Chapter 158: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
Principal Chen asked Su He, “Little Su, are you planning to sell your hair accessories to the foreigners staying at the Jinxiang Hotel?”
Su He shook her head. “I’ve already tested the waters. The guests at Jinxiang Hotel aren’t in the business of selling accessories. If they were, I would’ve tried to sell to them long ago.”
Principal Chen: “…”
Fair point. She’d already managed to squeeze deals out of both the food and textile factories—she wouldn’t miss out on a big opportunity.
“Then who do you plan to sell the accessories to?”
Su He pursed her lips and said, “The Friendship Souvenir Store is full of fat sheep. Fatter than anyone staying at Jinxiang Hotel!”
Principal Chen was alarmed. “Little Su, don’t do anything reckless! The Friendship Souvenir Store is for foreign guests only—locals aren’t even allowed to enter. And don’t chat up foreigners on the street. You could get into serious trouble!”
Su He nodded. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Let’s go, I’ll call a ride back to the hotel.”
Principal Chen felt uneasy, convinced that Su He was plotting something big.
Using Lao Luo’s name, Su He successfully hailed a tricycle taxi. Principal Chen couldn’t help but sigh—having more connections really did open more doors.
Back in her room, Su He opened the trading hub and searched for hair accessories.
Before leaving An County, she assumed China hadn’t yet opened up to foreign trade, so her earlier designs were geared toward local Chinese aesthetics.
But now that she wanted to pursue foreign trade, she had to cater to Western trends—perhaps even stay a step ahead.
After picking out styles, she purchased realistic materials from the trading hub and paid extra for custom processing.
The trading hub cheerfully responded: Heartfelt thanks to that fat bureaucrat Director Hong!
If he hadn’t rejected the host, where else would I be making money?
Curious, it asked: “Host, why didn’t you just buy finished products?”
Su He shot it a glance. “The finished goods use materials that don’t exist in this era. If I take them out, it’ll cause problems. You’re supposed to be an intelligent system—can’t you think before you speak?”
“But thinking consumes energy. I usually talk without using my brain.”
Su He: “…”
That said, the trading hub was lightning fast. By dinnertime, all the custom-made hair accessories—headbands, clips, and ornaments—were ready.
Su He carefully inspected everything to ensure the materials matched the current era before placing them into a shopping bag and heading downstairs.
Principal Chen was curious. “Didn’t you say none of the hotel’s foreign guests are in the accessory business? Why bring the bag down?”
He didn’t question the origin of the accessories. After all, Su He had brought a large travel bag from An County—he had no idea what was inside.
Su He grinned. “I want them to help me find customers.”
Principal Chen: …She’s dreaming!
Why would they help her find clients?
Just because she asked?
Inside the restaurant, Su He found Lisa.
“Ms. Lisa, after some persuasion, the textile factory has reluctantly agreed to $1.1 per meter. Let’s sign the contract tomorrow before anything changes.”
Lisa, also worried about delays, nodded immediately. “Good.”
After a few more words, Su He smiled and said, “Ms. Lisa, actually, hair accessories are my main business. You have great taste—can you help me judge these?”
Lisa smiled back. “Sure.”
Su He took all the accessories out of the shopping bag.
Lisa had seemed somewhat indifferent at first, but her eyes lit up.
“Su, these are beautiful—better than anything I’ve seen back in the U.S. Too bad I’m in fashion, not accessories, or I’d be signing an order with you right now.”
As they spoke, several other foreign women gathered around.
After all, women love pretty things by nature.
Su He generously let them try on the accessories and asked the waiter to bring a mirror so they could admire themselves.
One of the women asked, “Su, are these for sale?”
Su He smiled and shook her head. “Private sales aren’t allowed in our country. But if you like them, I can give them to you for free.”
The foreign women were delighted and immediately offered perfumes, handkerchiefs, and similar items in exchange.
In short—it became a trade.
Su He politely declined their gifts and said with a smile, “Actually, I’d like to ask a favor. You’ll be going back to your countries soon and will likely shop at the Friendship Souvenir Store before you leave, right?
Could you wear these hair accessories when you go?
If any shop owners who sell accessories show interest, could you ask them to contact the No.1 Textile Factory in S City?”
Su He had carefully calculated her move before directing inquiries to the No.1 Textile Factory.
First of all, private business dealings were prohibited in this era, and contacting foreign buyers directly was too risky.
Second, An County Textile Factory was obscure—nothing compared to the reputation of S City’s No.1 Textile Factory.
Lastly, and most importantly, exports were strictly regulated. You either went through a foreign trade company or had an enterprise with export qualifications.
An County’s textile factory… had nothing.
In fact, the entire An County lacked the necessary credentials!
Even if they started applying now, it would take at least a month—if not longer—to get through the procedures.
So, her best option was to temporarily operate under the umbrella of S City’s No.1 Textile Factory.
She figured the factory would agree. First, she’d just helped secure a major deal and had some influence.
Second, if the business was registered under their name, the export performance would be credited to them—only a fool would turn that down.
Su He casually observed everyone’s reactions, then sighed.
“To be honest, I know I’m being a bit presumptuous, but I’m desperate. I come from a small county called An County, where people still live in poverty. These hair accessories were made by hand, stitch by stitch. To the makers, they could mean a child’s school supplies, a coat for an elderly parent, or dumplings for the New Year. So I want to do everything I can to sell them. Of course, this is just my wishful thinking. Even if you don’t want to help, I’ll still give you the accessories for free.”
Lisa was the first to respond with a smile. “Su, that’s not a big favor. Even if you didn’t ask, we’d still wear them to the Friendship Souvenir Store—they’re truly beautiful. If anyone asks, I’ll be happy to tell them.”
Lisa was still counting on Su He to close tomorrow’s deal, so this was an easy way to show goodwill.
With her leading the way, the other women agreed as well.
Su He also handed out small notes with Director Yu’s office phone number.
Just as the foreign guests were leaving, Daniel came over.
“Su, give me one of those notes too—I’ll help you find clients!”
Su He handed him one without hesitation. She wasn’t expecting much from him anyway—just casting a wide net while she had the chance.
