Chapter 174
Before the sound of firecrackers had stopped, more than a dozen workers came out of the factory.
Wu Gang and a young man wearing thick glasses came out of an office to greet him. "Welcome, Boss Qin, to visit our factory."
Others also looked at Qin Xiang eagerly, as if Qin Xiang was really a big boss who could save their factory.
This feeling is different from being popular in Xiangyanghong.
These people, including the factory director Wu Gang, genuinely welcomed her arrival with eager eyes, so eager that Qin Xiang felt a little embarrassed. She even felt that she would be letting them down if she didn't order the goods for a few hundred thousand yuan.
When I met Wu Gang before, I thought he was a quiet and steady man. But this time, the steady man was no longer steady. He came closer, wiped his hands, and extended his hand, saying, "Boss Qin, welcome to our factory. Although our factory is a little small, a little remote, and has a few people, we use the best machinery, equipment, workers, and fabrics. You will definitely not be disappointed."
This is also the cleverness of Wu Gang. Even though he had met Qin Xiang once and Qin Xiang also had a friendship with Liu Minhua, Wu Gang never mentioned it and only emphasized the advantages of his factory.
This alone was enough for Qin Xiang to look at him more.
Qin Xiang nodded and smiled, "Then let's take a look at the workshop, okay?"
"Okay," Wu Gang smiled, then started to shoo people away. "Alright, everyone, get back to work. Don't stop working. Keep working."
The factory was obviously rented and looked a bit shabby from the outside. Wu Gang led them into the first room on the left. Qin Xiang was stunned after entering.
The machines inside are very new.
You should know that the equipment in a garment factory is not just sewing machines, there are also many other processes that use machines. The sweaters coming out of the factory at that time are not knitted by hand, they are all knitted by machines. If you want to do the crocheting and other processes well, you naturally need good machines.
Xiangyanghong's advantage lies in its timely equipment upgrades during its first two years of strong performance; otherwise, Qin Xiang wouldn't have chosen it. Other garment factories, even Hangzhou No. 2 Garment Factory, mostly use machines from ten years ago. While the clothes they make are good, the machines also have shortcomings: they're not advanced enough. This is why Qin Xiang didn't choose some sweaters.
The machinery before me was already captivating enough. It was brand new, and the labels were in foreign languages, unlike anything found in China. This wouldn't be unusual in a state-owned factory or one of Guangzhou's many large garment factories. The problem was, this was a small factory with only a dozen or so workers, so seeing such advanced machinery was quite astonishing.
Wu Gang's face was filled with pride when he saw this, and he spoke with more confidence. "Boss Qin, I'm not exaggerating. Although our factory doesn't look very good, the equipment here is definitely worth a lot of money. As long as we can make a breakthrough, we must move the factory closer to the city."
Because it is far from the city, it took a lot of effort to recruit workers. It is also because the salary and benefits are good that people are willing to come from far away to work and live here.
I can't say it, it would bring me tears if I said too much. Last month, he and his partners paid the workers' wages out of their own pockets. If these clothes can't be sold, he really plans to go out and set up a stall to sell clothes during the day.
Wu Gang was very happy to meet Qin Xiang and find that she was interested in his clothes. He had to seize this opportunity no matter what.
Qin Xiang said nothing, walked forward to look at the machine, picked up the cloth next to it and touched it, and became more and more satisfied as she touched it.
Seeing her move, Wu Gang pointed to the young man beside him and said, "This is my partner, Jiao Junxi, a college student who returned from Gangcheng. He was the one who managed to get the machine from Gangcheng. This machine alone cost us all our funds."
Qin Xiang was surprised and looked at the other person. The other person looked to be about 23 or 24 years old, wearing thick glasses, and seemed not good at dealing with people. He stood behind Wu Gang from beginning to end. When Wu Gang pushed him out, he was a little flustered and nervous. He looked at Qin Xiang, nodded, and lowered his head with a red face.
Wu Gang was so disappointed that he said helplessly, "Then you should go back to work first. I'll take care of Boss Qin here."
