Chapter 30 Buying Shoes
She plans to bring it up when they are more familiar with each other in the future.
She is also more likely to accept and understand what she says at that time.
Otherwise, if I say it now, it will only be taken as nonsense and will cause resentment.
Although Lu Xiuye and Zheng Mingyue did not quite approve of Shen Cuifen's behavior.
But unable to dissuade her from her own will, in the end, he could only watch as Shen Cuifen personally handed over the savings that her family had painstakingly accumulated to Zheng Mingyue.
After seeing Shen Cuifen and her daughter off, Zheng Mingyue returned to the hidden cellar in the backyard.
The cellar's inventory was almost gone.
Only a little over a hundred pairs of shoes remain quietly piled up, awaiting further arrangements.
She couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering when her son Wenhua would return and bring back new supplies.
Her son, Wenhua, is a long-haul truck driver.
He travels between various places all year round.
Especially those cities near the coast.
Sometimes a single job can take a month, or even two or three months, before I can go home.
The materials used in these shoes were all secretly brought back by her son from outside each time he returned from a long trip.
After leaving Zheng Mingyue's house, Lu Xiuye was in low spirits the whole way.
She knew very well that Shen Cuifen had never actually engaged in any business transactions.
In the past, when I occasionally went to town to sell eggs, I would at most put a basket on the ground.
I'll make the deal when an acquaintance or a potential buyer happens to pass by.
Now, this huge bag of shoes isn't something that can be sold so easily.
If you rashly set up a stall to sell, wouldn't you be asking for trouble?
Not to mention that most ordinary people are now used to buying formal shoes from department stores.
There weren't even any decent stalls or shops.
How can a street stall compete with a department store for business?
Moreover, if you are caught selling items illegally, you will be fined at best and imprisoned at worst. This is no joke.
Shen Cuifen didn't offer much explanation; she simply picked up the snakeskin bag full of shoes and carried it silently.
Without saying a word or turning his head, he strode towards the east of the city.
The eastern part of the city consists mostly of old dormitory buildings that are decades old.
The buildings are simple and old, and many workers from various factories live there.
Shen Cuifen's movements were very skillful.
She walked a few steps and arrived at an old residential building called Knitting Factory in the east of the city, appearing precisely at the gate of the courtyard.
A small guard post was set up at the entrance of the courtyard.
Inside sat an elderly gatekeeper, bending over with his head down.
While cooking rice by the kerosene stove, he slowly blew on the steam rising from the soup.
Shen Cuifen greeted him with a smile, saying in a relaxed tone, "Brother, cooking?"
The old man replied.
"Oh, yes, let's cook something for lunch. It tastes better when there are more people!"
Before he could even turn around and see who was speaking,
Shen Cuifen had already led Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei through the iron bars at the entrance with ease.
The gatekeeper then looked up, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
But he still smiled and shook his head. Anyway, the other party called him "brother" and didn't get his surname wrong, so there was no misunderstanding.
Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei followed behind, feeling extremely nervous.
Like someone caught stealing, they were extremely cautious and dared not make a sound.
They knew it perfectly well.
This is the city, a place I don't know at all, and I don't know a single person there.
These old-style staff dormitories are completely uninhabitable for non-employees; getting in is simply a pipe dream.
If we were discovered and kicked out at this moment, that would be fine; at most, we would just lose face.
But if they get taken to the police station, they're completely finished!
The bag of shoes they brought was completely wasted!
"Mom! Do you know this old man?"
Seeing this, Lu Xiuye, who was walking behind, finally couldn't help but lower her voice and ask cautiously.
"I don't know him."
Shen Cuifen replied casually, her tone as relaxed as if she were having a casual chat.
These few words startled Lu Xiuye so much that she almost cried out. Her heart skipped a beat, and she panicked.
"Mom, if you don't recognize us, why did you bring us in?"
Lu Xiuye was so anxious that her voice almost trembled with tears.
Shen Cuifen remained calm and composed, completely ignoring her daughter's nervousness.
Instead, they continued walking at a leisurely pace deeper into the courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, one sees a tall camphor tree standing in the center.
The tree trunk is thick and the branches and leaves are lush, providing a large area of shade.
It's the weekend, and the sun is shining warmly on the ground.
A dozen or so residents were already sitting around under the tree.
Most of them were elderly women, chatting and laughing as they talked about everyday things.
Someone was holding an embroidery needle and colorful threads, intently sewing insoles.
Some people are squatting on the ground picking and washing vegetables, busy preparing lunch.
Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei watched as Shen Cuifen walked over.
She had only been standing still for a few minutes when she was seen greeting the group of people.
After a few pleasantries, he soon joined their chatting and laughing group with practiced ease.
The two of them were still in shock.
As Shen Cuifen spoke, she pulled two shoe uppers out of the snakeskin bag she was carrying.
He held it up in his hand and gestured to the crowd, saying something that was unclear.
The group of people, who had been laughing and joking, reacted immediately upon hearing this, quickly getting up and grabbing whatever was at hand.
Seeing the change before their eyes, Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei felt a sudden chill in their hearts, and their faces changed color, fearing that those people had called the police.
Thinking of this, the two of them quickly ran to Shen Cuifen, their faces extremely tense.
"Mom! Let's go quickly, my heart is pounding."
Lu Xiuye spoke in a low voice, glancing nervously left and right as she spoke, one hand already tightly gripping Shen Cuifen's sleeve.
The three of them had just taken a few steps and were preparing to leave the bustling area of the market.
Then she heard a fashionable woman with short hair and bangs who lived nearby chase after her and call out to Shen Cuifen in a clear voice.
"Hey lady, why are you running away! I haven't bought shoes yet! Don't go! Stop right there, wait for me!"
The woman came running over, clutching a crumpled banknote in her hand.
She gasped for breath as she called out, "Come on, give me three pairs of shoe uppers! One pair is size 36 for me, and two pairs are size 42 for my husband."
At that time, the most popular shoe uppers in the market were made of corduroy.
This fabric is not only soft and durable, but also feels great to the touch, making it especially popular.
The women's shoes have a red upper, giving them a vibrant look.
The men's version is a classic and sophisticated black.
More importantly, once you take these uppers home, you only need to sew on the soles yourself, and you can wear them right away.
Compared to the common plastic sandals or those crudely made rubber shoes on the market.
It is not only stylish, but also softer and more comfortable.
The two sisters, Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei, only then realized what had happened.
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