novelslam Chapter 51 Sister
Chapter 51 Sister
After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Huai became more talkative.
"Dad, how's business this year?"
Gu Guoliang picked up a piece of fish, and while eating, he said, "Not very optimistic."
"How so?"
"Too many garment factories have opened in the past two years. Although there is still a market, prices are not good enough. There will definitely be a reshuffle this year. Small factories will go bankrupt, and large factories will be merged. Those that survive will live, and those that don't will be finished."
Gu Ya frowned and asked, "Can our family survive this?"
Gu Huai put down his chopsticks and thought about it seriously.
He had the experience accumulated over thirty years in his previous life; he knew exactly which fabrics would increase in price and which channels would rise.
Although he didn't want to go into business, he still had to come up with ideas for his family.
Of course, he couldn't be too explicit, lest he cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
He had to pretend to be a recent college graduate, someone who had just read a few more magazines and heard a few more news stories than others.
"I think we need to change our approach," Gu Huai said. "Right now, we're only making basic models, which have low profit margins and fierce competition. In those department stores in the north, there are seven or eight brands on one counter, and customers are overwhelmed with choices. In the end, they just buy whoever is the cheapest."
"So what do you mean?" Gu Guoliang looked at Gu Huai curiously, wanting to hear what his son had to say.
"Creating differentiation." Gu Huai picked up the toothpick holder on the table and placed it around.
"I was reading a magazine and I noticed a new fabric called denim. There probably aren't many factories in China that can make this kind of fabric. Whoever makes clothes from this fabric first will be able to seize the market."
"Denim?" Gu Guoliang frowned. "Isn't that for making jeans? That material is so stiff, will it even be suitable for making clothes?"
"It'll work!" Gu Huai said confidently. "The denim I'm talking about isn't the rough, stiff kind from before. It's washed, soft, and very comfortable to wear."
Gu Guoliang nodded but didn't reply. Instead, he picked up his cup and took another sip.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his son, but suddenly changing the raw materials involved too much investment, and if he implemented it rashly and the products couldn't be sold, he would lose everything.
The factory is at a critical stage right now and cannot afford to make any mistakes.
"Brother is right!" Gu Ya suddenly spoke up, "At our school's graduation design exhibition, many senior students made clothes out of denim. One senior even made an entire series out of denim, which caught the eye of a Hong Kong company, and she signed a contract with them."
Gu Guoliang glanced at his daughter. "Really? She really got signed by Hong Kong?"
The mainland clothing market is now greatly influenced by Hong Kong.
The outfits worn by the male and female leads in Hong Kong fashion dramas will become popular in mainland China after a period of time.
That's why Gu Guoliang took Gu Ya's words so seriously.
"Really!" Gu Ya said earnestly, "Dad, young people these days are different from before. They pursue fashion and individuality. If our factory continues to make those old styles, we'll be eliminated sooner or later."
Gu Guoliang fell silent.
In fact, Gu Guoliang is not rigid; otherwise, he would not have given up his secure job to go into business.
His silence was a sign of his deep thought; after all, this was no small matter.
Zhou Huifen chimed in from the side, "What do you know, you're just a girl? Don't meddle."
"Mom, how could I not understand? This is what I studied in college." Gu Ya said indignantly, "I've looked at all the clothes in your showroom. The styles are too outdated. No one would buy them in the market."
"You silly child..."
"Mom, Aya is right," Gu Huai interrupted her. "The clothing market changes every three years, and every five years it changes drastically. If we don't keep up, we'll only be able to eat what others have left over."
Gu Guoliang held the blanket, looking at his son and then at his daughter.
The son has just become a policeman, yet he's incredibly knowledgeable about the clothing business; the daughter is still in school, but her eyes light up when she talks about design.
For a fleeting moment, he suddenly wondered if he was really getting old.
"Alright." Gu Guoliang put down his wine glass. "Ah Huai, tell me your thoughts in detail."
