Chapter 1296
Li Aiguo's "Wool-Plucking" Strategy Leads to Selling High-End Electric B
The construction of the rolling mill attracted many people, as it was the first time they had ever seen such a massive machine.
"Goodness, if this machine is built, how much power will it have?"
"I heard it's number one in the world; even Big Brother doesn't have one!"
The crowd of onlookers was packed three or four deep; it was the first time they had ever seen such a massive machine.
Fortunately, Commander Zhang arranged for people to maintain order, which allowed the construction work to continue.
Li Aiguo received the approval from his superiors on-site and had no choice but to stop his work.
"Ugh!"
"Sigh!" Section Chief Xing sighed in front of Li Aiguo.
Section Chief Xing was also powerless to do anything.
There are many technicians in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop now, and the First Ministry of Machine Building has also sent so many chief engineers over.
However, only Li Aiguo was capable of overseeing the manufacturing of a 100,000-ton rolling mill.
"Let's prioritize the order from the older brother first." Section Chief Xing knew that the only option right now was to fulfill the order for that batch of high-end electric blankets.
"Mmm," Li Aiguo could only agree.
How long will it take?
"It will probably take two or three days," Li Aiguo roughly calculated the time in his mind.
"You handle the design, but leave the manufacturing to others. Try not to delay the construction of the rolling mill. I heard at a meeting at the Ministry of Machinery Industry yesterday that Jiangnan Shipyard is urging us to speed things up."
Section Chief Xing also understood the pressure faced by the Ministry of Machine Building.
"The design is definitely fine, but it needs to be made entirely by hand."
That's right, Li Aiguo is preparing to handcraft high-end electric blankets, some of which have patterns and edging that cannot be produced by modern textile machines.
Li Aiguo was originally planning to go the high-end route, and his older brother would definitely like this handmade product.
What, you don't like it?
That just shows you have no taste and can only afford the regular version.
Most importantly, once it's handmade, the premium can increase significantly.
"Let's make it by hand." Section Chief Xing also thought that handcrafting was a good idea.
There are not many high-end textile machines in China to begin with, but there is a group of excellent textile workers.
"Okay, wait a few days, I'll give you the samples."
Li Aiguo's mind was filled with the high-end textiles from his elder brother's family. What did his elder brother's family like?
"Oh right, I should have asked Miss Chen for help!" Li Aiguo suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing he had overlooked something.
The electric blanket designed by Ms. Chen is very popular with the higher-ups, and I'm sure it will be fine with the older brother as well.
It was evening.
Li Aiguo rode his mountain bike back to the courtyard house.
Chen Xueru had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him.
At the dinner table, Li Aiguo mentioned that his elder brother had ordered a high-end electric blanket.
Chen Xueru's eyes lit up at first, but then she became a little uneasy.
"An order from the big brother's company? I'm actually a little unsure..."
"It's okay, I'm here. I'll tell you what style the people on Big Brother's side like, and you can take care of the technical details."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
After regaining her confidence, Ms. Chen quickly ate her meal.
The task of taking care of Xiao Hongsheng, Xiao Dongfang, and Xiao Mingwei was handed over to He Yushui.
He moved a chair over and went into the study, sitting down next to Li Aiguo.
Li Aiguo chose four colors: dark gray, navy blue, dark green, and burgundy, all of which are the colors his elder brother's family likes.
Especially burgundy, which is a favorite of the top executives of the Big Brother.
The pattern features a subtle jacquard design with outlines of wheat ears, gears, and the Crimson Palace.
Narrow, contrasting-color piping, understated luxury.
The sewing technique was Chen Xueru's idea: double-stitched close-fitting stitches and quilted seams to secure the small fabric labels.
The material used is wool.
"Isn't wool too expensive? Should we get something cheaper?" Chen Xueru was a little worried about the cost.
"Don't worry, Big Brother's family is not short of money."
