Li Chuchu looked at the dazzling array of clothes and even forgot about her hunger.
The styles of these clothes were not available in the department stores in Ningcheng. Not only were the patterns beautiful, but the tailoring was also excellent, which could accentuate one's figure.
Li Chuchu strolled around among them, like a mouse that had fallen into a rice vat. She was almost dazzled by the choices and immediately took a fancy to several sets.
No wonder people all said that Chuncheng was a great place. Now she knew why!
Seeing that Li Chuchu was enjoying herself, Shen Yanshan didn't interrupt. He took the opportunity to check out the electronic products nearby. It had been a while since he last came, so he thought he might as well see if there were any good items he could take back and make some money on the side to cover his travel expenses.
The guy guarding the stall saw Shen Yanshan and exclaimed,
"Hey, if it isn't a regular customer!"
"Brother Shen, you're here! Have you seen anything you like? Let me show you. Our electronic watches are selling like hotcakes. They're imitations of that... that brand from Eastern Europe. Several wholesalers have been asking me for them recently, but I've been saving them just for you."
He winked at Shen Yanshan and did his best to promote the electronic watches in his hands.
However, this time, Shen Yanshan only took a few glances and then put them down.
"I don't want these. They're not easy to sell. People have seen too many of these things lately, and they're quite expensive. Most people would rather buy them from the department stores. Without some connections, you'll be stuck with them." Shen Yanshan had taken a big risk to get rid of the last batch.
Just look at this guy.
There were so many watches on display in front of his stall, but no one had bought a single one after all this time.
The young man was thick-skinned. Even after being exposed by Shen Yanshan, he wasn't embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and laughed, "Then what do you want this time, Brother Shen? If I don't have it, I'll go ask the other stalls for you."
Shen Yanshan gave him a sidelong glance and asked,
"What about that tape recorder you mentioned last time? Do you have any?"
The young man slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, "We really do have that! Wait a minute. I'll go get it for you."
Instead of rummaging through his own shabby box, he went to another stall to get it. He knew exactly how many stalls there were in this night market and what each one was selling.
But he wasn't being kind-hearted and helping others do business. He was acting as an intermediary. Once the deal was done, he could earn a commission. This was an unwritten rule in the market for introducing business to other stalls.
However, Shen Yanshan didn't really care.
As long as he could get the goods, it didn't matter where he bought them from.
A short while later, the young man came back, full of enthusiasm.
He was carrying several tape recorders and introduced them to Shen Yanshan one by one:
"Brother Shen, look. This is the tape recorder. This smaller one has a single speaker. This one has two speakers. And this one is really something! It has four speakers! I listened to it at their stall for a while today. The sound is so powerful. If you play some disco music, you'll be dancing in your room all by yourself!"
As he spoke, he started gesturing wildly, as if he couldn't wait to dance a little for Shen Yanshan right then and there.
Shen Yanshan tried it out and found that it was indeed quite novel.
The young man looked at Shen Yanshan mysteriously and said, "Brother Shen, let me tell you. Last month, the manager of the department store in your area bought a batch of these from us. They were all high-end models. The prices of the low-end models are more or less the same, so you can't make much money from them. In my opinion, you should go for the high-end ones. Once the department store starts promoting them, and you strike while the iron is hot, you're bound to make a fortune."
The low-end models only cost twenty or thirty yuan, and the prices were about the same in Chuncheng and Ningcheng. But the high-end ones could sell for eight hundred yuan or even more than a thousand, while the purchase price here was only one or two hundred yuan.
If it weren't for the fact that Ningcheng was so far away, he would have driven there to sell the goods himself.
Shen Yanshan thought for a moment and said,
"Okay. I'll take forty of the four-speaker models. You can count them."
"Sure thing! One hundred and fifty yuan each. Forty models will be six thousand yuan. Brother Shen, you're really generous!"
He spouted compliments as if they were free. The commission was usually one-tenth of the transaction amount. He had sold nothing all night but still managed to earn six hundred yuan. He was beaming from ear to ear.
He kept fidgeting with his hands and asked, "So, Brother Shen, how would you like to pay?"
Shen Yanshan gave him a look, and the young man immediately understood.
The two of them walked to a secluded corner.
Shen Yanshan counted out the cash in his pocket and said, "This is two thousand yuan. This is my address. Deliver the goods there. I'll give you the rest later." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Li Chuchu seemed to be almost done shopping, so he quickly gave the young man some instructions.
The young man happily took the money and said in a rather posh way, "Sure thing. I'll make sure everything is taken care of! Take your time, Boss Shen. Welcome back next time."
...
When Shen Yanshan walked over to the clothing stall, he finally saw what Li Chuchu was wearing.
A sexy, tight-fitting red halter top and a pair of jeans that hugged her long, slender legs. Her long, black hair was casually draped over her shoulders. Li Chuchu seemed to have transformed into a different person.
When Li Chuchu saw Shen Yanshan, she immediately waved at him and said excitedly, "What do you think of this outfit?"
The red halter top made her skin look even fairer, like snow in the moonlight, glistening with a soft sheen. She smiled, and her whole body exuded a youthful and vibrant beauty.
Shen Yanshan tried to look away, but he found it hard to take his eyes off her. He could only swallow hard and say with difficulty, "You look very nice. But didn't you pick any other clothes with sleeves? Why did you choose this one?"
She looked so good that he didn't want others to see her like this.
The clothing store owner beside them exclaimed in admiration, "Pretty lady, how do you take care of your skin to make it so fair? You look good in anything! And your figure is amazing, just like a model!"
Li Chuchu also really liked this outfit.
"I've also picked three other sets of clothes. They're over there. I've decided to take them all. Boss, how much are they?"
"Four sets of clothes. That'll be one hundred and eighty-eight yuan in total. I'll round it down for you. Just give me one hundred and eighty yuan."
Shen Yanshan started to take out his wallet.
Li Chuchu said calmly, "Eighty yuan. Will you sell them?"
Shen Yanshan's hand froze in mid-air as he looked at Li Chuchu in disbelief.
The owner had already rounded down the price, but she was trying to cut it in half!
The owner immediately panicked and started to put on a show, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Pretty lady, I can't even buy them at this price! The lowest I can go is one hundred and fifty yuan!"
"I'll go check out the other stores."
Li Chuchu pretended to walk into the fitting room to change out of the clothes.
Shen Yanshan hesitated on the side. Was she really not going to buy them? The clothes really did fit her well. It would be a shame to leave them behind.
The owner quickly grabbed Li Chuchu's arm and pleaded, "Hey hey, one hundred and twenty yuan. One hundred and twenty yuan. That's the lowest price I can offer."
Li Chuchu was as cold as a customer who was about to leave after a transaction. "I'll only add ten yuan at most."
This made the owner desperate. "One hundred yuan. That's the lowest. No lower."
"Deal!"
Li Chuchu threw a triumphant look at Shen Yanshan. Only then did Shen Yanshan realize that she wasn't really going to give up on the clothes. She was just trying to bargain. He quickly took out his money before the owner could change his mind.
The owner looked at the one hundred yuan bill, feeling heartbroken.
He had given in too quickly.
This man standing here was either her boyfriend or her husband. In the end, no matter what the price was, this man would definitely pay for the clothes.
But that was how business was. Sometimes you made more money, and sometimes you made less.
She packed the clothes for Li Chuchu and said in a half-complaining tone, "I've given you such a big discount. You have to come back next time. Our clothes have the best styles in this night market!"
"Don't worry. You're so good at doing business. I'll definitely come back to your store next time."
The owner's mind was immediately put at ease. "Okay. Take your time, young lady!"