The next morning, Xia Rong excitedly called for Xia Liang to open the door. Xia Liang, unhurried, wanted to eat breakfast first. Xia Rong was extremely anxious and kept urging his sister, "Don't eat! Making money is the priority. The longer you delay, the less money you'll earn." Xia Liang looked at her anxious brother and said, "Brother, it's Monday today. The workers are all at work. They don't have time to go shopping. They only go shopping after work. We can stroll around after dinner." Hearing his sister's words, Xia Rong remembered it was Monday, so he wasn't in a hurry anymore. He sat down and ordered two bowls of beef noodles.
Business wasn't as good as yesterday, but they still sold over 10,000 yuan worth of goods. They were busiest at night; during the day, there were very few customers, mostly housewives who weren't working and were more frugal than young working professionals. The next few days were the same: Xia Rong minded the shop during the day, while Xia Liang made clothes in a small cubicle inside. Then Sunday arrived, and the shop was packed with customers. The siblings had another busy day. By closing time, Xia Liang was exhausted and collapsed on the sofa, not wanting to get up. Xia Rong was also completely worn out and didn't want to move. After resting for a while, the siblings got up to take stock. They had sold over 20,000 yuan worth of goods, even more than on opening day, and made over 10,000 yuan in profit. They happily went out for a bite to eat and went home.
They've sold quite a lot of goods these past few days. Although Xia Liang has also added some of her own creations to the sales, she still wants to go to Yangcheng to see if there are any new styles available, and the current selection is still a bit limited. She mentioned it to her brother, Xia Rong, who agreed, but he was worried about his sister going alone, and he was also concerned about the styles she had chosen. Xia Rong said, "Besides, it'll be difficult for you to carry the goods alone; they're so heavy, you won't be able to lift them." Speaking of the last time they carried goods, Xia Liang suddenly remembered Gu Yanxiao's friend, the man named Ji Xiao, and asked her brother, "Brother, do you remember Ji Xiao, the one who drove to help us deliver goods last time?" Xia Rong nodded, "Yes, I remember! Why?" Xia Liang said, "I remember you mentioned his home address when you talked to him. Do you remember where it is? Let's ask him for help again." Xia Rong happily said, "I remember, then please help us again. We'll treat him to dinner when we get back." Xia Liang got Ji Xiao's address from her brother and rode her bike to his house. Upon arrival, they found it was also a traditional courtyard house. It was obvious that someone who could drive a truck in this era couldn't be from an ordinary family. Xia Liang knocked on the door, and a young girl answered. Seeing Xia Liang, the girl asked, "Who are you looking for?" Xia Liang replied, "Is this the Ji family home? I'm looking for Ji Xiao." Hearing that she was looking for her brother, the girl immediately and warmly invited Xia Liang inside. Good heavens! Finally, a woman had come to see her brother! She was probably her future sister-in-law! She was determined to show her future sister-in-law her hospitality. Xia Liang was thus warmly welcomed inside. She had assumed the girl was as hospitable as her brother, never expecting that she was being treated like her future sister-in-law.
After entering, the young girl said, "Sister-in-law, wait a moment, my brother went out for a bit, he'll be back soon." Xia Liang didn't think much of it, assuming it was just her brother Ji Xiao calling her that, so she smiled and nodded. Ji Xiaodie made tea for Xia Liang and asked, "Sister-in-law, where are you from? Where do you work now?" Xia Liang replied, "I'm from S Province, and I own a clothing store." Ji Xiaodie exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! I didn't want to work after graduation, but I didn't know what to do. My family doesn't support me and wants me to go to work for a company." Xia Liang nodded knowingly. Indeed, in this era, self-employment was considered low-class, and many families with status and influence wouldn't engage in self-employment. Ji Xiaodie continued, "Then how did you and my brother meet, sister-in-law?" Hearing this, Xia Liang felt a little strange. Had this girl misunderstood something? Just as she was about to explain, Ji Xiao's voice came from outside: "Sister-in-law, what brings you here? Is something the matter?" Hearing her brother also call her sister-in-law, Ji Xiaodie realized she had misunderstood. Blushing, she apologized to Xia Liang, "I'm sorry, sister-in-law, I didn't know." Ji Xiao asked his sister in confusion, "What's wrong? What were you saying to your sister-in-law?" Ji Xiaodie blushed and said, "I thought you were my boyfriend." This made Ji Xiao blush as well, saying, "You're Xiao-ge's wife." Ji Xiaodie wasn't familiar with Gu Yanxiao, but she had often heard her brother mention him and knew him. Xia Liang smiled and waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind. The girl was just concerned about her brother and had no hostility towards her; how could she possibly be angry with her? Xia Liang smiled and said to Ji Xiao, "I still have to go to Yangcheng. I'd like to ask you to help me find a young woman to look after the shop, and preferably a man too, otherwise I'm afraid she won't be able to carry some of the heavier items." Ji Xiaodie immediately said excitedly, "Sister-in-law, I can help you look after the shop." Xia Liang looked at her; the girl was indeed clever and quick-witted, but she wondered if her family would object to her being a self-employed individual. The girl knew what Xia Liang was thinking and said directly, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Although my family doesn't allow me to be a self-employed individual, if I insist, it's still possible." Xia Liang nodded, "Then I'll trouble you, Xiaodie." Ji Xiao also said, "So, sister-in-law, are you going to Yangcheng with Brother Rong?" "Are you going?" Xia Liang nodded. "It's too chaotic over there. It's too risky for me to go alone." Ji Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "Then when do you plan to leave, sister-in-law?" Xia Liang replied, "I'll check the nearest train ticket. The sooner the better." Ji Xiao seemed to have made up his mind. "Then I'll go with you, sister-in-law. More people means more support. I also want to go there and see if I can find another way." She had heard from Gu Yanxiao that Ji Xiao was involved in cigarette reselling, and guessed that the regulations were stricter now, so she planned to take a different route. Xia Liang said, "Okay, let's see when to leave." After discussing it, Xia Liang left the Ji family and asked Ji Xiaodie and one of Ji Xiao's male friends to help watch the shop.
The day before they were to leave, Ji Xiao brought the two men to Xia Liang's shop. Seeing that Xia Liang was still busy, the three of them stood outside without disturbing her. They waited until all the customers left before going inside. Ji Xiao spoke first, "Sister-in-law, I've brought these two here to familiarize themselves with the place." Xia Liang nodded, invited them to sit down, and poured them tea. Xia Liang's shop always had hot water and tea readily available, and she would sometimes pour tea for customers as well. The other man, Wang Xiaohu, had previously worked with Ji Xiao, but now that Ji Xiao was no longer working, he stayed home. Today, Ji Xiao had asked him to help out at the shop, so he came. Xia Liang said, "I don't have many styles here, just a few. Jeans are 35 yuan a pair, shirts are 21 yuan, and denim jackets are 40 yuan each. All prices are the same. The fitting rooms are in here." Xia Liang pointed to a few items. The shop wasn't big, and everyone could see everything at a glance. The two men nodded, "Sister-in-law, we understand."
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