Chapter 175
Xia Qingtang almost shouted out along with Director Ji, because she had originally prepared herself for further questioning or outright rejection. But who would have thought that this old-fashioned-looking general manager simply asked her two questions and decided to place an order with her!
Who dares to believe this?
Seeing that Director Ji's eyes were about to pop out, the general manager looked into his eyes and said calmly, "Any questions?"
"Problem? That's a big problem... General Manager, do you really think there is no problem with these clothes?" Director Ji said at a loss.
To be honest, he didn't think the clothes Xia Qingtang brought could impress the general manager, nor did he think that the customers who frequently visited the department store would like these novel clothes. The colorful appearance was not suitable for the status of cadres at first glance. Who would spend so much money to buy such clothes?
He would bring Xia Qingtang to see the general manager, one reason being because he took Xie Jinxuan's face into consideration, and another reason was because he wanted to play a trick and make Xia Qingtang be directly rejected by the general manager. In this way, Xie Jinxuan could not blame him. If she had to blame someone, she would have to blame the general manager. Who would have thought that the general manager would actually place an order directly!
Is this a joke?
The general manager said, "I have seen these clothes. They are of excellent quality and meticulous workmanship. The threads at the stitches are well handled. It is obvious that the workers who produced these clothes are very attentive. In addition, these clothes are unique in style and colorful. We have rarely seen them before. Times are different now. I have heard many people say that young people and middle-aged people like to buy some bright and unique clothes. When I went to Shanghai, I saw that men, women, old and young on the street were indeed wearing much brighter clothes than we do here. I was originally thinking about when to introduce a batch of fashionable clothes like they do over there. It just so happened that Comrade Xia brought these fashionable clothes of excellent quality, and the purchase price she gave was quite suitable, so I thought we could give it a try."
Director Ji said, "General Manager, our department store has always followed the policies from above. Leaders from both the city and the province will come to inspect us... If the higher-ups see us selling these clothes, will there be any problems?"
"What could go wrong?" The general manager was calm and said, "Didn't a new style clothing store open on the street before? That store was interviewed by the newspaper. Is there any leader who hasn't seen it? I don't think there is anything wrong with them. The store has been running well until now, and the business is getting more and more popular."
Director Ji glanced at Xia Qingtang next to him awkwardly, and then whispered, "I forgot to introduce you just now. Comrade Xia is actually the actual owner of the Xinfeng Clothing Store."
This time, the general manager's calm expression changed slightly. She looked at Xia Qingtang with some surprise, and then said softly, "So you are the owner of Xinfeng Clothing Store. I thought that only a bold young man like you could come here to sell these clothes to me."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "General Manager, I am really brave, and I have achieved good results. I have a good eye, and the clothes I choose are popular with the masses. This summer, many people on the street are wearing clothes from our store. But correspondingly, my customers are mostly young people. Because of the style, it is difficult for middle-aged and elderly people to buy clothes that suit their taste in my store. In addition, our Xinfeng Clothing Store has many customers, and middle-aged and elderly people don't want to squeeze together with young people to try on clothes, so I brought these clothes to recommend to you. Your department store is large and has more space, and middle-aged and elderly people are more familiar with this place. I also hope that they can also wear beautiful and stylish new clothes, so I must let these clothes appear in your counter."
The general manager smiled and said, "What if I reject you today?"
"Then I will come again another day and bring more new styles of clothes to show to the general manager. I believe I will be able to impress the general manager." Xia Qingtang said.
She was very confident about the clothes she brought, and the purchase price she asked for was not high, cheaper than many clothes sold on the second and third floors of the department store.
This is also a strategy she adopted after research. Sometimes, even if it is only one cent cheaper, it can be very attractive.
Moreover, for her, she was just reselling the goods, and every penny she earned was net profit, so she would rather ask for a lower price and want to do long-term business with the department store.
"Haha, you are such a courageous young man." The general manager said, "I do like these clothes, but I am not sure they will sell. In this regard, we must take risks."
"Yes, yes, General Manager. What if we purchase the goods, put them on the shelves, but cannot sell them? Wouldn't that be terrible?" Director Ji suddenly interrupted.
Xia Qingtang immediately said, "I just told Director Ji that if the general manager is worried that the goods won't be sold, we can let you sell the first batch of goods first, and then pay me after they're sold out."
