Su Jingyi put down her raised hand and sat down on the sofa, "Speak!"
Huang Wanzhen thought for a moment and said, “Buteford Company, Wen Yin is watching it like an eyeball, I’m afraid she won’t let go.”
Su Jingyi said nothing, just kept looking at Huang Wanzhen. Huang Wanzhen rubbed her chin with her hand, "We opened a school, did you know?"
Su Jingyi nodded. "I know. It's a women's school! With Chen Mingzhu's school as a backdrop, it's quite famous. Now people say that our Peking ladies are no worse than Shanghai ladies!"
Huang Wanzhen looked at her in surprise, "Ah? Is she so famous now?"
Su Jingyi glared at her. "What do you think? You're famous now. A woman who owns a company and a school. Those men who see a woman's skirt is a little too short will discuss it in the newspapers. Let alone someone like you. In their eyes, it's simply 'going against the will of heaven'. But don't be nervous. There are so many Shanghai socialites supporting you. You are just a small shrimp, but you still stand out in Beijing."
Huang Wanzhen rolled her eyes and turned the topic to Lin Qingrou, "No wonder Lin Qingrou was so sarcastic just now."
Su Jingyi curled her lips in disdain. "Jealousy? Next time, I'll have a talk with Qinghui. Bringing someone so unpresentable out to play is simply embarrassing for her. Just like her famous mother, she only knows how to play the harem."
Huang Wanzhen asked, "What's going on? It sounds like this Lin Qingrou is unusual."
Su Jingyi smiled. "It's not ordinary. To use your words, it's a child of true love. When the eldest uncle of the Lin family was young, he fell in love with Lin Qingrou's mother. However, her family background was not prominent, so the old man of the Lin family disagreed and betrothed him to a noblewoman from the Chen family. But Lin Qingrou's mother was very resourceful. After giving birth to Lin Qingrou, she carried her to the doorstep of the Lin family and forced the Lin family to recognize her and her daughter. This matter is known to the upper class. Lin Qingrou's mother has a very bad reputation, but she is beautiful."
Having said that, Su Jingyi stood up, walked to Huang Wanzhen, and whispered in her ear, "There are those who are so lustful that they even secretly gave money to Lin Qingrou's mother." Then, she gave Huang Wanzhen a look that said 'you know'.
Huang Wanzhen asked, "Is this true?"
Su Jingyi nodded affirmatively. "Really? They say a woman's reputation is the most important thing. Once it's ruined, everyone will try to take advantage of it. It's like a bunch of lice. No one can help you, and you can't get rid of it at all. Your life is ruined, and even your children will be affected. Fortunately, Lin Qingrou is a woman, so it's easier for her to get married."
Huang Wanzhen then understood why the noble lady of the Lin family in the original book fell in love with Zheng Yusang, a married man.
Huang Wanzhen was thinking when her hand was suddenly grabbed. "Our Peking is still too feudal. If this happened abroad, people wouldn't be so stingy and wouldn't even get married. So, you must help me. Once I've established myself abroad, you'll also be a person with international connections."
Huang Wanzhen sighed and patted her hands, "The moon in foreign countries is not necessarily round."
Su Jingyi shook her head. "That's better than back home. I've been fighting since I was born. Over the years, so many presidents have come and gone, but none of them have succeeded. Back home, a woman can't live alone at all. At least abroad, you can survive. Lin Qingrou went out alone for so many years, and she still came back alive, didn't she? Am I better than her?"
Huang Wanzhen shook her head and thought, you are wrong, she has a man protecting her abroad.
"Hey! What do you mean by shaking your head? What's your opinion? You don't really think Lin Qingrou is better than me, do you?"
Huang Wanzhen quickly explained, "No, no, I don't think so."
Su Jingyi sighed, "Oh! Let's not talk about her anymore. Comparing with her makes me lose face. Just tell me whether you will help me or not."
"Help! But you can't come into Butford Company," Huang Wanzhen quickly grabbed Su Jingyi's hand when she saw she was about to say something. "You can go to the Women's Workers' School. Although it's small, it can expand. As long as the lace orders increase, there will be work for the women workers."
"I heard from the female craftswoman over there that foreign companies often buy lace from their hometown and sell it to foreigners. Your family is in the diplomatic field, so you must know a lot of foreigners. You can take this sample and sign a contract with someone. When the contract you sign is completed, you will get a 30% profit. Isn't that generous? You're the first to get such a big profit! And since you're in this business with no capital investment, if you can get the contract back, you'll get the money. If you can't, you won't lose a cent. If it weren't for our long-standing friendship as classmates, I would never give you such a good treatment."
Su Jingyi thought about it and felt that it was better to have it than not to have it. At least she could take the first step. "Okay, on Sunday, take me there to have a look."
Huang Wanzhen nodded. "Well, don't worry. I have to say hello to Wen Yin anyway, so she won't find out later and settle accounts with us!"
The two of them plotted in the room for a long time. Su Jingyi walked out of the office with a smile on her face and went to receive the guests with full enthusiasm.
After a few minutes, Huang Wanzhen also went to Linglong Pavilion. It would be rude of her not to greet her classmates when they came to spend money there.
It was Lin Qingrou, who was always secretly looking at Huang Wanzhen. After being caught twice by Huang Wanzhen, she finally calmed down a bit. Huang Wanzhen was certain that this woman was back with Zheng Yusang, and she also knew about her previous relationship with Zheng Yusang. But that was all in the past, and the Zheng family had nothing to do with her now.
That evening, Huang Wanzhen called Song Wenyin. She began by expressing concern for her, then shifted the conversation to talk about modern Beiping. "Many people don't like the name 'Beiping,' but older Beijingers still prefer to call themselves 'Beijingers.' But just as the newspapers say, 'Ping' means peace and tranquility. Peace is slowly returning to Beiping, and prices are falling. I think it's time to expand our business."
Song Wenyin was stunned for a moment, then asked, "How do you expand it? What are your ideas?"
Huang Wanzhen chuckled twice. "I'm thinking of recruiting more female students. These days, female graduates are unemployed. Even slightly clean jobs don't want women. We can recruit more students, let them learn lacemaking techniques, and then they can work in our factory. This will help the female students while also making money. It's really a win-win situation."
Song Wenyin wondered, "Didn't you say we should do it step by step? If so, there will be too many female students assigned to the factory, and the lace won't sell. It will easily accumulate, taking up not only inventory but also funds."
Huang Wanzhen had been beating around the bush, but now she couldn't get around to it. "I heard from Hongye that foreign companies often buy lace from their hometown and sell it to foreigners, which is a good idea. Su Jingyi's family happens to have quite a few connections, so I thought I'd give this business to her. I want her to take samples and get orders, bring them back, and have them made in our factory. I'll give her a share of the profits then. What do you think?"
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