☆ 18. Emotional Scammer

“Who are you?”

Ji Meng looked at the young man’s clean, handsome face, trying to find a match among the memories of her past life. Unable to recall, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t you remember me?”

The young man paused, then tilted his head and let out a laugh. His eyes began to redden with unshed tears as he lowered his gaze, saying, “As expected, scammers have no heart.”

“I’m Zheng Wu.”

“That Zheng Wu, who stole all his family’s savings for you back in the day…”

“Zheng Wu!”

Hearing that name and the following statement, Ji Meng suddenly recalled him.

The memory was deep and complicated.

This was indeed a debt of the original body.

In her childhood, she was somewhat of a ‘child king,’ or more accurately, a Mary Sue, there were always people around her, and every time she went out, a crowd of boys would surround her.

The original body didn’t pay much attention to them, she admired strong individuals and only saw those like the Fu brothers, Fu Qiyan and Fu Junyan.

However, there was one boy, a bit of a weakling, who left a deeper impression on her because he lived in the same alley and gave her everything he had.

When the original body’s family was in trouble and everyone avoided her, it was that boy who secretly hid his own food to share with her.

Later, the original body moved to her uncle’s house in North City, and the only connection she had to that alley was Zheng Wu.

When the original body’s cousins bullied her, Zheng Wu stood up for her, beating the two siblings with a burlap sack.

Eventually, when the original body was forced to go to the countryside, her uncle couldn’t provide her with money. In order to ensure a better life in the countryside, she deceived Zheng Wu, telling him how grateful she was for his company and that she had fallen for him.

But since she was about to go to the countryside, perhaps she would die there, so she asked him not to forget her.

At that time, Zheng Wu was only fifteen, full of youthful vigor and burgeoning feelings, how could he bear such a thing?

He cried like a baby, saying he wanted to accompany her to the countryside.

The original body was a master at manipulation.

She sweet-talked him into buying all sorts of supplies she would need in the countryside and even stuffed him with a lot of money.

In the end, the original body didn’t even tell him where she would be going and left him a letter, forbidding him from looking for her… under the pretense of not wanting to burden him.

In fact, the real reason was that the original body was afraid he would come looking for her to demand repayment.

“It’s you,” she said.

Ji Meng raised her hand to touch her forehead, feeling extremely awkward.

The decision to return to the city was very rushed, she hadn’t even had time to think about how to deal with the mess left by the original body or the debts incurred.

As a result, she ran into it on her very first day at work.

What a situation!

“I’m really sorry about what happened back then. I will pay you back the money…”

“Is just paying back the money enough?”

Zheng Wu fixed his bloodshot eyes on the person in front of him, his gaze intense, and let out a cold laugh.

“Hey, Zheng Wu, you brat! I asked you to come and watch the stall, didn’t you hear me?”

Meng Ling had been busy for a while, and since no one had come to take over, she was getting impatient. She turned to the two idle people, her temper flaring, and couldn’t help but shout.

“Can we talk about this later? This isn’t the place to discuss our business…”

Ji Meng felt overwhelmed. She glanced around and saw that the older ladies who had been looking at clothes had already left, so no one was around, otherwise, it would be very embarrassing.

Seeing Meng Ling glaring fiercely at them, Ji Meng quickly said:

“I’m really sorry about what happened back then. I’ll definitely explain everything to you later. Can you go over there and help Meng Ling for now?”

Zheng Wu didn’t respond, he just continued to stare at Ji Meng.

How long had it been since they last saw each other?

Seven years.

She was so different from before.

In the past, she was skinny, like a stick figure, with a gaunt face that resembled a monkey.

Now, she was still slender, but in a different way—a graceful figure, a delicate, fair face, even prettier than she was as a child.

With her snow-white skin and dark hair, she had a fine waist and looked like a white peony or a red rose.

But no matter how beautiful she was, she was still a heartless scammer who couldn’t even remember him.

Ji Meng felt her scalp tingle under his stare, wanting to cry but finding no tears, she almost wished she could just leave.

She was originally anxious about this job and not sure how long she would last.

Thinking this, Ji Meng planned to tell Meng Ling that she was leaving, but just as she was about to speak, Zheng Wu turned around and strode over to Meng Ling.

