TPW – Chapter 26

“It’s worth the price—look how good it looks! Only this place in all of Lian has it. It’s one of a kind, super valuable!”

“Exactly! Just putting on this hair tie makes you look more energetic!” Li Hongjun chimed in.

The female student blushed, picked up the mirror and looked at herself repeatedly. It did seem… she looked noticeably more spirited…

“There’s no expiration date on this, you can still wear it even when you’re in college! One yuan for three years, that’s a great deal, little sister.” As she spoke, she casually picked up a rounded hat and glued the hair clip onto it: “Look, it even matches the hat nicely.”

“You’re right! You’re so creative!” the female student exclaimed, stars in her eyes.

She loved the hair clip so much she couldn’t put it down. If she had more pocket money, she would’ve bought the hat too.

Gradually, she was persuaded. She looked up at Qiao Lu’s bright smile, thought about the bit of allowance she had saved, and made up her mind—bought two in one go.

Qiao Lu gave Xu Haizhou a look, and he quickly took the money. At the end, he smiled politely at the girl, but her cheeks instantly flushed again. Secretly, she felt the hair clip was totally worth it.

Before she left, she asked Qiao Lu to help style her hair into the same half-updo. It wasn’t until she saw her charming reflection in the mirror that the girl finally walked off happily, her steps light and springy.

After the girl left, Qiao Lu struck while the iron was hot and kept weaving without pause—two minutes per clip. By the time she finished the sixth one, they had run out of glue.

Luckily, Xu Haizhou had a spare in his bag. After handing it to her, she managed to make four more.

Qiao Lu was beautiful and sweet-talking, and she modeled the clips herself, drawing a crowd of curious girls. Later, she sold eight sets at a price of 1.5 yuan per pair, netting a profit of 4 yuan!

The two men couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!”

In just half an hour, they made nearly a full day’s income…

At this rate, if they sold all day, they could easily make at least twenty yuan!

“Brilliant! Comrade Qiao, your brain is incredible!”

Qiao Lu smiled modestly: “Just a lucky break.”

But in truth, she hadn’t expected the combo of hair clips and ribbons to sell so well. Originally, she was just bringing lunch to her man. Who would’ve thought she’d not only solve the little problem at Xu Haizhou’s stall, but also sell a bunch of little accessories too?

This little experiment made Qiao Lu think maybe—just maybe—she did have a bit of a business mind. Making money with brains felt great. It was honestly better than finding money on the street!

“An’an, isn’t Mommy amazing?”

Little Qiao An looked at his mother with shining eyes and shouted excitedly: “Yeah! Mommy is awesome!”

Qiao Lu gleefully scratched his chin, and the little guy tilted his head up happily, squinting his eyes like a little puppy enjoying the affection.

Li Hongjun was practically in awe: “Haizhou, why do I feel like your wife is a walking business opportunity?”

Xu Haizhou glanced at him. He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words and simply said with a smile, “True enough.”

Qiao Lu couldn’t help laughing: “Don’t exaggerate. It’s just a novelty today. If I stayed a few more days, no one would buy them anymore. These things are easy to make, not technically difficult. In no time, people will start copying.”

Nowhere else would sell the individual components at 1.5 yuan a pair—at most, they’d go for 40–50 cents. Most of the female students were just impulse-buying because it was something new. Many families around this school had dual or multiple incomes, so it wasn’t strange for the girls to have some pocket money. Otherwise, why would so many vendors like to set up along this street?

…

Because time was tight, before the wedding banquet, Qiao Lu only had time to make clothes for herself and her son. She planned to make Xu Haizhou’s set after the banquet, and treat it as New Year’s clothes.

Thankfully, he didn’t mind—he’s a man after all, anything was fine to wear.

Children’s clothes were easier to make: simple cotton jackets and fleece-lined pants. The jacket even had a hood—windproof and rain-resistant. In the 1980s, kids’ jackets rarely had this kind of design, so to outsiders, it looked quite special.

Qiao Lu’s outfit was a vintage-style winter set. Before she transmigrated, she had loved beauty and fashion trends. She’d been itching to make a pretty outfit, and since this one was for a wedding banquet, she made it extra detailed—it took three whole days to complete.

Aside from fabric from the department store, Xu Haizhou had brought back some precious woolen material. She asked how much it cost, but the man kept quiet and just said it wasn’t much—refusing to tell her the exact price.

Qiao Lu could easily guess—it must’ve been a bit pricey, that’s why he wouldn’t say.

Oh well, it’s already bought. Might as well use it.

After finishing the clothes, on the day of the banquet, Qiao Lu planned to take her son to the department store to buy some cosmetics. The couple had agreed that after the banquet, they would take the child to the photo studio for a family portrait.

The little guy was so excited that he had put on his new clothes the night before to sleep. But it was a thick cotton coat—how could he possibly sleep comfortably in that?

Qiao Lu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After he fell asleep, she quietly took off his clothes. But the next morning, he woke up and cried, “Mom! My new clothes were stolen! Mooooom—wuwuwuwu—”

Qiao Lu laughed so hard her stomach hurt. She quickly brought the new cotton-padded jacket over to him. “My little crybaby, why are you crying again? Mommy and Daddy are both at home—how could there be a thief? Your new clothes are right here, sweetheart.”

Only then did the little guy stop crying and smile, grinning foolishly as he hugged Qiao Lu and whimpered, “You scared me, Mommy.”

…

The Lian City Department Store had the most diverse range of goods in the entire city—over 8,000 items in ten categories, covering everything from needles and thread to sewing machines and bicycles. Daily necessities, needless to say, were abundant, with goods sourced from various cities across the country.

