“The venue closes at six o’clock… an hour is too tight.” Shen Xiuzhu followed her and hurried to the venue to find their booth location.
The two searched for a long time before finally finding Poly's booth in the innermost corner of the exhibition hall.
Holding the instruction card in her hand, Shen Mingzhi said to Shen Xiuzhu, "Our booth wasn't originally located here..."
"Who is in charge of the booth? Can we get in touch with them?" Shen Xiuzhu noticed that their booth was in Hall 3, and according to the order of each booth, they were in a relatively central position.
But now they've been assigned to exhibition hall number eight, or even seat number twenty, with the wall behind them.
Some people enter this exhibition hall, see the walls stretching from one end to the other, and lose interest in going all the way to the end.
Shen Mingzhi frowned and said, "Will they answer if I contact them?"
"Let's call and ask first," Shen Xiuzhu said. "They're obviously taking advantage of the fact that we're a domestic brand, so they're not giving us good seats."
Shen Mingzhi could only go with him to the outside of the venue to call the person in charge of the exhibition hall.
After the call connected, she spoke first, "Hello, I'm Shen Mingzhi, the deputy factory director of Baoli. Do you remember me?"
"I don't remember. There are so many factories and so many merchants in the exhibition hall. How could I possibly remember them all?" the other person said coldly.
Their attitude is completely different when it comes to collecting money.
Shen Mingzhi gritted her teeth and said to the other party, "Director Xu, I paid 20,000 yuan, and you told me that our booth was in booth number six in Hall 3. But when I got there, I found that our booth was in booth number twenty in Hall 8?"
"So your 20,000 yuan isn't enough, huh? Oh, I forgot to tell you, whoever pays the most gets to be at the front of the booth. We hold such a big Canton Fair, accommodating so many merchants and guests, of course we're doing it to make money, right? If you can't afford it, then go to the back of the exhibition hall." The other person's tone was full of sarcasm.
Shen Mingzhi asked, "How much did they give?"
"Several vendors were competing for that spot in your showroom, and the price eventually came up to 80,000. I see that your factory and products are just average. Don't waste your money. Domestic products, especially cosmetics, are almost ignored. Didn't you do any research before you came? I'm busy. If you don't have anything else, I'm hanging up."
Before Shen Mingzhi could speak, the other party had already hung up the phone.
Shen Xiuzhu asked her, "How is it?"
"It's not good. People say that the original location of our showroom was bid up to 80,000. It seems that 20,000 is the lowest price we can get," Shen Mingzhi sighed.
Shen Xiuzhu said angrily, "So, after paying the money, all you get is a booth, and your spot can be snatched away by the highest bidder at any time?"
Shen Mingzhi nodded, "That's about right. Never mind, let's go set up the booth first. I don't have the money for 80,000."
I already felt the pinch when I paid 20,000... and now they want 80,000? They're dreaming!
After arriving at the booth with Shen Xiuzhu, Shen Mingzhi placed the things she had brought from her bag on the table and then began to set up.
She first covered the table with an oilcloth bearing advertising slogans, and then began to decorate it.
Shen Xiuzhu was wiping the other tables.
Many vendors were setting up their booths. Shen Mingzhi was halfway through when she said to Shen Xiuzhu, "We're the last to leave today. We need to come back before the opening tomorrow. It's not impossible that some people might try to sabotage things to reduce competition."
“Yes, you’re right.” Shen Xiuzhu nodded.
This is the spot… Shen Mingzhi finished setting up and looked at the wall behind her, a slight smile playing on her lips.
They were still busy even after everyone else had left the venue.
When the staff who came to clear the area saw them still there, they couldn't help but shout, "We said it closes at six o'clock, what are you still doing?! Get out now!"
Shen Mingzhi and Shen Xiuzhu then packed their things and prepared to leave.
As the two emerged from the venue, Shen Mingzhi and Shen Xiuzhu were heading to a nearby guesthouse when a familiar voice rang out.
"I didn't expect you guys hadn't left either." Jiang Huanyu stood not far away, smiling as he greeted Shen Mingzhi.
Shen Mingzhi realized that he was truly a persistent ghost.
She frowned, staring at Jiang Huanyu, and said, "You're here too? Didn't you say I couldn't participate?"
“I’m not letting you participate because your Baoli only has cosmetics. I have more than just cosmetics and medicine. I also have textiles, and… home appliances.” Jiang Huanyu said with a smile.
Shen Mingzhi said "Oh," and then said to Shen Xiuzhu, "Let's find a place to eat first."
“Let’s go together,” Jiang Huanyu told her. “I’m at a guesthouse nearby. I guessed you were coming, so I reserved four rooms for you. I just don’t know if you have enough people.”
Shen Mingzhi was taken aback for a moment, and after a long pause, she said softly, "Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me. When you're away from home, you take care of each other. Besides, this time we're not competitors, but fellow villagers helping each other out," Jiang Huanyu said, gesturing for them to follow him.
Shen Xiuzhu followed him, pursing her lips.
The three of them sat in a restaurant. Jiang Huanyu said to Shen Mingzhi, "I come here often. I participate in the Canton Fair every year. It's very difficult to get a booth here. Which booth are you in?"
"At the very end, the display case fee is 20,000," Shen Mingzhi replied.
She felt that Jiang Huanyu was right about something he said: when they were away from home, they were just fellow villagers.
They help each other.
Jiang Huanyu frowned and said, "There's 20,000 in there, did you get scammed?"
"Hmm?" Shen Mingzhi's face showed a surprised expression.
"Didn't you do any research before you came? Many of the display cases here only cost a few thousand, and 20,000 is already very expensive. Even if it's not in the front, it shouldn't be in the last exhibition hall, the last spot." Jiang Huanyu said with a puzzled look, then suddenly realized and said, "I remember now, Director Xu and Song Huiquan are very familiar with each other."
"So, we were scammed?" Shen Xiuzhu was furious.
"Yes, 20,000 is in a similar exhibition hall, while the ones behind it are 2,000 to 8,000," Jiang Huanyu said sincerely.
"Everyone says this place is chaotic, and now I believe it. But I want to settle accounts with them after the Canton Fair is over." Shen Mingzhi thought about what to do with the walls of the venue when she was decorating it today.
Since they are unethical, don't blame her for being unruly.
“That’s fine too. After all, it starts the day after tomorrow. If we argue with them now, we might get kicked out, which would be a loss.” Jiang Huanyu nodded.
After ordering the food, Shen Mingzhi asked him, "Have cosmetics never been successfully exported?"
“Well, my father’s daily chemical factory has produced a lot of products and changed the packaging many times, but none of them have been successful. There are still orders worth about 100,000 yuan a year from Hong Kong and Macau, but that’s too low for the domestic market as a whole,” Jiang Huanyu said.
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