"How can I compare to others?" Zhao Hong pouted. She had also stocked some bell-bottom pants, but their quality wasn't as good as Chen Lishu's. With the cost of goods, even though they were a yuan cheaper than her shop's, sales were always mediocre.
The other clothing styles were merely conventional. Yet, even so, after deducting rent and costs, she earned several hundred yuan each month, over ten times her previous salary of forty-something yuan. She was already very content.
Lu Chengming said meaningfully, "You can't continue like this. We're both running shops; we can't be constantly overshadowed by her. If others don't care, I'm still worried."
Thinking that Jin Kun had never asked about her business or whether she was tired since funding her shop, Zhao Hong suddenly felt wronged by Lu Chengming's words. "Chengming, you're the only one who treats me well."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this."
...
Seeing that construction had begun at the vegetable market, Chen Lishu, having nothing else to do, decided to visit her shop.
"Lishu is here." Wang Aixiang, having just served a customer, greeted her with a smile upon seeing her enter.
"Sister Aixiang, how are those short-sleeved tops selling?"
Wang Aixiang chuckled when she spoke of them, "Over a hundred pieces have already been sold. You wouldn't believe it, but some people specifically sought us out because they liked the sequins sewn onto our clothes."
"Really?" Looking back with hindsight, Chen Lishu felt the modified design of those short-sleeved tops was quite ordinary. She hadn't expected them to be so well-received by the public.
"Isn't your Rui Rui starting first grade?" Wang Aixiang casually asked, thinking of the mischievous boy at home.
Chen Lishu smiled, "His birthday on the household registration is in the twelfth lunar month. By the Chinese age, he should be a year younger, but the kindergarten teacher said he's quite smart, so I thought it would be fine to send him a year earlier."
"They say you can tell a child's future from their early years. Your Rui Rui is sensible and always dotes on you without causing trouble. Look at my boy; he's better on his own, but if he has someone to play with, he'd tear the roof off."
As they were talking, two women and one man entered the shop. Both stopped talking, assuming they were together. Wang Aixiang quickly stepped forward to greet them, "Comrades, are you looking at short-sleeved tops or bell-bottom pants? The bell-bottom pants in our shop are of particularly good quality and not expensive."
"Their bell-bottom pants are indeed good. I bought a pair here last year," the woman said, turning her head to speak to her companion.
"Good, my ass!" The man behind them suddenly stepped forward two paces, opening the item in his hand to display it to everyone. "Look, just look. This is your merchandise. And you call this good quality. I wore it for less than two days, and the leg seam came undone, causing me to lose face in front of everyone!"
Wang Aixiang's gaze fell on the pants in the man's hand. As he stretched them with two fingers, she saw a tear about a finger's length at the seam.
When she tried to look more closely, the man retracted his hand.
"This is the quality of your pants. Girls, you'd best not buy them. What if they come undone like mine did one day? This part is at my thigh; what if yours comes undone elsewhere?" the man said, shaking his head.
The two girls exchanged glances and quietly put back the pants Wang Aixiang had shown them.
Wang Aixiang frowned, "Our shop's clothing has never had quality issues, nor has any customer come back to complain. Are you sure you're mistaken? Perhaps these pants weren't bought at our shop?"
"Heh, now you're shirking responsibility after a problem arises. If it's not your shop's, then whose is it? Look, there's even your shop's label on it."
The man then turned the 'Shu Se' label inside the pants outward.
The weather was hot in early August. The shop door was open, and passersby on the street heard the commotion inside and stopped to peer in curiously.
Chen Lishu walked over from the counter. "Comrade, may I see the pants you're holding?"
"Just because I say they're your shop's pants doesn't make them yours. Will looking at them change the facts?" the man said, though he still handed the pants to her.
Chen Lishu took them and saw that a section had indeed come undone at the seam due to the thread breaking.
Wang Aixiang also leaned over to examine them. The fabric and the label were indeed from their shop. However, when her gaze fell upon the unraveled seam, she frowned and explained, "Sister, I meticulously inspect every item before putting it on display. I only put it out if it's perfect. There's no way this could have happened."
The man had been watching their movements closely. Hearing Wang Aixiang's words, he immediately raised his voice, "Are you going to deny responsibility now that there's a problem? I spent over ten yuan on these pants. Are you implying I cut them myself to frame you? Why would I do such a thing without any reason? If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation today, I'll let everyone judge!"
His voice was quite loud. Several people were already standing by the shop entrance, and seeing the commotion, several more gathered.
Chen Lishu frowned. She knew that the probability of such a quality issue was very small, as Lin Qi meticulously checked every product manufactured. Even after they were delivered to the shop, they would conduct another inspection before putting them on display, just as Wang Aixiang had said.
However, there were always exceptions. Moreover, when running a business, harmony was paramount. It would be extremely unwise for her to argue with a customer now. If a quality issue arose and the customer approached them, only to be met with denial of responsibility, what would other customers think? Would they believe that if their own purchases had a problem, the shop wouldn't care?
With the intention of de-escalating the situation and preventing further trouble, Chen Lishu looked up at the man and said, "We are truly sorry for this situation. May we offer you a new pair?"
Wang Aixiang also knew that causing a scene would be detrimental to the shop, so she quickly chimed in with a smile, "Yes, this is the first time we've encountered such a situation since we opened. How about this, we'll exchange it for a new one. We'll definitely inspect it carefully this time and ensure it doesn't happen again."
Glancing at the size on the label, Wang Aixiang turned to find the corresponding model.
The man refused outright. "Exchange? What for? I'm already thoroughly disappointed with your shoddy quality. I lost so much face; I wouldn't dare wear your pants again."
Chen Lishu said sincerely, "We are very sorry about this incident. How would you like us to resolve it?"
The man scoffed, "How do I want it resolved? It's not like you're the one who lost face. Would you be happy if I made you walk down the street wearing these pants?"
Someone nearby let out a slight chuckle.
The smile on Chen Lishu's face faded slightly. "Since you're here to resolve a problem, please state your request clearly."