Chapter 28
Qin Xiang just had this idea suddenly, but she didn't go directly to the factory leader.
Instead, he went outside to ask around, then hurried back, called Mi Hongjun outside and said, "I have an idea to make money. I want to hire you for two days and pay you ten dollars a day. Do you want to do it?"
As for her third brother and Sun Tieshu, they were so tired from driving that they must take a break. The time they rested was the time she could make money.
Ten dollars a day, that’s twenty dollars in two days. Even working people can’t earn that much in a day.
Mi Hongjun agreed without hesitation, "Let's do it."
Then he asked curiously, "Sister Xiangxiang, what business have you found to make money?"
Hearing his address, Qin Xiang glanced at him but didn't correct him. She explained without hiding anything, "Just now at the factory, I heard the two leaders discussing the current situation. A company originally ordered a batch of clothes from them, but after the clothes were finished, they refused to sell them because the styles were old and difficult to sell. Because of their relationship with the factory director, they didn't sign a contract or pay a deposit. Now, a large amount of goods is stuck in the warehouse."
Mi Hongjun was stunned. "So, Sister Xiangxiang, you want this batch of goods?"
Qin Xiang gave a wry smile. "I do want to, but I don't have that much money, so I wanted to talk to them and come up with an idea to see if I could buy some clothes on credit. I just asked around outside, and there's a big market in a nearby town today, and another one a dozen miles away tomorrow. Brother Sun said we'll probably leave early the day after tomorrow and head back. It's still early, so we can earn two days' worth of money. I can't do it alone, so I wanted to ask if you want to work together. I'll pay you when the time comes."
She spoke so convincingly that Mi Hongjun quickly realized what was happening and agreed, "Okay, as long as Sister Xiangxiang can get some clothes, I'll do it for you."
Mi Hongjun didn't feel unhappy about this. He wouldn't dare buy so much clothes on credit. Although his parents died young, they taught him that one should be able to handle the work according to one's ability. He didn't have the courage to take such a risk, so he just had to accept his wages.
Besides, ten dollars a day is really not a low salary. They could have just left him out and asked their third brother for help. They probably asked him because they wanted their third brother to have a rest. Otherwise, who would think it was too much to ask for someone else? They just wanted someone to help out.
Moreover, Mi Hongjun had some small ideas. He felt that Qin Xiang was a capable person and it would not be a disadvantage for him to learn from him.
Qin Xiang didn't expect him to agree so readily, so she smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid that I will cheat you?"
"Don't be afraid. My biggest advantage is that I'm poor. If you want to cheat me, I have to have something to cheat you of. I only have this much strength and the only thing I'll get cheated out of is ten dollars. What's there to be afraid of?" Mi Hongjun is very single and doesn't worry about anything else.
Qin Xiang glanced at the sun. It was actually just past eight o'clock, and there probably weren't many people at the market. Based on her understanding of rural markets, the busiest time was around noon, and that was also when the shipment volume should be the best.
But she still had to talk to the factory leaders and prepare other work, so time was running out. She said to Mi Hongjun, "Then I'll go find the factory leaders now."
In order to make herself known to others, Qin Xiang went to find Sun Tieshu. Sun Tieshu was still asleep and laughed when he heard her idea. "You are really capable and courageous."
Qin Xiang was also straightforward and said, "Brother Sun, if this thing succeeds, I will give you ten yuan of the money I make."
"Okay." Ten dollars was not a small amount of money. Sun Tieshu agreed readily and followed her.
Qin Yang had no choice but to follow them to the factory.
Director Feng didn't expect the truck driver to come back. He looked up at them and said, "Aren't we going to pick up the goods over there tomorrow afternoon? I haven't finished unloading yet."
Sun Tieshu waved his hand and said to Director Feng, "Director Feng, it's not me who's looking for you. It's my brother's sister who's looking for you. She heard that your factory is having difficulties right now, and she's here to help you solve the problem."
Director Feng felt strange when he heard this. He had actually noticed Qin Xiang earlier, mainly because this girl was so pretty that it was hard not to notice her. He was wondering why this truck driver took a young girl with him on a long-distance trip, but he didn't expect that it was another driver's sister.
