9. Doing Business
◎It confuses people so much that they can’t find their way◎
Song Shixi knew that everything was difficult at the beginning, but she still felt a little anxious. Wu Qiuhong beside her was even more anxious than her.
"Shixi, what should we do? If we can't sell it, your ten dollars will be wasted!"
"There are fewer people in the morning, so wait a little longer..." The fact that someone asked meant that her stuff was good.
At this moment, Deng Cuixia, the owner of a stationery stall nearby, saw the opportunity and ran over. She smiled and asked, "Girl, I think your clothes are nice. Where did you get them from?"
The two stalls were close to each other, and he could hear every conversation. Song Shixi didn't believe that she didn't know that she was selling second-hand clothes, so he insisted on asking more questions, either to find a topic to talk about or to have other ideas in mind.
Song Shixi rolled her eyes, her lips curved, and a shallow dimple appeared on her cheek. She was charming with a hint of playfulness. She raised her voice and said, "This is not some cheap item from a street stall. I bought it in the largest department store in Beijing. I only wore it once or twice, and now I want to sell it to someone who is interested. Do you want to buy one?"
It's always right to call her "sister" first. Sure enough, when she heard her words, Deng Cuixia laughed out loud, "Oh, I should be more than ten years older than you, so I can call you aunt."
"Is this true?"
Song Shixi covered her mouth exaggeratedly and said in surprise: "Sister, if you don't tell me, who can tell? You look like you are in your twenties."
These words made Deng Cuixia smile, but she did not forget the main business. She reached out and touched a burgundy top hanging on the rack. The material had a good gloss and a delicate feel, and it was obviously a high-quality product.
"Did you really buy this dress at a department store? How much did it cost?"
In a few days, her mother-in-law will be having her 60th birthday, and all kinds of relatives will be coming. She wants to buy something to show off, but she thinks the prices in the mall are too expensive, so she is reluctant to buy it and has been hesitating at home for several days.
This morning I saw a stall selling clothes next to me. Although they were second-hand clothes, they looked good, so I kept watching. Just now I heard the conversation between two little girls, so I hurried over, wanting to take the opportunity to bargain.
"Yeah, why would I lie to you? I'm an honest person, otherwise I wouldn't have told you clearly that this is what I wore, right?"
"That's true." Deng Cuixia nodded.
Song Shixi continued, "Sister, you look very knowledgeable. Feel it. It's made of top-quality material. And the stitching is so fine and neat. I bought it for over thirty dollars, but now it's on sale, so I'll give it to you for fifteen dollars."
As she spoke, she moved the shirt that Deng Cuixia liked closer to her.
“It’s really good.”
Deng Cuixia murmured subconsciously, but quickly realized she had said the wrong thing and immediately corrected herself, "But after all, this is something you've worn. It's old and worthless. Look, you haven't opened your shop all morning because you set the price too high."
"Well, it's not easy for you two girls to run around. I'll give you five dollars. If you sell it, I'll buy it. I'll just take care of your business."
It turns out that in the end, it’s all about finding faults so that you can bargain.
This is human nature, and Song Shixi had already prepared himself mentally for a price cut. But even if he wanted to cut the price, he couldn't do it so outrageously all at once, right?
But no matter what, the other party is a customer, and Song Shixi has no reason to push people away. Besides, the two of them are half-neighbors. If they maintain a good relationship, it will be more convenient to do business in the future.
Thinking of this, Song Shixi shook her head awkwardly and said, "Sister, I really can't sell it for five dollars, but if you really want to buy it, I'll give you a hairpin. Look, this one goes perfectly with this dress. I sell this hairpin for fifty cents."
As she spoke, she picked out a hairpin in the same color as her top. Without waiting for Deng Cuixia to speak, she continued, "This dress has such a unique and bright color. It makes your skin look whiter, not darker. When you put it on and stand in a crowd, you'll be the first person people notice. Plus, there are some wavy pleats at the waist, which slims down your waist and doesn't make you look fatter. It'll definitely look good on you."
"And just think about it, if you wear this dress with black trousers or a long skirt, and put your hair up with this hairpin, it will look so elegant and fashionable. Whether you're setting up a stall or visiting relatives, you'll look great."
These words really touched Deng Cuixia's heart. She couldn't help but imagine the scene in her mind and felt a little elated.
In fact, she knew that the price was not expensive at all considering the clothes, but she was still a little hesitant, wondering if she could bargain further.
Seeing her hesitation, Song Shixi used his trump card, "How about this, I'll do your hair for free, and you can take this dress and look at it in the mirror. If you like it, you can buy it. If you don't, that's fine too."
"You can also braid hair?" Deng Cuixia's eyes lit up, and her gaze could not help but fall on Song Shixi's exquisite and special braids. Her heart was moved, "Then you try it for me."
It's free anyway, and it doesn't cost money to try it.
Song Shixi immediately took out the wooden comb that he had prepared long ago, and handed the small round mirror to Deng Cuixia, "Come and sit here, there is a stool."
This stool was moved from the dormitory by Wu Qiuhong.
"good."
