demon from Journey to the West."
"Before I came here, I felt like I looked the same as I did ten years ago. But after putting on this purple lipstick, I feel like I've aged ten years in an instant!"
"This pink oil is disgusting. This bright pink color makes me look like a monster."
...
Qin Xiangxiang was very disappointed to find that she had not become more beautiful because of these imported cosmetics. She was not as beautiful as she used to be, when she would casually draw her eyebrows with a pencil and apply a little bright red lipstick to improve her complexion.
Her face only needs simple eyebrow shaping and drawing to look beautiful.
“I don’t really like the packaging either. Anyway, we can do anything here in the special economic zone… Could we find someone here to develop and produce lipsticks? I like the kind of classic-looking packaging.”
"We'll use Suzhou embroidery and kesi (silk tapestry) from our factory for the packaging..."
...
These imported cosmetics, well, they have their merits, but to be honest, Qin Xiangxiang felt they weren't quite suitable for her, and many of them made her feel uncomfortable.
She's quite picky and can't tolerate even the slightest flaw.
She couldn't possibly transform herself into a demon to see Li Jianzhi—she couldn't do that.
Before the cooperation with the textile factory was even finalized, Qin Xiangxiang had already decided to develop some basic cosmetics herself. "I'll contact Professor Shen and ask if he can help make the lipstick more moisturizing. As for the colors, I think the colors produced by our factory using natural dyes are quite beautiful..."
"And I don't like this lipstick case even more. Could you ask Grandpa Ouyang to carve out a retro and exquisite lipstick case?"
"I'll design the outer packaging, including kesi (silk tapestry) and Suzhou embroidery."
Professor Shen had already returned to school to teach. He had not forgotten the time he spent in the pig-raising classroom at Feiyan Textile Factory. Qin Xiangxiang wanted to study cosmetics, especially lipsticks, so she thought of Professor Shen Wenbo, who was in the chemistry department.
So she decided to send all the imported cosmetics she had bought to Professor Shen.
There was also Feiyan Textile Factory, where several students who had previously been admitted to university to study chemistry and materials science were all supposed to graduate by 1982.
I don't know which units these people are assigned to, how well they are doing their jobs, or whether they are willing to come to Shenzhen to try their luck.
Come help her develop lipstick!
Qin Xiangxiang herself didn't realize that she was quite stubborn. As soon as she decided to make lipstick, she had already come up with a plan in her head, and she was going to find someone to develop it. She had even thought of the basic design.
Just as she was preparing to sell lipsticks and cosmetics, Wang Youyou ran over and said, "Factory manager, we were almost scammed."
Qin Xiangxiang: "What?"
“That Hong Kong businessman Shao Yunliang is a fraud! The contract they gave us was genuine and the terms were excellent—but he had no intention of fulfilling the contract. Instead, he planned to sign the contract with us and use it to fraudulently obtain a loan.”
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
What?
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