TPW – Chapter 52

“Then just now you mentioned the bag—how much do we have to spend to get it?”

“Any purchase will do,” Xu Haizhou replied.

“Ah… fifteen… a small bag…” The two young women looked at each other, clearly hesitant.

Fifteen yuan wasn’t a small sum—it was nearly a week’s wages for them.

After some hesitation, the girl with braids stepped forward and asked, “Can the two of us combine our purchases to get it? Or does one person have to spend the full amount?”

“Two people are fine too, even three or four—no limit!” Li Hongjun smiled and explained.

“Then…” The two of them huddled together, whispering, “Should we pitch in together?”

The girl with the ponytail hesitated. “Pitch in for what? It’s just one bag—are you going to carry it, or am I?”

The girl with braids looked conflicted, then suddenly had an idea. “How about we take turns? You carry it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I’ll take Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.”

“What about Sunday?”

“On Sunday… neither of us will carry it!” That’s fair, right?

Thinking it over, it made sense. They quickly agreed.

“Alright, show us your clothes. We’ll pick something for fifteen yuan.” If each of them spent 7.5, that would be fair!

Pointing to the dresses on the wall and then to the ones on the rotating rack, Xu Haizhou said, “We’ve got tops and pants. The ones in the middle are our custom designs—only our shop in all of Lian City has them. These below are all skirts, lots of styles. We also have a fitting room if you’d like to try anything on.”

“Huh? Trying on these close-fitting skirts… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” What if they got dirty? And it was so hot—they were all sweaty… Mostly, they were just embarrassed at the idea of dirtying something for the next customer.

In the 1980s, aside from coats, customers rarely tried on clothes. Even department stores didn’t really have fitting rooms.

“What’s the harm? You’re customers, and customers are gods! If God makes a request, we’ll do our best to fulfill it!” Li Hongjun smiled with squinted eyes. Complimenting people was his specialty. “Besides, you two look like the type who are super clean. The clothes won’t get dirty—don’t worry.”

The two girls looked at each other and saw a flash of awkwardness in each other’s eyes.

They nudged and pushed.

“You go first.”

“No, you go.”

“You go, I’ll watch the curtain for you.”

After a moment of struggle, the braided girl bravely took the first step.

She looked around the wall and pointed to a blue and white tie-dye dress in the center. “That one’s pretty. How much is it?”

Xu Haizhou said, “Twenty yuan each, but since it’s our grand opening and you’re new customers, I’ll give it to you for eighteen.”

Wow, he offered a discount without even being asked! That was so generous… She couldn’t help but look at him a second longer. Just one glance, and her face turned red.

Shy as she was, it was still their hard-earned money—they weren’t going to pay up so easily.

The braided girl thought it was a bit expensive, so she picked another dress off the rotating rack and held it up to herself, checking the length. Then she asked the price.

“How much?”

Xu Haizhou replied, “That one’s cheaper—13 yuan.”

Still pricey! Thirteen yuan was enough for just one pair of socks. And it wasn’t enough for the bag either!

But a 13-yuan skirt was actually a normal price. After all, even a Dacron shirt cost 15 yuan.

“What’s the cheapest thing you have?” the ponytail girl asked.

Li Hongjun enthusiastically pulled a pair of black work pants off the wall. “This—men’s trousers, only five yuan a pair!”

“…” A young woman buying men’s work pants? That’s either crazy or foolish.

After thinking it over, under the smiling gaze of the two men, the braided girl clenched her teeth and pointed at the tie-dye skirt hanging on the wall: “That one! I want to try it!”

If she was going to spend over ten yuan anyway, why not add a bit more and buy something she liked? Sometimes, you have to be a little “crazy” for the things you love.

The ponytail girl gently tugged her sleeve and whispered, “You’re really buying it? It’s eighteen… then I’m not going in with you—you can afford it yourself.”

The braided girl gripped her shirt hem tightly, then bit her lip. “Then I won’t split it. I’ll buy it myself.”

She took the dress and went into the fitting room.

Back then, there was no way to get a full-length mirror. The shop only had two small 20×20 cm square mirrors—not big, not small, just enough to see the upper body.

When she came out in the dress, the ponytail girl’s eyes lit up. “Jingjing, this dress looks so good on you! Makes you look fairer! And thinner!”

It wasn’t flattery—it really did look good!

She touched the waistline in disbelief. “Look at this tiny waist! I never realized you were this fair-skinned…”

Then Li Hongjun stepped in with his sweet-talking skills, praising her beauty to the heavens, like she was peerless.