Li Aiguo acted immediately, contacting the logistics department of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot by phone at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Section Chief Liu from the Logistics Department was extremely efficient. Just as Yan Jiecheng finished his overtime work and was about to go home, Section Chief Liu stopped him.
"Jiecheng, thank you for your trouble. Deliver this batch of high-quality wool to Aiguo."
This is an important project, so pay attention and don't mess it up.
Yan Jiecheng looked at the bundles of wool and couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"What's Patriot Brother up to now? Why is he using wool again?"
He's always been a big mouth, and before the wool even reached Li Ai's house, the news had already spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard.
"Have you heard? Li Aiguo has brought back another large batch of wool from the locomotive depot!"
"Chen Xueru knows how to sew, it must be a new project Li Aiguo is working on. Chen Xueru is probably going to be famous this time." The third aunt came from the backyard carrying a vegetable basket and expressed her opinion.
"Yes, Chen Xueru is currently studying at night school."
The young wives in the compound listened with envy.
Who wouldn't want an opportunity to gain fame like this?
Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai was hiding at home, sulking.
Hearing the murmurs outside, Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes and said in a sinister tone, "Well, Li Aiguo, you're openly fleecing the maintenance depot! I'll report you..."
"What, you still want to report Li Aiguo? Have you forgotten what happened to Jia Dongxu?" The old woman was startled when she heard this.
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately fell silent.
He was the one who orchestrated Jia Dongxu's imprisonment back then; how could he forget that?
I'm just so frustrated.
Ever since Yi Zhonghai was excluded from the 100,000-ton steel rolling mill project, the workers in the workshop have been looking at him differently.
Xu Damao kept yelling that he should eat the chair.
"Fine, I can't touch you. I'll just wait and see you make a fool of yourself!"
A 100,000-ton rolling mill... something that even Big Brother and Xiao Mei's family couldn't manage, and you, Li Aiguo, are trying to do it?
"If any project fails, that's when I, Yi Zhonghai, will rise again!"
This time, Yi Zhonghai hasn't gone mad.
In fact.
Many experienced workers in the steel rolling mill were skeptical about the project.
Especially those in the technical department who were disciplined.
If neither the eldest brother's family nor Xiaomei's family could make it, how could Li Aiguo make it?
Li Aiguo didn't find it strange; some people, once they kneel for too long, can never stand up again.
However, we should still despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically.
Early the next morning.
Li Aiguo contacted the Textile Industry Bureau and obtained a letter of introduction.
He then took Chen Xueru and that batch of high-quality wool and arrived at the Qinghe Woolen Mill.
This factory was originally named Puli Woolen Company, one of the earliest large-scale wool spinning factories. After liberation, it was renamed Qinghe Woolen Mill.
It is currently the most important wool textile and blanket production base in Beijing and even the whole country.
When the director of Qinghe Woolen Mill heard that Li Aiguo had arrived, his heart skipped a beat.
In those days, cotton spinning and wool spinning were inseparable. The incident at Beijing No. 1 Cotton Mill, involving the 32-spindle cotton spinning machine, was known to all the factories under the Textile Industry Bureau.
Is Li Aiguo here today to find fault with something again?
The factory manager forced himself to come out and greet them.
Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated when he saw the factory manager's attitude was off; he never expected that he would have such a bad reputation.
However, Li Aiguo didn't care.
Having this ominous reputation makes things a bit easier.
The factory manager and others breathed a sigh of relief after they realized that Li Aiguo had come to borrow space and manpower to trial-produce high-end electric blankets.
"This mission is of great importance, and it's also a task to improve export earnings. Our factory will absolutely cooperate fully! We must complete it diligently!"
The factory manager immediately selected more than a dozen of the most skilled master craftsmen from the workshop and entrusted them with Chen Xueru's command.
"Factory manager, don't worry."
Ms. Chen has also been promoted to the head of the high-end electric blanket manufacturing team, with more than a dozen experienced craftsmen under her command, which makes her quite proud.
