Chapter 92
Zhou Jiani smiled: "Uncle, you are quite upright now."
When he entered the department store and filled his bag with food, he kept straightening his jacket, rolling up his sleeves, and adjusting his hat, for fear that the people in the city would laugh at him.
In order to come to the provincial capital, he had changed into a set of half-new clothes. The color of the blue hat he usually wore on the top of his head was almost faded. This time he specially wore the hat that his son bought for him in the first half of this year, and he also wore a new pair of cloth shoes.
"Update your clothes for the New Year." Sheng Manliang watched as a few more foreigners came in.
However, Comrade Xiao Zhou reminded him that when he meets foreigners, he should not stare at them too much, as it is impolite, and he should just give them a symbolic glance.
So it was still okay to put away the full bag of grain, take a quick glance and move it away quickly.
I found this strange, thinking that foreigners were just foreigners. Although they all had two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth, they just looked different from them.
Their hair is also a different color from theirs. Well, I used to only hear people say that foreigners have yellow hair, and their hair is indeed quite yellow.
It’s more impactful than the foreigners I saw in the photos last time.
Sheng Manliang didn't stare at it intently. He stood there thinking, his eyes and nose focused, and he felt that this trip was really worth it.
Soon Director Zou came out from inside and said with a smile from a distance: "Hello, Comrade Xiao Zhou, hello, nice to see you again."
"Hello, Director Zou. I hope this hasn't interfered with your other work."
"No, no, no, besides, isn't this also work? Haha!"
The two shook hands, and Zhou Jiani introduced him to Sheng Manliang. She smiled and said, "I've brought the craftsmen from our village with me. If there's anything that's not appropriate when we put it on display, or if Director Zou needs to adjust the concept or creativity, please let us know. We'll make changes when we get back."
Director Zou shook hands with Sheng Manliang, and feeling the calloused hand, he said with deep emotion, "I dare not, I dare not. When it comes to weaving, Comrade Sheng is the real expert."
The man was so excited that his nose was sweating. His mind was blank and he couldn't say anything else. He just kept repeating, "No, no!"
"Comrade Xiao Zhou, how about this... let's go and try setting it up?" Director Zou looked at Zhou Jiani and said.
Sheng Manliang looked at Comrade Xiao Zhou awkwardly. No one told him to come in. Should he follow or not?
Zhou Jiani said naturally, "Uncle, this chair is heavy. You carry it and I'll get a stool." She then reminded him, "Be careful not to bump into the door frame when you enter."
"Hey, hey, hey." How could Sheng Manliang not hear that Comrade Xiao Zhou was reminding him to keep up? He swiftly picked up the chair and put the smallest storage stool on it before doing so, so that he could take two items himself.
In fact, he was the main person who took the things when they came here. After all, Comrade Xiao Zhou was a female comrade, so she took the lighter ones. But now Comrade Xiao Zhou's deliberate actions were a disguised way of speaking in his favor.
I guess Comrade Xiao Zhou knew that he really wanted to go in and take a look, so he blurred the process of the inquiry.
Before coming, he secretly asked Zhang Laosi for advice, wanting to ask if there was anything he needed to pay attention to. Zhang Laosi said there was no advice at all. Is it necessary to ask for advice from this or that when there is Comrade Xiao Zhou?
What Zhang Laosi said is really right.
The fact is, Director Zou did hesitate for a moment, but ultimately said nothing. He picked up another stool and took the two of them inside.
Shengmanliang breathed a sigh of relief.
When we entered the lobby of the Friendship Store, we felt like our legs were floating after filling our bags with food.
He thought the department store was good enough, but he didn't expect that the Friendship Store was even better.
Moreover, most of the things behind the counter were things he had never seen before, and they looked very strange to him.
But I also remembered what Comrade Xiao Zhou said, that I shouldn’t stare at her too long, for fear that the teller would be unhappy.
