Chapter 71
"Is this... a stool?" Section Chief Wang said uncertainly. Zhou Jiani lifted the lid, revealing the hollow space inside. Then, suddenly realizing, she said, "Oh, a basket."
He leaned over to take a closer look, and asked, not quite understanding, "Is there something wrong with this basket?"
Others in the office came over to look, and they were equally puzzled: "Isn't it finished?" Then they asked, "Isn't the space a bit small?"
The space is small, the overall feeling is very bulky, and there is no strap to carry or back.
Zhou Jiani didn't keep the secret any longer and said with a smile, "It's called a storage stool. It can be used as a stool normally, but you can also put some small things inside. It's practical and beautiful."
Everyone uttered some "Oh" in a long or short voice, and said curiously, "Storage stool? That name sounds strangely foreign."
"It wouldn't be ugly to have a stool like this at home."
"Yeah, your people are really skilled, they can even make a stool like this."
"I have a small round table at home, and I think two of these stools would be a good pairing. It really doesn't look ugly."
Section Chief Wang also found it interesting. He tried sitting on it and found it very sturdy and stable. He stood up, picked up the lid, and took another look. He nodded and said, "Not bad. This combination is an interesting idea."
Zhou Jiani took out a cover from her bag and put it on in front of everyone. She said with a smile, "Wouldn't it look even better if we added some fabric?"
Everyone exclaimed and laughed, "Wow, it feels different."
“It looks good, really good!”
One of the women laughed and said, "Just now I was just thinking that if I bought this stool, I would have to knit a cover for the lid. I didn't expect you guys actually made a cover."
Section Chief Wang nodded with satisfaction, but judging from his judgment, the price of this woven product should not be the same as the basket.
After asking about the price, Section Chief Wang wasn't particularly surprised. He simply analyzed, "Let's not talk about the price for now. Let's just talk about the product. This product is really good. The craftsmanship is excellent, the shape is beautiful, and the design is ingenious. I can't find any faults. It's worth the price. But... let's talk about the price again. I'm afraid there won't be that many customers at this price."
Zhou Jiani nodded. This was within her expectations. However, she didn't discuss it further in front of Liu Tong, fearing that the plan would fail and Bai Tian would be disappointed. She said, "Chief Wang, just put it out as a sample first. I'll come back in a couple of days and we can discuss it in detail."
He added, "I'll be in the provincial capital for a few days. If you have anything, you can call me at the Second Spinning Mill."
"Okay, I'll have someone take it to the shelf and put it there. If anyone asks, just ask the cashier to introduce it." Section Chief Wang originally wanted to say that the sales volume of this storage stool was not that high and it could not be considered as the new model discussed at that time, but after hearing Zhou Jiani's next words, he vaguely felt that Comrade Zhou might have other things that were not discussed, so let's talk about it next time.
"The order is still based on the last ratio. If you need to add an order or the application for a formal contract has a result, I will call you." Section Chief Wang did not hesitate and placed another order on the spot.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Okay, happy cooperation!"
“It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
After leaving her parents' names and information, Zhou Jiani took Liu Tong to the finance department to collect the payment for the goods.
There were several people waiting for settlement on the finance side, and they were delayed for some time. During the waiting time, Liu Tong stared at the handover process and account records without blinking, with shock and a strong desire for knowledge in his eyes.
When it was their turn, Liu Tong received the remaining payment from the previous purchase and part of the current payment. He carefully counted them and carefully put them away. After following Zhou Jiani out, he whispered, "Their accounting method is so professional. The income and expenditure are clear at a glance. It's clearer than my account book."
He was chosen as the accountant simply because Liu Tong had the highest academic qualifications in the village and was good at arithmetic, but he had never studied professional accounting, so he figured it out on his own. Over the years, he got used to his own way of keeping accounts, and the village cadres were also used to it and could understand how he kept accounts.
But even though he understood it, he still lacked professionalism and rigor.
Zhou Jiani said, "As the factory gets bigger and business increases, the related accounts will become more and more complicated. How about I take you to the bookstore after I'm done with this and buy you some books on finance and accounting?"
Liu Tong nodded: "Okay!"
Indeed, when their weaving factory gets established, there will definitely be more and more accounts involved. Without some professional knowledge, it will be a mess to report work to the leaders in the future.
Liu Tong felt nervous and thought that if he couldn't buy it from the bookstore, he would ask Comrade Xiao Zhou to help him think of other ways.
The two of them went downstairs. Zhang Laosi stood up and said, "Did you get the money?"
Seeing that the two men had nothing in their hands, he asked again, "Would you all like to sell us a stool?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Let's put out the samples first, but I'll go back and make the ones I ordered before. When we get new business, I'll call you back and we can discuss it together."
Zhang Laosi nodded.
Liu Tong smiled and shared the good news with him: "They placed another 100 orders, the same ratio as last time. It seems that we are making the right decision to expand the scale."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "The formal contract is also secured."
Good news came one after another, and Zhang Laosi was very happy and kept saying, "Good, good!"
Zhou Jiani waved her hand and said, "Let's go to the department store!"
The two followed her back to the South Building lobby.
During this time, the hall was already crowded with people. The previous queues were all in disarray. Everyone swarmed in front of the counter, shouting and clamoring, making it a mess.
The teller didn't care and really couldn't handle it.
They walked along the counters with fewer people and when they came to the counter selling thermoses, Zhou Jiani even greeted the clerk there.
