Beautiful beauties in the 80s courtyard

Chapter 229: Looks Easy, But Failes When You Try It

Therefore, the incident definitely did not occur in Jiangcheng.

There was also a museum in that place; it must have been transported away in batches at the time.

The curator was naturally the last to leave.

Unexpectedly, the museum caught fire that night. Fortunately, Zhenxi's maternal grandfather had already moved the treasures and assigned loyal subordinates to guard them.

This transfer must have taken place in Beidu.

It was a chaotic time. The planes at the airport were all used to transport dignitaries. Of course, these were valuables, and the leaders at the time definitely wanted to take them all with them.

When all hope was lost, those people forced the people to hand over all their gold, saying they were exchanging it for money, but what they gave them were worthless paper bills.

In reality, what we inherited was a land ravaged by war, with countless treasures stolen.

On another note, did the last batch of treasures transferred from Beidu go to the south or the north?
If it's going to the south, it will definitely need to be transported by plane.

Going north, it's very likely that there were spies there back then, who wanted to transport things to Japan through Jiangcheng.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the items in the reed marshes were the ones that Zhen Xi's grandfather protected.

All thoughts vanished the moment Zhen Xi got out of the car.

Lu Qiaoge smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Zhen Xi.

They were already quite familiar with each other, and Zhen Xi's attitude became much more friendly.

Lu Qiaoge noticed the gauze wrapped around his wrist and naturally asked, "Mr. Zhen, what is this...?"

Zhen Xi frowned slightly, then said casually, "It's nothing, I just accidentally bumped into the razor."

Lu Qiaoge looked at his expression.

He seemed to be in good spirits, but his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept well last night.

Lu Qiaoge didn't press the matter further.

Zhen Xi, however, said as they walked, "I'm planning to go to Beidu with President Ming tomorrow to discuss setting up a clothing counter in the port city."

Mr. Ming is the largest garment merchant in the port city, with his own factory, storefront, and sales channels.

In fact, most of them are engaged in export business.

He's a very capable and daring person, and he's also very friendly to our side. When Zhen Xi went to him, he immediately agreed.

He also introduced the other two clothing retailers to them.

They all proved to be reliable.

However, there are only two slots available this time.

So it could only be given to Zhen Xi and President Ming.

Lu Qiaoge nodded: "I wish you success in your negotiations."

Zhen Xi touched his wrist. He had a strange illness since childhood that would flare up without any reason or warning.

I've seen many doctors, but they still can't figure out what's wrong.

It can only be described as a hereditary disease on the mother's side of the family.

He suddenly had a fit yesterday and picked up a fruit knife, stabbing himself.

Now it's normal.

Zhen Xi told Lu Qiaoge, "I'll probably be returning directly to Gangcheng from Beidu, so I'm calling you to talk about the follow-up orders for the melon seed baskets and the instant noodle production line."

As they were talking, Director Zhou, who had come out to greet them, warmly led them to the conference room.

The order for melon seed baskets was 10,000, and 3,000 have been delivered so far.

Given the current situation and the potential for further developments, it is not advisable to place additional orders.

Lu Qiaoge meant the same thing.

They only make high-quality products. Although Jinjin grass is a wild grass, it turns golden yellow after processing, similar to the color of bamboo weaving. It is flexible and durable. Captain Lin said that Old Du in the village has kept the items woven from Jinjin grass for five years without much color change.

But in Lu Qiaoge's opinion, a melon seed basket that costs only a few cents can last for two years.

However, Zhen Xi said, "Merchants from Nanyang have taken a liking to the melon seed baskets and want to purchase them from me. Do you have any craftsmen? Can you expand your business?"

Lu Qiaoge's heart stirred.

She hadn't really considered the merchants from Nanyang.

But that's also a big market for exchanging foreign currency. Right now, all she can do is straw weaving.

But the problem now is that there are no skilled workers.

Chang An once led a group of people, mostly middle-aged women from the neighborhood committee, about a dozen people, but most of them could do it at first glance but failed when they tried.

Few people can truly learn it, but even if you do, it's not enough; it has to be of high quality because it's for export.

Lu Qiaoge had seen the Jinjin grass fan woven by Chang An.

It's very beautiful and practical.

Although I didn't see Chang'an weaving in person, it must be very difficult to do.

It has to be a master like Chang An and Fan Xiaoyu.

The problem is that these are all handmade, and even the two of them, no matter how skilled, can only produce a limited number.

