Chapter 124: A Delegation Sends Me on a Business Trip
No matter how ridiculous it might seem, Su He was thoroughly enjoying her gig as an off-campus advisor.
All she had to do was show up in the evening to clock in, and she’d earn a daily stipend—easy money.
Principal Chen was fuming, “I’m the actual principal, and even I don’t have it this easy!”
Cao Hongmei was incredibly efficient. Just a day later, she had finished making the hair accessories.
When Su He arrived, Cao Hongmei couldn’t stop raving about them. “Little He, these hairpins are gorgeous! Even the ones made in the capital and sold in the supply store can’t compare! I bet you could sell these for one and a half yuan, maybe even two!”
Su He was equally pleased with Cao Hongmei’s craftsmanship. Though she had provided design templates, many details had to be refined by Cao Hongmei herself.
“Second Aunt, would you be interested in learning more about design?”
Cao Hongmei looked confused. “Design? What does that even mean?”
Understandably so—this was a small town in an era where the concept of a “designer” was virtually unheard of.
“How about this? I’ll ask a friend in the capital to send you a few books on the subject. Once you read them, you’ll understand.”
Su He felt that while Cao Hongmei’s education level was limited, she still had the potential to be nurtured into a designer.
After a brief chat, Su He took the hairpin samples and went to see Director Gao at the textile factory.
As soon as Director Gao saw them, his eyes nearly popped out. These were so much more high-end than the scrappy ones made from leftover fabric!
Now he wouldn’t have to worry about the folks in S City turning their noses up.
“Little Su, we’ll probably need to call a meeting on this. Come by tomorrow for the decision.”
Su He rubbed her hands. “Please make sure to bring this up at the meeting. If I’m approved to go on the business trip, the factory needs to reimburse my travel expenses.”
Director Gao: “…Didn’t the food factory already agree to cover your travel costs?”
“But I’m also handling business for the textile factory! If word gets out, Director Tian from the food factory will definitely criticize Director Feng from our textile factory! I’m doing this for the reputation of Director Feng and the textile factory!”
Director Gao: Thanks a lot, really!
Su He couldn’t help it. She couldn’t just milk the food factory like a lone sheep—that wouldn’t be fair. What if she turned Principal Chen into a dried husk?
Back at night school, Principal Chen—currently fussing over his hairstyle—sneezed hard. “Why does it feel like someone’s cursing me?”
After leaving the textile factory, Su He strolled over to the county radio station.
Right upon entering, she bumped into Zhang Wenbiao.
Like a mouse spotting a cat, he bolted instantly.
Su He: “…”
She couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and went straight to see Station Chief Liao.
Liao greeted her warmly. “Little Su! Come in, have a seat!”
He even poured her a cup of tea personally.
“Chief, I came to report that I’ll be heading to S City on a business trip in a few days.”
Chief Liao was surprised. “A trip to S City? The night school is sending you for training?”
That didn’t make sense. If they were sending her for further education, it would be to the provincial night school, not straight to S City!
Su He shook her head. “Not the night school. Director Tian from the county food factory is sending me, and Principal Chen is coming too.”
Chief Liao was even more confused. What kind of arrangement is this?!
Su He explained, “Principal Chen has a student working at a S City instant noodle factory. The food factory wants him to help make a connection to see if they can introduce the project here. I’m going along as the food factory’s representative.”
Chief Liao: Since when were you part of the food factory?
Su He continued, “Also, the textile factory wants to explore some business deals with factories in S City and has asked me to represent them too. I figured—whether it’s one sheep or two, they all graze the same—so I agreed.”
Chief Liao: “…”
After a long pause, he finally nodded. “That’s a good thing. I fully support you. If you need anything while in S City, just give me a call.”
Su He rubbed her hands. “Chief, since you support me, how about you also officially send me on a business trip?”
Chief Liao: “…That’s not really necessary, is it?”
I mean, what would a radio station need to send someone to S City for?!
“Chief, if these food and textile factory deals go through, it’ll be huge news for An County.
As a reporter from our radio station, I can cover the story on-site and get firsthand information.
This kind of scoop could make it into the provincial paper—maybe even Huaxia Daily if we push hard enough…”
Without a word, Chief Liao got up, walked to the door, and called out, “Little Wu, come in and write an intro letter for Su He!”
Once Little Wu had written it up, Chief Liao stamped it with a red seal.
After Little Wu left, Su He beamed, “Chief, I knew you had vision! You’re the most strategic and insightful leader in all of An County!”
Chief Liao got lost in her flattery, his earlier irritation completely forgotten.
From the radio station, Su He went to the machinery factory next.
She didn’t look for Qian Huifang this time—she went straight to see Director Hu.
Compared to last time, he was much friendlier. After a few pleasantries, he asked, “Little Su, what brings you here?”
“Director Hu, the food factory, textile factory, night school, and radio station are all sending me to S City. I thought it’d be a shame to leave out the machinery factory, so I came to see what you think.”
Director Hu: “…”
What kind of circus is this?!
Without saying a word, Su He pulled out the freshly printed introduction letter from the radio station and handed it over.
“The other three haven’t given me theirs yet. I’ll collect those right before I leave. But Chief Liao was so eager, he insisted on giving me one immediately.”
Director Hu had to take a moment to process it. He couldn’t decide whether the other four units had gone mad, or whether Su He was just that good at persuasion.
Who’s ever heard of someone being sent on a business trip by four different departments at once?!
“Little Su, I appreciate you thinking of the machinery factory. But we don’t really have any business ties with S City. No need to send anyone.”
He wasn’t lying—their furthest customer was in the capital, not S City.
Su He replied sincerely, “Director Hu, I’ll be honest. The textile factory wants to discuss a hairpin project. If it works out, the scale will be massive.
One key component of the hairpin is the metal clip. Until now, we’ve sourced it from southern factories.
I’ve studied it—the clip doesn’t require high-tech production. With our factory’s capability, we could easily replicate it with just a sample.
How about letting me go to S City and purchase some samples for you?”
Director Hu frowned and rejected the idea. “The profit margin on clips is low. Setting up a new production line for that isn’t worthwhile.”
Su He grinned. “True, the margin is low—but the volume would be huge!
Of course, right now it might sound like I’m making empty promises.
But look at it this way: S City has many factories with imported machinery. I could gather some data on those. That alone might be very useful.
Also, since the machinery factory is a flagship enterprise of An County, wouldn’t it be odd if it didn’t participate in this trip? Without your backing, my whole mission feels… unbalanced.”
Director Hu: You just want more travel funding, don’t you?
Still, he weighed the idea. Su He clearly had a sharp mind, and there was a chance she might actually bring back something valuable.
Travel expenses weren’t that high anyway. Plus, although he had rejected the clip idea, he was somewhat intrigued.
But with nothing confirmed from the textile side, he had to stay cautious.
After some thought, he smiled. “Little Su, since you’re volunteering, the machinery factory will officially send you to S City.”
Su He beamed. “Great! I’ll stop by before I leave to collect the intro letter. Oh—and could you issue a note for an advance on travel expenses?”
Director Hu: “…”
You’re really pushing it, huh?!
