Chapter 92: Going to the Mall to Sell Wooden Hairpins and Fridge Magnets

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Going to the Mall to Sell Wooden Hairpins and Fridge Magnets

Yun Zhen sold crochet dolls. She had learned from Li Mei that the college town was crowded, which was why she came here. However, after just a few days, the number of people in the college town visibly decreased. Su Yue told her that the students had finished their classes and were going home; they wouldn’t be back for over a month.

At Su Yue’s suggestion, she decided to sell wooden hairpins and fridge magnets. But first, she needed to find another crowded place. Unfortunately, she had only been to a few places and really couldn’t think of a good spot.

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. "Su Yue, are there a lot of people where you work? Can I set up a stall there?"

"Jiuzhou Mall is one of the places with the highest foot traffic in the city," Su Yue told her. "If you want to set up a stall there, I think it’s doable. You definitely can’t set up inside the mall, but there’s a commercial street outside with street vendors along the edges. If you go there to sell wooden hairpins and fridge magnets, you’ll definitely be able to sell them. Plus, we’ll be able to see each other often."

Yun Zhen’s eyes lit up. "I’ve decided! I’ll go set up a stall where you work!"

Su Yue nodded happily. "When I worked part-time before, I always came and went alone. With you keeping me company, I won’t be alone anymore. Jiuzhou Mall is extremely crowded, and the numbers don’t even drop during the Lunar New Year. There’s also a historical tourist attraction nearby, so a lot of people go there wearing Hanfu to take photos. If your wooden hairpins are well-made, demand will exceed supply, and you might just make a fortune!"

She painted a grand, promising picture for Yun Zhen.

Yun Zhen was full of expectations for the future.

In the afternoon, she had a smile on her face while sorting vegetables at Sister-in-law Liu’s stall.

Li Mei leaned over and asked, "Yun Zhen, did something good happen again?"

Yun Zhen cleared her throat and didn’t hide it from her. "Tomorrow, I’m going to Jiuzhou Mall to sell wooden hairpins and fridge magnets."

"You made them that quickly?" Li Mei knew Yun Zhen was hardworking, but she was still shocked by her execution. They had just planned this yesterday, and today she had already found a place to set up her stall. She had probably already produced a batch of goods too.

"I’ve been to Jiuzhou Mall. There are quite a few people selling small accessories nearby, but they all order the parts online and assemble them themselves. If you can make a few purely handmade wooden hairpins, as long as your aesthetic taste is fine, people will definitely buy them.

"There’s also an ancient imperial palace over there. A lot of people wear Hanfu and go there to take photos, so the consumer base is ready-made."

Yun Zhen nodded. "My friend said the same thing."

Li Mei unlocked her phone. "Watch a few more video tutorials."

Happy for the opportunity to learn a craft, Yun Zhen said, "Thank you, Meimei."

Yun Zhen handed her a hundred-yuan bill. "I’m out of material kits for the crochet dolls again. Could I trouble you to buy me a few more packs online?"

Since she couldn’t sell crochet dolls in the college town, she could take them to sell outside the mall. Judging by Su Yue and Li Mei’s tone, there were even more people there than in the college town. The crochet dolls might be even more popular there.

"It hasn’t even been three days, and you’ve used them all up so quickly?" Li Mei found it unbelievable.

Yun Zhen nodded but didn’t elaborate. With sixty people in her village having learned how to crochet, if it weren’t for the lack of crochet hooks, they could have finished all the material kits in a single day.

Li Mei opened the shopping app on her phone. "Alright, you want a hundred yuan’s worth, right?"

"See if they sell crochet hooks," Yun Zhen added. "I want to buy a batch of crochet hooks separately." She then spun a white lie. "The older girls who live with me are helping me make the crochet dolls, but we don’t have enough hooks."

A look of realization dawned on Li Mei. She had been wondering how Yun Zhen could possibly use up so many crochet materials all by herself—it turned out she had help. She searched according to Yun Zhen’s request. "Two hundred crochet hooks for twenty yuan. Can you use that many hooks?"

"Buy them!" Yun Zhen decided. With sixty people crocheting in the village, each person could get three hooks, which was one more than the two she had previously promised. She handed Li Mei another twenty yuan.

