The quantity Yu Zhixin requested truly surprised Su Caiqing. She had originally thought that if the department store ordered twenty thousand pieces, it would already be quite good, yet he had made such a large move.
Yu Zhixin said, “With such a large order, is there any discount on the price?”
“Of course!” Su Caiqing replied readily. She took out a handwritten price list and handed it to him. “This shows the pricing for different order quantities. For fifty thousand pieces, the price is 4.5 yuan per piece.”
Once these clothes reached the department store, they could easily be sold for over ten or even twenty yuan each. As long as they sold well, the profit margin would multiply several times. That was simply how the clothing business worked.
Yu Zhixin seemed as though he still wanted to bargain, but Su Caiqing spoke first. “This is our sincere quote. As a procurement manager, you understand pricing very well. My factory is not in Shanghai, and transportation also adds to the cost. Even so, my price should still be lower than that of local Shanghai factories. And I can say with certainty that in two days, the wholesale price of Xingzi shirts will rise to ten yuan per piece.”
She had already researched Shanghai’s price levels. Due to its thriving commerce, labor, utilities, and transportation costs were all significantly higher, so locally produced goods were never cheap.
Yu Zhixin sighed slightly. “I understand everything you’re saying, but as a buyer, my duty is to secure goods at the lowest possible cost… Still, your reasoning makes sense. So you’ve decided not to lower the price at all?”
Su Caiqing nodded. In bulk wholesale, even a small concession per piece meant a massive reduction overall. Besides, her pricing was already fair.
“That puts me in a difficult position…” Yu Zhixin frowned.
Su Caiqing, however, remained calm, showing no sign of concern that the deal might fall through.
After a brief silence, Yu Zhixin finally gave in. “Alright, I accept your price.”
In this psychological contest, he admitted defeat. She had laid out all her conditions clearly, leaving no room for bargaining.
Su Caiqing smiled brightly. “Thank you for your understanding. This is how I do business. Everything follows clear rules, one is one, two is two. It saves a lot of trouble. I could have quoted five yuan or higher and then let you bargain it down to four-fifty so you’d feel you got a good deal, but that would waste time and energy. I will have many more clients and partners in the future. If I handled each one that way, it would cost me far too much effort.”
Yu Zhixin nodded. “You’re right.”
As a procurement manager, he was used to negotiating fiercely with suppliers over price, quality, and after-sales terms.
Since they had reached an agreement, they proceeded to sign the contract. Yu Zhixin invited her to the office, where they went through detailed terms such as delivery schedules and logistics. Su Caiqing was already familiar with the process, and although she was unfamiliar with Shanghai, Yu Zhixin explained the local details, so there were no major disagreements.
After signing smoothly, Su Caiqing took out another sample from her bag, a polka dot dress, and handed it to him.
“This is another design of ours. Please take a look.”
Yu Zhixin examined it carefully, from the design and cut to the stitching and finishing.
“This doesn’t look like a factory product. It feels more like a tailor’s work.”
His eye for detail was sharp.
Su Caiqing nodded. “You’re right. This is a sample made by a tailor. But you’ve seen the factory’s workmanship in the Xingzi shirts, it’s completely reliable. As for the fabric—” she took out a swatch, “I personally selected this from the textile mill. The texture, the color, and the print quality are all excellent. The polka dots are neat, and the overall look will be very appealing when made into dresses.”
Yu Zhixin had no objections. Just as he was about to ask about how it looked when worn, he realized that Su Caiqing herself was wearing the same design.
The white dress with red polka dots should have given off a youthful, fresh impression, like a pure white rose. Yet on her, it carried both elegance and maturity, blending purity with allure in a striking way.
Noticing his gaze, Su Caiqing stood up, walked a few steps, and spun lightly. “The effect when worn is excellent. It’s especially suitable for female university students. Imagine a girl with braided hair, wearing this dress, holding a few books, walking down a tree-lined campus path. How many boys do you think would turn to look?”
Yu Zhixin couldn’t help but picture the scene. It was indeed beautiful.
“What’s the price of this dress?” he asked.
“That depends on the quantity.”
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let’s start with one or two thousand pieces to test the market.”
“If you order two thousand, the price will be 9.5 yuan per piece.”
Since dresses required more fabric and slightly longer production time, the cost was naturally higher.
Without the same explosive popularity as the Xingzi shirt, Yu Zhixin was cautious, which was perfectly reasonable.
Knowing her pricing rules, he didn’t attempt to bargain further. “Then let’s go with two thousand pieces.”
This was already more than a typical trial order, showing his trust in her judgment.
“Thank you for your support. The dresses are already in production and should take three to four days to reach you. Is that acceptable?”
“No problem. As long as delivery is on time.”
After signing the contract, everything proceeded quickly. Securing such large orders clearly put Su Caiqing in high spirits.
Yu Zhixin checked his watch. “It’s the end of my workday. May I have the honor of inviting you to dinner to celebrate our cooperation?”
Such invitations were common in business, and Su Caiqing accepted without hesitation.
They had a Shanghai-style meal together, which brought them closer personally. During dinner, Yu Zhixin shared insights about Shanghai’s commercial scene, which broadened her perspective.
Hearing firsthand accounts from someone in the industry was far more vivid and real than anything in newspapers or broadcasts.
Shanghai at this time was bursting with vitality. Its modern commercial system was still in its infancy, yet Su Caiqing had already seen what it would eventually become.
Yu Zhixin raised his glass. “I didn’t expect we’d share so many views on Shanghai’s business development. To our shared vision, and to Shanghai’s future, cheers.”
Su Caiqing clinked glasses with him.
Wine was still quite rare in this era.
After dinner, she checked into a guesthouse using the introduction letter from Director Zhao. Once settled, she immediately called Director Zhao’s home.
The phone rang only once before it was picked up. It was Zhang Yunbing. “Mom! Are you in Shanghai?”
“Yes, I’m calling from the guesthouse. Are you all doing well?”
“We’re all good! We finished dinner early and have been waiting for your call. Why did you call so late?”
“I was busy with business and only just found a place to stay,” she explained patiently.
She asked about each child’s day, speaking briefly with all of them before finally talking to Wang Chaoying.
Naturally, Wang Chaoying was eager to hear about the business progress. Su Caiqing didn’t keep her in suspense. “Today I signed a fifty-thousand-piece order at the agreed price. Also, I secured a two-thousand-piece order for the red polka dot dresses. So tonight, when Xiaozhuang comes, have him bring more goods. I’ve arranged to deliver four thousand pieces tomorrow.”
As Wang Chaoying listened, her eyes widened, nodding repeatedly in excitement.
“Alright! Got it! Do we need to send another person? Five thousand pieces will be hard to handle!”
“It’s fine, let Xiaozhuang come alone. You just help him board the train, and I’ll arrange help on this end.”
After discussing delivery details, Wang Chaoying finally couldn’t hold back her excitement and screamed, “Caiqing! How amazing are you? Fifty thousand pieces!”