Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 131

The post office was not close to the shop, and Jiang Bai was very tired. He sat on the recliner Jiang Ning had bought for Grandpa Jiang, drank a glass of water, rested for a while, and then got up again to unload several large bags of goods from the cart and pile them up behind the curtain in the shop.

The owner of the chicken cake shop next door saw that the shop was almost sold out and that they had brought so many packages back. So she asked Grandpa Jiang, who was sitting at the door, if he had restocked.

Grandpa Jiang smiled and said, “Yes, Boss Wang went back after selling out his goods. Knowing that the shop was almost out of stock, he sent some more.” 

Grandpa Jiang himself was unaware of the fact that Wang Yong came from Jiangnan Garment Factory. He was convinced, especially when he saw his granddaughter bringing back so many goods. He was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to sell them all in Wucheng, so he couldn’t help but look in the direction of his hometown.

The cake shop owner smiled and asked him, “What are you looking at, old man?”

Grandpa Jiang replied with a smile, “My granddaughter’s clothes are sold at cheap rates. I’m thinking of bringing them back to Shuibu Town to sell, so that the children in the countryside can have new clothes to wear during the New Year.”

That was his true inner thought.

When the owner of the chicken cake shop heard that the old man actually wanted to bring cheap clothes to their town to sell them and benefit the country children, she immediately washed her hands and came to Grandpa Jiang’s shop. She watched as Jiang Ning and Jiang Bai tidied up the clothes, then picked out several pieces for herself. 

“Little sister, I want these pieces, please calculate the price for me,” she said.

Jiang Ning quickly calculated the price, which was the same as before: thirty-nine for the jacket and twenty-nine for the sweater and pants.

The owner of the cake shop bought four items at once: a red cotton-padded jacket for herself, a dark blue down jacket for the shop owner, and one for each of the two children.

The owner of the cake shop said to her neighbor, “Didn’t you hear what the old man said? He wants to bring the clothes back to his town to sell them. It’s not like you don’t know about the clothing shops in the middle of the street. Clothes there are extremely expensive. Here, I can buy two pieces for the price of one in those shops. I have to buy a few more while there are still some left in the shop.”

Because she lived nearby, she went back and told the neighbors she was familiar with about the new clothes in the shop. The neighbors, eager to see the new arrivals and thinking about the opportunity to bring them back to Shuibu Town to sell, hurried over to take a look. However, when they arrived, the shop had already been closed.

Jiang Bai was puzzled by his sister’s decision to close the shop so early.

As expected, his sister didn’t seem to understand how to run a business. She missed the chance to sell the clothes quickly while there were still people on the street on Saturday, and she even closed the door.

But since the shop didn’t belong to him, Jiang Bai didn’t say anything. They had just bought so many goods, and it would take time to sort them out. Silently, he swallowed his words, thinking that neither his grandfather nor his sister knew how to do business. So, he decided to come and help his sister the next morning.

Otherwise, with so many clothes, they might not be able to sell them all before the Chinese New Year.

On Saturday, only Jiang Ning and He Xiaofang were left in the dormitory.

Since Jiang Ning’s evening self-study was in the competition class, He Xiaofang felt that they spent much less time together. They used to share morning, lunch, and evening meals, but now Jiang Ning was always too busy to eat with them.

Without Jiang Ning around, He Xiaofang and Xu Xiuli often sat opposite each other in silence during meals. Sometimes, He Xiaofang couldn’t help but express her loneliness, saying, “Oh, I don’t know what Ning Ning is doing all day long.”

Jiang Ning always seemed to be busy with something.

On the weekend, He Xiaofang thought she and Jiang Ning would finally have some time alone in the dormitory. However, as soon as Jiang Ning got out of class, she quickly ran to the cafeteria to get food and then disappeared.

Fortunately, He Xiaofang still had the magazines Jiang Ning brought back every week to keep herself occupied, so she wouldn’t be too bored.

When Jiang Ning returned to the dormitory, it wasn’t too late. Hearing the door open, He Xiaofang said softly, “Ning Ning, you’re back.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ning replied, feeling a bit tired.

She had spent the evening with Jiang Bai and Grandpa Jiang, unpacking packages and hanging clothes in the shop until 6:55. Then she left the shop, caught the 7:00 PM gate closure at No. 1 High School, and headed to the cafeteria for a quick meal.

Jiang Bai mentioned that he would go to the shop early the next morning to help out.

He used to study in his dormitory, but seeing his sister and grandfather struggling with the business, he couldn’t help but worry about them.

It was like in his previous life when he watched Jiang Ning cooking, holding a spatula in one hand and a pot lid as a shield, cooking as if she were in a battle. He felt helpless. “Forget it, if you can’t do it, I’ll do it.”

He felt the same way now—”Forget it, you two don’t know how to do business, let me handle it.”

When Jiang Ning grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom with her hot water bottle, He Xiaofang quickly got out of bed and caught up with her. “Ning Ning, I’ll come with you.”

Jiang Ning was a little surprised. “You haven’t bathed yet?”

He Xiaofang looked a bit embarrassed. “I felt so bored by myself, so I wanted to wait for you.”

Jiang Ning didn’t quite understand He Xiaofang’s dependent behavior. She had been independent since childhood, never really relying on anyone, either emotionally or materially. She had grown up alone, tough and resilient.

But she didn’t say anything and just entered the bathroom.

There were two types of bathrooms: the large open bathroom on the left and the small bathroom with partitions on the right.

They usually showered in the small bathroom in the summer, which was dark and a bit hot, but it was perfect for winter. At that moment, Jiang Ning and He Xiaofang each occupied a place, and neither spoke. After a long time, He Xiaofang’s voice emerged from the thick steam, “Ning Ning, do you not like me anymore?”

Jiang Ning, whose mind was completely immersed in the content she planned to write for The Catcher in Song Dynasty the next morning, didn’t react immediately. “What?”

He Xiaofang’s voice grew more somber. “Do you dislike me? You haven’t had a meal with me for a long time.”

Because He Xiaofang snored very loudly at night, everyone in the dormitory disliked her, including Xu Xiuli.

She could clearly feel the dislike. The others went in and out together every day. Liu Ping followed Lu Xuehua daily, and after Jiang Ning got busy, she seemed to be walking with Xu Xiuli. In fact, she was alone. She was suddenly isolated and couldn’t fit in with anyone. Xu Xiuli, on the other hand, could talk to anyone if she wanted to.