Acting on impulse, to create an atmosphere of scarcity, he initially brought only three to five pieces of clothing.
“Eldest Sister, these are ready-to-wear clothes my sister mailed from the provincial capital. I heard they’re sold to foreigners. Look at the material, it’s all wool! You rarely see this in the city. Don’t you think we’d need at least six or seven feet of fabric coupons?”
“I need to exchange for some cash at the end of the year. It’s twenty-five yuan apiece, a fixed price. If two people buy, it’s five feet of coupons each; for three, it’s four feet; for four, it’s three feet. I don’t have many clothes, and once they’re gone, there won’t be any more.”
The woman was taken aback. She thought, "You can buy clothes like this?" Seeing that his clothes were indeed finely made and the material was sturdy and warm, twenty-five yuan wasn’t cheap, but the fabric coupons required were few, and wool was rarely seen even in town.
Hearing him say he had only a few pieces left, she quickly went out to call others, relaying Lin Qi’s words in detail. If there was one thing everyone lacked most, besides money, it was fabric coupons. Upon hearing that the coupons wouldn’t be calculated at full price, several people immediately became interested.
Soon, the four pieces of clothing Lin Qi brought were snapped up.
His business trip went smoothly. Lin Qi visited several more villages and, in less than two days, sold all the clothes Chen Lishu had mailed.
One noon, Chen Lishu was washing clothes at home when a young soldier delivered a letter. Seeing that the envelope was marked "registered mail" and glancing at the sender’s name, she knew it was from Lin Qi. After thanking the young soldier, she returned to her room and, feeling impatient, opened the letter.
When she saw that everything had been sold out, a smile couldn't help but curve her lips.
Lin Qi's letter roughly described his sales process. Knowing that he understood the concept of scarcity marketing, Chen Lishu felt she had chosen the right person.
A remittance slip also accompanied the letter. Although they didn’t earn much this time, they had managed to save a good number of fabric coupons. After all, the "fake collars" also required fabric coupons.
Information wasn't as readily available back then as it is now. Even with a remittance slip, one had to wait patiently for a couple of days for the bank to process it.
Once she confirmed the money had arrived, Chen Lishu got up early, tidied herself up, and took the bus to the city.
Under the planned economy’s system of unified purchase and distribution, everything required coupons. If this issue wasn’t resolved fundamentally, it would be difficult to start a business in the future. Moreover, she was truly disgusted by Jiang Weiguo and had no intention of continuing their cooperation. Therefore, after much thought, she decided she had to visit the textile factory again.
By the time Chen Lishu got off the bus, it was past nine in the morning, precisely when the textile factory workers were starting their shifts. Although a long time had passed, she wasn’t sure if the old man at the reception desk would still remember her. Thus, upon arriving at the factory entrance, Chen Lishu pulled her scarf tighter and walked straight in.
The old man at the reception desk, seeing her about to enter, hurried out from inside: “Hey, Comrade, please register before entering.”
“Oh, oh.” Chen Lishu feigned realization and went into the room with the old man, complying readily.
“Where are you from and whom are you looking for in the factory?” the old man asked, with a businesslike demeanor.
Chen Lishu thought for a moment and replied, “Grandpa, I’m looking for a leader in the factory’s sales department.”
Upon hearing "sales department," the old man’s brow relaxed, and he smiled, “Are you looking for Section Chief Li? He’s in his office right now. Go in through this door, turn right, and you’ll see a three-story building. His office is the innermost one on the left on the second floor.”
For safety’s sake, Chen Lishu decided to probe the old man for information first. After all, it was wise to know your enemy as well as yourself.
“Grandpa, how is Section Chief Li? Is he easy to get along with? What if I disturb his work and he scolds me…” Chen Lishu said, a hint of timidity on her face.
“Don’t worry, little girl. Section Chief Li is a good man. His temper is known to be very good in the factory.”
Listening to the old man’s effusive praise, Chen Lishu frowned involuntarily. People like that were often the most unfathomable.
However, one had to take risks to gain rewards. Regardless of how he was, she had to try. With that in mind, Chen Lishu thanked the old man and left the reception room, entering the main gate.
As soon as she entered the factory, she heard songs being broadcast from a loudspeaker overhead. Looking around, the gray and white buildings and the courtyard walls were covered with extremely conspicuous slogans, all phrases like "Focus on safety, promote production, strive for first place."
Chen Lishu followed the direction the old man had indicated and found the factory office building, then proceeded to the second floor.
Li Zhengxing was sitting in his office, drinking tea and reading a newspaper. When he heard a knock, he instinctively straightened up: “Come in.”
As soon as he spoke, a young girl of about eighteen or nineteen quickly entered.
“You must be Section Chief Li? Hello, my surname is Chen.”
Li Zhengxing nodded with a smile, “Comrade, what can I help you with?”
Chen Lishu closed the door and walked a couple of steps toward the desk. Without speaking, she first placed a stack of ten-yuan bills on the side of the desk: “A small token of my appreciation. I hope Section Chief Li doesn’t mind.”
Having worked in sales for many years, Li Zhengxing was well aware of such matters. He didn’t rush to take the money but looked up and scrutinized Chen Lishu: “Tell me what it’s about first.”
Seeing his attitude, Chen Lishu knew this might be an opportunity. She smiled, “I want to buy some fabric.”
As long as it didn’t require fabric coupons, any fabric would do.
“The factory operates on a planned production basis. Your request is a bit difficult to fulfill.”
If he truly didn’t want to help, he would have refused outright. After all, since he was accepting money, the other party had to make him feel the money was worth spending. Chen Lishu understood this and cooperated by pushing the money closer to him: “I’d appreciate it if Section Chief Li could put in some extra effort for me.”
Seeing that they had reached a tacit understanding, Li Zhengxing then picked up the money from the desk and put it into his pocket.
“Although it’s a bit difficult, you’ve come to the right person. However, I must say upfront, I don’t have the ability to provide too much fabric. After all, there are so many eyes watching the entire factory.”
“Whatever is convenient for you.”
“How about this? The factory happens to have a batch of corduroy. It’s priced at sixty cents per foot. I’ll let you have fifteen bolts for now.”
After all, having accepted a hundred yuan from her, this quantity wasn’t a loss for her.
Hearing the price of sixty cents a foot, Chen Lishu’s heart fluttered with excitement. That was corduroy, a rare fabric not only in their county but also in the provincial capital.
“Thank you, Section Chief Li,” Chen Lishu said gratefully.
Li Zhengxing waved his hand, took out a ledger from the drawer in front of him, and quickly wrote a few words. After writing, he thought for a moment and added two words before the line: “Scrap Fabric.”
Having sorted everything out, he tore off the second copy of the paper and handed it to Chen Lishu: “Go to the finance department first to pay the money, then come back to me, and I’ll take you to get the fabric.”
Chen Lishu took the receipt and examined it closely, finding that the buyer’s name was clearly written as a certain company.
“You know that private transactions are not allowed by policy. Once this receipt is paid for, it must disappear, otherwise, neither you nor I will be able to escape consequences,” Li Zhengxing said sternly.