Chapter 39 - Exclusive Hot Selling on Jinjiang Literature City
"No, I didn't say anything," Su Ruyi quickly denied.
She had no evidence, but felt that everything was a coincidence. As someone who had also had her house and property coveted before, it was inevitable that she would be suspicious.
"I just feel that she really wants to buy a house."
Realizing she had misspoke, the proprietress looked around and said with an embarrassed smile:
"Yes, that's what I meant too. These days, who doesn't want to buy a house? They have three sons, so they're especially short of housing."
The two were merely nodding acquaintances, not close confidants. Everyone knew about Old Li's affairs, so they could talk about them, but they dared not casually share their wild guesses with others.
If someone overheard this, that family wouldn't be easy to deal with.
However, the proprietress couldn't keep a secret and couldn't help but mutter:
"She's always been a good person, and I've never seen her interact with us this often before."
The boss glared at her, and she stopped bringing it up.
Su Ruyi did not continue the topic, after all, it was not good to make unfounded accusations without evidence.
Even if someone wants to buy a house, it doesn't mean they'll do something behind the scenes.
"If you ask me, this house shouldn't be sold. It's the only house the elderly couple has left. If they sell it, they won't even have a place to live." The landlady brought the topic back to the house.
“The child’s father is still alive, so he should pay for the child’s treatment. Xiao Bao’s father is a big boss. He wouldn’t have made his fortune if it weren’t for Uncle Li’s connections.”
The boss said, "The divorce was so messy back then, Xiao Bao's surname was even changed, and he has other children. How could he possibly be willing to waste money like this?"
"Pah! What do you mean by wasting money!" The proprietress angrily put her hands on her hips and started cursing. "You men are heartless. You have a child after one night of sex, so you don't know how to cherish them. No matter what, Xiao Bao is still his own flesh and blood. Does that mean he's not his child just because he doesn't have his surname? Does that mean our children aren't my children just because they don't have my surname?!"
Boss: "Why do you always talk nonsense? Are these the same things? Every child takes their father's surname. Changing the surname is like disowning the father."
"You're the one who loves to talk nonsense. Changing your surname can't change your bloodline, can it? There's no connection at all? You men just get the benefit and then act innocent!"
Seeing that the couple was about to start arguing, Su Ruyi quietly stepped aside and helped Tong Yunyun sell peaches.
Tong Yunyun: "Big sister, I will also let my child take my surname in the future."
The woman picking out peaches laughed and said, "You're a boy, so the child will naturally take your surname."
Tong Yunyun always liked it when people said she was a boy, but she was inexplicably unhappy when she heard it today. When she was calculating the money for the old lady, she wouldn't give up a single penny, and unlike when she was calculating for others, she didn't hold the scale high; she just accepted whatever amount was given.
When the peaches were almost sold out, the owners of the steamed bun shop stopped arguing. Su Ruyi asked the owner's wife if they were willing to rent the space in front of the shop.
The landlady was slightly taken aback, unable to react for a moment: "We've known Uncle Li for so many years, why are you talking about renting or not renting?"
The area in front of the steamed bun shop is quite spacious, so setting up a stall here doesn't take up much space, and therefore they don't mind.
Anyway, they're not selling the same things, and it can even help attract some customers. Old Li always gives away a lot of peaches, so they make things convenient for each other.
“It’s me who wants to rent it, not Grandpa Li.”
"you?"
Su Ruyi: "I want to sell hula hoops, but they take up a lot of space. I'd like to borrow your place to sell them. How much do you think would be reasonable?"
“This…” The proprietress and the proprietress exchanged a glance.
Neither of them had ever done this before, so they really didn't know how to collect money.
They weren't too keen on lending the money to Su Ruyi for nothing.
After all, it still occupies their space, which will inevitably cause some inconvenience.
Moreover, they have to pay for renting a shop. You're taking up our space right in front of us, and you're spending money on everything. It's fine for a day or two, but it's not good for them in the long run. They have no connection with Su Ruyi.
"How much money can you give me?" the proprietress asked.
Su Ruyi: "Is one yuan a day okay?"
That's thirty yuan a month for nothing!
The doorway is empty anyway; thirty yuan can buy twenty or thirty catties of pork.
The proprietress said, "One yuan is too little, two yuan a day."
