Chapter 33: Admirer

Xu Xingtao just smiled, “Not yet.”

The gatekeeper laughed, “Then you have to work hard.”

Xu Xingtao turned his head to look in the direction they left.

He did have feelings for Xu Sangluo.

Call it love at first sight, or lust at first sight.

Whatever it was, he had fallen for her at first glance in the vast sea of people.

It would have been fine if it had just been a chance encounter.

But he didn’t expect to see her again, and then again.

Since that was the case, he had no reason to miss his chance.

The two of them rode their bicycles, carrying a letter of introduction written by Xu Xingtao, and went straight to the Yixing Jewelry Factory.

The factory specialized in producing common small jewelry items found on the market, such as necklaces, hair accessories, bracelets, earrings, and so on. They were all affordable, not the kind of expensive jewelry.

It was perfect for their hair accessories.

The jewelry factory, like the textile factory, had its own supply channels and usually didn’t sell to individuals.

Unless it was flawed products.

But flawed products were usually bought by internal staff and then resold.

Xu Sangluo wanted to buy a large quantity from the jewelry factory, so she had to rely on connections.

It just so happened that Xu Xingtao knew the deputy director of the jewelry factory’s administrative department.

She had his letter of introduction, so as long as she didn’t go overboard, he would usually give her a favor.

Xu Sangluo didn’t want to buy too much.

She wasn’t buying finished products, but rather some loose jewelry-making materials.

Such as agate, plastic crystal beads, sequins, chains, iron wire, stone beads, and so on.

She also went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some hot melt glue, shoe glue, zippers, knitting needles, crochet hooks, and so on.

By the time she finished buying everything, it was already past four in the afternoon.

The two of them headed back home.

They arrived back in Luoxi Brigade at six o’clock.

“Hey, isn’t that Da Qin?” Chen Tao suddenly said, sweating profusely as he pedaled the tricycle.

Xu Sangluo also saw the person standing at the intersection and was a little surprised.

After Qin Zhiyi returned home, he learned that Xu Sangluo hadn’t come back yet, so he went back to the intersection to wait.

But he didn’t wait for ten minutes before he saw them returning.

He quickly walked over. Seeing the mountain of things on their car, he was also a little surprised.

“So much?”

Chen Tao sighed, “Why are you here?”

Then, he thought of something and his eyes twirled. He smirked, “You’re waiting for us, aren’t you?”

Qin Zhiyi ignored his teasing smile and replied, “The dirt road below is not easy to drive on. I was afraid you might overturn. Let’s move some back first.”

The two of them were stunned, then they realized.

Indeed, with so many things, not to mention the bumps, the car might even get stuck in the mud and not be able to move.

Chen Tao and Qin Zhiyi took some back first, then they found more people to help move the rest.

Xu Sangluo stayed to guard the things.

Most people had finished dinner and were chatting outside in groups of two or three.

They saw Chen Tao and Qin Zhiyi carrying several bags of things, greeting them and curiously looking at them.

The two of them were in a hurry to go back, so they just replied briefly.

It was a good thing that the car was parked at the intersection, otherwise, they would have been surrounded and asked questions.

The ten people she hired today all came to work.

And they were quite enthusiastic.

Xu Sangluo said that it would be best if they could work until evening.

But many people came to work after dinner.

After all, it was money.

Xu Sangluo paid them a fair price.

The lowest was 1 cent per piece, and the highest was 20 cents per piece.

If they were quick, they could earn ten or twenty yuan a day, which was equivalent to a month’s salary at a factory.

Anyway, their homes weren’t far away, so it was fine to go back late.

When the two of them came back and told them the situation, everyone put down their work and followed them to move the things.

This attracted even more people to come and help or watch the excitement.

Everyone was truly surprised when they saw the truckload of things.

It was a good thing that none of the items were too heavy, otherwise, the car wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

Some neighbors saw this and helped carry some of the things.

They were mainly curious.

The items were mostly packed in urea bags and the like.

Even the rolls of fabric were wrapped in woven bags.

But those with experience could guess that it was fabric.

They couldn’t figure out the rest.

Because there were so many people, they managed to move everything in one trip. It formed a terrifying little mountain in the courtyard.

Everyone stood outside the courtyard, chattering away.

Qin Mama gave a signal.

The few capable aunties who came to work helped to deal with the people and shoo them away.

After a lot of commotion, the courtyard gate was finally closed.

Everyone else left, leaving only the Qin family.

Xu Sangluo took the water cup that Qin Zhiyu handed her and took a big gulp.

After finishing, before anyone could ask, Qin Zhiyi sent them all to eat.

“If you have anything to say, wait until after dinner.”

Hearing this, everyone immediately rushed to get their food and dishes.

Xu Sangluo was indeed hungry.

After dinner, everyone moved to the main room. Xu Sangluo then calmly recounted her day’s experience.

“That Director Xu is a good person,” Qin Mama said with emotion.

Then everyone’s attention turned back to the materials and hair accessories.

They heard that she had bought a lot of new materials today.

That meant there were new products.

Qin Zhiyu was the most excited.

Because new products meant new styles for her.

Every time there were new products, Xu Sangluo would style her hair in a new way and make her a little model.

Xu Sangluo nodded and began teaching Qin Mama how to make ten new products.

She had to leave early tomorrow morning and wouldn’t be able to teach the others.

The new products used agate, which was small, sparkling diamonds. They were very beautiful and instantly made the accessories look more high-end.

Obviously, the retail price would have to be raised.

After teaching her, she listed all the accounts.

She remembered the income and all the expenses clearly.

By the time she finished, it was already around ten o’clock at night.

Xu Sangluo rubbed her neck, took a shower, and went to bed.

The things in the courtyard were temporarily moved to different rooms.

To prevent them from getting wet from the cold dew.

That night, Xu Sangluo slept soundly without going into her space.

In the county, Liu Hui just arrived home and smelled the familiar aroma of food.

“Sister, you’re back. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“I’m back.” Liu Father and Liu Mother were sitting on the sofa, listening to the evening news on the radio.

“I’m back.” Liu Hui hung her bag on the wall and went into the kitchen to wash a bag of fruit.

Liu Zhen was using a spatula to scoop food onto a plate.

She turned around and suddenly exclaimed.

“Sister, you changed your hair accessory. It’s new! It’s so pretty. Where did you buy it? The supply and marketing cooperative or the department store? I’ll go buy one tomorrow.”

She put down the plate and circled around Liu Hui, looking at the big bow hair accessory in her hair. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

Liu Hui smiled, “It’s pretty, isn’t it? I think so too. I didn’t buy it in a store. I happened to meet a woman selling things on the street when I was going to work this morning. I don’t know if she’ll be there tomorrow. I regret not buying two more.”

“Oh, then you can buy one for me tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you come with me to that street tomorrow? She has many styles, all very beautiful. My colleagues were all asking about it today. I hope she’s still there tomorrow.”

Liu Zhen stared at her hair accessory, hesitated for two seconds, and nodded, “Okay, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

As they were chatting, they heard Liu Mother ask.

“What are you two sisters whispering about in the kitchen? Is dinner ready?”

The two sisters looked at each other, then smiled and carried the food out.