Chapter 97 Part 1

Chapter 97 Part 1

After observing for a while, Chen Jiahua realized that Shen Moer's method was not suitable for them.

As Shen Moer had mentioned, although the headquarters also produces handkerchiefs, the patterns on the headquarters' handkerchiefs are quite vibrant. They are fine for everyday use, but folding them to use as decorations on suits would look too out of place and inappropriate.

However, Shen Moer did inspire Chen Jiahua. Previously, they had been producing goods based on domestic preferences, essentially manufacturing a fixed set of items and waiting for foreign buyers to pick. But Shen Moer's approach was to start from the actual needs of foreign buyers, providing them with what they actually need.

Shen Moer also told her that the idea of pairing a handkerchief with a suit jacket came from her observation at the entrance of a Western restaurant the day before.

There were many foreign buyers in Guangzhou. Some wore tank tops and slippers, looking quite unkempt, while others were very particular about their appearance. Despite the high temperatures in Guangzhou, they still meticulously wore suits and ties. The hotel staff mentioned that this is part of their culture, a so-called gentlemanly demeanor.

Fortunately, in the afternoon, the headquarters of the Embroidery Factory also made a sale. A foreign buyer with dark skin and flamboyant attire placed an order for a batch of ready-to-wear clothes.

By the end of the day, the total value of orders signed by the Ninth Workshop had reached over 5.8 million US dollars. Later, they also signed some small orders for embroidery pieces and pillowcases.

In the evening, Shen Moer took a few people to a nearby Guangzhou restaurant.

This was a local famous restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw it was bustling with customers.

The restaurant was lavishly decorated, quite different from the modest appearance of state-owned restaurants elsewhere. It was opulent, and even the chandelier hanging above was visibly expensive. Among the diners were many foreign buyers with skin and hair colors different from those of Chinese people, as well as Chinese people, but everyone was dressed very appropriately.

Li Xinmei had never seen such a scene before and felt a bit intimidated: "Eating here must be very expensive, Deputy Director Shen. Let’s just find a state-owned restaurant to eat at."

Shen Moer smiled: "This is also a state-owned restaurant, just a higher-end one. We’re here to have a good meal to celebrate today’s success, and also to work."

Li Xinmei pondered this. She had been listening when Shen Moer and Chen Jiahua were talking earlier. After hearing that Shen Moer had discovered the needs of foreign buyers through movies and Western restaurants, she had also been observing the foreign buyers coming and going in the venue all day. Unfortunately, her mind wasn’t as sharp as Shen Moer’s, and after observing for a long time, she didn’t gain any insights.

She guessed that Shen Moer’s intention was for them to come to this Guangzhou restaurant to observe foreign buyers and understand their needs.

So she didn’t say anything more and instead took the lead: "Alright, let’s hurry then."

Liu Yingshuang quickly followed: "Let’s go, Sister Xinmei. I’ll tell you, their food is delicious. We must try their roast goose, it’s absolutely fragrant."

"How do you know what’s good here?"

"I don’t know, but I can ask. I’ve already inquired about it."

"You’re really something."

As they chatted, they went ahead to find a seat. Jin Caifei gave Shen Moer a complicated look, but Shen Moer seemed oblivious: "Let’s follow them."

The Guangzhou restaurant was said to have been established in 1935. Being able to stand firm for nearly 40 years naturally had its reasons.

The roast goose was savory and flavorful, the rice noodle rolls were smooth and delicious, the mushroom and seafood soup was fresh and tasty, and the pastries and sweet soups were even more exceptional, as they were the restaurant’s specialty.

Li Xinmei and Liu Yingshuang, who had vowed to carefully observe the foreign buyers around them, were quickly conquered by the delicious food.

In the middle of the meal, Shen Moer went to the restroom. On her way back, she ran into David, who was dining with another blond, blue-eyed foreigner. Seeing Shen Moer, David greeted her in very broken Chinese: "Hello, Shen Xiao Jie!"

Shen Moer was momentarily stunned before realizing he was calling her "Miss Shen." She smiled and nodded: "Hi, Mr. David."

David stood up and babbled a string of words. Shen Moer looked at him blankly, not understanding a single word. Then the foreigner across from David also stood up and said in very stiff but understandable Chinese: "Beautiful lady, I am David’s friend, Paul. David says your products are very good, he likes them very much, and he is very happy to cooperate."