Faced with his father's question, Gu Huai did not answer immediately, but instead glanced at Gu Ya.
He noticed his sister staring at him with wide eyes, filled with curiosity and anticipation.
This inevitably reminded him of the past.
In her past life, Gu Ya also studied design and had a great talent. After graduating from university, she went to intern at professional clothing companies.
According to Gu Guoliang and Gu Huai's idea, they would let her study for a period of time first, and then let her come back to manage the design department of their own factory once she had learned enough.
But not long after she graduated, she fell in love and became pregnant unexpectedly, and eventually married a man who was in business.
After they got married, the man suggested that she stay at home to be a wife and mother. Gu Ya actually listened to his nonsense, gave up her job, and became a housewife.
Gu Huai was initially very angry. As a man, he knew very well that any responsible man would never let his girlfriend get pregnant unexpectedly.
The whole thing was that the man took advantage of his sister's naivety and used his clever words to deceive her.
But after all, she was his younger sister, and seeing her so happy, Gu Huai could only offer his silent blessings.
Later, Gu Huai discovered that the man wasn't in business at all; he was just a small-time hoodlum managing his uncle's car fleet.
If he had treated Gu Ya well, it would have been fine, but after that man got married, his temper got worse and worse. He would scold her at the drop of a hat, saying that she didn't earn money and that she was a freeloader.
When Gu Huai found out about this, he immediately rushed to the man's house and had a serious talk with him.
However, since the man, though bad, hadn't actually laid a hand on him, Gu Huai didn't want to be too aggressive.
In the end, Gu Huai took the initiative to bring Gu Ya back and told her that it didn't matter if she got divorced, her brother would support her for life.
In the end, Gu Ya got divorced, and custody of the children was awarded to her. She took her two children back to her parents' home.
Gu Huai originally wanted her to pick up her design skills again and let her manage the design studio.
However, due to years of not having been involved in design and the things she went through, all her talent and inspiration were worn away by time.
In the end, she only took on some administrative tasks at the company and never mustered up the energy again.
Looking at his younger sister's youthful face, Gu Huai made up his mind.
In this life, I absolutely cannot let her go down that path again.
"My idea is," Gu Huai put down his chopsticks, "to let my sister do it!"
Gu Ya paused for a moment, then pointed to herself, "Me?"
"Yes!" Gu Huai nodded. "Didn't you study fashion design in college? Anyway, your senior year is the internship period, so you can come to the factory. You can be in charge of the design, and Dad will be in charge of production and sales. We'll update the entire product line."
"This..." Gu Ya opened her mouth, "Am I capable?"
"You can do it!" Gu Huai looked at her. "Your whole family knows you have talent. We didn't say anything in the past because we were afraid you weren't interested in this. Now that I see you have this idea, why don't you give it a try?"
"But... I'm afraid I won't do it well."
"If it's not done well, we'll fix it until it's good," Gu Huai said. "Besides, you'll have to take over Dad's big factory from now on."
Gu Huai's words surprised Gu Ya. She originally thought that her brother was just doing it for fun and might quit in a few years.
When the time comes, Gu Huai will still have to take over the family factory.
But after hearing what he just said, she suddenly realized that Gu Huai's words implied that he wanted her to inherit the family business.
Gu Ya bit her lip, her eyes sparkling, her expression quite hesitant.
Gu Guoliang was silent for a while, glanced at his son, and after confirming that he was not drunk, he said, "Xiaoya, your brother is right. You have been studying for several years. You can't let it all go to waste. Come home and give it a try. Dad will back you up."
Zhou Huifen wanted to say something, but after looking at her husband and then at her son, she ultimately remained silent.
Gu Ya looked at her father, then at her brother, and her eyes reddened.
"Okay!" She nodded vigorously. "Then I'll give it a try."
Gu Huai smiled, raised his glass, and said, "Come on, let's wish Huaiya Garment Factory great success under Ms. Gu Ya's leadership!"
"Sold very well."