The shop was overseen by Wang Aixiang, while the outdoor event was managed by Chen Lishu and Liang Chunsheng.
“Today’s competition is unique, different from previous tug-of-war matches. The props we’re using are clothes and pants currently for sale in our store.”
“You can do that? I have quite a bit of strength. If I pull too hard and tear your clothes, will you charge us?” a rather stout gentleman from the opposing side boomed, his sights set on winning the men’s division.
“Yes, we don’t want to end up having to pay instead of winning a prize,” another chimed in.
Chen Lishu smiled, “If they tear, not only will you not pay, I’ll pay you instead. That’s how confident I am in our store’s clothing.”
“Don’t brag. Everyone knows your clothes and pants have quality issues.”
Chen Lishu turned her head. The speaker was the same man who had come to return items on the first day the store opened.
“Whether there are truly quality issues, or if someone is deliberately targeting our store with ill intentions, let everyone be the judge today.”
As Chen Lishu spoke, she glanced at Liang Chunsheng. He nodded, went into the store, and brought out ten pairs of pants and ten short-sleeved shirts.
“As you can all see, these are randomly selected clothes and pants from the store. Anyone who wishes to try, please line up quickly. Men’s and women’s teams, twenty people per team. We will only select twenty participants for each.”
Initially, people were hesitant, with only a few stepping forward.
Chen Lishu placed the prepared prizes on a table nearby. “The winner will receive five yuan and a short-sleeved shirt provided by our store. Other participants will receive a delicate beaded bracelet.”
Chen Lishu picked up the bracelets, strung with red and white beads. She and Wang Aixiang had made them with elastic cords over the past few days. Though not particularly valuable, they were attractively made and looked quite pretty when worn.
Seeing that they could genuinely receive items for free, people immediately crowded forward and lined up enthusiastically.
Soon, all forty participants, men and women, were selected.
The women’s group went first. Twenty participants were divided into ten teams of two, with a dividing line drawn on the ground in chalk. Chen Lishu distributed the ten short-sleeved shirts to the ten teams.
Women generally have less strength, which is why short-sleeved shirts were chosen as the tug-of-war props for the women’s division. If they were in the hands of men, those with greater strength might tear them apart quickly.
Bell-bottom pants, on the other hand, were made of denim. Chen Lishu and the other three had tested them, and they held up well, which is why Chen Lishu dared to use them for the men’s division.
“Ready!”
As Chen Lishu called out, the twenty women immediately tensed, entering a state of readiness.
The onlookers also held their breath, their expressions involuntarily becoming tense.
“Go!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the twenty women began to pull with all their might.
People in the crowd started cheering them on.
“Xiao Cui, pull hard! Hold on!”
“You there, wife of the child, try your best! Yes, that’s it!”
“…”
In front of so many people, some of the women were still a bit reserved. After a few struggles, they conceded.
Very soon, the competition among the twenty women determined the ten victors. The ten eliminated participants went to Liang Chunsheng to collect their bracelets, while the remaining ten were divided into five groups to continue.
Thus, the second round eliminated another five people, leaving one with a bye, and the remaining four continued.
The spectators’ excitement was fully ignited. The cheers almost drowned out the sounds of the entire street, and more onlookers were drawn in.
In the final round, as the opposing side weakened, a girl with a round face and two braided pigtails ultimately emerged victorious.
“Congratulations to this young lady for winning the final victory. Please wait to the side for a moment. After the men’s division is finished, we will distribute the prizes together.”
The girl was very excited. She nodded repeatedly at Chen Lishu’s words and stepped aside.
Chen Lishu took out the ten short-sleeved shirts used in the competition one by one, passing them around for the onlookers to examine.
“You can all judge the quality. They used their real strength just now, and our short-sleeved shirts are still intact. There were no sequins falling off during the pulling, were there?”
“You’re right about that.”
“I bought clothes from this store before, and I’ve worn them for a year without any problems.”
“Even if there’s a skipped stitch, it’s likely an isolated incident. For this price, the quality is definitely acceptable.”
After the initial explanation, Chen Lishu collected all the short-sleeved shirts and then began the men’s competition, which was the real highlight.
Similarly, by the end of the final round, the bell-bottom pants in their hands remained undamaged. Seeing this, the crowd naturally came to their own conclusions without Chen Lishu needing to say anything further.
Chen Lishu called the winning male participant and the victorious female participant to her side and handed them the five yuan and the short-sleeved shirts.
Only at this moment did everyone truly believe that the event was not a scam.
“To thank everyone for their patronage, all the short-sleeved shirts and bell-bottom pants used in the competition today are now on sale at 50% off. If you’re interested, you can pay and collect your items from the gentleman next to me.”
Chen Lishu gestured towards Liang Chunsheng.
Half price? That meant only a few yuan!
Although they were promotional items, everyone had already seen them. Apart from being a little wrinkled, they had no other flaws. Washed at home, they would look as good as new. The crowd surged towards the table where Liang Chunsheng stood.
“Give me a pair of bell-bottom pants.”
“Give me a short-sleeved shirt!”
Very soon, all twenty pairs of bell-bottom pants and short-sleeved shirts were snapped up.
Seeing the disappointed expressions of those who missed out, Chen Lishu dropped another piece of news: “Because of today’s event, all items in our store are 10% off, for today only.”
Having witnessed the quality of the store’s clothing, everyone’s confidence in ‘Shuse’ Clothing Store greatly increased. Moreover, their store never offered discounts, so a 10% off sale meant quite a bit of savings!
Following this, everyone rushed into the store again.
The other two men found by Lu Chengming saw this situation and quickly held up the clothes they had brought, shouting loudly, “Don’t be fooled by this woman! She must have tampered with the clothes! Look at the clothes we bought from her. After only a few days of wear, they’re tearing. The workmanship and quality are simply terrible, utter garbage!”
Chen Lishu and Liang Chunsheng exchanged a glance. Their opponents couldn’t hold back, could they?
Someone had to step forward as soon as an event was held.
“Gentlemen, please come to the front to say that.” As Chen Lishu spoke, the two men raised their eyebrows, their expressions tinged with a hint of smugness.
“If you want us to speak at the front, we will. Let everyone take a look. Are these your store’s goods? Look at this, the pocket of these pants has split open like this.”
One of them displayed the pants to everyone. Indeed, at the pocket, a clean slit had opened up.
“My item has a similar problem. Look, I’ve only worn these pants for a couple of days, and the leg seam has come undone.”