Xu Haizhou brought back two blood oranges from somewhere, one as big as Qiao Lu's fist. It was Qiao An's first time eating this thing, and he had no interest in the rice and meat that had just come out of the pot. He kept pestering his father to peel it for him now.

After peeling off the skin, he picked up the orange, which was half the size of his face, and started to eat it very vigorously. His face had already grown a lot of flesh, and his cheeks bulged as he bit the orange, like Crayon Shin-chan. He sucked and chewed, and his mouth, nose, and cheeks were all stained with the sweet orange juice.

Seeing Qiao Lu staring at him, the boy licked the sweet juice on his lips and passed the orange to her: "Mom, eat it."

Qiao Lu pinched his cheek in annoyance: "You've chewed it till it's mushy, how can mommy eat it?"

The boy wiped the corner of his mouth and generously handed her the last orange: "Mom, eat the new one."

This kid has a quick mind and is quite clever.

"If you don't want to eat it, I'll give it all to you. Mommy is not a greedy pig."

Qiao An blinked and said seriously and happily, "I am a foodie! Not a piggy!"

Qiao Lu couldn't help laughing, thinking that this kid didn't know what a foodie meant.

For lunch, we had pork stewed with vermicelli, which was cooked by Xu Haizhou himself. It is said to be a specialty of his hometown. It was also served with a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and three deep-fried chicken legs. It was a very rich meal.

From the time she cooked to the time she started eating, Qiao Lu didn't pay much attention to Xu Haizhou. She just stared at him with her beautiful eyes with a smile on her face. Xu Haizhou felt scared by her stare.

"That female comrade just now seemed very young, a high school student, right?" Qiao Lu asked casually as she served her son some dinner rice.

Xu Haizhou nodded and praised her like a child: "You are quite good at judging people."

"Hmph." Picking up a piece of pork ribs and throwing it into her mouth, Qiao Lu said slowly, "It's the one who often advertises your stall."

"How do you know this?" Xu Haizhou laughed.

Qiao Lu curled her lips without any warmth, wanting to see his show.

Xu Haizhou touched his nose awkwardly, feeling nervous and guilty when his wife stared at him.

Oh no, why should he feel guilty? He didn’t do anything!

"Did the Red Army tell you?"

"Hmm." Qiao Lu hummed a word from her nose and continued, "Weren't you making gloves before the New Year? On the first day, Li Hongjun said that there were female students helping you promote the product. I was curious at the time, but I was too busy to ask."

Xu Haizhou was puzzled: "What do you want to ask?"

Qiao Lu narrowed her eyes slightly: "I'm just curious, just asking, are you two familiar with each other? Why would she promote you for no reason? And I feel that this female student appears very frequently in your and Li Hongjun's mouths..."

Xu Haizhou laughed at her, his eyes teasing: "Are you jealous?"

Qiao Lu glanced at him and slapped away his hand that was about to be placed on her shoulder: "Don't joke, tell me what's going on."

Qiao Lu is not very good at holding back on this kind of thing and doesn't like to hide things from her lover. She will just say whatever she wants to say, lest she gets sick from holding it in. Besides, if things are not made clear, it will easily lead to conflicts and misunderstandings in the future. Quarrels are the most annoying thing.

"That female student...seems to be interested in me." Xu Haizhou said, observing her expression.

"As if?" Qiao Lu was not very happy. She crossed her arms and glanced at him: "What does it mean to you?"

Xu Haizhou looked at her with a smile: "Maybe that's what he meant."

"That kind? Which kind?" Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows.

Xu Haizhou hesitated and asked, "Maybe it's something between a man and a woman?"

"Didn't you tell her you were married?" Qiao Lu said indignantly.

Xu Haizhou: “I told you.”

Qiao Lu: “What happened next?”

Xu Haizhou shook his head: "I haven't seen her for almost two months."

I guess the news of his marriage hurt the girl's self-esteem. In fact, she never confessed her love to him, but she has always had a crush on him, silently supported his business, and helped promote him. Judging from her clothes, she should not be from a family that lacks food and clothing. She has good conditions, but her taste in choosing people is not very good.

