Today is the fourth day of the event, and Shu Yan is too busy to think about what happened this morning. Ah Le didn't stay in the store for long that day, so there shouldn't have been too many damaged clothes. Apart from the three items they found this morning and one item that was returned, no customers have returned any items.
"Be careful of the neighbors next door from now on, don't let them in." After 7 p.m., there weren't so many customers anymore. Shu Yan took out four pieces of clothing. The cuffs of the coat had been cut off. She was probably in a hurry, so she only cut a small tear. It could still be worn after being sewn up. A temporary worker had worn this coat before, and it looked very nice on her. Unfortunately, she didn't buy it because of money, so Shu Yan gave it to her.
"Give it to me?" The girl looked at Shu Yan in disbelief. She thought that little tear was nothing, but she didn't expect the shopkeeper to give it to her so readily.
The jeans had a hole punched in the knee, stretching out to the size of a little finger. Shu Yan simply cut it a little bigger, picked out the frayed edges with a needle, and it became ripped jeans. Paired with a floral shirt, it instantly became a fashionable outfit.
There was a hole in the chest of the sweater. Shuyan used a method she learned online to embroider a red flower on it, with a few small flowers around it, instantly turning it into a delicate and fashionable piece.
"The boss's hands are so skillful." Several people surrounded Shu Yan, looking at her with admiration.
"These are just some little tricks. If you want to learn, I can teach you later." Not wanting to be biased, I also gave the other temporary workers scarves or hats. Actually, the cost price was only four or five yuan, but they didn't know that these were items that usually sold for more than ten yuan. They held them in their arms as if they had found treasures.
Temporary workers were all included, and Zhang Huaxiu and Yingying, as full-time employees, were naturally included as well. Shuyan gave each of them a dress. As the weather was getting cooler, summer clothes weren't selling particularly well. Instead of hanging them up to be disposed of next year, it was better to give them away as a favor.
Lying in bed that night, Shu Yan couldn't fall asleep. Competition among peers is normal, and it's normal to feel uncomfortable when others' businesses are better than yours, but it's rare to see someone like A-Le. She was just unlucky to have such a neighbor.
It's not a good idea to keep a venomous snake watching over you all the time. You need to know your enemy to win every battle, but all Shu Yan knows is that her name is A-Le.
The next morning, after dropping off her child, Shu Yan went to check on the progress of her new house.
The wall cabinets, walls, and floors are all done; now there are just some minor tasks left.
"It's almost finished. There are just a few minor details that need to be worked on." The foreman showed Shu Yan around the house, saying, "It should be completed in about half a month. After two months of ventilation, we can move in before the Lunar New Year."
Shu Yan was surprised by how quickly the renovation was progressing; she had thought it wouldn't be finished until the end of the year.
"Master, I'm not in a hurry to move in, but you must ensure the quality is up to standard," Shu Yan said with concern.
"Don't worry about that. We're a big company with clear regulations. You can have someone inspect it later. If any problems are found, we won't charge you a penny for the renovation." The foreman patted his chest and assured them, "The progress is so fast because our workers are working overtime to catch up. We also have a lot of manpower. Look at the people in the house, there are three carpenters and four painters for the three rooms. How could the speed not be fast?"
Paying for a full package is different from paying by the day. If you pay by the day, the foreman will definitely drag out the work so he can get paid for each extra day. But if you pay by the full package, the foreman will work overtime to finish the work as quickly as possible so he can take on the next job.
There are quite a few renovations in Nancheng Capital, and the company has recently received several orders, so the foreman is working his butt out, putting in overtime every day to renovate Shuyan's house. Of course, he dares not falsify the quality; after all, a company as big as theirs has rules and regulations. If any problems are found, losing their jobs would be a minor issue compared to potential lawsuits.
"Okay, can I buy the furniture now?" Shu Yan only asked the other party to buy the renovation and home appliances, not the furniture.
The company's designer said that they could get a much cheaper price if they bought from them, which is true. After all, the other party is a big company, and big clients definitely get better deals than individual customers like them. As for home appliances, Shu Yan will choose brand-name products for them all. She will also go with the designer to choose them. As for furniture, the market is too complicated, so Shu Yan plans to buy it herself.
"Buy the lights first, they can be installed now. As for the furniture, wait a few more days, I'll let you know then." The foreman handed Shu Yan the physical floor plan. "You can go take a look first. By the way, appliances might be installed next week. Do you want to go with the designer to pick them out? Or have you already chosen them and just give the list to the designer so he can buy them directly?"
"I've been too busy with business at the shop lately, I don't have time to look at this. I'll take a day next week to go and check it myself." I definitely need to check it myself, what if I give her counterfeit goods?
As for furniture, I'll ask Chen Fei later. The sofas he custom-made for the store are very good, and the lighting fixtures are also nice. I'll ask him for those too.
Shu Yan didn't go directly to the shop; instead, she went to find Lao Hu first. Luckily, Lao Hu wasn't out today. Upon seeing Shu Yan, Lao Hu said with a smile, "Boss Shu, business is booming these days!"
"We're running an event right now, so we can't be sure. We'll know if it's good or not after the event ends." Shu Yan went inside and looked around; there was no one else there.
"What brings you here today? Is there anything I can help you with?" Old Hu poured Shu Yan a cup of tea.
