Chapter 22 Storefront
Pu Xiang thought about it carefully. She couldn't remember what Mo Jingjing was like when she was a child. But that night, when she tried to snatch the person away from Zhou Xiaorou, although Mo Jingjing seemed a little timid, she still looked like a normal child.
She is obedient and soft, with the innocence of a child that adults can see through at a glance.
But now Mo Jingjing doesn't look like a child at all.
No matter how hard adults try to pretend to be children, they can't do it. You can tell from their eyes and actions.
Pu Xiang stared at Mo Jingjing, and Mo Jingjing quickly lowered her head, avoiding her gaze.
Mo Yang reached out and touched the top of his daughter's head, and said, "Jingjing has been a little shy lately."
Pu Xiang hummed: "Children will behave like this when they reach a certain age. It will be fine when they grow up... Let's go."
After riding for more than ten minutes, the two bicycles arrived at the Dongmentou small commodity market.
In her memory, Dongmentou has always been some distance away from the bus station. However, when she came here again by bicycle this time, Pu Xiang found that it was much closer than she had imagined.
I don't know if it's due to the later convenience of transportation, but the world seems smaller to me. For a while, we have been talking about the global village, high-speed trains and airplanes, but when we look back at the county town, isn't it just a small county town, a small place?
It doesn't look very big.
But as a person born in the 90s, Shi Wenya, who seldom leaves the village all year round, was already shouting excitedly.
"Third sister, third sister, look, there are so many stalls, many selling clothes. Over there are hairpins and hair ties, colorful and pretty. Ah, I also saw a headband, but it's a pity that we both gave birth to sons, otherwise we could buy two of the same... Hey, Mo Yang, ask Jingjing if she likes it, and buy her one!"
She had heard the gossip about Mo Yang and Zhou Xiaorou's divorce. Mo Yang was not as financially tight as she had imagined. She thought he would definitely be willing to buy a headband for his daughter.
People are really different. Mo Yang gave Zhou Xiaorou 30 yuan every month to buy groceries, and he didn't ask Zhou Xiaorou for the extra money after the divorce. Even when Zhou Xiaorou cheated on him, he didn't even ask her to settle the score!
Let's look at Shi Dafu. He was also divorced. Pu Xiang did nothing wrong. Shi Dafu was a lazy guy who didn't even dare to do anything and left everything to his wife. Yet he even dared to ask for the betrothal gift back!
Pooh!
Shi Wenya really looked down on Shi Dafu from the bottom of her heart. She had been thinking about whether she should try to persuade Pu Xiang to divorce. Although Shi Dafu was not a decent person, they still had a child and she had to think about the child.
But now it seems, persuade? What is there to persuade? If she lets Shi Dafu take her hand, she will want to leave him!
I used to think that among the Shi family, Shi Dafu was the only one who was not decent. Shi Hai, the father-in-law, was not bad. He was reasonable and could support his daughter-in-law. But now it seems that they are all the same!
Shi Wenya became angry whenever she thought of Pu Xiang being locked up and being asked to take back the betrothal gift.
When Mo Yang heard her question, he said, "Buy some. Also, buy some hair ties and clothes. I don't know how to buy these things. Please help me look."
There was an open space for parking at the entrance of the small commodity market. Mo Yang gave two cents and handed over a cigarette, then locked the two bicycles together. The man who was watching the bicycles took the money and the cigarette, then waved at them with a smile.
"Go ahead and buy your stuff. I'll keep the car for you guys."
Pu Xiang slung her canvas bag across her body, revealing the red words "Serve the People" on the front, which had already faded a little.
She adjusted the straps of the bag and wrapped it in front of her belly.
The incident outside the bus station just now made her alert. It was not as safe as it would be later. There were surveillance cameras everywhere on the streets, and real names were required for everything. There were many "three hands" now.
It is very rare for anyone who goes out to have their belongings stolen from them.
There was another severe beating in 1996, and things got better afterwards.
When the three adults and one child entered the small commodity market, Shi Wenya was the most excited. She looked around, this and that. However, she had no money and was just looking for fun.
