Surprise! The rough husband is the hidden boss of the period literature

Chapter 386 Sky-high Price
Gong Zhijie said he would pay for the meal, and Xu Qinghuan smiled and said, "The money has already been paid, why is Director Gong saying such things? I've dealt with your brother before, and he's a very honest person."

Gong Zhijie was taken aback for a moment before realizing who Xu Qinghuan was talking about. "You mean Ming Jie? No wonder, your foreign language is really good. He works at the Xinhua Bookstore in Anguang County. Oh, you're from the same place. Now that you mention it, I know. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

He shook hands with Xu Qinghuan, and Jiang Xingye's sharp gaze fell on his hand. He quickly extended his hand to Jiang Xingye, "And who is this?"

Xu Qinghuan introduced, "This is my fiancé, Jiang Xingye. These people are all educated youth from our Shangjiang Brigade, and they are also the backbone of the factory!"

"The educated youth in your Shangjiang Brigade are all very capable. I've read reports about you, but I never expected to have the honor of meeting you all," Gong Zhijie said, quite eloquently.

He greeted everyone warmly, making them feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. Once the atmosphere had warmed up, he smiled and said, "Xu Zhiqing, you are a talented person. The development of our country needs ambitious people like you."

You're also from Shanghai, you can't just think about the Jiang Brigade. So, how about it, are you and Comrade Jiang interested in returning to Shanghai?

This person is very generous and knows how to handle people.

He also mentioned Jiang Xingye, who showed no signs of getting angry as usual whenever someone asked Xu Qinghuan to return to the city.

“My fiancé is a native of Shangjiang Brigade. He has grandparents to support, so we can’t go back to the city.” Xu Qinghuan glanced at the sky outside; it was getting late. “Please just say what you have to say!”

“Xu Zhiqing is a straightforward person,” Gong Zhijie said. “I heard that Qiao Zhiqing’s father is a workshop director in a textile factory? Considering their family lineage, is there any way to help the textile factory?”

Xu Qinghuan asked, "It depends on how you help! If I'm supposed to talk to James and ask him to honor the agreement, then I'd like to ask, where is the agreement?"

Gong Zhijie shook his head. "This is our oversight, and it is indeed a problem."

Xu Qinghuan said, "I can help, but why did this oversight happen? I think the factory needs to investigate thoroughly. Also, I can't help for nothing!"

Two days later, Mr. Qiao led a group of people from Shanghai to Nancheng City. At that time, the Shangjiang team was preparing to return home. They had already secured enough orders to ensure they wouldn't have to worry about the market for at least a year.

Qiao Xinyu was so happy to see her father that she almost jumped for joy, but she also knew that Qiao Huaqing's arrival was not such a simple matter.

Gong Zhijie treated them to dinner at the state-run restaurant. "This time, Comrade Qiao came under the guise of the deputy factory director. Xu Zhiqing, this batch of goods is quite large. We've been holding back for a long time. If this continues, it's not a question of whether we can pay wages, but whether the factory can survive."

Gong Zhijie's statement was somewhat sensational; these days, everyone works together, so factories don't go bankrupt so easily.

"It's actually easy to deal with this inventory. Our Four Sisters Garment Factory has received a lot of orders this time, and our brand has been established. Once we connect with outsiders, the number of orders will only increase in the future."

"But in fact, we also face a problem that needs to be solved," Xu Qinghuan said.

"What's the problem?" Qiao Huaqing asked.

"Raw materials," Xu Qinghuan said. "So, you can consider selling your inventory to us."

Chen Hongtao, listening from the side, frowned and asked, "How much cargo can you possibly consume?"

He still wanted to sell the goods to James or other foreigners so that they would earn foreign exchange, which would be his credit. But if he sold them to the Four Sisters Garment Factory, they would receive Chinese currency, and the credit would go to Qiao Huaqing.

Xu Qinghuan ignored the man and instead asked Gong Zhijie, "What price can the textile factory offer me?"

Gong Zhijie asked Chen Hongtao to quote a price, and Chen Hongtao reluctantly quoted an exorbitant amount. Qiao Xinyu disliked this man, finding his arrogant and uncooperative attitude obvious.

However, this attitude persisted in sales at that time, and continued for the next ten years. In an era of scarcity, they held the resources in their hands.

Later, due to the imperfect system, some salespeople were able to bankrupt an entire factory.

"How is that possible? Do you supply department stores at the same price?" Qiao Xinyu said.

Chen Hongtao argued confidently, "Your clothes aren't sold to department stores, you sell them to foreigners. Each garment costs over a hundred US dollars. With such a high selling price, how much profit do you make per garment?"

Xu Qinghuan smiled and shrugged at Gong Zhijie, indicating that she was powerless to help.

Gong Zhijie advised him, "Hongtao, that's not how you calculate it. The Shangjiang Brigade is able to get foreign trade orders because of their abilities. You should still sell at the normal price. You can't confuse the two."

If it weren't for the large amount of inventory and the textile factory coming to him for help, Gong Zhijie wouldn't have wanted to get involved in this mess.

“If you want a cheaper price, that’s fine, but you have to buy up all our inventory at once.” Chen Hongtao thought he had conceded a step. “The price I’m offering is the price we agreed on with the foreigners.”

In fact, the price Chen Hongtao negotiated with the foreigners was about the same as the price he paid to the department store. James was a seasoned veteran, and he knew all too well what prices were like in China.

Qiao Xinyu was furious. "Then you can sell them to foreigners."

Chen Hongtao glanced at Qiao Huaqing with a half-smile, as if to say, "If I can close this deal with the foreigners, your father won't be able to become the deputy factory director."

Qiao Huaqing laughed and said, "Don't worry about me. I'm fine as a workshop director. I'll be wherever the organization needs me."

Chen Hongtao was taken aback. "I'm just thinking of you. After all these years, it's time for you to get a promotion."

“Serving the people is the same everywhere, I don’t care about that.” Qiao Huaqing was not one to be trifled with either. “However, since last October, the factory has been having cash flow problems, and we haven’t even distributed a bar of soap.”

Chen Hongtao's face was somewhat grim. "It's my fault! But it's true that business with foreigners is not easy to negotiate."

It's not easy to negotiate. The Shangjiang Brigade has already negotiated several deals.
Chen Hongtao also realized that no one might believe what he said. "Xu Zhiqing, you also need to be careful. We have suffered such a big loss. You can't make the same mistake again."

This sounds a bit like a curse.

Xu Qinghuan laughed and said, "No, doing business isn't about trust. Even a three-year-old knows to sign a contract in black and white. Our agreements are bilingual, and we review the qualifications of both parties before signing to avoid signing with a shell company."

Besides, you know we offered a high price. To be frank, even if this agreement isn't fulfilled midway, my Shangjiang Brigade won't lose out.

Their prices are high, and payment is required upon placing an order. This percentage isn't arbitrary; it takes profit into account.

They'd love for the other party not to honor the agreement, so the deposit would be essentially free.

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