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Chapter 507: Chapter 497 Study
In early January, Shen Yunfang hadn’t started her vacation yet, as she was caught up in final exams and couldn’t take any time off, so she could only let Dashuan take them out for a stroll.
When Dashuan was at home, he always ran to the market, so when he came to a big city like the Capital, he wasn’t intimidated and took his mother, wife, and children out to have fun the next day.
Around the 7th or 8th of January, Elder Sister Li’s family of five also arrived.
One family settled in the east wing and the other in the west wing, becoming neighbors.
People say birds of a feather flock together, and the two families that got along with Shen Yunfang could get along with each other too. It didn’t take a day for Li Xianglian and Dashuan’s wife to become familiar with one another, affectionately calling each other "sister" and "elder sister."
The children from both families could also play together, with basically no issues in daily life.
As the New Year approached, Yunfang still hadn’t started to organize her stall, which made Xianglian and Dashuan’s wife anxious. They began to press her for answers at the dinner table.
"Yunfang, when are we going to start selling at the stall?" Li Xianglian, who had become so anxious these past two days that she had developed a big blister in her mouth, saw the days passing without any business or money being made and was naturally anxious.
"Don’t worry, all our goods are already in the warehouse. We don’t have to work as hard as last year; our main route is through wholesale this year," Shen Yunfang consoled everyone. She was considering everyone’s best interest, but no one appreciated it.
"What’s so hard about working hard, when it’s all for making money? Any hardship can be endured," Li Xianglian didn’t find the previous year’s work too hard at all. Seeing large amounts of money earned every day made her head spin with heat, and she didn’t feel tired at all.
"Exactly, if we were afraid of hard work, why would we even bother coming here? We might as well be lying comfortably at home," Dashuan’s wife gave Yunfang a disdainful glance, feeling underestimated. Were they the kind of people who shunned hard work?
Mu Huazhen watched Shen Yunfang being ganged up on and couldn’t help eating with a stealthy smile.
"And besides, even if we mainly focus on wholesale this year, that doesn’t stop us from setting up our stall. Whatever we can sell counts, and a little earning is still earning, right?" Li Xianglian knew her stuff. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the idea of giving others such low wholesale prices, even though it eventually proved that wholesale did indeed make more money than retail. Deep down she still felt it was better to sell each piece for two cents than to wholesale them for one cent each.
"I agree with you there. Plus, you’re all experienced, only I am a novice. Shouldn’t you let me practice for a couple of days first? Otherwise, I’d be completely lost when I suddenly jump into it," Dashuan’s wife was very self-aware. This work might look simple, but it still required learning.
Mu Huazhen gave Dashuan’s wife, the hardworking talent, a thumbs-up, praising her humble and cautious nature.
Dashuan’s wife shyly smiled back at her, a little embarrassed.
"Alright, alright, I’ll just say this - you all are more capable than me; are you happy now that I admit it?" Shen Yunfang raised her hands in surrender.
The women were bombarding her, while the men acted as if they heard and saw nothing, letting their women do as they pleased. It was simply going too far.
"Haha, good that you admit it. So, tell us, when are we going to start setting up the stall?" Li Xianglian persisted. Her thinking was simple: starting to sell a day earlier meant earning money a day sooner. Even if business wasn’t booming, there’d be some income every day, which was better than just idling at home.
"Since you all are in such a hurry, let’s start setting up the stall tomorrow," Shen Yunfang decided. As one of the bosses, she was more than happy to have such diligent workers. "However, I can’t join you, as I have to continue with my exams. So, is it okay if you go on your own?"
"Look, you’re looking down on us, aren’t you? We’ll manage without you, won’t we, dear?" Li Xianglian was confident. She had practiced calling out to customers when she had nothing else to do, fearing she’d be out of practice and affect this year’s business.
Liu Jianjun smiled and nodded. He was very happy to see his wife become so outgoing. Whether they made money or not, it pleased him; of course, earning a bit more would be even better.
"We’ll help you out and learn in the process," Dashuan’s wife said eagerly.
"Alright, let me tell you, this thing, it’s difficult if you say it’s difficult, but it’s not if you say it’s not..."
Shen Yunfang, bored, propped her chin on her hands and stared at the ceiling, feeling like an unnecessary addition. What a frustrating feeling.
The next day, Shen Yunfang still went to school to take her exam, leaving the household venture to their own devices.
Li Xianglian and Dashuan’s families got up early, had a hearty meal, and then started loading the truck from the storage room.
Having decided to go big this year, the necessary transportation had already been considered and prepared by Shen Yunfang and Ma Liguo.
Now, three wooden pushcarts stood side by side in the courtyard, all with two wooden wheels, because Shen Yunfang couldn’t manage a unicycle.
Li Xianglian and Liu Jianjun went to the storeroom to pick out the goods and then handed them out, with Dashuan and his wife responsible for loading them onto the carts. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
By nine o’clock, four adults were pushing two carts off to the market.
This time, Li Xianglian didn’t let her two kids come along, mainly because she thought business wouldn’t be too good on the first day, and they didn’t need help watching over things. It was better to let the children stay home and play with their younger siblings than to endure the cold.
That’s just how mothers are, feeling tough and unfazed by the cold outside, yet naturally meticulous when it comes to their own kids.
They returned to the same spot as last year, and Li Xianglian and Liu Jianjun laid down plastic cloth on the ground as they had done before, then stacked the New Year couplets on top.
The rocks they had used last year to weigh down the corners hadn’t been thrown away; they had brought them over in the cart, ready for use again.
They brought two carts over, one with couplets and the other with firecrackers; they were selling both at their stall.
"When someone comes, watch how I greet them," Li Xianglian whispered to Dashuan’s wife and then approached a passerby.
"Comrade, come have a look at the couplets. Our couplets are unique in the Capital. The ordinary ones are twenty cents a pair, and those with gold stars are fifty cents a pair. They’re cheap, practical, and beautiful—spend a few cents and you won’t regret it..." Li Xianglian had put what she learned into practice, changing the original twenty cents to a few cents.
The first customer was successfully bamboozled by Li Xianglian and forked over one yuan and seventy cents for a pair of ordinary couplets, a ’Fu’ character with a gold star, and a string of a hundred small firecrackers.
The small firecrackers were priced at one yuan a string, the two-kick jumpers and poppers for children were ten cents each, one yuan for eleven, and the sparklers were twenty cents each, six for one yuan.
These prices were set by Shen Yunfang.
After Li Xianglian collected the money, she took one yuan from the one yuan and seventy cents and handed it to Dashuan. The two families handled the money separately, with Li Xianglian’s family taking the money for the couplets and Dashuan and his wife for the firecrackers. However, among these couples, the men were quicker thinkers than the women, so the men were the ones carrying the money bags around their necks.
Dashuan’s wife looked up to Li Xianglian in admiration; her smooth talk was simply unbeatable.
"Did you see that? Just practice a lot. When someone comes to look at couplets, just follow along and say the same thing," Li Xianglian said proudly, basking in the young woman’s admiration. It was a skill she had honed over time.
