Wang Chaoying immediately felt a sense of urgency. “Alright, then you need to set off as soon as possible. Huang Zili and I will help keep an eye on things at your home!”
Su Caiqing replied, “That would be great! I originally planned to leave right away, but now I think this is actually a good opportunity. Come with me—we’ll go to their sales department and place an order.”
Wang Chaoying understood that if Su Caiqing managed to open up the Shanghai sales channel, demand would surge dramatically, and they might not be able to keep up with supply. Securing a production spot with the factory now would ensure they did not miss this booming period. Moreover, she had complete confidence in Su Caiqing and believed she would definitely break into the Shanghai market.
The two of them walked arm in arm toward the sales department at a brisk pace, while Su Caiqing spoke rapidly as she went. “Besides the Xingzi shirt, we should also produce a batch of polka dot skirts. Later, give me your skirts and your cousin’s as well. I’ll take them to Shanghai and show them to the distributors.”
Wang Chaoying felt that Su Caiqing’s mind worked extremely fast and had not fully caught up yet. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, we should promote the Xingzi shirts and the polka dot skirts together in Shanghai. Otherwise, since the Xingzi shirt became popular because of Blood Suspicion, people might assume that our other Caiying clothing has no market value.”
Right now, with the popularity of the Xingzi shirt, some wholesalers would be willing to try it out.
The polka dot skirt was a classic and attractive style. With this opportunity, it could serve as a pioneer product for the Caiying brand and help open up sales channels.
Wang Chaoying kept praising Su Caiqing for her intelligence. From the factory entrance to the warehouse, in just a few minutes, she had already thought through so much. She was truly thinking several steps ahead.
She admired Su Caiqing more and more.
Su Caiqing calmly accepted her continuous praise.
This time, Su Caiqing placed orders for two types of polka dot skirts: one with a white base and red polka dots, and one with a red base and white polka dots. Although the colors were simply inverted, the styles looked entirely different when worn.
In addition to the newly ordered two hundred thousand Xingzi shirts, twenty thousand pieces of each color of polka dot skirts were also ordered.
The two of them left with the order forms, and Wang Chaoying suddenly remembered something. “Sis, the money we currently have might not be enough to cover these orders.”
Su Caiqing said, “I know. That’s why I brought you along. Your presence itself is a form of credit. The money we’ve earned these past few days still needs to be paid to the fabric factory first.”
“You mean we’re going to buy the fabric ourselves?” Wang Chaoying asked.
Su Caiqing nodded. “Of course. It’s not that I think the garment factory is profiting off us, but rather that I want to find the most suitable fabric.”
Having made so many garments, Su Caiqing had developed a solid understanding of the current state of fabric production.
Compared to more economically developed times, fabrics in this era were quite limited in both material and patterns. Finding something truly satisfactory was not easy.
Producing brightly colored fabrics like these had only begun in recent years. Previously, factories mainly followed production quotas and spent the entire year producing only a few colors like blue and gray, with fairly similar quality.
Wang Chaoying trusted her completely and agreed without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll take leave tomorrow and accompany you to visit several textile factories.”
“Good! That’s exactly what I had in mind.”
That evening, Wang Chaoying, Huang Zili, and her cousin all came to Su Caiqing’s home for dinner. Although everyone was exhausted after a busy day, Su Caiqing, still energetic, personally cooked several dishes.
During the meal, Su Caiqing mentioned that she would leave for Shanghai the next evening.
Everyone except Wang Chaoying was very surprised. The timing was too sudden, and it felt rushed.
“Sis, do you really have to go?” Su Xiaozhuang asked.
Although they were usually quite afraid of their Fifth Sister, the thought of her leaving made them feel as though they were losing an important pillar of support.
Su Caiqing said, “Yes, I must go. We need to open up sales channels for our clothes to keep them selling. Jiyang is not a small place, but it cannot accommodate endless competition. If you want to live better lives, then I have to make this trip.”
Although Su Xiaozhuang and the others were already in their twenties, they had never left their family’s protection or lived independently, so they instinctively relied on others and did not see themselves as the backbone of the family.
This time, Su Caiqing intended to change their mindset. As adults, they needed to develop the awareness and ability to take responsibility for a household.
Wang Chaoying added in support, “Don’t worry. My family and Director Zhao’s family will help keep an eye on things. You just need to take care of the younger children.”
Laundry and cooking were handled by Aunt Wu, and the children spent most of the day playing outside. Only at night did they need supervision.
Su Genmei said, “Sis, don’t worry. We’ll take good care of the children.”