"Are you so confident about the clothes you brought? If they really can't be sold, you will lose a lot of money. You have to know that the purchase volume of our department store cannot be compared with that of your small clothing store. When we have holidays here, even people from the surrounding country folk and neighboring cities will come here to buy clothes." The general manager reminded.
Xia Qingtang said: "I know, and I also know that this will be very risky. But this is a risky thing for both me and the department store, so I am willing to take a greater risk. At the same time, I am confident in these clothes, and I believe that everyone will like them very much. Oh, of course, if the department store is willing to use some of the promotional techniques I recommend, it might be better."
The general manager's expression looked more gentle this time. She smiled and said, "The publicity trick is the act of posting big-character posters in the streets and alleys of the city before the opening of your Xinfeng Clothing Store?"
"That's about it. General Manager, do you think that promotional activity was very effective?"
"It is indeed effective. Almost everyone knows about this activity. The business of our department store's clothing department was affected during those days. I have to say that you are quite smart when it comes to doing business," said the general manager.
"Thanks for the compliment. I just think that no matter what you sell, you have to let more people know about it first. If a hundred people know about it, maybe two or three people will come to buy it. If a thousand people know about it, maybe twenty or thirty people will come. If ten thousand people know about it, at least two or three hundred people will come. It's just like fishing. You have to cast the net wide first. Then no matter what, you will always be able to catch some prey."
The general manager laughed and said, "Very well said. Then let's cooperate. Director Ji, go and calculate how many orders can be placed on the second floor. After that, let Comrade Xia do some promotion and we will try to sell them first."
Director Ji still couldn't believe it: "General Manager, do you really want to place an order with this young man? Is this reliable?"
"What's unreliable about it? People have said that the first batch of goods will be sold first and then paid. However, we are a big store, and we can't sell all of them first and then pay. How about this, in addition to the normal deposit, after we receive the goods and there is no problem with the inventory, we will pay her 30% of the payment. If half of them are sold, we will pay another 30%. When they are all sold, we will settle the account. If the sales are very good and we can continue to cooperate in the future, we can come to discuss the payment method again. Comrade Xia, what do you think of this?" The general manager looked at Xia Qingtang.
Of course Xia Qingtang was very happy, this was much better than she had originally expected!
If she pays for the goods like this, she will basically not suffer any losses.
I have to say, this general manager is such a nice guy! A very, very nice guy! If it wasn't for the wrong place, Xia Qingtang would have wanted to rush up and give her a big hug.
He may look old-fashioned, but he is actually a person who is very open to new trends!
Seeing that the general manager had said so much, Director Ji could only say, "I understand. I will figure it out as soon as possible."
"Okay, then you and Comrade Xia will be in charge of the rest of the matters. I will go and take a look when these new clothes are in stock." said the general manager.
Director Ji nodded and prepared to go out.
Xia Qingtang also quickly said: "Then General Manager, I won't bother you anymore, I'm going out too."
"Comrade Xia, please stay. I have a few words to say to you," said the general manager.
Director Ji looked at the general manager, wanted to stay but didn't dare to, so he went out alone.
After the door was closed, Xia Qingtang said, "General Manager, do you have any questions about these clothes?"
"No, you've already explained the clothes very clearly, I don't have any questions." The general manager stood up and walked in front of Xia Qingtang. She said softly, "In fact, I've known you for a long time, but I didn't know what you looked like. Just now, after Old Ji introduced you, I was able to match your name with your person."
Xia Qingtang was slightly stunned: "Ah, the general manager knows me? How did he know this? No one outside knows that I am the owner of Xinfeng Clothing Store."
Apart from family members, only Hu Yanni and Luo Xiangqian know about the opening of the clothing store. Of course, Leng Feng also knows about it, but these people would never talk about it, so it is almost equivalent to no one knowing about it.
The general manager smiled and said, "I don't know you because of the clothing store. I know you because of the Zhao Lin and his son at the steel plant."
"Ah, that thing..." Xia Qingtang suddenly realized that this general manager might have any relatives or friends who had been bullied by Zhao Lin and his son.