"You can't just help people find apartments here, right?" Shu Yan felt that Lao Hu's place was quite eclectic, handling everything from buying and renting houses to starting a company. "Could you help me find someone?"
"Checking for someone?" Old Hu neither said he could nor he couldn't answer the call.
Actually, this is something he does all the time. When he goes out to look for properties, he doesn't just take any house. If the seller is a scammer, it will affect his reputation, so he always checks the seller's information.
"Whose information do you want to find out?" Old Hu looked at Shu Yan, guessing that she probably wouldn't have offended any troublesome people.
“It’s the shop owner next door. I only know her name is A-Le. I want to know her family background and origins, the more specific the better.” Shu Yan thought for a moment. Since she was already here, she might as well check the other two as well. “There’s also the shop owner of Apple Men’s Clothing across from me, and Zhu Hong who sells children’s clothing in Jiufang Alley. Please help me find out about these three people, especially A-Le.”
Old Hu pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, wait for my message."
He wouldn't ask why; people in their line of work just need to fulfill the client's request.
When Shu Yan arrived at the store, it was very lively, with people crowding around it in layers. Her heart skipped a beat. After finally squeezing in, she saw a person with a flushed face standing at the entrance who looked somewhat familiar.
"Boss lady." Yingying spotted Shuyan and squeezed next to her. "Someone won a TV set."
Shu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't bad news, and then asked with a smile, "Who's so lucky?"
Yingying pointed to the person with a flushed face, "That's him, the one who won the electric fan yesterday. His wife didn't believe he could win an electric fan just by buying clothes, so she insisted he bring it over today to see. Then he bought a few more clothes here, and unexpectedly, he won a TV instead."
"I...I won the TV!" The man finally came to his senses, excitedly babbling incoherently.
"Quick, Xiuxiu, go get the firecrackers." Shuyan asked Zhang Huaxiu to get the firecrackers. "Everyone, make some space. If someone wins the TV, I'll set off a string of firecrackers to celebrate."
The noise was deafening, drawing a crowd from the entire street. Shu Yan stood on a stool, holding a megaphone, and announced, "Many people previously suspected that our store's raffle was fake, that there was no grand prize. Now, finally, someone has won the grand prize! First of all, congratulations to this gentleman for winning the grand prize—a television set!" The crowd applauded along with Shu Yan.
After the applause subsided, Shu Yan continued, "When running a business, honesty is the foundation. You said you'd give away a TV, and you really did! And this gentleman is incredibly lucky. Yesterday, he bought a dress here as a birthday gift for his wife and won a second prize—an electric fan. Today, while shopping for clothes with his wife, he won a TV! Brother, you're like God's favorite son!"
Passerby 1: "Yeah, that's incredibly lucky."
Passerby 2: "This proprietress is really interesting, but her luck is just like that of God's favorite son."
The man, holding the grand prize ticket, was taken aback by Shu Yan's words, then grinned foolishly and scratched his head, "Just lucky, just lucky."
The woman next to her, carrying clothes, was so excited her eyes were red. She grabbed her husband's arm and shook it repeatedly, "A TV! We won a TV!"
Seeing them like this, everyone present could only feel envy. Yesterday they won an electric fan by buying clothes, and today they won a TV by buying clothes. Their luck is truly unmatched.
Before receiving the award, Shu Yan asked the man and his wife to give a speech at the door. The couple rambled on and on about their thanks, and then happily carried the television away.
"Although we don't have a TV anymore, we still have plenty of first, second, and third prizes. Don't be discouraged, everyone. As the number of balloons decreases, the chances of winning increase. We were going to buy clothes anyway, so it would be even more exciting if we won something." Shu Yan encouraged them, then turned to see A-Le leaning against the door, looking at her expressionlessly.
Meeting Shu Yan's gaze, A Le gave a mocking smile and turned to go inside.
Shu Yan snorted softly. People like this, who feel uncomfortable as long as others are slightly better than them, and even wish that everyone is worse than them, will only ever be like this in their lives.
The goods that arrived in Hangzhou yesterday had already arrived. After lunch, Shu Yan went to the train station to pick them up and also called Mr. He to send over another batch of goods. In the afternoon, most of the stock was sold; many smaller quantities of clothing were already gone. Shu Yan told Zhang Huaxiu, handed her the shop keys, and rushed home to pick up her two children from Zhang's house. She also asked Wu Xiuyue to take the children to school the next morning and instructed Jingjing to take care of her younger brother before setting off.
She only found out when she got in the car that someone was sharing the ride with the driver's friend. The driver apologized for this, saying that he couldn't contact Shu Yan and had deliberately charged her half the fare. Shu Yan didn't think much of it; saving half the money was good enough.
The driver's friend sat in the passenger seat. Just by looking at him, you could tell he was a very tall and quiet man. The driver only said a few words occasionally, and he just grunted a few times. The driver didn't seem to mind; he seemed quite happy. He didn't look like a friend at all; he looked more like the driver's ancestor.
After getting off the bus, Shu Yan finally saw the other person's face. He had a buzz cut, slightly dark skin, and a scar on his face that ran from his temple to his chin. The stitches weren't done very well, and it looked like a centipede, making him look particularly fierce. She only glanced at him before looking away, as it was impolite to stare at someone.
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