Following the same method, she quickly sold over twenty more items.
Chen Lishu hadn't expected such a strong demand for underwear among young women. At this rate, she would sell all her stock in less than two days.
With this thought, after leaving No. 2 Middle School, Chen Lishu didn't go straight home but headed to the department store.
She first browsed the first floor, not finding any fabric similar to what she had bought in the provincial capital. After some thought, Chen Lishu went upstairs to find Nan Haitao.
"What brings you here today?" Nan Haitao's eyes lit up when he saw her enter.
Hearing his question, Chen Lishu smiled and said, "I have a business proposition for you."
"Oh?" Nan Haitao straightened his posture slightly. "What kind of business?"
Chen Lishu took out the camisole from her shoulder bag and handed it to him.
"What is this?" Nan Haitao was initially puzzled. When he unfolded it and saw what it was, his expression faltered for a moment.
"This is your business proposition?"
Seeing that he wasn't overly surprised, Chen Lishu thought that as expected of a manager, he was very knowledgeable.
"I discovered this fabric in the provincial capital, but after checking on the first floor just now, I found we don't have it here. So, I wanted to ask if you could procure this kind of fabric."
Nan Haitao's gaze fell back on the underwear in his hand. He fiddled with it with his long fingers and mused, "It shouldn't be a problem."
As long as it was available on the market, he could generally get it.
Hearing that he could procure it, Chen Lishu got straight to the point. "You provide the fabric, and I'll handle the production and sales. We'll split the profits 20/80, what do you think?"
A camisole required a little over a foot of fabric. She bought it at 1.2 yuan per foot and sold it for 3 yuan, earning 1.5 yuan per piece after deducting labor costs.
"20% is too little."
"After all, production and sales are my responsibility."
"30/70, otherwise, we won't discuss it."
Seeing his firm stance, Chen Lishu thought for a moment and nodded, "30/70 is fine too."
Before Nan Haitao could form a smile, she continued, "I require to see your purchase invoices."
Nan Haitao: "..."
Chen Lishu left the department store in a good mood. Both parties agreed to a 30/70 split, with the fabric to arrive in a week.
Standing by the window, Nan Haitao watched the pretty figure gradually disappear through the glass, a flicker of an unusual expression in his eyes.
Upon returning home, Gu Xingping was already back from school. After dinner, Gu Xingping studied while Chen Lishu began to pack.
Since she would be staying in the provincial capital from now on, she packed and organized her clothes for other seasons first. She planned to mail them to Gu Xingdong when she had time, which would make things easier when she arrived.
The next day, Chen Lishu went to the entrance of No. 6 Middle School again during her lunch break.
Li Fang was already waiting at the school gate, looking around. Seeing Chen Lishu approach, she immediately pulled her companion over.
"Sister, this is my good friend Zhang Li, whom I told you about yesterday. She said she has something she wants to discuss with you."
Chen Lishu heard her words and looked at the girl named Zhang Li. She was a slightly plump girl dressed plainly.
Meeting Chen Lishu's questioning gaze, Zhang Li hesitated before speaking, "Sister, Xiaofang has already told me about you selling underwear yesterday. I wanted to ask, if I take a few more pieces of underwear from you, could you give me a better price?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "Since you were introduced by a friend, of course, I can give you a better price. I can offer you the same price as Li Fang, with each piece being ten cents cheaper."
Zhang Li and Li Fang exchanged glances. The latter chimed in, "Sister, Zhang Li actually wants to get goods from you to sell. Could you perhaps give her an even better price? This way, she can earn some pocket money, and it saves you trouble, right?"
Chen Lishu hadn't expected such an unexpected benefit and quickly asked, "How many do you want to take?"
Zhang Li said somewhat shyly, "I only have twenty yuan on me."
Of that, five yuan was borrowed from Li Fang.
Chen Lishu thought for a moment and said, "Then how about two yuan and eighty cents per piece?"
Hearing that she could save twenty cents per piece, Zhang Li happily nodded, "Okay."
She then paid nineteen yuan and sixty cents and took seven camisoles.
"I'll come by again tomorrow lunchtime. If you sell well and want to get more goods, we can arrange another meeting elsewhere."
After all, staying in one place for too long wasn't safe. Seeing the girl about to leave, Chen Lishu said.
After leaving No. 6 Middle School, Chen Lishu went to No. 2 Middle School again. The remaining twenty-odd items in her bag were quickly sold.
In the afternoon, Chen Lishu visited the Material Supply Bureau. She had paused all her business activities due to exams recently. Now that she had time, she went to ask Zhou Bin if he wanted to stock goods again.
"You've finally finished your exams. How did they go?" Zhou Bin asked with a smile when he saw her.
Chen Lishu smiled, "They were alright."
After a few pleasantries, Chen Lishu stated her purpose, "Brother Zhou, do you still want to stock 'fake collars'? I have a batch available right now."
Zhou Bin's expression changed when he heard her words. He told her what he knew, "Sister, you were busy a while ago, and I didn't want to bother you, so I didn't say anything. Now, privately, others are also making 'fake collars', and their price is three cents cheaper than ours, only three yuan and two cents."
He bought goods from Chen Lishu at three yuan. If he sold them at the same price of three yuan and two cents, the business wouldn't be very profitable.
Chen Lishu frowned. She hadn't heard about this, but she was reluctant to lower her prices.
It was like when she made hair accessories. Due to the lack of technical complexity and low cost, many people followed suit, and the prices dropped repeatedly. Now, they had fallen to five cents, with almost no profit, and many people had stopped making them.
Similarly, if she lowered the price of 'fake collars', the best outcome would be the competitor giving up, and the worst would be mutual destruction.
"Brother Zhou, simply lowering prices won't solve the problem. I'll think of another solution," Chen Lishu said after a pause.
She wouldn't consider lowering prices unless it was absolutely necessary.
On her way home from the Material Supply Bureau, Chen Lishu was contemplating the 'fake collar' issue. She hadn't come up with any effective solutions by the time she got home.
Glancing at the time, she knew it was getting late, so she had to set aside her thoughts and start cooking.
During dinner, Gu Xingye suddenly arrived pushing a bicycle. Two bags of grain were hung on either side of the rear seat, and another bag was placed on the pedal.
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingping quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks and went out to help him with the bicycle.
"Dad said he was afraid of startling you if he came tonight, so he asked me to transport some over first."
As Gu Xingye spoke, he carried the three bags of grain into the house one by one.
"Fourth brother, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll get you some hot water to wash your hands and then you can sit down and eat something warm to warm you up."
Chen Lishu said, taking the kettle off the stove and pouring hot water into a basin. She also used the stove hook to stir up the charcoal fire in the stove.
Having been chilled by the wind all the way, Gu Xingye was indeed quite cold. He washed his hands in the basin first and then sat at the table to eat with them.