RGL – Chapter 51

“Mom, let’s go restock one more time tomorrow. This time we’ll get a bigger batch. After we sell this lot, Zhaodi and I don’t plan to keep making clothes anymore—we want to focus on studying and preparing for our ninth-grade exams.”

Sun Qiufang was very pleased to hear Su Min bring up studying on her own. If Su Min hadn’t mentioned it, she had been planning to say something herself. The two girls had been busy and made good money, but if they sacrificed their future for the sake of money, it really wouldn’t be worth it.

“Yes, it’s time to hit the books. Earning money is important, but for you, studying is even more important.”

The next day, Su Min and Sun Qiufang took Su Changrong’s car to restock goods.

While Su Changrong waited outside, Sun Qiufang led Su Min with practiced ease toward the distribution section. When the staff there saw the two of them, their eyes lit up. Gone was the usual indifferent attitude—they immediately got up to greet them, offered them seats, and signaled to someone nearby, who quickly went out. Then the staff member poured tea for Sun Qiufang and Su Min.

Their sudden change in attitude left both women a bit stunned.

Just as Sun Qiufang was about to bring up the matter of collecting the goods, a few people walked in through the door. Leading the group was a man in his forties with graying hair and a serious expression.

Seeing such a formal entrance, both Sun Qiufang and Su Min began to feel uneasy. Could it be that someone found out about their money-making and the factory had an issue with it?

Ye Yongfu looked at Sun Qiufang, then at Su Min, but in the end, he focused his gaze on Sun Qiufang. “You bought the clothes and modified them yourself, right? We already know.”

Hearing that, Sun Qiufang realized they really had come to settle scores. But then she thought—settle what? Once you buy clothes, they’re yours. Even if you use them to mop the floor, it’s nobody else’s business. With that thought, she felt more confident and said, “Yes, we bought them to alter. Why? The factory doesn’t have any rule against modifying clothes bought for personal use, does it?”

Seeing her so guarded, Ye Yongfu realized she misunderstood and quickly smiled. “There’s been a misunderstanding. I only wanted to talk because I think the way you modified the clothes was quite impressive. That’s all—nothing else.”

Hearing this, Sun Qiufang looked over at Su Min. Su Min was surprised too—she had just been wondering what the factory was planning. She hadn’t expected them to actually be thinking of cooperation.

Ye Yongfu said, “Let’s talk in the office. It’s a good thing—definitely won’t put you at a disadvantage.”

“Oh, you don’t need to say that. We weren’t worried about being taken advantage of,” Sun Qiufang said, a little flustered now that he’d read her mind.

Ye Yongfu didn’t say much more. Smiling, he gestured toward the door and led the way out.

After a brief pause, Sun Qiufang pulled Su Min along and followed him out. “Let’s see what he’s really up to.”

Once they got to the office, a secretary served them tea.

Ye Yongfu smiled and said, “Honestly, I only came across your modified clothes by chance. If I hadn’t been in this factory for decades, I wouldn’t have even recognized that those garments were originally made here. Your redesigns are really impressive.”

Sun Qiufang wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just smiled politely. She didn’t want to admit it was just the two kids messing around with clothes.

Su Min, on the other hand, was watching Ye Yongfu intently. She was very interested in the cooperative tone in his words.

Seeing Sun Qiufang remain silent, Ye Yongfu continued, “Ms. Sun, here’s the thing. I’m very interested in the way you redesigned those clothes. Do you happen to have other styles? Not just summer wear—do you have designs for other seasons too?”

Sun Qiufang glanced at Su Min. How would she know if they had any more? “What if we do, and what if we don’t?”

She wasn’t going to bring up her daughter before she understood the full situation.

Ye Yongfu smiled. “Our factory just became privatized, and we’re in need of talent. If you’re willing, Ms. Sun, I’d like to offer you a high-paying position as a senior fashion designer at our company. The salary and benefits would be no less than those of a state-owned enterprise.”

“Would I have to work only at the factory?” Su Min suddenly asked with a smile.

Ye Yongfu glanced at her, assuming she was just a child, and didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to Sun Qiufang and asked, “What do you think, Ms. Sun?”

Sun Qiufang looked at Su Min again and, seeing her nod, understood that her daughter was now willing to let others know she was the one behind the clothing designs. She said, “This isn’t up to me—you’ll have to ask my daughter. She’s the one who designed all these clothes. I just helped with buying the materials.”

Ye Yongfu had been waiting for Sun Qiufang’s response, but he didn’t expect her to reveal the truth just like that. He nearly spilled his tea in surprise. He looked at Su Min beside her, suddenly very doubtful of what he’d just heard.

