nashuaworldcup Chapter 13 Visiting the Fireworks Factory
Chapter 13 Visiting the Fireworks Factory
As soon as Zhao Yuan entered the fireworks factory, he noticed that the layout of the buildings was quite interesting. They were not only sparse but also spaced far apart, as if to prevent collateral damage in the event of a fire. Although these brick and tile houses were only one story high, they looked sturdy and durable, as if they had withstood the test of time over the years.
The hillside was dotted with many low, scattered houses, some even standing alone, creating a sense of tranquility and mystery. Zhao Yuan couldn't help but imagine that these houses might hold the secrets and stories of the fireworks factory, waiting for him to discover them.
A fairly clean and flat gravel road leads directly to the office building.
Following the gravel road, Zhao Yuan entered the office building and arrived at the first office on the left. Just as Zhao Yuan reached out to knock, the door opened from the inside.
"Brother Zhao, you've arrived. I figured you'd be here soon. I was just about to go to the door to greet you. Come in, come in and have some tea."
Zheng Ziqi opened the door and saw Zhao Yuan standing there. He quickly welcomed Zhao Yuan in.
After Zhao Yuan sat down, Zheng Ziqi handed him a porcelain cup of brewed fennel tea.
Zhao Yuan took the tea and sipped it; it was indeed fragrant.
Zhao Yuan looked around the office. There was a simple desk with some documents on it, and a few teacups and a thermos on a small table next to it.
"Was the journey smooth?"
Zheng Ziqi asked Zhao Yuan while drinking tea.
"It's alright, it's just that the road is a bit difficult to travel. We set off very early this morning, and look, we didn't arrive until late afternoon."
Zhao Yuan said.
"Actually, it would be faster to cross a mountain from your township and come over from the Xishan area, but there are no cars available."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Then I'll take a look around from here when I go back tomorrow."
Zhao Yuan said.
He finished his cup of tea while talking.
"Shall we go to the warehouse and take a look? I'd like to see the products in the factory first."
Zhao Yuan put down his enamel teacup and said to Zheng Ziqi.
"Let's go."
Zheng Ziqi said.
Zheng Ziqi led Zhao Yuan toward the warehouse, which was about a mile from the office. A sign outside the warehouse read: "No Smoking."
Opening the warehouse door, one finds a large number of fireworks neatly stacked inside.
Zhao Yuan picked up a firework, looked at the packaging, and saw that it was all in Chinese.
Surprisingly, among the many fireworks, Zhao Yuan discovered "Flying in the Air." Zhao Yuan recalled that in 1977, a firework called "Flying in the Air" was also sold in the United States. When a little boy in the United States was playing with this firework, he lit it and pointed it at his cousin, which resulted in the firework injuring his cousin's right eye.
This was originally an operational error, but the Americans insisted it was a quality issue with the fireworks, resulting in an international lawsuit and a demand for $600 million in damages. While the matter was eventually dropped, it did negatively impact subsequent fireworks exports.
Zhao Yuan picked up the "Flying in the Air" device, and indeed there were no safety warnings on it.
Zhao Yuan watched all the fireworks in the warehouse.
"Director Zheng, are you planning to export all these fireworks?"
Zhao Yuan asked.
"Yes, my cousin works at Huacheng Yuanhang Import and Export Company. He suggested that I go into export to earn foreign exchange, which is easier and has a larger profit margin than domestic sales."
"That's for sure, but your packaging doesn't meet export standards. On the one hand, it might not pass through customs, and on the other hand, you must include hazard warnings, otherwise you'll easily get yourself into trouble."
Zhao Yuan answered.
"I know, but I can't find anyone professional to help me. Brother Zhao, you know how to design proper packaging and you speak English, right?"
Zheng Ziqi looked at Zhao Yuan happily.
"Yes, I know how to do that, but you need to change the outer packaging starting now."
Zhao Yuan said.
"I'll change it, I'll arrange the changes right away, just give me the plan."
Zheng Ziqi said excitedly.
"Okay, I need a little time."
Zhao Yuan replied.
"Let's go to the office and discuss how to cooperate."
Zheng Ziqi said happily.
"I also want to see those little houses on the hillside."
Zhao Yuan said.
“Those are all nitrate filling workshops, which have a certain risk of explosion, so each room is independent.”
“Here, the safe tasks like pulling a tube and installing the fuse are all done by the local people taking it home to do.”
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Oh, let's go to the office then."
Zhao Yuan said.
The two walked together toward the office.
Upon arriving at the office, the two sat down and began discussing changes to the packaging.
"You select the fireworks and firecrackers you plan to export. I want to see them all tonight, and then have the printing factory send someone to mark them one by one. The outer packaging should have a picture of the fireworks' effect when they are set off."
Zhao Yuan said.
"Wang Fugui, come here for a moment."
Zheng Ziqi opened the door and called out to the room opposite.
"Squeak."
A man of medium height walked in through the door; he must be Wang Fugui.
"This is Zhao Yuan, please get to know him and go get a product list."
