Chapter Eleven

It was this subtle detail that caught the foreign guests' attention when they looked at Lin Xiang; their bright blue eyes sparkled with delight as they babbled excitedly at her.

Lin Xiang understood several foreign languages, and conveniently, these guests were speaking the one she was most familiar with, so she had no trouble following their words.

“Alright, I will convey your message to our leadership,” Lin Xiang replied fluently in English.

Not only the foreign guests but also the town officials’ eyes lit up.

“Comrade, you can understand what the foreigners are saying?” one official asked.

Lin Xiang hesitated, almost wanting to slap herself twice.

Why had she spoken so hastily, reflexively answering the guests’ question?

It was the year 1977. The nationwide notice to resume the college entrance exam had just been issued, and the first exam since the resumption had yet to take place. To openly display foreign language skills so blatantly could easily invite trouble.

“I only know a little,” Lin Xiang said, nervously fiddling with her thumbnail, “mainly because the way I learned foreign languages was somewhat... unconventional.”

“That doesn’t matter!” the town official slammed the table. “As long as you can understand what the guests say and accurately convey our intentions to them, that’s enough.”

No matter how she had learned the language before, that era had passed. The country no longer cared, so why would a town official cling to it? Besides, Lin Xiang was now their last hope.

After all, there was no one else in the entire Mianyang Town who could smoothly communicate with foreign guests.

Hearing this, Lin Xiang felt reassured.

“Leader, the guests just said they want to discuss cooperation with Mianyang Town. They wish to purchase embroidery in large quantities.”

“Embroidery? The double-sided embroidery we showed them this morning?”

Hearing “double-sided embroidery,” Lin Xiang was momentarily stunned.

That was a national intangible cultural heritage!

Truth be told, the foreign guests had good taste.

The town official looked troubled.

He did want to strike a deal with the foreign guests.

Cooperation meant foreign currency income, which would be a great boon for Mianyang Town and even for Jishi City.

But double-sided embroidery was impossible.

The official’s face creased like a steamed bun. “It’s not that we don’t want to cooperate, but we only have a few artisans. Double-sided embroidery is beautiful, yes, but the production process is extremely tedious and complex. It takes at least half a year for one person to complete a piece. The finished products are already in the exhibition hall.”

If the guests liked it, the town government could gift them a piece, but mass production was out of the question.

Suddenly, Lin Xiang recalled a scene from a book.

In the late 1970s, the male protagonist had lived in Mianyang Town for twenty years and had once brokered a deal with foreign guests. The foreign currency earned from that single order equaled the entire foreign exchange quota for Jishi City for half a year.

And the traded goods were several specialty fabrics from Mianyang Town.

“Leader, I’ve heard that our cotton spinning mill has several specialty fabrics that other mills can’t produce. How about we try to get the guests to order fabric instead?”

“You mean the crepe and brocade satin? Young comrade, can you persuade the guests to agree to order fabric?”

Lin Xiang quickly shook her head. “I can only convey this idea accurately to the guests. But I believe good things don’t fear scrutiny. Since they appreciated the double-sided embroidery, there’s a good chance they’ll also like the fabrics.”

“Good!” The town official made a decisive decision. “You will communicate and negotiate this matter with the guests. Young comrade, this is of extraordinary significance to Mianyang Town. You must handle it with utmost care.”

“Of course. This isn’t really your duty, so don’t feel too much pressure. Just do your best.”

After a slap came a sweet carrot; Lin Xiang had no choice but to accept gracefully.

After the town officials agreed, she told the foreign guests, “Mr. Wilson, double-sided embroidery is a treasure of Huaguo. Though beautiful, it cannot be mass-produced. I hope you understand.”

“However, the fabrics from Mianyang Town are also quite famous. After dinner, shall we go see them together?”

The guests’ eyes fell on the dull-colored clothes worn by the Huaguo people in the private room.

It wasn’t that their standards were high; the grayish tones simply failed to spark interest.

“We Huaguo people are naturally simple and don’t favor bright colors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t produce beautiful fabrics. Why not see them for yourself after the meal?” Lin Xiang’s poised manner left the foreign businessmen unsure how to refuse, and they agreed to go see the fabrics after dining.

With the matter settled, the guests finally began eating.

Previously, their attention had been solely on the steaks, but now, looking around the table, they noticed all the other dishes were also Western-style and beautifully plated, quite different from the Western meals they had eaten a few days ago.

Mr. Wilson took a bite of the steak. It wasn’t as dry as he had expected; in fact, it was similar to what he ate in his own country.

He sampled a few other dishes and found that each was very to his taste.

“I didn’t expect to find such delicious Western food in Huaguo,” Wilson said, his bright blue eyes full of admiration for Lin Xiang. “Lin, you are the most remarkable girl I’ve met in Huaguo. Would you accompany us to see the fabrics later?”

“Of course, it would be my honor.”

At the cotton spinning mill, Director Chen had been waiting since receiving the notice.

“Secretary, as per your instructions, we have displayed the best fabrics. Let’s go to the exhibition hall now.”

Lin Xiang walked alongside the foreign guests, introducing each fabric they saw.

“Crepe and brocade satin are specialties of the cotton spinning mill, and currently, only the Mianyang Town mill in Huaguo can produce them. These are traditional silk fabrics of our country; clothes made from them carry an unmistakable air of elegance, even if the designs are simple.”

“Of course, what we see now are just the fabric types. If you have color preferences, we can dye them to your specifications. Garments or bedding made from these fabrics would be unique, whether sold in your country or elsewhere.”

“Mr. Wilson, aren’t you tempted?”

How could Wilson not be tempted?

His family was involved in the clothing business, and having grown up immersed in it, he knew well the value of these fabrics.

But as a businessman, he would not let his emotions show easily.

“I’m sorry, I can’t give you an answer now. Whether to cooperate needs further discussion. Lin, thank you very much for today.”

The town official had the driver escort the foreign guests back to the foreign guesthouse.

“Comrade Lin, do the foreigners mean they are unwilling to cooperate?” the town official, who had been listening to the conversations, asked eagerly.