“It’s fine if there aren’t enough,” Jiang Luo said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Pan Xiao just called me, saying Haimen and the surrounding areas also need clothes. Lots of bosses are clamoring to place orders, so I should leave some stock in Haimen.”
Jiang Luo shook his head. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m pushing myself too hard. If I’d planned fewer designs from the start, we wouldn’t be struggling to produce so much.”
Huo Zongzuo, pouring tea into small cups, casually suggested, “If your factory can’t keep up, you could have nearby factories help out. Outsource some production.”
Right!
Jiang Luo hadn’t thought of that. He stood up immediately. “Forget the tea. I’ll have Zhang Ningfu and Wang Chuang find nearby factories for outsourced production.”
Huo Zongzuo smiled, set the teapot down, leaned against the sofa, and sipped his tea.
Suddenly, Jiang Luo’s voice came from behind the desk: “Thanks for the reminder, Huo.”
Huo Zongzuo replied evenly, “No problem.”
And so, while Shengfei and Hongming’s capacities were temporarily insufficient, Jiang Luo began signing contracts with other workshops and clothing factories in Juxiang Town for outsourced production.
This made him even busier—ordering more fabric, negotiating what each factory or workshop would produce, and ensuring that all outsourced clothing matched the quality of his own factory’s output. For a while, it seemed like half of Juxiang Town was producing Shengfei Clothing’s garments.
Shengfei itself even outsourced small, time-consuming tasks—like sewing decorative flowers—to surrounding workshops, speeding up production.
One day, after a meeting with Wang Chuang and Zhang Ningfu about whether to continue advertising and how to handle the production lag, Jiang Luo’s big cell phone rang on his desk.
Looking at the Shengfei ad in the newspaper, he answered: “Hello?”
A woman’s voice came through: “Director Jiang? This is Mo Wanzhen.”
Jiang Luo froze for a moment, then put down the newspaper, leaned back in his chair, and said in surprise, “Mo Wanzhen? Long time no contact! How have you been?”
Mo Wanzhen smiled. “I’m doing well. How about you, Director Jiang?”
“I’m fine.”
“You know, running a factory,” Jiang Luo said, then asked, “How’s it going in Guangzhou? What are you up to now?”
Mo Wanzhen’s voice was gentle. “After I arrived in Guangzhou, I worked for a while as a sales clerk in a commercial building, selling brand-name clothing. Later, by chance, I met a sister who runs a wholesale market here. She helped me, and I rented a stall in the market myself. Now I’m selling clothes from that stall.”
“That’s great—very impressive. You’re your own boss now.”
Jiang Luo smiled and asked about business. “How’s it going? Are there many people in Guangzhou?”
Mo Wanzhen replied, “Honestly, business is really good. A lot of people from nearby cities come here to wholesale clothes. And of course, Guangzhou has many locals and migrant workers doing business too.”
They chatted back and forth for a while.
“Oh, by the way,” Jiang Luo finally asked, “why did you call me? Do you need help? Don’t hesitate—just tell me.”
Mo Wanzhen laughed. “Director Jiang, I really want to thank you. When I resigned back then, you supported me and quietly gave me money. Not just the money—I wouldn’t have been able to rent a stall and start my own business so quickly otherwise. I’m doing well here in Guangzhou thanks to your support.”
“No need to thank me,” Jiang Luo said. “You’ve been like family. You were our store manager for so long. Without you, Wélánníduō wouldn’t have sold so well.”
Mo Wanzhen waved him off. “Director Jiang, it’s nothing. As store manager, selling clothes was my duty—no need to thank me.”
After a bit more small talk, Mo Wanzhen said, “Director Jiang, the reason I called is that one of the sisters at my stall saw Shengfei’s clothes here.”
“The tags said ‘Shengfei Clothing,’ right?”
Jiang Luo was surprised. “The clothes have reached Guangzhou?” That far?
Mo Wanzhen explained, “Yes. The sister saw the newspaper ad and called the factory for samples. But when she tried to order more, the factory said they were out of stock.”
Jiang Luo replied, “That’s true. The factory is still expanding. Some buildings aren’t ready, so we can’t fully operate. Current capacity is limited—there’s not enough for local sales, let alone sending to other cities. We’re working on it.”
