Chapter 21: Remembering Su Qingshuang’s Brother, the Battalion Commander

Gu Qiangwei sent the person away with a smile and continued to discuss autumn clothing styles with Su Qingshuang. After the discussion, the two of them revised the design drawings. Once everything was clear, they took the designs to the factory. “I’ll be working on the pattern making at the factory over the next few days. Once the patterns are ready, I’ll let you take a look. I’ll be working hard at the store.” The two discussed the autumn styles. Gu Qiangwei also suggested that they have the factory rush out a batch of small autumn jackets—not too thick, just a little thin—to match summer clothes and sell a batch first. They could also run promotions for the matching items. For example, they could offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal on very thin clothes, since their profit margins are not high. Or they could offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal with socks to encourage consumption. Su Qingshuang, upon hearing Gu Qiangwei’s suggestions, gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ve always told you you’re amazing. Take care of everything in the store. I’m completely confident in leaving it to you.” Gu Qiangwei laughed heartily and made a preliminary event plan. The next day, she showed it to Su Qingshuang, and the two of them finalized it. Over the next period of time, they ordered a batch of sweaters and jackets in various colors from the garment factory. Gu Qiangwei also had Su Qingshuang make a batch of leather suits. When the latest autumn outfits came out, they dressed the store’s mannequins. They paired brightly colored sweaters with black miniskirts. Paired with socks and thigh-high boots, Gu Qiangwei’s designs, which had been trending for a few days, boosted the store’s business. After the large batch of autumn clothes arrived, the two of them both wore the store’s autumn outfits, drawing the attention of passersby. The clothes they wore on the mannequins were especially captivating; they were sure to capture the hearts of women. Whenever passersby saw the clothes on the mannequins, they were eager to try them on. Several staff members from the clothing stores across the street also came over. Knowing they were from across the street, Gu Qiangwei still treated them with hospitality. “I didn’t expect the clothes in your store would suit me so well. And our boss is kind enough to approve. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to take them home openly!” The young woman spoke without restraint, slapping her lips lightly. “Don’t let the boss hear this. I’ll buy clothes from you again.” “We only have a few styles, over and over again.” The young woman quietly put her clothes into the bag she had brought and continued working. When the boss came over, he saw that Gu Qiangwei and her team were doing quite well and asked, “Have you been to that store to see what their clothing styles are like?” “They’re pretty much the same as the ones in the window, but the colors are vibrant and the styles are very stylish. They’re tucked in where they should be and let go where they should be!” The young woman finished, and the female boss looked at the clothing store across the street, thought for a moment, and then went across the street as well. The female boss walked around the shop and, after trying on some clothes, was quite satisfied. She wanted to learn from Gu Qiangwei and the others’ styles. However, the outfits she had tried on were completely different, with different cuts. Plus, Gu Qiangwei always found the perfect match for her, and the female boss was tempted. “Do you want to buy all these outfits?” Gu Qiangwei knew it was the owner of the shop across the street, having met her several times before. The female boss looked at the clothes with a complicated expression. Her shop didn’t have such beautiful styles. She had just put them on and looked in the mirror, and they looked so beautiful. She really wanted them, but since she owned a clothing store, wouldn’t buying some clothes from here be too beautiful? “Why don’t you try this color? I think it suits you well!” Gu Qiangwei didn’t give the female boss much time to react and continued to push other clothes. After trying on for about half an hour, the female boss couldn’t resist and bought all the outfits she had just tried on. After paying and exiting the store, the shop owner finally realized what was happening. She muttered to herself, “Oh, why did I buy so many clothes again?” Resignedly, she carried the clothes back to the shop across the street. Gu Qiangwei had finished selling her clothes, and Su Qingshuang arrived. “I just saw the shop owner across the street carrying a lot of bags from our store back home. Could she be buying from us?” Su Qingshuang had brought a batch of shoes, custom-ordered from the shoe factory owner. They were designed to match Gu Qiangwei’s clothes, and if any customers wanted them, she could sell them the shoes. This was also a way to boost sales. Plus, matching sets made customers feel like they could wear them right away, which was also a marketing tactic. “Yes, she bought clothes from our store.” Gu Qiangwei helped Su Qingshuang move all the shoes into the store, placing matching items under the clothes and putting the remaining shoes in storage. “You’re incredible! You even convinced the owner of the store across the street to buy clothes from us. How did you do that?” Su Qingshuang had also met the owner of the store across the street. She had recently mentioned visiting their store to see what they had. Later, Gu Qiangwei explained that their styles were the most fashionable on the market, so Su Qingshuang decided not to go. “She probably came to see what we have. I had her try on a few outfits, and she was quite satisfied with the fit and finish.” “She bought it after that.” The two had just finished their conversation when more customers arrived. They had all been looking at the autumn clothes on display outside and had decided to come in to take a look. The two of them continued to entertain. After the autumn collection was launched, daily sales increased by another 50 yuan. After returning home from work, Gu Qiangwei lay on her bed, remembering how things had been like this in her previous life. Every time a payment was made, sales would increase for the first week or two, and the average daily order value was high. After the payment was made, sales would gradually return to normal and enter a period of relaxation. But overall, they were still profitable. After a month, Gu Qiangwei took stock and calculated their overall sales. Overall sales were still high, and the sales were distributed according to the investment ratio at the time. After the distribution, the two decided to settle the accounts every quarter or every six months. Since the store rent was paid for several months at a time, the cost was quite high. The reason for distributing dividends this month was to make both of them happy. Now it was clear that they would only distribute dividends once every six months, so that they could get more. “I didn’t expect we’d make money this month!” Su Qingshuang said happily, holding her share of the profits. “It’s not much, but this is our first business venture, and it’s been so successful. I’m so happy!” “My mother is a businesswoman. She was very successful when she was young, especially in recent years.” “I always wanted to learn from her. I never thought I’d see this day!” Su Qingshuang said happily. “If you have time, come to my house for dinner and I’ll introduce you to my family.” “My parents know I have a great partner. They heard you’ve made a lot of money and are interested in the store, so they’ve always wanted to meet you!” Listening to Su Qingshuang’s excited words, two figures appeared in Gu Qiangwei’s mind. One was Su Qingshuang’s mother, and the other was her brother. Her brother was now a battalion commander in the army. Gu Qiangwei still had an image of him in her mind; he was quite handsome, tall and handsome. In her previous life, when Su Qingshuang had been trying to set them up, she had actually been a little tempted, but she felt that since she was responsible for taking care of her parents-in-law in their old age, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to find someone to talk to. So she declined.