“This is our office director, Wang Fugui. He handles a whole host of things, including product and company packaging. You can contact him directly when I'm not around.”
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Hello, I am Wang Fugui."
Wang Fugui greeted Zhaoyuan as soon as he entered the room.
"I'll go get a product list."
After Wang Fugui finished speaking, he went back to the room opposite and returned a short while later with a product list.
Zhao Yuan took the product list and looked at it. Actually, there weren't many products, only about 10 kinds, far fewer than Zhao Yuan had encountered in his previous life.
"Director Zheng, which ones are you preparing to export?"
Zhao Yuan asked.
“We want to export all of these.”
Zheng Ziqi replied.
Do you have standards for exporting fireworks?
Zhao Yuan asked.
"Not yet. I plan to visit my cousin in Huacheng soon and bring back the export fireworks standards."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Why don't you translate one of the outer packaging packages for me first?"
Zheng Ziqi said he still wanted to see if Zhao Yuan could really translate English.
“Okay, bring me a fireworks package, and I’ll design one entirely in English first.”
Zhao Yuan said.
"Wang Fugui, bring 'Flying in the Air' over here."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Okay, I'll go get it."
As Wang Fugui spoke, he walked across the street and quickly retrieved a rectangular piece of colored paper with the words "Flying in the Air" clearly written on it.
Zhao Yuan took the colored paper, asked Zheng Ziqi for a blank sheet of paper, and began to write. He wrote entirely in English, and prominently marked it as a dangerous item and an export fireworks product.
Zheng Ziqi stood by and watched, observing that Zhao Yuan wrote as fluently as if he were writing Chinese. Although he only knew a few English letters, judging from the structure, Zhao Yuan's English should be correct. Zheng Ziqi did recognize the English for dangerous goods, exported fireworks, and other such terms.
Soon, Zhao Yuan completed the translation of the entire package and made some improvements.
"Add a 'dangerous goods' warning here, and an exit fireworks warning here, with the background showing the fireworks' effects."
Zhao Yuan pointed to the packaging he had just drawn and spoke to Zheng Ziqi.
"Great! Your English is pretty good, bro. Could you spare some time to come with me to Huacheng in the next few days?"
Zheng Ziqi said.
“I’ve taken on a job making baskets for a military factory. I should be able to deliver them in the next couple of days. After that, I’ll have some time to discuss how to cooperate.”
Zhao Yuan said.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, let's eat and discuss it together."
As he spoke, Zheng Ziqi led Zhao Yuan toward a one-story mud-brick house next door.
"This is our cafeteria, just make do with what we have."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"You're too kind, Director Zheng."
Zhao Yuan replied.
The workers hadn't finished work yet, so the canteen was empty. When the boss arrived, the chefs quickly brought out four dishes: stir-fried pork with chili peppers, roasted fish, steamed sauerkraut, and stir-fried cabbage, along with a bottle of wine.
"Director Zheng, you're too kind. I won't drink. Drinking will only lead to trouble. We need to get down to business."
Zhao Yuan said.
"I'm not leaving tonight, so having a little drink now shouldn't be a problem."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Why don't you have a drink yourself, Director Zheng? I can't hold my liquor, and if I drink, I won't be able to get anything done tonight."
Zhao Yuan said.
"Alright then, let's just have a simple meal."
The two chatted while eating.
"Director Zheng, how do we plan to cooperate?"
Zhao Yuan took a bite of rice and said.
"I'll pay you for the translation on a daily basis, but you can charge extra for translating the outer packaging, okay?"
Zheng Ziqi said.
"How much do you get paid per day? And how much do you get paid for translation and packaging design?"
Zhao Yuan asked.
"Fifty yuan a day would be fine, but if you completely change the outer packaging, it'll be one hundred yuan."
Zheng Ziqi said.
"I'm not very interested in this kind of collaboration."
Zhao Yuan said.
"Then tell me how we can cooperate."
Zheng Ziqi looked up at Zhao Yuan in surprise.
At the current wage level, a regular employee only earns about 30 yuan a month. Even if he offered 50 yuan a day, Zhao Yuan wouldn't be interested.
Zhao Yuan continued eating with his head down.
After a while, Zhao Yuan raised his head and said:
"Director Zheng, please provide me with a list of acceptable prices for exported fireworks. If the final price is within your acceptable price list, I will only accept a translation fee of 50 yuan per day. If the price exceeds this range, I will accept 50% of the excess amount as commission. I do not want a salary; the factory can cover my travel expenses for each trip."
"I also plan to promote fireworks domestically. Give me a price list of fireworks from the domestic factory. After the fireworks are sold, you will be responsible for the quality and safety of delivering the goods to the buyers. If there are large-scale fireworks displays, you will be responsible for their safe operation."
Zhao Yuan continued.
"Yes, that works too."
Zheng Ziqi thought for a moment and then said.
"The translation and design of the export fireworks packaging will be 100 yuan, just as you said."
Zhao Yuan said.
"It would be a pleasure to cooperate with you!"
Zheng Ziqi extended his hand and shook hands with Zhao Yuan with a smile.