pjbooks Chapter 38 Le Yao, I've met your Uncle Lin
Chapter 38 Le Yao, I've met your Uncle Lin
If Su Peixue were to open a Hanfu store now, it definitely wouldn't work. First of all, there isn't a large enough Hanfu market right now, and secondly, netizens tend to be very extreme.
When everyone is praising you, if you suddenly start selling Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), people will immediately start criticizing you, saying that you're only saving people to make money or something.
Therefore, it needs time to mature before it becomes a selling point in the future.
Chen Jingfeng looks fantastic lately!
The factory was already facing severe difficulties and immense pressure. He even considered laying off half of the employees to save the factory from this harsh winter.
However, after partnering with Lin Ran, the factory's business exploded!
The sewing machines in the factory hummed from morning till night; the sound of the machines brought him a sense of peace. Last month was a different story. The workshop was quiet then, dozens of machines sat idle collecting dust, workers' wages were two months overdue, and suppliers called daily to demand payment. He was so worried he couldn't sleep at night, and a new layer of gray hair appeared on his head in just half a month.
It's different now.
In the first week, Lin Ran cleared out his stock of two thousand items. In the second week, he added another five thousand items. In the third week, he doubled his stock.
Now that the factory's production capacity can't keep up, he hired twenty more workers and rented the adjacent warehouse to turn it into a workshop.
Ultimately, it was this young man who pulled him out of the mire.
Lin Ran is coming over this afternoon to discuss Singles' Day (November 11th). Two days in advance, Chen Jingfeng had his wife clean the house, buy new slippers, brew some good tea, and set out two plates of fruit on the coffee table.
Chen Leyao came down from the second floor, carrying a violin case on her back and holding a mobile phone in her hand. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore a fitted dress with a very slim waist, and a small pearl brooch was pinned to the neckline.
"Dad, you seem very happy these past few days." She stood at the top of the stairs changing her shoes.
"Yes," Chen Jingfeng said, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. "We found a very capable partner who saved our small garment factory."
Chen Leyao straightened up.
"Is that impressive?"
"That's impressive. You're the same age as him, and he's already built such a big online business." Chen Jingfeng's tone was full of undisguised admiration.
Chen Leyao didn't reply. Her eyelashes trembled slightly. Among the people she knew who were her age, there wasn't a single one that her father would praise in such a tone.
"We invited him over for dinner tonight," Chen Jingfeng said. "You and your mother are both home, so we can entertain him together to show our respect."
"Okay," Chen Leyao replied readily.
She also wanted to know who that person her age was.
She opened the door, turned around and said, "I'm going to my piano lesson," before walking out.
The door closed behind me.
The sun was blazing at two o'clock in the afternoon. The cement pavement in the community was bleached white by the sun, and the leaves of the shrubs in the green belt drooped. Chen Leyao walked out of the building entrance with a parasol in hand and walked along the community's path towards the main gate.
At the entrance of the residential compound is a four-lane road with plane trees lining the sides, and several shared bicycles parked under their shade. She walked out of the gate, turned left, and prepared to hail a taxi at the intersection.
Then she saw Lin Ran.
He stood under the shade of a tree at the entrance of the residential complex, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, carrying a laptop bag. He was looking down at his phone, his thumb swiping across the screen.
Chen Leyao stopped in her tracks.
It's him again.
Last time in the ancient city, he pretended to mistake me for someone else and grabbed my wrist. The time before that, at school, he used the excuse of needing my documents to strike up a conversation. This time it was even more outrageous; he actually squatted down at the entrance of my residential compound.
She walked straight over.
The sound of high heels clicking on the sidewalk tiles was crisp.
Lin Ran heard footsteps and looked up. When he saw it was her, his expression didn't change much; he just glanced at her.
"Lin Ran." She stood two steps away from him.
"You're getting more and more sleazy," Chen Leyao said. Her voice wasn't loud, but she enunciated each word clearly. "Last time you followed me in the ancient city, this time you're camped out right outside my apartment complex. Do you think this is funny?"
Lin Ran opened her mouth.
Before he could utter a single word, Chen Leyao had already continued.
"I'm warning you, if it happens again, I'll call the police. I'm not kidding." She folded up the parasol, the tip of which tapped on the ground. "You'd better watch yourself."
After saying that, he turned and left.
A taxi happened to pull up on the side of the road. She opened the door and got in; the door slammed shut louder than usual. The taxi merged into traffic, its taillights flashed twice, and it disappeared around the intersection.
Lin Ran stood under the shade of a tree.
Cicadas were chirping in the sycamore tree overhead.
"Damn it, why do I keep running into this ordinary woman every day?"
Although her looks weren't exactly average, Su Peixue constantly flaunted her stunning face in front of Lin Ran, making Chen Leyao seem quite ordinary in comparison.
After entering the residential area, I found Chen Jingfeng's building and rang the doorbell. Chen Jingfeng opened the door himself, wearing a polo shirt, his belly slightly protruding, and his face full of smiles.
"Brother Lin! Come in, come in!" He took the laptop bag and placed the slippers beside his feet. "It's hot outside, isn't it? Have some tea, I've been brewing Da Hong Pao tea all afternoon."
The living room wasn't large, but it was very clean. The sofa was a beige fabric sofa, and a purple clay tea tray sat on the coffee table, the tea pets on the tray gleaming with oil. The electric kettle was bubbling away, steam rising from its spout.
Chen Jingfeng's wife peeked out from the kitchen and greeted him, wearing an apron and holding a spatula. She smiled warmly and said, "You two chat, I'll go prepare dinner."