Sure enough, the general manager whispered, "I have a relative whose whole family works in the steel plant. My relative is good-looking and lively. About seven or eight years ago, she was favored by Zhao Lin, who then did some bad things to her. Although he failed in the end, my relative was transferred from her original position to the most difficult position. That's not all. About half a year later, my relative was walking back from a friend's house one night when she was suddenly beaten up. She used to be very beautiful, but after that, she had a permanent scar on her face. Although there was no evidence for this incident, everyone talked about it later. Everyone thought that Zhao Lin had someone do it. It happened a long time ago, but my relative still remembers it, but she didn't dare to speak out. It wasn't until a while ago that Zhao Lin was demoted because of his son's incident. She, along with many other victims in the factory, wrote a letter of denunciation to the higher-ups. Both Zhao Lin and his son received the punishment they deserved, and my relative finally let go of the greatest hatred in her heart. I didn't expect to meet you in person. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to you in person on her behalf and on my own behalf. Comrade Xia, it was thanks to you that the bad guy Zhao Lin was brought to justice, and my relative was willing to speak out about this matter after so many years. Thank you so much."
Xia Qingtang was very sad when she heard this. She quickly said, "Don't thank me. Really, you don't have to thank me. I didn't do anything."
“No, you have done a lot. If we hadn’t met you, who would dare to confront Zhao Youliang head-on? Zhao Youliang was arrested because of this, and then Zhao Lin was investigated. These are all closely related. Although your actions may have been unintentional, you did help many people unintentionally. If we hadn’t met you, we wouldn’t be able to say thank you to you. But since we have met, you must accept this thank you.” The general manager’s voice was calm and touching.
Xia Qingtang's eyes were slightly red, and she could only nod and say, "Okay, I accept your gratitude. I also thank the general manager for your willingness to cooperate with me."
"Haha, young man, you don't need to thank me. I am willing to buy from you not because of Zhao Lin. I want to cooperate with you because I have been thinking about it for a long time. You suddenly came to my door, and the clothes you brought are of good style, good quality and reasonable price. There is nothing wrong with me trying these clothes. I also have some vision. These clothes are really good-looking."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment, General Manager. I know very well that you like the clothes I brought. I carefully selected these clothes, and I really believe that customers will like them very much. I also look forward to seeing people who have the conditions to wear nice clothes."
Times have really changed. People in Hsinchu City dress more fancy and fashionable, and the whole street looks more vibrant, which is much more interesting than the dark blue that fills the streets.
Since everyone is paying the same amount of money, Xia Qingtang would rather everyone buy a bright and fashionable piece of clothing. At least for her, wearing gray clothes doesn't seem to make her feel particularly happy.
"Then let's give it a try together. I hope that our clothing department will become as popular as your Xinfeng Clothing Store." The general manager stretched out his right hand and shook hands with Xia Qingtang very solemnly.
After that, the cooperation started quickly. Because it was a direct order from the general manager, Director Ji was also very quick. He signed a contract with Xia Qingtang. After Xia Qingtang received the deposit, he immediately placed a large order with the Zhushi Garment Factory.
Before the goods arrived, Xia Qingtang found the students who had helped him draw the posters before and hired them to draw a new batch of posters, which were then posted on the streets.
This time the poster is still beautiful and bright. It says that a new clothing exhibition will be held on the second floor of the department store. The latest clothing from Shanghai and Beijing will be available for everyone to choose from. During the exhibition, customers who buy new clothes in the department store can enter a lottery with their receipts at the service desk. The prize is a piece of fruit candy.
Department stores cannot hold raffles for grains, oils, rice and noodles like the Xinfeng Clothing Store does because the cost is too high and they cannot afford it. However, holding raffles with fruit candies is actually not bad.
The most important thing is that the department store has never held any trade fairs or lottery activities. In addition, the clothes in the posters are particularly dignified and elegant, and the content description also states that they are more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, so it should attract many middle-aged and elderly people to buy clothes.
The fact turned out to be just as Xia Qingtang had expected. When the trade fair officially started, many middle-aged and elderly people came with their families to shop.
Grandma also went to the department store with Aunt Six, accompanied by Xia Qingtang.
"Wow, there are so many people, we can't even squeeze in front." Aunt Six said, "Should we go over and take a look?"
Grandma said, "Let's go and take a look. Didn't Qingtang say that if we like any style, she will give it to us directly."
Xia Qingtang laughed: "Yes, Sixth Aunt, go and pick whatever you want, and tell me if you like it."
