Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 110

Jiang Ning was the author working with his nephew, and his first compilation depended on this author. Of course, he couldn’t cheat Jiang Ning like that. Although the products were all overstocked, the quality and style were still good.

The other package contained the shoes Jiang Ning had requested. There were all kinds of men’s and women’s shoes. They were the inventory accumulated by the factory next door last year. The goods were of good quality, but the styles weren’t as fashionable as the new ones on the market in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Because there was overstocked inventory in the warehouse, the price given to Jiang Ning was very favorable.

Jiang Ning roughly estimated the price of each piece of clothing. It was indeed inexpensive, even very cheap. From her perspective, there was nothing wrong with the style. It was just that they had been in the warehouse for too long and needed to be ironed.

She didn’t have time to do that, so she took advantage of the two days off on the weekend to go to the small commodity market and buy a speaker, a stove, and other daily necessities. When she passed by Xinhua Bookshop, she also bought a tape recorder.

It was very popular to buy a tape recorder to learn English back then. Wang Yong assumed that Jiang Ning had bought the tape recorder to practice her English. But when he returned to the shop, he saw his best-selling author pressing the record button on the tape recorder, speaking in a rhythmic, energetic voice.

“Jiangnan Garment Factory has closed down. That bastard He, the factory director, ran away with a young married employee. We have no choice but to exchange the clothes for wages. The original price was over 100, 200, or 300 for cotton-padded jackets and down jackets, but now they’re all on sale for 29 and 39.”

Wang Yong’s mind was filled with the catchy numbers 29 and 39—everything on sale for 29 and 39.

It wasn’t unusual for factories to close down those days. Countless workers were laid off as factories either shut down or were annexed. If such a recording was played, some people might actually believe it.

Wang Yong had never seen anyone advertise their shop like this before.

He stared in disbelief at Jiang Ning, who was seriously recording the advertisement. She was his best-selling author—why was she coming up with such vulgar advertising slogans?

Wang Yong couldn’t figure it out and was shocked.

He listened to the rhythmic voice on the tape recorder, which seemed designed for brainwashing. 

He asked her in disbelief, “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to say that about the director of Jiangnan Garment Factory?”

Jiang Ning tilted her head and thought for a moment, confused. “Is there such a garment factory?”

Wang Yong was also surprised. “No?”

Jiang Ning really didn’t know if there was one, but she only knew that there was a Jiangnan Leather Factory.

“You recorded this to play in the shop?” He asked, pointing to the tape recorder and then to the speaker.

Jiang Ning nodded. “Only on weekends, not on weekdays.”

Because the shop was a hundred meters away from two schools, the sound from the speaker wouldn’t disturb the students. Moreover, the speaker wasn’t a stereo, so its amplification effect was limited. But she still decided to only use it on weekends.

On Sunday, when the second and third grade high school students were on a holiday, Jiang Ning and Wang Yong were hanging clothes on the poles in the shop while the speaker played the recording. Since students could leave the school on Sundays, the still-lively street echoed with the rhythmic chant, “Jiangnan Garment Factory has closed down.” Curious people couldn’t help but look in the direction of the sound.

The closer they walked, the clearer the voice became. Soon, they heard the key words: Jiangnan Garment Factory closed down, and there was a clearance sale on clothes. Jackets that originally cost more than 100, 200, or 300 yuan were now selling for 29 or 39 yuan.

In clothing shops at that time, because there were few people doing business, and it was a transition period between the old and the new, coupled with the influence of Hong Kong and Taiwan TV series broadcasted on the mainland, people in the 1990s began to pursue fashion. Prices were not transparent, leading to sellers often asking for prices over 100 yuan. Many honest, simple people didn’t dare bargain or didn’t know how to, so a cotton-padded coat or jacket might cost 70 to 80 yuan, or even more than 100 yuan.

Sellers often shouted out random prices.

At that time, people’s monthly salary was only a little over 100 yuan, with some earning two or three hundred yuan.

Those who knew how to bargain were fine—they knew to start by halving the price and then haggling further—but many young, honest people who didn’t know how to bargain often got ripped off. When they heard that cotton-padded jackets and coats were selling for 29 or 39 yuan, they hurriedly walked in to take a look.

It turned out there were still many unopened clothes in packages on the floor of the newly opened shop.

Jiang Ning had already taken off the thin cotton-padded jacket she was wearing and put on one of the shop’s clothes.

When choosing clothes for herself, she reflexively wanted to pick solid-colored clothes in black, white, gray, or brown, aiming for a more mature look. But then she realized she was no longer a cadre in the system—she was just a teenager. There was no need for a high school student to dress too old-fashioned.

Of course, it couldn’t be too flashy either. The school didn’t allow students to wear flashy clothes.

When she spotted a bright yellow sweater in a small size, Jiang Ning stepped behind the curtain to change into it. She wore an ordinary pair of light blue jeans, though they were a bit too big. Wang Yong suggested she could wear a belt.

Belts were particularly popular back then, and it was trendy to tuck tops into trousers, wear them high at the waist, and tie a wide belt in the middle.

That style really flattered the figure.

There was a belt seller in the grocery shop next to the school. Wang Yong, who had been walking around the area often, was familiar with all the shops on the street. He quickly ran to the grocery shop to buy a belt and brought it back for Jiang Ning.

During that time, she had grown taller significantly but was still very thin. Before military training, she had cut her hair short, but it had grown out a little. On her fair face, her facial features were exquisite and well-defined, with a cold, composed look. She was just a skinny little girl, yet she exuded an indescribably cool temperament.

The most ordinary belt was tied around Jiang Ning’s waist. Whether it was the contrast between the bright yellow sweater and the jeans, or simply because Jiang Ning was naturally good-looking, she completely transformed the ordinary outfit, looking like a movie star straight out of a pictorial.