Su Caiqing gently patted her and said, “Sleep, sleep. I’m here with you.”
Wang Chaoying murmured, “You’re so good,” then closed her eyes again to rest.
They rushed all the way to the hospital. Su Caiqing quickly arranged for a gurney and, together with a nurse, pushed Wang Chaoying to undergo examinations.
Su Caiqing stayed with Wang Chaoying the entire time she was being examined.
Medical technology at the time was not very advanced, so the examinations took a while. After blood was drawn, Su Caiqing continued to stay by Wang Chaoying’s side.
“Sis, you didn’t tell my family, did you?” Wang Chaoying asked.
Su Caiqing replied, “Not yet. I felt you didn’t seem to be in any critical condition, so I decided to wait until the results came out before saying anything. No need to alarm everyone unnecessarily.”
Wang Chaoying nodded. “You’re right. I feel fine myself, no problems at all. Who knows why I suddenly fainted.”
Su Caiqing wasn’t certain either. She wasn’t a doctor, after all, so she could only comfort her. “Yes, it doesn’t look like anything serious. Just wait for the results and rest easy.”
To shift Wang Chaoying’s attention, Su Caiqing brought up her own thoughts. “Now that our company has been set up and things are getting busier, I’ve been thinking we should rent a courtyard to use as an office.”
From the early days of making Xingzi shirts until now, most of the work had been handled by the two of them. Su Xiaozhuang, Su Yaomei, and Su Genmei only helped check quality, trim threads, and count quantities. The two of them had been exhausted for quite some time.
Wang Chaoying frowned slightly and thought for a moment. “For shipping and counting and things like that, we’ll need other people to handle them, right?”
Su Caiqing nodded. “In the future, once we have people running errands, we can send a couple of them to various factories to pick up fabric samples. We can choose materials right in the office. Tasks like quantity tracking, defect checking, and sample production can all be assigned to others as well.”
Some tasks needed to be gradually delegated. Not too quickly, but not too slowly either.
Wang Chaoying felt that everything Su Caiqing said made perfect sense. She had already thought of the things Wang Chaoying hadn’t even considered.
“I’ll follow your lead,” Wang Chaoying said.
Su Caiqing smiled and joked, “Now that my younger brother is helping me too, he’ll likely become a strong assistant. As for you, you should also start thinking about finding someone close to you to help you.”
Wang Chaoying waved her hand. “What kind of talk is that? Do you think I’d be afraid you’ll take all the benefits? Besides, in this business, you’ve done the most hard work. It’s only right that you take a bit more of the benefits.”
She really was that straightforward.
It was probably because she trusted Su Caiqing too much.
As for choosing an office location, Wang Chaoying came up with several options, and they decided to visit them later before making a decision.
Time passed quickly while they chatted. Suddenly, a nurse knocked on the door and asked, “Is patient Wang Chaoying here?”
Su Caiqing stood up. “Yes, are the results out?”
The nurse handed over a report and said, “There’s nothing major wrong with her health. She’s just overworked and needs more rest. And since she’s pregnant, she really must take extra care.”
Su Caiqing had just taken the report when she heard the word “pregnant” and was momentarily surprised. “Pregnant? But there’s no serious problem with her health?”
The nurse shook her head. “Of course not. Just make sure she rests well. As her friend, you should remind her properly.”
With that, the nurse turned and left.
Su Caiqing turned back to look at Wang Chaoying, who seemed even more surprised than she was. “I’m pregnant?”
“Yes! This is great news!” Su Caiqing said.
Wang Chaoying suddenly struck the bed. “Ah! How did this happen?! Honestly!”
Su Caiqing asked in surprise, “What’s wrong? Why don’t you seem happy?”
Wang Chaoying pouted and rolled her eyes. “I’m not happy! I don’t want to be pregnant right now at all! Our business is getting better and better. I haven’t even enjoyed this relaxed life enough yet, and now I’m going to have some soft little troublemaker to deal with?”
