Nanhai Tao: "But our funds are limited, especially for opening a store in Kyoto. Should we wait a bit longer?"
"We have to open sooner or later. Many garment factories have opened in the south recently. We must get ahead of them to seize the market. If everyone develops in a couple of years, we'll be at a disadvantage due to regional limitations."
Southern light industry development has inherent advantages. The garment market has been highly profitable in recent years. By the 1990s, with the development of transportation and information, profit margins will undoubtedly shrink significantly.
Chen Lishu was never one to hesitate. Having made the decision, she went out to look for a shop the next day.
To establish a brand store, the shop space couldn't be small, preferably with two floors, one for display and the other for storage.
The locations had already been narrowed down, so finding a shop wasn't entirely a blind search.
The three of them scouted for nearly a week before finally finding a storefront about a hundred meters away from the garment and department store.
It was a two-story property with a semi-basement, totaling about two hundred square meters.
After renovation, the first floor would serve as the storefront, and the semi-basement would be used as a warehouse.
Chen Lishu signed a five-year lease with the owner on the spot.
As there were still many matters to attend to in Kyoto and Shanghai, Nanhai Tao would stay behind temporarily, while Chen Lishu and Sun Chang returned first.
Before leaving, Chen Lishu paid another visit to the He family.
"You're leaving so soon after arriving? Can't you stay a few more days?" Mother He was reluctant to see her go.
Chen Lishu replied, "The factory is just starting up and can't afford to be short-handed. I've already taken too much time off for this trip."
"Important matters come first," Mother He said. She got up and went out, returning shortly with a parcel in her hand.
"This is for Ziyu. Please take it to him. Every time we talk on the phone, he hangs up after a few words. I know he just finds me nagging. Please also help me persuade him to return quickly. He's nearing thirty, and if he doesn't get married soon, his nephew will be getting married before him."
Rui Rui pursed his lips and said earnestly, "I'm still young."
Mother He couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, yes, we're not in a hurry. It's your third uncle who's the troublesome one."
Looking at her grandson, and then thinking of her second son, He Zinian, since Rui Rui's return, he had only visited twice. Her own son wasn't close to her. He would regret this in the future.
Old Master He snorted dismissively from his nose. "Why do I keep hoping he'll come back? Does he think I've lived too long?"
Mother He grumbled inwardly, not knowing who it was that constantly urged her to call their son.
Having been married for decades, Mother He knew her husband's peculiar ways well and therefore saw no need to expose him.
As they left with Rui Rui, Chen Lishu saw the lonely figures of the elderly couple and decided to talk to He Ziyu when she got back.
It was past nine in the evening when Chen Lishu and the others alighted from the car. Having been away for nearly half a month, the familiar surroundings immediately relaxed her, despite her exhaustion.
By this time, it was completely dark, and the last bus had already stopped running. Many people, to save money on lodging, chose to make do in the waiting hall for the night.
The dim streetlights by the station cast long shadows of the hurrying figures.
"Rui Rui."
Hearing a familiar voice, Chen Lishu turned her head and saw a tall figure standing under the streetlight on the left.
"Dad." Rui Rui, gripping the straps of his schoolbag, ran quickly towards Gu Xingdong.
"Tired?" Gu Xingdong asked his son, but his gaze was on Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu replied, "I traveled in a sleeper, so it was alright."
Sun Chang called out, "Brother-in-law."
Gu Xingdong nodded. "Get in the car."
When the group arrived home, the living room lights were on. The children were asleep, but the adults were all seated on the sofa, talking.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Li Xiulan got up. "You're back? I made noodles. You must be hungry after such a long journey. Eat something, it's better to sleep with a full stomach."
"Thank you, Mom."
After asking Zhao Qiuyue to take Sun Chang and Rui Rui to the kitchen, Chen Lishu eagerly went upstairs.
The two little ones slept side-by-side in the cribs. Having not seen them for half a month, the children seemed to have grown a little more. Their hair, cut only when she left, now reached their ears.
Chen Lishu picked up the quilt that had been kicked to the foot of the bed and draped it over the two children's stomachs before going back downstairs.
After eating and washing up, and arranging accommodation for Sun Chang, everyone turned off the lights and went to rest.
…
Wang Dazhu, holding a flashlight, did a final thorough sweep of the workshop surroundings. Assured that there were no suspicious individuals, he turned towards the gatehouse.
On his way, he met two others who were also on patrol. They reported, "Captain, we've checked the dormitory and the canteen. Everything is fine."
The dormitory and canteen had been completed two days prior. The fresh white wash inside hadn't completely dried yet, so they couldn't be occupied immediately.
The construction workers had left, and the laborers had already finished their shifts. The yard was empty, except for a storekeeper in his forties who slept in a small room next to the warehouse, and Wang Dazhu along with two other security personnel.
Wang Dazhu stated, "Although there are fewer people at the factory now, we can't relax our vigilance. We'll continue with the pre-arranged night patrols in shifts."
Soon, the three of them walked together towards the gatehouse.
Shortly after the three of them left, two dark figures suddenly climbed over the courtyard wall behind the dormitory.
"I think they're watching pretty closely. What if we get caught? It's no joke. Why don't we just forget about it?" the person following behind said worriedly in a low voice.
"We've been watching for so long. They won't come out for a while. Besides, outside the courtyard wall is farmland, about a person's height. We can just run in with the goods and disappear, and the money will be ours."
Seeing the figures heading directly for the workshop, the person behind hesitated for a moment before following them.
The food that evening was a bit salty, and Wang Dazhu had drunk quite a bit of water. As he stepped out to relieve himself, he instinctively swept his flashlight around the surroundings.
Finding nothing amiss, just as he was about to unbuckle his belt, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He quickly raised his flashlight and shone it towards the workshop.
During his last check, he had made sure the door was locked.
Now, one of the doors was ajar.
Without further ado, he dropped his pants and ran towards the workshop.
Seeing that he hadn't returned for a while, one of the other two men inside pushed the door open. Upon seeing the unusual situation, he turned back to call the other man.
Wang Dazhu was very familiar with the workshop's layout. As soon as he entered, he flicked the light switch by the wall.
This would allow him to quickly pinpoint the thief's location.
With his action, the over twenty fluorescent light tubes hanging from the ceiling of the workshop gradually lit up, revealing the entire setup of the workshop.
"Come out!"
Wang Dazhu shouted in a deep voice.
The workshop was large and spacious, with a faint echo.
The two security guards who arrived shortly after asked anxiously, "Captain, what's wrong? Did a thief break in?"