Chapter 35 Exclusive to Jinjiang: Do You Have a Problem with Me?
Li Mei's heart was pounding as she watched, and she angrily said to Wang Huiting:
"Wang Huiting! You're being ridiculous again! What did I tell you before? You can't make trouble for your older sister when she buys things, but you've ignored me!"
Li Mei was looking for a broom in the house, looking like she was about to hit the child.
Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting bought gifts separately, and Wang Huiting even bought more gifts than Su Ruyi.
Li Mei knew very well how much money Wang Huiting had, including her own savings and the money she received from Wang Huizhen. She actually knew all of this, but she turned a blind eye, thinking that expenses in the provincial capital were high, and having more money on hand would be safer.
The gifts in front of us add up to more than all that money.
Where else could this money have come from? It must have come from Su Ruyi.
If word gets out, the mother and daughter will definitely be gossiped about behind their backs.
Being a stepmother is tough. Even now, no one believes that Li Mei would share the money with Su Ruyi. They all think that she only puts on a good show and that she has a lot of ulterior motives. Su Ruyi is just a country girl, and even if she can fight, she can't outmaneuver Li Mei.
Now that the evidence is conclusive, the truth has been revealed!
The money was given, but the person ended up spending it all on themselves.
Li Mei grew angrier the more she thought about it. She had only intended to put on a show, but now she was genuinely furious.
Wang Huiting also jumped up. Her carefully prepared gift hadn't earned her praise, but instead, she'd been scolded. She was immediately displeased.
"Mom, I earned all of this myself! Didn't I tell you that on the phone before?"
Wang Huiting originally planned to surprise her mother when she returned, but she couldn't help but tell her mother during the phone call she made just before her return.
It was just too easy to make money, so it was impossible to keep it a secret. However, she still hid how much money she had made, saying that their business was booming.
Because she was worried that her mother would say she was thinking about random things all the time, Wang Huiting didn't dare to say that she started it, and only vaguely said that she was doing business with Su Ruyi.
"I know you too well; how much money can you possibly make?"
Li Mei raised her hand to slap him, but Su Ruyi stopped her.
"Aunt Mei, don't get agitated. Tingting really earned this money herself."
"Ruyi, I know you're a good girl, but you can't spoil her like this. If she's not disciplined for a day, she'll become completely unruly!"
Wang Huizhen and Tong Yunyun were anxious and worried, but dared not step forward to dissuade her, otherwise her mother would be even angrier.
Moreover, there were indeed too many gifts. Just the winter coats that Wang Huiting bought for the three of them, even if they were cheap, would still cost over a hundred yuan, not to mention the others.
"Aunt Mei, I'm not lying to you. Don't rush to hit us. Wait until we finish talking before you hit us."
Li Mei couldn't move at all, and seeing that Su Ruyi didn't seem to be lying, she asked with some doubt, "Really?"
"Really, we brought back quite a lot of goods this time. You'll see when you go sell them with Tingting after get off work."
Li Mei then put away the broom, muttering to herself:
"Even if she makes money, it's all because you let her have her way. Otherwise, how could she be so capable? She's just playful, unlike you who matured early and didn't cause your parents any worry."
Wang Huiting couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard this. Her mother was always like this; she had never heard her mother say a single word of praise for her and her sister.
If someone praises them, she has to find fault with them and criticize them before she feels comfortable.
Su Ruyi: "Aunt Mei, you're mistaken. Tingting really made all the decisions in this business. I was just there to accompany her. I had my own things to do, so I only contributed money and labor, and that was all I did."
Before Li Mei could say anything more, Su Ruyi interrupted her directly:
“Tingting has been earning an average of over a hundred yuan a day these past few days, which adds up to nearly a thousand yuan.”
In fact, there was more, but Wang Huiting wanted to keep some money on her person, so she didn't reveal everything.
Li Mei almost lost her balance and fell off the stool.
"Wh...what?! What did you do?"
Li Mei was terrified, fearing that the two of them were going to do something illegal.
Wang Huizhen couldn't believe her ears either, and like her mother, she began to worry.
Tong Yunyun had already grasped the concept of money, and her eyes widened in delight. She was overjoyed; her sister had earned so much money, she could probably afford an ice cream tomorrow!
