Chapter 315: Saying That Makes You an Outsider
Su He instantly became the center of attention, and for a time, the carriage was a cacophony of voices.
The commotion could be heard in the adjacent sleeper carriage as well. Section Chief Jin from the Chucheng Food Factory wore a face full of schadenfreude. “Could the Beiliao Province delegation have broken into infighting and started brawling?!
“I heard long ago that their Beiliao delegation has always been unified only on the surface. The steel mill and several mines have deep pockets and immense financial weight, so they always demand the upper hand in everything, looking down on the other units.
“As for those other units, they look down on their high-and-mighty attitudes as well. That’s why rumors of discord frequently crop up during past Canton Fairs.”
The others had also caught wind of this, and a few curiosity-seekers ran over to scout out the situation.
Before long, those few people returned with thoroughly blank expressions.
Section Chief Jin, being an impatient person, asked, “What on earth is with those expressions of yours? Are they fighting very viciously? Did they come to blows?”
Those people shook their heads.
One of them spoke with a bit of a stammer, “I heard… I heard the An County Food Factory signed an order for ten tons of instant noodles with… with a foreign guest from the soft… soft-sleeper carriage.”
Section Chief Jin felt the man was spouting absolute nonsense!
If nothing else, unrelated personnel were strictly prohibited from entering the soft-sleeper carriage. The An County Food Factory fundamentally lacked any means to contact those foreigners, let alone sign an order!
Yet, the other few people offered the exact same account, and they described it in even greater detail.
“I heard the foreigner caught the scent of the instant noodles and sought out the train conductor, wanting a taste.
“The train conductor brought over a few packs of instant noodles, and unexpectedly, one of the foreigners grew intensely interested, crossing swords through the carriage door with the people from the An County Food Factory to settle the order.”
“Ten tons!
“I don’t know what price they closed the deal at, but I estimate it has to be at least ten thousand US dollars or more, right?
“Although the amount isn’t massive, the Canton Fair hasn’t even started yet. Securing an order just by riding a train is truly formidable!”
Section Chief Jin’s heart turned completely sour!
Not long before this, he had declared right in front of Deputy Director Tong that the An County Food Factory wouldn’t secure a single order, yet they had gone and claimed an order immediately afterward.
Wasn’t this a direct slap to his face?!
Tong Zhen had also caught wind of the news, and his expression looked rather unsightly.
Particularly when he recalled the words he had spoken previously right in front of Luo Dongchuan, his face felt burning hot.
But on second thought, ten tons of instant noodles only amounted to ten thousand or so US dollars. Once they reached the Canton Fair, a tiny gap like this could easily be smoothed over.
On the other side, Su He was still chattering away.
Compared to her showy humblebragging in front of Principal Chen and the others, she acted vastly more modest at this moment.
She already shared an excellent rapport with everyone, and now that she had displayed genuine capability, everyone looked up to her even more.
Once they had chatted enough, Su He spoke to Section Chief Li from the foreign trade department of the enamel factory, “Sister Li, I want to head to the restroom. Accompany me over, won’t you?”
Li Guihong didn’t think too deeply of it, agreeing readily.
Although the train restrooms possessed latches, they sometimes didn’t work very well.
Besides, even if the latch worked well, having someone tugging at the door from the outside provided zero sense of security.
Therefore, female comrades generally paired up to visit the restroom.
Once the two finished using the restroom and washed their hands, Su He said with a beaming smile, “Sister Li, let’s head to the dining car to sit for a bit. I have something to talk to you about.”
Although Li Guihong was puzzled, she still followed Su He to the dining car.
Upon reaching the dining car, Su He purchased two bottles of soda and a small dish of sunflower seeds, saying with a beaming smile, “Sister Li, come, have some sunflower seeds!”
Li Guihong grabbed a handful of seeds. While shelling them, she asked, “Little Su, why were you looking for me?”
“Sister Li, although the two of us haven’t known each other for long, we hit it off beautifully.