The two men responded enthusiastically when they saw Zhou Jiani. They knew that the baskets pushed in by this comrade were selling very well. They didn't get one last time. This time they saw Zhou Jiani and heard that the goods had been delivered. They quickly asked a nearby colleague to help them keep an eye on it and went to the counter selling woven baskets.
Liu Tong bought a pen and a scarf for his wife.
Zhang Laosi took a look and bought the same one after comparing them.
The pen is for his grandson who just entered junior high school, and the scarf is for his wife.
When they walked to the woven basket counter, they saw that there were also many people gathered there, all buying the goods they had just delivered. The two of them looked proud and squeezed over to see other styles of woven products sold there.
Liu Tong only looked at the fineness of the weaving, but Zhang Laosi was different. He held the basket and looked at other people's embossing techniques. Although the general styles were the same, the weaving methods were different. He watched and pondered.
I also found a few wicker baskets, and I felt that he could use some of the techniques.
These two people demonstrated vividly that while laymen watch the excitement, experts see the details.
When Zhang Laosi came out of the crowd after watching, he still looked puzzled.
Seeing him looking thoughtful, Zhou Jiani asked with a smile, "Uncle Si, how's that basket weaving?"
Zhang Laosi's face was serious as he nodded and said, "The weaving method is very ingenious, and the level is higher than mine. It is very worth learning."
"Secretary Li said the other day that there's a knitwear exchange meeting going on. When there's another one, we can all go and observe and learn."
"Okay!" Zhang Laosi approved of this method. Even though he only looked at a few models, he felt that he had broadened his horizons.
Zhou Jiani took them for a walk upstairs, then took a bus to the Second Department Store.
Upon seeing Zhou Jiani, Director Xiao half-jokingly said, "Comrade Zhou, when can you increase your production? It's taken so long to get only twenty or so. That's not very efficient."
This time Zhang Laosi came up and helped carry things.
When I heard someone ask this, I felt a hint of pride in my heart. This was not disgust, but it just showed that their products were good and they were anxious to sell them, so they were urging me to pay.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "We're already expanding. When we get back this time, we'll adjust our measures and continue to expand. Otherwise, with the one hundred baskets at the First Department Store and the remaining seventy or eighty here, we'll be really busy."
Zhang Laosi felt a little ashamed when he heard this. It was a good thing Comrade Xiao Zhou had given them a good scolding last time, and it was a timely one. They'd been focusing on training their staff recently, and their shipping speed had increased significantly compared to before. If they had put aside their pride and devoted themselves to training from the beginning, they'd definitely be delivering even more goods by now.
Fortunately, it didn't take too long and adjustments were made in time, and now the results are showing.
Director Xiao also heard the subtext and said in surprise, "No way? Lao Wang placed another order?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Another order slip was issued on the spot, and the application for the formal contract was submitted in advance."
Director Xiao scratched his head and said unhappily, "Next time you deliver goods, come to our side first so we can get ahead. You go there first, and then we come here, so we're always second. Even though we're the second department store, we can't be in the order, right?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Okay, okay. We'll deliver the goods together next time."
Leaving these twenty baskets behind, I showed them the storage stools. The situation was similar to that of the First Department Store. They all recognized it, but were not optimistic about it.
But it's no problem when it comes to sample display.
However, Director Xiao suddenly became more cautious and decided to change his approach to compete with the First Department Store. He asked Zhou Jiani, "Besides these styles, do you have any new styles that we don't have here? We can order a batch first."
Zhou Jiani's eyes lit up and she looked at Zhang Laosi.
Zhang Laosi picked up the lace basket and excitedly gestured while explaining, "There's a basket similar to this one, but this one isn't solid, it's hollow. There's a flower pattern woven into the middle, which is also very beautiful."
He picked up the square slanted basket and said, "There's another one that's similar to this one, but it doesn't have the slant. It's a square basket with curved corners. It's also beautiful. It sells very well in our village supply and marketing cooperative."
Director Xiao's eyes lit up and he said, "Okay, we'll order fifty of the hollow ones and twenty of the square ones, plus the ones left over from the last order. We'll have them shipped as soon as possible."
Zhang Laosi's hands trembled with excitement as he said repeatedly, "Okay, okay!"
Zhou Jiani signed the contract with them, and the price was comparable to the previous lace baskets and beveled square baskets.
Coming out of the office, Zhang Laosi couldn't help lighting his pipe and grinning the whole time.
Even though he didn't sleep much last night, he looks very energetic now.
He took them for a walk around the Second Department Store. Zhang Laosi also went to take a look at the weaving counter there. Seeing that it was similar to the one in the First Department Store, he didn't stay there long and followed Comrade Xiao Zhou out of the Second Department Store.
Zhang Laosi was a little impatient to go back, so he suggested going to the station to buy a ticket for the evening.
Zhou Jiani refused, saying, "You all didn't sleep last night. Even the strongest man wouldn't be able to endure another night. We're carrying the payment for the goods, so it's not safe. So, this afternoon, I'll take you on a nice stroll around the provincial capital. Let's see the sights that the captain didn't have time to see last time. Then you can go and envious of the captain when we get back. We'll go to the guesthouse to rest tonight and take the bus back tomorrow morning."
Liu Tongdao: "Listen to Comrade Xiao Zhou."
Zhang Laosi didn't have any objections when he heard this, but he asked a little embarrassedly, "Is the photo studio at the station open tomorrow morning?"
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