Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 122: Both Sides Felt Like the Other Was Taking Advantage
After Zhu brought the sample dress in the morning, they immediately took it to the workshop for interested female workers to try on. In the end, everyone felt that the design was indeed quite good. It made everyone look more vibrant and stylish.
Then they went to the design department. Although the design department was not quite happy about it, they had to admit that this dress was better than any design they had for the current year or even in the past. Someone with such talent was born to be an employee of their clothing factory. How could they miss out on such an opportunity?
The factory manager gave the deputy factory manager a sideways glance, thinking he was too excited and might make them lose the upper hand. But the girl in front of them didn’t seem like an easygoing person, so the factory manager could only sigh and ask, "How much are you thinking of selling your designs for?"
"Autumn clothes, 800 yuan per design, winter clothes, 1,200 yuan, and summer clothes, 600 yuan," Su Yijia directly stated the prices she had in mind and wasn’t afraid of shocking anyone.
The factory manager and the deputy factory manager stared with their mouths wide open, looking like two sad toads who couldn’t come to their senses for a long time. Even Zhu Zirui and Gao Huabin were surprised for a moment. However, they quickly regained their composure and acted as if the designs their sister-in-law had made were worth that price.
"Are you trying to rob us?" The factory manager finally regained his senses and immediately refused.
But Su Yijia looked at him with a somewhat mocking smile and said, "Sixty yuan, ten designs, an average of six yuan per design. Isn’t that also robbing people?"
Being in the design department of a clothing factory was more than just designing. The office politics and the possibility of designing only five or six sets of clothes were factors to consider. So, although the conditions seemed good on the surface, upon closer examination, they were all pitfalls.
"A difference of 200 times between six yuan and 1,200 yuan is too big," the factory manager quickly calculated in his mind, trying to figure out what price they could accept. Was she setting a high price on purpose, hoping to get a better deal in the end? Or did she genuinely believe her designs were worth this price?
Su Yijia saw them in a state of internal conflict and chuckled, "It’s okay. If you think it’s a loss, and we can’t reach an agreement, let’s just forget it. I’m sorry for the trouble today."
With that, she didn’t wait for the factory manager and deputy factory manager to respond but pushed Qin Kaize out of the office.
The two factory managers stood there with grim expressions, staring at Su Yijia’s retreating figure. After the door closed, they returned to the window and watched as the group left without any hesitation.
"She’s not bluffing with the price, is she?" the factory manager asked uncertainly.
The deputy factory manager wasn’t entirely sure, either. But regardless of whether she was bluffing, he felt that the price she had quoted, at the very least, wouldn’t be significantly lower.
"Why don’t we give it a try? Let’s buy the designs for two or three sets of autumn clothes. If they turn out to be really popular, the factory will definitely make the money back. Moreover, with the competition from the clothing factories in East City, we need to act now to save our factory, and even the textile factory that cooperates with us is in danger," the deputy factory manager suggested.
The factory manager looked at him and seemed even more conflicted. "But with such a high price, how can we justify it to our colleagues in the design department?"
"They’ve been with us for nearly five years now. Have they presented any innovative designs in the past few years? It’s the same pattern every year: round necks this year, square necks next year; two big buttons this year, four small buttons next year; and a change of colors. If you ask me, with their lackluster performance, they should have been fired a long time ago! If they don’t agree, let’s not pay them a fixed salary either. Just like that girl we met earlier, let them sell their designs. If they are recognized, they get paid," the deputy factory manager suggested.
The deputy factory manager thought about how every month they had to pay 180 yuan in wages to the four employees in the design department, who were essentially freeloaders. And this had been going on for so many years without any complaints.
"What are you talking about? We can’t be so radical in our approach!" the factory manager vehemently refused. But after a moment of silence, he added, "Do you think that the price that girl just quoted can be reduced?"
"It can be reduced, but not by much. I don’t think she’d agree to cut it to one-tenth, one-third, or even half," the deputy factory manager, who was still in his forties and had a better understanding of young people’s pride, replied.
He knew that someone like Su Yijia, who was well-off, often believed that what they came up with was irreplaceable and invaluable. It wasn’t just about the money; it was about not selling their designs for a low price.
"Alright, go call her back, and we’ll negotiate the price again," the factory manager finally agreed, unable to come up with any other solution.
Even though it was still summer, they needed to finalize the designs for autumn clothing in July. Then, they had to coordinate with the textile factory to order fabric, determine colors and styles. They would be busy until August. Only after they received the fabric could they begin mass production, accounting for the time needed to transport the goods across the country. It would take until mid-September to have the first batch of products available at cooperatives and department stores.
The deputy factory manager breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly chased after Su Yijia.
"Comrade Su! Zhu! Please wait!"
He ran breathlessly and finally caught up with them at the factory gate.
Su Yijia turned around and smiled warmly at him.
"Don’t rush off. Let’s discuss the price and the quantity of designs we’ll take."
"Alright," Su Yijia agreed without any further discussion.
When they returned to the office, the factory manager looked at Su Yijia with a hint of helplessness. "You’re quite impatient, young comrade. We haven’t had a chance to discuss the price properly, and you already left."
"I thought that your initial price was so far off from what I expected, and I didn’t want to waste your time," Su Yijia explained apologetically.
The factory manager and the deputy factory manager were left somewhat speechless. They felt that she was saying one thing but actually meant that she didn’t want to waste her time.
"Can’t you lower your price a bit? It’s difficult for us to justify coming up with this much money," the factory manager said, looking at her with a troubled expression.
"You’re the director of a whole factory, you should be able to afford this sum of money. Besides, if a single clothing design does well, you won’t just be paying this amount. Compared to the thousands of workers in your factory and months of wages, my price isn’t that high," Su Yijia remained unyielding. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
The factory manager was still quite concerned. "While your point is valid, what if the clothing doesn’t sell well in the market?"
Su Yijia wasn’t swayed. "Well, that’s a risk you’ll have to take. If it doesn’t sell well, it’s your responsibility as a factory to find a solution."
The factory manager sighed. "Alright, we’ll agree to your price. Let’s make a deal."
Both the factory manager and the deputy factory manager had a lot at stake with this agreement. They hoped that Su Yijia’s designs would sell well and bring them substantial profits.
Su Yijia had achieved her goal. They had accepted her terms. Now, they needed to discuss how many designs they would take and the payment schedule.
This cooperation would be a turning point in Su Yijia’s life, potentially leading her to success and prosperity.
Although that piece of clothing had been tried by many female employees in the factory and confirmed to be genuinely good-looking, the market was unpredictable.
