As the employee's shouts rang out, they indeed attracted quite a crowd.
“Director, I see that both of their businesses are doing well. Why don’t we also call out?” On the garment factory side, seeing that people were flocking to Chen Lishu and the glove factory, some began to get anxious.
“What’s the rush? Look, they only have one style of short-sleeved shirts. We have so many varieties. It only looks lively, but how much we actually sell depends on our strength.” As Director Guo finished speaking, three or four people were already standing in front of their booth.
“Comrade, how are you selling these clothes?”
Director Guo raised an eyebrow at the employee, implying, See? Someone has come over on their own.
Over at Chen Lishu’s booth, several people were busy selling goods when someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “I want a hundred pieces.”
A hundred pieces?
The crowd erupted in a commotion.
“A hundred pieces? Can you possibly wear that many?”
“How could it be for personal use? It must be for reselling! The price is indeed cheap. Pure cotton short-sleeved shirts are only a little over five yuan, and they said the retail price is the wholesale price, so it’s normal to buy in bulk.”
Chen Lishu was momentarily stunned as she looked at the woman in front of her who wanted a hundred pieces: “Sister Feng?”
Wang Aixiang said impolitely, “Why are you here? If you want short-sleeved shirts, you can just go to the store to get them. What are you doing here joining the fun?”
One hundred pieces, let alone the difficulty of transporting them, would take a while to count.
The two had known each other from years ago when they collected old clothes. With so many years of friendship, Sister Feng naturally didn’t take her words as a sign of displeasure. Instead, she moved closer and said with a smile, “Look at you, silly. I’m here to add some atmosphere. When everyone sees me buying so many, they’ll definitely think it’s even cheaper.”
Wang Aixiang realized and jokingly chided, “You’re always the one with the most ideas.”
As soon as she finished, she turned and said loudly to Zhao Xingwang and the others, “Count out one hundred pieces of goods.”
Chen Lishu added, “Zhao Xingwang, count out an extra ten pieces.”
Sister Feng was so delighted by Chen Lishu’s words that she couldn’t stop smiling. “Sister, you’re truly a thoughtful person.”
Before long, all one hundred and ten short-sleeved shirts were counted. Sister Feng took out a wad of money from her bag and handed it over.
“That’s five hundred and ninety yuan in total. Sister, please count it.”
At that time, the largest denomination was only the ten-yuan "Great Unity" banknote. Five hundred and ninety yuan was a thick wad, and just looking at it was impactful.
“It seems what the merchants said is true. If you don’t buy a couple more pieces, you’ll regret it later. Give me two pieces, no, three!” The onlookers reacted. Many who originally only wanted one piece changed their minds and decided to buy two or three.
“Give me three pieces too. I have many sisters at home. It’s rare to encounter such a cheap price, so I’ll bring some for them too.”
“Comrade, the jackets and pants you’re wearing look very nice. Are they also sold here?”
Chen Lishu replied, “The clothes we are wearing are all available at the ‘Shuse’ clothing store. You can find the store about two to three hundred meters ahead from here.”
Someone in the crowd suddenly chimed in, “I know that store. The styles of clothes sold there are very new and fashionable, trending from Hong Kong. The prices aren’t too expensive either.”
Hearing her words, others became eager to try: “I’ll go have a look after buying the short-sleeved shirts too.”
“……”
Listening to everyone’s discussions, Chen Lishu and Wang Aixiang continued their work without pause, handling goods, collecting money, and making change, with very little opportunity to even stop and rest.
People have a herd mentality. The more people there are at a booth, the more they believe that the goods sold there are definitely worth the price, otherwise, why would so many people be queuing to buy?
Wang Dazhu stood next to Chen Lishu. Seeing the crowd growing, with several people even crowding inside the display rack, he couldn't help but frown.
He took two steps forward, spread his arms, and said in a deep voice, “Everyone, please step back a bit. Queue up and come one by one.”
He was tall and had a deep voice, which carried a certain authority. Everyone instinctively stepped back two paces, even forming two neat lines. Their voices also quieted down a bit.
“Comrade, I want to pick up some goods too. I saw that the person in front bought a hundred pieces and you gave them ten extra. I’m buying fifty pieces, can you give me five extra?” When it was a man in his thirties’ turn, he stepped forward and discussed with Wang Aixiang.
Wang Aixiang instinctively looked at Chen Lishu.
The reason they gave Sister Feng extra was not only because they knew each other, but also because she came to help attract attention. The agreed price was already the lowest at five yuan and nine jiao per piece, and this price was already quite low.
“This comrade, the price of our short-sleeved shirts is already the lowest. Only if you purchase one hundred pieces or more will we offer a bonus. Now, you’re buying fifty pieces…”
Chen Lishu said somewhat reluctantly, “I can only give you two extra pieces at most.”
The man had seen the news in the newspaper and knew the prices at the exhibition were indeed cheap. If he bought wholesale and sold them in his hometown, he could definitely make a profit.
However, with only two extra pieces for fifty pieces, it was not as cost-effective as buying one hundred pieces and getting ten extra.
Ten pieces would be fifty-nine yuan!
Thinking of this, the man gritted his teeth and said, “Then I’ll take one hundred pieces.”
Upon hearing his words, Wang Aixiang immediately turned to Zhao Xingwang and the others and said, “Count out one hundred and ten pieces of goods.”
While sales were booming at the exhibition, Tian Lin was also very busy.
Because Chen Lishu and Wang Aixiang’s attire had indirectly promoted the store, many people came to inquire about the prices of jackets and jeans.
Gu Xingping entered the final stage of her third year of university. She didn’t have as many classes as before. Since she had no classes on weekends, she planned to visit her third brother, Gu Xingdong’s, house.
When she arrived, only Li Xiulan, Zhao Qiuyue, and the three children were at home. Gu Xingping couldn’t help but curiously ask, “Mom, where’s my third sister-in-law? Did she go to the store?”
Li Xiulan replied, “She said she was going to organize something called a meeting.”
Rui Rui looked up and said, “Auntie, it’s an exhibition.”
Li Xiulan suddenly realized, “Yes, it’s an exhibition, where we sell goods with several large factories. She said she’ll be busy all week. You’ve come at the right time. Your sister-in-law Yue just finished lunch. Why don’t you help deliver it and see if you can help with anything?”
Gu Xingping pouted, “Mom, I sat through several bus stops, and I haven’t even sat on the sofa yet, and you’re already bossing me around?”
Li Xiulan said nonchalantly, “You sit in school every day. You should move around more, or you’ll get rusty.”
“You’re truly my mother,” Gu Xingping had no choice but to get up resignedly.
Zhao Qiuyue went into the kitchen, packed two lunch boxes full of rice and dishes, and then handed them to Gu Xingping.
Over at Chen Lishu’s booth, everyone had been busy all morning and hadn’t even had time to drink water.
However, the results were significant. They had restocked the booth twice, and conservatively estimated that they had sold at least a thousand pieces.
Chen Lishu, after just finishing collecting payment, took a moment to check the time and realized it was almost twelve o’clock. Thinking that everyone must be hungry, she turned to ask them to take turns to eat when she heard someone calling her from not far away: “Third sister-in-law!”