Chapter 59 : Selling Hairbands

Jiang Li understood that this was because she had voluntarily given up the scorekeeper’s job. She had gotten married and did not take a job in the team, so Jiang Aihua, the granddaughter of the old branch secretary, and Ding Wenyu, the niece of the accountant, both found positions. One worked as an accountant, and the other as a scorer, thus saving Jiang Baoshan from a tough situation.

Two of these three people were constantly fighting. How could the work proceed like this?

On the other hand, this also meant Jiang Baoshan was trying to win over and please her. After all, Jiang Li had married well, and who knew, there might come a time when they would need to ask for her help in the future.

There was no need for much conversation between smart people. Jiang Li accepted the peach cake.

The two walked toward the county. Jiang Li handed a piece of peach cake to Qin Xiaoting. Qin Xiaoting smiled, but the wound on her face hurt. “I’ve eaten a lot of good things over the years, but this peach cake is my favorite. It’s so delicious.”

“Xiaoting, why don’t you go to the hospital and check that wound on your face? What if it leaves a scar?” Jiang Li was a little worried.

Qin Xiaoting waved her hands nonchalantly, “I have spiritual spring water, I can just soak in it and it’ll heal. I’m even worried that the wound will heal too fast and people will notice something is wrong.”

“No, why spend the money? It’s just a minor injury,” she added.

“Why not ask the barefoot doctor for some medicine?”

This reminded Qin Xiaoting that she hadn’t seen Liu Lixin since Jiang Li’s wedding. She smiled mischievously and said, “I’ll go to your team to see a doctor when I get back!”

Jiang Li chuckled and teased her, “Lixin is afraid of clinging to girls. Sooner or later, Liu Lixin will slip out of your grasp.”

“Okay! Lizi, you dare laugh at me?” Qin Xiaoting chased after Jiang Li and tickled her. Jiang Li begged for mercy, “Okay, Xiaoting, please let me go. We were fighting side by side just now. Why are you turning against your comrade now?”

Qin Xiaoting straightened her clothes and proudly sniffed, “Since you’ve done such a great job protecting the emperor today, I’ll spare your life.”

“Miss Qin, the car is here. Please move.”

…

When they arrived at the county, Qin Xiaoting wanted to go straight to the black market, but Jiang Li advised her to wait, “It’s almost noon, let’s go to the entrance of the textile factory.”

Qin Xiaoting immediately understood. Most of the workers at the textile factory were women, so the chance of finding hairbands was greatly increased.

Jiang Li re-braided Qin Xiaoting’s hair, turning it into a simple and lazy low bun, paired with a white gauze and green headband. Her hairstyle was a fluffy pigtail with a hairband tied at the top close to her face.

The two of them pretended to be waiting for someone and stood at the entrance of the textile factory for a while. Many people’s eyes fell on the hairbands.

A brave female worker came up and asked, “Girl, your hair ties look really unique, did you make them yourself?”

Qin Xiaoting laughed, “How could we make these? We bought them!”

“Where did you buy something so unique? I go to the county supply and marketing cooperative and department store every day, but I haven’t seen anything like this. Could it be from the provincial capital?”

The curly-haired female worker looked a little disappointed. It wasn’t worth going all the way to the provincial capital just for a hairband.

Qin Xiaoting lowered her voice and said, “It’s not from the provincial capital. To tell you the truth, it’s from that alley. I came across it yesterday. A very pale man, who looked a bit effeminate, was selling these hairbands at a stall.”

Jiang Li added, “You’d better hurry if you want to buy them. After we bought two, there were only a few left on the stall. My cousin also asked me to buy one for her, but I didn’t get it, and now I’m not sure how to explain it to her!”

The curly-haired female worker nodded in understanding. “Did the man say when he’d get more goods? Is he opening the stall today?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to try my luck later.”

The girls in black blouses next to the curly-haired woman became nervous. “How about we just have a quick bite at noon and then head to the black market?”

“Okay. Let’s go, let’s go.”

Jiang Li and Qin Xiaoting exchanged smiles and hurriedly followed, changing into their usual clothes before going to the black market.

This time, both of them had brought clothes. Jiang Li dressed as a man, wearing five-centimeter insoles and shoulder pads. Qin Xiaoting also took out a fake beard and put it on Jiang Li, like a magician.

“Take a few steps and speak a little.”

Jiang Li lowered her voice and walked in a manner that imitated a man.

Qin Xiaoting clapped her hands and laughed, “Not bad, not bad. This time, you really do look like a sissy man.”

After paying five cents, the two went straight to the spot where they had previously set up their stall selling braised meat. Sure enough, they saw a group of girls looking around, unsure of what they were looking for.

“Hey, look, isn’t that the pale-faced guy selling hairbands at the stall?”

“Yes, yes, those are his. It looks like there are only a few left. Let’s go over and check them out.”

“Girl, would you like to buy a hairband?”

“Is this called a hairband?” The curly-haired woman picked up a gauze hairband and examined it carefully. “It’s just like the ones the two girls are wearing. How much is one?”

“This kind of yarn costs 1.5 yuan each, and the other kind costs 1 yuan each.”

“So expensive? A hair tie is only one cent. Are you asking for so much?”

Jiang Li wasn’t angry. “Only those who complain about the goods are the buyers. Girl, you get what you pay for. Feel the fabric of this hairband and see if it’s made of the finest yarn.”

The curly-haired woman reached out and touched it. It was indeed nice, but buying a hair tie for 1.50 yuan still felt expensive.

Qin Xiaoting eagerly recommended, “Don’t decide whether to buy or not, just try it on. It’s free anyway!”

This encouraged several female workers. If you bought something at the supply and marketing cooperative, you would be looked down upon even for touching it, let alone trying it on. “Then let’s try it?”

The curly-haired woman picked out a white gauze one she liked, and Jiang Li tied it for her, then handed her a mirror so she could see herself.

“Zhenzhen, you look so good in this hairband!”

Qian Zhenzhen was very pleased but still wanted to bargain. “I want to buy one too. Can you give me a discount?”

Other female workers who tried on the hairbands also said, “Yes, boss, let’s buy together and give us a bigger discount.”

Jiang Li counted the number of people. There were five girls in total. She held her forehead and said, “How about this? If you buy ten pieces, I’ll give you a 10-cent discount on each hairband.”

After whispering and discussing, Qian Zhenzhen generously bought three different ones, two made of gauze and one made of blue and white plaid cloth.

There were seven hairbands left, which were divided among the other four female workers. Some chose the cheaper plaid ones and each paid 90 cents.

Jiang Li earned exactly ten yuan from this business deal and had two cotton cloth and two gauze hairbands left over.

After standing there for a while, another customer arrived.

Surprisingly, it was an acquaintance. Zhang Qiaohui squatted in front of the stall, looking at the hairbands carefully. She was carrying a bulging cloth bag full of food.

Jiang Li subconsciously stepped back a little. If someone she knew recognized her, it could have a bad impact on Qi Shaoqiang.