Shen Moer smiled: "Hello, Mr. Paul. And please convey my thanks to Mr. David for his praise."

Paul nodded with a smile. Shen Moer felt that Mr. Paul looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before. She could only attribute it to the fact that these foreigners all looked quite similar, making it hard to distinguish them.

Shen Moer didn’t dwell on this little episode. After paying the bill, she suggested going to watch a movie.

Lately, the cinema has been showing foreign films, one every night for almost twenty days, with no repeats.

Li Xinmei and Liu Yingshuang didn’t really want to go since they couldn’t understand the language. The first time was novel, but by the second time, even that novelty had faded. But Shen Moer argued that movies could help them observe foreigners’ clothing, tools, and daily habits, so they reluctantly agreed.

Jin Caifei also thought foreign movies were dull; not understanding the language made it hard to follow. After some thought, though, she quickly backed Shen Moer’s idea.

By the end of the movie, Li Xinmei and Liu Yingshuang had dozed off without realizing it, while Jin Caifei’s eyes were wide open. But when she stood up, Shen Moer saw her let out a big yawn.

Shen Moer got the picture, and the next evening after dinner, she sent them all back while she stayed to watch the movie alone.

For the next few days, Shen Moer stuck to this routine: days at the venue, evenings wandering outside, then catching a movie.

They didn’t land any big clients like David, who placed a million-dollar order in one go, but they did sign orders totaling six to seven hundred thousand here and there. Meanwhile, the Embroidery Factory headquarters signed several orders of seven to eight hundred thousand each, totaling over four million.

The headquarters crew got cocky again. Shen Moer heard them muttering behind her back, saying the ninth workshop’s first-day success—signing over five million in orders—was just luck, thanks to a sucker like David.

But luck like a blind cat catching a dead mouse isn’t common, and suckers like David, who splurge on pricier goods, are even rarer. Isn’t that why they’ve been shown up these past few days?

Without David’s five-million-dollar order, the ninth workshop only signed a little over a million, far below the headquarters’ four million.

Liu Yingshuang also caught them gossiping and shot back, "Even without Mr. David’s five-million-dollar order, our one workshop signed over a million, while your eight workshops only signed over four million, and you’re still proud? If I were you, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face—there’s nothing to show. Damn it, if I hear you yapping again, I’ll slap your mouths sideways, believe it or not?!"

Shen Moer stood nearby, trying not to laugh.

As the Deputy Director in charge, it wasn’t her place to clash with the headquarters’ people, but she didn’t stop Liu Yingshuang’s scolding.

Their ninth workshop had become famous nationwide, not just for landing the first order but also for their reputation of being fierce and sharp-tongued.

After all, they weren’t scolding foreign clients, and the venue staff, knowing the context, looked the other way.

What could they do? When criticized, they’d act contrite, admit their mistakes, and then stubbornly refuse to change. Given the chance, Comrade Li, especially Comrade Liu, could really tear someone apart.

Over time, the staff also got a sense of the bad blood between them. It all came down to one being the headquarters’ golden child and the other like an adopted kid from a backwater county, yet the adopted kid signed more orders than the golden child, making them jealous—hence the constant sniping and sarcasm.

They had it coming!

No one at the Embroidery Factory headquarters could match Liu Yingshuang’s scolding. Almost every time she scolded one of them, they’d break down. After a few days, they gradually became more subdued, as no one wanted to be scolded by a woman with a face thicker than a city wall every day for over half a month!

A few days passed like this, and one morning when Shen Moer and her team arrived, they made some changes to the display stand.

She had somehow obtained a piece of bright and smooth white silk, which she folded into layers resembling a skirt. The embroidery pieces they brought had been meticulously sewn onto the "skirt" at some point.

Although it was just a simple fold of fabric to create the appearance of a skirt, and only a few embroidery pieces were sewn on, the semi-finished "skirt" was incredibly beautiful, evoking images of the elegantly dressed ladies from the opera stage or the graceful women in foreign films.

The jacquard tablecloth they brought was also spread out on the display stand by Shen Moer. Then, she somehow produced a porcelain plate filled with brightly colored fruits and placed a thin porcelain teapot and cups beside the fruit plate.

