Yesterday the front desk got a package. Opened it up—a box of oranges. There was a note inside that said: "For Gu Qichi. Thank you for the socks."
I checked the sender's name and remembered. Late last year, a client ordered 80 pairs for her company team-building gift. She asked a lot of questions—materials, timeline, logo placement—very detailed. I answered them all, didn't think much of it. Order placed, order shipped, done.
Later she messaged me saying she received them, quality was good, her colleagues liked them. I replied "great, thanks for the feedback," and didn't think much of it. You get that kind of feedback sometimes, but usually that's where it ends.
Then yesterday—oranges.
I messaged her: "Got the oranges. They're really sweet. Thank you." She wrote back: "I should be thanking you. We're still wearing those socks." I checked the date. It had been almost a year. A year, and they're still wearing them.
I screenshotted the exchange and sent it to our group chat. Old Zhang said: "I remember that batch. Same as always." Old Zheng didn't say anything, just sent a thumbs up. Cheng Yuewei said: "Next time she orders, I'll give her two extra design options." Tang Wanlan added: "Add her to the list. Mark her as a returning client."
I peeled an orange. It was good.