Chapter 173
I ran into acquaintances in Hangzhou, and I didn’t expect to run into acquaintances in Guangzhou as well.
That acquaintance was none other than the elder brother who had gone shopping with Liu Minhua in Hangzhou. However, Qin Xiang had been friends with Liu Minhua and had dined with her before, but they had never exchanged many words.
Qin Xiang remembered the man's last name was Wu, and immediately smiled and said, "Brother Wu, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Seeing that the two knew each other, the young woman was a little confused. "Wu Gang, do you know this boss?"
Wu Gang was also surprised to see Qin Xiang here. He put down his things, came over and said with a smile, "I know her. She's the little Qin from Shandong Province that your sister mentioned before. We only knew that she got into Tsinghua University, but we didn't expect to run into her in Guangzhou."
Wu Gang then asked Qin Xiang, "Are you coming to Yangcheng to play or something?"
Qin Xiang didn't hide it. "I came here to buy some goods. I came to visit the night market while I had some free time."
She looked at the stall, then at the two people, feeling curious. Although she and Liu Minhua hadn't had much contact in the past two years, they would still send each other some local specialties during the holidays. However, Liu Minhua only said that Wu Gang and her sister had come to Guangzhou, and she had never expected that she had quietly opened such a clothing factory.
Wu Gang scratched his head embarrassedly, "It's really a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."
At this time, another customer arrived. Wu Gang asked Liu Minhua's sister to greet them. He took two stools and sat down to chat with Qin Xiang. He didn't ignore Qin Xiang's mention of purchasing goods. He said directly, "Are you here to wholesale clothes?" He pointed at his own goods and smiled, "Just take a look. If you like them, I'll give you a discount."
Qin Xiang laughed, "Then I definitely can't be polite."
The two chatted and learned that Wu Gang had partnered with someone to start this factory last year. He didn't understand design, only focused on sales, while his partner was a college graduate, and they also designed the clothes. It was a good plan, but the factory was too small to take off, and it had been tepid since the beginning of the year.
As the factory manager, Wu Gang was naturally anxious, so he brought his people to the night market to set up a stall.
Wu Gang said embarrassedly, "Come to think of it, today is our first time here, and I didn't expect to run into you."
Qin Xiang said seriously, "The clothes you sell here are pretty good, not worse than those from some big factories. Is there something wrong with your sales method?"
Wu Gang was also helpless when talking about this. "Business is like this, it is easy to get into a vicious cycle. At the beginning, the salesmen did not work seriously, and it was too late when we found out. We had no money to pay wages, so the workers complained. When they complained, the clothes we made had problems. Isn't this what happened?"
He frowned and said, "A while ago, I just got mad and laid off all the previous employees. I borrowed money to recruit new workers to produce these clothes. If they still can't sell, then we will have no choice but to declare bankruptcy."
Qin Xiang didn't know what to say.
Although in the 1980s a pig could fly to the sky if it stood in the right place, it was not that easy to do well.
It is not enough to just seize the opportunity, you also need to have the ability to open up the situation.
Wu Gang and his team obviously lacked funds and had management problems, which led to so many problems.
However, Wu Gang was able to identify and correct problems in a timely manner. She felt that Wu Gang would definitely be able to develop, it was just a matter of time. Wu Gang's clothes were of good quality and the styles were novel. Qin Xiang didn't mind lending a hand at this time.
Qin Xiang said, "If the clothes from your factory can maintain this quality, I can place an order."
Wu Gang's eyes lit up when he heard this. Liu Minhua's sister, Liu Minli, had been listening to their conversation with her ears perked up. When she heard Qin Xiang's words, she rushed over and assured him, "We can guarantee it. Now I check every product before it leaves the factory. There will definitely be no problems."
When they first started their business, her sister warned them that they must control the quality of their products, otherwise no one would buy them even if they sold them cheaply, and their reputation would be ruined.
These are what they always remember.
Qin Xiang laughed and said, "In that case, let's talk about it tomorrow?"
"Okay." Wu Gang nodded with a smile.
Liu Minli reacted faster and quickly took out a card from her pocket. "This has the address of our factory on it. You can come to our factory to check it out."
Qin Xiang glanced at the address above and found that the location was a bit remote, but it didn’t matter, they were all in Yangcheng, so she could just find a car to go there.
After agreeing on this, Qin Xiang stood up and said goodbye. Liu Minli was reluctant to let her go, "You must go tomorrow."
Qin Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Don't worry, I will definitely go."
This is really damn fate. She even doubted that she was God's biological daughter. Just when she was about to lose one supplier, a new one came.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a small factory. As long as the clothes are well designed and of good quality, there’s nothing to worry about.
After leaving here, Qin Xiang's mood improved, and Mi Hongjun was also very happy. "Sister, I took a look while you were chatting. These clothes are all good styles. Although there are fewer autumn styles, they are still very good. They are all styles I have never seen before. There are some sweaters with beautiful patterns."