Even so, when Qiao Lu stood in front of the counter for a while and observed, she noticed that modern items like liquid foundation and mascara weren’t sold here. The main products were skincare items like Snow Cream, “A Hundred Blossoms Bloom,” and Clam Oil… The cosmetics market wasn’t very developed at the time, and the variety of products was pitifully limited.

After much thought, she only bought a dark brown eyebrow pencil and a lipstick. The lipstick was a light carrot color, in a plastic tube with a silver-foil-like label that read: “Spring Fragrance Color-Changing Lipstick.” It looked a bit cheap—something Qiao Lu, in her previous life, wouldn’t have even glanced at in forty years’ time—total “street stall” quality.

“Hello, comrade. Could I please have one lipstick and one eyebrow pencil? How much is it in total?”

The saleswoman glanced at her, her tone indifferent: “Eighty cents, and two light industry coupons.”

Qiao Lu nodded and rummaged in her pocket, pulling out two light industry coupons. The blue-background, black-printed paper had a strong retro vibe, with the Lian City Commercial Bureau’s stamp on top.

Back then, everything from thread to fabric, bowls to iron pots, required coupons. There were food coupons, oil coupons, bicycle coupons, radio coupons… These coupons didn’t have real monetary value; they were essentially purchase permits. Even with coupons, you still had to pay.

Just as the saleswoman was about to get her items, a young woman in her early twenties, dressed stylishly in a small Western suit, walked up beside them.

“Hello, comrade, please get me a box of duck-egg powder—the Xie Fuchun brand.”

Unbelievable! The saleswoman had taken Qiao Lu’s money but hadn’t fulfilled her request yet—and she turned to serve the other woman first!

The saleswoman took a bottle of “Xie Fuchun” duck-egg powder from the counter. It came in an oval-shaped paper box, with a classical Chinese beauty printed in the center, set against a shiny golden background. It looked vintage but not cheap.

Xie Fuchun? Wasn’t that an old national brand? Qiao Lu was a little shocked to see it sold here.

Duck-egg powder was somewhat like loose powder in the modern day but had a natural fragrance—something that evoked the misty beauty of Jiangnan in the rain. It brightened the complexion and controlled oil very well. For oily-skinned girls, it kept their faces fresh all day without clogging pores.

All in all, the product was both effective and practical. Qiao Lu had read about it before her time-travel and now, seeing it again, she was definitely tempted.

Thinking this, Qiao Lu quickly said to the saleswoman, “Comrade, could you please also get me a box of duck-egg powder?”

The young woman, who had turned to leave, suddenly looked back and sized Qiao Lu up like a spotlight. Then she pouted in annoyance and said, “Copycat.”

With that, she strutted off.

Qiao Lu: “……”

…

No foundation, no BB cream—only duck-egg powder to lightly brighten her skin. But with brows filled in and a little lipstick, the result wasn’t much different from a full face of makeup.

Qiao Lu’s natural features were already excellent. Her eye sockets were deep-set, looking like she had natural earthy-toned eyeshadow. Her lashes were long and thick—anyone who didn’t know better would think she’d used mascara!

She lightly extended the ends of her eyebrows, enhancing her facial contours. On closer inspection, her features carried a hint of exotic charm. When she smiled, it was enough to steal a soul.

Qiao An ran over and hugged her thigh, his clear eyes staring at her in awe. “Mommy! Are you really my mommy?”

“You little rascal, if I’m not your mom, who am I?” Qiao Lu chuckled and pinched his cheek.

“Mommy’s so pretty, An’an almost can’t believe it!” Mommy was wearing a beautiful new outfit today, had on pretty makeup—her brows were longer, lashes curlier, lips redder, and face fairer… Mommy looked so different today!

Pleased by her son’s praise, Qiao Lu beamed. “Such a sweet little mouth. You’re definitely my good boy.”

Qiao An covered his mouth and giggled. Mommy was so fickle! One moment he was a rascal, the next he was her good boy.

Sigh, Daddy was right—girls are such changeable creatures.

Hand in hand, mother and son walked out of the bedroom. Qiao An was especially happy today—he had new clothes too, even better than the ones Second Aunt bought! And best of all, Mommy had made them herself!

He kept sneaking glances at Qiao Lu. His mommy was so beautiful. How did he end up with such a gorgeous mom?

In the early 1980s, material goods were absurdly scarce. Even a simple pair of gloves could cause a stir in the courtyard—let alone such a beautiful coat set. Somehow word got out, and even people from the neighboring courtyard came over to take a look.

Every woman’s eyes lit up like electric bulbs. They loved it! They touched and admired the outfit so much that Qiao Lu feared they’d wear down the fabric’s fuzz. She quietly took a step back…

The coat was made of single-sided deep brown velvet, reaching down to her calves. Around her neck was a shiny khaki-patterned satin scarf tied in a neat bow, the dangling ribbon fluttering in the breeze, giving it an ethereal feel.

Under the coat, she wore a Vichy-checkered blouse—neat and classic with a British vintage flair. On the bottom, she had on loose high-waisted trousers that tapered at the ankle, reminiscent of vintage styles.

The whole outfit cost 32 yuan—a hefty sum. An ordinary husband would surely scold her for being wasteful. But fortunately, Xu Haizhou said nothing. In fact, don’t forget—he was the one who brought back the most expensive fabrics.

“So pretty, absolutely stunning,” everyone sighed in admiration.

“Why are you dressed up so beautifully today?” Wu Guifang asked with a smile.

Chen family’s second sister-in-law, Song Qingping, gasped in envy, eyes practically turning green. “Yes, Qiao Lu, I almost didn’t recognize you! How are you this pretty?”

Too dazzling. Too stunning. She could totally be the female lead in a TV drama!