Su Caiqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So she simply didn’t like children.
“What kind of talk is that? Children come naturally. Since it’s happened, just prepare to welcome it. I’ve had seven children myself, and I’ve managed just fine. Besides, your child will be close in age to my youngest, so they can play together. Otherwise, they’ll be too far apart in age and won’t be able to interact.”
Wang Chaoying’s eyes turned thoughtfully. “That actually makes sense.”
Su Caiqing handed her the report. “I’ll call Huang Zili and your family to tell them the good news.”
Wang Chaoying quickly jumped up. “Don’t tell them I’m in the hospital!”
“Why not? It’s perfectly normal to come to the hospital for a checkup. Don’t worry, I won’t mention the fainting.”
Only then did Wang Chaoying relax.
After Su Caiqing finished her phone calls and returned, Wang Chaoying had already gotten up briskly and was preparing to settle the bill and leave.
Since the checkup showed no major issues, Su Caiqing didn’t stop her.
But unexpectedly, Huang Zili arrived very quickly. Just as the two of them stepped out of the hospital, he pulled up right in front of them with a sharp stop.
Seeing Huang Zili panting heavily, Wang Chaoying said, “Why did you rush so much?”
Huang Zili gasped, “I… I… I…”
He stammered for a long time without forming a complete sentence.
Su Caiqing found it amusing and nudged Wang Chaoying. “He’s in a hurry to see you, the mother of his child! Go back with him.”
Huang Zili could only grin foolishly.
Wang Chaoying, however, swung her bag and hit him. “I haven’t settled accounts with you yet! I told you we’d wait two years before having a child. Why did you make me get pregnant now?”
Su Caiqing couldn’t help laughing. This wasn’t something Huang Zili had control over.
After thinking for a moment, Su Caiqing leaned closer to Wang Chaoying and whispered a few words. Wang Chaoying looked startled. “That doesn’t work?!”
Su Caiqing shook her head. “No, you’ll have to go to the family planning office to get the proper approval.”
Wang Chaoying deflated. “Forget it, it’s too late now. After this one, I won’t be able to have any more.”
The Huang family was part of the system, and Huang Zili worked in a government department, where family planning policies were enforced more strictly.
Su Caiqing said, “Calm your mind and go with the flow. Hurry back with him—your mother is probably waiting for you at home.”
“Alright, I’m leaving!” Wang Chaoying sat on the back of Huang Zili’s bicycle and waved at Su Caiqing.
Su Caiqing replied, “Go ahead. Call me if you need anything.”
Huang Zili also said goodbye, then pedaled away quickly.
From a distance, Wang Chaoying could still be seen lightly pounding on Huang Zili’s back in frustration, clearly still holding in a lot of emotion.
Watching them, Su Caiqing suddenly felt that life between two people could be quite interesting.
With Wang Chaoying pregnant and under medical advice, she no longer dared to run around with Su Caiqing. Most of the work still fell on Su Caiqing.
Su Caiqing then decided to bring Su Yaomei along to help, since she also wanted to learn.
At first, Su Yaomei was a bit flustered, but over time she gradually learned a great deal.
One day, when they returned home, it was already dark.
As they pushed the door open, several children were sitting under the lamp doing homework.
Seeing them return, Aunt Wu picked up Cao Xiaowang, who was already nodding off, and said, “You’re back. I’ll head home now.”
“Thank you, Aunt Wu,” they said.
After installing a washing machine at home, Aunt Wu no longer needed to help with laundry. However, she still came daily to help cook meals, sometimes preparing the rice, sometimes also cooking dishes. Su Caiqing continued to give her a monthly supply of rice as payment.
Aunt Wu looked at Su Caiqing and her sister stretching their tired arms and said, “You two are busy from morning till night. That’s really something.”
Su Yaomei politely replied, “It’s not that great. We’re so busy every day that our heads feel dizzy.”