Su Ruyi gave Wang Huiting a wink, and Wang Huiting pouted and took out the goods she had bought wholesale before leaving the provincial capital.
"Here, that's all. What a fuss. Some people have even built their own houses by setting up stalls."
Li Mei still couldn't believe it: "These little gadgets can earn so much money in a day?"
"Of course, not every stall can make this much money. We choose good products, so they sell well. We also help people with hair styling and makeup, and Sister Ruyi even does makeup, which attracts a lot of customers."
Su Ruyi didn't actually do makeup for many people, because she didn't have any cosmetics herself. It just so happened that a few customers brought their newly purchased cosmetics, so Su Ruyi simply provided a full set of services.
Su Ruyi was obsessed with Hong Kong style for a while. Although her makeup style was different from the current Hong Kong style, as long as she was beautiful, she didn't care what style it was.
The current trend is very well accepted by women, so they are very satisfied and feel that they have been completely transformed.
Although the jewelry played a limited role, it was enough to convince everyone of Su Ruyi's aesthetic sense, making them willing to buy from their stall.
People have a herd mentality. Even after Su Ruyi stopped doing hairstyling for people, people still gathered around their stall.
This is a privilege that other stalls don't receive. Stalls that follow suit and sell similar items get even fewer customers, even if they sell for less. Most people still flock to their stalls.
The Zhang sisters and Jiang Xiaotao had the same goods, but their sales were far worse than Jiang Xiaotao's.
Wang Huiting felt secretly proud when she mentioned this, and she also felt that they were really capable.
She has also helped many girls choose items that suit them, and some people have praised her for her good taste, saying that the items look quite ordinary, but they make the wearer look radiant.
Li Mei was still a little dizzy. Earning a hundred yuan a day! This was a number she never dared to dream of.
"This, this really is..."
Su Ruyi laughed and said, "These kinds of small businesses are all like that. They look insignificant, but they can actually make a lot of money. Isn't there a sock king who made his fortune selling socks and amassed a business worth tens or hundreds of millions?"
Su Ruyi didn't actually remember the name of that sock king or when he started making his fortune. Anyway, these kinds of things happen a lot these days, so it wasn't exactly a baseless rumor.
Li Mei had heard similar stories, including one about a "sunflower seed king," but she always felt that such things were far removed from her own life.
Su Ruyi didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer. Once the hula hoop business took off, Li Mei would understand it deeply, without needing to say anything.
"Let's look at the gifts first. We bought them at the wholesale market, which is much cheaper than selling them in the county."
Li Mei finally came to her senses, looked at the huge pile of things, and couldn't help but say:
“You can’t spend money like this even if you’ve made it. It’s still hot outside, why did you buy a cotton-padded coat?”
Wang Huiting: "Of course it's because it's cheap to buy now. These are all off-season clothes, they're all from last year, so they're very cheap. Guess how much they cost?"
Although they are from last year, these clothes are all basic styles and will not go out of fashion this winter.
The county is not as trendy as the province, and ordinary people still value cost-effectiveness more.
Li Mei touched the clothes, then picked them up and examined them carefully:
"The material is pretty good, it looks thick, and it's a long style. One piece must cost at least seventy or eighty, right?"
Li Mei tried to downplay the price, saying that although these thick coats were thick, they had a good style and color, and could sell for over a hundred yuan.
Wang Huiting suppressed a laugh and looked at Wang Huizhen: "Sister, you guess too."
Seeing her expression, Wang Huizhen guessed that she had said it was too expensive, and cautiously quoted a price: "Sixty?"
Tong Yunyun: "Fifty!"
"Hahaha, you all guessed it right. Except for Yunyun's dress which costs twenty-eight, all the others are thirty yuan!"
Li Mei was shocked again, and looked at the clothes more carefully. "How can they be so cheap? They can't even break even!"
"These are all leftover stock, they're clearing out the stock. No trying them on, no opening them, it's all down to luck, a flat price of thirty-five. Sister Ruyi and I had a real fight over them, you wouldn't believe how crowded it was, it was like getting them for free."
Wholesale markets often have these clearance sales. Unlike shops that are constantly threatening to close down and sell off their stock at rock-bottom prices, many of these are genuine clearance sales, hence the low prices.
