Chapter 20

Lin Qingping had thought of a way to borrow an iron and ironed the clothes until they were neat and tidy, preparing to sell them.

The irons of this time were simple; they were made of tin, filled with charcoal, and water was added to create steam for ironing.

At this moment, the remaining clothes also arrived in the county. Du Gen had many connections, and he had an acquaintance in the county.

He left the acquaintance’s address with Section Chief Fu, who then contacted a truck passing by to take the clothes to the acquaintance. The acquaintance sent a letter asking them to come and pick up the goods.

Lin Qingping couldn’t help but sigh. Having grown accustomed to the speed and convenience of the smartphone era, it felt so inconvenient now.

For example, they still had to consider the transportation issue when they planned to sell the hundred pieces of clothing.

But there were only a hundred pieces, so how could they bring them back and send them out? It had to be done somehow!

It was only at this point that everyone realized that Lin Qingping’s destination was not the county, but the Provincial Capital to sell the clothes!

Gu Youlian had been to the county only a handful of times in her life, and the Provincial Capital was something she couldn’t even dare to dream of visiting! How daring she must be! 

But there was no longer any possibility of stopping them, and Gu Youlian had no choice but to follow everyone, nervously heading toward the Provincial Capital.

Along with her anxiety, there was an inexplicable sense of excitement and anticipation. They were going to the Provincial Capital!

Also accompanying them was Zhiyuan. Lin Qingping intended to take him along to broaden his horizons. Later, they realized how correct it had been to bring Zhiyuan along!

Not to mention how the group of them struggled, carrying the hundred pieces of clothing through several transfers by special vehicles before finally reaching the Provincial Capital, they arrived early in the morning.

Lin Qingping first found a place for everyone to freshen up. At the very least, they needed to wash up, look clean, and have their clothes neat before heading straight to the department store in the Provincial Capital to try selling their clothes.

However, things did not go as planned. Lin Qingping, along with Du Gen and Elder Sister, brought a few sample pieces to the counter. The sales assistant merely glanced at them once and then completely ignored them.

Du Gen, unwilling to give up, persistently tried to promote their clothes. “Our styles are new and unique, things that aren’t available locally, and the prices are cheap. Just take a look, please?” Lin Qingping also spoke up: “Could you kindly introduce us to your manager? We just want to meet them and leave.” The sales assistant rolled her eyes. “Really, we have a letter of introduction…” Lin Qingping took out the letter of recommendation from the village party secretary. 

The sales assistant became impatient and started urging them to leave. “What kind of people are you? Country bumpkins from the countryside. Go, go, go! If you don’t leave, I’ll call someone to throw you out!” 

“How can you be like this?” Gu Youlian, furious, moved forward as if to argue. Lin Qingping stopped her. “Forget it, let’s try another store.” However, they were turned away at several stores, one after the other.

By the time they reached the last one, Gu Youlian was so angry that she refused to go inside, and she had lost all hope. She and Zhiyuan stayed outside, watching over the clothes.

She was both anxious and worried, with red eyes, nearly on the verge of crying. Lin Qingping comforted her for a moment and then led Du Gen and Second Sister inside. 

Yet, just a few steps in, they heard a commotion from outside. Lin Qingping quickly went back to see what was happening. A man was yelling at Gu Youlian, who was crying in panic. Zhiyuan stood protectively in front of her, trying to shield her, but being just a child, his face was full of alarm and confusion.

“What’s going on? Let’s talk this through calmly.” Lin Qingping immediately shielded Gu Youlian and the child. Seeing Lin Qingping, Gu Youlian seemed to find her strength, crying as she explained: “I didn’t do anything. I just touched that piece of clothing, and he said I dirtied it… and now he wants me to pay for it.” 

Lin Qingping looked at the piece of clothing Gu Youlian was pointing to. It was gray, with no visible stains or damage. She couldn’t help but feel angry. “I’ve never heard of clothes in a shopping mall that aren’t allowed to be touched. What kind of logic is it that you have to pay just for touching something?” 

The man was sneering at her, and slowly, more store employees gathered around. The crowd of onlookers also started to grow. The man, looking down on them, spoke with disdain: “It’s not that you can’t touch them, it’s that some people aren’t worthy to touch them. We don’t want you touching them for your own good—what if you dirty them and can’t afford to pay?” 

“Is that so? Are these clothes really that expensive?” Lin Qingping asked. 

“Yes! Very expensive! You can’t afford them!” The man became even more smug. 

“Quick, get out! Look at the dirt on your shoes—don’t dirty our floor!” Another store employee chimed in, disdainfully moving toward the sack they had used to carry the clothes. 

“Such junk! Don’t leave it in front of our store!” The other employees were already trying to throw their things away.

“Wait!” Lin Qingping shouted. “Take a look at your store’s sign. It says ‘Serving the People.’ So, what, people from the countryside aren’t part of the people?” 

The two employees were left speechless by this statement. The crowd of onlookers began murmuring, agreeing that the employees were wrong and shouldn’t look down on others like that. 

Lin Qingping glared at the piece of clothing. “I’ll buy this piece of clothing today!” 

The man snorted. “This is the highest-end shopping mall in the province. Do you even know how much this piece costs?” He raised three fingers. 

“30 yuan!” 

Thirty yuan for a piece of clothing—it was indeed quite expensive!

Gu Youlian forgot all the grievances she had suffered, fearing that her sister-in-law might impulsively buy the clothes.

As expected, what she feared happened—Lin Qingping actually took out three bills of money and handed them to Zhiyuan. “See this? Don’t look down on people like dogs.” she said to the store clerk: “I want to try it on!”

Gu Youlian panicked, and even Du Gen was worried. There was absolutely no need to waste money out of spite! But Lin Qingping wasn’t the type to listen to advice.

She grabbed the clothes and went to try them on. Not only did she try them on, but she also kept looking at herself in the mirror, saying that it was a bit too big and asking for a smaller size.

The male clerk patiently fetched a smaller one for her, but she said it was too small and insisted on the original large one. Then she complained that the color didn’t suit her and proceeded to try every color available in the store.

The male clerk’s patience was wearing thin, but with Lin Qingping’s earlier remark about “country folk not being part of the people” still fresh in everyone’s mind, and with so many people watching, he bit his tongue, trying to avoid provoking the crowd. 

Finally, Lin Qingping put the first gray piece back on, looked at herself in the mirror, and remarked: “It really does look good!”

“Yes, our clothes are the best, I’m not bragging, they’re the best in the country, the Shanghai City brand.” the male clerk boasted, pride swelling in his chest.

Lin Qingping smiled, took off the clothes, and handed them back to him. “Yes, it really looks good, and it’s really expensive, so thank you, but I won’t buy it after all.”

“You…” The male clerk’s face turned a deep shade of purple with anger.

“I was just messing with you!” Lin Qingping said, her tone full of smug defiance. She led her sister and a few others out, carrying their own clothes. They walked out of the store with heads held high.

The crowd, having enjoyed the spectacle, chuckled and made way for them. A few elderly onlookers, who couldn’t resist meddling, pointed at the male clerk and said: “You can’t look down on people like that. You deserved a lesson! As the old saying goes, ‘Everyone who comes is a guest!’”