But why look for him?
Qin Xiang stepped forward and said, "Director Feng, I'm very sorry. I overheard you talking to that leader this morning and heard that our factory is having some problems. I just had an idea and wanted to talk to you to see if I could help solve the problem."
Director Feng and Deputy Director He hadn't been shy about their conversation that morning, so he didn't mind seeing them admit it so openly. He didn't react to Qin Xiang's suggestion. None of the factory leaders had any good ideas, so what could a young girl come up with? He still smiled and said, "Why, are you still going to take over this entire shipment? Let me tell you, this shipment was contracted by a department store head office, and there are over 2,000 pieces. Our factory price is six yuan per piece, which is quite a bit."
Just by looking at Qin Xiang's clothes, he knew that this girl did not look like a rich person. A girl from a truly wealthy family would not run around with a truck driver.
Qin Xiang didn't think there was anything wrong with Director Feng's indifference. If she were in his position, she would also have some doubts.
Qin Xiang nodded. "I really don't have that much money, so I'm just giving the factory some advice."
Director Feng looked at Qin Xiang, who was neither anxious nor impatient, and seemed to be confident. He felt more serious in his heart. Could it be that this girl really had some solution?
"You tell me. If you can really help the factory solve the problem, I will definitely ask the factory leaders to give you some benefits."
Qin Xiang pursed her lips and smiled. "I just went out for a walk and found that our garment factory is quite large. We even have several residential buildings for family members. I guess there must be a lot of workers and their families in our factory, right?"
"It's indeed a lot." Director Feng was a little confused as to why Qin Xiang mentioned this.
Qin Xiang continued, "I also made some inquiries. Today happens to be a big market in a nearby town. Since the department store said that our factory's clothes are old-fashioned and don't sell well in the department store, we can try to go to the big market. There are so many workers in the factory, so we can just pick a few who are good at talking and sell them in the nearby big markets. It doesn't matter if the styles are not new, but we are in a hurry to ship them out, so we can make a small profit but sell a lot, and don't need tickets. Do you think the people who come to the market will buy them?"
In some southern cities, many industries have begun to no longer require coupons, but this trend has not yet taken off in the north. Apart from buying clothes from self-employed individuals, if you want to buy clothes in a department store, you need not only money but also coupons. If you don't need coupons, it will indeed be very attractive to people.
After she finished speaking, Director Feng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he seemed to be thinking about the feasibility of this matter.
But he was just a logistics manager and didn't know much about sales. The reason he talked about those things with Deputy Director He was just because they were both veterans in the factory and Deputy Director He happened to be the leader in charge of sales.
Director Feng felt that he was confused. He certainly knew how tempting it was for ordinary people not to have votes.
He immediately said, "Wait a minute, I'll go get the leader."
Director Feng was in his fifties and had worked at the factory his entire life, so he naturally didn't want to see it go downhill. He trotted out to call for help.
As soon as the person left, Sun Tieshu looked at Qin Xiang with a different look. He said with some admiration, "You are really good."
To express his admiration, Sun Tieshu also gave a thumbs up.
Qin Yang was somewhat used to it and couldn't recover from the shock at this moment.
"Can you do it?"
Can Qin Xiang really solve a problem that even the factory leaders haven't thought of?
Qin Xiang was not completely sure either, so she said, "Let's try it first. How can we know if we don't try?"
Soon, Qin Xiang saw Deputy Factory Director He, whom she had met before, coming with Director Feng. The two of them were talking as they approached. When they got closer, Deputy Factory Director He looked directly at Qin Xiang and asked, "Do you mean to let the workers' families take the clothes to the market to set up stalls to sell them?"
Qin Xiang nodded. "We're going to the market, but we won't have everyone set up their own stall. Instead, we'll select a few good communicators from among the workers' families or the factory, and have them send a cart with the clothes, put up banners, and sell them in a big way. The prices will be clearly marked, and no tickets are required. And the prices must be affordable, at prices that rural residents are willing to pay, not at department store retail prices. If that doesn't work out, we can also have the workers' families go to the villages to sell. This way, we'll definitely be able to sell some of the goods in a targeted manner."