These clothes weren't even the cheapest; Su Ruyi wouldn't be interested in anything cheaper. Wang Huiting was also a generous spender and loved fashion, so she didn't hesitate to spend money as soon as she earned it, and thus bought these items.
Li Mei only regretted not being there: "Anyone would have snatched it! This dress is so nice, you couldn't have bought it for this price a few years ago."
Originally, Li Mei was reluctant to accept the clothes because she was worried about the money. She thought that since her daughters could wear them anyway, she could leave them all and she, being older, could just wear her old clothes.
But when they heard that it was so cheap, they took out the clothes with great interest and compared them.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the clothes did have some flaws, such as loose threads or stains, but none of them were serious and could be easily fixed with a little cleaning.
The clothes are all very nice, with a drawstring at the waist that can be pulled to cinch the waist, and they also have hats with fur on them.
Wang Huizhen also loved her outfit. It wasn't that she didn't love beauty, but given her family's financial situation, she didn't care about being picky.
She knew that some people at school were gossiping about her being unsophisticated. It was impossible for Wang Huizhen to say that she didn't care at all, but she just didn't care that much about these things.
But she'd be happy to dress up if she had the chance.
Wang Huiting smiled at her and said, "Sister, I did it."
Wang Huizhen's eyes inexplicably reddened. When she gave money to Wang Huiting, she didn't expect to get double the return.
Although she felt bad about spending the money and worried that Wang Huiting would squander it, she couldn't bear to see Wang Huiting so determined, spending her days rummaging through the trash with a group of old men and women, trying to save money to start a small business.
So when they gave the money, they didn't expect to get it back. If Wang Huiting lost it all, they would just consider it tuition.
Unexpectedly, Wang Huiting actually did it and even bought her such beautiful clothes.
I always remember that she didn't actually like dull, gray colors, but preferred bright red.
Tong Yunyun didn't have so many feelings. She just grabbed the clothes and put them on. Because she was still growing, the clothes were a little big.
These days, no child wears clothes that fit perfectly. Tong Yunyun didn't care at all, and despite being sweating from the heat, she ran into the house to look in the mirror.
"Sis, I love this dress, I want to wear it tomorrow!"
Although Tong Yunyun has a boyish personality, what child can resist the temptation of new clothes?
Because she was the youngest, she mostly wore her older sisters' clothes and rarely had the opportunity to buy new clothes.
Summer clothes are fine, but winter clothes, especially coats, are too expensive; I basically inherited them from my older sisters.
Because of the significant age gap between her and her older sisters, some of the clothes had been worn out before returning to her, and they were all incredibly old.
People usually buy new clothes during the Lunar New Year, but they usually only buy one piece, making it difficult to complete a set.
Wang Huiting not only sold her cotton-padded coat, but also bought trousers.
Li Mei was speechless and quickly went over to take off her clothes. In just a short while, she was already covered in sweat.
"Take it off right now! Wearing a cotton-padded coat in this weather? How could you even think of that!"
Tong Yunyun was still reluctant to take off her clothes and kept arguing with Li Mei, saying that she wasn't hot and that she was feeling very cold.
Su Ruyi laughed and said, "Since you like cotton-padded coats so much, does that mean the summer clothes I bought are useless?"
Tong Yunyun immediately ran over, her eyes widening in surprise.
Su Ruyi bought a complete navy uniform, complete with a belt and hat.
"Ah! This, is this for me?!"
Tong Yunyun was incredibly excited; the blue and white navy uniform was simply irresistible to her.
She likes cotton-padded jackets mainly because they are new clothes, which perfectly match her aesthetic.
"Is this really for me? Really? Really?"
Su Ruyi rubbed her head: "It's true."
Tong Yunyun then looked at Li Mei. She could take the clothes Wang Huiting gave her directly, but she was still a little unfamiliar with her older sister Su Ruyi.
Li Mei nodded to her, and Tong Yunyun cheered, shouting that she wanted to wear it right now and even wanted to run downstairs to show everyone.
"It's so late now, let's go tomorrow!"
Although Tong Yunyun felt a little regretful, she was still very happy and almost glued to the mirror.
When Su Ruyi was buying summer clothes, Wang Huiting stopped her.
Summer is almost over, and most people are now buying autumn clothes. Summer clothes won't be worn for long anyway, so there's no need to waste them.
