Back To The 80s-Chapter 402 - 412: Making a Fortune_1

Business can be like that. Sometimes, everything comes at once, while at other times, there might be only one or two in a day.

Gu Xiaobei was as busy as a top, and it was thanks to Qin Li’s excellent calculation skills that she didn’t mess up her accounts when her mind was in a whirl.

Ji Xiangdong and his crew were catching the train that night on the 4th. The night before, Xiaobei had given Bai Xiaolan 500 yuan as a contribution towards her wedding.

After saying goodbye to the last customer in the afternoon on the 4th, Xiaobei headed home with Da Huang. When she arrived at the courtyard, only Lu Zhanguo and the two children were there, Lu Songyuan and the others had already gone to the train station.

Xiaobei took off her scarf, mopped the sweat from her brow, and croaked, "I had two more customers just before closing time, so was delayed a bit. I hope my parents aren’t upset?"

Hearing Xiaobei’s strained voice, Lu Zhanguo expressed his concern, "Everyone knows you’re busy, no one is holding it against you. As for you, don’t push yourself so hard, take care of your health."

Xiaobei washed her hands, and then picked up Mo Wang and laughed, "The first two years will be busy, but once things have a rhythm it’ll be okay. You can relax, I’m not greedy, I just want our family to have an easier life in the future."

"I am just worried that all your hard work will take a toll on your health," Lu Zhanguo expressed his concern. He then put Xiaopang on the kang, getting ready to prepare dumplings for Xiaobei.

Xiaobei took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang, and started goofing around with the two children.

Once the dumplings were ready, Lu Zhanguo asked: "Are you going to eat in the outer room or on the kang?"

"On the kang. I’m too tired to move anymore." Xiaobei slumped on the kang, allowing the two children to clamber over her.

Lu Zhanguo set out the kang table, placing the dumplings and vinegar on it, then called over the two children, freeing up Xiaobei so she could eat.

Xiaopang, having eaten this evening, still wanted more. Seeing his mom eating, he ran over to the table, ready for more. His tiny body was moving all over the table, like a cleaning brush.

Xiaobei cooled off a dumpling and handed it to Xiaopang, telling him to sit off to the side and eat it, so she could concentrate on her own meal.

Suddenly, Lu Zhanguo said, "Shen Heng is getting married."

Xiaobei rushed to swallow her dumpling, her eyes wide as she asked, "With Qin Mei?"

Lu Zhanguo shook his head: "No, someone else introduced him."

Xiaobei pursed her lips, saying, "This Shen Heng must have zero emotional intelligence. I bet he’s trying to provoke Qin Mei. Just watch, they won’t get married within three years."

"I don’t know. I told him if he marries someone else, he doesn’t need to send us an invitation," Lu Zhanguo also thought the usually sharp Shen Heng was being foolish.

"By the way, did you ask Shen Heng about Xuerong? How did it go?" Xiaobei asked.

Upon mentioning this, Lu Zhanguo’s brow furrowed, "Shen Heng checked all the cars in the provincial city, whether they were 61 or 16. There was no red color vehicle. Furthermore, there are only two red cars in the entire city, both owned by companies."

Xiaobei let out a sigh of disappointment, and said, "This is more difficult than trying to find a needle in a haystack. If I run into her again, I’ll grab her and ask her what’s going on."

While they were talking, they noticed Xiaopang had squashed a dumpling. The filling was everywhere, even on his eyebrows.

"Dear Xiaopang, are you eating dumplings or planting them? They’re everywhere." Xiaobei chuckled as she cleaned up, speaking as she did so.

After cleaning up and washing, it was already late. Xiaobei was too tired to move, so she pulled out the covers and went to sleep. She mutters, let’s move back to the staff dormitory tomorrow.

With a shake of his head, Lu Zhanguo undressed both children, holding one in each arm and soothing them to sleep.

In the following days, business reached its peak. Before Xiaobei realized, more than half of her stock had been sold. Looking at the inventory, Qin Li asked Xiaobei, "Sister Xiaobei, do we need to restock?"

Xiaobei shook her head, "Too late now. Even if we ordered now, it wouldn’t arrive until after the Spring Festival."

Wang Wei came back from buying lunch, gleefully telling Xiaobei, "Sis, you were right. That shop across us didn’t sell much of their canned goods, and they even left them outside in the cold, spoiling quite a few."

Xiaobei called everyone to eat, laughing, she said to Wang Wei, "We can gossip indoors, but outside, don’t make fun of others."

Wang Wei chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, if I laughed at them outside, wouldn’t someone punch me?"

Xiao Hong whispered, "Sister Xiaobei, I heard that the shop across is buying our gift box for a high price. One yuan each."

Xiaobei was dumbfounded by their business savvy, "It doesn’t matter, let them collect. We haven’t even celebrated the New Year yet, so who would disassemble and give them the boxes? To put it bluntly, these boxes are part of the display. Plus, the phrase ’The Flourishing of the Age’ is registered. Whoever uses it illicitly would be subject to legal action." Xiaobei took the chance to educate her co-workers about her registered trademark.

After lunch, several men in official attire came in. Xiaobei felt as if the God of Wealth had just walked in. To her, they all had a golden halo around them. Showing a professional smile, she greeted them warmly, "What can I do for you all?"

One of them, who seemed a bit elder, perhaps with a higher position, looked at the gift boxes on the shelf and said with a kind smile, "This package looks very novel and unique, and it’s very ambitious."

Another official, presumably a lower-ranking one, laughed, "Director, look at these ’The Flourishing of the Age’ characters, they really hit the nail on the head, aligning with the central concept of our study."

The leader seemed pleased with the compliment and nodded, "Nice one, Xiaoli, you’ve hit the nail on the head."

Standing to one side listening to their conversation, Xiaobei’s mind was whirling. If these men were to place an order, surely she couldn’t mention any discounts. But such men could haggle hard.

The leader had a word with the folks beside him and then asked Xiaobei kindly, "What’s the price for these gift boxes?"

Xiaobei pointed to the gift boxes, and softly replied, "The big ones are 15 yuan, the small ones are 10 yuan."

The leader shook his head, "The price is not low. Ordinary folks really can’t afford it."

Xiaobei gave a slight smile and explained, "These are not daily consumer goods but New Year’s gift products designed for the holiday season. During the New Year, people are celebrating the peace and unity, and with the new policies improving, the people’s awareness is also rising, everyone wishes for peace and prosperity, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of good luck."

The director laughed heartily, "Well said, we’ll take 5000 big ones, is there enough stock?"

Xiaobei was taken aback for a moment, she quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes." Her big gift boxes were the most in stock since they were a bit pricier.

Still laughing, the director continued, "Can they be delivered to the provincial committee courtyard the day after tomorrow?"

Xiaobei shook her head, "There’s no problem, but we require payment upfront, is that okay?"