Chapter 125
At such an important moment, Zhou Jiani would not miss the opportunity to show off. She brought a photographer with her and took a photo to use as material for reporter Qiu when publishing it in the newspaper in the future. Of course, it might not be used, but if it was needed, she couldn't take a photo right away, right?
Even if they don't need it, they are happy to appreciate it, and it adds another piece to the wall of honor.
The first batch of export products was given special attention from top to bottom, and the city leaders even called to ask a few questions, so this batch of goods was made by the elite craftsmen in the factory, not only Zhang Laosi and his friends, but also recognized experts who came to work from other communes.
Zhou Jiani asked Zhang Laosi's second son Zhang Qianjin and Liu Daniu to develop new products such as wastepaper baskets, soap boxes and small flower baskets.
These direct disciples who were previously considered the second echelon have made considerable progress during this period, and we must allow them to start trying to research new products based on the blueprints.
Liu Daniu was figuring out how to weave a flower basket frame when he asked Zhou Jiani, "Chief Zhou, isn't this flower basket a little small? It can't hold much."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "We'll release large, medium, and small sizes. We'll see which one sells best and then focus on that."
Zhang Qianjin was trying to weave a soap box and said with a smile, "Do foreigners also buy a pair of soap boxes when they get married, just like us? But here, plastic ones are popular, big red boxes with double happiness printed on them. The colors of this weaving are too plain..."
He was thinking that once he finally managed to weave it, he would go home and weave two for his family to use as soap. But he wanted long ones, because his family only bought long bars of soap.
Zhou Jiani felt a pang of sadness in her heart, and smiled, "In a few years, we'll definitely be able to buy whatever we want, with no limit on how much we can afford. We don't have to get married to get it."
Zhang Qianjin's face was filled with longing. He smiled and said, "Oh, that would be great! I'm looking forward to that day. It would be like living like a god."
Zhou Jiani has been hanging out at the weaving factory lately, and has learned some simple techniques. She casually braids her hair with a straw rope and says with a smile, "Then let's all work hard together and live a life like a fairy sooner rather than later."
The others laughed.
The guard came in and called her, saying that Lu Zhaoliang was looking for her.
After moving to the factory, taking advantage of Liu Ailing's theft incident, not only were more guards added, but also more rules and regulations. Not everyone who wanted to come in could come in. They had to let the guard in and ask, and only after approval could they be allowed in. If they were looking for someone, they had to leave.
Of course, most of the time, I agree.
Zhou Jiani raised her eyebrows. There had been no movement since he took the batch of bamboo products from her. She was almost doubting that she had guessed wrong, but she didn't expect that he would finally show up.
She got up and went out, and saw Lu Zhaoliang waiting there. When he saw her come out, he smiled and greeted her: "Chief Zhou, are you busy?"
The Qianjin Brigade is very powerful now. Some time ago, he heard the villagers talking about something called "Guokou" and thought they were the storage stools borrowed from the Friendship Store. Unexpectedly, they were the baskets that were commonly sold.
The export company even came to visit and signed a contract. The day before yesterday, he went to a meeting at the county supply and marketing cooperative, and people there asked about it, and even he felt a sense of pride.
Of course, this matter had nothing to do with him, and he didn't need to worry about getting orders. He couldn't get any extra goods. Now he wanted to talk to Comrade Zhou to use his connections and ask about the bamboo products.
Those things had been sold out long ago. It could be said that no one had heard a word about them after they were distributed to several supply and marketing cooperatives. Instead, the tellers came to him and asked when the next batch would be available. Although those things did not cost much, each one was very rare.
After pondering it for several days, he finally came up with an idea. He walked over to Zhou Jiani and handed her two leather shoe tickets very politely, saying with a smile: "Section Chief Zhou, you've been running around for the village's business, so you must have worn out a lot of shoes. Take these and buy a pair of shoes..."
Zhou Jiani raised her eyebrows, confiscated it, and politely declined, saying with a smile, "Comrade Lu, just say what you want to say. This is not the way we serve the people. Don't hurt me."
