Chapter 74 Going to the Market to Sell Handicrafts (2)
Zhong Qiao was not idle either. He sat for a while and shouted with Zhong's father.
After a while, a fat lady with big ears and a big head came hurriedly on her way. When she passed by the two people's stall, her eyes fell on the bamboo basket and stopped.
Mr. Zhong reacted and immediately greeted her warmly: "Beautiful lady, take a look at what you want? Is there anything you like?"
"Let me see." The fat sister-in-law looked for a while, then pointed at the bamboo basket in the corner. "How much is this?"
Mr. Zhong carefully handed over the bamboo basket: "Two yuan each, if you like, three yuan for two."
"So expensive?" The fat sister-in-law frowned. "It's not this expensive when I buy it at other places. Why is yours 40 cents more expensive?"
"Then go somewhere else." Zhong Qiao took the things back unceremoniously and pointed to the stall next door. "Theirs are cheaper."
"What's your attitude, little girl?!" The fat sister-in-law was very angry and cried, "If you don't want to sell it, then don't sell it. I don't care about it."
Zhong Qiao was indifferent, even calm and composed.
Mr. Zhong was also a businessman. After looking at her, he understood what she meant. He sat down on the bench and did not speak for the fat sister-in-law.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that their products are purely handmade, which takes time and effort, but at the same time, they are more expensive than those sold at other stalls and of better quality. If you buy one, it will last you a long time.
The fat sister-in-law had a dry mouth and muttered for a long time, pretending to be serious and saying that she wanted to go to the next stall to buy something, but her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground and she didn't move far from Zhong Qiao's stall.
When Zhong Qiao saw this, he smiled and said nothing. As expected, when no one tried to keep her, the fat sister-in-law went around in circles and finally came back with a shameless face.
"Hey, can't you guys make it cheaper?"
Zhong Qiao didn't say anything, and seeing that she didn't say anything, Zhong's father also pretended to be deaf and dumb.
The fat sister-in-law gritted her teeth and said, "I really want it. If the product is really good, I will ask my sisters to come and buy it together. Then you will have more customers. You have to be flexible when doing business!"
Hearing this, Zhong Qiao raised his eyelids and replied calmly with three words: "No bargaining."
"You——" the fat sister-in-law was angry.
Seeing that the customer who had finally come to the store was looking increasingly gloomy, Zhong Qiao cleared her cough. Father Zhong looked at her, understood what was going on, and quickly stood up to greet him warmly.
"Beautiful lady, this is purely handmade. My family works hard from dawn to dusk to make it. This is the hard-earned money we earn. It's already very cheap, so don't bargain."
Zhong Qiao glanced at Zhong's father beside him and felt satisfied.
It does take a long time to weave bamboo baskets. If it were someone else, it would take a month to weave these bamboo baskets at home. But Mr. Zhong was born with good craftsmanship. He could make anything well. Once he saw the blueprint, he could remember it and copy it exactly.
Strollers are the most time-consuming to make, but bamboo baskets are a common sight. For Mr. Zhong, weaving one is just a blink of an eye.
She and she played the bad guy and the good guy respectively, and they fooled the sister-in-law. She was indeed an old hand in the business world, and it was easy for her to talk to smart people.
The fat sister-in-law was a little hesitant. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Okay, then you can give me two. We agreed on three. You can't go back on your word."
"Well, I won't regret it." Mr. Zhong helped her pack it up and charged her three dollars.
The fat sister-in-law wanted to say something but stopped herself. However, when she saw the delicate and exquisite weaving technique of the bamboo basket, she realized that it was not the junk sold on the market, and her unhappy mood immediately improved.
"Okay, since your stuff is good, I won't bother with you guys from other places."
After saying that, she twisted her hips, raised her head and walked away.
After she left, some people came over one after another. Seeing that the handicrafts were obviously of better quality than those on the market, they asked for the remaining bamboo baskets one after another.
Soon, only the baby carriage and the wood carving remained.