The braided girl blushed all the way down her neck, finally too shy to speak. She just pulled a small stack of banknotes from her purse, counted them—and came up short. She borrowed seven yuan from her friend, bought the tie-dye skirt, and received the small bag as a gift.

She liked the dress so much she couldn’t bear to take it off. She left wearing her new outfit, walking in quick little steps, her back radiating both joy and excitement.

The ponytail girl, who hadn’t bought anything, glanced back. Her eyes paused on the blue-and-white tie-dye dress on the wall—then she quickly looked away.

Xu Haizhou had a hunch—she would come back to buy it.

Sure enough, two hours later, just before sunset, she rushed back in little hurried steps.

Without trying it on or bargaining, she pulled out eighteen yuan and slapped it onto the wooden table: “Wrap it up for me—that blue-and-white dress.”

Both Xu Haizhou and Li Hongjun had experience in business and quick wits, not to mention Li Hongjun had a silver tongue.

That sweet mouth of his! If anyone so much as glanced toward their stall, he’d warmly call out “Sis!” For younger women, it was “Missy,” for men “Brother,” and younger ones “Handsome!”

If a customer showed interest but hesitated, he’d immediately compliment their figure, saying they’d definitely look great in it. “Come on, try it on in the fitting room! Trying doesn’t cost anything!”

He said this to everyone—after all, you didn’t see many overweight people these days.

Xu Haizhou didn’t have that kind of glib tongue, but his good looks still drew plenty of girls. One glance at his face, another at the shop’s quality clothes, and bit by bit, the transaction rate went up.

After a week of hard work, business was booming—profits were no worse than back in Qingteng Alley.

Another point: the clothes designed by Qiao Lu were sold under the label of custom pieces, and at a high price. Even selling four or five pieces a month was considered good.

But the profit from one of those dresses equaled that of five or six cheap ones. With this extra income, monthly net profits reached as high as 1,200 yuan!

Yu Fan asked curiously, “All those bags and socks you give away… aren’t they free?”

“They cost money, of course. But if no one buys anything, what good are those bags and socks just sitting there? They don’t cost much to begin with. Gotta spend a little to make a lot.”

Watching the two men attract more and more customers—so much so that even her own business started picking up—Yu Fan nodded thoughtfully.

It did seem… like a workable strategy…

At that time, most street stalls besides clothing were small-budget businesses. No one was willing to give away free gifts. On bad days, they wouldn’t sell a thing—who’d dare give away more than they earned?

Whether it was the sweet talk or the fashionable clothes, by noon they’d already made six sales!

Around midday, a lady came by—not interested in any of the clothes, but her eyes locked on a color-blocked handmade bag sewn by Qiao Lu.

Li Hongjun waved his hand and hung the bag up high: “That bag is for distinguished customers. Not for sale, not for sale!”

Just then, Xu Haizhou came over to restock. Seeing what was happening, he joined in the act.

The customer had started feeling a bit offended by Li Hongjun’s attitude and was about to leave, but Xu Haizhou smiled gently and said, “This is a large bag. If you like it, just make any clothing purchase totaling 30 yuan or more, and we’ll give you the bag for free.”

That did tempt her, although just a bit. After all, 30 yuan wasn’t a small amount.

But the more she looked at the bag, the more she liked it. She had never seen such bright, well-matched colors before. It was just the right size—refined and stylish.

“This dress is nice. How much is it?” She had her eye on a floral dress—slightly old-fashioned in pattern, but in line with current tastes and quite popular.

“Sixteen. But since we just opened and it’s your first visit, I’ll give you a 2-yuan discount.” It was the classic “get-a-deal” tactic.

Two yuan off was a decent discount, but still…

“Fourteen yuan is still too much!”

“It’s not! Really, it’s not! I’m not even asking for cloth coupons! Fourteen yuan and you think it’s expensive? And I’m throwing in a pair of socks too! Look—nylon ones, excellent quality!” Li Hongjun handed her a pair and added, “If you went to a department store, they’d even ask for an industrial coupon for those socks!”

The socks were indeed nice. So was the dress. The only issue… was the price.

“If I bring a friend and we buy together… If our total is over 30 yuan, will you give me the bag and the socks?”

Li Hongjun acted dramatically, frowning, clutching his chest as if in pain, then finally gritted his teeth and said: “Alright! If you and your friend spend thirty together, I swear I’ll give you the bag! And not just that—I’ll throw in a hair clip for your daughter too! I’m going all in here!”

Buying 30 yuan worth of clothes solo was asking a lot, but bringing in others? That was boosting foot traffic. Exactly what they wanted!