After Qin Xiang finished speaking, Deputy Director He frowned and began to think.
Qin Xiang did not urge them. The weather was still cold and people would not go to the market too early. She heard that it would only take more than half an hour to walk from here, so they would still have time.
Deputy Factory Manager He, after all, was in charge of sales, so she understood the logic behind this sort of thing. Her hesitation lay in the question of whether the workers and their families would be willing to do it. After all, it was a bit like being a self-employed individual. Factory workers were proud of being workers, and going to the market to hawk their wares would be embarrassing and embarrassing.
Qin Xiang noticed her hesitation and suggested, "Since I've brought it up, I must have my own ideas. Others might be embarrassed to do so, but I'm not a worker, so I'm willing to go to the market with my brother and take the lead to test the waters."
"Then what can you get?" Deputy Director He has worked in sales for so many years. She has traveled all over the country and seen a lot of things, from a small clerk to deputy director. She doesn't believe that anyone would work for nothing.
Qin Xiang laughed. It was easy to talk to straightforward people. She said bluntly, "If I had money, I would have bargained down the price and bought this stuff myself, but I don't have money, so I'd like the factory to trust me and sell a few hundred pieces on credit. I'll be the first to go, setting an example for the factory workers and their families, so they can see that there's profit to be made. What do you think?"
What she meant was selling clothes on credit, not really selling them as if she were a factory employee.
Deputy Director He was relieved. He had gone through so much trouble to come up with this idea because he needed her help. There really was no such thing as a free lunch; it was human nature.
She also realized that the girl really had no money, otherwise she might have really lowered the price to buy the clothes and then make the money for herself.
In fact, before she arrived, she was already arguing with the factory manager about this very issue. The factory manager had accepted the order, but because the paperwork wasn't complete, the product was stuck at the factory. Ten years earlier, they wouldn't have been afraid of this, and would have been begging the other party to ship it. But now, with product upgrades lagging and the backlog stretching beyond just one batch, who wouldn't be anxious? She'd gone to the factory manager hoping he'd resolve the issue, but he couldn't, and so an argument ensued.
This time, when she imported fabrics from Hangzhou, the payment had not yet been settled, and the factory director was urging her to sell the clothes, so the quarrels became even more intense.
If Qin Xiang could really get rid of this product, then after Qin Xiang left, she could use the profit to talk to the workers' families and continue to clean up the other inventory. After all, Qin Xiang would only stay here for a day or two, and at most she wouldn't be able to sell much.
Deputy Director He nodded and said, "Okay, I approve this."
When Director Feng looked at Qin Xiang, he couldn't help but give her a thumbs up, saying that she was really brave.
But Deputy Factory Director He also said, "We need to clearly mark the price and sign a contract. I'm giving you the clothes on credit, but if you can't sell them, I won't take them back. You have to pay me in full before you leave."
These days you still need a letter of introduction to go out, so Deputy Director He is not really afraid that Qin Xiang will run away and be nowhere to be found.
Qin Xiang nodded, "Okay, but since I'm helping the factory solve the problem, shouldn't I be given a preferential price?"
Deputy Director He was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Let's go take a look at the clothes first and then make a decision. This clothing line actually includes not only jackets but also pants, and our factory has been producing them all the time. Let's take a look and then decide."
So Qin Xiang followed him to the warehouse to take a look. Just as the deputy director said, there were several styles of coats alone, but they were all styles that had been produced in recent years. They were indeed not fashionable, but their only advantage was that they were sturdy, the materials were very good, and they were quite practical.
This is the reason why Qin Xiang chose to set up a stall at the big market instead of in front of the department store in the city. The rural areas are relatively backward, especially the elders in their thirties and forties, who are not so quick to accept new things from the outside world. Compared with new styles, they are more receptive to old styles of clothes. If the price is a little cheaper and no cloth coupons are required, Qin Xiang is not worried at all that the clothes will not sell.
Qin Xiang finished reading and nodded. "I want 100 tops of the same pattern and 200 pairs of pants. Please give me a lower price. If today's shipment is large, I will order another batch tomorrow."
When Deputy Director He heard her tone, he took a deep breath. This amount was indeed not much for her, but it was a lot for Qin Xiang personally.
