Time flies, and Xia Qingqing is about to graduate from university.

Speaking of which, she died in her previous life when she was a senior in college, nearing graduation. She went out for job interviews every day under the scorching sun. Any decent job required work experience, or a master's degree, and she didn't want the low-paying ones.

It's true that college students in this era have better treatment. Not only do they not need tuition fees, but they also receive a monthly stipend, and they are guaranteed a job upon graduation. It couldn't be better.

However, Xia Qingqing did not intend to have the school assign her a job, since even college graduates only earn a maximum of fifty yuan a month.

This salary might be a lot for others, especially considering it's for an office-based manager, a job that's both easy and respectable.

But for Xia Qingqing, this is not as much as she earns by simply taking a few clothes from the system warehouse and selling them.

Upon hearing her idea, Zhang Hongyan's first reaction was to object. She cautiously advised, "Qingqing, why don't you think about it again? How can being a self-employed individual compare to being a cadre? Besides, our family isn't short of money now, so we don't need you to work so hard."

Xia Qingqing could understand the older generation's thoughts, but she really couldn't agree with them: "Mom, I know what you mean, but being respectable can't put food on the table. I want to live a life where I can work when I want, rest when I want, and buy whatever I want."

Her dream in her past life was to achieve financial freedom as soon as possible, and then find a handsome boyfriend to travel the world with her, since traveling alone can be a bit lonely.

She is determined to realize the dream she didn't have time to achieve in her past life in this one.

The 1980s were a golden age; you could make a fortune doing any business. She thought she could retire as soon as she had enough money for her retirement. It was a wonderful thought.

"You child... whatever you want," Zhang Hongyan sighed helplessly.

She didn't understand what kind of life her daughter wanted. People have to work to live, otherwise they would just be idle all day long.

Besides, the family has made a lot of money in the past two years. Haven't we been living a life where we can buy whatever we want? Things like the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese house, a sewing machine, a radio, and a watch), TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, cameras... what Qingqing wanted to buy, didn't we buy?

Xia Qingqing smiled and hugged Zhang Hongyan's arm: "Mom, don't worry about me. I promise I can make sure you live the life of a rich wife in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongyan burst out laughing: "I think I'm doing pretty well right now."

"Just you wait, you'll see that things can get even better in the future," Xia Qingqing said seriously.

......

After having the idea of ​​opening a shop some time ago, Xia Qingqing had been looking for a suitable storefront. Finally, she received news yesterday and made an appointment to go and take a look today.

It's called a shop, but it's actually just a courtyard facing the street. The three rear rooms can be used as a shop, but if you plan to open a shop there, you'll definitely need to renovate it.

The homeowner glanced at the young girl in front of him, wondering if she could make the decision: "I don't plan to sell this yard separately. If you want to buy it, you have to buy the whole yard."

"That's no problem. I'd like to take a look at the house first. Is that convenient?" Xia Qingqing said with a slight smile. She wanted to see the house carefully before she could negotiate the price.

The homeowner nodded: "No problem, feel free to look around. Even though my yard looks a bit old, the wood I used was top quality. It won't collapse even in another 100 years."

Xia Qingqing smiled but didn't say anything. Whether a house collapses or not is completely different from whether it's suitable for living.

However, she originally intended to use this courtyard for business purposes, renovating the front building properly, while the other rooms could be used as warehouses and employee dormitories.

After some haggling, Xia Qingqing finally bought the courtyard for 9,800.

The renovation was a simple matter. Wei Xin's uncle had done a pretty good job before, and Xia Qingqing planned to ask him to help with the renovation again this time.

Inspired by his experience renovating Xia Qingqing's house, Uncle Wei found a few people and formed a simple renovation team, which gradually built up a reputation over time.

Uncle Wei was very happy to learn that Xia Qingqing wanted him to renovate her house again.

Xia Qingqing handed the other party her simple sketch and then told them her requirements: "Just do it the way I just said, don't worry about the price."

"Comrade Xia, your idea is really novel. This shop will definitely look beautiful after the renovation. Don't worry, I will definitely make it look gorgeous for you," Uncle Wei assured him, patting his chest.

Xia Qingqing smiled and nodded: "Okay, I trust your skills, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you."

The store's decoration was actually modeled after clothing stores of later times, with a glass window on each side of the door so that passersby could easily observe the clothes inside.

Then, two simple fitting rooms should be installed indoors, which is essential, as most clothes need to be tried on to determine if they suit you.

Individual shops don't have the same assertiveness as state-owned shops. Even if they yell at customers, the customers don't dare to say anything. The service industry in later generations mainly adheres to the principle of "the customer is God." Meeting the needs of customers is the first priority to promote consumption.

The last and most important element is lighting and mirrors. This is why many people think clothes look great when they try them on in the store, but then find them just average once they get home.

This is because clothing stores have two secret weapons: warm yellow lighting and slimming mirrors. It's like adding a filter for customers, and the effect is amazing.

Xia Qingqing directly asked Zhou Wei to customize these two items, which saved her a lot of time searching around.

After resolving the shop issue, the next step is to obtain a business license.

Previously, street vendors could upgrade their equipment and move locations at any time, but opening a shop without a business license is illegal. The Administration for Industry and Commerce can not only shut down the shop at any time, but can also confiscate the illegal gains.

Of course, getting a business license isn't a simple matter these days. Xia Qingqing isn't a rigid person; it would be foolish not to use her connections. She directly entrusted the matter to Song Ze.

Song Ze did not disappoint Xia Qingqing's trust, and delivered the business license to Xia Qingqing in less than three days.

Half a month later, the renovation of the clothing store was completed. After Xia Qingqing checked and found no problems, she settled the final payment for the workers and gave a red envelope to Uncle Wei and his group.

Just before the opening, Xia Qingqing realized that she had forgotten something very important: she hadn't named the shop yet.