“Oh come on, don’t be so dramatic,” the lady laughed, amused by his theatrics. “Fine, I’ll come back after lunch with someone.”

Before leaving, she pointed at the dress and repeatedly reminded them: “Save me a small size, okay? Don’t you dare sell it! And save the bag too!”

Li Hongjun waved her off cheerfully: “Alrighty! Go have lunch, I’ll try to save it for you.”

He said “try” instead of “promise,” which made her rush off even faster.

These were all strategies Qiao Lu had taught them. Xu Haizhou and Li Hongjun found them clever and effective. Turns out everyone—young or old, male or female—fell for these tricks.

Sure enough, the lady was true to her word and came back after lunch.

The moment he saw her, Li Hongjun slapped his thigh in exaggerated joy: “Ah, Sis, thank goodness you’re here! Just now another lady tried to buy that last small-size dress. I had to fight to keep it for you!”

“Oh really? Good thing I came back quickly then. You really went to the trouble.” She patted her chest in relief, not doubting him for a second. His performance was just too convincing.

“Of course! I gave you my word, didn’t I? Gotta keep my promises!”

The lady gave him a thumbs up: “You’re a good one, kid. That’s how business should be—honest!”

“Exactly! Couldn’t agree more!” He scratched his head modestly—but not humbly at all.

The ladies were strong shoppers, and their loud voices drew in more customers, leading to two more sales. Just like that, they made over 60 yuan.

After they left, they counted their cash gleefully: “Hey! Sixty-two yuan and three jiao—not bad at all. If we made this much every day, that’d be 1,800 a month. Minus costs…”

“Alright, each piece of clothing has a different cost. Without pen and paper, I can’t calculate exactly, but roughly speaking, we’re making at least a profit of 1,500 yuan.”

“Ah, even though this location isn’t ideal, our stuff is good quality and unique. It’s hard to stay low-key!”

Yu Fan teased him, a flash of envy in her eyes: “Don’t celebrate too soon. This place really is remote.”

It was only because the weather and their luck were good right now. Come winter, when it gets cold, barely anyone will come around here. Never mind distance—the real problem is the cold! Wind leaks in from everywhere.

In winter, regardless of wealth, everyone tends to shop at department stores. After all, entering is free—can’t afford to buy, but at least you can walk around in warmth.

“That’s true. Look how hard I shout to sell things! Even someone like Haizhou, with his shy personality, throws away his pride when doing business.” As he spoke, he sized up Yu Fan, who was curled up on the bench, and teased, “I think you women are just too self-conscious to call out to customers. Otherwise, you might’ve made your first sale today. At this pace, you could easily earn a few hundred, even a thousand, a month!”

She just didn’t have the same drive to earn as him and Xu Haizhou. If she kept being so passive, she might as well go work in a factory!

“It’s not that simple.” Yu Fan smiled and shook her head, unscrewing her tea cup and taking a sip of jasmine tea she brewed herself. “Business depends on who’s willing to take the bait.”

Li Hongjun didn’t agree. He’d always disliked the idea of “waiting for those who are willing.”

If you don’t hook them, how will they bite? “Willing”? Where are so many brainless volunteers coming from?

After chatting a while, the conversation shifted to Yu Fan. Li Hongjun was very curious about her—not just her personality, but her background too.

She said she dropped out before finishing middle school. Because she was underage, she could only do odd jobs at small workshops to make money. She did that for two years. But the pay was so low, she could barely support herself and her grandmother, so she decisively quit.

That was in early ’79, right when the Reform and Opening Up began. Without hesitation, she quit her job and went out to make money with a friend. Later, she felt the timing was right and started her own business.

After hearing her story, Li Hongjun was moved. They weren’t that close yet, so he didn’t ask more.

“Comrade Yu Fan, can I ask how old you are this year?”

Yu Fan glanced at him. “Twenty.”

“What, just turned twenty?”

“Mm. Why? Surprised?” She brushed her short chin-length curls. “Didn’t I say I dropped out in eighth grade?”

In those days, getting into middle school wasn’t easy. That Yu Fan did meant she was a decent student—what a pity.

“Surprised is an understatement!” His eyes nearly popped out!

Back then, it wasn’t common for women to show their faces in public. Even if they couldn’t find jobs, they wouldn’t take to the streets. And if they did business, at least they’d go with a partner—like a boyfriend or husband—or with friends.

For a young, pretty girl to go alone was incredibly risky.

“It’s rare to see a young woman like you running a street stall. What about your parents? They don’t mind?”