Lu Zhaoliang was afraid that if any more villagers saw him pushing and shoving, it would have a bad impact, so he temporarily withdrew his attention, scratched his head, and said with a smile, "That's right, Comrade Zhou, can you help me get a batch of bamboo products?"
That’s really the case.
Zhou Jiani certainly couldn't agree right away, so she smiled and said, "My friend is an educated youth who went to the countryside. He doesn't have a job. It's okay for him to help me exchange some small items, but I'm afraid it's difficult to ship in large quantities."
Then he asked, "How about asking her to help ask the local government about a public-to-public negotiation? How much can you bring in at once?"
Lu Zhaoliang was slightly stunned, his mind was really spinning. This was the first time he had formally discussed cooperation with Comrade Zhou. Although Comrade Zhou seemed to be smiling, he could tell at a glance that Zhou Jiani was not as easy to talk to as he had imagined.
He quickly laughed and said, "The amount I want is definitely not large enough to alarm the local government..."
He thought that with this kind of small-scale bartering, and the ready-made transportation routes, he could take a little with him on each trip. As a purchaser, he could get some of these rare little gadgets, which would be something to talk about when he went out.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "That's a bit difficult. You know, although some self-produced and self-sold products are not so strictly managed, if they really run into a serious investigation, wouldn't that cause trouble for my friend? Even if we don't discuss it formally, the procedures must be..."
When Lu Zhaoliang heard that this was possible, he hurriedly said, "The procedures are fine. There's absolutely no problem with this. Just issue any letter you need, and I can provide any documents you need."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "That's easier for me to talk to. But does Comrade Lu have any ideas for transportation?"
Lu Zhaoliang: ...
Seeing Zhou Jiani's smiling eyes, his little plan was immediately exposed. He smiled sheepishly and said, "Well... ahem, can you please take advantage of Comrade Zhou? We will cover the expenses and will definitely not let you suffer any loss."
Zhou Jiani thought for a moment and said, "You should go find Comrade Qiu. Transportation is his way. You'll have to ask him about the specific situation."
Lu Zhaoliang thought to himself, it’s just a matter of your saying something to him. Everyone in the village knows that you two are dating.
But then I thought, why should Comrade Zhou say a word for him?
"Okay, then I'll go talk to Comrade Qiu. If the transportation can be negotiated, Comrade Zhou will then have to talk to your friend."
Zhou Jiani nodded. She also needed the support of the supply and marketing cooperative, so she would not refuse.
She had put the bamboo tube cup up for sale in the group when she started the group sale, priced at one yuan and eighty yuan each, and it was sold out in seconds.
She was still thinking about engraving the cup, and wondered if Li Yan had found such a craftsman.
Lu Zhaoliang wanted to give the two shoe tickets to Zhou Jiani, but Zhou Jiani refused. She said that once the transportation deal was done and the matter was officially finalized, she would have her own conditions.
Lu Zhaoliang scratched his head and left, thinking about how to give the two shoe tickets away. He would feel uneasy if Comrade Zhou didn't accept them.
I went to find Qiu Zeming, thinking that men were easier to talk to. I lit a cigarette, chatted about all sorts of things, and then treated him to a drink. That would almost certainly work out.
As it turned out, Qiu Zeming was even more difficult to deal with than Zhou Jiani. He first said that he did not smoke, and then said that the weather was bad and he was worried about snowing. What if he drank too much and slept too deeply at night and delayed things? He also refused to drink, and asked him to discuss the transportation issue directly with the transportation team in two days.
It was so frustrating to try to help Lu Zhaoliang that all he could do was wait.
However, he also understood the meaning of waiting. The other party did not intend to let him take advantage of it, but just help to make some connections. The cost might be higher than he expected. It seemed that his little plan would fail. It was so cunning.
He still has to go to the leader for approval. Of course, this shouldn't be a problem, but... he originally wanted to spend a little money to do something big to let the leader see his ability... Oh, if he had known earlier, he would have come to build relationships in advance. This temporary favor is so heartless!
Zhou Jiani first wrote a letter to Li Yan. In addition to asking about the progress of her work, she also mentioned in the letter that Lu Zhaoliang had come to see her. She helped her analyze the pros and cons of this matter and asked her to think about it. If she planned to do this, she should also think about how to proceed in advance.