This girl was barely in her teens—about the same age as his own daughter—probably still in middle school. And she could design clothes? He looked at Su Min and asked, “Little girl, are you really the one who modified these clothes?”

“I drew the designs and had someone else help with the sewing,” Su Min replied.

Hearing her admit it, Ye Yongfu widened his eyes. He had never imagined this would be the case. The idea of hiring someone at a high salary was now out the window—at her age, there was no way to legally form an employment contract.

He studied Su Min carefully, his mind racing with how to get this kind of talent into the factory—and make sure she’d work wholeheartedly for them.

Seeing him deep in thought, Su Min smiled and said, “Actually, I can also design clothes for other seasons. And I can come up with ways to redesign the unsold stock piling up in your warehouse.”

Listening to her, Ye Yongfu knew she was sweetening the deal for him.

She had laid out all the benefits—now it was up to Ye Yongfu to accept or not.

Su Min had no intention of working as a regular employee. If Ye Yongfu didn’t accept her terms, she would rather continue running her own street stall. Even if he stopped selling clothes to her in the future, she’d simply buy fabric herself and hire people to make the clothes.

Ye Yongfu was weighing the situation carefully. He knew that once this girl had spelled out the benefits, she was also already clear on what she expected in return for offering them.

Looking a bit troubled, he said, “Little girl, at your age, we can’t sign a formal labor contract.”

“I know,” Su Min smiled. “I don’t want to sign a contract either.”

“Then you mean…?”

“I want a profit share.”

“What?” Ye Yongfu’s eyes widened, and his ears practically perked up. Did he just hear that right? This girl wanted a share of the profits?

Seeing his shock, Su Min said seriously, “I’m not asking for a share of the whole factory’s profits—just for the clothes I design. As long as my designs sell well, I want a cut from those sales.”

Given her current abilities, there was no way she could fully run a business on her own. She and Zhaodi were both heading into their final year of middle school. Even if she kept earning money through the street stall, it would take too much time and energy. If this opportunity with Factory Director Ye hadn’t come up, maybe she would’ve tried to do it all herself—but now that this door was open, of course she’d climb higher.

If they reached an agreement, all she would have to do was draw designs. The production and sales would be handled by a professional team, and she wouldn’t have to worry or spend any energy on logistics.

A profit share for the designs? Ye Yongfu hesitated.

He still had no idea how much profit the designs might actually bring. And he’d never encountered a situation like this before—paying someone based on how well their designs sold. If the clothes sold well, it could amount to quite a bit.

He looked at Su Min, unable to fathom how such a young girl could be this sharp. Not only could she design clothes, but she could also come up with a profit-sharing model so quickly.

After a moment, he still couldn’t let it go and tentatively suggested, “How about this—you draw the designs for me, and I’ll buy them from you outright?”

“I won’t sell them,” Su Min shook her head. “If I made the clothes myself, I could keep earning from them.”

In other words, selling the designs to you wouldn’t be worth it.

Ye Yongfu’s face twitched, and after a long pause, he said, “How do you want the profit split?”

Su Min replied, “For any clothes based on my designs, I want 10% of the sales revenue. It’s not a lot. If I made and sold the clothes myself, my profits wouldn’t be lower than that anyway.”

“You’re really not shy about asking,” Ye Yongfu said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Ten percent. That meant for every 10,000 yuan the factory earned, he’d have to give the girl 1,000. And the real concern was—if these designs really took off, annual profits could easily surpass 10,000 yuan. Maybe even reach 100,000.

Seeing him hesitate, Sun Qiufang nudged her daughter and said, “Maybe we should go. Looks like he’s not agreeing.”

Su Min nodded. In business, harmony brings wealth—and especially in long-term partnerships. If the other party had doubts from the start, then the relationship would never be stable.

She stood up and said, “We’ll head out now, then.”

Seeing them about to leave, Ye Yongfu panicked.

She was really about to leave—where was he going to find someone like her again? The deal hadn’t even been discussed properly, and she was just walking out. Ye Yongfu hurriedly got up and said, “What are you rushing off for? Weren’t we just talking about working together? We haven’t even settled anything yet—why are you leaving?”

Sun Qiufang replied, “I need to get back to open the store. If you’re going to keep quiet like that, aren’t you just wasting my time? To be honest, we’re not relying on my daughter to make money. At her age, she should be focusing on her studies. Selling clothes is just something to fool around with during summer break.”

“Comrade, now that’s where you’re wrong. If a child’s going to be talented, it needs to start early. From what I can see, your daughter has real potential.”

Su Min said, “So what’s your decision? Asking for a 10% cut is already very modest—it can’t go any lower. You know in your heart, if the designs really help the factory and profits increase, it’s completely worth it. And if sales are low, I won’t make much either—so you’re not losing out. If the clothes don’t sell at all, you don’t have to use my designs, and I won’t take a single cent.”