After making these arrangements, Li Aiguo immediately returned to the rolling mill factory.
These past two days, due to the electric blanket issue, the rolling mill has fallen behind schedule, and he needs to catch up quickly.
We need to finish this job as soon as possible so we can have time for other things.
When Chen Xueru returned to the courtyard house that evening, she was unusually excited.
This was the first time she had independently taken on such an important task, and the experienced craftsmen were very cooperative, making the trial production progress very smoothly.
After dinner, Li Aiguo was about to go into his study when Xu Damao walked in, chuckling, "Brother Aiguo, do you need any encouragement for the rolling mill?"
"To encourage us?"
“Here’s the thing, I plan to suggest that the publicity department organize a publicity team to go and express our appreciation to those engineers, technicians and experts.” Xu Damao said, while looking at Li Aiguo.
"No problem, I have no objection." Li Aiguo understood Xu Damao's thoughts perfectly well; this guy hadn't given up on his ambition to become a cadre.
However, this is indeed beneficial for building the rolling mill; the workers, who work around the clock, also need some mental nourishment.
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao beamed with joy and leaned closer to whisper.
"By the way, Patriot Brother, I've seen Zhang Erya wandering around outside the compound these past few days."
"Huh?" Upon hearing Zhang Erya, Li Aiguo immediately realized that she was referring to Jia Zhangshi.
After Jia Zhangshi remarried, the character "Jia" was dropped, so it was indeed inappropriate to still call her Jia Zhangshi.
Xu Damao winked and said, "I heard that Yi Zhonghai promised to bring Zhang Erya to the steel rolling mill, but then the steel rolling mill project ran into trouble, so it didn't work out. Zhang Erya feels that Yi Zhonghai deceived her and is thinking of finding him!"
Li Aiguo really didn't know about this, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but click his tongue twice.
He knew all too well Jia Zhangshi's unreasonable and argumentative nature.
Yi Zhonghai is likely to suffer again this time.
However, he has no time to deal with these petty squabbles right now.
On Monday, the steel rolling mill's publicity department approved Xu Damao's proposal and dispatched Xu Damao, along with a group of publicity officers from the steel rolling mill, to the construction site of the steel rolling mill.
Among the propagandists were both men and women, but the most eye-catching was a girl named Yu Haitang, who was said to be Yu Li's younger sister.
Propagandists in those days were all multi-talented, proficient in everything from playing the clapper to singing revolutionary songs and performing the Yangko dance.
Their actions instantly created a lively atmosphere, and the workers became even more motivated.
Li Aiguo observed the scene for a while and, seeing that everything was in good order, returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot for a meeting.
The Qianmen Locomotive Depot now has more than a dozen workshops under its jurisdiction, and weekly meetings are held to address any issues that arise.
The other workshops were fine; they could just proceed with production as scheduled. What Li Aiguo was most concerned about was the construction of the wind tunnel.
The wind tunnel project is now in its final stages, and various electrical equipment needs to be installed.
Zong Xianfeng and Zhou Gaoyuan happened to be free, so they were transferred there.
After the work meeting, there was an ideological education meeting, followed by lunch. After lunch, we went to the rolling mill factory in the afternoon.
Two days later, Chen Xueru returned from the Qinghe Woolen Mill with a batch of high-end blankets.
Li Aiguo brought it to the studio and made an electric blanket out of a blanket.
Ever since the task was assigned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Section Chief Xing has come over every day to keep an eye on things. When he sees the high-end electric blankets, his eyes almost pop out of their sockets.
"Good stuff, good stuff." If it weren't for the fact that this thing was going to be exported, Section Chief Xing would have wanted to get one too.
"Yes, it's made of top-quality wool and entirely hand-sewn, with a particularly complex process," Li Aiguo nodded and said.
Upon hearing this, Section Chief Xing frowned slightly: "With such high costs, I'm afraid our superiors will criticize us for being extravagant and wasteful."