Jiao Junxi nodded hurriedly as if relieved and turned away.
Wu Gang smiled wryly, "Don't look at him as a bit timid, but he's really talented. He designs all the clothes in our factory. I heard from Minhua that you also studied fashion design in college, so you should be able to see how good his designs are, right?"
After he finished speaking, Jiao Junxi, who had already walked to the door, turned around and glanced at Qin Xiang, as if he had not expected that Qin Xiang was also a fellow traveler.
Qin Xiang smiled politely, and Jiao Junxi quickly turned around and ran out.
"Not bad, very good." Qin Xiang was really surprised. Wu Gang had quite a few kinds of clothes on his stall yesterday. In addition to more than 20 styles for summer, there were also more than ten styles for autumn. The styles were more novel than those of the Hangzhou Second Garment Factory.
Designing is not as simple as drawing based on imagination. It also requires collecting information and designing based on many factors.
Qin Xiang didn't expect that the other party, who seemed silent, could design so many clothes. She originally thought that there must be at least four or five designers.
But looking at the environment, it doesn't look like it can afford to support four or five designers.
Wu Gang breathed a sigh of relief and took Qin Xiang to see how the workers worked in the factory. Qin Xiang found that the workers were generally older and there were almost no young people.
Perhaps seeing Qin Xiang's doubts, Wu Gang did not hide it. "It's because our location is remote and the factory is small, so most people don't want to come. Minli gave me an idea, and then we found these retired workers. Some of them gave their jobs to their children, and some retired and had nothing to do at home and wanted to make some money. Although they are not young, they are very efficient at work. Right now, there are too few orders. Once we need to ship, everyone can work overtime to catch up."
Qin Xiang understood and admired Wu Gang's operation.
Qin Xiang praised, "Very good."
The factory is not big, with only one production line and more than ten brand-new sewing machines. Although it looks like a lot of factory space, it is actually very small. It is more like a workshop than a factory.
But no matter whether it is a workshop or not, as long as the clothes made are satisfactory to Qin Xiang, that's enough.
However, Wu Gang also specially set up a decent exhibition hall, which was full of clothes. A closer look revealed that most of them were clothes that were sold at the stall last night.
Wu Gang was a little nervous and asked cautiously, "I wonder how much goods you can take?"
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "As long as the price is right, it will definitely not be less."
To reassure Wu Gang, she added, "I have ten stores and three stores in wholesale cities. In addition, branches in Hangzhou and Suzhou will open soon."
As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Gang's eyes lit up. Even if a store only needed 200 pieces of clothing, it would still be a lot in total, and there were also shops in the wholesale city!
Wu Gang quickly calculated the price in his mind and said, "I can't offer you a higher price than anyone else. Don't worry, I will definitely give you the lowest price. Besides, we have a lot of finished products in the warehouse. If you want them, we can send them by train at any time."
Seeing Wu Gang's eagerness, Qin Xiang did not refuse and followed him to the warehouse to randomly check the styles and quality of the clothes. They were all very good.
Wu Gang pointed to the room next door and said, "To be honest, a batch of them were damaged and are now piled up in that room. I plan to learn from your method in Ning City and sell them in the countryside. The price will be lower, and I can sew them back and wear them."
Qin Xiang nodded approvingly, "I don't care about that. I just want all my goods to be of good quality."
Wu Gang nodded. "Of course. Selling goods is hard enough for me. I finally got a big client. How can I ruin my long-term interests for a little profit?"
He saw it clearly, and Qin Xiang was relieved. Business was business, and if he supplied inferior goods, Qin Xiang would not let it go just for Liu Minhua's sake. Fortunately, Wu Gang was not stupid and would not do such a thing that would harm others and not benefit himself.
When they returned to the showroom, Qin Xiang listed all the clothes she liked and wrote down the order quantity. The clothes were to be shipped to three different locations, and the quantity was clearly stated.
After the contract was signed, Wu Gang breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll arrange it right away, but I can only treat you to lunch at the factory at noon."
Qin Xiang didn't care about these things. "Eating and drinking are empty, it's the same everywhere."
