He even set his tea aside.
Luo Hongyuan put down the enamel cup, eagerly picked up a tuft of rabbit fur, and rubbed it carefully in his palm. He then held it up to the light, unable to suppress an admiring click of his tongue, his tone completely changed.
"The length is a full five centimeters, the luster is so good, and there are so few impurities... How did you raise them?"
It was well known that the textile mill was always short of high-quality rabbit fur. What was available on the market was either too short or had too many impurities, resulting in sweaters that pilled and shed easily.
The pile of rabbit fur before him was of far superior quality to that from their current suppliers—it was truly top-grade goods.
Seeing his astonished expression, Shen Nanchu felt secretly pleased but kept a straight face.
"Section Chief Luo, you're the expert. You understand the quality of this fur better than we do."
Luo Hongyuan grew more excited the longer he looked.
"Good! Excellent!"
"I haven't seen rabbit fur this good in a long time! How much can you supply per month? And what's the price?"
All his earlier perfunctory attitude and dismissiveness had been thrown to the winds. Luo Hongyuan now looked at Shen Nanchu with intense fervor, as if seeing a god of wealth.
Shen Nanchu remained perfectly composed. She had known this first step would be a success.
Instead of answering Luo Hongyuan's question immediately, she took another small bamboo tube from her bag and placed it on the table.
"Section Chief Luo, besides the rabbit fur, we have something else we'd like you to see. It might be helpful for the female workers at the mill."
The bamboo tube contained the Black Sister tea seed shampoo.
Luo Hongyuan's gaze shifted from the rabbit fur to the shampoo, curiosity in his eyes.
"What is this?"
Shen Nanchu gave Zheng Tongwei a look, and he immediately understood.
"Section Chief Luo, this is a purely natural tea seed shampoo produced by our village workshop. It's especially effective at removing grease and relieving itchiness, specifically for people whose hair easily collects cotton fluff or gets oily."
Zheng Tongwei unscrewed the cap, releasing a faint, refreshing fragrance of tea seeds.
"Take a sniff. It smells wonderful. It leaves hair smooth and shiny after washing, and can even reduce hair loss."
Luo Hongyuan leaned in to smell it, his eyes widening further in surprise.
Having worked at the textile mill for over a decade, he knew the women workers' troubles all too well.
The workshops were full of cotton fluff, making hair prone to greasiness and tangles. Ordinary shampoos were useless, and many suffered from scalp problems because of it.
If this shampoo really worked, distributing it as an employee benefit would solve a practical problem and boost worker morale—a win-win situation.
And if he achieved such significant results, wouldn't his own position be due for a move?
Luo Hongyuan looked at Shen Nanchu, his eyes burning even brighter.
He personally poured water for Shen Nanchu and her companions, his smile now brighter than a chrysanthemum.
"Please, have a seat! I was blind earlier, please don't mind me."
"Let's have a proper talk about both the rabbit fur and this shampoo. As long as the quality is solid, the price is negotiable!"
Shen Nanchu and Zheng Tongwei exchanged a glance, amusement sparkling in their eyes.
The first battle in Daliao City seemed to be won.
Next, as long as they settled on the price and supply quantity, they would have secured this major client, the textile mill. Then, approaching the department store and the supply and marketing cooperative would be done with much greater confidence.
"Comrade Shen, the quality of this rabbit fur is truly beyond reproach."
Luo Hongyuan's tone carried unconcealed approval.
"However, our mill's consumption is not small. We need at least fifty catties per month."
"Can you manage that?"
Masking his inner excitement, Luo Hongyuan looked calmly at Shen Nanchu.
This was a negotiation—how could he show his full hand right away?
Shen Nanchu feigned hesitation.
"Fifty catties might be a bit difficult."
"After all, the quality of our village's rabbit fur is so excellent that factories from other provinces are all vying for it!"
Since when did Wang Family Village's rabbit fur have so many factories clamoring to buy it?
Zheng Tongwei, who had been in Wang Family Village all along, wondered how he didn't know about this.
Luo Hongyuan had originally intended to pressure Shen Nanchu a bit to lower the price.
Hearing her words, all such petty schemes flew out of his head.
"Comrade Shen, that won't do. We're practically family; you should prioritize us!"
"Shipping it to other provinces would cost you a lot in freight. Selling to our mill saves you that expense entirely."
"As for the price, let's see... The market rate is eight yuan fifty per catty. Yours is of better quality, so I'll offer nine yuan. How about that?"
This price was even higher than Shen Nanchu had anticipated. Delighted inwardly, she maintained her composure.
"Section Chief Luo is a decisive man!"
"Since you and Mayor Lin are old acquaintances, of course Wang Family Village must prioritize supplying our textile mill first!"
Shen Nanchu's words pleased Luo Hongyuan greatly.
"Is this shampoo of yours really effective?"
"Whether it's effective or not, Section Chief Luo, why not have a few female workers come and try it? Then you'll know."
Shen Nanchu smiled confidently.
"Alright then."
Luo Hongyuan also wanted to see for himself how the shampoo performed.
To be honest, the shampoo he bought from the department store wasn't great either.
If the shampoo Shen Nanchu brought was good, Luo Hongyuan would buy a few bottles for home use.
Soon,
Luo Hongyuan had someone fetch two female workers.
They were sisters, both with thick, long hair.
Moreover, neither had washed their hair for nearly a week.
The two women were not very trusting of this shampoo that had appeared out of nowhere.
But after lathering up and rinsing clean, they were pleasantly surprised to find their hair exceptionally clean, soft, and carrying a light, pleasant fragrance.
"Where can we buy this shampoo?"
"It's much better than what we bought at the department store before."
Shen Nanchu thought for a moment.
"Right now, the Black Sister shampoo is still in production. It will be available at the department store in a few days."
"If any of your relatives or friends want it then, they can go ask at the department store."
What was this if not painting a grand vision?
Zheng Tongwei now understood the concept.
Shen Nanchu hadn't even secured a deal with the department store yet, but the grand vision was already being sketched out.
"That's wonderful."
"We'll go grab some at the department store then."
The two sisters left happily.
Luo Hongyuan watched, feeling a bit envious. He looked at Shen Nanchu, hesitating to speak.
The shampoo was genuinely good. Luo Hongyuan felt a real itch to get some. If he could take it back to the 'tigress' at home, he might even earn himself a drink tonight.
He rubbed his hands together.
"Comrade Shen... how many bottles of this shampoo did you bring this time?"
Shen Nanchu hadn't brought many this time, just two bottles.
"Section Chief Luo, I only brought one bottle with me. If you don't mind, please take this one for your family to use."
"Next week is the Mid-Autumn Festival. When delivering benefits to the factory, I can bring you a couple more bottles."
Shen Nanchu's implied meaning couldn't be clearer.