"Section Chief, don't worry, this is for publicity. Imagine how it would feel if even the top leaders of our country were using our electric blankets!" Li Aiguo said. Section Chief Xing immediately understood: "That makes sense! Alright, let's go with this standard!"
After the sample was manufactured, Li Aiguo conducted detailed tests to confirm that there were no problems before proceeding with mass production.
A large batch of wool materials was delivered to the Qinghe Woolen Mill in Beijing. After a period of busy work, Chen Xueru and the experienced craftsmen quickly completed the order for two thousand woolen sheets.
Andrei was getting impatient by now.
These high-end electric blankets are not just electric blankets, but a dense network of relationships.
After learning that the high-end electric blankets were manufactured, they abandoned the previous railway transportation and directly asked the Russians to send transport planes to deliver the electric blankets.
A few days later, at the Kremlin.
Emperor Corn sat behind his large desk, staring intently at the newly delivered burgundy high-end electric blanket.
The design of this thing is exactly what he wanted!
The wine-red base color is dignified yet passionate.
The dark-patterned jacquard wheat ears symbolize his proudest corn reform.
Gears represent strong industrial capabilities.
The outline of the Nakula is a symbol of power!
"Sigh, look at the designs by the Dongfang brothers, and then look at these tattered blankets you guys have made, they're just garbage!"
The Corn Emperor kicked away the rough local carpet next to him, furious.
The attendants around him were all silent, none of them daring to utter a sound.
The more the Corn Emperor looked at the electric blanket, the more he liked it.
Not only do they need to sleep on it at night, but they also need to drape it over their legs when attending large meetings during the day.
In those days, the Russians were the big brother of the Eastern Bloc, and the smaller brothers from the Eastern European Bloc often came to hold meetings.
In the conference room, everyone was very curious when they saw the exquisite and luxurious blanket on the Corn Emperor's lap.
"This blanket... is it an electric blanket?"
"Definitely, look, it's still connected to the wires. This thing gets hot as soon as it's plugged in, and with this awful weather in Moscow, it's so comfortable to use."
"However, this electric blanket looks different from the ones Andrei Trading Company sold before. The workmanship, the quality..."
"Of course, it's definitely a specially customized, special edition!"
"No, we also need to order a batch from the east!"
Immediately, the representatives of the Eastern European camp began to have their own ideas.
A few days later, Andrei's eyes nearly popped out when he received the consolidated orders from the Eastern European branch.
A full ten thousand!
"I never expected that the special electric blanket made by our patriotic brothers would be so popular."
However, Andrei did not accept these orders. Instead, he issued a notice that the custom-made electric blankets must be negotiated personally with the Ministry of Foreign Trade in the East.
Making money is important, but building relationships is even more important.
When the Eastern European companies learned of this news, they were not surprised, since an electric blanket of this artistic quality certainly cannot be sold on a store counter.
Several companies happened to be looking to purchase coal cutters and excavators, so the young men got together and decided to form a trade group to go to the east for negotiations.
The foreign trade department was momentarily stunned upon receiving this news.
It's worth noting that while our smaller neighbors in Eastern Europe have frequently come to purchase goods in recent years, it's mostly been a single-item trade.
This is the first time that such a large-scale, comprehensive trade delegation has been formed, encompassing machinery, food, and light industrial products.
"Shouldn't we expand our scale a bit?" The leaders of the foreign trade department felt this was a good opportunity.
However, no one really knew exactly how to do it.
In those days, there were domestic trade fairs for urban and rural goods exchange and international trade fairs like the Canton Fair.
However, both of these focus either on the domestic market or are purely focused on foreign exchange earnings, and neither involves deep-seated cooperation within the alliance.
"Why don't we ask Comrade Li Aiguo? That guy's quick-witted and full of ideas," one leader suggested.
"Yes, go and invite Comrade Patriot over!"