Because of its remote location, the factory not only has dormitories but also a cafeteria, which is run by Liu Minli. In order to entertain Qin Xiang, a big customer, she even killed a rooster and a rabbit. It is worth mentioning that these roosters and rabbits were actually raised by Wu Gang and his team.
Wu Gang chuckled, "The place we rented is quite large, and it was empty anyway, so I bought some chickens and rabbits to raise, thinking they would be good for the workers' meals. I didn't expect them to actually survive."
Qin Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she was also full of admiration. She praised, "Very good."
Chef Liu Minli has good cooking skills. She tied up her curly hair and showed it to the public. It was rare that she didn’t wear heavy makeup, revealing her original appearance. Unexpectedly, she is a very pretty girl.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she did not comment on other people's aesthetic tastes.
The drinking culture has a long history and is a great way to bring people closer together. Countless collaborations have been facilitated at the drinking table.
Wu Gang learned that Qin Xiang didn't drink, so he didn't force her, nor did he persuade Zhao Ping to drink. He directly handed the glass to Mi Hongjun, "Brother Xiaomi, we met in Hangzhou that day. Let's have a couple of drinks today."
It would have been fine if Wu Gang hadn't mentioned it, but now that he did, Qin Xiang suddenly remembered the familiar things she had done with Mi Hongjun. Back then, in Urumqi, it was Mi Hongjun who caught the thief, and then in Hangzhou, he betrayed her to her third brother about what happened in Urumqi.
She remembered clearly that Mi Hongjun was talking nonstop in front of everyone.
After many twists and turns, the old friends sat together again and talked about what happened at that time. It seemed like a long time ago, but when they thought about it carefully, it was only more than a year.
But things are different now. Mi Hongjun is still the smiling and cheerful young man, but he speaks very carefully.
Qin Xiang and Zhao Ping only cared about eating, occasionally talking to Liu Minli about things in Jiangsu Province and Liu Minhua, and did not participate in the conversation between Wu Gang and Mi Hongjun. Mi Hongjun could make decisions on some matters, but he would not intervene in matters that were not his responsibility.
After eating and drinking, Mi Hongjun looked as usual.
Wu Gang was a little drunk, and he was still chuckling as Liu Minli helped him down. "Xiao Qin, let me tell you, I couldn't sleep all night last night because I was worried you wouldn't come. I'm so glad you came. It wasn't in vain that we met. Don't worry, I'll definitely keep a close eye on things and make sure everything goes smoothly."
Qin Xiang looked at his excitement and couldn't help laughing, "Okay, I'll wait for the delivery, and I'll have someone transfer the money when I get back."
After sending the people back, Liu Minli came out to see Qin Xiang and the others off. When she learned that they had come by taxi and couldn't go back, Liu Minli specially drove out the tricycle from the factory and personally sent them back to the city, and even sent them directly to the hotel entrance.
Looking at the luxurious hotel, Liu Minli couldn't help but gasp in admiration, "Boss Qin, you are really amazing."
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "I just don't want to treat myself badly."
Liu Minli couldn't agree with this statement. In order to not mistreat herself, she had to have the financial strength. Without the financial strength, she wouldn't dare to live here.
Qin Xiang got out of the car and thanked Liu Minli. Liu Minli shook her head and said, "I should be the one thanking you. Honestly, we were planning to continue setting up stalls. If we couldn't sell anything there, we would probably have to close down. It's you who gave our factory the opportunity to continue. Thank you."
After saying that, Liu Minli got in the car and waved, "See you later."
Qin Xiang shook his head and laughed, then said to Mi Hongjun, "Let's go back and have some rest."
They still had to go out in the afternoon, but it was already late. Mi Hongjun went back to rest, and Qin Xiang took Zhao Ping straight to the Thirteenth Floor to find Guan Zhibin. Guan Zhibin was relieved to see that she had finally arrived, "I thought you weren't coming."
Qin Xiang jokingly said, "Of course I wouldn't come, but I went out this morning and just got back. I'm a little late, so I hope you can forgive me."
