Chapter 28: Entering the County to Open the Market

Qin Mama specifically told them not to tell anyone else.

Everyone understood and nodded in agreement.

Qin Mama didn’t tell them not to tell anyone because she was afraid of being found out, but because she didn’t want a bunch of people coming to ask questions.

Now that they had workers, they needed to prepare the materials.

So the next day, Xu Sangluo planned to take the remaining 500 hair accessories to the county to sell and buy some materials.

The products at the supply and marketing cooperative in town were still limited.

The price of scraps of cloth from the cotton mill had increased a lot because more people were making them.

After breakfast, Xu Sangluo packed her things and planned to leave early.

Then she saw Qin Zhiyi standing at the courtyard gate, talking to someone.

She put the small rattan basket in her hand on the cargo bed of the tricycle and happened to see the person who came.

Rattan basket

He was a young man about 1.7 meters tall, with dark skin, but he looked energetic and spirited.

His eyes were particularly bright, and he had a crew cut, just like Qin Zhiyi. He smiled very cheerfully.

He saw her too, and he nodded and said something to her in a low voice.

Qin Zhiyi turned around and then stepped aside, beckoning her over.

“This is Chen Tao, who I told you about last night.”

Xu Sangluo nodded in understanding and smiled at him, “Hello, Brother Chen. I’ll need your help today.”

Yesterday, she told everyone about her plan for today.

Originally, she wanted to ride the tricycle to the county to set up a stall and buy some things.

But Qin Zhiyi said that she wouldn’t be able to handle so many things alone.

The factory didn’t allow people to take leave easily unless there were special circumstances.

He wasn’t comfortable letting any of the children go with her.

So Qin Zhiyi said he would ask someone to go with her.

Xu Sangluo thought that if she could buy the materials successfully this time, there would definitely be a lot of things.

And she wasn’t just going to buy things in one place. Two people would definitely be more convenient.

The person Qin Zhiyi asked to help was his childhood friend.

The bicycle he borrowed was his.

The Chen surname was a big surname in Luoxi Brigade, and Chen Tao’s second uncle was the current brigade committee member.

Qin Zhiyi had another purpose for asking Chen Tao to accompany her.

When Xu Sangluo started doing business in town, she attracted a lot of gossip from the brigade.

Later, when she actually made money, many people started to imitate her hair ties and set up stalls.

It wasn’t…

They probably felt guilty about stealing her ideas and were afraid that Xu Sangluo would confront them first.

So they started to use a different tactic, trying to morally blackmail her.

At that time, there was no concept of patents or intellectual property protection.

No one thought there was anything wrong with imitating her.

The only thing they were afraid of was being criticized for stealing business from someone in the same brigade without saying anything.

So they kept saying things like how everyone was struggling and that they should earn as much money as possible to survive.

They also said that since Xu Sangluo had joined the Luoxi Brigade, she was one of them and should help her fellow villagers make money.

If she made a fuss about it, it would be her fault.

Xu Sangluo had heard these gossips, but she just took them as jokes.

She had anticipated that she wouldn’t be able to dominate the market alone, and she preferred a hundred flowers blooming.

These people seemed to be stealing her business, but in fact, they were indirectly heating up the market for her.

After all, unless they all cooperated and completely disassembled and learned her designs, they wouldn’t be able to do it on the same scale as her.

They could only make one or two designs each to sell.

After all, the scraps of cloth weren’t uniform. They couldn’t completely replicate Xu Sangluo’s products using only scraps of cloth.

But one of the biggest advantages of Xu Sangluo’s hair ties was the color matching.

If they couldn’t do that, even if their craftsmanship was good, the comparison would be very obvious.

In this situation, it would actually highlight her products.

She planned to go to the county, not to completely abandon the town market.

But to create a buffer zone first.

Now that more people were entering the market, not to mention anything else, the prices would definitely be uneven.

Some people might even lower their prices to the lowest point to make a quick buck.

If others had lower prices, as long as they were acceptable, consumers would naturally prefer them.

If Xu Sangluo kept her original price, she would be criticized and wouldn’t be popular.

It was better to withdraw first. When consumers calmed down from the low-price craze, they would discover the comparison between products.

And many people would be forced to withdraw from the market due to the price impact.

When she returned to the market, her position would be much more stable, and she would also gain a loyal customer base.

But Qin Zhiyi didn’t know her plan.

He asked Chen Tao mainly to use the Chen family’s influence to suppress the factory.

At least with Chen Tao involved, the villagers wouldn’t…

Chen Tao waved his hand, “Don’t mention it. I have nothing better to do anyway.”

Chen Tao had joined the army with Qin Zhiyi in his early years, but he had to retire early due to an injury.

He originally worked at the fertilizer factory, but he couldn’t stand the internal intrigue and backstabbing, so he quit in anger.

After that, he stayed at home and farmed.

The Chen family had a large population. They already had ten mu of private land, and last year they were allocated another six mu of public land.

The year before last, the brigade brought in a truckload of saplings. Chen’s father’s family, in order to support his second brother’s work, took the lead in buying 300 saplings and planted them on the hillside.

Chen Tao was now responsible for the fields and orchard.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one responsible, so he was actually quite free except for certain times.

They chatted for a while longer, and then the two of them rode away.

It was not easy to ride a tricycle on a long journey, so Chen Tao let Xu Sangluo ride his bicycle, while he rode the tricycle.

Xu Sangluo didn’t stand on ceremony. The journey was still long, and they would be working together for a day. Being too polite would be awkward.

Early in the morning, many villagers were returning from the fields with their farming tools. They happened to see the two of them riding.

They were all a bit surprised. Why were Qin Zhiyi’s family and Chen Tao together?

Chen Tao had a cheerful personality and had even been a scorekeeper before, so he was well-liked in the brigade.

He just smiled and greeted everyone along the way.

Sometimes, he even asked questions and chatted before people could ask him.

By the time people found a chance to ask, the car had already gone far.

After leaving the brigade, Xu Sangluo couldn’t help but say, “You’re really popular.”

She could tell that the way people greeted him wasn’t just a polite gesture like they usually did with them.

It was a genuine, warm greeting.

Chen Tao laughed, “Maybe it’s because I grew up eating at everyone’s house.”

“Hmm?” Xu Sangluo was surprised. She didn’t think the Chen family was that poor.

No, she remembered Qin Mama saying that the Chen family was also a landlord family in the early years.

But Old Man Chen was very perceptive and decisive.

He took the initiative to hand over all his property before the fire reached him.

At that time, he not only acted on his own, but he also persuaded other gentry to do the same.

He left a good impression on the authorities.

Therefore, the Chen family’s development has always been good.

As if he knew she had misunderstood, Chen Tao explained, “When I was a kid, I always liked to go to different houses to eat. Over time, I became familiar with everyone.”