"Okay, I want to pick out a shirt, not white or gray. Let's see if there are any colorful ones." Aunt Liu said, and walked slowly forward with grandma.
Xia Qingtang followed behind them and watched with joy as the crowd praised the clothes.
"This trade fair is really good. I didn't expect that all the clothes here are ones I've never seen before."
"I have seen clothes like this in Jing City. They are of this style."
"Really? If we put it on, wouldn't we be as impressive as the people in Jing City?"
…
Everyone was talking about it, and even the men expressed their satisfaction with the new men's clothing.
Because this time, Xia Qingtang imported a batch of jackets from the Zhushi Garment Factory. Before this, no one here had worn the jackets, and no one had even seen them.
But jackets are actually very practical clothes. They can be worn in spring, autumn and winter, and come in a variety of colors. You can wear them to work, go out on weekends, or even in meetings. They are very practical.
In order to show the clothes to gay men, the department store also listened to Xia Qingtang's suggestion and invited two middle-aged men of medium build to stand directly inside the counter wearing jackets to show everyone.
There were days when the men's jackets were outselling the women's clothing.
Xia Qingtang also gave one each to Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye. Later, after thinking about it, he gave one to Xia Daming while giving away kelp and dried shrimps.
Xia Daming was flattered and almost cried: "Qingtang! You...you bought clothes for Dad?"
"How much does this dress cost?" Zhao Meizhen asked loudly.
Xia Qingtang ignored her and just said to Xia Daming: "Dad, you can try it on."
"Where are my clothes?" Zhao Meizhen was so angry that her nose was crooked. She shouted, "You bought them for him? Why didn't you buy them for me?"
Xia Qingtang still ignored her, and Xia Qinghai on the side immediately reached out and pulled Zhao Meizhen away: "Mom, what clothes do you want? I can buy them for you. Don't say stupid things to Qingtang."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm her mother! She can buy clothes for her father, so why not for me? This is outrageous!" Zhao Meizhen was so angry that she was shaking all over.
Xia Qinghai whispered, "Then guess why people only buy clothes for dad and not for you?"
Zhao Meizhen showed a guilty expression, but she was still unforgiving: "How should I know? Isn't it because of that damn girl who is unfilial?"
"Then just think of her as being unfilial and don't say anything else." Xia Qinghai held her back.
On the other side, Xia Qingtang was introducing this piece of clothing to Xia Daming: "This is a piece of clothing that has been selling well in the provincial department store recently. Many middle-aged people in the compound where we live have bought one. It's too hot to wear it now, but you can wear it next month. This is called a jacket. You can wear a small cotton jacket inside in winter. It's actually quite windproof."
"It's really windproof, and feels very thick and solid!" Xia Daming was overjoyed, as happy as a child. He quickly put on the jacket and said, "Take a look. Does it fit?"
"It fits very well. It makes me look younger in this." Xia Qingtang said.
"Really? Oh, let me find a mirror!" Xia Daming rushed into the bedroom and looked at himself again and again in the half-man-high mirror on the wardrobe. Then he ran out and said with a grin, "It's really pretty! Qinghai, look, isn't it beautiful?"
Xia Qinghai said, "Yes, it looks good. This is the dress that Qingtang picked, how can it not look good? Dad, this dress is worth the price of a pair of leather shoes, you have to wear it with care."
"What? This dress is so expensive?" Xia Daming was shocked. "Qingtang, you haven't given birth to a child yet. You should live frugally and not spend money like this. I haven't worn this dress yet. Why don't you return it to the department store..."
"I bought this for you, how can I return it? Besides, a piece of clothing like this is not too expensive for me. The salary in our Future Electrical Factory is higher than other places, and I am still a small leader now. Don't be polite with me. Since I'm giving it to you, you can keep it and wear it." Xia Qingtang said lightly.
She really didn't need much money to buy the dress because she could get it at cost price.
Xia Daming's eyes were red with joy: "Qingtang, thank you, Dad is so happy..."
Xia Qinghai smiled and said, "Qingtang is so good to Dad. I envy him."
"What are you envious of? Didn't I bring you these foods?" Xia Qingtang pointed at the kelp, seaweed and dried shrimps.
These are the specialties they brought back from Hsinchu City. Although kelp and seaweed can also be bought here, these larger dried shrimps are not available, so they are still quite rare.