“You brat! Can’t you at least check the time before you start chatting? It’s so busy right now! Go check on the socks, those two ladies over there want colorful nylon ones, so help them find some.”

Meng Ling didn’t know about the history between Zheng Wu and Ji Meng. Seeing them talking, she assumed they were just former neighbors catching up. Complaining, she dug out a similar military-green waist bag from under the stall and threw it to him, giving him a couple of instructions before coming over to Ji Meng.

“The spring clothes are over here, there’s less children’s clothing. Focus on selling the women’s clothing, these two carts are all for that. The shirts made of dacron are eight yuan each, chiffon, lightweight gauze, and cotton fabric ones are five. You decide the price for the outerwear, but it can’t be less than fifteen yuan. As for dresses and pants…”

Meng Ling was busy and rushed. As soon as she approached, she opened her mouth and didn’t stop, detailing the styles, fabrics, and prices of the items outside. Remembering something, she raised her hand and pointed to the middle cart of goods.

“This cart of goods is your responsibility to sell, they were brought over from my sister-in-law’s textile factory. Some of it is leftover stock from the factory and some from the big collective, mostly shirts and pants, with only a few minor defects—not many, about seven to eight hundred pieces. I got them for a very low price, so see if you can sell them for eighty cents or a yuan each.”

Not taking it too seriously, she finished speaking and didn’t bother with it anymore. Glancing over at the enamel stall, she saw more people arriving and grew anxious, saying, “Anyway, these are the prices, they’re not set in stone. Just be flexible when you sell. Right now, these clothes are a bit messy, so you need to organize them.”

Noticing that Ji Meng hadn’t said anything, Meng Ling paused and looked at her, pretending to be indifferent as she asked, “So, how is it? No problems, right?”

Of course there were problems, she didn’t want to do it anymore.

For various reasons.

Zheng Wu was one of them, but the main issue was with the goods.

First of all, selling this pile of defective items as they were, forget about one yuan, even fifty cents would likely get a lot of complaints.

Cheap goods aren’t good, if you shamelessly ask people to buy, the more they hesitate, the less they want to buy.

Moreover, she noticed that there weren’t many young women at the market—most were older and stayed home with children.

And as for the pile of clothes Meng Ling had, she had seen that most of the target audience was in their twenties and thirties.

There were very few clothes for those in their forties and fifties, they’d have to sift through the defective items to find something.

This might also be the reason for Meng Ling’s poor business—it wasn’t reaching the right audience.

Even if you sold at half the price of a department store and didn’t require a coupon, if you didn’t encounter the right customer, you wouldn’t be able to sell anything.

Another issue was that this pile of clothes was really chaotic—varied categories, messy stacks, and wrinkled garments that made everything even more disorganized.

It wasn’t easy to tidy up, it would require an iron, and it was clear that Meng Ling didn’t have one here.

Ji Meng turned to look at Meng Ling, who was staring back at her. This girl hadn’t slept well in who knows how long, her eye bags were so puffy and dark they looked like bruises.

People who haven’t slept well tend to have bad tempers, and right now she doesn’t seem very friendly, as if she would explode if Ji Meng decided not to continue.

Ji Meng hesitated for a moment, ultimately not wanting to be someone who broke a commitment. She steeled herself and reluctantly nodded, “I’ll give it a try.”

“Okay, trying is fine too.”

As soon as Ji Meng replied, a smile spread across Meng Ling’s face. “Just start organizing, and sell as you go.”

Meng Ling felt a sense of relief.

She had been quite anxious earlier because the clothes really were a mess.

Even though she found it frustrating to look at, whether it was back then or now, this woman didn’t seem capable of enduring hardship or having patience, and she genuinely worried that Ji Meng would just walk away from it all.

If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to sell any clothes today.

With March approaching, if these clothes weren’t sold soon, they’d be stuck with them.

“Alright then, you get busy, I’m going over to my stall. I’ve already run off quite a few orders,” Meng Ling said, rubbing her fingers together and glancing at the increasing crowd around the soap and kitchenware section before heading over.