Mo Yang came here sincerely to buy things. He walked and looked, and asked Shi Wenya how to choose things for children.
He asked in detail, and it was obvious that he was preparing for the future. He was a grown man, and this time he happened to meet Pu Xiang and Shi Wenya. Otherwise, he couldn't ask a woman every time he bought something. If he did that too many times, people might gossip about him.
"Children's winter sweaters should fit close to their skin. They don't need to be particularly thick, but they should be soft, otherwise they will be uncomfortable to wear... Has Jingjing's feet grown? Have you bought her warm winter shoes? Buy them a little bigger so she can wear them for another year next year."
Shi Wenya became more and more excited as she spoke. She only had one son in the family, who didn't need to be dressed up on weekdays. She was so happy to have a little girl now.
In addition, if Mo Yang saw something he liked, he would just spend money to buy it. Even if it was not hers, it would not affect her happiness.
After a while, Mo Yang's hands were full of things. Seeing a stall selling bags, he went over and bought a big backpack, stuffed everything in it, leaving his hands free.
I turned around and saw a stall selling candied haws and loquats. Without asking any questions, I bought a string of candied haws and loquats for each of the three ladies, two adults and one child.
Now, no one doesn't like to eat this. It tastes sour and sweet, and is much better than any high-end or internet-famous snacks that came out later.
Shi Wenya was very happy to be treated to candy: "Thank you, Mo Yang."
She had just helped him pick out a lot of things and taught him a lot of "secrets", so she took this as a thank you gift.
Pu Xiang also said thank you, and her slightly wrinkled brows relaxed a little. She had just been walking along the road, looking at the stalls selling clothes.
Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. The small commodity market had a large flow of people and business seemed good, but the level was really not high.
To say that it is low-end or mid-range is an exaggeration. Moreover, after living for a long time several decades later, Pu Xiang has forgotten the biggest feature of buying things in this era.
bargain.
The asking price is fifty, and I can get ten back.
She looked at the buying and selling of each lot and found that they were all the same pattern.
"How much is this dress?"
"Big sister, you have a good eye. This piece is the best material on my stall. It costs 50 yuan. So, if you really want it, I'll give you 45 yuan."
"45 yuan? That's too expensive. I think the material is just average, and the workmanship is not good. You can see there are loose threads all over it. I'll have to fix it when I get it back. How about this, I'll take the 5 yuan."
"Five dollars won't do. I'm a straightforward businessman and I won't lie to you. Just 40 dollars."
"40 bucks, go grab it. I just checked a few stalls and I know the price. 8 bucks."
"8 bucks is really not enough. If you want to buy something cheaper than mine, go there."
"Forget it, just 10 bucks. I won't bargain with you. If it can be sold, I'll take it. If not, forget it."
"How can 10 yuan be enough? The lowest is 25 yuan... Don't go, don't go, big sister, come back, 10 yuan is 10 yuan, you can take it, but you have to come to my house to buy it next time, I am really losing money! Just for the next business!"
Pu Xiang was speechless after hearing this. They were both doing business. She sold snacks and ran a restaurant, but they didn't bargain like that. At most they would just round off the price when settling the bill.
If she is allowed to be a boss like this, she might as well go back to the food business.
This is not just selling clothes, this is simply acting. You have to be an acting genius to do this business.
Apart from the bargaining model, the layout of the place is also not good.
This place was like a big shed, with each shop separated by boards, and clothes hung on hooks and nets. She saw that every shop owner had clothes hanging on and off the boards.
Each stall only has a mirror, let alone lights or anything like that. If it were a rainy day, customers wouldn't be able to see clearly how the clothes would look on them when they try them on.
In addition, each stall does not have a main door, but just a curtain. When the stall is closed at night, the goods are collected and the curtains are closed. The anti-theft measures depend entirely on the iron gate at the entrance of the small commodity market and the two uncles guarding the gate.
Pu Xiang gave up the idea of opening a store in the small commodity market before she finished her shopping.
This place is not as good as the bus station. At least the stores there are independent and have doors.
She can rent a store there and sell mid- to high-end, boutique products without being affected by the overall environment and lowering her grade.