Ye Yongfu thought for a moment before nodding. He couldn’t help saying, “You really are a natural-born businesswoman—always thinking ahead. But if the clothes don’t sell well in the future, you can’t just sit there—you’ll need to help the factory come up with ideas too.”

Hearing that, Su Min knew the deal was sealed. She smiled and said, “If we really do work together, I’ll be more worried than you if the clothes don’t sell.”

When the mother and daughter came out of the factory, Su Changrong was already sweating profusely from waiting.

“What took you so long? Where are the clothes?”

He stood up and looked behind them. He had truly waited over an hour.

Sun Qiufang said, “Let’s get on first—we’ll talk there.” She herself hadn’t quite processed everything yet. The factory director had actually agreed to give her daughter a profit share? That meant from now on, as long as her daughter drew designs, she could earn money?

This completely shattered her previous ideas about earning a living.

She always knew that good business could make good money—but to earn money just by drawing? And actually get paid for it? It was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

When they arrived at Sun Qiufang’s shop, Su Changrong asked again, “So what’s going on? You haven’t said a word since leaving the factory. You said you went to buy clothes—didn’t like anything? Or are they not selling anymore?”

“Changrong, your daughter’s gotten involved with that clothing factory.”

“What? A kid like her—how could she get involved? Don’t tell me it’s run by one of her classmates’ families?” He did know his daughter had a particularly capable classmate.

Su Min smiled and said, “Dad, Mom didn’t explain it clearly. Actually, the factory took a liking to the clothes we made before—they want to use our designs for mass production. I told them I’ll provide the designs, and they’ll give me a share of the profits. That’s why we were in there so long. Now that we’ve reached an agreement, I don’t need to buy clothes anymore. I just need to draw up a few designs for them as soon as I can.”

“The factory’s giving you a share?” Su Changrong’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His little girl was negotiating business deals with a factory? And they actually agreed to give her a profit share?

Seeing how stunned he was, Su Min smiled and said, “Dad, do you think I’m joking? Mom was with me the whole time.”

“Everything Minzi said is true.” Sun Qiufang nodded. Her daughter really wasn’t an ordinary child.

Su Changrong said, “So from now on, Minzi just needs to draw designs?”

“Dad, designing isn’t that easy. Just because I draw something doesn’t mean they’ll like it. I can’t just doodle randomly. I still have to figure out how to design something that works.”

Su Changrong smiled and ruffled her hair. “That’s okay. You just focus on your studies, and draw whatever you’re capable of. Don’t stress yourself. The factory isn’t depending solely on a little girl like you to make money.”

Su Min smiled with her lips closed. “You never know. What if I actually come up with a great design and the factory makes a lot of money from it?”

“Well then, your old man will be proud.” Su Changrong laughed proudly. He didn’t even need to wait for the future—he already felt proud of his daughter. Her skills and temperament were better than many adults.

Meanwhile, back at the Sanye Clothing Factory, the topic was still being hotly discussed.

Everyone had opinions about the arrangement. A child getting so many benefits—could she really handle it?

Especially Director Li from the Sales Department, who was the first to object. He had several full-time salespeople under him, and none of them got such favorable treatment. How come a little girl could show up and get all this?

The Production Director said, “Director Ye, why didn’t you just offer to buy the designs? A lot of other factories are doing it that way.”

Ye Yongfu shot him a look. “You think I didn’t try? The girl wasn’t willing. What was I supposed to do—snatch them from her? And anyway, if her designs really bring in good profits for the factory, then that benefits everyone. As long as the factory makes more money than it does now, this deal won’t be a loss.”

“But it’s still too much,” Director Li argued.

“If you can bring in that kind of value to the factory, I’ll give you even more.” Ye Yongfu frowned at him. Director Li was a holdover from the old days, and they’d worked together for many years. He knew Li’s sales methods were outdated and he refused to adapt. That’s why sales had always been mediocre. If it weren’t for the fact that theirs was the only clothing factory in the county—and it had decades of history with some emotional attachment—who would keep buying such bland clothes?

Now Director Li wasn’t just stuck in the past; he was starting to resent others for being rewarded. If Ye Yongfu didn’t shut this down now, the next time he tried to bring in new talent, Director Li would be the first to oppose it. And then what kind of factory director would he be?

Director Li had no idea what Ye Yongfu was thinking. He just felt indignant. She was just a little girl—how could she get so much? Was Ye Yongfu out of his mind?

But he also understood the situation. The factory had already been privatized—it now belonged to Director Ye. No matter how unhappy he was, he had to follow the boss’s decisions.