You are a beautiful 17-year-old high school girl, why would you fall in love with Xu Haizhou, who is almost a generation older than you?

Even if he is good-looking, good looks can only make a living. What's more, he is just a street vendor. You are so good-looking, can your family still be interested in him?

All conditions indicate that these two people are not a match.

Xu Haizhou said: "I came here suddenly today... and brought some food to Li Hongjun."

"Tsk—" Qiao Lu didn't believe it: "I won't give you some?"

"Well, I don't want it." Xu Haizhou was not surprised. Thinking of the few pear candies in his bag, he thought it would be better not to take them out and gave them all to Li Hongjun in the afternoon.

"I have told you everything I can." Xu Haizhou said.

"Huh, is there anything you can't tell me?" Qiao Lu started to act unreasonably again.

Xu Haizhou was amused. He raised his foot and gently kicked her calf: "Are you jealous?"

Qiao Lu pouted and kicked his feet away: "What does it taste like? I'm too lazy to eat it. I'm just curious."

She is still stubborn.

The boy put down his chopsticks and looked at Qiao Lu curiously: "Mom, what is this food? I want to eat some too! Is it delicious? What is it? Can you let me try it?"

Phew—the originally jealous atmosphere was broken by the child's words.

Qiao Lu poked his nose in annoyance: "You clever little thing, you always get excited when you talk about food. Why are you so greedy?"

The boy blinked his beautiful grape eyes, staring at her intently: "Mom, what does it taste like? Did you and Dad eat it secretly? How come I don't know?"

"Yes, Mom ate it secretly and didn't let you eat it."

Little Qiao An put her hands on her hips angrily and said, "Mom, no, didn't you say that children should learn to share? You are an adult now, you can't do this."

Qiao Lu laughed until she had no more energy, and stuffed a chicken drumstick into his mouth: "I'm really impressed by you, a little foodie. Ask your dad, I'm too lazy to explain."

Xu Haizhou held back his laughter and rubbed his son's head: "Mom is eating alone, and she won't let you eat."

Qiao An took out the chicken drumstick from his mouth and smacked his lips: "What does it taste like? Is it delicious?"

"It's something very sour and not tasty," said Xu Haizhou.

"Ah? Why does mom want to eat something that tastes bad?" Qiao An didn't know why her mother had become stupid. She hugged her waist and rocked, begging, "Mom, please don't eat something bad. Let's eat something delicious."

Qiao Lu rubbed her forehead helplessly - this silly boy is so easy to deceive!

…

According to Xu Haizhou's later account, the female student named Shen Suqin never came to his stall again, nor did she advertise for him again. Xu Haizhou said it didn't matter, good quality and novel style were the best advertisements.

Here, after a day's work, Qiao Lu's sample pack is ready.

The next day, I asked Wu Guifang from next door to my house and asked her if she could help make the same type of bag. I would also pay her for the labor fee, which was more expensive, 50 cents per bag.

When Wu Guifang heard this, she quickly took the three bags and said, "You only want to make these three things? Give them all to me. I can do it. I guarantee it will be fast and good!"

Fifty cents, real money! Even though fifty cents is not much, with her hand speed, it shouldn't be a problem to make three or four a day, right? Two yuan is enough, sixty yuan a month, which is higher than her husband's!

"Okay, you can give it to me in the afternoon in no time. Just make two of each, just to test the waters first. If they sell well, then make in bulk." She wanted to design two more models, so she didn't have time to keep samples.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it to you this afternoon. Let's stop talking and waste time. I'll go back and do it now!" When it comes to making money, Wu Guifang has endless energy and she wishes she could die on a sewing machine.

Wu Guifang's speed was faster than Qiao Lu expected, and she completed the work on time while maintaining the quality and quantity. Qiao Lu took it in her hand and examined the details. The stitching was fine and the size was right. It was almost a one-to-one replica of her original bag, and some details were even more refined than hers.

"Okay, Sister Wu, your skills are very good. It takes at least ten or eight years to master them. You are a talented person."

