Chapter 130: Sewing Machine

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Sewing Machine

Yun Zhen didn’t immediately decide to buy. "Manager Li, can I see the goods first?" she suggested.

Manager Li extended his hand in an inviting gesture. "Of course, right this way!"

As he led the way, he explained, "Our factory doesn’t just produce crochet material kits; we also make other handicraft kits. In addition to that, we produce a few finished accessories to sell online."

Yun Zhen was only here for the crochet kits today.

The wholesale price only applied to orders of a hundred kits or more. At five yuan per kit, a hundred kits would cost five hundred yuan. A single kit featuring seventy-two colors could produce five or six crochet dolls, meaning a hundred kits could yield at least five to six hundred dolls.

Manager Li first brought Yun Zhen to the manufacturing workshop for the crochet doll kits.

"Our crochet kits are absolutely safe," he said. "None of the materials contain any additives, nor do they have any strange odors. We guarantee that all our products pass quality inspections. Even though our factory is small, we run a legitimate business. We would never deceive consumers with inferior goods.

"Are you only buying crochet kits today, ma’am? Would you like to look at our other handicraft kits or finished accessories? If you’re planning to start a handmade goods business, only selling crochet dolls might be a bit monotonous. I suggest you pair them with other handmade accessories."

Yun Zhen maintained her composure, refusing to get carried away and buy other things just because of the manager’s pitch. She smiled. "I am only buying crochet doll kits today."

Manager Li nodded and refrained from introducing any other products, knowing that talking too much might backfire and annoy the customer. "Alright, please take a look over here, ma’am. These are all the crochet kits produced in our factory.

"According to the market standard, we can only offer the wholesale price for orders of a hundred kits or more. You can open one to check the quality."

Manager Li opened one of the crochet kits.

Under the lights, the thick yarn seemed to gleam, its colors vibrant and clean. Each kit contained a pattern, and every pattern was different.

Yun Zhen was satisfied with just one glance. "Manager Li, I want crochet kits of this exact quality, and I want two hundred of them! At the wholesale price, two hundred kits will be one thousand yuan!"

Manager Li smiled. "Great, I’ll box them up for you right away."

He called over a few workers, who brought out and assembled some clean cardboard boxes. They packed the crochet kits Yun Zhen had selected, filling two large boxes.

When Yun Zhen had arrived earlier, she had taken her handcart out of her inner spatial dimension. She pushed the cart over, and the workers loaded the two large boxes onto it, securing them with rope to prevent them from falling.

As Yun Zhen passed by the finished accessories workshop, she suddenly noticed a woman placing fabric on a table. The woman used her hands to align the cloth while continuously stepping on a pedal beneath the table. The machine let out a loud CLICK-CLACK, CLICK-CLACK sound. By the time the woman lifted her hands, Yun Zhen saw that the two differently colored pieces of fabric were flawlessly stitched together—they had clearly been separate just a moment ago.

"What is this thing?" Yun Zhen asked, pointing at a wooden, hammer-like mechanism near the woman’s hands.

She watched for quite a while as the woman swiftly produced a dress barely larger than a palm. The woman then set the dress aside, grabbed two new pieces of fabric, and used the exact same method to stitch them together, her feet stepping on the pedal without pause.

Manager Li assumed she was interested in the tiny dress. "She’s making clothes for our rag dolls," he explained. "Our rag dolls sell quite well. Little girls these days love collecting them. A doll itself only costs one or two hundred yuan, but people end up spending thousands on tiny outfits for them later. If you’re interested, you could buy our factory’s rag dolls and a variety of doll clothes. Whether you sell them in a shop or at a street stall, customers are very willing to spend their money on these.

"The dolls are stuffed with cotton and don’t contain any chemical additives, so there are no health concerns."

Yun Zhen shook her head. "I’m not talking about what she’s making. I want to know what that wooden hammer on the table used to sew the fabric is called."

A wooden hammer?