Ji Meng let out a soft “hm,” glancing at Zheng Wu, who was collecting money but still paying attention to her, and then at the now-empty stall in front of her. She stood in place for a moment, took a deep breath, rolled the sleeves of her sweater up to her forearms, and finally started to organize things.

She had promised to do it, and it really wouldn’t be right to go back on that.

There were too many clothes and they were too messy, so Ji Meng could only start by sorting out the items that were either wrinkle-free or had minimal wrinkles and hanging them on hangers.

One by one, she organized and categorized them. There weren’t enough hangers, so she stacked the shirts and pants neatly instead.

She had worked part-time at a high-end clothing store for a few months, so she was quite skilled at folding clothes.

Ji Meng worked quickly, and in about half an hour, she had organized all the goods from one cart.

Most of this cart’s merchandise consisted of cotton and polyester shirts, pants, jackets, and a few sweaters. Judging by the styles and colors, the target audience was around thirty years old.

However, clothing also depends on styling, even styles meant for those in their thirties could easily be matched to look appropriate for someone in their twenties or forties.

Ji Meng planned to sell this cart of clothes today.

She aimed to create a complete outfit appealing to those in their forties.

Meng Ling had both bamboo and wire hangers, and Ji Meng found a roll of cotton thread in the cart, so she got to work again.

Ji Meng had a good appearance and worked calmly. Whether sorting, folding, or displaying the clothes, it was all quite pleasing to the eye. Zheng Wu was the first to notice this, because he had been watching her, he wasn’t as focused on selling, and Meng Ling had already called him several times.

If he could notice her, so could others.

As more people came over after finishing their grocery shopping at the small market, Ji Meng’s stall gradually began to attract attention.

Noticing that Ji Meng hung the clothes in a unique way—with shirts matched with pants and layering with jackets, clearly distinguishing sizes and creating outfits—people were intrigued and couldn’t help but come over to look.

Among them was a petite, middle-aged woman with relatively fair skin. After putting down her basket and taking a closer look at a set of plaid outerwear paired with a shirt, she couldn’t help but ask, “This outfit looks pretty nice, is it expensive?”

Ji Meng glanced at the outfit the woman was holding and replied, “Not expensive,” and then quoted prices for a few items individually.

Everyone knew that things at this small market were cheap and didn’t require coupons, but the people who came over after finishing their morning shopping were either older women in their fifties and sixties looking after grandchildren or middle-aged women without jobs, they all had one thing in common: they were frugal.

The prices Ji Meng quoted weren’t high compared to department stores, but for many of them who had bought cheap cloth for years to make their own clothes, these prices still felt a bit high for them.

Upon hearing the price, the middle-aged woman immediately exclaimed, “This isn’t cheap, it’s way too expensive! With this price, I could buy fabric to make two outfits!”

As she spoke, the woman hesitated, wanting to put the outfit back.

Ji Meng didn’t mind the complaint at all, she noticed the woman’s momentary hesitation and smiled as she said, “Buying fabric to make clothes is definitely a way to save a lot, but this outfit has a style and color that’s quite rare. Just look at the embroidery on the shirt and the buttons on the jacket, you won’t find them easily in the market, and even if you do, the price won’t be low.”

“And this fabric is a polyester-cotton blend, it feels comfortable, soft, and breathable, and it’s also durable and wear-resistant…”

She didn’t mention the price of the clothes at all but focused on introducing the styles, materials, and how they would look when worn. Ji Meng explained everything clearly.

Her voice was calm and melodious, and the middle-aged woman could not help but listen, stopping her hand that was about to put the clothes down.

“I really like this outfit, not just this piece, but the entire set, it adds up to a considerable amount.”

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman thought about her two teenage sons at home who needed to eat and go to school, and she hesitated to put it back down.

This was the first sale of the day, and a good start was important. Ji Meng couldn’t let this slip away, those who came to the stall clearly had a need, it was just a matter of whether she could truly convince her.

“Sister, buying just one piece won’t allow for a discount, but if you take the whole set, I can request a lower price from the boss for you.”

“Aren’t you the boss?”

Ji Meng was wearing yesterday’s outfit, and her overall demeanor made her look like she was wasting her talents by running a stall. Hearing that she wasn’t the boss surprised the middle-aged woman.