The two of them stayed there for most of the day. During this time, some people came to ask how to sell the wood carvings, and some asked what the car was for. After answering them one by one, no one came to buy.
"This is strange." Mr. Zhong picked up the wood carving on the ground and fell into self-doubt. "Is there something wrong with my craftsmanship? Why can't I sell it?"
"It's not your problem, Dad." Zhong Qiao stood up and dusted off his trouser legs. "These are not things that ordinary people can afford. We should move on."
After her enlightenment, Mr. Zhong suddenly understood.
Bamboo baskets are daily necessities for ordinary families, so they are naturally easy to sell, but baby carriages and wood carvings are different.
Ordinary families with babies don't need to spend money on this, and wood carvings are even more unnecessary. These things that cultivate sentiment are not as practical as meal tickets.
Their target group is naturally not these people, but they take the initiative to find those who have the conditions, can cultivate their sentiments, and have abundant financial resources and are willing to spend money on their children.
Zhong Qiao and his father found a courtyard house and set up a new stall next to the place where they sold wild fruits.
The owner of the shop selling wild fruits was curious and hostile towards them at first, thinking they were competitors. However, when he saw them lift the black cloth covering the car, revealing the exquisite handicrafts, he immediately let down his guard.
He was kind enough to come forward to help.
Seeing such a big thing, the owner of the shop where I bought the wild fruits kindly told him about it.
"Girl, it's not easy for you and your dad to sell this stuff here. The people here are rich, and the richer they are, the more stingy and shrewd they are. And they are all locals. We can't make any money from them."
Zhong Qiao smiled and said nothing.
Mr. Zhong replied politely: "Thank you for the reminder, brother. We know what to do."
What was said was that since the other party had his own ideas and didn't want to listen, the fruit shop owner was naturally not a fool. There was no need to force himself on the issue, so he kept quiet.
Zhong Qiao dragged a bench and put it on the ground, then placed the baby carriage and the wooden sculpture in the most conspicuous front row. He calmly took out a book from his arms and began to read.
"Oh, you're still studying?" The older brother selling wild fruits laughed. "Girl, you look young, so you must be studying and helping with housework, right? That's amazing! I wish my daughter was as sensible as you."
Zhong Qiao paused and was about to deny it, but her father Zhong beside her answered for her first.
"Yes, my daughter is the most filial and sensible."
The elder brother who sold wild fruits saw that Zhong Qiao didn't speak and thought she was a shy child. Thinking of his lively and outgoing daughter at home, he shook his head and sighed, feeling envious.
Zhong Qiao was reading a book when suddenly a red fruit rolled onto the page.
She was stunned.
"This is for your daughter." The man who bought the fruit spoke in Suzhou dialect, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing.
Zhong Qiao lowered his eyes, picked up the red wild fruit, and whispered thank you.
They waited for more than half an hour. The stall next door selling wild fruits was doing good business. Occasionally, regular customers came to buy wild fruits and greeted the eldest brother. Among them, there was someone who was curious about the baby carriage, but after asking the price, he said nothing more.
Mr. Zhong couldn't shout anymore, and he was waiting with his neck hunched until he was drowsy. Zhong Qiao kept reading in the same position, his hands and feet numb, and he suddenly realized that the handbag in his arms was no longer warm.
Thinking of Zhong's mother's instructions, Zhong Qiao sighed and buried his head deeply in his knees.
Although I had already prepared myself mentally that these wood carvings and baby carriages would not be sold, I still hoped that there would be a glimmer of hope.
Their baby carriages are made of wood, which is not as high-end as those with iron edges. Ordinary people are reluctant to spend the money, so the carriage is stuck in the middle, neither going up nor down, which is really embarrassing.
Just about to go home.
Unexpectedly, a pair of small leather shoes appeared in my sight, and a childish voice sounded above my head.
"Hey! What kind of car are you selling? Can I ride it like my grandfather's horse?"
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