“They’ve been dead for years. If they have opinions, they can tell me in the afterlife.”

Cough cough cough— Li Hongjun almost choked. He thought to himself: this girl’s got guts and speaks without filter. No wonder she’d been hustling since she was underage—she really does carry that “tough girl” vibe.

“So it’s just you at home now?”

“I have a younger sister in middle school, and my grandma.”

“Oh.” Li Hongjun scratched his face. “Then you’ve got it tough, supporting three people.”

But Yu Fan didn’t think so. “Compared to having no job, I’m not worried about food or drink now. What’s so tough about that?”

She was right. Some people work themselves to the bone and still don’t make as much in a month as Yu Fan might in a few days. Though she endured judgmental stares, she earned more.

“There are people who have it way harder than me.”

If she weren’t doing street stalls, Yu Fan never would’ve imagined she could earn a month’s wages in one day. She never thought making money could be so easy—just say a few convincing words, make the customer happy, and the cash rolls in. Compared to going hungry, this felt like a heavenly life.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Qiao Lu was still troubled by the two large bags of “junk.”

She’d been fretting for days and in the end couldn’t bring herself to throw them out. She started sorting through them—mostly defective items, and some clothes even had a strange smell. She picked one up and spread it open—turns out it was secondhand! Clearly used before!

She gagged in disgust, stepped outside to wash her hands, then went to the hardware store to buy rubber gloves.

Back home, she resumed sorting. If she could find two decent pieces out of ten, that was lucky.

She tossed all the obviously secondhand stuff—who knew if they carried any viruses?

The defective items were piled together, the passable ones in another pile. The good-to-bad ratio was about 2 to 8—what a rip-off!

Sigh, in this day and age, earning money could seem easy but wasn’t really. Traveling so far to haul goods, only to come back with a pile of trash.

“Sorted the clothes?” It was Xu Haizhou’s turn to do laundry today. After finishing, he came in and saw his wife sorting through the “junk.” Just seeing the pile gave him a headache.

“Mm.” Qiao Lu pointed at the defective pile. “This batch, I’ll try to fix up. Some sleeves are uneven, some collars are crooked, some have big holes, and others are just ugly designs… I’ll mend what I can and try to sell them to cut our losses.”

Then she pointed at the better ones. “These I’ll double-check later. If they’re fine, I’ll take them to the shop.”

“Thanks for your hard work.” Xu Haizhou stepped forward, squeezed her shoulders, and tapped her back gently.

Sitting in front of a sewing machine all day was no small thing. Xu Haizhou was already planning to take her jogging at night when the weather dropped to around 24–25°C, to help keep her healthy.

“This isn’t really hard.”

In truth, the effort wasn’t the problem. What mattered was that the person you love recognizes your efforts, doesn’t take them for granted, and understands your hard work—then all the toil feels worth it.

“By the way, how are those tie-dye dresses selling recently? If they’re selling well, I’ll ask Sister Wu to make a few more.”

“Let’s just make ten for now. If they sell well, we’ll make more—don’t stockpile inventory.” The fabric these days was all scavenged by him from the black market or bought at high prices by trading ration coupons at department stores. The cost was high, and if they stockpiled too much, cash flow would get tied up.

“Alright, then go get some more dye. While the weather’s still warm, I want to try out a few more color schemes.”

“Got it.”

That afternoon, they altered three tie-dye long dresses with short sleeves.

Before alterations, the collars were so wide they exposed cleavage, the shoulder seams were asymmetrical, the sleeve lengths mismatched, and there were loose threads all over the skirt… Afterward, the waistlines were taken in, shoulder seams corrected, the coarse hem was sealed with another layer, and pleats were added for a more flowing and elegant look.

From Qiao Lu’s perspective, they looked pretty good.

She stretched, planning to take a break before continuing with the next one.

Outside, the sun was setting, the scent of cooking wafted through the air… Aunt Tian was scolding her son again.

“You scrub scrub scrub all day, only cleaning the outside and not the inside—what’s the point of washing then? So pretentious! All shine on the outside like a horse turd!”

“Tsk, Mom, why are you so annoying? I’m washing them myself, not asking you for help, what are you nagging for?” Tian Jianzhong replied irritably, deliberately scrubbing louder to make a point.

Aunt Tian smacked his head: “Hey! I’m just giving you a couple of reminders and you’re acting like you’re in the right? I’m your mother, of course I get to nag you!”

Tian Jianzhong: “…”

Forget it. No point arguing with her.