“You mentioned to me previously that the foreign trade operations at the enamel factory face immense pressure, and you were worried about failing to meet the targets set by the higher-ups. I took that to heart.
“Therefore, when I was negotiating the instant noodle order with that foreigner, I specially proposed to gift him some custom-made enamel basins.
“This type of enamel basin is different from the ones you currently export; the patterns carry a richer atmosphere of traditional Chinese culture, and they will be printed with the other party’s name.
“The other party is highly likely to use these enamel basins as prizes for a lucky draw. Because the quantity I’m gifting is relatively small, you could say a single basin will be hard to come by!
“Once the gimmick ferments, a great many people will grow interested in this type of enamel basin.
“In other words, wherever our instant noodles are sold, the shadow of your enamel basins will be present…”
Although Su He addressed Li Guihong as Sister Li, in reality, Li Guihong was already in her forties and had participated in the Canton Fair for nearly ten years, giving her rich foreign trade experience.
Consequently, she grasped the underlying meaning of Su He’s words instantly—the An County Food Factory was essentially conducting free publicity and promotion for their enamel factory.
While she didn’t know how many orders the An County Food Factory could sign, with a monster of talent like Su He around, it would bound to be a substantial amount!
The more instant noodle orders signed, the more their enamel factory would benefit.
Thus, she said with a face full of gratitude, “Little Su, many thanks to you for keeping our enamel factory in mind, and for remembering me, your older sister…”
“Sister Li, saying that makes you an outsider!
“Setting aside our personal friendship, we are all brother units from Beiliao Province; helping one another is only right!
“Never mind using the enamel basins as complimentary gifts—even when the exhibition opens, if you want to place your enamel basins at our booth, I won’t raise a single word of objection!
“Huh?
“Come to think of it, that method actually works perfectly!
“Sister Li, when the time comes, you can lend us a few enamel basins and enamel bowls. I’ll use them to steep the instant noodles, taking the opportunity to pitch a wave of promotion for you. What do you think?”
Li Guihong naturally couldn’t ask for anything better, saying in a great hurry, “Little Su, of course you can! I—I truly don’t even know how to thank you! If we genuinely manage to sign enamel orders at your booth, I will definitely apply for a bonus for you when the time comes!”
Su He rubbed her hands together. “Sister Li, whether there’s a bonus or not doesn’t really matter; the primary thing is helping one another!
“Look, when the exhibition opens, could you place a bit of our hair ornaments and instant noodles over on your side?
“I guarantee they will only occupy a tiny sliver of space and will absolutely not eclipse the host.”
Li Guihong: “…”
She usually prided herself on being a strong career woman as well. After all, being able to work her way up to the position of foreign trade section chief at the enamel factory proved she was an outstanding figure.
But at this present moment, she realized that the entire rhythm of the conversation lay firmly within Su He’s grasp.
She didn’t feel any displeasure. Compared to making underhanded maneuvers in the dark, she preferred Su He’s style of completely clear and transparent exchange of interests.
Everything was laid out in the open, leaving the choice entirely up to you.
Li Guihong pondered for a short while, then said, “Little Su, I don’t have any issues on my end, but I still have to ask our factory director. How about this: once our factory director arrives and I have a definitive word, I’ll let you know.”
Su He said with a beaming smile, “Then I’ll trouble Sister Li!
“Oh, right, Sister Li. According to my understanding, we have quite a few domestic enamel factories, and every single one of them is eyeing the fat meat of exporting to earn foreign exchange.
“To stand out from the crowd, one must introduce some innovations.
“In reality, we can take the high-end route. This type of product commands a higher added value, and the pricing can be ten times or even dozens of times that of ordinary products.”
Li Guihong pricked up her ears to listen, but unexpectedly, Su He stopped speaking further.
“Little Su, expand on that in detail!”
Su He rubbed her hands together. “Sister Li, I am a layman, and furthermore I’m not a member of your enamel factory, so I’d better refrain from making a fool of myself!”
Li Guihong: “…”
What exactly do you mean by that?
Is it a mere polite modesty, or are you saying you want to enter our enamel factory?
