Chapter 53: Bringing Goods Back to Sell (Bonus Chapter 2)

Mu Chenze certainly wasn’t about to admit that he was that fool.

“I forgot to ask what that fool’s name was. It’s only a little after 4 a.m. right now. If we want to take the bus, we’ll have to wait another hour or two. How about we pick up some goods in the city and bring them back to sell?”

Chu Xuan was a little tempted. “What kind of goods should we get?”

They’d just received 300 yuan—enough to buy some stock.

Mu Chenze lowered his voice. “I have a friend who has a batch of Dacron women’s shirts. The two of us can pool our money and buy a portion.”

In this era, Dacron shirts were in high demand.

Chu Xuan agreed without hesitation.

Twenty minutes later, Mu Chenze led Chu Xuan to a secluded courtyard.

Mu Chenze grabbed the door knocker and tapped three times.

Soon, someone came to open the door.

Mu Chenze had already given instructions, so Chu Xuan didn’t speak up, just waited quietly outside.

Mu Chenze went in, and about ten minutes later, came out carrying a burlap sack.

The courtyard gate was quickly shut behind him.

Chu Xuan could tell these people were very cautious.

After they’d walked a distance, Chu Xuan asked quietly, “How many did you get?”

Mu Chenze replied in a low voice, “A hundred. All women’s shirts, six yuan each wholesale. We can sell them for ten yuan each back in the county—people will be fighting over them.”

Chu Xuan felt a rush of excitement just thinking about it.

If they sold all one hundred, that was a pure profit of 400 yuan. Split fifty-fifty, that’s 200 yuan each.

“How about we do this every few days—bring good stuff back from the city to sell?”

Mu Chenze was more than happy. “No problem.”

He answered so quickly and decisively that Chu Xuan gave him a probing look.

“Mu Chenze, have you done this kind of thing a lot before?”

Mu Chenze answered honestly, “Not a lot. Just occasionally. This time was just a lucky coincidence.”

Chu Xuan’s gaze fell on Mu Chenze’s pocket.

“You always have a lot of cash on you, don’t you? Honestly, you don’t need to partner with me. You could buy stock and sell it yourself. You’re basically helping me out.”

Mu Chenze firmly denied it. “Who says I’m helping you? I just want someone to share the risk with. Risk and profit go hand in hand—if we sell everything, we both make money. If we don’t, we both lose. Don’t make me out to be some kind of saint.”

Seeing he wouldn’t admit it, Chu Xuan smiled helplessly. “Alright, partner, let’s head to the bus station.”

“Okay!”

If they hurried, they might catch the first bus.

On the way, Chu Xuan offered to carry the sack of shirts for a while, but Mu Chenze refused, saying it wasn’t heavy at all.

They rushed and managed to catch the first bus to the county.

Once on board, there happened to be two seats together. Mu Chenze shoved the sack of shirts under the seat.

Chu Xuan took out breakfast from the sack—meat-filled flatbreads his little brother had made—and handed three to Mu Chenze.

Mu Chenze was indeed hungry and wolfed them down.

Uh-oh...

He choked.

Chu Xuan handed him a water flask.

Mu Chenze took it without thinking and drank a few gulps.

He was the kind of guy who always forgot to bring a water flask, even though he knew he’d choke while eating.

After he finished drinking, he realized he’d used Chu Xuan’s flask, and his face turned red.

“Sorry! Now you can’t drink from it.”

Chu Xuan smiled generously. “I brought it just for you. I have my own.”

She pulled another flask from the sack and waved it.

At that moment, Mu Chenze felt a warmth in his heart, realizing Chu Xuan had noticed he never brought water, so she’d brought one just for him.

“Thank you!”

“What for? We’re buddies.”

“Yeah.”

Mu Chenze continued eating the flatbread.

After breakfast, Chu Xuan’s gaze landed on the ticket seller’s wristwatch.

Mu Chenze seemed to read her mind and whispered so only the two of them could hear, “I’ll get someone to help us find two watches. One for you, one for me.”

In this era, watches weren’t something you could buy just because you had money—sometimes you had to wait a long time.

Chu Xuan really did need a watch. “Okay.”

An hour later, they arrived in the county.

After getting off the bus, they headed straight for the morning market.

They found an empty spot by a wall and set up their stall.

Chu Xuan watched as Mu Chenze pulled nails, rope, and hangers from the sack, and gave him a thumbs up. “Impressive! You really thought of everything.”

The more she thought about it, the more she felt Mu Chenze was an old hand at this...

Mu Chenze picked up a stone from the roadside and hammered a nail into the wall, then hammered another one a meter away.

Chu Xuan helped him string up the rope, picked three different styles of shirts, hung them on hangers, and put them up on the line.

As she hung them, she called out, “Shirts for sale! Brand new Dacron shirts!”

Mu Chenze didn’t join in the shouting.

Chu Xuan double-checked the price with him. “We’re really selling them for ten yuan? Or should we do eleven for one, twenty-one for two, thirty for three?”

“That’s a great idea! Let’s do it!”

With Mu Chenze’s encouragement, Chu Xuan called out loudly, “Dacron shirts, eleven yuan each, twenty-one for two, thirty for three! If you want a bargain, call your friends and family to buy together!”

Soon, a slim woman came over.

“Fat Girl Xuan, I must be your first customer, right? Give me a deal—ten yuan for one, okay?”

Chu Xuan replied cheerfully, “You really are my first customer! Ten yuan it is—pick whichever you like.”

The woman happily picked one, paid, and left satisfied.

After the first sale, more people came over to ask about prices and look at the shirts.

Some girls really liked the shirts but hesitated to buy—after all, one shirt cost as much as ten days’ wages.

Whether they bought or not, Chu Xuan greeted everyone with a smile, while Mu Chenze found a stone to sit on and rest.

He figured Chu Xuan was great at business, so he just had to watch the shirts and make sure nothing got stolen.

The morning market was right next to the water plant, flour mill, noodle factory, and pharmaceutical plant. Once the women working the night shift got off, they’d come by, and they’d sell plenty.

Both Chu Xuan and Mu Chenze knew this well.

At seven o’clock, the night shift women started coming to the market, and some day shift workers passed by too.

Many stopped at Chu Xuan’s stall.

Everyone wanted to buy one.

A few people teamed up to buy together, getting the ten-yuan price per shirt.

They quickly sold over thirty shirts.

Even the girls who had hesitated earlier gritted their teeth and each bought one.

In less than an hour and a half, they’d sold sixty shirts.

They’d made back their costs.

Never underestimate the spending power of working women.

As the morning market thinned out, Mu Chenze stood up. “Let’s pack up and head back.”

No point in staying—anyone who wanted one had already bought.

Chu Xuan immediately got to it.

After packing up, Chu Xuan counted out 300 yuan and handed it to Mu Chenze. “Let’s split the money now. Whatever we sell from here on is pure profit.”

Mu Chenze didn’t refuse and put the money in his pocket.

“Let’s go set up at the town market for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Chu Xuan already had a spot in mind.

They each carried a sack to the nearby bus stop.

Just as they reached the stop, Chu Xuan suddenly gave Mu Chenze a push. “Turn your back to me and walk ahead. No matter what happens, don’t turn around.”

Mu Chenze was confused, but did as told.

He figured he’d ask about it later.

But after just a few steps, he heard a familiar and annoying voice.

“Hey, Fatty Xuan, just got back from selling grilled fish snacks? Didn’t the city folk look down on a country bumpkin like you?”"