“I see.”
Mo Wanzhen smiled. “Great! I was worried something might have gone wrong, but I’m relieved. The clothes are selling well.”
Jiang Luo asked, “So Shengfei’s clothes are already being sold in Guangzhou?”
Mo Wanzhen shrugged. “It’s hard to say. If my stall saw the newspaper ad, others surely did too and probably placed orders. But since the factory can’t produce enough, not much has actually reached Guangzhou yet. Most of the clothes there are from local Guangzhou and Shenzhen factories. Plenty of stock, but limited styles. I saw a few Shengfei pieces—they’re beautiful, and styles you can’t find here.”
Something sparked in Jiang Luo’s mind. He said immediately, “Wanzhen, I’m coming to Guangzhou. Let’s meet for a meal.”
Mo Wanzhen didn’t hesitate: “Sure! You come, I’ll treat you.”
After hanging up, Jiang Luo called Xiao Lu. “I’m going out of town to Guangzhou for a few days. Tell Director Zhang and Director Wang to keep the ads running. Let the outside factories and workshops continue producing. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Okay, got it,” Xiao Lu replied.
Xiao Lu asked curiously, “Director Jiang, where are you going? Should I come along?”
Jiang Luo grabbed his suit jacket from the desk and said, “Guangzhou. You don’t need to follow. Nothing urgent—I just want to check things out myself.”
He hurriedly left the office, calling out to the others standing and chatting outside: “Let’s go back to Wukang Road first.”
Old Fourth ran to the car immediately.
At Wukang Road, Jiang Luo quickly changed shoes and tossed clothes onto the bed while speaking to Huo Zongzuo on the phone. “Huo, I’m going to Guangzhou for a few days. I won’t be home for a bit.”
Huo Zongzuo asked, puzzled, “Why Guangzhou?”
Jiang Luo, excited, said, “You know, some of our clothes have already reached Guangzhou. Mo Wanzhen called to tell me. The former store manager I mentioned before is now running a wholesale stall there. I want to see the market for myself and maybe send our clothes there too.”
Huo Zongzuo laughed. “Got it. Go ahead. Take Old Fourth and the others with you.”
Jiang Luo was already on the third-floor bedroom, tossing clothes from the closet onto the bed. “Pack your things,” he said.
“Okay,” Huo Zongzuo replied warmly. “I’ll call the airport to check the next flights to Guangzhou.”
“Thanks.”
At three o’clock in the afternoon, a plane took off toward Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. Onboard, Old Third and Old Fourth sat together, debating which drinks to have. Behind them, Wang Junqing read a newspaper, while Jiang Luo, by the window, stared thoughtfully outside.
Guangzhou. A city so far south, unfamiliar to him. In his previous life, his business never reached this far.
But Mo Wanzhen’s call reminded him: if Shengfei Clothing can reach that far, why can’t his business?
Guangzhou already had established wholesale stalls and factories, including nearby Shenzhen. And he just happened to be in the clothing business. Why not take a look?
Yes—first, just take a look.
A sweet voice asked, “Sir, would you like something to drink?”
Jiang Luo turned from the window. “Coke, thanks.”
That evening, around nine o’clock, in a bustling restaurant in Guangzhou, Mo Wanzhen approached a four-person booth. Seeing Jiang Luo, she was surprised and emotional, eyes red. “Director Jiang.”
Jiang Luo, pouring tea, looked up at Mo Wanzhen, now with dyed hair and makeup, and smiled, gesturing to the seat. “Wanzhen, sit down. Long time no see.”
Mo Wanzhen placed her bag aside, glanced at his left arm, and gasped, “Director Jiang, what happened to your—”
Jiang Luo waved it off. “Nothing serious. A minor car accident. Hurt my arm, almost healed. I can remove the cast after this trip. Don’t worry.”
Mo Wanzhen, thinking it was just a normal accident, relaxed. She took the tea he handed her. “Flying must be faster than the train, right?”
“Much faster.”
Jiang Luo looked her over, smiling. “You’ve changed… beautiful. Looks like Guangzhou suits you—you’re doing well here.”