He had recently bought a new Dacron white shirt. He used to have one from last year, but somehow it had turned yellow—maybe because it wasn’t stored properly.

So he spent his wages to buy a new one, which Aunt Tian utterly disapproved of.

It was just yellow, not torn or shrunk—why couldn’t he still wear it?

And now he’d gone and bought another one—for fifteen yuan! What a wasteful son!

These days, the Dacron shirt was the hottest item nationwide. It was the first synthetic fiber to enter the domestic market—made of polyester, and known for its durability.

Though expensive, it was worth it.

Regular shirts wrinkle when worn. Dacron shirts always stayed crisp, wrinkle-free, and didn’t shrink. The only downside: they weren’t breathable.

In summer, people sweat a lot. These shirts had to be washed daily. The collar, in particular, gathered the most grime, and if not cleaned frequently, developed a yellow stain—very unsightly.

Tian Jianzhong had just bought his this month with his wages and treasured it dearly.

He had worn it for just one day. As soon as he got home that afternoon, he took it off to wash.

To avoid deforming the collar, he used a small brush dipped in detergent and scrubbed gently until the sweat stains were gone.

Of course, once it was clean, he didn’t wring it out—just let it soak, then hung it dripping wet on the drying rack. The dripping water pooled into a little stream. Kids ran around the courtyard, and if they moved too fast, they’d slip and fall.

And then came the scolding from their parents:

“Cry cry cry! Why weren’t you watching where you were going again?!”

Aside from him, everyone with a white shirt in the courtyard washed it like this. In fact, little rivers like these were a common sight every day in such crowded housing compounds.

After finishing with the shirt, he started scrubbing his white sneakers—but only the white edges, not the rest. This was another thing Aunt Tian found annoying and incomprehensible—scrubbing the outside but not the inside? Pointless!

Watching Tian Jianzhong scrubbing shoes and clothes, Qiao Lu stretched and jokingly walked over: “My shop sells Dacron too. Why didn’t you come to us?”

A shadow fell over his head as he looked up and saw her.

She was wearing a beautiful blue tie-dye dress. These dresses seemed very popular lately—he’d seen a few people wearing similar ones on the street. But he knew hers was a unique design she came up with herself. No other shop sold them.

Honestly, Tian Jianzhong quite admired her.

When she had first married into the family, he was prejudiced against her—thinking a widowed mother wasn’t worthy of Xu Haizhou.

But she turned out to be skillful and capable. Their little family of three was living better and better—not the chaotic mess he had expected.

Instead, the father was kind, the son obedient, the mother gentle… warm and harmonious.

“Your shop has it?” Blinking, pulling his thoughts back, Tian Jianzhong scratched his face and feigned ignorance: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I would’ve bought from you then.”

From the kitchen, Aunt Tian shouted crossly while stir-frying: “Your shop’s all the way over on Baiyun Street—that’s a million miles from here! Who has time to go there just for one shirt?!”

Qiao Lu smiled: “No need to make a special trip. Just let me or Haizhou know—we’ll deliver it to your door for free.”

“Nice! No need to even leave the house.” Tian Jianzhong chuckled.

Aunt Tian was clearly unhappy, muttering to herself: Yeah right! The two of them are just out to squeeze every penny!

Completely forgetting that Qiao Lu had once helped her earn some extra cash.

After chatting a bit, Qiao Lu turned and headed inside to find Carpenter Tian: “Uncle, that design I gave you last time—did you finish it?”

A few days ago, she’d managed to sketch a dress mannequin design—just the upper body—so it would be easier for tailoring.

Carpenter Tian Yongkui, just about to light his pipe, looked up warmly: “Qiao Lu, you’re here. Come in and sit.”

“No need, Uncle, I just came to check in.”

While slowly rolling tobacco, he replied: “That thing of yours will take about two more days. Once it’s done, I’ll have Jianzhong bring it over to you right away.”

“Alright, thank you, Uncle.”

That evening, Tian Jianzhong suddenly sneaked over to the Xu house like a thief.

At that hour, Xu Haizhou had taken Qiao An to the bathhouse. Qiao Lu was home cleaning up, sweeping up the scraps left from sewing work that day.

She was a little surprised to see him: “Why are you here?”

At first glance, she thought he had come to deliver the model, but he was empty-handed and tiptoeing—didn’t look like it.

He walked in slowly, shutting the door behind him, looking awkward: “Do you… um… do you have… cough, uh, a suit jacket?”

Pfft—

Watching this grown man stammer and fidget, Qiao Lu almost thought he was about to ask if she sold underwear!