Song Shixi is deft and finished the braid in just a few strokes. Nowadays, everyone has thick hair, so just a few adjustments after braiding it can create a fluffy and face-smallening atmosphere.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Song Shixi pinned the hairpin above Deng Cuixia's temples, then took the clothes and placed them on her chest to test them. "How about it? It looks very feminine."
It’s true!
In order to avoid getting dirty when she was selling things at the stall, she usually wore old clothes. The colors were dull and she looked gray and lifeless. She looked several years older. But now, after changing her clothes and her style, she realized that she could be so beautiful.
Deng Cuixia looked at herself in the mirror, who seemed to have been completely transformed, and her heart beat faster and faster.
At this moment, several female stall owners nearby who were on good terms with her also came over and started talking about it.
They had wanted to come over a long time ago, but since no one took the lead, they held back. Until they saw Song Shixi braiding Deng Cuixia's hair, they thought Deng Cuixia had bought clothes, and finally they couldn't wait any longer and ran over.
"Cuixia, did you buy this dress? How much did it cost? It's really beautiful and brightens my complexion."
"If you wear this back, won't your wife be completely lost?"
"Not only am I lost, I don't even know where to go!"
The last sentence made everyone blush and scolded her for being old and shameless.
But after some people have experienced it, their minds begin to move. When people reach middle age, although life is bound to become more and more dull, who doesn't want more excitement and color between husband and wife?
Thinking of this, one of the aunts squeezed through the people next to her, came up to Song Shixi, and asked, "Little girl, do you still have this dress? Give me one that's exactly the same."
Song Shixi had been listening quietly at the side without interrupting. When he heard someone ask, he was about to speak when Deng Cuixia interrupted him, "I want this one, pack it for me."
"Hey, you haven't paid yet? Then I..."
"I got here first, you go get in line." Deng Cuixia didn't care what she said. She grabbed the dress and wouldn't let go. She was afraid that Song Shixi would sell it to someone else, so she immediately said, "Sister, I'm going back to get the money now. You have to keep it for me."
"Okay."
The smile on Song Shixi's face grew deeper and deeper. He handed the clothes to Wu Qiuhong and asked her to pack them. By packing, he meant putting the clothes into the various shopping bags that Song Shixi had looted from the original owner's room.
Seeing that Song Shixi agreed, Deng Cuixia hurried to her stall, fearing that if she paid a second late, the duck in her mouth would fly away.
"Do you have any more? I want to buy some."
"Everyone in our family only has one piece of clothing, but I can recommend suitable clothes based on each person's characteristics so that everyone can look beautiful." Song Shixi said softly with a smile on her face.
"That's fine. If it doesn't look good, I won't buy it."
"good."
The fighting spirit of these stall owners was overwhelming, allowing Song Shixi to place several orders before noon. Two of them were unable to buy their items because their sizes were not suitable, but they still allowed Song Shixi to braid their hair and buy a hairpin to join in the fun.
In fact, the original owner was thin and her clothes were small, but because that era was relatively conservative, clothes were loose. Moreover, the original owner had just come from the countryside and still had a frugal mindset. In order to wear them for a few more years, she would order one or even two sizes larger when buying clothes, so most people could still wear her clothes.
Looking at the money in the cross-body bag, Song Shixi felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart. Seeing that there was no one at the stall, she asked Wu Qiuhong to watch it while she went to other stalls to buy lunch.
When it’s lunch break at school, there will definitely be a lot of people coming out shopping. I’ll be busy then, so I have to replenish my energy in advance.
There are all kinds of delicious food on the street. After the opening, many people from the south came here to accompany their children to study and started business. Song Shixi saw someone selling cross-bridge rice noodles and bought two bowls.
"Qiuhong, you've worked hard. Are you hungry? Eat quickly!"
Afraid that the smell would get on his clothes, Song Shixi didn't dare put the bowl on the stall. He used a bench as a makeshift table and ate while squatting on the ground.
"No, I'll just go to the cafeteria and eat later. Besides, I didn't do anything, so it's not hard at all."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qiuhong waved her hands repeatedly. She didn't expect that Song Shixi would say that he would buy hers as well when buying lunch. She had eaten so many of her delicious food yesterday, and she would feel bad if she ate it again today.
Moreover, she had never done business before, and her eloquence was not as good as Song Shixi's. She just stood there for the whole morning. She only helped pack clothes when Song Shixi was busy. It can be said that she did not provide much help.
Seeing this, Song Shixi could guess what Wu Qiuhong was thinking with her feet, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She regarded Wu Qiuhong as a friend, so she wanted to be nicer to her to the best of her ability, without any other purpose, but she ignored Wu Qiuhong's feelings.
Wu Qiuhong is a righteous person and doesn't like to take advantage of others. Every time she does a favor to her, the pressure in her heart will increase. Once or twice, she can repay her by doing things for her, but if it happens too many times, it becomes a burden for Wu Qiuhong.
In addition, the two of them had only been "reconciled" for a short time, which put her under even greater pressure. Ultimately, the problems arose because they were not equal in material conditions and had different ideas.
If this continues, the relationship between the two will definitely be affected.
【Author’s words】
Good evening [scatter flowers]
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