If that doesn't work, she'll think of other ways and find other ways.
In short, she must borrow the help of the supply and marketing cooperative.
As soon as the letter was sent, Xin Guangrong called. He said, "Comrade Zhou, the suitcases produced by your factory are of very good quality. I feel good using them. Almost everyone who sees them says they are beautiful. Even people in Hai City are full of praise. They have very high standards over there. They even asked me where I bought them. Your product is really successful."
Zhou Jiani held the microphone and said with a smile, "That's great, Chief Xin. Please tell me in detail about your experience. Don't hesitate to tell me if there are any shortcomings. I will record them so that I can make improvements."
Xin Guangrong said, "No, no, it's very good, very good. Our factory is ready to place an order with you."
Zhou Jiani raised an eyebrow, this was unexpected, and said with a smile: "Place an order? Chief Xin, do you want to order a basket?"
Xin Guangrong: "No, no, no, we're planning to order a few of these suitcases from you in the factory's name as gifts for the technicians who come to instruct us on textile production. We used to give them cloth or buy some local specialties, but now, isn't this going to let our leader see the suitcases I'm using? Plus, it was just a coincidence that the technical director from Hai City was there too. He saw my suitcases and praised them, and the next day, our leader came to me to ask about them... ahem, this isn't... he wanted me to try them out. I don't know the specific price."
He wanted to hint to Zhou Jiani to agree with him.
Zhou Jiani suppressed a smile. Hearing his lack of confidence, she immediately said seriously, "Yes, Chief Xin, our product trials have been approved by our local commune, and our county is also aware of it. We even hired a few more briefcase trialists a few days ago. When new styles come out, we'll collect the old samples and find people to try the new ones."
Recycling is impossible, but adding this statement will make the matter different when asked by outsiders.
Xin Guangrong smiled and said, "Your company has put a lot of effort into testing product quality."
Zhou Jiani sighed, "There's nothing we can do. Some new products must pass trial testing and feedback to ensure they meet quality standards before they can be officially put into production. However, our trial users are also qualified. People like you who travel frequently and use them frequently are our target. People like my dad who keep them at home to appreciate them are out of the question..."
"Haha!" It was the first time that Xin Guangrong knew that giving a gift could be explained in such a refreshing and refined way. He felt very relieved and said that it had been approved by the commune, as if it were true.
Zhou Jiani continued, "But now that we're discussing cooperation, we're on a business-to-business basis. I'll ask our factory leader about the price before I get back to you."
"That's as it should be. Give me a quote later and I'll report to our leader."
In addition to placing an order, Xin Guangrong also made this call to get some information: the floral fabric from their factory was about to be made available to municipal units. If she planned to help the local authorities, she would let them know in advance so that they could be prepared. If she didn't need this information, then forget it.
How could it not be used?
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Thank you, Chief Xin. I'll get you a sample of the briefcase later. It's a great gift, actually. Let's take a look at both the men's and women's models. What if you have female technicians coming down here? Of course, before that, please find two men and women who use briefcases frequently to help test the quality of the product..."
Xin Guangrong's hearty laughter came from the other end. "Yeah, good, good. By the way, the factory is preparing two new patterns of cloth this time. I'll keep them for your company when the time comes. If you need any defective cloth, we can also allocate another batch."
Zhou Jiani said seriously, "Our local fellow villagers really need it. I would like to thank Chief Xin on behalf of our local fellow villagers."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Tong on the other end said sincerely, "Comrade Xiao Zhou, I really need to learn from your speaking skills."
He also pushed the notebook on the table: "I took notes."
Zhou Jiani shamelessly said, worried about the country and the people, "There's nothing we can do. The competitive pressure is too great. If we don't fight for it, how can we achieve freedom of use of cloth?"
Liu Tong could hear Zhou Jiani's words, but not Xin Guangrong's. He recalled Xiao Zhou's words into the microphone: "The local villagers really need it." Combined with the thought of "freedom to use cloth," his heart skipped a beat. "You just said the local villagers need..."
"cloth."
Liu Tong slammed his hand suddenly, and it was true!
