Wang Ting didn't understand what she meant, but still said, "That's simple, it should take about twenty minutes if you're quick."
Gu An'an took out paper and pen and drew a pattern. "What about this one?"
"This is a bit more complicated, it will probably take half an hour to forty minutes."
Wang Ting could tell that Gu An'an might be planning to do something, so she added, "My mom, my grandma, and my aunt all know how."
Wang Ting's maternal grandmother's house is also in Xiaowang Village. Gu An'an took out the small bamboo bag that Wang Laonian had woven for her and said, "I want to decorate this bag with your embroidery. I'll take it to the trade fair to show it off."
Although Xiaowang Village can make a living off the mountains, the season for working in the mountains is very short. If we could provide them with some work to do during the winter, I believe no one would refuse.
"Would foreigners like that?"
It wasn't that she didn't trust Gu An'an, but in her mind, foreigners wanted to eat the best and use the best things, so why would they look down on their stuff?
"Who knows! But I think we can give it a try, though I'm afraid we might not be able to handle the large volume."
Since it's all done by hand, time and manpower are major issues.
“My grandma can teach me. Many of the aunties in the village have learned from her. But they didn’t need it before, so they didn’t put in much effort. But if it can make money, they will definitely be willing to learn properly. It’s not difficult to pick it up again.”
Gu An'an thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll give you some fabric and some patterns tomorrow. You and your aunt can help make them when you have time. We'll make a few samples to test the waters first. If it doesn't work out, we won't lose anything."
Wang Ting naturally disagreed; it wasn't a big deal.
When she returned and told the village chief, Aunt Cuiying immediately told him the news. Knowing that Gu An'an wanted to generate income for the village again, she was very pleased. She immediately discussed it with the village secretary and then found Gu An'an. "What kind of cloth do you want? I'll have Lao Xiao go and find some, and the village will pay for it."
Gu An'an only planned to make four or five samples, which wouldn't require much fabric at all, so paying for it herself wouldn't be a problem. However, since the village chief had said so, she naturally accepted.
After explaining the type of fabric he wanted, the village chief immediately went to get it done, beaming with joy.
Gu An'an went to Wang Laonian's house again and gave him a few patterns. "Uncle Laonian, can these be used to weave cloth?"
Old Wang examined it carefully. "Yes, is it possible? Are you in a hurry?"
"I just need it in the next few days. I want to make a few samples and take them to Guangzhou to see. If foreign businesses take a liking to them, then we'll have another way to earn foreign exchange."
Wang Laonian's eyes widened instantly. "What? Take him to Guangzhou?"
The pressure suddenly increased, and his eyes showed both excitement and hesitation.
Can he really take what he made to Guangzhou? Won't it embarrass Xiao Gu, the educated youth?
Gu An'an noticed his doubts and immediately said, "Uncle Lao Nian, don't worry, your bamboo weaving skills are definitely not a problem. Just do it with confidence, and we'll see if it works or not. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."
That being said, Wang Laonian was still under immense pressure, but the more pressure he was under, the more meticulous he became in his work. When Gu An'an saw the finished product, she couldn't help but praise it as beautiful.
"Young Gu, do you think there's anything that needs to be changed?"
Gu An'an shook her head, "Very good."
She had a feeling that as long as those foreigners weren't blind, this bamboo weaving would definitely sell well.
Once the small bamboo bag is lined and decorated, everyone from young women to newlyweds wants one. Even the village chief's wife said, "Honestly, if I didn't have to work in the fields every day and not need this thing, I would definitely buy a few."
Gu An'an specially made three sizes, large, medium, and small, with some variations in design; she wanted to own every single one.
While she was busy with these things, Chen Jianguo and Wang Dashan also set off.
The Chen family's house was large, and the Chen family members were very warm and hospitable. Knowing that the two had not only visited relatives but also had a mission, they directly invited Wang Dashan to stay at their house as well.
Not only that, Chen's father was very satisfied with the changes in Chen Jianguo, and after hearing about their various interesting stories in Haishi, he directly introduced the two of them.
Of course, they still need to negotiate themselves.
These two are already very happy.
On the way there, Chen Jianguo mentally rehearsed many possible scenarios and wondered how Gu An'an would handle them. Although he was still a little nervous without Gu An'an, he was not flustered when the conversation actually started.
The two successfully secured their first order and excitedly called their family in Northeast China to share the good news, asking the village to arrange delivery before heading off to their next client.
Without Chen's father acting as a go-between, the two had to go door-to-door to talk, and even if they couldn't reach an agreement, they still exchanged contact information.
In this way, the two of them actually closed several deals. Although it wasn't as good as the deal in Haishi, it was still an extremely good result for them.
The two didn't rush back to the village, but moved to another city to continue their business.
Meanwhile, Gu An'an also began preparing for the sheep market trade fair.
The trade fair required setup, and considering the travel time, they unanimously decided to depart a month earlier.
Not only did the people have to leave, but more importantly, the samples had to be transferred. Fortunately, we had access to the channels of a major manufacturer, so these were not problems.
“Gu Zhiqing, over here.”
As soon as the car arrived at Shuangshan City Railway Station, the two factory directors who had been waiting there came up to greet us, "Factory Director Xiao, and Young Gu, the educated youth."
"Factory Manager Zhang, Factory Director Xiao."
After the two groups greeted each other, Zhang, the manufacturer, expressed his excitement first, "Young Gu, we've prepared a lot of dried fruit and jam during this time, and we even asked the chef to make a secret-recipe spicy cabbage, just as you suggested. I don't know if we'll be able to get any orders."
"By the way, that kimchi is pretty good. I figured we'd be on the train for a long time, so I got two big jars to take with us. You can try it later."
Gu An'an readily agreed, "Okay."
Just as Factory Manager Zhang finished speaking, Factory Director Xiao spoke up again, "Gu Zhiqing, did you receive the fabric I asked someone to bring you? What do you think of the pattern?"
Although he thought it was perfect, almost identical to the drawing Gu An'an had made, he still wanted to hear Gu An'an's opinion.
Gu An'an nodded, "They look great. I asked the aunties in the village to make me a few outfits, and everyone says they look amazing."
Upon hearing this, Factory Xiao was immediately relieved. "That's good, that's good. I was worried that there might be problems with the products, which would delay exports and foreign exchange earnings. I would be a sinner in that situation."
Their laughter and joking naturally attracted the attention of others.
"Whose daughter are those two, Lao Zhang and Lao Xiao, surrounding? I've never seen her before."
"Who knows! They're even trying to ingratiate themselves with each other, they're so old, they have no shame."
The speakers were from the Shuangshan City Cotton Mill. They didn't mean any harm in their words, but they felt the two men's expressions were too obsequious.
At that moment, a young man standing next to them spoke.
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