"That's okay. Let's go. We'll visit one today and two more tomorrow." Although Guan Zhibin was puzzled about where Qin Xiang had gone in the morning, he didn't ask too much since the other party didn't say anything.
Qin Xiang didn't even explain. Although the relationship between the two sides was good, it was a cooperative relationship after all, so there was no need to say everything.
After leaving Thirteen Hongs, Guan Zhibin was still driving. Most of the larger garment factories in Guangzhou were concentrated there, and he was familiar with the area. After all, Guan Zhibin was Guan Zhihong's cousin, and Guan Zhihong had recently been transferred and promoted, so the leaders of these factories were still very polite to Guan Zhibin.
Qin Xiang went to see the finished clothes and asked about the prices. To be honest, she was a little disappointed.
The price is similar to that of the current Yangcheng No. 1 Garment Factory, and it is similar to the price after the price increase.
This happened to two houses in a row.
Not only did Qin Xiang look unhappy, but even Guan Zhibin was in a bad mood. After leaving the factory and getting in the car, Guan Zhibin said, "There's no need for us to go to the third one for now. It seems the prices are similar."
Clothes back then weren't particularly high-end, and prices were pretty much the same. Just by touching the fabric and looking at the style, you could pretty much guess the cost of a garment. These factories clearly weren't offering the best prices.
Moreover, this was introduced by Guan Zhihong. Qin Xiang didn't believe that there was no trick involved.
Guan Zhibin wouldn't believe it either, and he saw it too, so he said this.
Qin Xiang nodded and smiled, "I think so too. It seems that it will be difficult for me to continue placing orders in the industrial park."
Guan Zhibin drove Qin Xiang back to the hotel and said, "Go back and rest first, we'll talk tomorrow."
Qin Xiang didn't expose his intentions. Knowing that he was going to look for Guan Zhihong, she nodded and said, "Okay."
After watching the car leave, Qin Xiang went upstairs and ran into Mi Hongjun coming out. She was a little surprised and said, "I thought you had to eat outside tonight."
"We can't eat." Qin Xiang simply explained the situation, and Mi Hongjun immediately understood the problem. "That means the two factories today didn't give Guan Zhihong face."
Qin Xiang nodded, "Indeed."
This is strange.
Logically, since Guan Zhihong was promoted, these factories should have given her face, but the reality was the opposite.
Qin Xiang said, "Let's not worry about that for now. The important thing is to connect with Wu Gang first."
Fortunately, I met Wu Gang and successfully placed an order. Otherwise, if there were problems in Guangzhou, it would have been troublesome in the winter.
The three of them had dinner nearby, and Qin Xiang called Tan Xiu. Tan Xiu was efficient and found out the news about the silk factory in just one day.
Tan Xiu said, "That silk factory has closed down. It was said that they accidentally made a batch of clothes that were damaged. Customers canceled their orders, and the factory couldn't pay their employees. In the end, they used the clothes as payment. Many workers picked and chose the clothes and sold them. The clothes that went to Guangzhou were probably taken there by workers from the factory."
Hearing this, Qin Xiang felt relieved and instructed Tan Xiu, "Then find out if there are any good craftsmen who can repair the defective clothes. If so, please let me know as soon as possible. Money is a small matter. Also, find out if there are any medium-sized and reliable silk garment factories that can do OEM. I will talk to them when I get back."
Tan Xiu was shocked, knowing that Qin Xiang had made another move. "Okay, I'll take care of this, just rest assured."
After hanging up the phone, Qin Xiang finally remembered her boyfriend Meng Huaiqing, whom she had forgotten about.
When the call was made, it was answered by Meng Huaiqing's grandmother, old lady Ge Lijuan. The old lady smiled and said, "Looking for Huaiqing? He's not here. He went out in the evening."
Qin Xiang hung up the phone with regret, but at the same time told herself in her heart that it was not that she didn't call, but that she didn't see the person after calling.
It's a pity that we are so close but can't meet.
Unexpectedly, when she turned around, she saw a familiar figure standing not far away looking at her.
Qin Xiang couldn't help laughing.
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