Got a message today from a client who ordered Christmas socks last year. First line was: "Tang Wanlan, you still doing socks?"
I said yes, still doing them.
She sent a smiley face: "Then I'll take 80 pairs. Same as last year, just change the design."
I checked last year's record. She makes handmade ceramics. Last year she ordered 50 pairs of Christmas socks with a print of a little cup she made herself. At the time she said she'd try it out and if it worked she'd come back next year. I figured she was just being polite—clients say "I'll be back" all the time. You don't take it literally.
She actually came back.
I set up the design and confirmed the timeline. Walked through the same process as last year. The only difference was I didn't have to explain anything this time. She didn't ask many questions either. We both knew how it worked.
Once the design was confirmed, I passed the order details to Gu Qichi, who took over the production scheduling. That's how we work—whoever takes the order follows it through to design approval, then hands it off to Gu Qichi for production. Clean handoff, no back-and-forth.
At the end she said: "You guys are reliable. You're still here."
I said: "Come back next year. I'll still be here."