Manager Li stood stunned for a long moment before he realized what she was talking about. His mouth twitched. "That’s a sewing machine!"

He wondered if the young girl standing in front of him really didn’t know what a sewing machine was.

Yun Zhen glanced at the brand lettering on the machine table. "A sewing machine? It can sew fabric?"

Manager Li nodded. "You might just be young, ma’am, and haven’t seen an old-fashioned sewing machine before. Nowadays, sewing machines are all electric, but our factory still uses the vintage, manually-operated ones.

"Sewing machines can stitch things like fabric and leather together. It’s much more efficient than hand-sewing, and the stitches are far neater. You can’t go without one if you’re making handcrafted items, though everyone prefers the electric ones these days."

Only after Manager Li’s explanation did Yun Zhen realize what a treasure she had just discovered. She hurriedly asked, "Excuse me, do you sell sewing machines here? How much does a manual one cost?"

"I don’t sell them, but the factory next door does," Manager Li said. "They have manual ones, electric ones, large ones, small ones, and even children’s models—everything you could possibly need. I can take you over there."

"Thank you so much," Yun Zhen said, pleasantly surprised. "I’d love to take a look at them."

Manager Li nodded. "Right this way. We’ll go pay for your crochet kits first, and then I’ll take you to buy a sewing machine."

Yun Zhen paid the one thousand yuan and followed Manager Li to the neighboring factory that sold sewing machines.

Upon arriving, Manager Li called out loudly, "Dawei, I brought you a customer!"

"Hello there, customer!" Plump Manager Wang hurried over. As the manager of the sewing machine factory, he quickly introduced himself. "My last name is Wang, and my full name is Wang Dawei. You can just call me Mr. Wang!"

"Hello, Manager Wang. Manager Li mentioned that you have sewing machines. I wanted to ask, how much is a vintage one?" Yun Zhen figured that if they weren’t too expensive, she would buy several. She could have him move them to a secluded spot, from where she would transport them back to her village.

"Vintage sewing machines? Yes, we absolutely have them. Right this way." Manager Wang led her into the factory area. "Look, these are all sewing machines. Operated by hand and a foot pedal, completely electricity-free."

Yun Zhen was overwhelmed by the choices. "Manager Wang, I want to use a sewing machine to make my own clothes. Which type do you think I should buy? It’s best if the price is a bit more affordable."

Manager Wang introduced her to the models. "The most famous one in our factory is this Celestial brand vintage sewing machine. Its greatest advantage is its stable performance. It handles both thick and thin materials with ease, making it suitable for all fabrics on the market, from cotton to silk. It also perfectly matches your request for a non-electric model. Most importantly, it’s only five hundred yuan per unit. For a crafter, our sewing machines offer top-tier performance at a highly affordable price."

"What do you think?" Manager Wang asked.

"Five hundred yuan for one unit?" Yun Zhen confirmed.

Manager Wang nodded. "We also include a free tutorial on how to use it. If you buy in bulk, I can give you a discount."

Yun Zhen made an immediate decision. "I’ll take twenty-three sewing machines!"

Manager Wang was taken aback. "Twenty-three units? Ma’am, do you need them right now? Or will you drive over to pick them up tomorrow?"

"I need them now," Yun Zhen said. "However, I’ll have to trouble you to deliver them next door, near the garbage dump. It’s best to place them in the alleyway right beside it. I’ll have my family come pick them up."

"No problem! At five hundred per unit, twenty-three machines will cost eleven thousand five hundred yuan. You’re buying a lot, but you haven’t quite reached the threshold for a bulk discount. Tell you what—I’ll throw in an extra sewing machine for free. Let’s consider it a gesture of friendship. If you ever need anything else in the future, just come find me. I’ll definitely give you a discount next time!" Manager Wang said, pleasantly surprised.

Yun Zhen marveled at the number. Eleven thousand five hundred yuan.

What a coincidence!

She had earned exactly eleven thousand five hundred yuan selling her woodwork today!

And just like that, every single penny from her woodwork had been completely spent!