"That's too much. I'm just running a small business. I see you're a straightforward person, so I won't haggle over every penny. How about 1.2 yuan?"
After some back and forth, they finally settled on 1.5 yuan a day.
They also agreed that if there weren't many items, Su Ruyi could put some miscellaneous things in the warehouse behind the shop at night.
Leaving the steamed bun shop, Tong Yunyun was puzzled:
"Sis, why did you give them so much money? You could have just set up a stall somewhere nearby."
Nowadays, nobody cares if you set up a stall outside, so why waste money?
"Having a fixed location is better, as it makes it easier for people to find us. We're doing a lot with a little money."
The steamed bun shop is in a very good location with a lot of people coming and going, so the peaches sell out very quickly.
Hula hoops take up a lot of space, and selling them in front of someone's shop would likely cause dissatisfaction.
You can sell your wares by going door-to-door, but having a fixed stall is still more suitable for advertising.
One yuan and fifty cents a day isn't much, and Su Ruyi was willing to spend that money to build a good relationship with the shop owner.
"Sis, when will the hula hoop arrive?"
Tong Yunyun asked eagerly, "I dream about playing with a hula hoop every night now."
"It'll be here soon."
Tong Yunyun was discouraged when she heard this. Adults love to use this kind of talk to fool children, but it doesn't actually speed things up at all.
However, Su Ruyi was clearly not the kind of adult Tong Yunyun described. Two days later, a truck really did deliver the hula hoop.
There are no secrets in the factory. Many people already knew about Li Mei renting the factory buildings, and many people were gossiping about it behind her back.
The whole family is women, and I don't know what they're up to all day. They've taken some money and they're not content at all.
Their impression of Su Ruyi was that she was just a little girl, at most a bit strong, unlike Li Mei, who, influenced by Tong Aihua, regarded her as someone she could rely on.
Therefore, everyone felt that Su Ruyi, this country girl, was very restless, completely different from her appearance.
Some families initially had their own ideas about Su Ruyi because she was pretty, and although she came from the countryside, she had graduated from high school.
Upon seeing this, one could only think that Su Ruyi was too much of a troublemaker.
At such a young age, he's already trying to do business; isn't he afraid of losing all his compensation money?
These days, it's easy to make money in business, but there are also many who lose money.
Especially in the past few years, the policies were rather vague, particularly in their small county town, which couldn't compare to big cities. The entire market was unclear, and it was easy to make a mistake and be labeled as a speculator. Not only did they not make any money, but they also easily fell into traps, and many people did.
Many people also felt that Su Ruyi was no good person and was always eyeing the money in Li Mei's hands, trying to swindle money from her in various ways.
What kind of business needs such a large warehouse? They really think they're a big boss.
People would ask Li Mei from time to time why the goods hadn't arrived yet, what kind of business Su Ruyi was in, and how much she made a month.
Li Mei wasn't ungrateful; she clearly sensed the schadenfreude of those people, so she said nothing.
She was also afraid of revealing it, in case someone else beat her to it, which would be troublesome, so she only told close friends that Su Ruyi was going to sell hula hoops.
Su Ruyi didn't care. When someone stopped her to ask questions, she took the opportunity to promote the product.
However, even though the publicity was spread, many people still didn't take it seriously and would ask the same questions again the next time they saw you.
Ultimately, they simply don't believe that a young girl like Su Ruyi can run a business. Their inquiries are all ill-intentioned, and they don't care about your answer at all.
The adults didn't believe it, but the children had been looking forward to it for a long time.
So when the big truck arrived, before even the most gossipy aunties and uncles could react, the children were already in an uproar.
Not only the children from the furniture factory, but also the children from nearby textile factories, printing and dyeing factories, and so on, all ran over here; they had been looking forward to hula hoops for a long time.
Children have their own special information channels. Although not many people in the whole county have them, they still know that this thing exists and is selling very well and popular outside.
Unfortunately, there are no sellers in the county; they all need to be brought from the provincial capital or city, which is not only costly, but also means that many people don't have this channel.
The children had been eagerly anticipating this business ever since they learned that someone was going to do it.
The colorful hula hoops were neatly stacked, tied together with rope in piles.
So many hula hoops piled together looked truly spectacular, and even more beautiful than any I'd seen before.
While the goods were being unloaded, a group of children stood by expectantly. If Tong Yunyun and her friends hadn't stopped them, the children might have rushed over.