"How much do you want to get?"
Qin Xiang held up her finger and said, "Five dollars a piece. After all, we need to ship it quickly. Under the name of clearing out the stock, the price can't be too high. Although the factory doesn't make much money, it can quickly collect funds."
This price is indeed acceptable to the factory, but the ex-factory price has been set long ago. Deputy Director He said, "Wait a minute, I'll go discuss it with the factory director."
Deputy Director He hurried back to discuss the matter. Qin Yang frowned and said, "Xiangxiang, your idea is too bold. What if it can't be sold?"
Qin Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Third brother, a piece of clothing costs seven or eight yuan. If I put it in the rural market, do you think my mother and the others would buy it?"
In the days when cloth coupons were needed to buy clothes, money was not the most important thing, cloth coupons were.
She had just taken a quick look. The coats only came in two sizes: a large and a smaller one, and both were quite oversized. The household contract responsibility system had only been implemented in the countryside for the past two years, and while living standards had improved, they weren't drastically so. People were used to making clothes a bit oversized, wearing them under a cotton-padded jacket in winter, taking them off in spring and putting on a sweater, and wearing them on their own when it got really hot. A single coat could be worn for three seasons, and since they didn't need cloth coupons, seven yuan was an affordable price.
After Qin Xiang finished speaking, Qin Yang thought about it and it seemed to be true.
But Qin Xiang's generosity still stunned Qin Yang.
Even if there were only two patterns, hundreds of these clothes would cost a lot of money. Qin Xiang, apart from the socks in her hand, had less than a hundred yuan in her possession. If she succeeded, she would make a fortune. If she couldn't sell them, she probably wouldn't be able to leave the day after tomorrow.
Qin Yang's reminder suddenly made Qin Xiang remember and said to Qin Yang, "After we agree on the price, Third Brother, can you help me get out a hundred pairs of those ordinary cotton socks and nylon socks? We can sell both the clothes and the socks, so we can test the waters together."
After that, she said to Mi Hongjun, "I was only thinking about the clothes before, so I gave you ten dollars. Now that I have added some work, I will give you two more dollars."
However, Qin Xiang's actions had already blinded Mi Hongjun. How could he dare to disagree now, for fear that Qin Xiang would not let him play? He nodded quickly and said, "I'll listen to Sister Xiangxiang."
When Qin Yang heard this name, he looked at Mi Hongjun warily, which made Mi Hongjun shudder.
Not long after, Deputy Director He came and said directly, "The director agreed. I will ask Director Feng to pick up the goods for you."
Qin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and made another request, "Look, I don't have anything to do. I see there's a cart in our warehouse. Can you lend it to me?"
Deputy Director He was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. Director Feng waved his hand and said, "Take it."
He even thoughtfully brought out a battery-powered speaker for Qin Xiang, "This is a good thing. Our factory director brought it back from Yangcheng. I'll lend it to you."
Qin Xiang's eyes suddenly lit up. This was a good thing. It could save her from drooling. It would be great if she could buy one. Then she could tie it around her waist when she went to the market and shout at any time.
Time waits for no one. Deputy Director He quickly took the contract and looked at the terms carefully. Qin Xiang signed and stamped his handprint neatly, and instantly he was in debt of 2,500 yuan.
Looking at the numbers, Qin Yang broke out in a cold sweat for Qin Xiang, and Sun Tieshu was speechless with shock. Twenty-five hundred yuan? His monthly salary was one hundred yuan, which would take more than two years of salary even if he didn't eat or drink.
Such a young girl actually had such courage. Just for this courage, he was convinced. As long as Qin Xiang could really sell the clothes and make money this time, he would definitely establish a good relationship with her in the future.
Qin Xiang asked Mi Hongjun to move her coat, pants and socks onto the cart, filling it up.
Qin Xiang, still unsatisfied with the shabby shuttle bus, borrowed two large pieces of cardboard and wrote on them with charcoal: "Factory clearance, one piece for eight yuan, two pieces for fifteen yuan!" At the bottom, she also wrote in bold: "No ticket required."
After writing, he put the sign on the cart and put the horn on his waist. Qin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand, "Let's go to the market."
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