Chapter 399: The Road to Starting a Fortune

However, this evening was truly pleasant.

Jiang Cheng put the newspaper away; this was a good thing.

He would have to take it out to look at it from time to time; that way, he might often be able to get compensation from his wife.

After Si Rong and Ming Zi finished picking up their goods in Guang City, they planned to first set up a stall to sell clothes on Zhangshu Street.

This time, they had brought two hundred machine-knitted patterned sweaters.

Previously, the sweaters people wore were mostly hand-knitted by themselves using yarn.

Or, there were clever women who would remake them from things like wool gloves.

Five or six pairs of gloves could be remade into one sweater.

Not to mention the effort, the patterns were also relatively simple.

But the sweaters they brought this time were different; they were machine-printed and came in various types.

Many people in Huaiyang had never seen them before.

They had only just set up when a large crowd gathered around.

"Boss, how much for this one?"

"It's so pretty, can I try it on?"

"Aren't you going to set up at the Black Market? Will the Red Armband come and arrest you later?"

"The reform and opening-up is already here, they won't arrest people for doing business anymore," Ming Zi explained to everyone, "so don't be afraid, anyone who wants to try them on can come to my house to do so!"

For convenience, they had set up their stall directly at the entrance of the house where Ming Zi lived.

"Thirty-six yuan each," Si Rong said while organizing the sweaters.

Hearing that a sweater cost thirty-six yuan, quite a few people walked away immediately.

"Tsk tsk, so expensive. If you bought the yarn yourself, you could knit a thick one for less than ten yuan. Can't afford it, can't afford it."

"Exactly! You young ladies are selling them too expensively. You should make them cheaper, otherwise you won't be able to sell them!" a middle-aged auntie advised, "How about this? Twenty yuan. I know you all go out of town to wholesale these; making a little less is better than having them stuck in your hands!"

She was clutching a red sweater tightly in her hands; it was clear she liked it very much.

Ming Zi pulled the sweater back from her hands, "Auntie, you can't bargain like that. We can't sell it for that price. Otherwise, you should go buy some yarn and knit it yourself; twenty yuan could even knit two."

There are wealthy people everywhere; a stylishly dressed young woman picked out two, "I want both of these."

"Alright, that's seventy-two yuan in total. I'll give you a two-yuan discount."

Ming Zi took the money and then voluntarily lowered the price by two yuan.

"Fine, you're quite good at doing business. I'll buy more when you have new styles next time."

The young woman was also a straightforward person, "Are you going to be here this afternoon? I'll call two friends to come over."

The friends of wealthy people are, of course, also wealthy people. Ming Zi pointed to her house very enthusiastically, "Just come by. If I'm not on the street, you can go to my house to find me."

Successively, a few more people paid money and bought sweaters for thirty-five yuan.

That middle-aged auntie was still holding a sweater and bargaining with them, "Young ladies, look, I'm older than you, so can you give me a better discount? Thirty yuan, I'll take one!"

"Auntie, it's really not possible. We two young ladies traveled a long way to get these goods, taking trains and staying in guesthouses, and we were almost cheated. Thirty-five yuan is the lowest price."

It had just started selling, so it was impossible to lower it that much; otherwise, how could they sell to others?

She added, "Auntie, if you really want it cheaper, then wait a while longer. When spring comes and we get new styles, these will definitely be cleared out at a low price, but by then you won't be able to pick the style or size."

The middle-aged woman hugged the sweater and thought for a long time, finally gritting her teeth and pulling out thirty-five yuan.

She was a bit plump; if she waited for the clearance sale, there might not be a size that fit her.

"What's going on over there? Are so many people watching a monkey show?" Li Xuan saw a crowd gathered by the side of the street and planned to carry her child over to watch the excitement.

Then she saw Si Rong and Ming Zi.

These two were actually setting up a stall to sell sweaters?

It was truly dreamlike; in an instant, many, many thoughts raced through Li Xuan's mind.

Of course, without exception, they were all about how to cause trouble.

Watching the banknotes being handed into Ming Zi's hands, and seeing the smiles on their faces, Li Xuan felt uncomfortable all over.

Shen Lan had said that the current reform and opening-up was just a false rumor released by the authorities specifically to catch people.

They wanted to find these people with crooked intentions and round them all up.

She quietly backed away, her heart pounding rapidly.

Hadn't Si Rong always been high and mighty? Now she had finally found an opportunity to pull her down.

And Shen Lan had said that being caught for speculation and profiteering would end very miserably in the police station.

She went home and immediately told Shen Lan about this.

"Really? Did you see it clearly?"

Li Xuan put the child on the bed, "If you don't believe me, go to the entrance and see for yourself. It's right at Ming Zi's front door."

She wasn't blind!

But Shen Lan still didn't believe it; the main thing was that Si Rong wasn't short on money, so why would she engage in speculation and profiteering?

He leaned against the door and looked; it really was just as Li Xuan said. Si Rong and Ming Zi were indeed engaging in that speculation and profiteering business.

The sweaters they were selling were also very eye-catching.

"Shen Lan, shall we go report them?" Li Xuan really didn't want to endure it for even a moment; she only wanted to see Si Rong suffer.

Shen Lan signaled for her to shut up, "Don't be in such a hurry, let me think about it carefully."

Reporting them alone would bring them no benefit.

He was different from that idiot Ming Zi, who only did things that harmed others without benefiting herself.

"Could it be that you've gone soft on Si Rong again?" Li Xuan glared at him, "Shen Lan, I've been with you for so many years, borne your children, and given you my heart and soul. If you dare to think about another woman, you really have no conscience!"

"You're always overthinking!" Shen Lan scolded, "I am of one mind with you!"

"Those sweaters could sell for a lot of money; if we reported it directly, they would certainly be confiscated. I'm thinking about how we can get some benefits out of this."

So that was it; Li Xuan felt relieved.

Shen Yuan on the bed:...

Aba... aba.

Just how long were these two people going to be this stupid? When would she finally be able to speak?

Si Rong was so rich and still thinking of ways to make money, yet these two fellows were something else; their brains seemed filled with shit day in and day out, only capable of stirring up trouble.

Couldn't they just be down-to-earth, seize the opportunity, and hurry up to earn money so she could live a good life?

They had indeed earned quite a bit of money today.

They sold over forty sweaters in total, for 1,800 yuan.

After moving the remaining sweaters back home, Ming Zi took out a small notebook and started bookkeeping.

Their capital for doing business was 5,000 yuan, all of which was provided by Si Rong.

Si Rong's own dowry was nearly 3,000 yuan, and the rest was obtained from her two older brothers.

At today's pace, she estimated they would earn back the capital in a few days.

They had agreed that the proceeds from the first time they sold clothes would all belong to Si Rong.

Afterward, they would split it fifty-fifty.

After all, if Si Rong hadn't taken out the money first, they wouldn't have been able to do this business.

"Stop calculating for now; let's go to the State-run Hotel and have a good meal first."

Not long after the two of them stepped out, they ran into Shen Lan.

He had been standing behind a large tree, though it was unclear for how long.

"Si Rong, long time no see. I didn't expect you to start engaging in speculation and profiteering too. Have you forgotten that you just reported me not long ago?"

Shen Lan spoke magnanimously, "I can choose not to report you, but the two of you must accompany me for a night."