Some children came with money in their hands, waving their ten-yuan notes around. Ten-yuan notes aren't as valuable as they used to be, but it's still rare for a child to have so much money.
"No rush, let's unload all the goods first. Look at all this, there's plenty for you to buy."
Seeing how enthusiastic the children were, Su Ruyi felt even more confident.
After all the goods were unloaded and the driver's lunch was arranged, a portion of each color of hula hoop was taken out and sold directly next to the warehouse.
By this time, quite a few adults had gathered to watch the excitement, and seeing how enthusiastic the children were, they couldn't help but feel curious.
However, the children are enthusiastic, and relatively few children are willing to spend that much money to buy it.
The large one costs seven yuan, and the small one costs six yuan; the price isn't cheap.
However, compared to the prices offered by the wholesale market, Su Ruyi felt that setting the price at the beginning wasn't too unreasonable.
Su Ruyi wasn't in a hurry; it would definitely take some time for the virus to spread.
"What's so fun about this circle T-shirt? And why is it so expensive?"
An elderly woman was pulled over by her grandson, insisting on buying a hula hoop. She was surprised to see that such a simple plastic hoop was so expensive.
Since the implementation of the one-child policy, many of the younger children are only children and are spoiled by their families. So when they heard that a toy cost six or seven yuan, they were extremely unwilling, but their grandson dragged them along, so they had no choice but to come.
Others were also very curious: what was this thing used for?
Although some children have already bought them, they are still holding them preciously in their hands, showing them off to their friends, or some of them don't know how to play with them yet, so others don't quite understand them.
"Auntie, there are so many ways to play with this thing."
Su Ruyi smiled and took apart a hula hoop, handing it to Tong Yunyun, whose eyes were full of anticipation.
Although this child loves to play, he is still very principled.
She asked Tong Yunyun for help, and she was able to hold back and not immediately make a fuss about playing.
Tong Yunyun's eyes lit up, and she immediately took the hula hoop, put it on her stomach, and started spinning it.
I couldn't quite get the hang of it at first, and the hula hoop fell off after only two spins.
After two or three times, she could spin it very well, even while walking, and she could make the hula hoop go up to her neck and head, down to her ankles, and even spin it in her hand. She did it very skillfully.
Su Ruyi took another one. "Yunyun, I'll give you another one. Let's see if you can spin them at the same time."
"Big sister, throw it over here!"
Su Ruyi told Tong Yunyun not to stop and threw the hula hoops at her from a distance. At first, the hula hoops were fighting and almost fell, but Tong Yunyun twisted them and saved them. Soon, the two hula hoops started shaking in sync.
Everyone gasped in amazement, especially the children who were particularly excited.
Some children ran straight home, demanding to buy a hula hoop.
Children with their parents or grandparents around will throw tantrums and insist on buying it.
"This looks quite interesting." Some adults also found it quite interesting.
Su Ruyi smiled and said, "This is very popular in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai now. It came from abroad and was originally invented for sports. The Asian Games are coming soon, so we should respond to the call and get everyone moving."
Hula hooping takes up little space, is fun, and is a very enjoyable form of exercise that can even help you slim your waist. However, like any exercise, moderation is key. Don't overdo it just because it's fun, or you'll end up injuring yourself.
"Really? This is popular in Beijing and Shanghai too?"
For small counties, these big cities are particularly fashionable and serve as benchmarks for them to learn from.
Furthermore, since this product was imported from abroad, it became an even more fashionable and cutting-edge item, and many people began to be interested in it.
Young people, in particular, feel that if something is popular in big cities, they can't be left behind.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask people in those big cities. Before long, hula hoops will be all the rage across the country. I only have a small stock right now, all of which I snatched from the factory. They sell extremely well outside, and the factories can't keep up with the production."
Some people were tempted; although the price wasn't cheap, it was still acceptable, and they could grit their teeth and buy it.
The hula hoops had just arrived and hadn't even left the furniture factory yet when Su Ruyi sold over thirty in one go. It was all thanks to the many onlookers; otherwise, there wouldn't have been such a large customer flow.
After the onlookers dispersed, Su Ruyi called over Tong Yunyun and her friends.
