Qian Yu's divorce was settled, and Qian Qing also sold all the fabrics smoothly, using less than 3,000 yuan for capital turnover. Seven hundred pieces of fabric, each piece costing 40 yuan, ended up with nearly 30,000 yuan. After Qian Yu had some money in hand, he paid off the money he owed to Yang Cheng, and even called the stall owner Bai Ping to thank him.
Bai Ping's voice on the phone was very surprised: "You sold out the overstocked goods so quickly?"
It's only been a few days? Can the remaining three thousand yuan be paid in less than a month?
"No, Sister Bai, I just have some extra money, so I'm rushing to pay you. How's your business going recently? Has Yangcheng started making samples for spring clothes?"
Bai Ping admired this young woman who dared to take over all the backlog of goods. When she first came, she couldn't even make up the 6,000 yuan payment. Now she can make up the money in just a few days, which shows her great ability. And she came to pay the money as soon as she had some money, which shows her good character.
"It's still a few days away, but people are already clearing out their winter clothes here. We'll have to choose a style after this period."
Qian Qing also thinks highly of Bai Ping, saying that she is a good judge of herself and courageous. In business, there should be give and take, and mutual trust is the key to long-term success.
"Sister Bai, I have something to ask you. Do you mind?"
"I may not go south this winter. If there are any new clothes and accessories over there, how about you send me some samples? Also, Yangcheng is closer to Hong Kong Island. If you can collect Hong Kong Island pictorials over there, Or magazines, just collect some and send them to me. It’s easy to talk about the money. I’ll pay you an extra two hundred yuan this time, and I’ll make up for it later if it’s not enough.”
Two hundred is definitely too much, but she really can't spare the time now, and the weather is cold. If Ding Jie is left alone to guard it just to get some samples, it won't be very cost-effective.
Bai Ping's hearty laughter came through the microphone: "This is just a small matter, don't worry, I will send you the ones I like when I am selecting them. Xiao Qian, I think you will become rich sooner or later, don't forget me when the time comes."
Qian Qing, now debt-free, also smiled and said, "Thank you for your good words. Let's make a fortune together!"
After hanging up the phone, Qian Qing went to the tailor shop she often went to to check on the progress of the clothing alterations. Since she came back, she sorted out the accumulated clothes every day, looking at how to alter and match each one, and sent them to the tailor shop when she had ten pieces. After such a long process, half of the clothes on hand have been altered.
The tailor shop was located outside the oil field. Although Qian Qing felt it was inconvenient to travel such a long distance every time, she often visited Song's Tailor Shop. She had visited other tailor shops in the oil field and found that their skills were not as good as Song's.
The owner of Song's Tailor Shop is an elderly woman with good skills. She has been slowly passing on her skills to her daughter over the years. On weekdays when there are no regular customers, she sits in the shop, watching over the stall and drinking tea.
Although she is old, it does not bother her to dress up. She often wears cheongsam and still has a graceful figure even in her fifties.
As soon as he saw Qian Qing coming, Boss Song came over to greet her.
Qian Qing looked like she was watching a foreign spectacle: "Sister Song, did you perm your hair?"
Boss Song was wearing a fur collared top with open sleeves and a long skirt. Her hair was curled and draped over her shoulders. Although she was not young anymore and had crow's feet around her eyes, she looked quite elegant after dressing like this.
Boss Song liked Qian Qing to come. When Qian Qing first came to the tailor shop, she was only 11 or 12 years old. She was so young that she was called Sister Song, which was very different from others who always called her Aunt Song. Not to mention that Qian Qing is still her big customer. Every time she comes to talk to her about the details of the pattern and color of the clothes, she is very knowledgeable. The two of them can be said to be close friends regardless of age.
"Isn't there a young man in the city who just opened a haircut shop? There's a round plate inside, and you can curl your hair and hang it up to perm it! Here, do you think my perm looks good?"
Qian Qing looked around and said, "Your craftsmanship is quite good. How much is it?"
Sister Song made a gesture, and Qian Qing suddenly felt a little painful: "Just for a hot iron like this, it costs twenty yuan?"
"Of course not. You are curling your hair at home with a pair of tongs. When people perm their hair, it won't get burnt except at the ends. I see your hair is quite long. I'll give you an address. Why don't you go get it permed to keep up with the trend?"
Qian Qing became interested: "Then I'll go and have a look before the New Year. It's just right for getting a perm during the New Year, and it'll be a new look."
Fashion is something that if you don't keep up, you will fall behind.
"Have the clothes I sent in a few days ago been altered?"
Sister Song went into the house and brought out a pile of clothes: "After altering these pieces, there are two more pieces that need to be re-buttoned and re-sewn. I guess they will have to wait until the day after tomorrow."
Qian Yu looked through the altered clothes. One of them was a long coat. It was fine in other places except that the waist line was not neat and the whole coat was too wide. Qian Qing simply altered the waistline of the coat and added a belt in the middle. With this modification, the coat that originally looked ordinary now looked like a foreign product sold in a friendship store.
Sister Song also liked the coat, and when she saw Qian Qing spread out the coat, she couldn't take her eyes off it: "Xiao Qing, how much are you going to sell it for?"
Qian Yu hadn't really thought this through. The cost of purchasing this batch of goods was not much, but the cost of altering the clothes was quite high. On average, each piece cost at least two or three yuan.