He said excitedly, "Great! It's spring now, and the weather will get warmer. I need some thin fabrics."
Zhou Jiani glanced at him and said, "I'm not free to this extent yet."
You just take whatever people give you, there's no reason to be picky.
Zhou Jiani looked around and didn't see Zhang Baosheng. She asked, "Where is the captain?"
Liu Tong: "The team leader has been so busy these past two days that he's been nowhere to be seen. I don't know if he's in the village overseeing the construction of the primary school or checking the progress of the road construction outside the village. If you're worried, just shout through the loudspeaker."
"No, I'll think about it." Zhou Jiani got up and went to the factory to find Li Jingdang to apply for trial products and discuss the pricing of the suitcases.
She had to ask the factory leaders to decide whether to follow the purchase price reported to the department store or the sales price with a slight reduction.
Finally, the retail price was reduced by 10% and reported to Xin Guangrong.
He called back the next day and asked for ten suitcases and asked if there were any smaller ones.
Zhou Jiani answered the phone and said firmly: "Yes!"
They are all made on the spot and are available in any size you want.
Finally, he agreed to let Xiaohao come out and deliver a sample to them, then hung up the phone.
Afterwards, I told Zhang Baosheng about the floral cloth. If I gave it to a municipal unit, they would definitely not be able to apply for it. Zhang Baosheng said, "Can we use that basket you mentioned?"
Zhou Jiani shook her head and said, "Let Director Zhai pass this information on."
It would be better to sell this news to the commune than to the city, as they are his direct superiors after all.
This is different from selling things directly to the provincial capital without going through the county or city. Procurement involves government departments, and it would not be good for her to jump in without telling the government.
Zhang Baosheng nodded and dialed the number to the commune. Zhai Xiangqiang took a deep breath. Knowing that the information was provided by a unit that cooperated with the weaving factory, he took it very seriously and said quickly, "Okay, I'll tell my superiors."
As for whether she could get it, Zhou Jiani didn't care. After Zhang Laosi and his team worked overtime to complete the export order, she took the briefcase samples, the developed soap box, wastepaper basket, small flower basket and the suitcase for the Second Textile Factory and went to the province.
Zhang Lihai was the one who came to pick up the goods. After meeting up with Zhou Jiani in the provincial capital, he asked, "I heard that this batch of goods is being sent to an export company?"
It was amazing. The products produced by the Qianjin Brigade were getting better and better. He began to think about taking some of the goods to sell in other places.
Zhou Jiani smiled: "There are goods for export companies, goods for two department stores, and goods for the First Textile Factory."
Zhang Lihai was surprised: "What does a textile factory need your baskets for?"
Zhou Jiani: "It's not a basket..." She pointed to the suitcases wrapped in large woven bags on the car, "Their factory ordered a few suitcases from us to use as gifts."
Zhang Lihai suddenly realized, "Oh, this suitcase is theirs?" He then said, "I also ordered a few from you, but your production capacity is really a problem."
It's a problem, and we're going to solve it next.
Gifts from big factories... This is also an option. Once the diversion is done and the overall output increases, she can consider going in this direction.
Including the soap boxes that the factory had successfully made, she asked Qiu Zeming to send a pair to the comrade at the soap factory and ask if their factory had any needs in this regard, such as soap that came with a soap box to improve its quality.
When we sent it, my colleagues at the factory were worried, saying, "What if they just use our ideas and start cooperating with the plastics factory?"
Zhou Jiani laughed: "The comrades from the soap factory couldn't even get through the door when they went to the plastic factory to buy goods."
She went to the export company to deliver the goods first. She arrived early and waited at the door for a while before Director Wang came in on a bicycle with the briefcase sample that Zhou Jiani had sent her some time ago hanging on the handlebars.
It’s really not ugly.
Seeing Zhou Jiani, she greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Zhou is here, you are quite efficient."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "I was afraid that it would delay your work, so I rushed it out as fast as I could."
Director Wang said, "Okay, I'll get someone to inspect it." He patted the bag on the handlebars and said with a smile, "Go back and prepare. This bag has been added to the export list. After a few days of trial testing, the quality is impeccable, and it has been directly recognized by our foreign friends. I'll start with ten of each, men's and women's."
