Chapter 105: Chapter 99: Convergence
Lu Jiaxin couldn’t run around and labor due to physical reasons, so she specifically called for Lu Jiajie’s help. Once he arrived, he took care of things like outsourcing shoe production and sourcing new leather.
It must be said that Lu Jiajie was very talented. In just three days, he had taken care of all these matters, even getting the Rapid Factory to agree to produce shoes for them. Not only that, he had also become fast friends with Sun Weiliang, which was a display of social skills that even Lu Jiaxin admired.
Lu Jiaxin had given him full authority over these matters, only showing up when it was time to sign contracts. Five days later, the three shoe subcontracting factories started operation.
Lu Jiaxin said to him, “Fifth Brother, we need to rent a large warehouse. The shoes we produce will all be stored there.”
Initially puzzled, Lu Jiajie soon understood and said, “Are you thinking of stockpiling the six thousand pairs of shoes and selling them all at once?”
Lu Jiaxin felt he had a knack for business, “Yes. Since our shoes are new styles and good quality, they will definitely be liked when they go on sale. Other manufacturers will surely imitate such bestsellers, and when the market becomes saturated, their price will inevitably plummet.”
Before, Lu Jiajie didn’t understand why she only produced six thousand pairs of shoes, but now he did. Hoarding stock meant a significant investment, and selling while producing meant less financial strain.
“Your idea is good, but there is also a risk. If the design of our shoes leaks and someone starts producing them based on our models, we would be at a disadvantage,” he said.
Lu Jiaxin replied, “When I signed the contract with them, I included a clause that forbids the designs from leaving the factory. If they violate the contract, they will have to compensate us for our losses.”
She knew that the contract couldn’t prevent leaks one hundred percent. But with this restriction, the leadership in the subcontracting factories would take things seriously. It’s not easy to find a job nowadays, and workers cherish their employment.
Lu Jiajie still felt it wasn’t safe enough.
Seeing how anxious he was, Lu Jiaxin comforted him, “Fifth Brother, don’t worry. Even if the shoe designs are leaked by any chance, it would still require someone with discernment to recognize them and then have the guts to produce them in large quantities. On top of that, they would need to find channels in major cities like the Forty-nine City and the Magic Capital. Otherwise, it won’t impact our sales.”
Influenced by the previous years, many people are still quite conservative. Or to be more precise, most people prefer to play it safe and are afraid to innovate, as they can’t afford the consequences of failure.
After some thought, Lu Jiajie agreed with her view and felt somewhat relieved.
A few days later, the shoe samples were ready. Lu Jiajie found Lu Jiaxin and said, “Xinxin, I’ve calculated the costs, and making ten thousand pairs of leather shoes is not a problem.”
Seeing that Lu Jiaxin didn’t say anything, he continued, “We will choose the best leather, and demand that the factory follows our procedures. With your designed models, the shoes produced will not only be of good quality but also fashionable. Xinxin, we could sell such leather shoes for over one hundred in the Forty-nine City, and people would scramble to buy them.”
She wasn’t confident at first, but having seen the shoes today, she no longer hesitated.
“If we earn fifty per pair, producing an extra four thousand pairs will mean an additional profit of about two hundred thousand. Even if the final selling price of the shoes isn’t that high, making an extra thirty to fifty thousand should be no problem,” he said.
The idea seemed good to Lu Jiaxin, and she didn’t object, “Ten thousand pairs are okay, but money will be quite tight.”
“That’s not a problem, we can find buyers first. Seeing the samples, they will pay a deposit,” Lu Jiajie said. It was mainly because they were close to the target amount, otherwise, he wouldn’t dare take such a risk.
Lu Jiaxin nodded slightly, then asked, “Are you thinking of shipping the shoes back to the Forty-nine City to sell? How will you transport them?”
“Ask Big Brother to help!” he exclaimed.
Lu Jiaxin said with a frown, “For such a large batch of goods, if Big Brother helps and gets reported, it will definitely affect his future. Big Brother has been so good to me, how could I harm him?”
Her plan was to find some well-known scalpers in the Forty-nine City who all had their own transportation channels. The advantage of doing so was safety, but the downside was that much of the profit would be siphoned off. However, Lu Jiaxin didn’t mind this. There would be plenty of opportunities to make big money later, and she couldn’t let this matter affect Lu Jiaguang’s career.
Lu Jiajie indeed had this idea, and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, “Many people do this now, and as long as the bribe is good, there won’t be any problems.”
That was easy to say, but Lu Jiaxin didn’t see the need to take the risk, “What if we hit a snag and the entire shipment gets confiscated? If others come to pick up the goods, the risk is then transferred to the buyer. Fifth Brother, I don’t want to take risks.”
Lu Jiajie’s expression changed slightly, “Xinxin, if we sell wholesale to others and they come to pick up the goods themselves, we can only charge over fifty for a pair of leather shoes, and we would earn almost half as much.”
Lu Jiaxin nodded, “We will earn much less, but it’s the safest way. Fifth Brother, you don’t need to persuade me any further, I won’t change my mind. Otherwise, I’m afraid I might make money but lose the chance to spend it.”
Trading in Yangcheng City, as long as she asked buyers to keep it secret when the time came, they would conceal it for their own benefit. No one would know exactly how much she made, and it was relatively safer. But if the shoes were shipped back to the Forty-nine City, information would definitely leak, and she would not find peace when she returned to repeat her studies.
Lu Jiajie asked, “Did you already plan early on to wholesale all the shoes to others, and that’s why you didn’t register a company or ask Third Uncle for help?”
Lu Jiaxin indeed had such plans. Before she fully recovered, she only dared to open some shops to make some pocket money, not daring to make such a big move as this time.
Struggling with the idea, Lu Jiajie asked, “Jiaxin, you’re not really planning to cut ties with Third Uncle, are you?”
Lu Jiaxin didn’t like repeating herself, “I won’t give him another chance to suppress me.”
Out of respect for the feelings the original body had for Lu Hongjun, she had given Lu Hongjun two chances, but in the end, he still chose his new wife. As an adult, he had to accept the consequences of his choices.
Lu Jiajie sighed silently.
Lu Jiaxin thought for a moment and then said, “Now that the shoe samples are out, we can start looking for buyers. We will sell at six thousand pairs and use the recouped funds to continue production. Even if others start imitating us, they’ll need time to prepare, and they won’t be as quick as us, meaning we’ll probably earn more than I initially expected.”
Previously, Lu Jiaxin had planned to make a quick profit and leave due to her health condition. But seeing how motivated Lu Jiajie was now, she decided to go with his enthusiasm. After all, she would be the one benefitting in the end.
In the afternoon, Lu Jiazong and Xiao Qiu arrived. As soon as they saw Lu Jiaxin, Xiao Qiu excitedly rushed to hug her, “Auntie, you are really amazing.”
Knowing that she was coming to Yangcheng City, several of her brothers were so envious. If Auntie hadn’t named her specifically, such an opportunity would never have fallen to her.
Lu Jiaxin patted her back and smiled, “I didn’t invite you over to play, but to wash clothes, cook, and clean. There’s a lot of work to do, so don’t complain about being tired later.”
Xiao Qiu let go of her and cheerfully claimed that washing clothes and cooking were the easiest tasks. Coming here was like a blessing for her.