A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 83

Wu Xiaofang spread her palms. “At least fifty pieces.”

“The more you order, the cheaper the unit price…”

Shen Sisi was immediately interested. “How cheap? Tell me about it.”

Wu Xiaofang opened her notebook and steeled herself to explain: “Starting from fifty bottles. Between 50 and 500 pieces, the unit price is 5 cents; from 501 to 1,000, it’s 4 cents; from 1,001 to 5,000, it’s 3.5 cents; from 5,001 to 10,000, it’s 3 cents. If the order is over 10,000 pieces, the unit price drops to 2.8 cents.”

As Sisi listened, she calculated in her head. It really was much cheaper with bulk orders. However, she didn’t need ten thousand units yet. Based on her current demand, she would be in the “5 cents” range—the most expensive tier.

Sisi examined the glass bottles on the stall. The craftsmanship was actually quite good; the glass was thick and sturdy.

“Do you have stock on hand?” Sisi asked.

Wu Xiaofang nodded like a chick pecking at grain. “Yes! We have plenty of stock in the warehouse…”

These unintentional words made Sisi’s fingers pause. With Chinese New Year approaching, a factory with good performance wouldn’t usually have “plenty of stock and inventory” just sitting there. Her intuition told her this factory might be in trouble.

Sisi wasn’t in a rush to buy. She began to fish for information with a mix of truth and lies. “My demand isn’t small, and I’m looking for a factory for long-term cooperation. I’ve already looked at several places…”

Wu Xiaofang was inexperienced, having worked for less than half a year. Seeing Sisi’s elegant and intellectual appearance and her dazzling beauty, she believed her instantly.

“Sister, you’ve found the right person! Our Huaguang Glass Factory used to specialize in door and window glass, but we are currently transitioning to a high-end production line for glass bottles. Why don’t I arrange a time for our manager to come and chat?”

Wu Xiaofang had been at this stall for several days with almost no interest from passersby. This beautiful sister was one of the few who showed interest. She clung to Sisi like a drowning person to a life raft, wishing she could fly back to the factory immediately to fetch her silver-tongued manager.

Sisi’s eyes flickered. “No need for the manager. I like chatting with you.”

Managers were all “thousand-year-old foxes” who would blow hot air and make grand promises. She preferred the honesty of the girl in front of her.

“I… I’m clumsy with words, I’m afraid I won’t explain it well…” Wu Xiaofang said, lacking confidence.

Before Sisi could speak, a loud voice came from behind them: “You child, if you’re clumsy with words, don’t you know you need to practice more?”

Sisi turned around. her gaze fell on a slightly plump, middle-aged woman.

It’s her! The aunt she had saved on the ferry that day.

Xu Jinhua also recognized Shen Sisi at a glance. How could she forget her lifesaver?

“Little sister, it’s you!”

Sisi was also quite surprised. Either Jiangcheng was too small, or they truly had a deep destiny.

“Auntie, long time no see!” Sisi observed the woman. She was a bit thinner than when they last met, and her complexion was sallow, looking quite unwell.

“Mom, why are you here?” Wu Xiaofang awkwardly came out from behind the stall. She was in the middle of a client meeting; why did her mother suddenly appear—and she seemed to know the beautiful sister?

Xu Jinhua pulled a thermos from her basket. “You child, you left the house without even taking water. When you’re thirsty later, where will you find hot water to drink?”

Wu Xiaofang took the thermos, her heart warming up. “Mom, you know this beautiful sister?”

“Do you remember I told you about that young wife with the baby on the ferry who reached out and saved me? It’s her!”

Wu Xiaofang’s pupils dilated. She said excitedly, “Oh my god, it was you! Thank you, Sister! You saved my mother’s life…”

Sisi hadn’t expected the girl selling glass bottles to be the aunt’s daughter. What a coincidence.

Sisi smiled and waved her hand. “It was just a small effort, not worth mentioning. I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence either…”

Xu Jinhua’s face wrinkled into a huge smile. “Fate! It’s all fate!”

She insisted, through thick and thin, on dragging Sisi home for a meal. She had just bought a large pig leg and was going to stew it.

Seeing her mother about to drag Sisi away, Wu Xiaofang got anxious. “Mom, I’m talking business with this sister, don’t interrupt.”

Mentioning the business made Xu Jinhua flare up with anger. “That broken factory of yours? If you ask me, just quit! They don’t do proper work all day, just send you out to stalls to pull in business.”

Sisi asked, “Broken factory? Pulling in business?”

Wu Xiaofang looked around nervously. “Sister, how about we find another place to talk?”

“Alright…”

Sisi couldn’t refuse Xu Jinhua’s kindness, and she also wanted to find out what was going on with the glass factory, so she followed them home.

Xu Jinhua lived in Hulu Lane near the South City Gate, in a residential house with a courtyard. The yard was filled with various vegetables—cabbage, tomatoes, and green onions—overflowing with the breath of life.

The mother and daughter treated Sisi like an honored guest, ushering her inside where a fire burned brightly in the stove, making it very warm.

It was only then that Sisi learned the aunt’s name was Xu Jinhua (sharing the same surname as her mother-in-law). Auntie Xu had two children: a son who worked on boats and a daughter, Wu Xiaofang. Xiaofang had joined the glass factory six months ago, but shortly after she started, the factory ran into trouble.

“What exactly happened?” Sisi asked.

At the mention of the factory, Wu Xiaofang sighed. “Sister Sisi, you’re my mother’s lifesaver, so I won’t hide it from you.”

Huaxing Glass Factory used to make large sheets of glass for doors and windows, and its profits were decent. A year ago, a college student became a leader at the factory and initiated bold innovations and reforms.

Coincidentally, a foreign merchant arrived needing a large order of glass bottles. The leader’s confidence soared, and he used all the factory’s liquid capital to purchase a glass bottle assembly line.

The result? The bottles were made, but the foreign merchant vanished.

Now, the goods couldn’t be sold and were piling up in the warehouse. Their liquid capital was frozen, leaving them unable to pay the raw material suppliers or the coal plant. Even the workers’ wages were three months in arrears.

“Like I said, there’s no point staying in that broken factory,” Xu Jinhua spat.

Wu Xiaofang looked conflicted. “I don’t know if I should leave, but I feel our factory still has hope.” She pulled out a sample bottle. “Sister Sisi, our quality is very good. You can really consider it.”

Sisi took the bottle. She was indeed interested, but the price… it could be pushed down further.

“Xiaofang, do you know what your factory needs most right now?”

“Money!” Xiaofang blurted out.

“Yes, but not entirely!” Sisi looked at her with a profound gaze. “Your direction is wrong. You’re focusing all your attention on clearing inventory, right?”

“That’s amazing, how did you know…?” Xiaofang’s eyes lit up. “My leader said we must sell the stock as quickly as possible so everyone has money for the New Year.”

“While clearing inventory can slightly ease the immediate crisis, your real problem lies with that production line. You spent a fortune to bring it in, but you can’t get orders. That is the crux of the issue.”

Xiaofang nodded vigorously. “Yes! We just can’t get orders. Our old customers want large glass sheets, and we’re still trying to expand into the small bottle market.”

Sisi’s eyes darted around as an idea suddenly formed.