She had been poor for many years, and although she had earned a sum of money, she was still very careful with her money, and her biggest concern was the cost-effectiveness.
Su Ruyi felt that summer was still a long way off, and she couldn't just buy new clothes and then hoard them without being able to wear them. That would bring her no joy at all, so she insisted on buying them.
Su Ruyi picked out a short-sleeved polka-dot dress for Wang Huizhen, with red polka dots on a white background, a red knitted cardigan, and a pair of long stockings.
In summer, you can wear a skirt alone. After a while, when the weather gets a little cooler, you can put on a knitted cardigan and wear long tights, so you can wear it for a longer period of time.
Wang Huizhen liked it very much, but she also felt that it might be too ostentatious.
She is usually inconspicuous in a crowd, and when she suddenly wears such bright and fashionable clothes, she feels unworthy.
Wang Huiting immediately saw through Wang Huizhen's inner struggle and said, "Sister, if you wear bright red earrings and a matching headband when you return to school, you'll definitely amaze the whole school!"
"I look like this..."
“What do you look like! My sister is the most beautiful. She’s a flower even without dressing up, and she’s even more radiant with her makeup on.”
Li Mei originally wanted to say that students should focus on their studies and not think about dressing up all day, but seeing her eldest daughter's reluctant expression and feeling Su Ruyi's gaze, she ultimately swallowed her words.
Tong Yunyun: "Yes, Second Sister, you're the prettiest!"
None of them in her family are unattractive; it's just that Wang Huizhen is usually introverted and reserved, and she always likes to keep her head down, so it's not easy for people to notice her appearance.
Wang Huizhen's ears turned red, and she looked at Su Ruyi with gratitude.
If Su Ruyi hadn't given it to her, she wouldn't have had the courage to buy such clothes, or even to look at them.
Su Ruyi also bought Li Mei a dress, a floral print long dress. Li Mei is actually not that old, only in her early forties. Although she looks rather haggard, she is still young.
Li Mei: "This dress should be given to Zhenzhen. I'm too old to wear a dress."
Wang Huiting: "Mom, why can't you wear it! Aunt Huang wears skirts every day, and she never wears the same one twice."
"She is her, and I am me. My clothes don't fit."
Su Ruyi: "Why is it inappropriate? No one says that anyone can't wear a skirt. If you like it, just wear it."
"But……"
Su Ruyi said with a straight face, "Aunt Mei, do you have a problem with me, so you don't like the dress I gave you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mei felt a chill run down her spine.
"No, no, I really like it. You made a great choice, I'll definitely wear it."
Su Ruyi didn't say anything more. Wearing skirts was very common these days, even old ladies wore them, so there was no reason why Li Mei couldn't wear one.
She hesitated when she bought it, but Wang Huiting said her mother loved dresses. Before she got married, she couldn't make her own decisions and wore whatever her parents gave her. After getting married, she wanted to wear trousers for convenience in taking care of her family, and because trousers were more cost-effective—she could wear them not only in the summer but also with thermal underwear underneath when it got colder—so she switched to wearing trousers.
Wang Huiting noticed that sometimes she would take out the dress she wore at her wedding and wear it at home to look in the mirror, but she would change it as soon as she went out.
Wang Huiting also wanted to buy her a dress, but she knew that if she did, her mother would definitely scold her.
Her stepfather had bought her a floral dress because he saw how much she liked it, but she wasn't happy about it. Instead, she accused him of wasting money and returned the dress.
Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi immediately decided to give it to him; that's just how rebellious she was.
Sure enough, Li Mei dared to scold Wang Huiting and return the dress Tong Aihua bought, but she didn't dare to say a word about Su Ruyi.
She had to wear it often, lest Su Ruyi be unhappy.
Wang Huiting secretly gave Su Ruyi a thumbs up, and Su Ruyi smiled and returned her a look.
Other items are just odds and ends, such as notebooks, pens, needles and thread, etc. They are all practical things, and they are much cheaper to buy at the wholesale market than in stores. You get a lot of everything, and they can last a long time.
That night, Su Ruyi wiped herself down and went to bed.
This made her very uncomfortable. In such hot weather, after running around outside all day, all she could do was wipe her body. She even felt disgusted with herself.
