Transmigrated & Triumphant: Defying Destiny's Chosen One-Chapter 546 - 60: Daya’s New Business_3
There was a time when things were so boring that I started licking plaster.
Unfortunately... it didn’t really taste like anything.
...
Upon hearing what Daya said, Chen Changhai began calculating in his mind, and soon came up with a plan—
Daya is still young, so her wages can’t be calculated like an experienced tailor’s, cheap!
Lots of fabric scraps, and these tiny pieces are practically worthless, a bargain!
Time-consuming and effort-intensive... who cares!
There’s no rush anyway!
Wear them in summer, and underneath in winter, there’s a market all year round!
This can be done, this can be done!
He immediately beamed:
"Daya, thirty cents a pair, how about it?"
Thirty cents a pair?
Daya recalled the four bags of fabric scraps her uncle bought for six yuan, plus the six-and-a-half yuan for thread, plus the sewing machine and labor...
At this moment, she smartly spread out five fingers.
"Fifty cents."
Chen Changhai gasped instantly, waving his hands repeatedly:
"No, no, fifty cents is too expensive. How can I sell such a pair of underpants? You have to give me a little profit margin, right?"
"When doing business, we should be considerate of each other."
Daya wouldn’t listen to him.
After all, it’s not like she hasn’t seen how the old ladies in the village negotiate prices.
So she extended her palm again: "Fifty cents."
After some back-and-forth, they finally settled at thirty-eight cents a pair.
When it came to bargaining, Daya was slightly less adept.
...
Their negotiating wasn’t loud, but the reading from the west room already drowned out everything.
Da Dan, though, watched their deal, pondering over and over, and decided to check the kitchen later to see if there was anything that could fetch a good price.
When it comes to making money, he’s the oldest in the family and can’t be outdone.
However, Chen Changhai, having seen Daya’s handiwork, naturally wouldn’t want to give up on this cheap labor.
He simply took down his large sack and pulled out a red floral dress from it.
Such a bright and dazzling red color, in this era when even getting a set of red outerwear for a wedding is difficult, is undeniably beautiful. Daya’s eyes instantly glued to it, unable to look away.
Feeling proud, Chen Changhai began to tell the children how he acquired the dress—
"I just got off the train, barely reached the main street, and two girls walked ahead of me!"
"Thin waists, make you want to pinch. Their faces powdered white, lips red. With the wind, the dress swooshed, oh, it was splendid..."
The more he spoke, the more Daya’s eyes sparkled.
Only Da Dan, listening to the description, couldn’t help but glance at Chen Changhai again and again.
He always felt this uncle wasn’t quite upright.
But under Daya’s gaze, Chen Changhai grew even prouder, now saying boastfully:
"I went to check her dress, it wasn’t in any department store, specifically waited on that street for two days before I got her."
Then he went up and stopped her.
The girl thought, looking pretty herself, she ran into someone taking advantage, scared her so much.
But after hearing Chen Changhai’s words, for some reason, she turned red and white, and finally turned away angrily.
Chen Changhai sighed:
"These city girls are so proud. They can’t seize a wealth opportunity..."
"I even asked her to help find a way, just wanted to buy more like that red dress she was wearing, why didn’t she hurry to get in touch with me? Turned and ran away instead."
"If I wasn’t clever, I would’ve missed such a hidden tailor shop."
"This is a foreign style!"
He said this while sighing, still thinking fifty-five yuan for this dress was too expensive.
Da Dan: ...
Daya, however, unlike Da Dan, didn’t catch the main point, instead sucked in her breath:
"This dress is fifty-five yuan?!"
How much fabric is that!
Under Chen Changhai’s cue, she took the dress out, examining it carefully.
She checked the stitching, the trimmings, the neckline, and hem.
With some regret: "I haven’t made clothes like this before."
In fact, she could, she made clothes with Aunt Juhua.
But here, with so many people at grandma’s, clothes like this cost too much fabric.
For her first try, she was reluctant to waste and grandma didn’t wear dresses.
Said it affected her child education.
So, recently, it was all daily clothes she made.
Chen Changhai encouraged Daya:
"Don’t worry, I’ve seen the clothes you make for others. The stitching, the form, absolutely top-notch!"
"How about this, keep this dress here. You can make one like it, return it when it’s done, and give me the first one you make."
"Afterward, for each one you make, I’ll give you five yuan for labor."
The fabric, said to be expensive, actually at the tailor’s came to fifty-five yuan, but the actual fabric cost only twenty-three yuan, mainly due to high demand, the rest was the old tailor’s labor fee.
Chen Changhai scoured the fabric market, even pulled some strings at the textile factory.
He had it all figured out.
But who says clothes must be made from such bright red fabric?
He could find other colors too.
Adding it all up, Daya was truly good value and also helpful for strengthening ties with the God of Wealth.
Daya’s heart was ablaze.
She still had twenty-five yuan in her pocket, and grandma said she’d get five a month.
But when learning the trade, she promised Aunt Juhua to send her monthly wages back for the first two years.
After all, she was here and hadn’t stopped writing to continue learning.
Tuition can’t be an empty promise.
Twenty-four months.
She had Little Xuan calculate it, it came to one hundred and twenty!
Subtracting the twenty-five she had, she still needed ninety-five yuan.
Running through the accounts in her head, she held up that dress as if it were her treasure.
Nodding an agreement with Chen Changhai, she eagerly turned and went inside again.
This fabric’s expensive, better start with cotton to test out.
If nothing else, sell the cotton version cheap.
Time to earn money!
...
Daya had everything arranged, but Chu River hadn’t returned yet.
Chen Changhai had been chattering away, and no one at home even offered him a glass of water.
He couldn’t help looking around: "Where’s the kitchen? I’ll go scoop some water."
As for the two pieces of cured meat, it would have to wait for Comrade Chu River’s return to maximize the surprise, right?
Da Dan kept feeling Chen Changhai’s mention of the dress was odd, not like an upright man, so he didn’t even want to get him water, just led him to the kitchen.
"Our well water is clear and sweet."
And indeed it was.
Scooping with a gourd ladle, Chen Changhai gulped it down, feeling utterly refreshed.
Seeing how packed full and neatly arranged even the kitchen was, Chen Changhai couldn’t help but lament again:
"So industrious."
Too bad, too harsh.
Da Dan thought he was being praised, pursed his lips, and smiled happily.
Then he had a thought, suddenly lifting a lid off a jar.
"My aunt likes the soybean paste I make. Can it be sold?"
It could be, but soybean paste stuff is a bit too common.
Chen Changhai respected the child’s input and didn’t dismiss it:
"Let me see."
Who knew once the jar opened and a bean was picked with chopsticks, he was surprised—
"How did you make this?"
Usually, soybean paste in jars, the beans are big and soft.
But the soybeans Da Dan made, somehow, were crispy and spicy.
With a savory aroma, crunchy and delicious, they were great with meals, drinks, or just as a snack...
Family members of all sorts, everyone would love them!
This really astonished him.
"You made this? Can’t believe it, Da Dan, you’ve got some skills!"
Glancing around the kitchen:
"No wonder, a child raised by your aunt."
At the same time, he sighed deeply inside.
Da Dan looked at him expectantly:
"Can we sell it?"
"Absolutely we can!"
Chen Changhai promised, couldn’t resist snacking on a few more beans.
Delicious!
Surely, it would sell well!
"But we can’t just sell it as is, loose doesn’t profit."
"Wait for me, make more. I’ll order some small jars from the city glass factory, and we’ll sell them jar by jar!"