Wu Guifang smiled shyly at the exaggeration: "To be honest, my family was well off when I was a child. We bought a sewing machine in the 1960s. I was still in school at that time, and I started making clothes by myself in junior high school."

Qiao Lu silently calculated the years in her heart. Wu Guifang had spent about the same amount of time learning sewing as she did. No wonder, practice makes perfect. That’s good, very good.

…

Xu Haizhou brought six samples to the stall and sold them all morning. He went home for lunch at noon and reported his results.

"The small and medium bags are all sold out, and many people think the large bags are too expensive and don't want them."

"Yeah, that's not bad, how do you set the price?"

Xu Haizhou: "Small package is six yuan, medium package is eight yuan, and large package is eleven yuan."

Qiao Lu: "No wonder, the price difference is not even a little bit."

Big bags are indeed not as cute as small ones, and the main purpose of buying a big bag is for practicality and to be able to hold more things, so practicality is more important than aesthetics. With these eleven dollars, you can buy a bigger and sturdier bag!

Qiao Lu thought for a moment, "Okay, I understand."

So Qiao Lu increased the heat, producing ten each in small and medium packages, and two or so in large packages, waiting for anyone who was willing to come and buy.

Making bags is more complicated than making gloves, and Wu Guifang couldn't do it alone, so she went to the next door to find Aunt Chen.

Hand sewing is not very effective. If you want to get the details right, a sewing machine is better, so I didn’t ask Auntie Tian for help.

Of course, not only did she not look for her, but she also did not look for the two daughters-in-law of the Chen family, who were not suitable for marriage.

Qiao Lu was so busy here that she had no time to rest. Mrs. Tian, ​​who was ignored, was a little unhappy. At dinner time, she walked to the door of Xu's house leisurely with her bowl in her hand.

At that time, the family of three was also eating.

"Yeah, I'm eating."

Qiao Lu ate a mouthful of noodles, looked up and smiled at her: "You are eating too, come in, it's very cold outside."

It was just a polite remark, but I didn't expect the person to actually come in.

She twisted her waist and squeezed in through the crack of the door, holding a bowl as big as Haikou in her hand. It was filled with white rice porridge, covered with a layer of pickled vegetable shreds and potato slices, and two small pieces of pickled vegetable cakes. There was no fishy smell at all.

The first thing he did when he came in was to glance at the dining table and exclaimed, "The food is so good."

Qiao Lu curled her lips and said, "It's just noodles, not that great."

We stewed half a duck for lunch and had a light meal at night, but everyone was given a poached egg and meat sauce was added to the soup, which was very fragrant and fresh.

"That's good. There are still eggs." From her tone, it was clear that she was not interested in drinking.

As expected——

"I heard from Hongyan that you've been working on a new project recently. What is it? What kind of bags?" After taking a bite of rice, she asked, "You can make a lot of money, right?"

Qiao Lu took a small bite of the egg, swallowed it and said, "It's just to pay for the materials."

Auntie Tian curled her lips. Material cost? Who would believe that?

"Haha, then I guess I made a lot of money." Auntie Tian said with a wry smile.

These words made Xu Haizhou look at her in confusion. This person spoke in a weird tone and usually didn't even like to come to their house for dinner. What was wrong with her today?

Xu Haizhou didn't understand what was going on in Qiao Lu's mind. He thought to himself that he was so stupid. They had been neighbors for several months, but he still didn't know the character of Aunt Tian. How could he have ignored her?

He quickly put down his chopsticks and smiled at her warmly: "By the way, auntie, you came just in time. I was just telling Haizhou that I would come to see you after dinner."

Xu Haizhou glanced at her. Auntie Tian stopped eating and looked over curiously: "Looking for me?"

Qiao Lu smiled and nodded: "That's right, I want to hire you to help me cut the cloth into this shape."

Walk to the sewing machine and hand her the scraps of cloth that you had cut earlier.

Auntie Tian held the chopsticks in her other hand, took it and looked at it.

"I was thinking, how about giving you the materials and cutting out as many pieces as you want for two cents a piece?"

"What? Two points?" Isn't this a godsend?

"Yes, two cents for a cut."

