Chapter Forty-Three
Ji Wanmei got up very early the next morning.
When she got up, her father, Ji Xingguo, had also just gotten up and was washing up in the bathroom.
The father and daughter are usually too lazy to make breakfast, so they buy it from the breakfast stalls outside the compound.
Right on both sides of the courtyard entrance, there are many vendors selling soy milk and fried dough sticks, as well as tofu pudding, congee, pancakes, sesame balls, and other snacks, which are cheap and delicious.
Fried dough sticks cost five cents each, porridge cost five cents a bowl, egg pancakes were a little more expensive at ten cents each, and meat-filled pancakes cost twenty cents each.
Moreover, the oil used for frying dough sticks and making pancakes is still natural rapeseed oil, unlike the genetically modified blended oils that are so common decades later.
Cut the dough that has risen overnight into thin strips, stretch them into long strips, and fry them in a pan until they are golden brown and crispy, still piping hot – they taste especially delicious.
You can usually get a full meal for just two or three cents, and there are many different kinds of food.
The owners of those breakfast stalls usually live nearby. They push a small cart out to sell breakfast in the morning, from six to eight o'clock. After selling out, they can still make it back to work on time.
Ji Wanmei put two coins in her pocket and went out of the courtyard gate to buy breakfast.
She strolled around the breakfast stall and bought four fried dough sticks, two bowls of red bean porridge, and two egg pancakes, which was almost enough for her and Ji Xingguo to eat.
All of these things together only cost five or six cents.
When he bought breakfast, Ji Xingguo came out wearing his work suit.
"Meimei, why are you up so early today?" Ji Xingguo asked.
"Well, I was just planning to ask Chunyan to come with me to check out that store you mentioned yesterday. We'll leave early, because the sun will be very strong at noon."
Ji Wanmei loves beauty, and her skin is naturally fair. If she goes out to sunbathe in the midday sun all day, her skin will turn red when she comes back.
At that time, there were no expensive things like sunscreen available.
Ji Xingguo nodded and sat down to start eating breakfast.
Even middle-aged men have a large appetite. Ji Wanmei only ate one fried dough stick and one pancake while cooking porridge, and was full. The rest was eaten by Ji Xingguo.
After finishing his meal, he grabbed his briefcase and prepared to go to the factory. As he left, he said to Ji Wanmei, "When you go, go to the watch shop to find your Uncle Xu first. If anything happens, call Dad on the office landline."
Ji Wanmei smiled and nodded: "Alright, I know, Dad. You go to work now. Don't worry about me."
Ji Wanmei tidied up the table briefly and went inside to change her clothes.
She was wearing a light yellow three-quarter sleeve shirt today. The shirt had a ruffled collar, which was actually quite common. But the key was that Ji Wanmei had fair skin. Light yellow usually makes most people look darker, but on Ji Wanmei, it made her fair skin, black hair, red lips, and white teeth look even better. She looked absolutely stunning.
She also wore a white ankle-length skirt with a slightly flared hem that flowed gracefully as she walked.
She wore white socks and brown flats with Chinese knot buttons, and then tied her hair up in a high ponytail.
This combination is instantly eye-catching.
Far from being considered tacky, light yellow has a refined and elegant air reminiscent of a young lady from the Republican era.
Because she was planning to run errands today, she specially brought a small leather bag.
The small leather bag is maroon in color, and the print and metal buckle are of very good quality. In this era, leather bags were almost all handmade by workers in leather factories, so the quality was excellent. You could buy a genuine leather bag and use it for several years without it breaking.
After Ji Wanmei finished tidying up, she locked the door with her key and went to another building in the compound to find Luo Chunyan.
It's still early, so Luo Chunyan probably hasn't left home yet.
Ji Wanmei called out twice from downstairs, and Luo Chunyan leaned half her body out from the third-floor balcony and replied, "Meimei."
"Chunyan, are you free today?"
Luo Chunyan hesitated, perhaps because there were other people at home, and it wasn't appropriate to say certain things in front of them.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right down," Luo Chunyan said to Ji Wanmei.
Ji Wanmei waited downstairs for a while, and about five minutes later, Luo Chunyan came downstairs.
Upon seeing Ji Wanmei's retro-chic outfit, Luo Chunyan was once again amazed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Meimei, you've really grown more and more beautiful! I think you could be a movie star with that face!"
Every time Luo Chunyan saw Ji Wanmei, she would feel ashamed of herself.
There's no way around it, Ji Wanmei is just too beautiful.
There's really no way for a girl to stand next to her and compare.
If we're talking about height, Ji Wanmei is 1.65 meters tall. It's not that there aren't girls taller than her, but those tall girls often have larger frames and look quite robust, unlike Ji Wanmei who is slender and graceful. If we're talking about girls who are even smaller than her, there are many more, but which of those girls doesn't work hard often? Their hands are rough, and even their skin is tanned dark yellow.
No girl can compare to Ji Wanmei, who possesses a great figure, beautiful features, fair skin, a curvy figure, a slender figure, an air of sophistication and good upbringing, and a great sense of style.
Any girl who sees her will feel inferior.
Ji Wanmei simply smiled and said, "I don't have the talent to be a movie star."
"I came to see you today because my dad asked someone in the county to find a storefront for us. I asked about the price, and the transfer fee they're asking for is quite high, but I haven't gone to see the location and size of the storefront yet. If you're free today, how about we go take a look together?"
Luo Chunyan clutched the hem of her dress and said with difficulty, "Meimei, I talked to my mother about opening a general store, but she doesn't agree."
“You know our family situation. I have two younger siblings. It’s quite difficult for my family to support my mom and the rest of us through school. My parents hope I can find a factory job as soon as possible. As for opening a shop, my parents definitely won’t give me the few hundred yuan I need for the investment.”
Ji Wanmei had actually guessed that this would be the outcome.
She smiled and said, "It's alright, Chunyan'er. I've already told my father, and he supports me."
"And I also told him that I would be working with you. If you can't come up with the initial investment, then I'll provide it. I'll hire you as my store manager, responsible for running the store and its operations, and I'll pay you the same salary as in the factory, plus sales commission. What do you think?"
Luo Chunyan was taken aback.
She didn't pay any money, yet Ji Wanmei was still willing to hire her as the store manager?
Not only do they pay her a salary, but they also give her a commission.
You know, if a grocery store is doing well, the monthly turnover can be quite substantial.
All things considered, it's definitely higher than the factory wage!
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