Li Yuanchao had been prepared for a long-distance chase to collect his debt. Upon hearing that the visitor was sent by Chen Lishu, he became overjoyed and rushed forward to shake Nan Haitao's hand. "Yes, I am Li Yuanchao. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'll come back tomorrow morning at eight. We'll go to the garment factory together. Once the goods are loaded, I'll pay you, alright?"
As long as the other party was willing to pay, Li Yuanchao was not one to quibble over a few hours. After making arrangements with Nan Haitao, he whistled and strode upstairs.
The next day, the two went to the garment factory together, and things proceeded smoothly. After Nan Haitao paid the money, the factory was responsible for transporting all the goods to the train station. After watching the loading, he handed Li Yuanchao his share of the money.
"This is my phone number. Let's stay in touch. The price will remain at our previous three percent." The distance between the north and south was too great, and having a contact person here was Chen Lishu's idea.
This looked like a setup for long-term cooperation!
Li Yuanchao happily took the piece of paper Nan Haitao handed him, excitedly promising, "Don't worry, I'll notify you immediately if there's any further news."
After parting ways with Li Yuanchao, Nan Haitao immediately booked his ticket to return, as the round trip alone took too much time.
Less than two days later, Chen Lishu also successfully concluded her nearly twenty-day trade fair, and the group finally boarded the train back home.
However, what neither Chen Lishu nor Nan Haitao expected was that just a few days after they had collected their goods, several people suddenly arrived at the joint-venture garment factory in Yangcheng.
"What? You want to take the remaining batch of goods?" Factory Director Zhou thought he had misheard and stood up from his seat.
"It was indeed our mistake to break the contract before, but don't worry, we won't lower the price by a single cent. It's still ten yuan."
The other party was confident that the bell-bottom pant trend had not yet taken off in the inland regions, and even if there was a trend, it wouldn't be that fast. They assumed the goods were still sitting in the factory, which is why they made the call so confidently.
Factory Director Zhou was still angry remembering how easily they had broken the contract before. "Those goods have already been sold."
How could unpopular styles have been completely sold out? The other party thought he was just saying that out of anger, but their attitude softened slightly. "It was our fault. We can offer an additional one percent of the price as compensation. What do you think?"
Understanding the underlying meaning, Factory Director Zhou, who had not held his position for nothing, immediately sensed that the wide-legged pants might become popular.
He was right. The trend had already started in Hong Kong. With the two sides being so close and the railway reopened, the news would surely spread within half a month. As there were already some existing goods, the other party wanted to take advantage of the time difference to sign more orders.
Unfortunately, their plan was destined to fail. Factory Director Zhou thought for a moment and said, "They were really bought, just the day before yesterday. The price was even higher than what you offered."
He didn't mention the exact amount, wanting to gauge their reaction.
"All sold?" The group was surprised but soon fell silent. After a while, they spoke again. "We want to place another order for ten thousand pairs, at eleven yuan each, but we need it expedited. What do you think?"
Eleven?
He had sold that batch of goods for nine yuan, and in just two days, the factory had lost nearly ten thousand yuan!
He really didn't know if the woman named Chen had good luck or was deeply calculating. He hadn't seen through her at all when she bought the goods.
The person being discussed sneezed hard as soon as she got off the train, but she didn't pay it any mind. After parting ways with everyone, Chen Lishu checked the time on her wrist. It was already past two in the afternoon, and it was the perfect time for her to go home, tidy up, and then pick up Ruirui from school.
After being away for a month, she really missed her child and wondered how the little one was doing, if he had grown taller or fatter.
Zhao Qiuyue had bought groceries early that morning. Seeing the time, she knew Ruirui would be out of school soon and was about to go downstairs when she saw Chen Lishu open the door and come in.
"Sister is back?" Zhao Qiuyue said with surprise, quickly reaching out to take the luggage from her hands. "I was just about to pick up Ruirui. You must be tired from the long train ride. Go into the room and rest. I'll start cooking after I pick Ruirui up."
Chen Lishu put her shoulder bag back in the room and then came out, smiling. "Sleeping in a sleeper car wasn't too tiring, I'm just a bit hungry. How about you cook, Sister Qiuyue? I'll go pick up the child."
"Alright, I'll start cooking now." Zhao Qiuyue knew she had been away for too long and missed her child. She didn't argue, quickly tied on her apron, and went into the kitchen to cook.
Ruirui walked out with his classmates, carrying his schoolbag. He had expected his Aunt Xiaoyue to pick him up as usual, but as he looked up, he saw a familiar figure. At first, he wasn't sure, but when he looked again, he finally confirmed it was Chen Lishu coming to pick him up. He immediately ran over happily. "Mom!"
Chen Lishu saw that he looked about the same as when she left. His clothes were clean, and he seemed to have gained a little weight. Knowing that Zhao Qiuyue had taken good care of him, she finally felt completely at ease.
"Teacher, this is my mom. She's picking me up from school today." Ruirui held Chen Lishu's hand, looking at the teacher in the kindergarten with a hint of pride in his voice.
The teacher smiled and patted his little head, saying to Chen Lishu, "Ruirui is the most well-behaved and sensible child I've ever seen, and he's also very intelligent."
"Thank you for the compliment. Teacher, I appreciate your care."
"You're too kind, Ruirui's mom. This is what we should do." The teacher said to Chen Lishu, looking a bit embarrassed.
She had seen many children's mothers, but only the one in front of her was so refined and beautiful. Perhaps it was true that a child takes after his mother.
After saying goodbye to the teacher, Chen Lishu held Ruirui's hand and walked home.
...
In a mountain, within a hidden jungle, a group of soldiers in combat uniforms with their faces camouflaged, weapons in hand, were prone on the side of a slope, their eyes like wolves, closely watching the Blue Team enemy's every move.
The sky gradually darkened, covered by dark clouds. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by the rumbling sound of thunder.
Wu Zheng slightly moved his stiff limbs and muttered, "Bad weather."
Gu Xingdong raised his binoculars to carefully examine the situation on the opposite side again. He then looked up at the sky, which was about to experience a heavy rain, and said to Li Weimin beside him, "According to plan, we move when it rains."
"Yes!" Li Weimin responded and quickly went to notify everyone.
The long-brewing downpour finally struck before dusk. The soldiers hidden in their pre-arranged positions moved like phantoms, using the cover of the rain to encircle the Blue Team's camp.