Preparation for opening a store
"These are all clothes my father made for me."
Jian Jianan excitedly announced this important news to all his friends.
However, she had no idea what a huge bombshell this incident had dropped on the hearts of her companions, instantly shocking both Duan Duan and Lin Chuan.
Duan repeated in disbelief, "What did you say? You said the clothes you wore before were all made by your father?"
"All the clothes?"
Jian Jianan nodded, confirming Duan's question. "It's not just mine, there's also my brother's clothes, and a few of Xiaoqing's clothes. All of these were made by my father."
Shan Jiqing felt proud, as if he was also half a member of Jian Jianan's family. He couldn't help but straighten his chest and sit up straight with pride.
His action caught Duan Duan's eye and he felt a chill again. What's wrong with Shan Jiqing? Why does he always talk about Nan Nan as if he is talking about himself? Isn't it just because he lives close to Nan Nan and has a close relationship with her that he thinks having clothes to wear is a big deal?
On her birthday, Jian Jianan would also give her gifts, and she didn't know how many times he had given her clothes. How could the sisterhood between the two of them be compared to that of a man like Shan Jiqing?
"My dad used to make clothes for us. It was actually to save money. Back then, our family wasn't well off, and buying clothes required both coupons and cash. My dad figured it out, and decided it wasn't worth it. So he'd buy discarded, defective fabric from state-owned stores, often buying ten or twenty meters at a time. He'd go home, design the pattern, cut the paper himself, and then use a sewing machine to create a brand new garment of his own design."
Since her father has decided to open his own clothing store, he must make his name as a designer known. Therefore, there is no need for Jian Jianan to hide the news for the sake of her father's face.
"At that time, my dad made clothes for not only my mother and my brother but also for my cousins who were a little closer to him."
At that time, their family was in financial difficulty, and they couldn't rely on any of Jian Yangping's relatives. Su Qinxuan was better off, as his uncles, aunts, grandparents and others helped him from time to time, which allowed the family of four to struggle to survive.
Later, the children grew up and their lives became better day by day. Whenever Jian Yangping got something good, he would keep it in mind and think of sending a portion to Su Qinxuan's parents' home.
Jian Jianan clearly remembered that her cousins were very surprised when they received the clothes made by Jian Yangping. They wanted to change into the new clothes on the spot, but their aunt often did not allow these children to do so.
These clothes are of novel styles and new fabrics. They can only be worn when life is good. In addition, there are only boys in their family, and they are as naughty as monkeys. What they like to play most in the past is rolling on the ground and rubbing against various stones. If these new clothes turn into pieces of rags without paying attention, what will they do? At that time, they will have no place to cry. They can't ask Shen Jianyangping to make a few identical ones for them again, right?
"So, my father's talent in making clothes was revealed when I was very young. I was telling him a few days ago that it's too late for him to open a clothing store and sell clothes himself now." Jian Jianan said slowly, but since he has started to act now and taken the first step, that's enough.
Once you start taking action, it's never too late.
Duan Duan and Lin Chuan were stunned when they heard this, and the two children couldn't help but think of their respective fathers.
Jian Jianan's father can make his own clothes, which is an amazing thing. He has to start with drawing, and then go through a series of steps such as cutting, sewing and mending before he can make the beautiful dress that Jian Jianan is wearing.
But what about them? What can their father do? Not to mention making clothes, even when their mother is washing clothes, if their father's hands accidentally touch the clothes, he will immediately retract his hands as if he was electrocuted, as if he had touched something dirty.
Then they would often start yelling at the top of their lungs, "Mother of the child, mother of the child, where are the child's clothes? Why haven't they been washed yet? Isn't he going to wear them tomorrow? If you don't wash them now, what will the child wear tomorrow?"
Then at this time, their mother would often rush over in a hurry, pick up the big basin of clothes and start washing. After their father finished yelling, he would sit down leisurely on the sofa, oblivious to what was happening outside, as if asking his wife to wash such a large basin of clothes was already a special favor, and it was the best effort he could make for the family today.
Who else could be like Jian Jianan's father, who not only takes care of his children but also personally makes and mends clothes for them?
"Okay, let's not talk too much. I called you here today because I want you to do me a favor. If you are all free during this period, you can come here to help us. My father will pay you!" Seeing that the two little friends seemed to be lost in thought, Jian Jianan stopped talking immediately. She didn't want to start a world war. Otherwise, if she continued to talk, the two little friends would go home and tell their parents, and they would definitely not end well.
