Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuemei raised her head and looked at Xu Mingwan seriously. She was still thinking about what reason to use to get her sister-in-law to join the business, after all, she didn't want to start on a small scale, and she was thinking about opening a shop later!

Seeing her third sister-in-law staring at her, Xu Mingwan thought she was unwilling, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "It's okay, third sister-in-law, I was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."

Zhang Xuemei shook her head and explained, "I'm glad you're willing to work with me, but there are some things we need to make clear first. Our street vending here might not be very stable yet. Don't be fooled by the fact that I made over 300 yuan this morning; it won't be the same tomorrow. I reckon the neighborhood committee will kick us out."

Xu Mingwan nodded to indicate that she understood, but she still wanted to try. "Third Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean, but I still want to give it a try."

She might be a little scared if she did it alone, but with her third sister-in-law by her side, she felt more confident.

Since Xu Mingwan was willing, Zhang Xuemei didn't stop him. However, she added, "You still need to talk to your third brother about it. He needs to find someone to help him."

"Yes, I will talk to him."

That evening, Xu Minghan let out a long sigh as soon as he lay down on the bed. Zhang Xuemei glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly sigh?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? You're poaching all my helpers."

Zhang Xuexue then realized, "Oh, so that's what it was about!"

"Xiao Wan told you? You're pretty quick! Just keep looking, finding someone is such a simple thing!"

“No one you find outside can be as caring as family!” Xu Minghan wasn’t against his younger sister leaving, but he felt that they were used to each other and that hiring someone else would require time to adjust.

As they were talking, Xu Minghan sat up in bed and asked curiously, "You still haven't told me how well your socks sold today?"

Zhang Xuemei applied some moisturizing face oil and gently spread it on. Only after she was all done did she have the mind to answer her husband's question.

"It's alright. All 300 pairs I ordered have sold out, and I made over 300 yuan. I'm planning to set up a stall near the elementary and middle schools tomorrow to sell the hair ties and hair clips." Zhang Xuemei ordered a total of over 300 pairs of goods, and if they all sell out, she can make a profit.

"Are we allowed to set up a stall?" Xu Minghan was worried that they wouldn't allow it at the school gate, and being chased around like that wasn't a good thing.

"Why not? I've already checked. There are lots of food stalls over there. I've asked around, and they say you can set up anywhere, nobody cares, as long as you don't block the road."

Zhang Xuemei had done her homework beforehand and had also chosen a good location, which was right on the road between the primary and junior high schools, so she could take care of both ends.

"But I've already told Xiaowan that she'll be helping out for a few more days, and it's not easy to find someone right away." Xu Minghan thought he'd ask Aunt Xu first; she knows a lot of people and might know who's looking for work.

Zhang Xuemei nodded. Anyway, she was only making small-scale moves for now, and would wait until Xiao Wan was free to deal with it.

...

Zhang Xuemei calculated the time and waited until it was past eleven o'clock before taking the black bag and heading to the school. Fortunately, there were two schools within a five-minute walk of their home, the First Primary School and the First Middle School, which were right next to each other, saving her the trouble of choosing one.

Before the students were dismissed from school, Zhang Xuemei took out her stall essential – an oilcloth – spread it on the ground, and then placed the small boxes she had brought from home on it, filled with pretty hair clips and hair ties, waiting for the school bell to ring.

"Ring ring, ring ring," accompanied by the melodious bell, batches of students slowly emerged at the school gate. Zhang Xuemei started calling out before anyone even got close.

"Little sister, would you like to take a look at some pretty hair clips and hair ties? They're very cheap. Three hair clips for one yuan, and two pairs of hair ties for fifty cents. You can choose whichever you like."

The little girls passing by had already been drawn to the colorful headdresses, and upon hearing Zhang Xuemei's call, they squatted down.

"Auntie, are hair clips three for one yuan?" A little girl with a round face asked Zhang Xuemei with a smile.

Zhang Xuemei smiled and said, "Yes, three for one yuan. You can choose the style yourself. How many do you want? This batch of aunties are the best-looking ones. Once they're sold out, they're gone."

Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately looked at her friend beside her, "Tongtong, come and choose! I want to buy three. Can you help me see which ones look good? Or we can buy different ones and wear them interchangeably!"

The little girl, Tongtong, had been wanting to buy all the hair clips she saw for a long time, but unfortunately, she didn't have any money on her today!

So he looked at Zhang Xuemei apologetically and asked, "Auntie, will you still be setting up your stall here after school this afternoon? I don't have any money on me right now, can I buy some this afternoon?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I have some, I'll lend it to you first." The round-faced girl patted her pocket generously and took out five yuan to show her.

Zhang Xuemei replied with a smile, "Yes, Auntie gets out of school around the same time this afternoon, but it's hard to say about the styles, some might already be sold out."

“Well,” Tongtong hesitated, looking at her best friend, “Yueyue, could you lend me the money first? I’m afraid the hair clip I like will be sold out.”

"Yes, yes, I told you I'd lend it to you. Let's hurry up and choose, look how many have already been sold!"

Zhang Xuemei took a moment to glance at her friend and found her quite interesting.

"Auntie, I want these, can you tell me how much they cost?"

Zhang Xuemei immediately turned around, glanced at the hair clip in her hand, and quickly replied, "The hair clip is two yuan, the hair tie is fifty cents, so I'll give you two yuan and fifty cents. Here, Auntie will get you a bag to put it in."

"Thank you, Auntie." The little girl was quite polite.

Zhang Xuemei's stall was surrounded by pretty young girls; no one could leave empty-handed.

When middle school girls passed by, Zhang Xuemei's business became even better, since their spending power was far greater than that of elementary school students.

"Auntie, is it just hair clips and hair ties? Do you have bracelets or anything like that?" A tall girl looked up at Zhang Xuemei and asked after selecting some hair clips.

Zhang Xuemei explained apologetically, "Little beauty, we really don't have any today, but we will in a few days. I'll keep the stall here, and you can come over again, okay?"

The little girl, who was being called a "little beauty," was so happy that she picked out a few more items, and then said with a smile, "Okay, I'll take these for now while I wait for Auntie to get her stock!"

"Okay, Auntie will pack it up for you." Zhang Xuemei took the items, counted them, collected the money, and then put them in a bag and handed it to her.

The girls in front of the stall were busy picking out their favorite hair clips, while Zhang Xuemei was busy taking more stock into her bag to replenish it. Luckily, she had the foresight to bring more in the morning, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to sell!

About half an hour later, there were fewer and fewer people. Zhang Xuemei looked around and found that the surrounding stalls were starting to pack up. So she also put her things into her bag and packed up her stall!

"Hey boss, business is good! Your place has the most customers around here." Zhang Xuemei heard someone talking to her as soon as she stood up.