Since Wang Shouren's materials were retrieved.
People kept coming to her door. This made Qin Jingru so preoccupied that she lost all interest in dealing with her own affairs.
It takes quite a long time each day just to receive people.
"Alright, you go ahead and get busy. I'll just have to attend a meeting these next few days, that should be enough."
Wang Shouren knew perfectly well what those old men and women were doing there.
But once this matter is finalized, it's not up to Wang Shouren to decide.
There's still a meeting to attend. Sure enough, he just got back and immediately received a notice that there's a meeting tomorrow.
In fact, the meeting notice had already been sent out long ago.
However, some people are quite far away and need some time to come back. It's clear that it will be another fierce and intense battle.
How did you know I had to go to a meeting?
“This matter is quite serious, so don’t ask about it. By the way, where is Xirou?” Wang Shouren asked.
"She went out to run some business." Qin Jingru pouted. "She went with Sister Lou."
“That’s suitable too.” Wang Shouren nodded.
————
Wang Xirou had lived for over 20 years, and this was the first time she had truly witnessed what buying and selling things was like.
In fact, there are many small stalls and vendors in Beijing, but she never buys things from them.
Wang Xirou's life since childhood wasn't exactly luxurious, but she had never actually been to such a chaotic place before.
For someone born in the 1960s, going to the market was a novel and unusual experience.
She looked around curiously at the vendors selling their wares, from those setting up stalls on the street to those hawking their wares inside shops. By 1988, quite a few shops had already sprung up in Beijing.
As Lou Xiao'e led her along, she said, "Our country's commerce has only really taken off in the last few years. Back in 1978, when they talked about opening up, the first place to open up was the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. You should have read about that in your books. Let's go ask about the prices."
Lou Xiao'e led Wang Xirou to a small stall.
The stall was filled with a wide variety of clothes, including the latest trendy jeans, suits, and leather jackets, creating a chaotic mess.
The stall owner was a woman in her forties. When she saw Lou Xiao'e, her eyes lit up: "Sister, come, come, take a look at these clothes. Tell me which one you like, and I'll give you a good price. Don't worry, they're all imported from Hong Kong. They're genuine foreign goods. Wearing them out will make you look good."
Wang Xirou opened her mouth, looking at the pile of clothes, she didn't know what to say. She didn't believe a word of these "genuine foreign goods." The label on those jeans was written in simplified Chinese characters.
"How much are these pants?" Lou Xiao'e asked with a smile as she squatted down, picked up a pair of pants, and asked.
"Hey, young lady, you have great taste! Buy these for your sister. These pants aren't expensive; they were originally 380 yuan, but I have other things to do today, so I'll give you a discount to 360 yuan, okay?"
Wang Xirou: ……
I've learned something new!
Good grief, 380 yuan for a pair of pants? They really have no shame at all.
She couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to open the door and give him a good scolding.
Although she doesn't often shop outside, and even though she's seen clothes costing several thousand or tens of thousands of yuan in France, she's not unaware of the prices in China. Normally, if you're seriously buying an outfit, the price varies greatly, from as low as twenty or thirty yuan to as high as a hundred yuan.
But if you're talking about more than a hundred yuan, then there aren't many.
Unless it's something like an expensive fur coat, it's simply impossible.
As for clothes made of chemical fabric, 300 yuan is even more outrageous.
“30,” Lou Xiao’e said with a smile.
“Hey girl, what did you say? 30! I can’t even get it for 30 at cost price, no way, no way.”
"Then I'm leaving." Lou Xiao'e put down her pants, turned around and left without the slightest hesitation, pulling Wang Xirou along with her.
"Hey, wait a minute! Sister! I'm selling at a loss, I'll open my shop!"
Wang Xirou: ……
Wow, this is truly eye-opening. Have they no shame whatsoever? Selling something that costs 30 yuan for 380 yuan?
Wang Xirou truly witnessed what talent was!
Lou Xiao'e paid with a smile, then pulled Wang Xirou away.
As we walked, he said to her, "Take a look."
"What's so interesting about this?" Wang Xirou didn't quite understand. These pants were a classic mishmash, imitating the style of Hong Kong, but not quite right. It was more like a copy, but it was still lacking. They looked like they were handmade.
"Most of these people make their clothes by hand. They find ways to get some flawed fabrics and then make them themselves on looms. There are a lot of flawed fabrics in the south."
Defective products are a characteristic of this era.
Initially, the supply and marketing cooperative had certain standards for inspecting goods, and some defective goods would be rejected. These were then consumed by their own employees. Because of this, the number of defective products increased, and eventually, a colon was added to the term "defective products." Were textile factories really unable to survive in those days?
Actually, no.
If they could just source clothes from Hong Kong and ship them according to those styles, they would still have a strong competitive edge in the market. It's just that nobody wants to do it. Those who know, know.
"Most of the goods in the market now are sourced from the south. For example, the price of each pair of pants I have here ranges from about 20 yuan to about 10 yuan."
"So she only earns a few dollars?" Wang Xirou asked.
"No. She didn't get her goods from the south. You know Kui Datou, right?"
"I know, Uncle Big Head."
"After 1976, they did these things, but back then, if you got caught doing this, you'd be shot. They sourced goods from the south, but they never sold them themselves. They had many underlings who would help them sell them. At first, they would pay upfront, and the underlings would get a commission after selling the goods. Later, they stopped participating. They would just pay whatever amount was due when they got the goods from them, and they would make whatever they earned."
"That vendor was at the very end of the chain, and they get their goods at a relatively high price. However, if they work hard, they can earn a few hundred yuan a month."
"If she had sold it to me for 380, I would have bought it and she would have made 300," Wang Xirou couldn't help but complain.
Lou Xiao'e said with a smile, "This kind of thing really happened before."
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