Aunt Wu sighed. “It’s still better than having no work and no income.”
Su Caiqing understood that Aunt Wu had her reasons for saying this.
With the development of private businesses and individual enterprises, state-owned enterprises were finding it increasingly difficult. In the past, factories only needed to follow production quotas assigned from above and operate in a routine manner.
But things are different now. The market offered more and more choices. In addition, service attitudes in supply and marketing cooperatives and state-owned department stores were often poor, with clerks acting indifferent or even rude. This led more people to favor private businesses and individual enterprises.
Although machinery factories didn’t directly produce consumer goods, when the factories they supplied struggled, machinery factories were affected as well.
Factories such as garment factories, food factories, and textile dyeing factories had already begun laying off workers, and this sense of concern had spread to machinery factories too.
Su Caiqing said, “Aunt Wu, don’t worry too much. The country is focusing on developing the economy, not harming it. As long as the economy keeps growing, there will be opportunities for everyone.”
Aunt Wu didn’t fully understand, but Su Caiqing’s confident tone gave her some reassurance.
Having lived through war and famine, Aunt Wu knew how hard it was to live without food or proper clothing.
After Aunt Wu left with Cao Xiaowang, Su Yaomei said, “I didn’t expect that even working in a factory would come with worries about losing income.”
Su Caiqing replied, “That’s normal. There’s no such thing as a truly ironclad job. The only real security comes from yourself. As long as you stand strong on your own, there’s nothing to fear.”
Su Yaomei nodded somewhat uncertainty. Many of Su Caiqing’s ideas were still difficult for most people to fully grasp.
But as long as they listened and remembered, they would eventually come to understand.
Su Caiqing personally prepared the patterns, selected fabrics, and sent them to the factory. The sample production was completed quickly.
This time, in addition to several overcoats with more complex fabrics and craftsmanship, she also produced a batch of turtleneck sweaters, cotton jackets, cotton pants, and some children’s clothing.
Balancing warmth and appearance in winter clothing was very difficult, and Su Caiqing had put a great deal of effort into achieving acceptable results.
After all, in this era, finding suitable fabrics was not easy.
She personally went to Shanghai to pick up the samples.
When she returned, she brought the sample garments to Wang Chaoying’s home.
There were five men’s and five women’s pieces. The men’s coats were black and gray, while the women’s included black, gray, red, plaid, and camel colors.
Wang Chaoying immediately took a liking to the red one and tried it on right away.
The red coat was indeed striking and beautiful, but unfortunately it was a bit smaller than her usual size.
“If it’s too tight, it won’t feel comfortable,” Su Caiqing said.
Since overcoats had less elasticity than other garments, they couldn’t be forced to fit like other clothes.
Wang Chaoying reluctantly took it off.
Su Caiqing picked up the plaid one and said, “Try this. I think it will suit you. If you really like red, you can get one later when the factory produces the bulk order.”
Wang Chaoying accepted it and said, “Alright, I’ll try this one. Your eye for style is never wrong.”
After putting it on, the plaid coat gave her a completely different look, with a somewhat professional, elegant feel.
“How is it? Very stylish, right?” Su Caiqing helped adjust her collar.
Wang Chaoying also felt pleasantly surprised. “This one looks really good! I like it! I’ll take this one! Sis, which one will you try?”
Su Caiqing picked up the red one and put it on directly.
With her fair complexion, red suited her especially well. Combined with the clean tailoring, it outlined her figure in a way that made her look like a young woman in her twenties rather than a mother of seven children.
Wang Chaoying stared at her for quite a while before saying, “Sis, this color suits you even better. I thought mine looked good just now, but now I feel mine is nothing compared to yours. Yours is truly elegant and impressive.”
Looking at herself in the mirror from different angles, Su Caiqing said, “I think it looks pretty good too.”
After taking it off, she said, “I’ll take two men’s coats. You can take the remaining three and distribute them.”