Xia Qinghai asked: "How do you eat this dried shrimp?"
"I use it to make soup. I just cut it into two or three pieces and throw it into the pot with vegetables to make soup. It tastes pretty good."
"It must be delicious. This thing must be delicious when cooked into soup." Xia Daming said, "Qinghai, you should tell Jinfeng that this is a specialty that Qingtang bought from another place."
"Dad, don't worry, I will definitely tell you. But, Qingtang, why did you go to Zhu City again? It's so far away, and it's so hot this season, what are you going there for?" Xia Qinghai asked curiously.
Xia Qingtang said, "My friend encountered some problems over there, so she asked me to go over and help. You know, my friend is a girl, she doesn't know anyone there, and she has severed ties with her family, so she can only rely on us friends. It just so happened that Jinxuan was free during the summer vacation, so she went with me."
"Why did that girl break off relations with her family?" Xia Daming asked.
He was still wearing the jacket, and because of the hot weather, he soon broke out in sweat.
Xia Qingtang said, "Dad, take off your clothes first. These are autumn clothes. Don't wear them now."
"Oh, okay, okay, we have to take it off and put it away, so that we don't get smelly with sweat." Xia Qinghai quickly took off his coat and folded it carefully.
Xia Qingtang deliberately glanced at the angry Zhao Meizhen and said, "My friend's parents are not good people. They beat and scolded her since she was a child, and later forced her to marry a criminal. Fortunately, the man was arrested and sentenced, so my friend did not marry her. After that, my friend disowned her parents and supported herself alone, and lived a good life. Later, she heard that Hsinchu City was recruiting workers, so she went there. Unexpectedly, she really found a job and stayed."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Xia Daming looked at Zhao Meizhen, a guilty expression on his face, while Zhao Meizhen got angry.
"What are you talking about? Are you blaming me?"
"So what?" Xia Qingtang said with a smile, "Are you a good person?"
"You!" Zhao Meizhen wanted to continue scolding, but was pulled away by Xia Qinghai.
"Mom, how many times do you want me to say it? If you don't listen to me, I will have to ignore you in the future." Xia Qinghai said seriously with a cold face.
Zhao Meizhen instantly wilted and could only kick the stool in annoyance, then continued to sit there sulking.
Xia Daming said: "Qingtang, we are sorry for you... It's reasonable for you to hold a grudge against us now. You are a good child. You are still willing to come to see us and buy clothes for me..."
Xia Qingtang said: "I don't really hate you. Although you're not a good father, you're not a bad person either. Don't say anything else. I'm not making indirect accusations. I just happened to mention my friend, so I said it."
Xia Qinghai asked, "What kind of job did your friend find there? Hsinchu City hasn't been under construction for two years, has it?"
"Are you curious?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"I am indeed a little curious."
"Why? You want to find a job there?"
"I don't have such an idea at the moment, I'm just a little curious. In the area where we live, there is a young man who also went to Hsinchu City this year, but he never came back after he went there. He said that there was money everywhere over there, and he had to make enough money before he could come back. His parents praised their son outside every day, but no one really believed it. It just so happens that you have been there, so I want to ask you, is there really money everywhere over there?"
Hearing this, Xia Daming also looked at Xia Qingtang curiously, and said, "Yes, the second son of our factory's Lao Liu family also went to Hsinchu City last month, and he said he wouldn't come back. Qingtang, is it really possible to make money there?"
Xia Qingtang said, "It's a little different over there than here. For example, the clothes produced by the garment factory are exclusively for the port city, and some clothes from the port city are also shipped to the bamboo market for sale. The streets are full of small stalls and small shops selling things. On both sides of the garment factory, you can just build a straw shed to sell things. It's similar to the streets when we were young, and it's very lively. People can do business, so naturally some people can make money. But not everyone can make money. If you have a dull personality, can't cook, and can't hawk, then it's useless to go there, and you can only find a way to enter the factory. But the recruitment of factories over there is actually similar to ours. They all recruit large quantities of workers nearby and don't want scattered workers from other places. Although my friend entered the factory, theirs is a garment factory, and you have to start as an apprentice. Before you graduate, you don't get a penny of salary, and you can only rely on your own savings."