After hearing what Jian Jianan said, Duan Duan quickly waved his hands, subconsciously refusing, "No, no, no, no, I'm free these days anyway. I've already finished all the homework assigned by the teacher at the end of last semester. It's no big deal for me to come and help. You don't have to ask your dad to pay me."
Lin Chuan immediately followed and rejected Jian Jianan just like Duan did. "Yeah, yeah, we're just sitting around doing nothing. Besides, what's our relationship like? We've known each other since elementary school. Why do you have to be so distant? If you need help, just tell me. Of course I'll help you. If you measure it by money, doesn't that mean I'm too focused on profit?"
Most people at this time are very simple, which also means that they often do not do things for the purpose of money. Especially when helping others or doing some great good deeds, they do it from the heart and do not seek any benefit.
If you ask him for money, he may feel insulted, and then become angry and embarrassed, thinking that you look down on him.
However, Jian Jianan has a different opinion. She still believes that if a person works for another person, then that person must receive corresponding labor remuneration.
For example, this time, she wanted to ask Duan and a few others to help her. This was different from the mutual help in school before, such as you borrow a pen from me and I lend you a ruler. If Duan and Lin Chuan were determined to participate, then the time and energy they spent would definitely be huge, and it could not be summarized by a light sentence "We are friends".
Even if her friend has the intention, Jian Jianan cannot accept it all. In this case, it is reasonable for her to give a certain amount of labor remuneration.
Even siblings should keep accounts clear. Even the best friends should not always ask for things from each other. Otherwise, the friendship may not be able to continue.
Jian Jianan raised two fingers seriously and insisted, "No, no, if you come to help, Dad and I will definitely pay you the wages. Otherwise, we will be embarrassed. Isn't this hiring child labor, and working for free!"
After hearing what Jian Jianan said, Duan Duan and Lin Chuan both laughed. They felt too embarrassed to refuse anymore, so they nodded to accept Jian Jianan's kindness in a rather reserved manner.
The four friends discussed the matter and agreed that they would come to help, and Jian Jianan went to do his own thing.
Jian Jianan is very busy now. Take the situation of four people in their family for example. Su Qinxuan definitely does not have the free time to help Jian Yangping open the store. His brother Jian Jiabei does have time, and plenty of time, but Jian Jianan and his father thought about it and were not willing to put him in some important positions, so they only assigned him some physical work. For example, after Jian Yangping bought the fabric, he would help his father move the fabric to the store warehouse and put it away.
Jian Jiabei can always complete this kind of simple physical work that does not require any brainpower very well.
Dad Jian Yangping went to choose the address of the store. Since it was a clothing store, it needed a physical store. Jian Yangping originally thought that the closer to home the better, so that it would be convenient for him to go home to see his two children.
However, Jian Jianan pointed out a problem clearly. There are several shops near their home, but none of them are suitable because either the rent is too expensive or the location is too remote and the geographical location is not good at all. The rent is cheap, but it is useless to rent it. There are not so many customers coming here. No matter how beautiful the clothes hanging outside are, no one will buy them. Wouldn't that be a loss?
When it comes to doing business, it all comes down to two words: "making money." If you can't make money, why bother putting so much effort into it?
Jian Jianan tried to persuade him in every possible way, and almost made him and his brother swear to their parents that they would take care of themselves. Only then did Jian Yangping give up the idea of renting a store near his home, and began to set his sights on places further away, considering the environment in other districts.
What about Jian Jianan? Jian Jianan of course also had important responsibilities. She was responsible for recruiting enough people and following her father to check for omissions and fill in the gaps.
Jian Yangping was determined to sell clothes by himself. What he meant was that he would do all the work from fabric to design to cutting by himself.
Jian Yangping can complete the drawing step by himself, but even if he can personally cut and make a few pieces of clothing, can he make ten pieces, twenty pieces, or even a hundred pieces?
It was necessary to recruit a tailor to make clothes, so this task was given to Jian Jianan.
Jian Yangping had hired six tailors when he went to the countryside before, but to be on the safe side, they still planned to hire a few experienced masters locally.
"Nannan, where are you going to recruit people, and what kind of people are you looking for?" At the dinner table tonight, mother Su Qinxuan asked her daughter this question.
Su Qinxuan is very busy, but no matter how busy she is, she can still find time to have a meal with her family.