However, the tellers here looked happier than those in department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives. Even if they made eye contact, they would smile. He was so panicked that he quickly smiled and nodded in response.
There were not many customers in the Friendship Store at this time today, and there were not many people in the lounge. Director Zou led them to put the new furniture in.
There are three stools of different shapes, and the lids are all made of patchwork fabrics, which are the best fabrics Zhou Jiani found from scraps of cloth. The effect looks pretty good so far.
In addition to the stool, there is also a woven chair with armrests, legs and a backrest. A small drawer is added in the middle of the woven chair to store needles and thread.
And this time it is not the original color. After being bleached with sulfur, some areas were painted with tung oil and color patterns were added. It matches the original furniture in the lounge very well, and the effect is amazing.
Director Zou also exclaimed in admiration: "It looks good, it really does look good. Comrade Xiao Zhou, if you follow this path for your products, you won't go wrong!"
He was admiring it when a foreigner walked in. After seeing the storage stool, he started asking questions to the translator beside him.
The translator nodded and asked Director Zou, "Is this a new item in the store? Which counter is it at? Why didn't I see it just now?"
Mr. John came here last Monday and today is his second time visiting the Friendship Store. He remembered that these new furniture were not available when he came in to rest a few days ago, but he saw them as soon as he came in today.
Zhou Jiani's eyes lit up. She glanced at Director Zou first, then smiled and said after Director Zou gestured for her to speak: "This is a sample. In addition to its stool function, it also has storage function. However, if you want it, you have to customize it now, so you may have to wait for a while."
She went forward and lifted the lid of the stool to show them. The foreigner was very interested. He went over to try sitting on it, then lifted the lid himself to see, and chatted with the translator. The translator asked, "Mr. John has a flight tomorrow and doesn't have time to wait for customization. Can he buy this pair of high and low stools directly?"
This pair of high and low stools are the basic large and small sizes, but because of the added color patterns, they look better than the original color.
Zhou Jiani looked at Director Zou again. Now that the samples had been delivered, they had to respect the Friendship Store's wishes as a sign of respect. Director Zou nodded and smiled, "Of course!"
The shop opened on the spot. Not only Zhou Jiani was surprised, but Sheng Manliang who was standing next to her was so excited that he didn't dare to breathe. After the foreigner took the things and left, he wrinkled his nose and slowly grinned.
Director Zou smiled and said, "Well, I told you, if you follow this path, you won't go wrong. Congratulations, it's a great start!"
"Thank you, thank you!" Zhou Jiani said with a smile, "It's also thanks to you for providing us with this platform. Not all channel leaders are willing to give us such an opportunity. Thank you again, Director Zou."
"Comrade Zhou's idea is great, and your product is great too!" Director Zou laughed. "Looks like you need to speed up production!"
Last time he thought this young comrade was smart. When he met him again today, he found that he was not only smart but also considerate. He did not lose his composure just because the foreign guests liked their products, but behaved politely.
Sheng Manliang's voice trembled with excitement, and he was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He said, "We have to hold on tight, we have to hold on tight!"
I didn’t expect that the foreigners would take a fancy to my product as soon as I came in. This is such a great recognition of the product!
So Comrade Xiao Zhou is very far-sighted. Providing samples to the Friendship Store for free is a very cost-effective deal.
After coming out of the lounge, Zhou Jiani, after obtaining Director Zou's consent, took a full bowl of grain to the woven handicraft counter to take a look at the actual products.
The cashier at the Friendship Store was very friendly. Not only did they not give them a cold shoulder, they also took out a few products for them to observe up close.
Sheng Manliang knew that this was what Zhang Laosi meant by "eye-opening". After Zhang Laosi returned that time, he added a new weaving method and taught it to them.
So he quickly held his breath and observed and pondered carefully.
Zhou Jiani took a walk around the area and was still envious when she saw these rare things again.
I didn’t have foreign exchange coupons last time, but now I have them, but I still can’t buy them.