Auntie Tian was a little unconvinced: "Are you really going to let me do this job?"

How easy it is to cut this thing, it only takes a few minutes, if the quantity is large, you can earn as much as Zhang Hongyan in a day! It's so easy and you only get two cents?

I always find it hard to believe.

Qiao Lu smiled and complimented him, "Look at what you said. Is there anyone in our courtyard who is more suitable than you?"

She was pleased with what he said, and secretly thought that Qiao Lu had good foresight, so her mood visibly brightened.

"Sure! No problem. I happen to be free recently. If you come ten days or half a month later, I may not be free." It would be strange if she was not free. She has no job and is a very idle person. What else can she do at home? She gossips about other people every day. Who else has more free time than her?

Finally, Auntie Tian happily went home carrying the rags. Xu Haizhou could almost guess the whole story and kept praising Qiao Lu for her smart mind.

"Auntie Tian is a narrow-minded person. If you only give to others and not to her, she will definitely come after you to settle the score." Xu Haizhou said with a smile.

"Yes, isn't it said that it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain? Although Aunt Tian is not necessarily a villain, there is nothing wrong with this analogy anyway." In short, she cannot be treated like a normal person.

Neighbors often cannot be defined in just a few words. We can only say that people will behave differently depending on what happens.

Having learned from the previous experience, Qiao Lu no longer did everything herself when producing bags this time. She only drew the design drawings and made sample bags, and left the copying and pasting work to Wu Guifang and others, and she just served as a supervisor.

Bags are expensive and cannot be sold in large quantities at a low price like gloves, so Qiao Lu temporarily plans to make ten bags a day. She thinks that will be enough to sell.

With the addition of Auntie Tian, ​​Wu Guifang and Auntie Chen no longer need to cut the cloth separately. They only need to piece and sew, which saves nearly a quarter of the time. If they are fast, each of them can make five to six bags a day.

…

"Jingling bells——"

At noon, the bell rang on time for the end of class at Li'an No. 1 Middle School. Groups of students walked out of the school gate laughing and joking, and the empty streets and alleys were suddenly filled with noise.

Most of the students passed by Qingteng Lane as usual and took a look along the way, but there were no new stalls or goods today.

Unexpectedly, I was attracted by Xu Haizhou's stall. Today, there was a long tripod in front of the stall, on which were hung three kinds of cloth bags of different styles. There was not a single stitch of embroidery on the bags, but only geometric splicing. The bright colors immediately caught everyone's attention.

The cloth bag was originally beige, and the patchwork pattern is mainly based on warm colors, red and yellow plus a little saturated complementary color deep lake blue for patchwork decoration. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also practical. Each piece of patchwork cloth can hold small things, such as coins, hairpins, and hair ties. It is very practical for girls, and there is not a single similar bag in the entire Li'an.

Look at the cloth belts again. Generally, a cloth bag only has one or two belts, but Xu Haizhou's cloth bag has four!

People went to have a look at it out of curiosity, and Xu Haizhou even demonstrated it to them. Only then did they realize that these four cloth strips were very useful.

The two long ones can be used as handbags, shoulder bags, and crossbody bags. The two shorter ones at the back can be used as backpacks. Although they are not as beautiful and practical as school bags, they are fresh! Such styles are so unique. Regardless of whether they are practical or not, the main thing is that people have never seen them before. Once the novelty comes, it is inevitable to want to consume them.

"This bag is really fresh." Two female comrades came arm in arm. They were not students. Judging from their attire, they should be working women. They were wearing big-toed leather shoes and should be in good condition, looking to be in their early twenties.

He picked up the small bag and looked at it repeatedly, with a gleam of great interest in his eyes.

"How much is it?" asked the lesbian with a pigtail.

Xu Haizhou smiled and said, "This is a medium-sized bag, six yuan."

The female comrade raised her eyebrows in fear and exchanged glances with her companions: "Wow, it's not cheap at all."

"It's purely handmade, so the cost is high." Xu Haizhou smiled warmly.

The fact that it can be sold means that the price is within people's acceptable range. It is of course more expensive than ordinary bags, but how can a bag designed by his wife be ordinary? Just look at the style. Can you find another one from Li An?