Zhang Yunbing immediately added, “Mom, I’m here! You can just go to Shanghai. It’s just that… I heard there’s a kind of milk biscuit in Shanghai that’s really good…”
It turned out to be a little foodie. Everyone burst into laughter, and even Su Caiqing couldn’t help but smile. “I see, you little glutton.”
In an era when transportation was not convenient, traveling to Shanghai was not easy, so it was natural to bring back some items.
Wang Chaoying chimed in, “I’m not sure if you’ll have time to shop, but if you can, help me bring back some clothes or cosmetics.”
Su Caiqing said, “Everyone is in a rush right now, so there’s no time to think about those things. Once I get there, I’ll call the photo studio or your office during the day, and call your home or Director Zhao’s home at night. Whatever you need, we can discuss it over the phone.”
“Alright! That works. Then I’m relieved,” Wang Chaoying said happily.
After dinner, they agreed to meet early the next morning. After sending the three of them off, Su Caiqing spent time giving instructions to her younger siblings and sat with the children, talking to them and coaxing them to sleep.
This was Su Caiqing’s first long trip, and naturally the children were what she worried about the most.
The next day, after spending the entire day comparing polka dot fabrics across several textile factories, Su Caiqing finalized her choice with Jianhua Dyeing and Weaving Factory. She and Wang Chaoying placed the order, and that evening she quickly packed her belongings, went to the train station to buy a ticket, and set off for Shanghai.
At that time, sleeper berths were not in high demand, so seats were still available. After boarding, Su Caiqing first went to the dining car for a meal, then returned to her berth and rested.
By early morning, she had arrived in Shanghai.
After stepping off the train, she was greeted by crowds of people moving in all directions. Shanghai at the time was the most prosperous city in the country, though its appearance was completely different from what it would become later.
Standing there, Su Caiqing, who had once worked in Shanghai’s most expensive CBD in a previous life, could deeply feel the pace at which this city and this country would develop in the years to come.
Taking a deep breath, she suddenly felt a surge of excitement. In such a rapidly evolving era, opportunities were everywhere. For someone ambitious and full of ideas like her, this was truly a paradise.
After a while, she calmed her thoughts and began preparing to meet clients.
This was entirely unfamiliar Shanghai, with many places she had never heard of before, though the major districts had not changed much.
She bought a map, studied Shanghai’s transportation for a while, and identified three clients she planned to visit that day.
After making appointments via a public telephone booth, she took a bus to her first client’s location.
Before meeting the client, she stopped at a department store restroom to change into Wang Chaoying’s white skirt with red polka dots, freshened up, and applied light makeup.
Refreshed and radiant, Su Caiqing no longer looked like someone who had traveled overnight to negotiate business. There was no trace of fatigue or travel weariness on her.
At ten o’clock, she arrived for her first appointment, a distributor engaged in clothing wholesale.
When Su Caiqing appeared in his office, he was quite surprised. “I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”
She had only called them two days ago.
Su Caiqing said, “Because opportunities don’t wait, I came as quickly as possible.”
The other party invited her to sit and pour tea. After some polite conversation about Jiyang and the train journey, they quickly got to the main topic.
“This television drama Blood Suspicion is extremely popular. Especially in a place like Shanghai, where television is widespread, many people have watched it and like the character Sachiko. The clothing she wears will naturally become a style many women favor.” As she spoke, Su Caiqing took out the Xingzi shirt she had brought as a sample.
The shop owner looked somewhat surprised. “Actually, some garment factories in Shanghai have already started producing Xingzi shirts. We’re currently in discussions with them. It seems you’re quite sensitive to trends as well.”
His tone carried a hint of superiority typical of a Shanghai resident. After all, Shanghai led the nation’s fashion trends, and many people took pride in purchasing goods from Shanghai.
Su Caiqing ignored the implied superiority and said, “I understand that Shanghai has always been very sensitive to trends. However, many factories have only just begun production, and there are likely many other distributors waiting for supply as well, correct?”
“That’s true, but I trust in the production capacity of Shanghai factories,” he replied, lifting his chin slightly.
Su Caiqing gave a soft “oh,” then asked directly, “You’re not very interested in my clothing simply because our factory is not based in Shanghai, is that correct?”
The other party’s half-smiling expression faded slightly.
Su Caiqing continued, “But have you considered this? Labor, electricity, and other costs in Shanghai are much higher than elsewhere. In addition, with so many distributors competing, factories will inevitably raise their prices. In that case, will Xingzi shirts produced in Shanghai still have the same competitive advantage?”
The Xingzi shirt was a fixed style. Consumers might not care much about the fabric, but they were extremely sensitive to price.
The man seemed persuaded. “Let me take a look at your samples.”
Su Caiqing handed over the Xingzi shirt, then took out the polka dot skirt as well.