If only she had a hundred master chefs like that.

Lu Qiaoge said in a deep voice, "Expanding the scale is not difficult, but finding craftsmen is difficult. Moreover, this is purely handmade, truly woven from individual strands. In fact, the craftsmanship of melon seed baskets is very complex, but we are now offering your company the price of consumables rather than the price of works of art. This means that if we hire a large number of workers, we will face a situation where income cannot cover expenses."

Consumables and handicrafts are not priced the same at all.

Zhen Xi didn't speak, but stared intently at Lu Qiaoge.

Does she mean her melon seed basket was a work of art, and she sold it to him for a pittance?
The secretary glanced at Zhen Xi, then smiled and said, "This is what we're going to talk to Director Lu about. We're planning to order a batch of straw-woven palm-leaf fans. Can you make a sample? If it's what we want, we can continue our discussion."

But if I don't have the ability right now, then forget it.

Director Zhou was so anxious that sweat was pouring down his forehead.

Lu Qiaoge, what are you hesitating for? Just agree right away! Our comrades can overcome any difficulty, and the wisdom of the masses is boundless.

As long as the other party makes a request, we can do whatever it takes to get it done.

If the Nanyang area is truly opened up, the potential for foreign trade growth is hard to predict.

Straw weaving, straw weaving—not to mention that Jinjin grass is a specialty of Jiangcheng and can be found everywhere, just expanding the scale would require hiring countless workers and solving the employment problem for so many people.

This is a meritorious deed that benefits the present and future generations.

Lu Qiaoge glanced at Director Zhou and said, "Chang An has a straw fan in his hand..."

Before Lu Qiaoge could finish speaking, Director Zhou immediately stood up: "I'll call your factory and ask them to drive over and deliver the palm-leaf fans."

Lu Qiaoge thought for a moment and then said, "Have Director Hu bring Chang An over. Tell Director Hu that we may need to sign a contract."

The call went to the duty room of the military factory and was reported to Director Hao. The director instructed that someone be sent to pick up Chang An and Director Hu immediately.

Factory Director Hao gave the direct instruction that things should remain the same as before, and that no irrelevant people should interfere.

Twenty minutes later, Lu Qiaoge and Zhen Xi had finished discussing the instant noodle production line, and the military factory's jeep sped up.

Old Hu in the car had a complicated expression, and he really wanted to say: Qiao Ge, can we handle this?
You're going to fly away before you've even left!

But seeing Director Zhou's eyes, which were brighter than a light bulb, he naturally swallowed his words.

Yes, as long as you can exchange currency, nothing else matters.

Chang An was quite awkward, but everyone's attention was drawn to the lotus-patterned palm-leaf fan he had woven.

The secretary picked it up, not to examine it, but to admire it.

It must be said that Chang An's dexterity is innate.

Chang An was a little anxious, with a lot to say but not knowing where to begin.

Lu Qiaoge gave him a pen and paper.

Chang An wrote: It could be nine plum blossoms, or a circle of wheat ears, or even other patterns. This sample is a bit rough; it can be made more refined.

Lu Qiaoge explained it to Zhen Xi and the secretary.

Zhen Xi glanced at the palm-leaf fan. Although it was very ordinary, it seemed that her father had one.

The fan handle is adorned with a piece of fine jade. Although it is not used often, it is said to have been hand-woven by my great-grandfather.

　Thank you so much to Dostoevsky, caroletu, and all the other lovely readers for your generous donations and support!
　　Let me also explain Lu Qiaoge's educational background. In Chapter 165, I wrote: Lu Qiaoge said sincerely and frankly, "Director Hu, I left school after the first year of junior high school. I admit, I had selfish motives..."

　　The setting is that Lu Qiaoge didn't finish the first year of junior high school when something happened. It wasn't explained too clearly at the time because they were worried about her being locked in a dark room. So, Lu Qiaoge didn't graduate from junior high school. Also, Qiaoge was born in 1956 and started school at the age of seven. She would have started junior high school in 1968, just as the college entrance examination was canceled for two years and a recommendation system was implemented. Education was not important. It's an alternate history, so we won't say more.

　　Today, while writing about straw crafts, I suddenly remembered that I think I participated in an intangible cultural heritage writing contest. So I found two pictures online; they're truly exquisite and elegant. They are indeed intangible cultural heritage items, and I hope they can be passed down forever. If the pictures aren't suitable, I'll delete them immediately. Anyway, just take a look. Love you all~
　　(End of this chapter)