Qiqi looked up and saw the two women, one fat and one thin, who had come to buy from her when she first set up her stall.
The plump woman frowned slightly and preemptively scolded him.
"Why are you only arriving now? The rain stopped yesterday, and everyone else set up their stalls early. You're such a slowpoke, not even proactive in making money. You're so lazy!"
"Well..."
Qiqi's lips twitched slightly.
If she were diligent, wouldn't she have found a job?
It is precisely because he is not diligent that he chose to set up a stall.
The older woman walked quickly to the stall, picked out a batwing shirt with a mature floral pattern, and looked on with anticipation.
"We're the first ones here, right? Can I have another batwing shirt, and get a 12% discount?"
Zhou Qiqi looked apologetic and pouted.
"What a coincidence, the lady next to us has a convenient location. She just got some clothes for her daughter. You're not the first ones to arrive."
A hint of disappointment flashed across the plump woman's face as she murmured.
"Ah, it's my mom's birthday tomorrow. I've been waiting around for several mornings to buy her a batwing sweater..."
Disappointed as she was, she knew the rules of Qiqi's stall, gritted her teeth, and took out a ten-yuan note, handing it to Zhou Qiqi.
When Zhou Qiqi heard that it was for her mother, she felt a pang of sadness and her hand, which had been holding the money, paused slightly before she withdrew it, her eyes darting around.
"How about you give the money to this lady and ask her to buy one for you? I'll pretend I didn't see anything! I'll give you both a 20% discount!"
As she spoke, she turned her face away and covered her eyes with her hands.
"You can do that?"
The two older women smiled at each other, both filled with gratitude towards Zhou Qiqi.
The place was bustling with people chatting and laughing, and passersby couldn't help but take a second look.
I just received my first order of 29.6 yuan, and someone immediately asked about the price of the bell-bottoms.
Qiqi responded enthusiastically, "Twelve yuan and fifty cents!"
"Can you make it cheaper? I'll buy it for ten yuan!"
Before Qiqi could answer, the chubby older sister answered for her.
"Their prices are fixed, no need to haggle!"
"That's great! I'll take it!"
"I want one too!"
......
Once this stall gets busy, there's a constant stream of people.
In just over an hour, more than twenty items were sold.
Most of them were batwing shirts and flared pants; apart from the initial set that was sold, only three shirts and skirts were sold sporadically.
There was no one around now. Zhou Qiqi was tidying up her clothes when the auntie selling men's clothing came over and said sourly.
"This outfit is only suitable for young girls; not many people would be willing to buy it, so it definitely won't sell..."
Her business was dismal all morning; men passing by would just look but not buy. The only vests she sold were picked up by customers at Qiqi's stall.
She sets high prices, and customers haggle fiercely. She only earned three or four yuan after a busy morning, which was really disheartening.
On the other hand, the woman selling socks next door benefited from Qiqi's popularity and had many customers.
She followed Qiqi's example and set a reasonable price, aiming for high volume and low profit. She had already earned ten yuan in the morning.
Hearing what the neighbor said, before Qiqi could even speak, the eldest sister became displeased and frowned.
"How could they not sell? At this rate, they'll be sold out and ready to pack up in less than two hours... no, an hour and a half!"
The aunt rolled her eyes.
"Easy for you to say, how could that be?"
“We’ve been setting up stalls here for more than just a day or two. Look at any other stall, can you sell that many items in three or four hours? Even Ran Hongxia can’t do that!”
The older sister was unconvinced. "Don't believe me? Let's make a bet."
The older woman immediately chimed in, "Let's bet! How much?"
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in. Zhou Qiqi, listening from the side, was both amused and exasperated, and chimed in.
"Sister, if you want to bet, bet on what's on your stall, not what I'm betting on."
The eldest sister waved her hand.
"Don't worry about it! I have faith in you!"
...
Just as the two were placing their bets, the bells rang to signal the end of get out of class at the teachers' college and the end of work at the food factory.
The eldest sister was determined to do things her own way, and Zhou Qiqi didn't have time to care. She quickly tidied up the stall.
Within minutes, a group of female students gathered around, chattering excitedly.
Since the midday rush of customers started, there has been a constant stream of people at Qiqi's stall.
Female students are inherently powerful spenders, and in this era, most of those who can go to university come from well-off families, and many are already working and have plenty of money.
When they see clothes they like, they don't hesitate to spend money on them.
With a rustling sound, the plastic bags were sold one by one.
This greatly worried the woman selling men's clothing; she lost all interest in her own business and stared intently at Qiqi's stall.
He would mutter something from time to time.
Whether it was her nagging that had an effect or not, the market gradually quieted down after the midday crowds dispersed.
Zhou Qiqi's stall had sold out of all the other clothes, but there was one French-style suit left.
The woman selling socks glanced at the large clock at the teachers' college. There were less than ten minutes left before the bet was due, and she was so anxious that she stomped her feet and urged Zhou Qiqi on.
"Hurry up and start hawking your wares! Once you've sold everything, you can pack up and leave! We need to make money!"
Qiqi shrugged, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"Sister, there's nobody on the street, who am I supposed to shout to?"
"This is it..."
The older sister immediately deflated; losing this bet would mean losing money.
The middle-aged woman selling men's clothing beamed with pride, "Hehe, a bet's a bet—pay up!"
The woman selling socks was looking down, about to reach into her pocket, when Zhou Qiqi stopped her.
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