I bought a shirt and skirt set for 25 yuan, and it even came with a matching satin headband.

I'll do it because Tangtang was so helpful in introducing the products to customers.

Zhou Qiqi also gave each of the two little girls an extra hair tie.

The two walked happily toward the school gate, and the large clock above their heads was pointing to 1:30.

The woman selling socks relaxed, her previous worries vanished, and she sincerely gave Zhou Qiqi a thumbs up.

"That's impressive! You should earn those two dollars!"

In contrast, the woman selling men's clothing looked ashen-faced and slowly pulled out a handful of crumpled bills from her pocket.

She counted the money several times, her fingers trembling slightly, before handing it over.

"I'm willing to accept defeat. Here's two dollars, take it."

Zhou Qiqi grabbed it, counted it, and found that not a single penny was missing. She nodded in satisfaction.

But then, she took out three small bills from inside and stuffed the rest back into the aunt's hand.

In this day and age, it's not easy for women to make money by setting up stalls. The auntie didn't actually have any bad intentions; she didn't really need that much money from her.

Three cents is enough as a token.

"you..."

The woman opened her mouth, wanting to say something but then remained silent, her face full of unease.

Zhou Qiqi waved casually, packed her things, and went to buy roasted sweet potatoes from the old lady across the street with three cents in her hand.

After standing for more than three hours, she was starving.

The woman warmly handed her two large sweet potatoes, raising the scale high.

Zhou Qiqi figured she couldn't finish it, so she handed the larger one to the woman selling socks, then turned and boarded the bus to the state-run restaurant.

As the car started moving, she saw the older sister breaking sweet potatoes and sharing them with the aunt, half for each of them.

Upon seeing her, the two smiled and waved to her.

Zhou Qiqi's clothes were sold out, but the two of them had to keep going until seven or eight o'clock in the evening before they could pack up.

When they arrived at the state-run restaurant, Zhou Qiqi ordered steamed fish as usual, and also a bowl of beef noodles.

Eating alone is wasteful and attracts attention, so it's good to change things up.

After the meal, she went straight to the wholesale market.

Pingjie had been waiting for her for several days. Seeing that she hadn't come, she thought that she had ordered too much stock last time and hadn't sold it all.

"You underestimate me?"

Zhou Qiqi pursed her lips slightly.

Ping was lovingly touching the new clothes Qiqi had brought her when she quickly denied it with a smile.

"How could that be! I have high hopes for you. You're much better than I was back then! With your skills, I might even have to rely on you for a living in the future."

"Sister Ping is joking, I don't deserve it."

Zhou Qiqi responded sincerely.

She felt immense respect for the man in front of her, a man in his forties who managed the largest stall in the G City wholesale market.

"Oh, right."

Pingjie's eyes flashed, and she remembered something important, so she quickly asked.

"Would you be interested in becoming a designer at the textile factory in G City?"

She and Director Hao from that factory were old acquaintances, and she knew that the factory was struggling and desperately needed someone like Zhou Qiqi.

I casually mentioned it when we met a couple of days ago, and Director Hao immediately asked me to help him ask about it.

“A textile factory?” Zhou Qiqi repeated.

Ping nodded, a look of longing on her face.

"Yes, that's a large state-owned factory. With your design skills, you could easily get a permanent position there. The pay is great, at least eighty yuan a month. Work hours are from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Saturday, with Sunday off. Occasionally, you might have to get off work overtime or go on a business trip..."

She had dreamed of having such a formal position when she was young, and thought that Zhou Qiqi would probably agree in one go.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qiqi simply waited quietly for her to finish speaking, and then asked in return with a blank expression.

"Now that we've covered the downsides, what about the upsides?"

Isn't this just working like a beast of burden?

She'd had enough of being a worker in her past life, and now that she has a choice, she really doesn't want to suffer the hardships of working a regular job anymore.

"You think this is too hard... Do you plan to keep running a street stall forever?"

Ping was both annoyed and amused, while Zhou Qiqi shook her head.

"That's not entirely true."

She's currently setting up a stall just to accumulate some capital. Once she's saved enough, she plans to open a shop and start her own fashion brand.

"I have an idea!"

Ping's eyes lit up, and she patted her on the shoulder.

"Once you've made up your mind, let me know as soon as possible, and I'll help you find a shop! If you don't have enough money, I can also help you out; consider it as us partnering up!"

She's been in the clothing business for over a decade and has a very keen eye; she can tell that Zhou Qiqi is destined for great things.

Zhou Qiqi nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let me plan it out some more and gather some design drafts."

After saying that, the two started picking out styles.

Zhou Qiqi earned 480 yuan from this stall, used 200 yuan to buy goods, and still had a lot of spare money left.

Seeing that her bag contained so much money, Sister Ping quickly reminded her.

"There have been pickpockets roaming the wholesale market these past few days, and many people have had their goods stolen. When you go out later, be sure to keep a close eye on your belongings."

Zhou Qiqi thought about it and then made a decision.

"Then I won't take this batch of goods for now. Just to be safe, I'll have someone come and transport it tomorrow."

Ping tapped her forehead and teased, "You, are you afraid your arms will get sore from carrying it? You really don't want to endure any hardship."

After ordering from Sister Ping, Qiqi went to the fabric store.

She wasn't there to buy fabric this time; instead, she pulled out the pajamas she had made for Shen Huaichuan from her deflated snakeskin bag.

Ask the shop owner to help me find some suitable buttons.

The ones I bought before just don't seem to quite match up.

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