Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 125

Jiang Ning and Wang Yong didn’t expect the weekend business to be so booming.

The two of them didn’t open the door in the morning. They went to the Internet cafe to work and opened the shop after lunch. Since it was the weekend, they released the loudspeaker recording.

At first, there weren’t many people, but gradually, more people showed up. Even people from the next street came over. By Sunday afternoon, people from the next street and even from the next town arrived. Everyone had heard that there was a clothing shop there. Because the garment factory had closed down and was clearing out stock, the clothes were very cheap, so they came without hesitation.

Since they lived far away, it seemed uneconomical to buy just one item. Since they all had relatives and friends, they figured they might as well buy a few more and bring them back to their parents’ homes, so they could give new cotton-padded jackets as gifts during the Chinese New Year. That way, they would also make a dignified appearance at family gatherings.

Fortunately, it didn’t rain. Grandpa Jiang saw that he couldn’t squeeze in, and there was a steady stream of customers coming to buy clothes. So, he simply put down the cart, climbed onto it, and sat by the shop door to wait. After a long wait, Grandpa Jiang, who wasn’t very particular, gathered up his cotton-padded jacket, pulled the bedding on the cart, lay down on it, and fell asleep.

No one noticed the old man lying there. Maybe even if they had noticed, most people wouldn’t have cared.

But not everyone.

There were four schools nearby. The other schools in Wucheng weren’t on these two streets, so they weren’t far away. Because of the gossip about Wucheng and the cheap clothes, girls from nearby schools came over when they heard that cheap clothes were being sold there.

Before they could squeeze into the shop, they saw an old man with gray hair lying on a cart next to the shop, silently, as if he were dead. A girl, frightened, approached Grandpa Jiang to check his breathing. She found that he was still alive and was relieved. She hurriedly pushed him to wake him up, saying, “Grandpa, grandpa, why are you sleeping here? You’ll catch a cold. Are you okay? Are you lost? Do you still remember where you live?”

Grandpa Jiang was woken up by two kind-hearted female students. He turned around blankly and saw that there were still many people in his granddaughter’s shop.

They were busy until closing time at five o’clock. Even then, there were still many customers. Jiang Ning and Wang Yong were exhausted. After half a day, they hurriedly shouted, “It’s five o’clock. We are closing. If you want to buy clothes, come back tomorrow.”

“Boss, we are already here, please sell them to us quickly.”

“Then hurry up and pick. After you’ve picked and paid, call Wang Yong. Brother Yong, you leave the door ajar and don’t accept any new customers.”

When the customers saw that the shop owner was not interested in doing more business, they became even more eager to rush and pay for the clothes.

After two weekend afternoons of hot sales, some of the clothes in Jiang Ning’s shop were out of stock, thanks to Wang Yong’s uncle, who had sent a large quantity of clothes earlier. But no matter how much he sent, it couldn’t withstand the rush of so many people coming to buy them.

Throughout the afternoon, the flow of people never stopped. People kept coming to buy clothes, which exhausted the two who just wanted to sell casually.

After finally sending everyone away, Jiang Ning closed the door, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said to Wang Yong, “Brother Yong, this is different from what I originally expected.”

There had never been much business on that street before.

The shop’s business had been booming these past two days, and other shops on that street had also seen improved sales.

Wang Yong looked at her with a complicated expression, “It’s because your advertisement was so good.” Of course, it was also because the source of goods he found for Jiang Ning was cheap enough. After all, there were no middlemen to take a cut. How could other shops in Wucheng compete with theirs?

Such cheap, clearly marked prices had taken away the business of other merchants in Wucheng who had hoped to cash in at the end of the year, when every household had to buy new clothes, and make a lot of money.

Under normal circumstances, even if a new shop opened in Wucheng, and the clothes in the shop were of good quality and reasonably priced, it wouldn’t be known to everyone so quickly. Even if it spread by word of mouth, it would take time. The information would spread slowly, and many people might not hear about it at all.

But this shop was completely different. The advertisement spread like a virus, and everyone in Wucheng knew about it.

Other people who owned clothing shops heard the news and went to check out the clothes. The quality of the clothes was indeed no worse than theirs, and the styles were good, but the prices were only half of theirs. How could they compete with that?

They carefully calculated the cost of the clothes. If they sold them at that price, not only would they not make a penny, they would also lose money.

If calculated in that way, was what the shop owner said true? Was he really an employee of Jiangnan Garment Factory? Otherwise, with manufacturer prices, travel expenses, accommodation fees, shop rent, and other costs, the total would be much more than their sale prices. If it weren’t for the factory closing down and the clothes being sold so cheaply, people wouldn’t even be able to afford to wear the pants they were selling.

But what could they do? They couldn’t ask people to close their shop, right?

Fortunately, the street near No. 1 High School was very remote. People usually didn’t go shopping there. There were almost no people on that street. Moreover, judging from the clothes in their shop, they should be almost sold out.

Yes, Jiang Ning’s shop had sold a lot of clothes, so Wang Yong called his uncle again and asked him to send more clothes quickly, as the last batch was sold out.

Wang Yong’s uncle was also surprised when he received the call. “The people in Wucheng are quite rich.”

Wang Yong said, “What’s the point of having money? Small profits but quick turnover.”

When Wang Yong’s uncle heard what he said, he suddenly thought, “I still have a batch of inventory from last year. The materials are all good. They weren’t sold out last year, and this year, we have new products. That batch of goods is still in the warehouse. Ask your boss if she wants it. If so, I’ll give it to her at the lowest price.”

He was thinking that people in big cities pursue new products, and if the small place in Wucheng didn’t mind last year’s styles, it would be better to sell them cheaply rather than letting them grow moldy in the warehouse. Plus, he could also make some money.

When Wang Yong asked Jiang Ning if she wanted it, she naturally said yes.

Wang Yong was coming back from the phone call and was about to open the door and enter the shop when he saw Grandpa Jiang sitting on the cart in the evening light, looking at him. 

Wang Yong and Grandpa Jiang met unexpectedly.