On one side was the gorgeous "skirt," and on the other was the tablecloth with the fruit plate and tea set. Although it was just a flat display stand, with her arrangement, it gave the illusion of a beautiful lady sitting there having tea.

"This is too beautiful."

Due to the frequent friction between the headquarters and the ninth workshop, Chen Jiahua had to frequently check the display stand and was shocked to see this scene.

Chen Jiahua couldn’t help but glance at the other side of the display stand.

In fact, the Embroidery Factory headquarters had far more exhibits than the ninth workshop, even bringing several very beautiful embroidered garments. To display these garments, they had specially prepared several half-body sponge mannequins with stands.

But strangely, no matter how they arranged the embroidery or garments, they looked just like ordinary products. However, Shen Moer’s arrangement made it look like a movie still or a painting.

Recalling her first meeting with Shen Moer, Shen had accompanied two children from the local elementary school to the provincial capital for a painting competition, and she heard they both won provincial second prizes. Remembering the detailed embroidery designs Shen had created, Chen Jiahua couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Clearly, Shen excelled in both fields; her effortless work could keep others learning for ages.

Soon enough, foreign buyers started asking about prices, but initially, most were interested in the tablecloths. Some even inquired about fruit bowls and tea sets, and Shen Moer happily answered their questions.

When she realized some foreign buyers were seriously interested in purchasing the fruit bowls and tea sets, Shen had Liu Yingshuang escort them to the porcelain display.

The porcelain pieces were borrowed from other exhibitors. When borrowing them, it was agreed that if anyone showed interest, Shen would start price negotiations. If the buyer was sincere, she would then direct them to the porcelain display.

Likewise, some buyers were drawn to the silk fabrics. The layered silk was absolutely stunning, especially with the fresh and elegant embroidery pieces sewn onto it, adding the perfect finishing touch. Such fabric and embroidery pieces would make stunning dresses!

So Shen used the same approach, first chatting with potential buyers. If they seemed serious, she'd have Li Xinmei show them the silk display.

There were those interested in silk and porcelain, and naturally, there were also those interested in the embroidery pieces and tablecloths. That day alone, the ninth workshop secured over a million dollars in orders.

In the days that followed, orders fluctuated, but they never dipped below half a million dollars daily.

By the last day of the exhibition, the ninth workshop had signed a total of 9.52 million dollars in orders.

This achievement was something neither Chen Jiahua nor Ceng Huiru had expected, nor had the officials from the Southern Province Commerce Department. In the last few days, as the exhibition was about to end, the Commerce Department staff would make a special trip to the Embroidery Factory's booth to inquire about the day's order status.

It was said that the leading official from the Commerce Department was now very eager to see if the ninth workshop could break through the ten million mark.

In fact, adding the Embroidery Factory headquarters' over five million, the total orders for the Embroidery Factory had already exceeded ten million. This was an unprecedented and astonishing achievement. When the news reached the Embroidery Factory, the factory director even made a special call to commend the trade delegation.

Speaking of the Embroidery Factory headquarters, they were also frustrated. This year, with the ninth workshop as a comparison, they had really pushed themselves to find ways to promote their products and had secretly learned a lot from Shen Moer. Their over five million in orders had far exceeded last year's performance. Without the ninth workshop, they would have definitely been praised this year.

But coincidentally, the ninth workshop's order volume was almost double theirs, making their significant performance improvement seem inadequate in comparison.

Early in the morning, the Commerce Department's staff member Xiao Qu arrived again.

The young man with black-framed glasses looked at Shen Moer with sparkling eyes: "Comrade Shen, today is the last day. Do you have the confidence to break through ten million?"

Shen Moer: "..."

Before Shen could respond, Liu Yingshuang spoke up first: "If you're asking about confidence, of course we have it. We may lose the battle, but not the spirit. We definitely have confidence, but whether we can achieve it is another matter."

Li Xinmei chuckled and chimed in: "Exactly, we have confidence, but it also depends on the foreign buyers, right?"

Shen Moer smiled: "What they said is exactly what I wanted to say."

Xiao Qu knew his question was a bit naive, but as this campaign reached its final day, even he was both excited and anxious. He scratched his head and said: "Alright, I'll come back later to ask."

At that moment, Li Xinmei nudged Shen Moer: "Isn't that our top customer, David? I feel like he's heading our way?"