And so, Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot early in the morning and was picked up by Da Yueye and taken to the foreign trade department.
Because of Hextech, Li Aiguo often came here on business. In particular, the senior leader of the foreign trade department had worked in logistics before liberation and had a very good relationship with Teacher Xu.
Back when Li Aiguo was in Nanjing, he had met this high-ranking leader at Teacher Xu's home.
"Comrade Aiguo, please sit down! How has your teacher been lately?" The high-ranking leader asked affectionately as soon as he saw Li Aiguo, pulling him to sit down.
"Thanks to you, my teacher is in very good health and still practices martial arts every day," Li Aiguo replied with a smile.
"Haha, that's just how Old Xu is. Among all of us, his kung fu is the best." The big boss slapped the table and laughed.
After a few casual words of catching up, the senior leader's expression turned serious, and he gestured to the orderly to hand Li Aiguo a thick document.
"Comrade Patriot, the batch of high-end electric blankets you manufactured has caused quite a stir in Eastern Europe. Now they plan to come in bulk to purchase not only electric blankets, but also coal cutters, instant noodles, and various other machinery. Take a look at this list."
Li Aiguo took the materials and flipped through them. Good heavens, there were so many different kinds and such an astonishing number of them.
He knew perfectly well that the big boss had summoned him not just to show him the list.
Sure enough, a leader next to him spoke up: "Comrade Aiguo, we're thinking of organizing a larger trade fair, but we feel that the current model is not keeping up with the times. We'd like to hear your opinion."
After all, most of these goods are related to you, and you've dealt with the Big Brother's trade association before. Do you have any experience with that?
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo immediately understood.
In fact, Li Aiguo had always wanted to suggest establishing an organization similar to the China Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CCEA).
To rise within a large family, simply selling goods is not enough; you must have your own rules.
A hero needs three helpers; if we want to accomplish great things in the future, we will need the assistance of these little brothers from Eastern Europe.
However, Li Aiguo still put on his armor first.
"Boss, I don't really know much about professional matters related to trade."
However, our studio often uses a certain method when allocating materials.
The funds do not need to be settled immediately; instead, a final settlement will be conducted every quarter.
These words struck a chord with the top leader.
In those days, we did not have direct trade relations with foreign banks.
In the past, most cross-border trade was conducted through the "Mutual Economic Cooperation Council" of the elder brother country.
Now that we're breaking away from our big brother and going it alone, we definitely can't use their system anymore.
“Quarterly settlement…this can indeed avoid a lot of trouble with immediate payments.” The senior leader’s eyes lit up, and he gestured for the clerk to quickly record it.
"Patriotism, please continue. Is there anything else?"
Li Aiguo thought about the mature practices of later generations and then said, "If we want to normalize this kind of trade, we need to establish a system."
I suggest holding two sessions annually, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai.
First, sign annual trade protocols and swap agreements to establish transactions through these agreements and reduce market volatility.
"In addition, we encourage signing long-term contracts of 3 to 5 years to lock in supply and demand."
The trade fair will not only be a place to sell goods, but will also include dedicated areas for technical exchange, equipment installation, and personnel training.
We need to deeply integrate trade and technology, so that once they buy our machines, they can't do without our technical support.
The top leader had only wanted to hear some scattered suggestions, but upon hearing this, he was filled with shock.
This is not a suggestion; it is clearly a complete and rigorous trade system!
but
"And the currency? Is it denominated in rubles or dollars?" the top leader asked impatiently.
"I suggest that all prices be denominated in RMB!"
They refused to use their own Eastern European currencies, as well as the US dollar and the British pound.
Using the RMB as the sole unit of account strengthens unified settlement within the alliance.
"Of course, Eastern Europe doesn't have that much RMB right now. We can first buy their mineral resources on a large scale and then distribute the RMB."
The top leader slammed his hand on the table: "Great! In RMB terms, that's enough to tie Eastern Europe to us."