"Sister Song, what do you think? How much can this coat sell for?"
Sister Song licked her lips and looked away with difficulty: "It's hard for me to say, but there was a piece of clothing that was almost the same length as this one that was sent to me for repair before. I heard from the customer that she spent more than 80 yuan on it. Yours is better looking, it can't be cheaper."
Qian Qing also had some ideas in mind. This batch of winter clothes could not be sold cheaply. The fabrics of this batch of clothes were not bad. Bai Ping also said that if there were no problems, the purchase price of these clothes would be 40 or 50 yuan, so the selling price would naturally be higher. Even if it could not reach 100 yuan, it could not be too far off.
The most important thing when buying something is to see who you are selling it to. Qian Qing knew very well when she was selling cloth that she was going to sell it to people from the countryside. Old coarse cloth also has a market in the city, but people's lives have improved a little in recent years, and many people within their means no longer value old coarse cloth. That's why she didn't choose to sell it at a small stall in the oil field, but to sell it in large quantities in the town.
Clothes are different. This time Qian Qing is targeting the young girls and wives working in the oil fields, like Chen Xinran, who do not have a heavy family burden, have a certain amount of economic strength, and pursue fashionable styles.
If you sell it at a low price targeting these people, no one will buy it.
"Then sell it for 100."
This piece of clothing is the one Qian Qing is most satisfied with. It is a dark green coat, but unlike other coats, it is not waistless and bulky. A pleated leather belt brightens up the whole coat, giving it a casual and good-looking look.
Sister Song didn't think it was expensive at all. Instead, she agreed, "This price is acceptable, and the material is good. It will definitely sell well."
Qian Qing chatted with Sister Song for a few more sentences before taking her clothes back to the oil field.
She has already modified nearly a hundred items from the inventory at home, which is enough for her to open a business and maintain its presence.
Qian's mother's chili sauce business has also been gaining popularity. Qian Yu just got divorced, and the whole family is very concerned about Qian Qian's condition. Qian's mother simply stopped setting up a stall. She just made a pot of brine at home every day and sold it at noon and evening. She didn't rush out to set up a stall at night.
Qian Qing put her clothes back home and went to eat as if she knew the place well. Then she saw her father sitting in the main room with a stiff face.
Qian Qing: …
It was natural for her father to be angry. She took her sister to do business, and her sister came back to get a divorce. After the divorce, she went straight to open a factory... When you count everything, it seems that Father Qian has been forgotten, and no one has consulted his opinions.
Even something as big as Qian Yu's divorce was not told to him until Qian Yu received his divorce certificate.
Father Qian has taken a few days off recently and has been coming to Mother Qian's place to "sit in silence" every day, just to ask Mother Qian where Qian Yu is. He is determined to pick out this unfilial daughter and give her a good beating!
Qian's mother turned a deaf ear to Qian Qing's request. As soon as she saw Qian Qing coming, she called for dinner. The weather was cold, so Qian's mother liked to make some soup. Today she made a copper hot pot. The old-fashioned hot pot was filled with various vegetables, dried tofu, and roasted meat. The base was made of big bone soup, which was bubbling with steam. It was also served with screw-shaped pancakes that Qian's mother made in the oven for roasting sweet potatoes. The hot air hit the window, leaving a trail of white steam. The warm pot in the house made autumn even more lovely.
Mr. Qian looked unhappy, but he didn't hesitate at all to pick up the meat with his chopsticks.
Only after he had eaten well did he start to complain about Qian Yu to Qian Qing. He couldn't find anyone to criticize Qian's mother. For every word he said, Qian's mother would say three words back to him, making him feel angry for no reason.
"Where is your sister now? She's divorced and she's not home yet. Why is she running around?"
Qian Qing finished eating the pancake and was enjoying the soup she had scooped out. She said casually, "Didn't they say my sister went to open a factory? She's busy right now and can't come back."
Father Qian's anger over the past few days has been worn away again and again, and now he is actually a little helpless.
"She's already gone, can I still eat her? What's the point of just letting her hide outside without a home to return to?"
What about opening a factory? He knew his eldest daughter's education level, how could she open a factory? He was indeed angry, but it was already like this, what could he do? Tie up his eldest daughter and send her back to the Huang family? Not to mention Qian Yu was unwilling, Qian's father was also holding back his anger in his heart. Just hearing his wife talk about what Huang Sanping did, he wanted to go to his former son-in-law's house and beat him up.
The son-in-law was a hopeless person and the daughter was stubborn, so she left without saying a word.
The most outrageous thing was that his wife and little daughter did not tell him a word until they had received their divorce papers.
Qian Qing pouted in her heart. She knew her father's temper and didn't let Qian's mother go back and tell her. Her sister's divorce was already difficult. Although her sister looked like a strong person, she actually valued her family the most. What if Qian's father said something nonsense and made her sister uneasy and upset?
We have to wait until the dust settles. Even if Father Qian wants to intervene, he can't.
"Dad, why don't you sell your job? You see, what you earn in a month is not as much as what my mom earns in a day."
Father Qian: ...
This sudden and heartbreaking feeling.
Qian's mother sneered and took out the steamed egg custard from the pot: "Your father is an honorable worker, so he would look down on my small business, right?"