Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading

"Bootlicker!"

Zhang Dongmei angrily kicked the counter, immediately gritting her teeth in pain, her face contorted.

Su Xiaoxiao passed by her, glanced at her, and said, "Mr. Zhang, if you can’t hold it in, just go to the restroom. Be careful not to soil your pants."

Zhang Dongmei said, "Su Xiaoxiao, I’m going to strangle you."

She lunged at her, but Su Xiaoxiao deftly dodged, causing Zhang Dongmei to fall flat on her face.

Laughter erupted around them, and Zhang Dongmei angrily got up from the ground. "What’s there to be proud of? You’re just climbing up by pandering to the bosses."

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t be bothered to respond, and she headed upstairs to knock on the general manager’s office door.

"Come in."

Yan Guohua’s voice came from inside, and Su Xiaoxiao straightened her collar before pushing open the office door.

Only then did she realize that besides Yan Guohua, there was someone else inside—the very person she had just met, the director from the city detergent factory, Director Li.

Li Zhenhua nodded at her, and Su Xiaoxiao quickly greeted, "Hello, General Manager, hello, Director Li."

Yan Guohua smiled warmly and said, "Xiao Su, have a seat. We called you here to discuss the detergent factory’s sponsorship."

Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected such efficiency, that they would come to the department store to discuss the sponsorship so soon.

Li Zhenhua handed a list to Yan Guohua. "Manager Yan, here’s our sponsorship list."

Yan Guohua glanced at it and was excited to see there was quite a lot of stuff.

Although it didn’t include the popular shampoo, these would make great prizes.

He couldn’t really pick and choose since it was sponsored.

He beamed and said, "Director Li, thank you very much. Feel free to voice any requests you have."

He thought that since they had sponsored so much, the department store should reciprocate somehow.

But unexpectedly, Li Zhenhua said, "Manager Yan, no need for formalities. I don’t have any requests."

The sponsored items were just some laundry powder and soap from the factory’s inventory, no big deal for them.

Consider it a favor for Comrade Su, hoping she would think of him if she had any good stuff.

Su Xiaoxiao chimed in, "Director Li, how about we add a little advertisement for you during our program like we discussed before?"

Director Li didn’t have high hopes for the ad’s effectiveness; how much publicity could a department store’s gala provide?

Besides, their factory’s shampoo sales were excellent right now, not needing any promotion.

But he appreciated the gesture, so he didn’t want to refuse and said cheerfully, "Alright, I’ll have the items sent over in a couple of days. You can arrange the ad as you see fit. I’ll be off now."

Saying that, Director Li stood up to leave, and Yan Guohua quickly got up to see him off.

Su Xiaoxiao immediately followed to see him out.

The three walked to the door, and with Yan Guohua there, Li Zhenhua couldn’t inquire about the new formula, so he waved at them and bicycled away.

After seeing him off, Su Xiaoxiao turned around to see a figure sneakily hiding behind the door.

Zhang Dongmei was stretching her neck trying to eavesdrop, and found herself staring at two pairs of eyes.

"General Manager, would you believe if I said I was just passing by?"

She attempted to explain.

Yan Guohua looked at her as if she had lost her mind and said, "Slacking off during work hours, Comrade Liu, your full attendance bonus for the month is gone."

"Please, General Manager, I really didn’t mean to..."

Zhang Dongmei chased after him, wailing. Mid-howl, she realized the General Manager had said Comrade Liu, so it had nothing to do with her, Zhang Dongmei?

She immediately stood up straight, feeling triumphant.

But before she could enjoy the relief, Su Xiaoxiao softly said, "General Manager, this is Zhang Dongmei, Mr. Zhang from our department store."

Zhang Dongmei, thinking she had escaped unscathed!!!

She swore she would never reconcile with the surname Su.

Ignoring Zhang Dongmei’s murderous glare, Su Xiaoxiao cheerfully returned to the grocery counter.

Seeing her return, Zhang Yulan and Qin Shuang immediately gathered around her.

"Xiaoxiao, what did the General Manager want you for?"

Zhang Yulan asked first.

Su Xiaoxiao looked around to make sure no one noticed the small group of theirs, then moved closer and whispered, "Nothing major, just that Director Li from the city detergent factory came to sponsor us."

"Xiaoxiao, you’re amazing! You talked about getting sponsorship and actually got it!"

Zhang Yulan exclaimed, and Qin Shuang discreetly gave her a thumbs up.

"By the way, Xiaoxiao, about the competition outfits, I have an uncle who knows someone at the clothing factory. Want me to ask him to help out?"

Qin Shuang, recalling Su Xiaoxiao mentioning custom-making competition outfits before, hurriedly offered.

Having six people compete and leaving everything to Su Xiaoxiao didn’t sit well with her.

Su Xiaoxiao replied with a grin, "It’s all settled. I’ve got the outfit designs right in my pocket. Rest assured, we’ll be sure to impress everyone."

Zhang Yulan’s curiosity was piqued, "Xiaoxiao, what do the outfits look like? Can we take a sneak peek?"

Being among friends, there was nothing to hide. She immediately took the drawings from her bag to show them.

Zhang Yulan looked at the drawn designs, admiring the fluid lines and exquisite styles, and couldn’t help but ask, "Xiaoxiao, can you draw? These are so well done!"

Qin Shuang also looked on in awe, "Xiaoxiao, is there anything you can’t do? Amazing!"

Zhang Dongmei passed by, rolling her eyes, "Isn’t it just some crude drawings? Like no one else can do that."

The three didn’t bother responding to her, pretending they hadn’t heard.

"These are indeed well drawn; without years of practice, one couldn’t reach this level."

Suddenly, a voice chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dongmei stopped in her tracks, turned around, and saw a tall, elegant man standing behind them.

"Who are you? You can’t just come into this counter area! Get out now!"

Zhang Dongmei frowned, shooing him away, irritated.

"I had no idea a salesperson from a city department store has such authority to freely drive customers out."

The man adjusted his glasses, and though his refined face showed signs of aging with its wrinkles, it remained handsome with his high nose bridge. He was surely quite the looker when young.

"Never mind who I am; this isn’t where you should be. Get out now before I call someone."

Yang Baoguo was mopping the floor nearby. Upon hearing Zhang Dongmei, he sensed trouble and seized the chance to show his worth. He rolled up his sleeves and approached with his mop.

"Let’s see who’s causing trouble in our department store, impatient with life..."

He didn’t finish his sentence before his eyes met the man’s face, and he stumbled, nearly falling flat on his backside.

Zhang Dongmei continued to echo him, "If you know what’s good for you, scram!"

"Scram, what scram? What nonsense are you spouting?"

At this point, Yang Baoguo wished he could travel back two minutes in time and slap Zhang Dongmei. This girl was about to ruin him!