“I’ll give each of you a hula hoop. You can choose a place to play where there are lots of kids. If anyone asks you where you bought your hula hoops, just say they were in front of the ‘Xiang Shi Li’ steamed bun shop at the intersection of Central Street. If you can keep this up for a week, I’ll give you the hula hoops.”
"Really!? You're just giving it to us for free?!"
The children were excited. If it weren't for Tong Yunyun's sake, they would have stayed behind to maintain order and run home to beg their parents to buy it for them.
Ever since Tong Yunyun started saying that her older sister was going to sell hula hoops, these kids have already started causing trouble for their family.
Even earlier, they would start making a fuss as soon as they saw other children playing.
There was a spoiled child who, when his family said there was nowhere to buy it, was unhappy and insisted on having it, and got a good beating for it.
Now you can get it for free! Who wouldn't want it!
Tong Yunyun's friends mostly come from ordinary families. Six or seven yuan is a lot of money for them. During the Spring Festival, the total amount of lucky money they receive is only ten or twenty yuan, and they have to hand it over.
Therefore, many children couldn't believe it and had to confirm it several times before they realized that such a good thing really existed.
You can actually make money playing games!
Tong Yunyun was the proudest, her chin held high, her whole body held tall and proud.
Hmph, some people used to say she was bragging, saying she didn't even have a hula hoop but wanted to form a hula hoop team, and they kept laughing at her. Now they regret it!
“My eldest sister’s word is her bond. You all need to behave well; this stuff is very valuable.”
"Big Donkey, we'll definitely do our best! Those bastards from the farm machinery factory laughed at us before, and they wouldn't even let us see them. Humph, now they'll be green with envy!"
"Yeah, and there's that guy who bought a broken hula hoop and treated it like a treasure, like he was worshipping it. He wouldn't even let me touch it. Now ours are much nicer, and they're free!"
Several children chattered about the grudges and feuds among elementary school students. Today's children are much freer than children decades from now. They run around everywhere, and conflicts may even cross schools or factories.
Ignoring their concerns, Su Ruyi only instructed, "You must not wander around; you must be in pairs."
"Okay, okay."
Tong Yunyun and her friends received the hula hoops and ran off, all while shaking the hula hoops.
Those who didn't have the skill walked and stopped frequently, some even manually operating the device, shaking it on their heads, necks, arms, and other parts of their bodies; not one of them shook it properly.
Even Tong Yunyun completely forgot that she had said she would go with her to set up a stall and sell hula hoops.
She now holds three hula hoops, the queen of the kids, enjoying everyone's envious glances, and has long forgotten about this.
Su Ruyi shook her head, thankfully she hadn't been counting on her.
Li Mei also came out of the warehouse at this time. She had just tidied up to make it easier to take things out.
"Ruyi, there are so many, can we sell them all?" Li Mei looked at so many hula hoops and couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Li Mei thought that not many people would be willing to spend so much money on such a plastic ring.
"Don't worry, it will definitely work."
Although Su Ruyi had not yet settled the final payment, she remained very calm, showing no signs of being short of money.
When we discussed it, we agreed that the settlement would be made by the end of the month, and she had a few more days.
She's not short of money right now. The two sisters, Wang Huiting and Wang Huizhen, have been working hard to sell goods these past few days and have already recovered a small portion of their costs. If they sell another fifty or sixty hula hoops, they'll break even.
Su Ruyi and Li Mei each carried hundreds of hula hoops on their backs. The weight wasn't too bad, but the hoops were particularly large, making them very conspicuous when they walked on the street.
They deliberately avoided crowded areas and sold more than thirty more items along the way.
When they arrived at the steamed bun shop, a group of children followed behind them, all of them looking on with envy.
Ma Lefeng, the owner of the steamed bun shop, was very curious when she saw Su Ruyi carrying a bunch of plastic rings.
"What are you carrying on your back?"
"Sis, this is the hula hoop I told you about before. It's fun and good for your health."
Upon learning the price, Ma Lefeng gasped in shock, "My goodness, how can something like this cost so much!"
"There's no way around it, my purchase price isn't cheap, and these things take up a lot of space, so my transportation and storage fees are quite high."
"Do the kids really enjoy playing?"
"Don't just talk about kids, adults love to play too."
Su Ruyi took one out and demonstrated it to her.
Actually, Su Ruyi thought this thing was quite boring and didn't know why it was so popular in this day and age.
I guess there's so little entertainment these days, so even the smallest thing feels incredibly interesting.
