Chapter 341: Solidarity and Mutual Assistance
Director Feng and Director Tian shared a rare, tacit look, both thinking to themselves: She finally hit a brick wall, didn’t she?!
It seemed this girl wasn’t completely invincible after all; there were times when even she bumped into a wall.
They expected Su He to try pressing her case a bit further, but instead, she just said with a bright smile, “In that case, we won’t trouble you any longer.”
With that, she signaled Director Feng and Director Tian to leave with her.
Both men were deeply puzzled. This wasn’t her usual style at all!
They had barely taken a few steps when they heard that tall, thin man say to his colleague, “A textile factory should just focus on weaving cloth properly. What are they buying pearls for?! And standard-grade pearls at that—you can tell it’s just a small workshop at a glance!”
Director Feng and Director Tian felt a bit displeased, but they weren’t about to lower themselves to bicker with the man.
Su He acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, leading the two straight to the second pearl cultivation farm.
She repeated the exact same opening script. This place was even worse than the first; they were cold and dismissive, answering only half a sentence for every three questions asked.
Su He didn’t get angry either, bringing the two old men along to the third pearl manufacturer.
A female comrade named Lin Shu received them. Upon hearing Su He’s purpose, she said politely, “Let’s sit down and talk!”
Lin Shu pulled out a sample catalog and handed it to Su He. She instinctively felt that the two older comrades looked like tagalongs, and this young girl was clearly the one calling the shots.
Although the sample catalog couldn’t be described as exquisite, it was considered quite decent for this era, and the technical specifications were marked very clearly.
Su He selected a few styles, and Lin Shu immediately provided a quote.
Su He said with a beaming smile, “Sister Lin, can you make it a bit cheaper? This is also our first time making pearl accessories, so we don’t have much experience. You mustn’t swindle me!”
Director Feng and Director Tian: “…”
Aren’t you just delivering yourself on a silver platter to be ripped off?!
Did Little Su not sleep well last night? How did she suddenly become so foolish?
Lin Shu said with a smile, “Little Su, the pearls from our factory all have fixed, uniform pricing. The only variance is the shipping cost. Your Northern Liao Province is too far away, so the price looks slightly higher.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can inquire at the other manufacturers to compare prices. Then you’ll know I haven’t quoted an inflated price.”
“Besides, we value long-term cooperation in business; we don’t do one-time transactions.”
Su He nodded. “Sister Lin, since you put it that way, I won’t haggle with you over the price either. It’s just that we need the goods rather urgently. Can you arrange shipment immediately?”
Lin Shu was somewhat surprised. She had assumed Su He would definitely haggle for a while, yet she had just agreed straight away?
She hurriedly replied, “We have quite an abundant inventory of standard-grade pearls, so they can be shipped at any time. However, our factory has a rule that payment must be received before delivery, so you’ll need to transfer the funds first.”
Su He thought about it and said, “The distance is vast. If we waste time waiting for the bank transfer to clear, it will take too long. How about this? We’ll pay a portion in cash as an advance deposit so you can ship the goods first. I reckon by the time the goods arrive, the full payment will have cleared through the bank as well.”
Although Lin Shu found it a bit difficult, she ultimately agreed.
Sometimes business relied on an intuitive mutual liking. She found Su He highly pleasing to the eye, so it was fine to grant a bit of flexibility.
Lin Shu had a standard contract template on hand. After filling in the details by hand, she handed it to Su He.
Su He looked at Director Feng. “Director, stamp it!”
Lin Shu: “…”
So this one is actually the factory director?
Then what position does Little Su hold?
Although Director Feng felt Su He was being a bit hasty with this contract, he forcefully swallowed his doubts and stamped the official seal onto it anyway.
Su He drew two thousand yuan in cash from her briefcase and handed it to Lin Shu.
Lin Shu immediately issued an official official receipt to Su He.
Director Feng and Director Tian kept exchanging looks. This girl Su He is carrying two thousand yuan on her person? Isn’t she afraid of getting robbed or pickpocketed?
They didn’t question how she had so much money, however, because the girl held so many part-time gigs! Not to mention the bonuses given by those two factories in Shanghai!
Once the contract was signed, Lin Shu became far more enthusiastic than before—they were official clients now, after all.
As they chatted, Su He inquired, “Sister Lin, aside from standard-grade pearls, your factory must also have defective items, right? You know, those oddly shaped, irregular pearls?”
Lin Shu smiled and said, “Of course we do! Those are usually disposed of at very low prices. Customers buy them back to grind into pearl powder for pharmaceutical use or skincare products.”
“Do foreign buyers ever purchase them?”
“People from Japan buy them to make skincare products, but the quantity isn’t very large.”
“Buyers from other countries almost never touch them. They prefer pearls of medium quality and above, especially colored high-grade items.”
Hearing this, Su He smiled.
“Sister Lin, the two of us hit it off perfectly. I happen to have a lucrative way to generate wealth. I wonder if you’d be interested in hearing about it?”
Lin Shu laughed as well. “Little Su, speak plainly if you have something on your mind. If it really can make money, I won’t treat you unfairly!”
Su He blinked her eyes and lowered her voice. “I can sell those defective pearls to foreign buyers at high prices, and it won’t be a one-time deal either!”
Lin Shu’s immediate reaction was that Su He was joking!
Those defective items could only be used for medicine and skincare. How could they possibly command high prices?!
But seeing Su He brimming with absolute confidence, she felt the girl didn’t look like she was joking at all.
“Little Su, are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious, but…”
Reaching this point, Su He stopped speaking and began rubbing her hands together.
Lin Shu: “…”
“Little Su, if the method you describe proves feasible, I’ll give you a half-percent commission on every order.”
Su He blinked her eyes. “Sister Lin, the commission is one thing, but the main thing is that I dream of cracking open pearl oysters for fun! It would be so wonderful if I could take a part-time position at your factory!”
Lin Shu: “…”
We’ve only just met for the first time, and you’re already thinking about taking a part-time job at our factory. Is that really appropriate?
However, Lin Shu was also a decisive and resolute person. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Little Su, if your method really is feasible, leave this matter to me!”
Su He’s eyes instantly crinkled into beautiful crescents. “Sister Lin, I knew you were an open and straightforward person. I love dealing with people like you.”
Only at this exact moment did Director Tian and Director Feng finally understand. Su He’s series of seemingly foolish actions earlier were actually a filtering process to screen for the right partner.
The first two factories had clearly been disqualified. But could she truly sell defective items at high prices?
“Sister Lin, I won’t hide anything from you either. Do you know what those defective pearls you mentioned should actually be called?”
Lin Shu looked completely blank. Defective items were just defective items, weren’t they? What else could they be called?
“Overseas, these irregularly shaped pearls are called Baroque pearls.”
“Baroque is an artistic style that flourished in Europe between 1600 and 1750 before gradually declining.”
“Trends and fashion are ultimately nothing but a cycle. Where there is decline, there will be a renaissance.”
“If we seize this trend and utilize this gimmick, we can make a massive fortune.”
“Of course, not all defective items can be called Baroque pearls. We must select those with relatively good luster and larger sizes from the batch.”
“Furthermore, if we’re worried about insufficient inventory, we can currently purchase the defective pearls from those first two manufacturers at low prices, fully exercising the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance.”
Lin Shu: … Applying ‘solidary and mutual assistance’ to a situation like this, is that really appropriate?
