Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Zhao Qingsong read the line of text again.

The beads on the abacus stopped in the middle.

The purchasing agent leaned back in his chair.

"This cannot be changed."

"The department store gave you an advance payment and allowed you to deliver the goods in batches. We can't let the Red Star Factory sell the same things to others again."

Ma Chunlan asked:

"If other department stores don't work, what about supply and marketing cooperatives?"

"That won't work either."

"What about the stores in the county?"

"Anything that's the same product is unacceptable."

Old Tian got anxious first.

"We still have two long-term clients ahead of us."

"The quantity wasn't large before, but it was needed every month."

The purchasing agent turned to the last page.

"Hongxing Factory is an option."

"Take this order, and supply us exclusively for six months."

"If they don't accept the call, we'll find another one."

The office fell silent again.

The hardest part about that contract was the advance payment.

Now the money problem is half solved, but an extra rope has been added.

If you make two thousand pieces, you can definitely make a profit.

However, they cannot accept other similar orders for six months.

Once existing customers are turned away, no one dares to say whether they will come back after six months.

Ma Chunlan looked at Lin Xiuhe.

"Can we sign this?"

Lin Xiuhe did not accept the contract.

She pointed to the abacus in front of Zhao Qingsong.

"Don't just look at these two thousand items."

"Include those two long-term clients as well."

Zhao Qingsong lowered his head and flipped through the account book.

The orders from Hongxing Factory over the past few months are all tucked away in a notebook.

The two long-term clients don't order much each month, but they get their money back quickly.

The department store has a large number of contracts.

The first payment for raw materials arrived ahead of schedule, but the payments for subsequent goods will have to wait.

Zhao Qingsong wrote a line, then crossed it out.

Old Tian stood to the side, watching anxiously.

Which one is better?

"I haven't finished calculating yet."

"Does this even need calculating?"

Old Tian pointed to the contract.

"Two thousand pieces is equivalent to several months' worth of our usual output."

Zhao Qingsong raised his head.

"But our regular customers come every month."

"They really pushed it for half a year. Nobody knows whether they'll still contact Hongxing Factory."

Old Tian was scolded by him.

Ma Chunlan asked:

"How are you going to calculate whether they'll come back in the future?"

Zhao Qingsong held the pen, unable to answer.

An abacus can calculate money, but it can't calculate people's hearts.

The purchasing agent smiled.

"Director Ma, don't complicate simple things."

"The volume we sold this time is equivalent to what those two small clients sold for several months."

Zhao Qingsong glanced at him.

"But after you finish these two thousand pieces, do you still need any more goods? It's not mentioned in the contract."

The purchasing agent's smile faded.

"How could our department store not have follow-up orders?"

"Can we include it?"

After asking the question, Zhao Qingsong gripped the pen in his hand even tighter.

The purchasing agent stared at him.

"Write what?"

"If you don't let Hongxing Factory take on jobs from other companies, what will happen next?"

Zhao Qingsong spoke somewhat haltingly, but he didn't take back what he said.

"We can't finish these two thousand pieces and then have no more orders, leaving Hongxing Factory to wait for half a year."

"Or write down the quantity at the end."

"Or don't tie me up for so long."

Old Tian immediately chimed in:

"right."

"It's not right to just stop us from taking other people's jobs and then ignore whether there will be any work later."

The purchasing agent's face darkened.

I can't set a minimum quantity.

Ma Chunlan pushed the contract back.

"We can't sign that six-month exclusive contract."

"I'm leaving right now if I don't sign the contract."

The purchasing agent stood up.

This time, Zhao Qingsong didn't pursue it.

He simply placed the paper with his calculations on top of the contract.

The purchasing agent walked to the door, then turned back.

"Exclusivity period changed to two months."

"Will it work?"

Ma Chunlan asked Lao Tian:

"Can the original orders be rescheduled for the next two months?"

Old Tian thought about it.

"We've already completed half of next month's orders."

"Next, I'll go and explain things clearly to the two long-term clients."

"But once the two months are up, the department store can no longer stop us from taking jobs from other companies."

The purchasing agent sat down again.

"Exclusive for two months"

"The quantity is two thousand."

"The first payment for raw materials will arrive within three days."

"After the first batch of goods is inspected, we'll settle half of the payment."

"The purchasing party changed the quantity and packaging at the last minute, and the delivery date will be postponed accordingly."

He placed the pen on the table.

"Will they sign it this time?"

Ma Chunlan read it over from beginning to end, then handed it to Lao Tian.

Lao Tian focused on the quantity and delivery date.

"Two thousand pieces in twenty days, we can do it."

Ma Chunlan looked at Lin Xiuhe one last time.

"What else?"

Lin Xiuhe did not make the decision for her.

Ask Zhao Qingsong.

Zhao Qingsong was taken aback.

"Ask me?"

"You were the one who calculated that just now."

Zhao Qingsong went through the contract again.

"Don't order all the materials before the first payment for the raw materials arrives."

The purchasing agent frowned.

"The contract's already signed, why are you worried we won't pay?"

"The factory made samples before the money arrived."

Zhao Qingsong spoke even faster this time.

"Even if there are changes, the losses will be small."

Ma Chunlan nodded.

"This will be written into the factory's production schedule."

She picked up the pen and signed her name.

The stamp of the Red Star Factory was affixed.

The purchasing agent put away the contract.

"The first payment will arrive within three days."

"You all get ready first."

He finished speaking and left.

The people in the office relaxed a bit.

Old Tian took the copy of the contract and walked out.

"I'm going back to the workshop to schedule shifts."

"Don't fill the queue yet."

Zhao Qingsong called out to him.

"Wait for the money to arrive."

Old Tian turned around, laughed, and cursed:

"You were having trouble speaking clearly just now, but now you're bossing me around."

Zhao Qingsong's face felt a little hot.

Ma Chunlan picked up the paper he had calculated.

Don't throw this one away.

"If we didn't include our long-term customers today, it's hard to say whether the factory would have any work in six months."

Lin Xiuhe pushed the paper back in front of Zhao Qingsong.

"Keep it yourself."

"Next time you encounter a contract like this, first check what it took away from you."

Zhao Qingsong folded the paper and tucked it into the notebook.

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

Ma Chunlan answered the call.

As soon as I finished announcing the name of the Red Star Factory, a voice came from the other end.

"Director Ma, I heard you've signed an exclusive contract with the department store?"

Ma Chunlan held the receiver.

"Who is it?"

"Old Liu from the county supply and marketing cooperative."

"The contracts for the 600 items we're handling next month are all finalized."

"Now tell me, are you still going to do it or not?"

The few people in the office who had just relaxed looked up again.

Ma Chunlan looked at the new contract on the table.

Exclusive for two months.

The stamp from the Red Star Factory hasn't dried yet.