Author's Note: Just fixing a bug. First update of the day at 3 PM. Mwah! (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
The store recommended by my older sister is indeed excellent; the clothing quality is very good. Of course, the price is a bit higher, but Shuyan can accept this price difference. The store is positioned as a mid-to-high-end store, so the quality is definitely better than that of ordinary clothing stores.
There were many styles to choose from, including summer, autumn, and late autumn clothes. Many of the styles overlapped with those of my older sister, but it didn't matter since they lived in different cities. The next issue was the price.
"We've bought so much stock this time, can you give us a discount?" That was the main reason why the older sister was so enthusiastic in inviting Shuyan to come and buy goods together.
“That’s right, my shop just opened and I need a lot of goods. If you offer a better price, I’ll get my goods from you next time.” Shu Yan chimed in from the side. Every penny saved counts. With the recent big opening, everything has to be carefully calculated.
"How much stock are you planning to take?" the proprietress asked.
Shu Yan's store is newly opened, and she's unsure how many items she can sell. She took extra small and medium sizes, and only one large size. The main reason is that people are generally thin these days, and there aren't many overweight people. However, she can't leave out all sizes, just in case someone comes in wanting a large size. If she can't sell it, she can wear it herself, or she can hold a promotional event. She's been bombarded with all sorts of promotions before, and she doesn't believe she can't sell it.
"When will your store open?" the older woman asked, looking at the clothes Shu Yan had chosen.
"Around the 20th of next month, I'll go back to Nancheng to find someone to choose an auspicious date." Shu Yan didn't think she was superstitious; when doing business, you have to believe in things to some extent.
"Don't take the summer clothes, just take some autumn clothes, and focus on the winter styles. Look at these sweaters, they're too thin and not practical," the older woman whispered to Shuyan.
Not practical? Shu Yan looked at the few knitted cardigans and thought they were quite practical. It would be cold in the mornings and evenings after autumn, so she would need to wear an outer coat. These cardigans were very versatile and could be paired with skirts or pants. In winter, they could be used as a base layer and looked great with a coat or down jacket on top.
"And don't take too many of these colors that are too picky about skin tone." The older woman pointed to some brightly colored clothes. "This color is popular this year, but it may not be the same color next year. If you can't sell them, you'll just be stuck with them."
Don't assume that women in the 90s didn't care about fashion. Everyone loves beauty, and pursuing fashion is a woman's nature. Especially in big cities like Nancheng, which are always at the forefront of fashion, what's fashionable now might not be popular next year, and you'll have to sell it all at a loss.
Shu Yan nodded in agreement, but she still needed to stock up on bright-colored clothes; a store couldn't just have black, white, and red.
Shu Yan initially thought that purchasing the goods wouldn't cost much, but she realized she was too naive. Each style had at least two to five colors, and each color came in several sizes, meaning each style had 5 to 20 pieces. Shu Yan felt she hadn't chosen many styles, but after calculating the total, she found she already had hundreds of pieces of clothing.
Shuyan takes a lot of goods, so the boss can help with shipping. She pays for the shipping herself and can't delay payment. It just goes to show that today's wholesalers are more powerful than those of the future.
"Big sister, thank you so much today. Please let me treat you to a meal." Shu Yan followed her older sister to a few more stores, not to buy any goods, but just to familiarize herself with the route so she would know which stores to buy from next time.
"I'm not eating anymore. I have to catch the bus back to Wenxian. If I miss this bus, I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe next time, there will be another chance." The older sister waved her hand kindly.
It's really inconvenient not having a cell phone these days. Shuyan is thinking about whether to buy a pager so that at least she can get in touch with someone.
When they got back to where they got off, the driver was already waiting for them. He was a nice guy and came over to help Shuyan put her clothes in the trunk.
"Ah Le and the others haven't come back yet?" Logically, since they only choose new styles, they should be back faster than her.
"Not yet. They should be back around soon."
Shu Yan handed a drink to the driver. "Sir, how often do you run your bus service? Do you have a phone number? How can I contact you next time?"
Ah Le and his friends are not to be trusted too much; who knows what they might do behind the scenes for business purposes? Shu Yan hopes to find someone who doesn't own a shop on Chengnan West Road to carpool with.
“I have a landline at home. If you need to hire a car next time, you can call my home phone directly. This is my business card, and there is also a pager number on it. If it’s urgent, call the pager. I go out about once every three days, sometimes every day. I’m only responsible for dispatching the car; you have to find the passengers yourself,” the driver said, effectively cutting off Shu Yan’s request.
That's true. For the driver, it doesn't matter whether there's one passenger or four, since he charges the same fare anyway. And with fewer passengers, he saves on fuel.
There was no other way; drivers were really something else these days. She could always ask around at a clothing store further away. It was such a long journey from Nancheng to Hangzhou; she had to take a car eventually.
"Okay, thank you, Master." Shu Yan said with a light smile.
After chatting for a bit, A-Le and the others returned. Upon seeing Shu-Yan, A-Le said somewhat unhappily, "Where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages."
"That's right, you said you were going to the toilet and then disappeared. We were worried something had happened to you, so we went to the toilet to look for you and waited for you at the gate for ages. We didn't even manage to grab your clothes." Zhu Hong was equally furious.
