Chapter 43

The next day, after breakfast, Yu Xiangnian rode her bike to the daily chemical factory to find Yu Xiangguo.

It turned out that this batch of rain boots was produced by the factory in April, intended for sale to department stores and supply cooperatives during the rainy season in May and June.

Unexpectedly, at the beginning of May, a new model of rain boots came out in Shanghai. Now, all the department stores and supply cooperatives specifically wanted this new model, and nobody wanted the old model.

Currently, factories and stores were all funded by the state, so there were no KPI targets, and they didn’t care about sales or inventory.

However, Yu Xiangguo was a responsible and conscientious person. He couldn’t bear to see so many rain boots left idle, wasting state resources.

This put Yu Xiangnian in a difficult position. She had originally planned to get three to five hundred pairs and make a small profit.

But Yu Xiangguo said the factory had a stock of ten thousand pairs, and the factory leaders knew about this issue, so he couldn’t just give Yu Xiangnian a few hundred pairs under the table.

If Yu Xiangnian wanted to take the stock, she had to take it all.

Oh my God! Ten thousand pairs! That would be a mountain of shoes!

Yu Xiangguo added that these rain boots were sold in department stores for 2.8 to 3 yuan per pair, and the factory’s wholesale price to department stores was 2 yuan per pair.

If Yu Xiangnian wanted them, she could get them at cost price, 1.7 yuan per pair.

Without needing to calculate, Yu Xiangnian knew that ten thousand pairs would cost 17,000 yuan.

If she lost money, even if she sold Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie, she couldn’t come up with that much money.

This was too big a deal for her, so Yu Xiangnian had to think it over.

She rode her bike home dejectedly.

Not long after she got home, Ding Yunfei and Bai Mei came to see her.

“What are you doing here?” She blocked the door, not letting them in, speaking in a harsh tone.

Ding Yunfei smiled, “Nian Nian, we heard you resigned, so we came to check on you. Don’t be angry. Bai Mei knows she was wrong and came to apologize.”

He had been anxious since hearing about Yu Xiangnian’s resignation, realizing he might actually like her.

Not just because of her family background, but because of her as a person. He couldn’t bear to see her leave.

Yesterday’s incident also made him more disgusted with Bai Mei.

Ding Yunfei nudged Bai Mei with his elbow, signaling her to apologize. Bai Mei, looking full of guilt, said, “Nian Nian, I was wrong about yesterday. I’ll return the bike and watch to you, and I don’t want the money anymore.”

Yesterday, Bai Mei had been impulsive and lied about Yu Xiangnian owing her money.

After calculating at home, she realized that Yu Xiangnian’s Shanghai brand watch cost over 120 yuan, and the Forever brand bike cost over 180 yuan, totaling more than 300 yuan.

Even if Yu Xiangnian paid her 200 yuan, she would still need to come up with over 100 yuan, which she couldn’t afford.

Today, upon hearing about Yu Xiangnian’s resignation, she was pleased because this meant Ding Yunfei couldn’t see Yu Xiangnian anymore, allowing her to be with Ding Yunfei properly.

Ding Yunfei suggested she come and apologize to Yu Xiangnian, so she came along.

She thought that with Ding Yunfei mediating, she could return the repaired watch and the bike to Yu Xiangnian without taking her money, settling things amicably.

Yu Xiangnian had guessed most of their thoughts. She stood at the door and sneered, “I don’t accept your apology! Since you made such a public statement yesterday, no one can back out now! Saturday afternoon, in front of everyone, we’ll settle this once and for all!”

“Nian Nian!” Ding Yunfei hurriedly said, “I was also wrong yesterday. We sincerely came to apologize. Considering how long we’ve known each other, don’t hold this against me.”

“When you helped her scam me yesterday, did you think about how long we’ve known each other?” Yu Xiangnian glared at him coldly. “I must have misjudged you. As I said yesterday, from now on, we are strangers. Don’t come to me, and I won’t come to you!”

With a bang, Yu Xiangnian shut the door.

Ding Yunfei and Bai Mei stood at the entrance, staring at each other.

Ding Yunfei was unsure if Yu Xiangnian really wanted to cut ties with him or if she was still angry.

After thinking for a moment, he remembered someone.

“You go back first. I need to find someone,” he said to Bai Mei.

Ding Yunfei went to the health clinic in the residential area.

Previously, Wu Xiaomin had given him the idea of getting Yu Xiangnian into bed, thinking that once she slept with him, she would definitely divorce and marry him.

But now, Yu Xiangnian wouldn’t even see him, so he had no chance to get close to her.

He needed Wu Xiaomin to come up with another plan.

Seeing the two of them again stirred up Yu Xiangnian’s anger.

It was already Tuesday, and there were only four days left to repay the 200 yuan, but she hadn’t earned a single cent.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and rode her bike back to the daily chemical factory.

She decided to take a gamble!

In Nancheng, rain boots were a necessity. Ordinary people cared more about practicality than new styles.

With some effort, she believed she could sell the 10,000 pairs.

If she ended up losing money, she could always sell Cheng Jingmo as a husband to someone else and recoup whatever she could!

So, Yu Xiangnian agreed to take the factory’s entire inventory of rain boots and promised to pay within a month.

She rode her bike back to the residential area.

With so many rain boots, she needed help selling them.

Aside from Liu Zhen and Wang Hongxiang, she had no one else to turn to.

The two women wanted to make money but were also afraid of getting into trouble.

Yu Xiangnian began to brainwash them about the importance of women being financially independent and contributing equally to society. She assured them that she would take full responsibility if anything went wrong and wouldn’t drag them down.

Finally, she promised to cover any losses herself, and they would split the profits equally among the three of them. This convinced the two women to join her in the venture.

By the time this was settled, it was already afternoon.

The three of them went home to make dinner and agreed to head out after eating.

Yu Xiangguo had already spoken to the factory, and the three women borrowed a cart and loaded 500 pairs of rain boots, planning to test the waters that night.

When they arrived at the black market, it was already dark, and the market was bustling.

The black market, also known as the ghost market, operated at night when nobody was around to regulate the transactions. People came out to trade in secret.

Many items unavailable in regular stores could be found in the black market, attracting a large crowd.

Everyone carried a flashlight, illuminating the night market brightly.

The three women found a spot and set up their cart, but soon two men approached, demanding a management fee of two yuan.

Yu Xiangnian had seen them charge others only a few cents, so why were they asking for so much from them?

The men pointed to the cart full of rain boots and said, “Others are just selling small amounts of rice or meat. Charging them two or five cents is fair. But you have so much stock, so naturally, the fee is higher!”

Not wanting any trouble, Yu Xiangnian handed over the two yuan.

Soon, people gathered around their stall. A woman asked, “How much for a pair of rain boots?”

“Two yuan,” Yu Xiangnian said, thinking this was a reasonable price that also eliminated the hassle of giving change.

Hearing that the boots were nearly one yuan cheaper than in stores, enough to buy more than a pound of pork, the woman asked, “Are these rain boots of good quality?”

Yu Xiangnian handed her a pair, “These are produced by the Nancheng Daily Chemical Factory, guaranteed quality. Look, it even has the factory’s name printed inside.”

The onlookers crowded closer to inspect. Some were still skeptical, asking, “Where did you get so many rain boots?”

Yu Xiangnian replied, “That’s not your concern. These are genuine products. You can verify them. If they’re fake, I’ll pay you back ten times the amount.”

Hearing her confident assurance, a woman bought four pairs, two for men and two for women, and wanted two pairs for children but they were out of stock.

Just like that, Yu Xiangnian made her first sale.