"Yun Zhen, your business is expanding. Save up some money and open a shop when you come of age. You won’t live any worse than a college student." Li Mei truly admired her.

Carrying a basket of vegetables with both hands, Sister-in-law Liu chimed in with a laugh. "Isn’t that the truth! I’ve never seen a kid more hardworking than Yun Zhen. She’s got more ideas than most adults in their twenties or thirties. If Yun Zhen opens a shop in the future, she might just build a huge business and make lots and lots of money!"

Yun Zhen’s face flushed red at their words. Open a shop? She didn’t have that much capability. She felt things were just fine the way they were. A single day’s work could buy a hundred and ten catties of polished white rice. Selling a few dozen crochet dolls could feed and clothe her entire village. If she could sell wooden hairpins and fridge magnets in the future, she could save up more money to build new houses for the whole village once the snow stopped. Although the tent houses were nice, she still felt that a house rooted in the ground was much more reassuring to live in.

"If my Lele grows up to have Yun Zhen’s brains and execution skills, I’ll be burning incense in gratitude to the heavens," Li Mei said expectantly.

"Meimei, you’ve raised Lele to be so well-behaved and obedient. Last time at the supermarket, you told her to stay close to me, and she obediently stuck by my side without running off." Yun Zhen thought of Little Treasure, who was just as well-behaved.

At the mention of her child, a smile unconsciously crept onto Li Mei’s face. "I always tell her not to run around in crowded places, or she’ll be kidnapped and never see Mommy again for the rest of her life. She listens, so she never runs wild whenever we go out."

"Not only is she well-behaved, but she’s also so adorable," Yun Zhen said enviously. "She has a round little face, and her eyes are as bright as stars. She’s plump and fair like a white steamed bun. She looks so sturdy and cute. I’m so curious about how you raised her so well!"

Li Mei felt a bit embarrassed by her praises but couldn’t stop smiling. "I usually give her fruits and vegetables to help with digestion. We have shrimp and eggs almost every day, and sometimes I switch it up with chicken drumsticks or beef. I also have her drink pure milk every day. Fortunately, she’s not a picky eater, so she cleans her plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"When a child’s nutrition keeps up, they naturally grow a bit faster."

Yun Zhen looked thoughtful, taking mental notes of her words, planning to feed Little Treasure the same things in the future.

"Yun Zhen, you seem to have gotten a lot fairer recently," Li Mei said, staring at her.

"Have I?" Yun Zhen hadn’t noticed. She only remembered that after her first bath, haircut, and teeth brushing, she felt entirely refreshed. Since then, she had kept up with taking baths, keeping her hair clean, and brushing her teeth every day. Perhaps it was because she was well-fed, hydrated, and in a good mood that she looked much more vibrant.

"If you eat more eggs, you can get fairer too," Li Mei said. "I can see you have the genetics for cool-toned fair skin. The frostbite marks on your face are almost entirely gone, and that dull, sallow yellowness is slowly fading. If you stand in a well-lit place now, you’re the absolute picture of a fair-skinned beauty. In another month or two, you’ll practically transform from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan."

Cool-toned fair skin... gene-what now? What in the world was that? Still, she understood the gist of Li Mei’s words. She was saying that Yun Zhen had a good natural foundation.

Yun Zhen had noticeably gained a little weight. "I’ve been eating well lately, so I’ve put on some flesh too."

Li Mei nodded. "Gaining weight is good. You were way too skinny before. Put on a bit more weight, and you’ll look much healthier." Now that they were familiar with each other, Li Mei couldn’t help but ask, "When you were wandering the streets before, what did you usually eat?"

"Whatever people gave me as charity." Having previously claimed to be a stray orphan, Yun Zhen knew she couldn’t tell her the truth.

Seeing that Yun Zhen’s expression remained normal and that she didn’t seem offended, Li Mei breathed a sigh of relief. "From now on, you get to eat at the shelter and make your own money. Remember to save up as much as you can. Once you come of age, you should consider buying an apartment for yourself."

Yun Zhen nodded, though she had never actually considered buying a house in this world.