"If you say so, then if someone who is not good at talking and has no skills goes there, he won't be able to make it." Xia Qinghai seemed to be thinking about something.
"Not really. There are houses being built and roads being repaired everywhere over there. If you are willing to endure hardships and find a construction team to follow, you can make money. It's just that it's very hard work." Xia Qingtang said.
Xia Qinghai asked, "Do you make a lot of money?"
"That must be a lot. I heard it's much more than what I was paid at the Future Electric Factory."
Xia Daming's eyes widened as he said, "That's a lot of money... Building houses and roads is really hard work, but if my leg wasn't injured, I would be willing to work there for a few years and earn some money."
Xia Qinghai smiled: "Dad, are you short of money now? Why do you want to go to Zhushi to work as a laborer?"
"I used to work in a warehouse, and the work I did was not much different from hard labor. If I were in good health, it would be no problem for me to go out and earn a little more money. Your child is still young, and Qingtang hasn't given birth to a child yet, so they will need money in the future. If I can earn a little more, I can help you out a little." Xia Daming said.
Xia Qingtang said: "Forget it, I save money every month, so you don't have to worry about raising the child in the future."
"Then I also want to give my child a small red envelope during festivals and buy some popsicles and candied haws to eat." Xia Daming said with a smile: "How long will my son-in-law have to go to school? Do you plan to wait until he graduates from college before having a child?"
Xia Qingtang said: "It shouldn't be that late. According to my plan, I can have a child next year or the year after next."
By next year, the business of the Xinfeng clothing store and the orders from the department store should be stable, and then she can find time to have a baby.
After waiting for another two years, other businesses will appear on the street. By that time, the child will have passed the breastfeeding period, and Xia Qingtang can continue to do other business. In terms of timing, it should be just right.
Xia Daming said, "It's good that you have a plan, but these days, a family is only allowed to have one child. If you give birth to a girl, will your son-in-law's family be unhappy?"
Xia Qinghai said: "Their family is a high-ranking cadre, their ideological awareness is different, it doesn't matter whether they have a son or a daughter."
"Yes, it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl, as long as it's my child, I don't need to care whether they are happy or not, as long as Xie Jinxuan and I are happy." Xia Qingtang said.
Xia Qinghai couldn't help laughing: "Qingtang, with your current temper, no one would dare to bully you anywhere, right?"
Xia Qingtang smiled, looked at the time, and said, "I'm almost going back, I have some things to do at home."
Xia Daming stood up immediately: "When will you come over next time? Bring your son-in-law over to sit with you?"
"Next month, let's find a Sunday next month and I'll bring Xie Jinxuan over, and then take Dad out for dinner. There are a lot of new restaurants opening on the street recently, you can go and try them out." Xia Qingtang said.
Before Xia Daming had time to be happy, Zhao Meizhen stood up and asked, "What? You guys are having dinner without me?"
"You want to eat? Why don't you just ask your son to take you there?" Xia Qingtang said, "What does it have to do with me if you want to eat?"
"You damn girl..." Before Zhao Meizhen could finish her curse, Xia Qinghai covered her mouth.
Xia Daming glanced at Zhao Meizhen, sighed, and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you guys to come over later."
"Well, then I'll go back. Bye." Xia Qingtang got on his bike and went back.
Today is Sunday, and Xie Jinxuan originally wanted to come along, but something urgent happened at home, so Xie Jinxuan stayed at home.
Xia Qingtang rode his bike back to Central Road and first went to the entrance of the Xinfeng Clothing Store to look for a while. Seeing that the customer flow on Sunday was quite good and the sales clerks in the store provided good service, he went home.
When the store closed at night, she rode her bike to the back door of the clothing store and went in to count the accounts with Ma Chuntao.
Ma Chuntao still has a strong sense of crisis. After all, with the addition of a professional old accountant in the store, she, a small cashier, is not very useful. Fortunately, Xia Qingtang doesn't care about these things. She also encourages Ma Chuntao to use her spare time to take an accounting certificate exam.
Ma Chuntao said that she had her eyes on an accounting class, which was a night school. She would start studying in September and would be able to take the exam in half a year.
But she doesn’t have a bicycle yet, and if she goes to night school, she won’t be able to get home too late at night.
"Cousin, is there any news about the second-hand bicycle that my brother-in-law mentioned?" Ma Chuntao asked anyway.