"Third sister, didn't you want to go shopping in the county? Why didn't you buy anything? Didn't you see what you wanted?"
After Shi Wenya helped Mo Yang buy Mo Jingjing's things, her excitement finally wore off.
Pu Xiang smiled and shook her head: "I just came to take a look at the shops here, not to buy anything. Do you want to buy something? I brought money with me, I can lend it to you first."
Shi Wenya didn't even change her clothes or shoes when she went out in the morning, let alone put any money in her pocket.
"Then I'll buy two pairs of socks for Chengcheng, as the weather is going to get cold."
Shi Wenya didn't bother to be polite with her. She said she had come to the county and she would feel a bit of a loss if she didn't buy anything. Her family didn't have a lot of money, but they had enough money to buy a pair of socks for the children.
Pu Xiang didn't just keep the money for the socks, but directly handed her 20 yuan.
Shi Wenya picked up the phone and asked, "Third sister, what kind of store do you want to see? I'll help you look. By the way, you never told me what you want to do."
She was really a little curious.
Are you buying anything? I don't think so.
But if you are not buying anything, then what are you looking at when you visit the store? Are you really looking at the store?
Pu Xiang said, "I'm looking for a job. I want to see a store that sells women's clothing, a better kind. Here are all small stalls, the quality is average, and the prices are too cheap. It's not good."
Shi Wenya's eyes widened: "Is this still a cheap price?"
She couldn't bear to buy any of the clothes here.
Pu Xiang was unable to explain in detail to Shi Wenya at this moment. She was once born in the countryside like Shi Wenya. She rarely even went to a small town. The farthest place she had ever been away from home was the county seat.
They have no chance to see the outside world, nor can they imagine what the outside world is like.
Rural people are poor not because they are lazy. Many hardworking rural people work all day and all year long, but can only barely make a living.
Many people have no idea about following the social trend of economic development, building a career, and creating wealth.
In the following decades, those who were able to seize the opportunity and make money were not the hardworking and down-to-earth rural people, but rather some people who could not make a living in the village and went out to wander around and seized the opportunity.
Pu Xiang only said, "Compared with the clothes in the center building, what do you think of the clothes here?"
Shi Wenya didn't go to the Central Building today, but she did go with her younger sister from her natal family to buy things for her wedding during the Chinese New Year.
"How can you compare? The things in the center building are all high-end goods, very expensive."
Pu Xiang smiled: "So I said the things here are cheap, right?"
Shi Wenya smiled: "I can't afford the cheap ones here anyway."
Pu Xiang didn't say anything more, but while she was talking to Shi Wenya, she already had an idea in her mind.
She really wants to go the far way rather than the near. She wants to go for the mid-to-high-end route. Isn't Central Building the best target?
Whether the central building is public or private, the shops inside are all rented out.
She had to ask around. Even if she, a country girl with no money or power, had no chance of renting a place inside, what about the area outside the central building?
She could easily rent a storefront nearby.
Pu Xiang has been dealing with the catering industry all her life. If she were asked to find a store to set up a snack stand now, she would be familiar with the process. However, women's clothing is not an industry after all. Even if she has a memory of the future development direction of this society, she still has to explore in the early stages.
All things are difficult at the beginning.
It will be fine once we really start doing it.
Pu Xiang's thoughts became clearer, and she didn't want to continue wasting time in the small commodity market.
"Mo Yang, we're done shopping here, do you want to buy anything else?"
Now that they have finished their shopping, they can separate and go about their own business.
Mo Yang was very tactful and said, "We've finished shopping. Thank you both. I have to meet a friend, so I won't be with you guys from now on."
Mo Yang took his daughter in his arms and called a tricycle to leave. Pu Xiang and Shi Wenya went to get bicycles, went around a circle and returned to the central building.
This time, Shi Wenya hesitated for a moment, but decided to go in with Pu Xiang.
Yes, she just wears shabby clothes, but she doesn’t steal or rob anything, so even if you can’t afford to buy anything, it’s okay to take a look at her!
Shi Wenya prepared herself mentally, and then when she walked into the building, the shiny floor, the bright lights, she felt like she was illuminated as clearly as the items on the shelf, especially her empty pockets, which seemed to be so clearly exposed to everyone.
embarrassment.
