Chapter 11: She’s the Tough One

Tao Yu held the dress and approached the woman with a slight lift of her arm.

“Are you sure you want this? There’s only one, and if you don’t want to wait, we’ll sell it as a one-time transaction. But the price will be quite high…”

Before Tao Yu could finish, the middle-aged woman rolled her eyes and cut her off. Clutching her leather bag tightly, she sneered and raised her voice.

“Oh, so it’s just about money, huh? You small-time vendors are all the same—so pitiful!”

“Stop pretending. It’s just a lousy dress! How much could it possibly be worth? Name your price already. Don’t waste my time—I’m sick of it!”

Sick of it?

Tao Yu was sick of her.

Suppressing her impatience, she calmly uttered two words:

“Eighty.”

Eighty?

The middle-aged woman almost stumbled.

But she quickly puffed up her chest, trying to regain her composure. She clutched her bag strap, swung her arm, and started yelling.

“Who are you trying to fool, little girl? A few scraps of fabric, and you dare charge eighty? Why not just rob people?”

“You think I won’t report you to the street office and get your stall shut down?”

The surrounding women fell into a tacit silence.

Eighty yuan was indeed expensive, but hearing Tao Yu stand her ground felt oddly satisfying.

As the middle-aged woman’s tirade continued, Tao Yu discreetly held back Li Mei to prevent her from intervening. Then, as the woman paused to catch her breath, Tao Yu spoke crisply and politely, her tone soft and sweet.

“Is money a little tight for you? Or do you just find eighty too expensive… and can’t afford it?”

“If that’s the case, I suggest you let someone else have it. After all, all these beautiful and elegant ladies here also have valuable time to consider.”

Her words—“beautiful and elegant ladies”—instantly brightened the mood of the onlookers.

They straightened their backs and began chiming in with quiet jabs.

“Some people really embarrass themselves. If you can’t afford it, why show off?”
“Exactly! Yapping all this time, yelling and threatening—turns out she can’t even pay. What a waste of everyone’s time!”

The middle-aged woman quickly became the target of collective ridicule. Her face turned red, her neck veins bulging. Furious, she swung her leather bag in a wide arc as if ready to hit someone.

After one wild swing, she lunged forward, attempting to snatch the dress from Tao Yu.

Tao Yu sidestepped gracefully, raising her arm to keep the dress out of reach. Her expression turned cold.

“You haven’t paid yet.”

The surrounding women had had enough and closed in to block the woman.

“Exactly! You can’t afford it, and now you’re trying to steal it?”
“If she tries, we’ll pin her down and call the police!”
“Right! Doesn’t she know there’s a crackdown on crime right now? Try stealing, and you’ll be charged with robbery!”

The crowd’s resolve left no room for escape.

Seeing the situation escalate, with more and more people gathering, the woman finally backed down. She pulled out a wad of small bills from her bag and threw it on the ground.

“Who said I was stealing? You’re all blind! I’m paying, see?”

Tao Yu remained unfazed. She crouched to pick up the scattered bills and quickly counted them.

“You’re still five yuan short.”

The crowd stared her down.

Hear that? Still five yuan short.

The woman turned her bag inside out, searched every pocket, and finally fished out a five-yuan bill from the lining. She flung it to the ground, snatched the dress from Tao Yu, and squeezed her way through the crowd.

As she ran off, she cursed loudly.

“Look at you bunch of beggars! It’s just eighty yuan—of course I can afford it!”
“And you, you little wretch—just wait. I’ll have someone deal with you!”

Watching her retreating figure, the onlookers spat on the ground in unison.

“What bad luck!”

Tao Yu, however, quickly regained her usual graceful demeanor.

“Everyone, don’t let her ruin your good mood. Actually, we have ten more of this dress in stock.”

“But only ten. Once they’re gone, there won’t be any more.”

Then she dropped the bombshell.

“Each one is priced at just fifty yuan. If you’re interested, we’ll be here tomorrow at the same market—first come, first served.”

Fifty?

Only fifty yuan?

It was still pricey, but thirty yuan cheaper than what the woman had paid!

The crowd erupted with excitement. The dresses were too bright and beautiful to pass up—unlike anything available elsewhere. Now that the price had dropped, many were eager to buy, asking Tao Yu when she’d set up shop the next day.

Never underestimate the purchasing power of women.

This was precisely the result Tao Yu had aimed for.

By early afternoon, Li Juan and Tao Yu had sold out their stock.

Packing up the stall, Li Juan refused to let Tao Yu lift a finger, doing all the heavy lifting herself. Excited, she pulled Tao Yu along, carting everything home.

Back in their dim, cramped shared apartment, the mother and daughter duo finally sat down to enjoy their lunch.

Li Juan lowered her voice, trembling with excitement.

“Yu’er, Mom secretly counted just now—we made 200 yuan today! A full 200 yuan!”

Tao Yu nodded calmly.

“Mm, and 80 of that was someone’s special contribution…”

Li Juan, however, could barely contain her excitement. Such a large sum of money—she had never seen so much in her entire life!

She quickly pulled Tao Yu aside and suggested in a hushed tone, “We need to dig that hole under the bed a little deeper tonight, bury the cash box further down.”

Seeing the radiant happiness on Li Juan’s face, Tao Yu simply nodded in agreement. Whatever made her happy.

The next day

Tao Yu and Li Juan, carrying the rest of their ready-made clothes, returned to the individual vendor market as usual.

On the way, Li Juan muttered her worries, “I wonder if that woman from yesterday will come back to cause trouble…”

If she does, so be it. Li Juan wasn’t afraid. They were running a proper business, after all—what was there to fear?

If that woman dared to make a scene again, Li Juan was prepared to fight back!

She didn’t voice the last part, but Tao Yu, ever serene, remained unbothered.

“If she comes, let her come,” Tao Yu thought.

Although the woman had pulled out 80 yuan yesterday without hesitation, her clothes were of plain fabric, and the toes of her leather shoes were scuffed.

From her behavior—loud and vulgar—she hardly seemed like someone from a wealthy background. At best, Tao Yu guessed, the woman was likely a minor official at some workplace.

But wasn’t Tao Yu afraid of dealing with a troublemaker?

Tao Yu let her gaze drift into the distance.

Afraid? If anyone was going to be the real headache, it would be her, Tao Yu.