Shu Yan raised an eyebrow. "I've been right next to the restroom the whole time, I didn't see you guys?"
"Really? Then why didn't we see you?" Ah Le's momentum waned.
"We might have missed each other. Sorry, we ran into a fellow villager and we got along quite well. But we looked for you at the entrance and didn't see you." Shu Yan glanced at the three of them. "We also saw A-Le inside the market. You were busy buying things, and when I called you, you didn't hear me. Then you disappeared. I'm really sorry about this whole mess. It was my first time here, and I didn't know anything."
Ah Le and the others showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Hearing Shu Yan's words, they immediately laughed and said, "This is truly a coincidence. By the way, where's your fellow villager?"
"She rushed back to catch her train. I'm so glad I ran into her today. I never knew there was so much to learn about sourcing goods." Shu Yan glanced at them. Actually, they weren't that close. It's fine if she doesn't tell you the tricks of the trade, but it's pointless to pretend to be friendly without saying anything. At least give her some practical information.
"What a bumper harvest!" Shu Yan said with a smile as she glanced at the clothes they were carrying.
"It's mainly for Zhu Hong and her friend. One will be in men's clothing and the other in children's clothing, so there's no need to compete for stock. By the way, have you decided what kind of store you're opening? What kind of clothes are you getting in?" Ah Le asked with concern.
"Women's clothing. My fellow villager told me that women's clothing is better, and I think that makes a lot of sense. However, my style is a bit different from yours. Yours is more sexy, while mine is more simple and casual. There shouldn't be much of a conflict." Shu Yan noticed that A Le wanted to see the styles of the clothes in her bag, so she tied the bag tightly and ignored her.
They only managed to doze off in the car last night. They arrived in Hangzhou at 3 a.m. and then rushed to the fourth store to grab the goods. Now they are all exhausted and didn't say a word in the car. They slept all the way to Nancheng.
The advantage of hiring a car is that the driver can take them to the shop entrance. It's 10 a.m. now, and the workers are doing renovations. Zhang Huaxiu isn't in the shop; the foreman said she went to the market to buy some things needed for the renovations.
Shu Yan was worried about her children at home, so she told the foreman before Zhang Huaxiu and went home first.
The two children were very well-behaved. Jingjing was doing her homework, while Tianbao was sitting on the bed playing with his toy cars.
“Mom.” Jingjing’s eyes lit up when she saw Shuyan.
Last night, Mom said she was going to buy supplies and didn't know when she would be back today. She even bought some dry food, but I didn't expect her to be back so soon.
"Have you had breakfast?" Shu Yan glanced at the kitchen, worried about the gas, and wouldn't let the two children go in, so she bought a few fewer cookies than usual.
"We ate/We didn't." The two children said in unison.
Ye Jingjing said she ate it, while Ye Tianbao said he didn't. Shu Yan saw the cookie crumbs on Tianbao's lips and poked his forehead, saying, "The cookie was for the puppy."
"There's no dog at home." Tianbao looked at Shuyan blankly.
"Look, there's a little dog here." Shu Yan pinched Tianbao's nose and said with a smile.
"I'm not a puppy," Ye Tianbao chuckled.
"Mom will make you lunch, it'll be ready in a bit." It's already past eleven, the two kids must be hungry.
She quickly boiled noodles, fried a few eggs, and made a cold dish; a simple lunch was ready. Shu Yan drank a few sips of hot soup, and her stomach felt much better. She used to think that people who ran clothing stores dressed beautifully and made money all day long just by sitting in the store. Now that she owned her own store, she realized that running a clothing business is really hard work.
Not wanting to wash the dishes anymore, Shu Yan asked Jing Jing to take Tian Bao to her room to play. She went back to her room and jumped onto the bed without even changing her clothes. Her mind was too dull, and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When she heard the alarm clock, Shu Yan had the urge to throw it away and go back to sleep. But then she thought of her two children and had to get up to make dinner. No wonder people say that mothers are superheroes; they're all forced to be.
Pork rib and corn soup, stir-fried greens, and a cold salad—that's dinner for three.
"Mommy, I want more." Tianbao can now eat by himself, and he eats very well.
This is mainly thanks to the teachers. At kindergarten and after-school classes, they don't care if you eat enough. If you don't eat, you'll be hungry in the afternoon. After two or three times, Tianbao became more enthusiastic about eating than anyone else, and he is no longer picky about food at home.
"Mom, I want to bring my own lunch like my sister too." Tianbao was particularly envious of his sister, whose mother would cook for her to take to school every day, with meat and eggs, while he only got one or two pieces of meat at kindergarten.
"The food at the kindergarten is bad?" Two hundred yuan a month is definitely the fee for a high-end kindergarten. Does that mean the kindergarten is skimping on the children's meals?
"It's all radishes, potatoes, and greens, with only one or two slices of meat. Mom's cooking is delicious." Tianbao looked at Shuyan like a puppy.
"Mom will go to the kindergarten tomorrow to check." Shu Yan thought of the news she had seen before, where parents found that the kindergarten kitchen was very dirty and that the children were fed vegetables and potatoes all day long. She suddenly felt uneasy and felt she had to go and see for herself to feel at ease.
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