Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 360: A New Path

"I later found out that your embroidery is mostly sold to foreign guests and overseas Chinese, right?"

Oh boy, they’ve done their homework.

Can I hide it?

Can’t hide it.

So, Yi Chichi nodded, "Yes, but also some locals buy them."

The secretary hmm-ed, he believed some locals bought them, after all, the sense of beauty is often universal.

But he also knew that good embroidery isn’t cheap, and those who can afford it are usually wealthy.

However, that wasn’t his concern; he was only interested in one thing.

"Can we develop this industry here?"

Yi Chichi sighed inwardly, her premonition turned silent, the secretary really wanted to forge a new path.

Unfortunately, as they say, it’s too hard.

"Before starting, we need to solve the problem of embroidery cloth and thread, are you planning to get them from Jiangnan, or produce them yourself?"

"Produce them ourselves."

Quite ambitious.

The idea is good, self-sufficiency is far better than being at the mercy of others.

However, it’s not feasible.

"Where will mulberry trees come from? Where will the silkworm seeds come from? If you lower the requirements, you might use cotton cloth or silk, do we have the capability to produce these ourselves?"

A series of questions left the secretary silent, he mentally took stock of Baoshan Commune’s situation and discovered that with their current resources and capabilities, they couldn’t solve any of the issues Yi Chichi mentioned.

Yet he stubbornly spoke up, "If you could lead a group, we could find a way to overcome these difficulties."

He was placing the burden on her shoulders.

Yi Chichi had black lines drawn across her forehead, and Captain Uncle and the others weren’t much better off.

"Secretary, I think your request is too difficult."

Uncle Yaozi nodded in agreement, "Old Liu isn’t wrong, embroidery is like medicine, without talent, you can’t learn it, not to mention producing high-quality pieces; even with talent, it’s not something you can cultivate overnight."

"Liu Lan..."

"Liu Lan only started getting the hang of it under Chichi’s guidance after more than a year, and that’s because her family is well-off, and Grandpa Liu dotes on his only granddaughter. Other families wouldn’t have so much fabric and thread for their daughters to practice."

These are the objective difficulties that need to be overcome; families that can achieve this are very rare.

It’s not that they don’t dote on daughters; there’s little gender bias here.

It’s mainly due to poverty.

There are only so few fabric coupons a year; it’s hard enough to make new clothes for everyone in the family, let alone use it for practice.

Even if fabric and thread are reusable, the thread wears down.

Once it wears down to a certain extent, it breaks.

So, material consumption becomes unavoidable.

The secretary wanted to hear Yi Chichi’s opinion, "Xiao Yi, what do you say?"

Yi Chichi was not prepared to say much; she just asked one question.

"Even if all the above problems are solved, tell me, do you have a client base?"

"...No, but it can be found."

"Where will you find it?"

"How about the neighboring place?"

This refers to Brother Neighboring Country.

"Not feasible."

Without thinking, Yi Chichi dismissed it; the climate and living environment there predetermined that such extravagant items like embroidery wouldn’t sell well.

"Logically, if you rely on embroidery to generate revenue, you might as well rely on food and clothing, which are more reliable."

Different aesthetics, different needs.

A nation that raises bears isn’t suitable for using embroidery to generate revenue.

"So, is this path a dead end?"

He persistently asked, Yi Chichi remained silent for a while, "Winter clothing can be made."

"No way, there isn’t enough fabric, nor enough cotton."

The demand of locals can’t be met, let alone external demands.

"Then there’s really no way."

The secretary let out a sound, beginning to seek a new path, "How about we do OEM for the Friendship Store in Yangcheng?"

This idea...

Yi Chichi and the others exchanged a glance and spoke in unison, "What type of OEM?"

"Tiger head shoes, tiger head hats, those kinds of things."

Once the secretary finished, all eyes turned to Yi Chichi.

She twitched a bit at the corners of her mouth and spoke reluctantly, "I can’t make tiger head shoes or tiger head hats."

"But you can draw."

The secretary declared assertively, Yi Chichi realized that this might be his ultimate goal, a well-thought-out one, probably even discussed and unanimously passed in a meeting.

Seeing her remain silent, the secretary pressed on, "You can draw, right?!"

"I can!"

As long as she isn’t required to make them, she can handle the designs.

"Who will negotiate with the Friendship Store?"

"There are designated people for that."

"Who provides the raw materials?"

The secretary gave an embarrassed smile, "If we’re doing OEM, just providing space and labor, then surely the receiving party provides the raw materials."

Yi Chichi nodded and asked, "What about craftsmen for making the tiger head shoes and such?"

"The commune has a few senior ladies who are really good; they can be the master artisans leading apprentices."

This could increase employment opportunities, create revenue for the commune, and add to his achievements, it’s practically perfect.

Uncle Yaozi and others looked at Yi Chichi, and the secretary also looked at her.

What could she do? She could only say, "Then you guys should negotiate. If it succeeds, I can help with the designs."

"I don’t just want to negotiate with the Friendship Store in Yangcheng; I also want to negotiate with the one in Shanghai."

At this point, he said, "I remember you came from Lin City as a youth reintegration volunteer, does the Friendship Store back home sell these kinds of products?"

"Yes."

Lin City wasn’t far from Shanghai, and with the original memories, Yi Chichi knew a thing or two about that area, "Many people from my hometown have gone abroad."

Don’t be fooled; while many domestically are involved with overseas relations, there are those who went abroad and managed to come back with a different identity.

Besides, there are those working abroad. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Therefore, crochet embroidery and some domestic crafts sell quite well in fact.

They might not be used, but having them for appreciation is a delight.

"There are also embroidered cheongsams sold in Shanghai."

"Cheongsams?"

The brigade leader was dumbfounded, looking completely taken aback.

The secretary explained, "Surely we’re not the ones buying them, it’s those who come back from outside."

The brigade leader’s lips twitched, recalling his wife’s eldest niece.

"Then, then we can negotiate."

His eldest niece at home was willing to spend so much money for Chichi to make clothes; presumably, the tiger head shoes produced wouldn’t have a hard time selling.

The secretary’s eyes lit up, he turned to ask him, "Do you think it can be done?"

The brigade leader was momentarily stunned due to being consulted for his opinion, and then he said, "How would I know? I’m just a production team leader and haven’t been to the city many times."

Implying that such big decisions couldn’t rely on him.

The secretary wasn’t disappointed; he immediately turned to seek Yi Chichi’s answer.

Yi Chichi’s answer was straightforward, "Don’t ask me, I don’t know, let’s talk first."

Whether or not they could negotiate a deal was still unknown.

Once a deal is made, everything else can be discussed; if not, all the plans are for naught.

The secretary found it reasonable, he stood up and said, "Then we’ll go negotiate first, and once it’s successful, we’ll come back to you."