Pregnant and Pampered: The Heiress in a Military Compound
Chapter 91: Damn Foreigners
His appearance revitalized everyone’s spirits.
Especially Wang Shumei. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she stared at Xie Changning, her gaze begging the questions: ’Did it work? Is he here to order the dinnerware?’
Xie Changning’s demeanor was the same as yesterday.
"Wang Shumei, he’s asking about your factory’s daily output and its scale."
Xie Changning’s words were music to Wang Shumei’s ears. If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, she would have screamed with joy.
She struggled to control her emotions, took a deep breath, and said to Xie Changning, "Our factory is a medium-to-large-scale porcelain factory. Our daily output is between 400 and 600 sets of 45-piece dinnerware."
Xie Changning relayed Wang Shumei’s words to the Frenchman, but she stated it as "around 400 sets of 52-piece dinnerware."
This gave the man from France a better understanding of Wang Shumei’s factory. He said to Xie Changning, "We can only order 10,000 sets for now. However, we need to sign a contract that gives us priority for any subsequent follow-up orders."
The man’s attitude was still arrogant.
He felt that the price they were offering was more than enough to secure this condition.
Xie Changning relayed the man’s words to Wang Shumei, letting her make the decision. Xie Changning was certain they had been tempted enough to come back and place an order, but—
The issue with the contract was not something she could decide on her own.
"Is... is there a difference?"
"Of course there is. If those ten thousand sets sell out quickly in France, then when they place another order with you, you’ll have to prioritize their production. Everyone else’s orders will have to wait."
Yu Chunhe explained to Wang Shumei.
Hearing this, Wang Shumei’s expression changed. She instantly understood the trap hidden in the terms.
They couldn’t possibly supply only one company. But if they had to primarily serve them, what was the difference between that and being their dedicated contract manufacturer?
"No, we can’t agree to that." Wang Shumei shook her head.
’Considering the factory’s future development, even if they only order ten thousand sets now, we’re still making a profit!’
’Two hundred fifty thousand US Dollars! That’s an amount I never even dared to dream of before!’
’Besides, without the glazed pattern process, our production capacity will increase significantly, which means we can shorten the delivery time.’
’In a way, it saves time and effort.’
The Frenchman was surprised that even without haggling on the price, they couldn’t even secure this condition. His face turned sour.
"Sir, I think you’re well aware that our porcelain, in terms of both craftsmanship and price, is more exquisite and affordable than what you can source elsewhere. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come back to us a second time, would you?"
"We can guarantee that you will be the first to place an order, and once the first contract is fulfilled, we will give your company priority in signing the next one. If we release new designs, we can also send your company the sample illustrations first."
Xie Changning changed her approach.
After hearing Xie Changning’s words, the man’s expression softened considerably. He turned to look at the colleagues with him, and seeing them all agree...
He nodded.
"Deal!"
Seeing him nod, the weight on Wang Shumei’s chest finally lifted.
Xie Changning turned to Yu Chunhe. "Director Yu, it’s time to have someone prepare the contract."
"Hahaha, excellent! I’ll have someone prepare it right away!"
The worker who had taken the risk of reporting Xie Changning never expected that these foreigners would actually return the next day to sign the contract, just as Xie Changning had predicted.
Just as Wang Shumei was about to leave with the French delegation, a group from the United States appeared in the distance, along with people from the United Kingdom, Germany, and so on.
"I’ll have someone take care of this group first. You stay here and receive the people from the other countries. I’ll send someone to assist you," Yu Chunhe instructed Wang Shumei. Then, she turned to Xie Changning. "Changning, you help receive them for now. When this is all over, the director will give you a bonus!"
With that, she led the French delegation away.
The French saw how many people were arriving and knew that everyone else had the same idea they did.
What Xie Changning had said was true. For years, porcelain exported from China had been relegated to low-to-mid-range supermarkets due to their patterns; they could never break into high-end markets.
The problem wasn’t their craftsmanship, but their aesthetics!
The difference was just too great. If this kind of patternless porcelain dinnerware had been available sooner, they would have had it in high-end supermarkets long ago!
For porcelain of this quality, a 45-piece set would sell for no less than 90 US Dollars abroad!
The thought made the French anxious. They had to be the first to sign the contract; they couldn’t let anyone else beat them to it!
The French were just the beginning. Wang Shumei and Xie Changning were so busy they didn’t even have time to eat lunch. In the end, Yu Chunhe had her secretary bring a meal for Xie Changning.
No one else was as important; the primary contributor could not be allowed to go hungry!
By the end of the day, Wang Shumei’s factory had taken orders for 50,000 sets of 52-piece dinnerware, 20,000 sets of 12-piece dinnerware, 10,000 tea sets, and 5,000 wine sets.
In total, they generated 5,327,648.45 US Dollars in foreign exchange.
When the final number was calculated, Wang Shumei felt her mind go completely blank.
She had never imagined that their factory, in its very first appearance at the Autumn Trade Fair, could secure over five million US Dollars in foreign currency!
That was foreign currency!
And they had made a profit! They hadn’t lost money! Not a single cent!
If it weren’t for Xie Changning’s physical condition, Wang Shumei would have thrown her on her back and run a victory lap.
"Sister Changning, I can’t thank you enough! If it weren’t for you, I would have gone home empty-handed. Thank you so, so much..." She felt she had wronged Xie Changning deeply.
’And I even caused you trouble when I asked for help.’
"We are all Chinese. Naturally, I want to see you do well." Xie Changning wasn’t going to hold a grudge against Wang Shumei or her factory.
However, she wasn’t one to let things slide either.
She gave a slight smile and asked Wang Shumei, "Wang Shumei, regarding the person who reported me... I’d like to meet him."
Xie Changning’s words were a clear signal to Wang Shumei that she would not be letting this matter go.
"Sister, I will handle this matter properly. I’ll let you know the outcome."
"Then I’ll leave it to you, Wang Shumei."
Yu Chunhe didn’t stop the two women from discussing the informant in front of her. She simply said, "We had a head start this time, but our production capacity can’t keep up. I’m afraid our foreign currency earnings will drop by the time of the Spring Trade Fair."
Yu Chunhe frowned.
She knew the domestic situation all too well. To earn more foreign currency, these factories would constantly lower their prices.
One could already foresee that the Spring Trade Fair would be another price war.
"We can worry about the Spring Trade Fair when it comes," Wang Shumei said to Yu Chunhe. "We’ll be releasing new styles for the Spring Trade Fair as well. We’ll still have an edge over the other factories then."
Having tasted the sweetness of making a profit, she naturally had no desire to lose money again.
Besides, today’s events proved that it wasn’t that the foreigners couldn’t accept high prices. They just thought the Chinese were stupid and deliberately instigated infighting to start price wars!
’Those detestable foreigners!’