"The small bag is priced at six yuan, the medium bag is eight yuan, and the large bag is eleven yuan. If you think you can accept it, then buy it. If not, I have cheaper bags here." In order to highlight the beauty of his own bags, Xu Haizhou specially bought three new blue cloth bags dyed with homespun cloth from the factory that morning. They were so tacky.

As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. If you taste the delicacies from land and sea in the first bite, how can you eat the country cabbage in the second bite?

The two lesbians' eyes were filled with disdain: "This doesn't look good."

Xu Haizhou smiled calmly and put the cloth bag down.

He carefully explained to the customers the details of the cloth bag that Qiao Lu had told him, from the inside to the outside, with a gentle and soft voice that was very appealing. The two female comrades gradually couldn't resist and became interested.

It is a little expensive, but it looks really good. It gives you a classy feel when you hold it in your hand, and this style is really unprecedented.

What do girls want to buy bags for? In the past, families were poor, so they just wanted practical bags. Now that the times have become more open and conditions have improved a little, the spiritual world has to catch up immediately.

Now, just take a look at the picture!

The two of them picked up the small bag again and looked at it. The only difference between the small bag and the medium bag was the size and the area of ​​the patchwork. The small bag only had two pieces, while the medium bag had four. The straps were also made of two colors, and the colors were bold and complementary. It was so eye-catching that you would notice it at a glance when walking in a crowd.

The more I watch it, the more I love it. Why is it so likable?

"Oh, Meizi, look, this red color is sewn on. I thought it was painted on. It's so special."

"Really..."

Although Xu Haizhou is not as enthusiastic as Li Hongjun when he shouts, he is actually quite eloquent and gives people a very reliable and trustworthy feeling. He sounds like an honest boss who would not cheat anyone.

Facts have proved that consumers also need trust. No matter what you do, as long as there is trust, the success rate will be greatly increased.

The two lesbians have already started to waver: "Can it be cheaper? If it's cheaper, we can each buy one, a total of two."

Xu Haizhou smiled and shook his head: "I don't bargain for small business. These are all made by my wife stitch by stitch. I can't bear to sell them at a low price."

The two female comrades were surprised: "Your wife? Purely handmade?"

Xu Haizhou: “Yes.”

Then he picked up two golden glass hairpins from the stall and said, "If you really like them, how about this? I'll give one to each of you as a favor. Next time you need my business, come and take care of it."

Whether they come or not is another matter. What is important is to make people feel that they have taken advantage of them, which is a skill that Xu Haizhou is always good at.

"Okay, boss, you are quite honest." This glass hairpin is very popular recently. I thought that my niece at home would definitely like it.

"Okay, six bucks is fine." Don't miss out on a good deal.

Now, without any hesitation, the two lesbians paid, one for a small bag and the other for a medium bag, and left happily with the gift glass hairpins.

In just one morning, four out of the six bags were sold, two for six dollars and two for eight dollars, for a total profit of twenty-eight... Even if the costs were deducted, the loss would be minimal, and the net profit would be at least twenty dollars.

Xu Haizhou put the money in his pocket and turned around to meet the sour eyes of Li Hongjun.

"My worn-out socks have not been opened since this morning." Seeing Xu Haizhou collecting money till his hands were tired, Li Hongjun felt itchy!

After all, socks are not consumable items. Nowadays, many people wear a pair of socks for three or four years. If there are holes in them, they are sewn up. Isn't this normal?

Bags are different. Women can’t help but buy this kind of thing that is carried outside even if they already have a bag. Women’s psychology is very controlled!

"Tsk, I say my sister-in-law is really a walking business opportunity. Last time she sold flip-top gloves, this time she sold whole bags, and they sell like hot cakes every time. Tell me what your wife is going to do next time, and I'll beat you to it!"

Xu Haizhou's eyebrows curved, and he was quite proud: "It's no use telling you, my wife designed them all herself."

Li Hongjun: “…”

Well, they start showing affection again.

However, when I looked at Xu Haizhou, an idea began to waver in my heart.

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