During the sample stage, she had also carefully considered sizing issues.
Wang Chaoying nodded.
That meant Su Caiqing’s family would get three women’s coats and two men’s coats, while Wang Chaoying’s side would get three men’s coats and two women’s coats.
The clothes were free of charge, but they were required to coordinate with a photo shoot at Liang Qiheng’s studio.
Wang Chaoying had originally assumed one of the men’s coats would go to Su Dazhuang, but unexpectedly one ended up being worn by Liang Qiheng instead.
Seeing the exaggerated expression on Wang Chaoying’s face, Su Caiqing guessed what she was thinking. “That coat was promised to him earlier. Didn’t you also say he’s quite outstanding in appearance? Using him as a model for the advertisement photos is worth it, isn’t it?”
Wang Chaoying huffed. “Abusing public resources for personal gain.”
Su Caiqing rolled her eyes. “Who are you talking about?”
Wang Chaoying quickly said, “I meant Liang Qiheng, not you.”
Su Caiqing was momentarily taken aback by the logic.
With the schedule tight for production and distribution, Su Caiqing didn’t have time to argue further. She quickly arranged a photo shoot with Liang Qiheng.
When Liang Qiheng put on the black overcoat, words like “tall and handsome,” “refined,” and “impressive” immediately came to Su Caiqing’s mind.
He was also someone who knew how to present himself. Once dressed, he expressed great satisfaction. “This coat is excellent. The design is very well done!”
Su Caiqing asked him to turn around to check the cut and fit.
The coat made Liang Qiheng appear broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, tall and striking.
She then asked Su Xiaozhuang to stand beside him. “Look at the two of you in the same coat. Learn from him—stand up straight and keep your head up!”
Su Xiaozhuang, after being patted on the back by Su Caiqing, tried hard to straighten up, but still felt there was a gap between himself and Liang Qiheng.
It couldn’t be helped. The difference in temperament was not easy to bridge.
Liang Qiheng guided him, “Follow me. Lift your head, straighten your back, tuck in your chin. A man should carry himself with confidence and presence.”
In truth, Su Caiqing knew he was simply putting it in a more polite way.
After trying on the clothes, Su Caiqing asked, “Are you satisfied?”
Liang Qiheng nodded with obvious delight. “Of course! The tailoring goes without saying, and I can tell by the feeling that the fabric has a high wool content. This won’t be cheap in Shanghai, will it?”
Su Caiqing gave him a sidelong glance. “Why are you asking? Worried it won’t cover your photography fee?”
“Of course not. I just don’t want to take advantage of you,” he said, lowering his voice slightly at the end. His magnetic tone seemed to carry a subtle, hidden meaning.
Su Caiqing suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken, though she maintained her composure. “Don’t worry, you’re not taking much advantage.”
This man really was quite skilled at flirting, she thought silently, suppressing the strange feeling in her chest.
They quickly found models for the overcoats, sweaters, cotton jackets, and children’s clothing, and arranged a photo shoot with Liang Qiheng on a clear day.
Everyone worked smoothly together. Liang Qiheng discussed lighting and angles with her, while Su Caiqing directed poses. Having previously collaborated on wedding and portrait photography, their coordination was now very seamless.
However, when it came time to photograph Liang Qiheng himself, there was a slight issue. No one else could match his skill behind the camera.
Su Caiqing wiped her hands with a handkerchief and said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll take your photos.”
Although she hadn’t formally studied photography, she had relevant work experience and had learned quite a bit over the past few months working with Liang Qiheng.
Wen Chenggang, standing nearby, felt a bit eager. He knew Liang Qiheng didn’t like others touching his dedicated camera. This time, Wen Chenggang had brought his own camera, hoping to learn Liang Qiheng’s techniques and how he made photos look like paintings.
Unexpectedly, after a brief moment of thought, Liang Qiheng agreed. “Alright, you handle the camera. You know how to use it, right?”