Qin Xiang laughed. "This will relieve a lot of pressure. But we must also learn from our mistakes and not put all our eggs in one basket. We have to go to the companies that Guan Zhihong introduced us to."
Mi Hongjun said happily, "I understand."
Qin Xiang's luck went far beyond that. The three of them wandered to the end of the night market and actually found another good stall. However, the clothes were just like those of other stall owners, piled casually on the ground. If Qin Xiang hadn't been happy about meeting someone familiar and finding a suitable source of goods, he might not have squatted down to check it out.
It was a long-sleeved dress, light blue in color, and not very conspicuous under the light in the dark. However, when Qin Xiang picked it up and took a look, she was stunned.
This is a piece of clothing made of silk.
Qin Xiang suddenly remembered at this moment that the place where silk should appear most is Suzhou and Hangzhou. Why didn't she think of it when she was in Hangzhou?
When talking about silk, the first thing that comes to mind is the cheongsam made of silk. The silk cheongsam made by skilled craftsmen is beautiful and of good quality. When worn by someone with good temperament, it is indeed high-end.
Because silk has held a high status throughout history, it, along with porcelain, has been a major export product for earning foreign exchange since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Even Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces established silk markets this year, demonstrating the promising prospects for the silk industry.
But when she was asked to associate high-end silk with street stalls, Qin Xiang found it difficult to accept.
Waste natural resources.
The dress in front of me is not a cheongsam, but a modified dress. However, due to the silk material, it is particularly smooth, and the workmanship and fabric are all good.
It's just piled up here in a wrinkled state...
Qin Xiang couldn't help but frown.
This was the end of the night market, so there were few people. The owner squatted at the back and looked up at them without moving. "If you like, take a look. These are all good goods from Hangzhou. You can't find them here in Guangzhou."
He'd been here for half a month and hadn't sold a single piece. Wholesalers would walk away as soon as they asked for the price, and retailers were even worse. His patience was exhausted. He'd already made up his mind: if anyone wanted something, he'd sell it immediately and then head back to Suzhou. He wasn't going to stay here. They said you could make money in Guangzhou, but that was just the way it was. Or maybe he wasn't destined to get rich, so he just hoped he wouldn't lose money.
Qin Xiang was not sensitive to accents, so she couldn't tell where this person's accent came from. She just felt strange that silk from Hangzhou was treated like this in Guangzhou?
Also, is this boss actually doing business?
Qin Xiang held up the clothes in her hand and asked, "Can the price be cheaper if I ask for more?"
The boss looked at her and said, "Sure. If you want more, I can give you a much lower price. If you can get them all, I can give you an even better price."
Qin Xiang then handed the things in his hand to Zhao Ping and said to Mi Hongjun, "Come with me to pick."
Mi Hongjun had been following Qin Xiang for so long that his eyesight had been trained. At Qin Xiang's command, Mi Hongjun immediately began to search.
The two of them felt sad as they looked through the things. It was such a waste that such good things were piled up here like this.
The two of them put the ones they had picked out aside and went to look through the others.
Qin Xiang slowly discovered the problem as she looked through the clothes. Not all the clothes were intact. Some of them already had defects, but they were just mixed together. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't tell anything at all.
The two of them searched for nearly an hour. During this time, some people came over to take a look and asked about the price, but were scared away by the price.
The price is a bit high. Buying one piece of silk can buy you two pieces of Dacron clothes.
Qin Xiang didn't care about that and searched through the whole pile. The two of them found more than a hundred skirts in total.
Qin Xiang said, "I'll take all of these if you give me a fair price, otherwise I won't take any of them."
The boss didn't seem frightened by this. He glanced at the clothes and then at Qin Xiang, holding up three fingers. "Take it all, three thousand yuan."
Qin Xiang frowned. After all, there were still quite a few defective clothes among these clothes.
But if you don't count those, and only count what you have on hand, it doesn't seem expensive. It's simply a great bargain. You can take the defective ones back and use them as rags. For such a big skirt, if you really can't do it, you can cut off the defective parts and turn it into children's clothes.
Qin Xiang nodded, "Deal."
Qin Xiang winked at Zhao Ping, and Zhao Ping took out the money and handed it over.
The boss wanted to help pack the clothes, but Qin Xiang was busy and said, "No, I can do it myself."
Just kidding, the boss was so rude that she was worried that her clothes would be damaged.
Silk clothes are not like other clothes. They can easily get snagged and damaged if you are not careful. She also wants to take the clothes back and sell them for a high price.
The two carefully put their clothes back into the bag, then carried their things and left. After walking for a while, Mi Hongjun said, "I have an idea."
Qin Xiang said, "You say."
Mi Hongjun said, "There seem to be a lot of craftsmen in Suzhou and Hangzhou. I don't think these defects are a big problem. What do you think about finding someone to embroider or repair the defects?"