To put it another way, Jian Yangping is now going out to work independently, and she is still a little worried about her husband, so she wants to check for omissions and fill in the gaps at the dinner table, and ask her husband and daughter about their current progress. If there are any shortcomings, she will point them out immediately, and the two of them can remedy them tomorrow.
Dad Jian Yangping spent the whole day looking for a store. He sent a message back early saying that don't wait for him tonight because he definitely won't have time to come back home for dinner. So that night, only Jian Jianan, his mother and his brother Jian Jiabei were left at the dinner table.
Jian Jiabei was so focused on eating that he didn't pay any attention to what was happening outside. He assumed that his mother's questions were only directed at his younger sister.
Of course, Su Qinxuan didn't mean to ask her son to answer.
After hearing the question from his mother, Jian Jianan put down his chopsticks and answered with a prepared answer: "I plan to ask Sister Xiaotao for help."
Su Qinxuan became interested and asked Yang Tao for help. But how could she ask Yang Tao for help? It seemed that Xiao Tao didn't know how to make clothes.
Jian Jianan slowly explained to his mother, "Sister Xiaotao is the most familiar with Jinhuiju. After all, she has worked as the store manager for several years. Her achievements over the years are obvious to all of us. There are no mistakes or omissions. As the store manager, she is most familiar with the staff composition of Jinhuiju. She knows exactly who got married this year. Why not ask her to help us select relatives of the employees who are good at crafts?"
In this era, women in every household would do some handicrafts such as mending clothes. After all, it was just a matter of daily life. In order to save money, everyone would save as much as possible, and they were forced to do this.
In addition, Yang Tao is a local, so asking her to find some trustworthy tailors is the best thing to do.
Of course, this is just a backup plan.
Su Qinxuan was chatting with Jian Jianan when Jian Yangping came back. However, unlike the high-spirited look when he went out this morning, Jian Jianan observed that her father looked gloomy when he came back today.
What happened? Didn't you say you wouldn't be back in the evening? Why did you come back early?
Jian Jianan was very curious, and his eyes followed his father's movements without moving.
Jian Yangping finally sat down. While drinking the yam and pork rib soup handed to him by his wife Su Qinxuan, he said angrily, "I know that cheap things are not good!"
Jian Jianan asked immediately after hearing this, "What is it? What do you mean by cheap goods are not good? Dad, can you explain it to me?"
Jian Yangping calmed down after taking a few sips of soup. He put down the bowl and explained to his wife and daughter what had happened. "Oh, I'm so embarrassed now. Didn't I tell you a few days ago that I had found a tailor and other things?"
Jian Jianan nodded. It was true. The last time his father came back, he looked exhausted and his skin was several shades darker. He had gone to look for fabric and a tailor.
Judging from the way he's talking now, it seems like there's something wrong with the fabric or the tailor!
The next second, Jian Jianan heard his father say, "Cheap goods really don't have good quality. Now I know that the tailors in their village have such low prices and low labor costs. It turns out there is a reason for this."
"When I hired them, they all promised that they could make all kinds of clothes. They had been making clothes since they were young. Even if it was an unfamiliar piece of clothing, they didn't need any extra training. They just needed to look at the pattern paper and they would learn it right away."
"But! Today I finally opened my eyes!"
Jian Yangping was so excited that he didn't even bother to drink the soup. He threw the spoon back into the soup bowl with a loud noise.
"Bang!" Jian Yangping seemed to be awakened by the sound and quickly put the spoon back into the soup bowl. He almost let his emotions get the better of him and brought his bad mood from work home. This was not okay. A good man who cared about his family would not bring any trouble to his beloved small family.
After completing these actions, he continued, "They're all liars! They claim they can do anything. I gave them the pattern paper. All they had to do was lay the cloth flat on the table and cut and sew according to the pattern on the paper. But not a single one of these six tailors could actually cut it perfectly!"
None of them could make the clothes he wanted.
Jian Yangping was obviously very angry. Not satisfied after saying all this, he repeated, "No one!"
Jian Jianan was stunned when she heard this. She obviously had not expected this. In her expectation, her father had already solved the most difficult steps. The materials and tailors had been found. Now they just needed to choose a location to open the store.
But how could this happen now?
Su Qinxuan was very calm because she was prepared for this. She often encountered such situations in the operation of more than a dozen stores under the name of Nanbei Group.
It is common for reality to be completely different from what you expected.
She also gradually developed from being crazy and irritable at the beginning to being calm and composed and solving problems when they arise.