Su Caiqing explained the focusing and shutter controls one by one, and Liang Qiheng nodded in satisfaction. “So you’ve been quietly learning all along. That’s good. If you’re unsure, just take a few extra shots. No need to be nervous.”
Su Caiqing nodded.
Although she hadn’t used this kind of old-fashioned camera before, she was familiar with photography from using modern cameras and phones, so it was nothing new to her.
She guided Liang Qiheng into position and began taking photos.
Wen Chenggang couldn’t help but feel puzzled. What was going on with Liang Qiheng today?
In the end, things proceeded smoothly, and the photos were completed without incident.
Liang Qiheng said with pleasant surprise, “It seems you have some talent in this area!”
Su Caiqing understood her own abilities very well and replied, “Beauty is universal. Light, shadow, and composition are the basic elements. As long as you master those, you won’t go too far wrong.”
Liang Qiheng felt as though he had met a kindred spirit. “Exactly. Even without formal training, you can say something like that—you really are impressive. You have a natural sense for it.”
Su Caiqing merely smiled lightly. In Liang Qiheng’s eyes, her modesty and composure made her appear even more calm and refined.
After the advertising photos were taken, Su Caiqing had them printed into large posters and distributed them to dealers along with shipments.
This time, unlike in the summer, she didn’t need to call every dealer listed in the directory one by one. She first contacted several key partners, and soon others who heard the news began reaching out to her proactively.
The first batch of winter clothing was completed in late October, and Su Caiqing personally traveled to Shanghai again to deliver the goods.
This time, the contact person at the department store was no longer Yu Zhixin, but a different procurement officer who was not at the managerial level.
Back when she first met Yu Zhixin, it had been a stroke of luck. Opening the Shanghai market so quickly had also been thanks to his help.
However, now it seemed Yu Zhixin was avoiding her and had neither shown up nor made contact. Su Caiqing did not want to approach him herself, as it would be inappropriate.
Cotton jackets, turtleneck sweaters, and cotton pants were quickly taken in bulk. However, the wool overcoats were harder to sell because of their high cost.
With a high wool content and craftsmanship, the factory price was already close to two hundred. Su Caiqing’s selling price was four hundred per piece, which meant they would retail for five to six hundred at department stores.
In this era, many people earned only dozens of yuan per month, or a few hundred per year. Spending an entire year’s wages on a single coat was difficult for many to accept.
During a phone call with Wang Chaoying, she became a bit anxious. “Those great coats won’t go unsold, will they?”
Su Caiqing replied, “Of course not. It’s just that the risk is high, so the distributors are hesitant to take large quantities.”
“Then what should we do?”
If distributors didn’t take the goods, the clothes wouldn’t reach consumers, making them even harder to sell.
Su Caiqing said calmly, “Don’t worry. They will sell.”
Hearing that, Wang Chaoying couldn’t help but ask, “Have you already thought of a solution?”
Su Caiqing replied, “I’ll explain it to you later.”
Wang Chaoying was extremely curious, but since Su Caiqing wouldn’t elaborate over the phone, she had no choice but to wait patiently.
After hanging up, Su Caiqing immediately called the distributors.
Having once worked as a chief executive’s personal secretary, she was very familiar with sales strategies and methods. As long as the product quality was solid and met people’s needs, it would definitely sell.
So Su Xiaozhuang watched as she made a few phone calls, and those overcoats that had been sitting idle were quickly taken away by others.
This left Su Xiaozhuang somewhat confused.
“Sis, why did they suddenly change their attitude?”
While tidying up, Su Caiqing said, “I’ll explain it to you when we get back. You and Chaoying can listen together. By the way, there are still a few more delivery trips coming. Do you think you can handle going to Shanghai on your own?”
Su Xiaozhuang quickly nodded. “Of course! I’m already familiar with the people in charge, and I understand the delivery process.”
Su Caiqing nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good.”