Qin Xiang stopped walking and clapped his hands, saying, "That's a good idea. As long as we design the repair pattern in advance, we might be able to upgrade it to a higher level and sell it for a higher price."
She definitely didn't buy these silk clothes to sell directly in her store; the prices were too high and it didn't fit in with her store's positioning. Her plan was to open another store in the capital, specializing in high-end women's clothing. The quality and style of this batch of silk clothes would be enough to fill the first batch. The capital has many wealthy families, a phenomenon unmatched in smaller areas. For high-end products, the sheer number of stores isn't crucial, so she decided to open one first and then figure things out.
Qin Xiang couldn't stay any longer after thinking about this. She wanted to run back to Hangzhou or Suzhou to find such a craftsman. Of course, she also knew that if she wanted to repair it and sell it at a good price, she had to find a trustworthy and skilled craftsman.
They returned to the hotel. Qin Xiang couldn't wait until tomorrow, so she turned on all the lights in the room. Qin Xiang and Mi Hongjun poured all the clothes in the bag onto the bed, then pulled the mobile clothes hanger in the room over and took out the clothes one by one and hung them up, which made Qin Xiang even happier.
This is really a treasure.
Except for those with defects, there is nothing wrong with these clothes, whether it is the fabric or the workmanship and design.
This made Qin Xiang even more confused as to where the boss got these clothes from.
There was still a tag on the clothes. I took a look and saw that the manufacturer was in Hangzhou. But it was an unknown factory.
Qin Xiang thought for a while, picked up the phone and called Tan Xiu in Sucheng, but she forgot that it was almost ten o'clock and Tan Xiu was resting.
Hanging up the phone regretfully, Qin Xiang said, "Let's sort it out first. I'll have Tan Xiu investigate tomorrow morning."
When I bought the clothes, I was so busy picking up treasures that I forgot to ask about the origin of the clothes to make sure they were of questionable origin.
Zhao Ping's fingers were rough, and he didn't dare touch the items. Qin Xiang and Mi Hongjun sorted the silk garments overnight. They had already picked out 168 pieces in good condition, and even after sorting through the remaining pile, they found about 20 pieces in good condition. A staggering 175 pieces had defects. They all came from the same factory, and the defects varied. Some had snagged threads, while most had holes the size of a two-cent coin.
Some have only one such defect, while others have two or three.
People who can afford silk will certainly not buy such defective silk for the sake of cheapness, and how many people who come to the night market are willing to buy such expensive clothes?
The price the boss quoted for each piece was not low, but when she got it in a package, the price was extremely cheap.
How strange.
As long as these clothes come from a legitimate source, then she would have really found a treasure.
The clothes in her store now are all affordable and high-quality, but she also understands what kind of people's money is easier to make.
Rich wives make easy money. Even if they don't open a high-end clothing store, the profit from selling just one piece of clothing could last them six months. Many people in the capital may seem unassuming, but it's the heart of the imperial city after all, and many have wealthy families and are discerning individuals.
It is impossible not to try. Anyway, this kind of clothes will not be out of style. She can buy a small shop and wait and see. She doesn't believe that she can't make a breakthrough in this way.
But this alone is not enough. She still has to go to Suzhou to find a suitable OEM factory. She can design it herself, and if the customer does not like the finished product, she can make it for them individually!
After packing up, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. The next morning, Qin Xiang couldn't wait to call Tan Xiu and asked her to investigate the silk factory. Although Tan Xiu was busy, she knew that since Qin Xiang's instructions would definitely be useful, she agreed to go and find out.
Qin Xiang couldn't sit idle either. She had already agreed with Guan Zhihong last night that when Guan Zhibin was free in the afternoon, she would take them to visit the directors of several factories. If nothing unexpected happened, she would have to treat them to dinner in the evening.
I also have plans for the morning. I made an appointment with Wu Gang last night to visit their clothing factory and discuss cooperation if it is appropriate.
Looking at the itinerary in the notebook, Qin Xiang suddenly felt that it was necessary to hire an assistant. Although Zhao Ping was not bad, he was still not careful enough in his work.
As for the others, each has his own area of responsibility, and the only one left is He Liping, who is in charge of the finances of her stores.
It seems we still need to recruit people.
After breakfast, the three of them took a car directly to Wu Gang’s factory.
But the car was driving further and further away from the city.
It's not that he was scared, because Zhao Ping was right next to him. Looking at the address in his hand, Qin Xiang realized that it was still 1986, and even in Guangzhou, the remote areas were not developed.
When they arrived at a place that looked like a village, the driver stopped, dropped the person off, and drove away.
Mi Hongjun scratched his head and said, "Why are we in the middle of nowhere?"
But since they were here, they couldn't just go back. The three of them went forward and saw a large courtyard in front of them with several rows of houses.
At this time, Liu Minli came out and saw them coming. She hurriedly shouted, "Hurry up, the guests are coming."
So before Qin Xiang could react, firecrackers started popping.
Qin Xiang: "..."
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