Chen Lishu saw a long queue outside a Yimin store through the car window. She faintly heard that something in the store was on sale, and out of curiosity, she got out when the car stopped at the station.
"Comrade, what are you queuing up to buy?" Chen Lishu approached a woman in her forties in the queue and asked.
"This store sells ready-made clothes, all of which are export-quality and don't require coupons," the woman replied enthusiastically.
"It's a rare opportunity, but there are many people queuing. I've been here for over an hour. Look at how many people are still ahead," an older woman next to her complained.
"But these are export-quality ready-made clothes that don't require coupons. It's worth waiting," another person chimed in.
Ready-made clothes for sale without coupons? Chen Lishu's interest was immediately piqued. She walked a bit further to the store entrance and indeed saw a blackboard on the left side near the door, which read: Ready-made clothes for sale, no coupons needed.
Chen Lishu curiously walked into the store. The shop was not large and was clearly divided into two sections, left and right. One side sold ready-made clothes for export that were now being sold domestically, and the other sold fabrics. One side was booming with sales, while the other was almost deserted.
Chen Lishu stood aside and observed carefully for a while. Customers would pick a piece of clothing, and the price would vary depending on the style. The prices ranged from over ten to around twenty yuan, depending on the fabric, size, and quality.
"Xiao Tao, how many people are still outside?" an older saleswoman behind the counter asked a younger colleague next to her while helping a customer find clothes.
The girl named Xiao Tao craned her neck to look outside, her shoulders immediately drooped, and her voice became weak. "Sister Zhou, there are still so many people ahead. From what Manager Jiang said, we received a lot this time, so we'll probably be busy."
Still so many people?
Chen Lishu's eyes lit up when she heard what the shop assistant Xiao Tao said.
It's good that there are still many people. She could try to buy more.
Thinking of the Manager Jiang they had just mentioned, Chen Lishu stepped forward and said, "Comrade, excuse me, is your Manager Jiang here?"
Xiao Tao looked up and, seeing that although Chen Lishu's attire was ordinary, her appearance and demeanor were quite good, she asked doubtfully, "Comrade, who are you?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "I need to find your Manager Jiang about something."
Xiao Tao didn't ask further and pointed towards the entrance. "There's a staircase outside. You can go up to the manager's office on the second floor to find him."
"Thank you, comrade," Chen Lishu said to her, then turned and walked out of the store. She indeed saw an outdoor staircase not far away.
Following the instructions of the shop assistant Xiao Tao, Chen Lishu went up to the second floor and found the door labeled Manager's Office. She first tidied her clothes at the door, thought about what she would say in her mind, and then knocked.
"Knock, knock."
"Come in," a middle-aged man's voice came through the door.
Chen Lishu pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man in his thirties sitting by the desk near the window. He was not tall and was slightly overweight.
"Comrade, who are you looking for?" Jiang Weiguo asked instinctively when he saw a young and pretty girl enter.
Chen Lishu casually closed the door and walked two steps closer before smiling and saying, "Hello, Manager Jiang. I see you're selling ready-made clothes downstairs, and I was wondering if I could buy a few more pieces."
Having learned a lesson from the old man at the textile factory, she was now wiser and wouldn't blurt out any forbidden words.
If Manager Jiang was completely businesslike, she would stop there. If there was room for negotiation, she would proceed further.
"Please, have a seat, comrade."
Chen Lishu felt a little relieved by his attitude. Fortunately, he didn't refuse outright.
After she sat down, Jiang Weiguo looked at her and smiled, "Comrade, what should I call you?"
"My surname is Chen."
Jiang Weiguo nodded, leaned back in his chair relaxedly, and said, "Comrade Chen, how many more pieces are you thinking of buying?"
Chen Lishu smiled back, "Naturally, the more, the better."
Jiang Weiguo straightened up, rested his hands on the desk, and frowned, "That might be a bit difficult."
He stretched out his tone slightly.
Chen Lishu understood and immediately replied, "I know this is causing trouble for you, Manager Jiang. Please tell me if there are any inconveniences on your end."
Jiang Weiguo nodded secretly, thinking she was someone who knew how to handle things, but people in his position wouldn't usually speak too directly.
"You are a good young comrade, but we also have our rules. No matter how great the benefit, if it violates regulations, it's strictly forbidden."
Chen Lishu cursed him as an old fox in her heart and decided to be direct. "Manager Jiang, if I buy more, could you give me the lowest price? Of course, I won't let you help for nothing. I'll give you a 10% rebate on the lowest price. What do you think?"
This was the greatest concession she could make. If this Mr. Jiang continued to give her the runaround, she would decide to give up directly.
Jiang Weiguo didn't expect such a young girl to be so straightforward. However, if she only bought ten or eight pieces, the profit of a dozen yuan wouldn't catch his eye.
Jiang Weiguo asked directly, "How many can you buy at the current price?"
The outside price? Chen Lishu did a rough calculation. If she bought at the store price, it would be about fifteen yuan per piece on average. She had earned some money recently, and with the two hundred yuan she received after the family division, she had a total of over fifteen hundred yuan. That would be about a hundred pieces.
Although she also had the bankbook given to her by Gu Xingdong, which contained his salary and allowances accumulated over the years, totaling several thousand yuan, she didn't intend to touch that money.
"About a hundred pieces."
A hundred pieces? Jiang Weiguo was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the young girl in front of him to spend over a thousand yuan in one go.
If that were the case, then 10% would be over 150 yuan, which was almost equivalent to his three months' salary.
After some consideration, Jiang Weiguo's expression became a bit more serious. He took out a piece of paper from the drawer in front of him, which contained a price list for each type of clothing. "If I sell them to you at this exact price, I can't account for it. You can raise the price of each item a bit higher than this. Mark down how many you need, and I'll have someone get them for you."
Chen Lishu took the price list and glanced at it. Although it was handwritten, it clearly indicated the material, general style, and unit price of each garment. The unit prices were generally three to four yuan cheaper than those in the store.
Chen Lishu looked to the end and noticed that some unit prices still had faint traces of pencil markings. She understood. This copy she held was not the real price list, but one that Manager Jiang had separately copied himself. When he said to raise the price a bit, it was likely that the copy he held was already the inflated price.