The settlement payment for the two stools just now was made with foreign exchange coupons, and Director Zou helped set the price. Director Zou did not use the Friendship Store's account and let them keep it themselves.
If we don’t spend it, we have to take it back to motivate everyone.
So she'd continue to be jealous, but sooner or later she'd have to find a way to get the goods from the Friendship Store.
After coming out of the Friendship Store, he looked back again and again with excitement, but when he went back to the department store, he was very calm.
——Because I had an appointment here, I just took a quick look around the first floor and didn’t wander around freely.
On the way, he suddenly realized what was happening and asked Zhou Jiani, "Xiao Zhou, why do those foreigners smell so good?"
He was too close to the foreigner, and even felt that the foreigner's fragrance was a bit strong, but considering that the foreigner bought a storage stool, he forced himself not to sneeze.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Perfume."
"What? What kind of water smells so good?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "It's a cosmetic, just like the incense our ancestors used to use. It has similar effects."
Sheng Manliang said repeatedly: "I have learned a lot, I have learned a lot. If I hadn't come to the provincial capital, who would have known that water could be so fragrant!"
Although I have never seen what perfume looks like, I have smelled it and almost sneezed.
I went back to the department store and took a careful look around, filling my stomach with food and also bought some gifts for my family.
Go out from here and go to the station to buy tickets, take photos and check in to complete the process.
After buying the ticket for the evening, Zhou Jiani asked Sheng Manliang to wait in the photo studio while she went home alone.
On the way, he found a corner and took out some rice noodles and vermicelli that he had bought at the market two days ago from the warehouse. He also took out half a pound of tea, put them in a woven bag and carried it back.
Jiang Xinfeng was waiting for her eldest granddaughter at home. Looking at the things she brought back, she asked curiously, "Oh, where did you buy this?"
Zhou Jiani winked at her grandmother with a look that said, "You know what I mean." Jiang Xinfeng understood and chuckled, adding another warning, "Be careful. Your mother told me the other day that a factory worker went to the black market to buy some eggs from a fellow villager. Unfortunately, she was caught. They accused her of violating the unified purchase and marketing policy. The factory leader went to her and interceded for her, but in the end, she was fined a month's worth of meat coupons. Tell me, is that dangerous?"
Zhou Jiani said seriously: "Don't worry, grandma, I will be careful."
Her family not only left her glutinous rice and lotus root, but also braised pork, so that she could eat it on the way or when she got home.
Zhou Jiani didn't plan to take the braised pork. She said, "Grandma, I actually have more opportunities to eat meat in the countryside than in the city. From now on, you can save your meat tickets and eat them yourself."
She had money, so whenever she wanted to eat, she would go to the state-owned restaurant in town.
Jiang Xinfeng refused and said, "It's your convenience. Your family is so far away and can't take care of you. If you don't take it, your mother will be upset."
The granddaughter always takes things back and now she doesn’t want the money. Jiang Xinfeng thinks a few pieces of braised pork are nothing.
Zhou Jiani couldn't resist and finally took it with her.
"The lunch box you brought back last time is just right for me."
Didn’t she buy several lunch boxes that time? When she packed the pork meatballs back, she didn’t take them away and left them at home.
Taking two lunch boxes and six steamed buns made of two-grain flour, Zhou Jiani was sent to the dormitory door by her grandmother. She left without looking back, gave some dried cowpeas to Teacher Meng, and then hurried to the station.
In the evening, when Yu Huifang came home from get off work and confirmed that her daughter had returned to the countryside, she felt a little disappointed.
Jiang Xinfeng took out the rice noodle wrappers and vermicelli noodles at the right time and whispered, "Nini brought them back this afternoon."
Yu Huifang felt much better and said in surprise, "It's quite a lot."
I plan to have a meal tomorrow, and then have a meal when my daughter comes back next time, and save the rest for the New Year.
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