The two sat down on either side of the coffee table.
Chen Jingfeng scalded the cup, rinsed the tea, brewed it, and poured it. His movements were practiced, clearly those of a seasoned tea drinker.
"Brother Lin, what are your plans for Singles' Day?"
Lin Ran took out his laptop from his bag, opened the screen, and turned to show it to Chen Jingfeng. The screen displayed a table listing more than a dozen product numbers, each followed by estimated sales volume, inventory, production cost, pricing, and profit.
"These are our main products." She tapped the screen. "The first is a fleece-lined sweatshirt, costing 45 but selling for 99, for high volume. The second is a lightweight down jacket, costing 120 but selling for 299, for profit. The third is sweatpants, sold together with the sweatshirt, a set for 149."
Chen Jingfeng leaned over to look, his finger sliding down the form as he read, nodding as he did so.
"Isn't the profit margin too thin for a hoodie priced at 99 yuan?"
"Focus on volume. Once reviews and sales increase, the store's ranking improves, which in turn drives traffic to down jackets. Hoodies don't make money, down jackets do."
Chen Jingfeng looked up at Lin Ran and smiled.
"You're young, but you're already more shrewd than me."
Lin Ran picked up his teacup and took a sip.
How much fabric can you stock?
"We currently have 5,000 meters of fabric for sweatshirts, and we'll add more if that's not enough. We need to order the fabric for down jackets."
Lin Ran did some mental calculations.
"We'll add more, but there's no rush, since there are still more than two months until Singles' Day."
The two sat facing each other, chatting about everything from fabrics to styles, from styles to packaging, and from packaging to logistics. Pot after pot of water boiled, and tea leaves were replaced when it became weak. Outside the window, the sun slid from overhead to the west, its light changing from white to gold, streaming through the sheer curtains and cutting strips of light across the coffee table.
We talked until after 4 p.m., and all the details were finalized.
Chen Jingfeng leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
"Brother Lin." His tone was much slower than before. "Three months ago, I almost sold the factory."
"Most of the workers left, and those who remained were my old partners who had been with me for over ten years and were reluctant to leave. I go to the workshop every day and sit there even when the machines aren't running. I smoke until my throat hurts."
"Your sister-in-law didn't tell me during that time, but I know she cried secretly. Mortgage, car loan, daughter's tuition fees—none of these cost money."
"It's all right now," Lin Ran said.
"Yes, that's good now." Chen Jingfeng raised his teacup. "Let me toast you with tea instead of wine."
The two cups bumped together.
The light outside the window dimmed further. Chen Jingfeng glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 5:30.
"Your sister-in-law should be cooking soon." He called out towards the kitchen, "Honey, where's our daughter? Why isn't she back yet?"
A voice came from the kitchen: "I'll call and ask."
After a while, Chen Jingfeng's wife came out of the kitchen with her mobile phone in her hand.
"My daughter said there was a car accident up ahead, and the traffic is terrible. She told us to eat first, and she'll be back later."
"This kid." Chen Jingfeng shook his head, then turned to Lin Ran, "Let's eat first, we won't wait for her. Come on, let's have a couple of drinks tonight."
There were seven or eight dishes on the table: braised pork belly, steamed sea bass, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, cucumber salad, and a bowl of mushroom soup. Chen Jingfeng took out a bottle of baijiu (Chinese white liquor) from the liquor cabinet; it was a blue porcelain bottle with gold lettering on the packaging.
"I've been storing Wuliangye for three years. I'm happy to open it today."
The wine was poured into a glass, the clear liquid clinging to the glass, and its aroma filled the air. Chen Jingfeng's wife also sat down and piled food onto Lin Ran's plate, making it overflowing.
"Xiaolin, eat more, you're too thin."
After a few drinks, Chen Jingfeng became more talkative. They chatted about everything from the clothing industry to e-commerce, from e-commerce to housing prices, and from housing prices to children's education. Lin Ran wasn't much of a talker, but when the questions were directed at him, his answers were always spot-on.
After finishing another glass, Chen Jingfeng's face was already red. He wasn't a big drinker, and when he got into a good mood, his face would turn red from his neck all the way to his forehead. He reached out and patted Lin Ran's shoulder, a rather strong pat, the kind of strong pat that comes with alcohol.
"Brother Lin."
"Um."
"I, Chen Jingfeng, have been in business for twenty years and have seen many people. But I've never seen anyone like you."
Lin Ran picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks.
"Don't stay silent, I'm serious." Chen Jingfeng picked up his glass and clinked it against Lin Ran's again. "You saved more than just this factory; you saved my whole family."
He tilted his head back and drank it all, leaving the cup resting on the table.
"Okay." He sat up straight, placing his hands on the edge of the table. "Today, in front of my wife, I'm acknowledging you as my younger brother. From now on, don't call me Brother Chen anymore, call me Brother. And call her Sister-in-law."
He pointed to his wife.
His wife laughed beside him. "You've had too much to drink."
"I wasn't drunk. I'm serious!"
Just then, the door lock clicked.
The sound of a key turning, followed by the sound of a door being pushed open.
Chen Leyao stood in the entryway.
She carried the violin case on her shoulder, held a parasol in her hand, and had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. She had been stuck in traffic for over an hour, and her back was stiff from sitting in the taxi. She was still looking down at her phone when she entered, halfway through changing her shoes.
Then I heard my father's voice.
"Le Yao, you've come at the right time! Let me introduce you to Dad's business partner, your Uncle Lin!"