When I was a kid, I used to play jacks and I would get so engrossed in it that I would think about it all day long. If I could find a smooth, round pebble of a suitable size, I would be happy for a long time.
Sure enough, when Su Ruyi started shaking, many people found it interesting and gathered around.
Those in the know are quite familiar with hula hoops.
"I didn't expect that we'd start selling these here too. When I went to Guangzhou before, I saw a lot of people shaking things. Old people, children, and young people were all shaking them in the park."
Ma Lefeng took the hula hoop from Su Ruyi and started playing with it, but she couldn't get it to spin and soon dropped it on the ground, making her husband Sun Xingzhao very anxious.
"Oh dear, how can you be so clumsy? You have to use a clever technique, you can't just shake it randomly."
"You make it sound so easy. You try it yourself. This thing won't listen to you."
"Let's give it a try." Sun Xingzhao took it and started shaking it too, but he was no better than Ma Lefeng.
Ma Lefeng laughed heartily: "I told you it wouldn't be easy, but you still argued with me."
"Hey, I don't believe it!"
The couple's bickering attracted a lot of onlookers. Watching them clumsily twist and turn, unable to get it right, and making a complete mess of things, made onlookers wish they could do it themselves.
"What's wrong with you two? This thing is so simple, just shake it hard."
"Don't talk nonsense. If you're so capable, you try it yourself!"
As more and more people joined, they eventually took over the entire area in front of the steamed bun shop.
It has to be said that there are a lot of people who like to join in the fun these days. Without phones to watch short videos, people are easily distracted by all sorts of little things around them.
Those who were envious or eager to try it out bought hula hoops directly from Su Ruyi and started hula-hooping as well.
In one afternoon, Su Ruyi sold more than fifty steamed buns at the entrance of her shop, and many people came specifically because of her reputation.
There was no way around it; the child was making a huge fuss and insisted on buying it.
When it was time to pack up, Li Mei was reluctant to leave.
These are selling so well! Although she didn't know the purchase price, Su Ruyi told her that she could still make a profit if each one were reduced by one or two yuan, so she had a better idea of what to expect.
In just half a day, she earned more than her monthly salary.
"It's still early, let's sell for a while longer."
Su Ruyi smiled and said, "We should go home for dinner too."
Li Mei then remembered that she needed to go home to cook. Wang Huiting and Wang Huizhen were both out selling things and would get home late, so no one was home to cook and Tong Yunyun would have nothing to eat.
"Look at me, I almost forgot about that."
She was so focused on selling a few more that she forgot about everything else.
Su Ruyi placed the remaining hula hoops at the steamed bun shop and said to Ma Lefeng:
"Sister, if anyone buys a hula hoop, if you have time, help me sell them. I'll give you 50 cents as a commission for each one you sell."
"No need, it's just a matter of lending a hand."
Su Ruyi had just given her the hula hoop she was playing with, so she felt embarrassed to ask for money back now.
"I do the same for other people, so I'd be embarrassed to trouble you if you don't accept it."
Ma Lefeng happily agreed; who could complain about having too much money?
Don't be fooled by the fact that their steamed bun shop is doing well; they earn their money through hard work.
In recent years, rents have become increasingly expensive, and profits have become increasingly low. There's hardly any business at night anymore. If I could make money by selling hula hoops, I wouldn't be so bothered by the rent increases.
Su Ruyi returned to the furniture factory, where the owner of the small shop at the entrance called her over.
“Someone called you today and said to call him back when you come back. He said his surname is Lu and he’s from the provincial capital.”
Su Ruyi knew who it was as soon as she heard it, and she was a little curious about what Lu Ting wanted to talk to her about.
After receiving the goods today, Su Ruyi called Zhao Xianghong back to make it clear that the final payment would definitely be settled before the end of the month.
Su Ruyi knew that Lu Ting's main business was not in the plastics factory, so he shouldn't care that much about such a small order.
Su Ruyi dialed the other party's mobile phone, and soon a pleasant, deep voice came from the other end of the line.
Have you received the goods?
"Received it, and it sold quite well on the first day."
Su Ruyi was very happy, and the fact that she could pay off the debt was a piece of cake was evident in her tone.
The other party chuckled lightly, then said seriously, "Then you'd better be prepared, it's going to sell even better from here on out."
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