“No, the boss is over there.” Ji Meng smiled and pointed toward Meng Ling.

“I didn’t realize,” the middle-aged woman murmured, then hesitated again: “Do I look good in this? How much can you lower the price?”

“You look great!”

Ji Meng nodded without hesitation. “Sister, you’ll definitely look good in this outfit. Your skin is fair, and this set looks especially nice on people with lighter skin.”

“This outfit’s colors are very suitable, too. Look, when paired together, it’s not too flashy and not too plain, it’s perfect for going out, like visiting relatives or attending weddings.”

“When you go out, looking good and feeling good makes you happy, and it makes others happy to see you, right?”

The middle-aged woman happened to be planning a visit back to her family, and upon hearing this, she was intrigued. She asked again, “How much can you lower it? Can it be two yuan less?”

Of course, two yuan could be deducted. Ji Meng had predicted that people would haggle, so she quoted a price slightly higher than what Meng Ling had given her.

But she understood the depths of bargaining well and knew she couldn’t easily agree, otherwise, the customer might feel cheated and continue to negotiate.

Ji Meng hesitated for a moment before saying, “Sister, wait for me a bit, I’ll go ask for you.”

As she spoke, Ji Meng stepped toward Meng Ling. She didn’t intentionally speak in a low or high voice but kept the same tone as before, discussing the matter with Meng Ling and mentioning roughly how much she could reduce the price.

Meng Ling was busy and after listening, she subconsciously wanted to say, “You decide,” but at this moment, her foot was stepped on.

Very hard.

It hurt enough for her to instinctively try to move her foot but she couldn’t, looking down, she saw a foot pinned to hers and then looked back up at Ji Meng, whose face remained calm but had a fierce glint in her eyes.

After a moment of shock, Meng Ling finally understood Ji Meng’s intention.

Her foot still hurt, so Meng Ling gritted her teeth and cursed, “Is there something wrong with your head? How can you ask someone to lower the price by two yuan?” She reluctantly added, “Fine, go ahead and sell it.”

Her reaction clearly showed reluctance, but as an employee, she had to agree since Ji Meng had already spoken.

The middle-aged woman had been watching the situation closely. Originally hesitant, upon seeing Meng Ling’s unwillingness, she immediately felt that her counteroffer had gained her an advantage. Afraid that Meng Ling might change her mind, she hurriedly took out her money when Ji Meng returned to her.

They successfully completed a sale—three pieces, in fact.

Ji Meng was quite pleased and took out her small notebook to record her first earnings.

Meng Ling also noticed this, she pouted slightly but couldn’t help but smile, feeling even more motivated to sell.

At the same time, she thought about how ^[1]“The week of egg-hatching” is likely a metaphorical expression. It refers to a period of anticipation or a buildup to something significant happening. Just like eggs need time to hatch … Continue readingthe week of egg-hatching has finally come to an end. Fortunately, this woman should have made a profit.

God knows how regretful she felt after impulsively offering Ji Meng such a high salary yesterday, she felt even worse after going to the Youth Office.

Looking at her stall, it seemed big, but in reality, it was just a poor person pretending to be affluent.

How could she afford to act like a big shot?

Fortunately, this woman had some skills and managed to close a deal so quickly.

She wondered if this woman could continue to make sales today.

With that thought in mind, Meng Ling couldn’t help but glance at Ji Meng again.

Ji Meng didn’t notice Meng Ling, after registering what she had sold, she quickly went back to hanging clothes.

She had already sorted through the clothes once and had a clear idea of how to match them, so soon, both long poles were filled.

After pairing and styling, the clothes looked organized and appealing.

This also attracted even more people, including a few young women in their twenties.

Perhaps because of the successful first sale, Ji Meng’s subsequent sales went exceptionally smoothly.

In addition to this was her quick wit and slight knowledge of fabrics, she could engage in conversation with anyone about their queries, and soon there were second, third sales, and so on…

Around half past ten, as the older women at the market hurried home to prepare lunch, there were fewer people around, and Ji Meng’s business finally slowed down.

It was only at this moment that she had time to take out her notebook to count her sales.

The results were decent: a total of eight transactions, selling fifteen pieces of clothing.

The sales situation was quite satisfactory.