There was no other way; there was nowhere to wash it, so I had to make do.
The next morning, Tong Yunyun went out wearing her new clothes.
Last night, Li Mei went downstairs to rinse her clothes with water, but she was a little unhappy and wanted to sleep with her clothes on.
Su Ruyi wouldn't allow it; these new clothes are so dirty, you can't wear them right next to your skin without getting them wet.
Tong Yunyun dared to act shamelessly towards Li Mei and her two other older sisters, but she didn't dare to utter a word in front of Su Ruyi.
It was hot, and the clothes dried by the next morning. The first thing Tong Yunyun did after waking up was to ask for new clothes.
When Su Ruyi woke up, the house was empty. There was food laid out on the table, but the wooden box was gone.
This impressed Su Ruyi greatly. Looking at Wang Huiting's energy, she was truly young and different from Su Ruyi, who was just putting old wine in new bottles. Wang Huiting's drive was much stronger than Su Ruyi's.
At lunchtime, Wang Huiting didn't go home; she stayed at her stall. Wang Huizhen brought her lunch.
Su Ruyi then asked Li Mei to take her to see the warehouse. This needed to be finalized, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the goods should arrive in a couple of days.
The warehouse is right next to the furniture factory; it's just a short walk away.
"Take a look and see if this warehouse is suitable."
Su Ruyi looked around and saw that the warehouse was very spacious, about the size of a classroom, and could easily hold a thousand or so hula hoops.
"Aunt Mei, are there any alternative warehouses? Preferably from other factories."
Li Mei: "Isn't this appropriate?"
"That's suitable, but to avoid any mishaps along the way, it's best to have a backup warehouse."
It wasn't that Su Ruyi was cunning, but rather that in those days, internal struggles in some state-owned factories were fierce, making it easy for things to go wrong.
Their rental system isn't market-based; it relies entirely on personal connections. Often, even if the space is vacant, they won't rent it out.
While insiders are easy to win over, they are also easy targets for trouble.
If the county had a strong commercial atmosphere and warehouses weren't so hard to find, Su Ruyi wouldn't have taken advantage of this.
"You can find these if you look around. Many factories are not doing well, and their warehouses are empty."
"Then I'd like to trouble Aunt Mei to take a look at this for me."
“Okay.” Li Mei didn’t say much, and didn’t feel that Su Ruyi didn’t trust her because of this.
Su Ruyi herself wasn't idle either; she wandered around the county in the afternoon, hoping to find a place to rent a storefront.
There's no chance in the county center and main roads; they're all basically rented out, and none of them are currently closed down and waiting for Su Ruyi to take them over.
Su Ruyi also saw the Wang Huiting and Wang Huizhen sisters, whose business was booming. She also heard on the way that some girls knew that there were stalls selling good and cheap jewelry here, and came here specifically to buy it.
Information spreads quickly in small counties, and it's only been a short time since it made a name for itself.
Su Ruyi didn't bother them, but instead wandered around on her own.
Although she has a bad sense of direction, she is not afraid of getting lost at all. As long as she has a mouth, she will find her way back.
Su Ruyi mainly targets schools and residential areas, as these places are more suitable for opening shops.
It has to be said that although Liulin County is not a particularly small county town, it is still of a certain size, but the business atmosphere is really not good. There are not many stalls and shops, and very few shops are available for rent. Su Ruyi walked around several times but did not see many.
When she went up to ask, the other person was either unresponsive or had a scrutinizing look in their eyes, as if Su Ruyi was not a decent person and didn't seem easy to get along with.
As for those privately owned small shops, I didn't see any job postings. They were mostly filled through referrals from acquaintances; otherwise, it would be very difficult for you to find a job.
There are no real estate agencies specializing in renting or selling houses; it's all about the neighborhood network of information.
Su Ruyi was somewhat helpless. She originally didn't want to trouble others with everything, but now it seemed she had no choice but to.
Just as Su Ruyi was about to head home, she passed by a house and heard a commotion inside.
"I'm not selling my house to you! Get out!"
"Old Li, have you thought this through? If you don't sell this house to us, no one will dare to buy it from you. Your grandson is still lying in the hospital. If you don't pay the medical bills soon, he won't survive! Next time we come, the price won't be the same."
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