News of foreigners arriving at the factory quickly spread among the employees.
"I heard they're from the Su country and want to cooperate with our factory. This is my first time seeing a foreigner; they jabber away, and I can't understand a word," one person said.
"It would be strange if you could understand them," a woman replied, her hands never stopping their work. "Before, only those state-owned big factories could cooperate with foreigners. Now, our factory can cooperate with them; do you know what that means?"
Many were curious. "What does it mean?"
"It means our factory is no worse than those state-owned factories! My husband works at a flour mill. He acts like a lord at home. Last month, I got sixty-two yuan after deductions, plus a five-yuan attendance bonus, totaling sixty-seven. That's over twenty yuan more than him. Guess why?"
Everyone urged, "Tell us, tell us!"
"Before, when I didn't have a job, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law looked down on me, thinking I was just a useless freeloader. My husband is a hands-off manager, never caring about anything. Now, I earn the most in the family. They know I work hard and have a long commute, so they not only don't ask me to cook anymore but even bought me a new bicycle."
"I'm not as quick with my hands as you, but I also earned over fifty last month. If the factory really cooperates with foreigners, do you think we'll have more work?"
In addition to the basic salary, the factory also paid piece-rate wages after a certain amount was exceeded.
Currently, production volume was not high, and everyone worked normal day shifts. If they took shifts, they could definitely earn more.
While everyone was chattering, their team leader, Zhou Haiming, suddenly walked in. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and go to the cafeteria for a meeting. Director Chen has something to say."
"Why is there a sudden meeting?" someone asked curiously.
"What else could it be? It must be that the cooperation with the Russians has been finalized."
Amidst the chatter, everyone left the workshop and headed towards the cafeteria.
The cafeteria and dormitories were together. To the left was the three-story dormitory building, and to the right, near the gate, was the cafeteria.
The cafeteria hall was spacious enough to accommodate over two hundred people dining comfortably.
Besides being a dining area, it was also occasionally used for factory meetings.
Employees arrived in twos and threes. Chen Lishu took a quick glance, confirmed that most of them had arrived, and then stood up and moved to the front.
"Everyone should know by now that our factory's cooperation with Mr. Andre has been finalized."
The employees below immediately erupted in applause.
"As the factory leader, I have made the necessary efforts. From now on, we need everyone's cooperation to work hard together to complete this order with quality and quantity. Time is tight, and the task is heavy. All departments need to collaborate to prepare the raw materials in the next two days. Everyone will have to work a bit harder during this period, and shifts will be required. If anyone has any inconvenience, please inform Team Leader Zhou in advance."
Zhou Haiming was the first to express his commitment. "Director Chen, please rest assured. We will definitely work hard and conscientiously to complete the tasks assigned by our superiors."
"Yes, Director Chen, we guarantee to complete the task." The employees below echoed in agreement.
Most of them commuted from the city. Their families also mostly worked in various factories. Some with poor performance had even taken unpaid leave and were finding their own ways to make a living. Now, they could still work overtime and earn more.
Being busy, being busy was good!
...
"Is there something happy today?" Gu Xingdong asked, hanging his jacket on the hanger as he saw Chen Lishu coming out with two plates of food.
Just as he was about to step inside, he felt his leg tighten. He looked down and saw his son grinning at him.
"Daddy, pick me up."
Gu Xingdong bent down and picked up the little fellow. Suddenly elevated, Xiao Chengzi immediately burst into giggles.
Chen Lishu laughed. "Tell me, how could you tell?"
Gu Xingdong walked to her side, his eyes falling on the dishes in her hands. He lowered his voice and said, "The color, aroma, and taste are all perfect. I can tell it's yours."
Chen Lishu couldn't help but purse her lips and smile. "We signed an order with a foreign businessman today. At first, we thought the deal was only for ten thousand US dollars. But by the time the contract was almost finalized, we learned that ten thousand was just the deposit, and the total amount of the entire order was a full forty thousand US dollars."
Gu Xingdong raised an eyebrow. "So much? My wife is truly amazing."
Chen Lishu looked pleased and said earnestly, "Seize the opportunity to perform well, and I might reward you a little."
"Okay, I'll perform well tonight."
Chen Lishu had just nodded when she realized the implication of his words. She glared at him. "The child is still here. You're so improper all the time."
Gu Xingdong teased, "What did I say? I was just thinking you must be exhausted these past few days, so I'll give you a good massage tonight."
Chen Lishu ignored him, put down the plates in her hands, and turned to Rui Rui. "Rui Rui, take your sister to wash her hands. We're eating."
Before turning back into the kitchen, she threw a sentence to Gu Xingdong: "You two father and son should also go wash your hands."
"Roger that," Gu Xingdong said, carrying his son and turning towards the washroom.
...
The exhibition lasted for five days. Besides Andre's order, the factory received over four hundred thousand yuan in orders during the exhibition, instantly becoming a hot commodity in the garment industry.
In addition to completing Andre's goods on time, several other major merchants were waiting for supply.
Although the factory had stocked up on quite a bit of inventory beforehand, it was still overwhelmed with work.
The day after the exhibition ended, several factories in the garment industry met to discuss forming an industry association, following the example of the southern regions.
Chen Lishu sat with her acquaintances, Feng Wenyou and Han Shenglin.
Feng Wenyou turned his head. "Your fashion show was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, the people in our factory are like blocks of wood; none of them have any talent in this area."
Chen Lishu understood his implied meaning and readily replied, "We just figured it out ourselves. Uncle Feng, if you think it's good, I can spare two people from the modeling team to help guide you."
Feng Wenyou's eyes lit up, and he said a bit sheepishly, "How can I accept this? Your factory's modeling team is unique in the province."
He didn't say it aloud, but the modeling team was a lucrative asset. Chen Lishu's willingness to share it with him was a tremendous favor.
"Uncle Feng, why are you being so polite to me? When we were establishing the factory, we relied heavily on the great support from Uncle Feng and Uncle Han. It's just a modeling team; there's no end to making money."
Feng Wenyou was stunned to hear her say this.
Han Shenglin, standing beside him, couldn't help but admire her. "I didn't expect you, being so young, to have such foresight and courage."
Many businessmen would hoard their knowledge or even resort to unfair means to suppress competitors, not realizing that a favorable development environment and orderly competition are what truly allow businesses to grow and strengthen.
Chen Lishu smiled. "Uncle Han, you flatter me. I'm simply not greedy."
The bigger the business grows, the more important relationships become than momentary gains or losses.