The day before yesterday, a foreign friend came to select products. When he saw the bag in his hand, Director Wang took the opportunity to talk to him and decided to order ten each to see the response.
Zhou Jiani's face immediately lit up with smiles: "Okay, I'll call back and ask them to speed up the production." She then handed over the soap box, wastepaper basket and small flower basket she had brought.
Director Wang's eyes lit up. These models were among the products selected for export this year, but the ones Zhou Jiani and her team had were different from the styles they were currently exporting. This seemed to be something the Qianjin Brigade had figured out on their own.
How do they know that these little things sell well abroad?
Of course, it doesn’t matter. The more things we export, the better. Although it is from the same series, the styles are different. Let’s bring it in and have a meeting to discuss it.
Zhang Laosi and his people later helped to sort out these small items, and then handed them over to Liu Daniu and his people. They are easier to sort out than the other large items, especially now that we know that the export volume is not large and the impact is not big. We can just ask about them when they are sent to us. If they pass, we will put them on display. If they fail, we will put them aside for now to enrich the exhibition variety of the Canton Fair.
While waiting for the acceptance here, Zhou Jiani and the transport team's car went to the First Textile Factory, where Xin Guangrong was waiting.
As soon as they met, Zhou Jiani apologized, "I'm so sorry. I went to the export company to deliver the goods to them first, which delayed me a bit and kept Xin Ke waiting for a long time."
Xin Guangrong: "Export company? Are your products exported?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Yes, I applied for a few products before, and unexpectedly won every one of them. Today is my first delivery, and the handover procedures are a bit complicated, so it's delayed a bit."
Xin Guangrong was a little surprised, but he also hurriedly said: "Congratulations, your company is really getting better and better."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Thank you, Chief Xin. There's one more thing I need to tell you. I came here today. The export company has added briefcases, and they need to be decorated with fabrics. If nothing goes wrong, I will definitely choose the floral fabrics from your factory. Chief Xin, I will have to come to the factory after I finish my work. Please give us priority for any new styles you have."
Xin Guangrong laughed in surprise and said, "Oh, Comrade Zhou, your factory's development is... great!"
Then he hurriedly said, "Our factory also exports fabrics. I'll ask the leader later and try to apply for a few more patterns for you."
This is what Zhou Jiani meant.
She must let the cooperating units see their development prospects and provide them with good resources as much as possible, even if there are only twenty packages.
But what's wrong with 20 bags? Maybe next time it will be 200.
"Thank you, Chief Xin." Zhou Jiani turned around and took out the two briefcases from another woven bag in the car. She handed them over and said with a smile, "This is the model I mentioned on the phone last time and the one the export company added today. Chief Xin, please help test it!"
Xin Guangrong understood it tacitly, and everything was implied without words.
"I still have to make some deliveries to the department store. I'll come back to bother you when I'm done."
"Comrade Zhou, go ahead and do your work. I'll go report to the leader."
Both parties are very satisfied.
Zhou Jiani got in the car and drove straight to the department store with the remaining goods.
Now there is a lot of goods and many cooperative units, so the delivery trucks no longer just leave the goods at one point and leave as before. Their factories can now afford the freight, so they have to go around to deliver the goods to the destination.
Now the contract with the export company has been signed and the goods have been delivered. Although the inspection results are still unknown, Zhou Jiani is very confident in their goods. It is basically a done deal, so such a glorious event must be fully publicized.
The promotion was not only given to a textile mill, but also to the leaders of two department stores.
Even when I went to settle the payment for the goods, I had to let the accountant know and received a wave of congratulations.
On the other hand, Su Meiqiao knew that they were delivering the goods today, and Zhou Jiani had called her in advance, so she contacted reporter Qiu. When Zhou Jiani was busy and returned to the export company, reporter Qiu was already waiting there with a camera. After completing the required materials today, they could publish the article in the newspaper.
The last time he visited, he not only received a gift, but was later mailed a briefcase. Moreover, it was something he had promised long ago, and it was about promoting rural development. This news was also very interesting, so of course he was willing to cooperate fully.
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