"Patriotism, what other thoughts do you have?"
Li Aiguo then recounted the actions taken by Xiao Mei's family in later generations.
In essence, it involves several steps, including binding product structure, binding long-term agreements, binding settlement systems, and binding organizational structures and mechanisms.
After World War II, the United States produced three things: the Bretton Woods system, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In fact, what Li Aiguo was doing was very similar to these three things, but considering that our current strength is not enough to do it on such a large scale, he simplified it a bit.
simply put.
It means using rules to lock down trade, using currency to lock down settlement, and using essential needs to lock down dependence.
To establish an economic, trade, and monetary sphere centered on oneself.
"Great idea, Patriot Comrade! I think you're quite the foreign trade strategist!" The top leader, who had been in charge of foreign trade for many years, quickly understood the benefits of this system.
"What are your thoughts on the name of this trade fair?"
"Let's call it the Economic Mutual Assistance and Trade Promotion Association."
"The China Council for the Promotion of Mutual Economic Assistance and Trade (CCPIT) sounds much better than the Russian Council for Mutual Economic Assistance."
The senior leader nodded emphatically, stood up, and shook Li Aiguo's hand.
"I will report your ideas to my superiors immediately! Once approved, we'll contact Eastern Europe right away. Thank you, Patriotic Comrade!"
"It's all what I should do." Knowing that the senior leader was very busy, Li Aiguo stood up and left.
In the following days.
Li Aiguo is very busy. He is planning the mass production of high-end electric blankets while keeping an eye on the 100,000-ton rolling mill.
On the other hand, the top leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Trade handed over the framework idea of the Economic Promotion Association proposed by Li Aiguo to relevant experts and scholars for analysis.
The results came out quickly: the system was exceptionally rigorous and took into full account the realities of the situation, proving its feasibility.
The relevant information was reported to the higher-level leaders.
"Comrade Aiguo is also very good at managing the economy. I think we can do it. An economic promotion association to boost the economy is a great idea." After hearing the report, the superior immediately approved it.
Now that we have what Eastern Europe needs, it's the perfect time to implement it.
Once this window of opportunity is missed, it will be very difficult to rebuild the economic promotion association.
That's just how things are sometimes. If it weren't for World War II, the United States wouldn't have been able to establish the dollar's dominance so smoothly.
While we can't establish it immediately, things must be done step by step.
After receiving the approval, the top leader of the Ministry of Foreign Trade immediately contacted several companies in Eastern Europe.
After receiving the news that the East was preparing to establish an Economic Promotion Association, several companies, including Jieke, Big Brother, Xiao Luo, and Abao, had some doubts.
They just wanted to buy some goods, why did they make it so complicated?
But after carefully studying the association's charter, they immediately discovered its enormous benefits.
“In the past, we would exchange our own currency for rubles and then use the rubles to buy things. The premium was too high, and the Russians made all the money.”
"Yes, they have a three-month settlement period, so they don't need to pay immediately."
“I have a lot of mines at home now. The prices offered by the Russians are too low. The prices in the east are much better.”
"The east has been developing better and better in recent years, and its industrial technology has also developed."
“I like this annual plan the most. Take our family for example, we can place an order in the east a year in advance, and the price is much cheaper, which is very affordable.”
"I think we can do it!"
Compared to the China Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CCMEA), the China Council for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation (CCPEC) has greater internal freedom.
The only requirement from the east is that settlements be made in RMB.
Several Eastern European countries immediately took notice and dispatched a high-level negotiation team to the capital.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement and, after consultation, established an economic promotion association.
The main members are Zanmen, Jieke, Dadi, Xiaoluo, and Abao.
After learning the news, Xiao Yi's family also applied to join, as their oil was particularly important to Eastern Europe.
The headquarters of the Economic Promotion Association is located in Beijing, and secretariats are set up in each of its member offices to be responsible for daily coordination, quarterly consultations and annual planning.
(End of this chapter)