Xia Qingtang said: "Your brother-in-law said that he would buy you a bicycle before you go to night school. But, are you familiar with riding a bicycle?"
"I've gotten used to it a long time ago. When I have a break, I'll borrow someone's bike and ride for half a day. I'm so good at it."
"That's fine." Xia Qingtang looked at the time and said, "Everything is done. I'll take you home."
"Okay, thank you cousin. But my brother-in-law is not here today, so is it okay for you to go home alone?" Ma Chuntao asked.
Xia Qingtang looked at the sky outside and said, "It's only a little after seven o'clock. The days are long in summer, so it should be fine. Let's go."
But having said that, when Xia Qingtang rode to the gate of the compound and saw Leng Feng, he still said to him: "Comrade Leng, Jinxuan will be back soon. Tell him that I am sending Chuntao home and let Jinxuan come to greet me."
Leng Feng frowned and looked at Xia Qingtang and Ma Chuntao, then looked at the time and asked, "Where did Jinxuan go?"
"A relative came over today looking for help. Jinxuan went out with her father and said she would be back before 8pm."
"Then he may not be able to catch up to meet you."
"That's fine. Thank you anyway. I'm leaving now."
"Wait!" Leng Feng caught up on his bike, "I'll go with you."
"That's so embarrassing."
"Will you feel good if something happens?" Leng Feng sneered.
"Okay, okay, you are such a hopeless jinx. Well, Officer Leng, please give us a ride." Xia Qingtang also sneered.
After that, they rode their bikes one after the other towards Ma Chuntao's home. Ma Chuntao sat on the back seat and looked at Leng Feng with great curiosity.
When they got home, Ma Chuntao jumped out of the car, said thank you, and ran to Xia Qingtang's ear and whispered, "Cousin, what is the relationship between this Comrade Leng and you?"
Xia Qingtang said: "He is Jinxuan's good brother, what's wrong? You can't be..."
"No, no, how could I? I know who I am. I wanted to say..." Ma Chuntao glanced at Leng Feng, but swallowed her words back, "Forget it, I won't say it anymore."
"Hey, look at you, why are you only saying half of what you are saying?" Xia Qingtang was a little amused.
Ma Chuntao chuckled and said, "Let's talk about it later. Cousin, since you didn't notice it, forget it! I can't say anything either. What if I saw it wrong? Cousin, I'm going home now. You should go back and have some rest as well."
"Okay, goodbye." Xia Qingtang watched Ma Chuntao run away, then turned the bike around and rode towards home.
Leng Feng still followed her bicycle silently. After riding for a while, they passed a secluded place and met a few gangsters. Fortunately, Leng Feng was following them, so they were scared away before they surrounded them.
Xia Qingtang said: "Comrade Leng really lives up to his name. He looks so scary."
Leng Feng said: "Thank you for the compliment. Are you saying thank you to me?"
"Okay, okay, thank you." Xia Qingtang said, "You are serving the people anyway. Am I not one of the people? You are helping the people, so you should say thank you."
"You!" Leng Feng was so angry that he laughed, and he didn't say anything else. The two of them rode to the vicinity of the compound together, and saw Xie Jinxuan riding over from the other end.
"Qingtang!"
"Jinxuan, I'm back!" Xia Qingtang rode over happily, "You just came back? Why are you so late?"
"There were a lot of things going on over there, so I was delayed. I rode here as soon as I got back." Xie Jinxuan glanced at Leng Feng and said, "Ah Feng, thank you."
"No need, I'm a policeman, it's my duty." After saying that, Leng Feng rode away on his bike alone.
"What's wrong? Are you arguing with Leng Feng again?" Xie Jinxuan asked.
Xia Qingtang said: "Hasn't he always been like this? What a narrow-minded person! Let's not talk about this person. Let me tell you, this month's sales are still very stable. The season will change next month, and I plan to hold another event..."
Xia Qingtang was busy and immersed in the joy of making money.
In September, Xinfeng Clothing Store once again posted large posters throughout the city. The seasonal change event was very successful, and the department store's purchase volume was also very stable. It can be said that almost all the clothes worn by fashionable people in the city now are related to Xia Qingtang.
During the National Day holiday, Xia Qingtang took two more days off and went to Shanghai again with Xie Jinxuan to start preparing for new winter clothing.
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