"Great! I heard that Wangfujing used to be where high-ranking officials and nobles lived. I've been in the capital for over a month and haven't been anywhere yet!"
While others went to Beijing, they would climb the Great Wall, watch the flag-raising ceremony, visit the Forbidden City, and go to the Summer Palace. But she was thinking about her exams and didn't visit any of these famous sites!
As Ji Xia spoke, she naturally took Chen Jing's hand. Chen Jing immediately felt proud and his expression became more smug.
He lowered his head with satisfaction and chuckled softly, "Now that the exams are finally over, I can wander around. Anyone want to go somewhere? Wangfujing, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, where do you want to go?"
Ji Xia raised an eyebrow: "Since you have time, why not go and take a look?"
Wangfujing truly deserves its reputation as China's premier commercial street. The largest department store in Beijing, Wangfujing Department Store, is located here, as are most of the century-old shops.
In addition to being the number one commercial street in China, this place also houses national-level organizations such as the People's Daily, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Writers Association, forming a cultural center.
Centered around large-scale commercial facilities, and supplemented by cultural, educational, health, hotel, tourism and citizen entertainment facilities, it forms the largest and most comprehensive urban public space.
Along the long street lined with numerous upscale shops, the small stalls under the shade of trees on both sides add a touch of everyday life to the area.
The stalls selling tea eggs, braised pork offal, and roasted pork buns were surrounded by customers, a row of children squatted beside the goldfish tank, and the flower and herb stalls were filled with the fragrance of flowers. Occasionally, a few little girls could be heard exclaiming in surprise, "These are orchids—"
The three of them walked around and found that four new clothing stalls had appeared at the end of the long street.
There were two small stalls selling sweaters and children's clothes, but there weren't many customers.
Ji Xia circled the stall, touched the fabric, and then an older woman with a thick accent greeted her with a smile.
Ji Xia smiled apologetically at her, shook her head, and hurried away.
The style has remained unchanged for a century, and the yarn is stiff and rough. This kind of style would be more competitive in rural markets or labor markets, but selling these in a place like the capital would obviously not attract many people.
Meanwhile, four or five slender young girls completely surrounded the two-meter-long stalls next to the other two stalls.
Chen Jing stood not far away with Ji Xia. When they saw the girls in front of the stall, Chen Jing smiled smugly at Chen Xing.
"How popular are our new designs? Just look at these young girls."
Chen Xing rubbed his temples, watching as Wang Yuan and the other thugs transformed into charming and shrewd waiters, beaming as they recommended products to the girls, showering them with compliments and seizing the opportunity to close the deal when the customers were interested.
If Chen Xing hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would hardly have believed that this group of people were once troublemakers.
Of course, after more than half a month, the young people who had made money had a completely different demeanor and image than before.
Chen Xing listened and watched attentively, and after a while asked, "Brother Chen, are all your goods this popular?"
Chen Jing raised an eyebrow: "What do you think? We brought twenty-three styles this time, over a thousand pieces, and they sold out in just half a month!"
With over 600 items and earning five yuan per item, this group earned 3,000 yuan in half a month, enough to open two small stalls.
Ji Xia looked around for a while, then shifted her gaze to the shops on both sides of the long street.
She knew that this place, both now and in the future, was the most prosperous center of the capital.
If you could get one or two shops in Wangfujing, it would definitely be enough to support three generations.
Besides Wangfujing, there are also streets like Xiushui Street and Xidan Market.
In later generations, let alone buying a shop in Wangfujing or Xiushui Street, even buying a house in the Olympic Village would cost as much as 100,000 yuan per square meter.
Right now, some say this is the most difficult time, while others say it's the best of times.
But no matter what, this is the time when you have the best chance to snag a bargain.
It might be a bit difficult to buy a shop in Wangfujing. I heard that Xiushui Street was only established last year. If you come to Beijing, you should at least buy two shops.
If she has a shop in Beijing, her plan to establish a well-known domestic brand can begin sooner.
Even if it's not a specialty store, it should still aim to make her designs high-end.
High-end brands and mass-market brands are separated and developed in two directions.
The new brand, logo, and style will all need to be changed.
As she was clearing her mind, her wrist suddenly tightened. She looked up suspiciously and met Chen Jing's concerned gaze.
"What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"
Ji Xia shook his head and looked behind him; he had already left that group of people behind.
"Have you finished your business?"
"We've finished talking. I have an idea, but I need to discuss it with you first."
Chen Jing's eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation. Ji Xia raised an eyebrow: "What are you discussing?"
Let's discuss when to go back.
Chen Jing put his arm around her shoulder and led her aside: "What I mean is, since you just finished your exams, why don't we stay a little longer?"
"While you wait for the school to release the results, I'll expand the sales network and discuss with my second brother and Qiuyu about sending another batch of goods over."
Ji Xia smiled calmly upon hearing this: "Of course, no problem. In fact, I'd like to stay for another month or two. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
"So we really are a match made in heaven, with a telepathic connection."
Chen Jing laughed heartily, in a cheerful mood: "Let's go, want to go to the department store?"
Wangfujing Department Store truly deserves its reputation as the largest and most comprehensive department store in China, rivaling even the all-encompassing supermarkets of later generations.
Ji Xia and Chen Jing spent half a day slowly wandering around the first, second, and third floors, browsing through food, household goods, clothing, and fabrics.
Of course, since we don't plan to go back right away, there's no need to buy any gifts or souvenirs for the time being. I just bought two boxes of pea flour cakes and donkey rolls to try when I get back.
As for the "Eight Treasures of Beijing," Ji Xia glanced at them and decided to buy a few more boxes as gifts when she left.
The clothing and fabrics in Wangfujing look much more upscale, but the styles are mostly classic, sourced from Shanghai No. 1 Wool Factory, of superior quality, and in colors such as dark red, navy blue, and deep blue. The men's and women's styles look almost identical.
The prices are similar to those of the wool sweater series designed by Ji Xia, with the regular ones costing 38 yuan and the mercerized wool sweaters costing 48 yuan.
Besides sweaters, there are also coats, thick cotton coats that don't care about the cut or waistline.
Those cashmere long coats were probably the ones she liked best; they were new styles from Shanghai. A young woman with an elegant demeanor tried them on for a few minutes, and they looked quite nice.
Of course, the price was also quite attractive, 168 yuan, and the girl bought it without even blinking.
The living standards of the people in the capital were better than she had imagined, so it seemed that opening a boutique to sell high-end fashion was feasible.
After getting a general idea of the mid-range prices and styles, she happily took Chen Jing's hand and carried two boxes of pastries home.
As they walked out of the department store, she took Chen Jing's arm and pointed to the buildings on both sides: "I want to buy a few shops in Beijing, especially in Wangfujing. Jing, do you have any connections in Beijing?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