Pu Xiang didn't care about her clothes at all. When she entered the central building this time, she looked up and down, inside and out.
The first floor of the central building mainly sells food, such as biscuits, candies, milk powder, various canned foods, gift boxes, and daily necessities such as washbasins, kettles, blankets, etc. Basically everything is available.
In addition, there are more expensive watches, televisions, and washing machines for sale.
Of course, there were people selling clothes. The weather was getting cold, and she saw several tweed coats hanging on the women's clothing cabinet.
She went to ask about it and found out that the price was not cheap, about seventy or eighty yuan per piece, and the most expensive one was over a hundred yuan.
By the way, I also received a few contemptuous looks from the salesperson after they looked me up and down.
Of course, there are also a few counters that require tickets to buy, and the prices are cheaper. Similarly, the styles are not as good-looking as those without tickets.
Pu Xiang didn't go to the counters selling women's clothing to ask, because they were all in the same business.
She went to the first floor, found the security guard, gave him a handful of candies, and found out what she wanted to know.
The security guard glanced around to see that no one was paying attention, and quickly stuffed the candy into his pocket.
As for White Rabbit milk candy, it’s not that they can’t afford it, but it’s not cheap, and they have to save every penny they can in this day and age.
"Comrade, you are asking about renting out the counters here. Of course, they are rented out, but the rent is not cheap. Moreover, they have been fully rented out a long time ago. In recent years, more and more people have come to do business here, and many people are eyeing them. After all, everything is easy to sell in the Central Building."
They are close to Haishi, and this central building was built in imitation of the buildings on the most prosperous commercial street in Haishi.
As soon as it was built, it became the most upscale place in the county.
Pu Xiang was not disappointed. No matter how difficult the times were, there were always rich people. Moreover, everyone's life was getting better and better now. There must be many people who were doing business and saw business opportunities.
After thanking the security guard, Pu Xiang and Shi Wenya walked out of the building and walked around it.
This round of searching actually allowed her to find a suitable store.
Thirty meters away from the central building, there is a small alley where there is a row of two-story shops selling department stores and small accessories, as well as two restaurants.
The one sandwiched between them was for sale.
Although it is not for rent, compared to other shops that are open for business, this is the only one worth visiting.
Pu Xiangguoduan took Shi Wenya over.
The shop was a tailor shop. Inside was a man in his fifties or early sixties, drinking tea and listening to the radio.
When he saw someone coming, he raised his eyelids to take a look, but when he saw Pu Xiang and the other person, as well as their attire, he looked away again.
"Master, may I ask, are you going to sell this store? Or are you going to rent it out?"
Pu Xiang took a quick look and found that the store was not big, about 15 square meters in size. There was a small wooden staircase against the innermost wall, leading to the second floor.
This place is big enough to open a women's clothing store.
Moreover, there is a second floor. Even though it is obviously a very short attic, it still provides space for storing the incoming goods.
The uncle raised his head again when he heard this: "If you don't want to rent it, then sell it. Fifteen thousand, not a cent less."
Pu Xiang: “…”
She thought that the six thousand dollars she borrowed was already a huge sum of money. It turned out that she had underestimated the development of the world and how rich other people were.
Pu Xiang did not turn around and leave, but continued to talk to the man: "Master, this is your own store, the location is good, why are you selling it? If you don't need it, rent it out and collect rent, it will be a hen that lays golden eggs. Fifteen thousand is not cheap, but in the long run, it is not cost-effective."
Now, the uncle sitting in the store became interested and reached out to turn off the radio.
"Young comrade, you know a lot. If there wasn't a reason, I would definitely not sell this store. To tell you the truth, my son is a soldier and has now settled in Mao City in the neighboring province. He has always asked us to live there together, but we are a bit old and don't feel used to living in other places, so we have never gone. Recently, my daughter-in-law got sick and is not in good health, so we decided to move there so that we can help take care of the family."
This uncle is quite honest, but he really has nothing to hide. He can find out the details of these shops just by asking.
It's no secret.