"Don't worry, you have to be prepared for this kind of thing. Since you've decided to open a store, it's not going to be smooth sailing. You will definitely encounter various difficulties along the way, so you have to be prepared for this."
Su Qinxuan advised her daughter and husband that the first step they should take now is to calm down and cultivate an invulnerable heart.
After Su Qinxuan comforted her husband, she told him what she had just discussed with her daughter.
Jian Yangping thought it made perfect sense the moment he heard it. He didn't even bother to drink his soup and immediately wanted to get up and discuss this matter with Yang Tao.
In the end, Su Qinxuan reluctantly stopped him, "Old Jian, why are you so anxious? Xiao Tao is not in the dormitory tonight. She went out on a date with her boyfriend. You won't be able to find her even if you go to the staff dormitory."
Jian Yangping finally realized his own gaffe and chuckled a few times, "I'm just anxious. You don't know, ever since I decided to open a store, I've felt like everything has been going smoothly. I feel like everyone and everything is against me!"
Su Qinxuan had a deep understanding of this. "That's right, but Old Jian, don't you think this is more challenging?"
The couple smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.
Jian Jianan couldn't understand the atmosphere between the two people at all, and she didn't want to understand.
She took advantage of the moment when the pink bubble between her parents gradually faded and immediately asked, "Dad, have you decided to hire a tailor in this city?"
Jian Jianan's question was not answered until a few days later.
After dinner that day, Jian Yangping became busy again, and compared to the first time, he was even busier.
It was three or four days later when Jian Jianan and her brother saw their father again.
Jian Jianan simply couldn't recognize that the person in front of him was their father Jian Yangping, whom they had always been very familiar with!
The face is still the same face, the facial features are still the same facial features, and the appearance has not changed.
It’s just that all the expressions and movements have changed greatly.
He was full of energy, his eye bags were so big that they seemed to fall to the ground, and the dark circles could not be removed no matter how many good skin care products he borrowed from Su Qinxuan. Only his eyes were bright and shining, like two big red lanterns that one would suddenly encounter in the middle of the night, filled with the light of expectation for the future!
"Let's go!" Jian Yangping patted his children on the shoulders as soon as he saw them. "Come on, follow Daddy. Daddy will show you our future clothing store!"
So Jian Jiangnan and Jian Jiabei were brought by their father to the warehouse, which was a small warehouse temporarily rented by Jian Yangping. A little ahead was the place where the female tailors cut and made clothes.
He looked at his daughter's gaze and movements, not caring at all, "Hey, this kind of place is only temporary. When our business picks up in the future, Dad will rent a bigger house!"
Jian Jianan was brought into the warehouse by his father, and was stunned for a moment.
The warehouse was filled with the smell of newly made clothes. It was hard to tell whether the smell was fragrant or smelly. When Jian Jianan sniffed it, he felt it was extremely strange. He could tell at once that it was the smell of new clothes!
Jian Yangping hung all the colorful new clothes on the tall hangers. Behind each sample were dozens of clothes of the same style and color. Jian Jianan could see seven or eight kinds of collars at a glance.
Small square collar, big square face, shawl collar, cross collar...
There were also colors, all kinds of bright colors imprinted on Jian Jiangnan's retina, making her eyes dizzy for a moment.
“Nannan!”
"Nannan, Nannan, come back to your senses!"
"…What do you think?"
Jian Jianan was suddenly startled by the sound her father made, and then she came to her senses. She glanced at her father and immediately turned her head to stare at the brand new clothes.
"I think it's great!"
"But," Jian Jianan changed the subject, as if he had some opinions to raise.
Jian Yangping immediately lowered his head, wanting to hear what his daughter would say.
"But, I think you could prepare more, Dad. It seems that there are not enough clothes here."
Jian Yangping laughed, "So that's what you think. You want dad to make more clothes! I was worried that these clothes wouldn't sell!"
Jian Jianan was very serious and said solemnly: "How is that possible? I think Dad, you don't even have enough clothes to sell!"
Her expression was very serious, as if she was stating an established reality.
Jian Yangping was even happier after hearing this. He patted his daughter's shoulder with his big hand and said, "Okay, okay, then Daddy will accept your good words!"
In response to him, Jian Jianan gave an even stronger assurance, "Yes, yes, yes, you can go no further by listening to me!" It's definitely not enough to sell!
"Dad, when will our clothing store open?"
"In three days!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