Pu Xiang said, "It's not far to Mao City. You can just rent out the store, you don't have to sell it. You can collect the rent every six months or a year and ask the post office to transfer it. And you see, society is getting better and better, and transportation will definitely be more and more convenient, so it will be convenient for you to come back and visit."
The uncle, who had no expression at first, became a little interested when he heard that Pu Xiang was quite talkative.
"That's true, but renting a store is not a good thing. If I rent a store and then it goes bankrupt after two or three months, I can't come back every few days. I have to go to the supply and marketing cooperative early to line up, and I can't buy anything if I go late. Renting a store is troublesome."
If they had no other choice, they wouldn't want to sell the store. The location is so good that there is no problem of renting it out.
But there is no one in their family here, so they certainly can't take care of many things. The only relatives are a bit difficult to describe, and he has given up the idea of relying on relatives for help.
So after thinking about it, I feel that renting out the store is not a very easy thing to do. If I run into someone who is looking for trouble, it is impossible for him to come back every now and then. It is better to just sell it and save trouble.
After this one is sold, they went to Mao City to have a look. If they find a suitable one, they will spend some money to buy a new one. However, the location is definitely not as good as this one.
Mao City is a big city, different from their small county town. He has asked his son to inquire about it, and the house prices there are very expensive.
He also thought about it. At his age, he no longer needed to do tailoring work. If there was really no suitable one, then the more than 10,000 yuan would be enough for the old couple to use as their retirement savings.
Pu Xiang smiled and said, "Then, Master, please rent it to me. I will sign a three- to five-year contract with you and I will pay you half a year's rent. If I run away, you don't have to refund the rent. Don't you think you don't have to worry about me running away?"
The uncle's eyes lit up.
Well, that's one way.
"Do you really want to rent it?"
Pu Xiang nodded: "Of course I am serious. Otherwise, we have to make it clear. I have paid the rent for half a year and signed the contract. You can't suddenly say you want to take the store back. You must at least notify me three months in advance and pay me a penalty for breach of contract. A contract must be binding on both parties."
It can be seen that the uncle is really moved, his eyes are flashing rapidly, he must be thinking.
Pu Xiang waited quietly, not in a hurry. Shi Wenya followed her and listened for a long time. She couldn't help but be shocked in her heart.
Only now did she understand what Pu Xiang wanted to do. When she first heard that she was looking for a job, she thought she just wanted to be a salesperson. She was also surprised because a salesperson is one of the eight major employees. How could they have the chance to find such a good job?
But Pu Xiang didn't think about it at all. She actually wanted to rent a storefront!
This shop sells for 15,000!
Even if it's rented, how much does it cost per month?
Shi Wenya couldn't even imagine it. Her family worked all year round, and even in a good year with a good harvest, they could only earn a few hundred yuan more. The life of the city dwellers was really incomparable to that of the country people.
No wonder everyone wants to be a city dweller.
Pu Xiang waited for a while and then said, "Master, if you are going to live with your son, the house you live in should be vacant, right? I can rent your house as well. I won't hide it from you. I have a rural household registration and cannot move to the city. I can't buy this house even if I have money."
It is easy to imagine that the houses people owned at that time were not commercial houses as they are later, and the policy had not yet reached the point where one could transfer their household registration and complete the transformation from rural to non-rural by purchasing a house.
At most, she could just rent a house in the city.
Fortunately, now that she has an identity card, she no longer needs a letter of introduction to do anything. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to rent a house in the city.
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he laughed and was happy.
"You are quite honest, young comrade."
Although when he saw Pu Xiang for the first time just now, he felt that she didn't look like a city girl, and even less like someone with money in her pocket.
Pu Xiang asked: "So, Master, do you still own the house? Do you rent it out?"
The uncle really didn't understand Pu Xiang's routine, so he had to answer when faced with this unexpected question.
"The house has not been sold yet. We are preparing to sell it."
It's just that their asking price is quite high and we haven't made a move for a while yet.
There is no other way. The consumption level and prices in Mao City are much higher than those in their small county town. They would feel unwilling if they don't sell at a higher price.
But the price was too high, so many people asked but no one actually bought it.
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