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Chapter 20
At the same time, Ye Xiaoyu finally hired an evening shift employee.
The new hire was named Li Yanhong, two years younger than Ye Xiaoyu. She was widowed with no children and lived near the station. Unlike transient workers with questionable identification, her background was solid.
Li Yanhong explained during her interview that she had previously held a stable job at a state-owned garment factory. However, as domestic fashion diversified, her factory couldn’t survive the downturn, eventually going bankrupt while still owing her two months of wages.
What she had once believed to be a “secure iron rice bowl” had shattered. On top of that, with her husband’s early death and strained familial relationships, she was often called “unlucky.” Facing her first New Year without work or family, she was understandably lost and anxious, hoping to stay busy to get through the holiday.
Although the 80s and 90s are often remembered as golden years, those who lived through the widespread layoffs and social upheavals know the reality wasn’t always bright. Some even suffered broken families and personal tragedies.
Ye Xiaoyu saw a reflection of herself in Li Yanhong. She, too, had felt despair but eventually pulled herself out of it. Wanting to encourage her, she said, “You might’ve lost your job, but at least you still have your house. Even if you make it into a budget inn and rent it out near this station, you could earn a decent income. But maybe renting it to businesspeople would be better—you’d become a landlord.”
“Boss, I’m already an old woman…”
“If you’re old, then am I already in my grave? I still think I’m young!” Ye Xiaoyu teased, knowing Li Yanhong’s exact address. She continued, “You really shouldn’t worry too much. Look at the crowd at this train station every day. It’s bound to expand, and your house will definitely fall within the redevelopment zone. A two-story building like yours could at least be exchanged for two or three apartments, right?”
Back then, there wasn’t yet a stereotype of “demolition = instant wealth.” People didn’t understand the specifics of redevelopment. Curious, Li Yanhong asked if she was sure.
“Even if they don’t expand the station, there will be other developments. Don’t sell your house lightly—wait a couple of years.”
Ye Xiaoyu spoke confidently. Even though this was a parallel timeline, and the development here wasn’t exactly the same as in her past life—like the location of the Yan Capital Station—she knew that as the capital, the station would inevitably be rebuilt. Even if it were relocated, its current position within the third ring ensured future value.
Li Yanhong finally showed a rare smile. Perhaps she had been burdened by recent family tragedies, leading to psychological issues. What she needed was reassurance and someone to tell her, “You’re capable,” and, “Your future is bright.”
Ye Xiaoyu played the role of a psychologist. For every employee, she made it a point to at least know their general background, if not fully understand them, as she did with Li Yanhong.
She had no choice but to be cautious, especially with Lele around. Both her business and personal life required care.
With the three new hires, the store’s turnover steadily climbed to around 15,000 yuan over the next three days. However, the growth rate began to slow by the fourth and fifth days.
Ye Xiaoyu also noticed differences in product sales compared to previous days.
Alcohol and tea leaves remained the bestselling items, with tea showing the highest growth. Fruit sales, however, didn’t increase much, likely due to more long-distance travelers avoiding perishable goods. Snack sales also grew unevenly.
But why?
It was a packaging issue.
With the Spring Festival train rush busier than Ye Xiaoyu anticipated, while not as crowded as people hanging off train roofs, the hard-seat carriages were jam-packed. Luggage racks were overloaded, and goods were piled on the floor for people to sit on.
Under such circumstances, fragile or easily damaged packaging became less desirable. Square cardboard boxes held up better, especially when they added some weight. Irregularly shaped boxes saw a decline in sales.
Ye Xiaoyu acted decisively, placing additional orders for both products and packaging, prioritizing various sizes of tin boxes.
As for fragile items, there wasn’t much she could do. After all, you couldn’t pack alcohol in tin boxes. She didn’t know where to source foam padding, cotton was too expensive, and she didn’t have the time to find collaborators.
The day after the new packaging began selling, the foot traffic at the train station surged, creating a massive influx, and the store’s business exploded. Daily sales quickly surpassed 20,000 yuan.
On one particular day, the previous sales record was broken, reaching a peak of 28,000 yuan. Everyone was so busy that they barely had time to catch their breath. The next day saw a slight dip but still maintained around 25,000 yuan daily for three days. Then, sales spiked to 28,000 yuan again on one day before gradually dropping to around 23,000 or 24,000 yuan. For the next ten days, sales fluctuated within this range.
Starting from the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, daily sales fell back below 20,000 yuan, rapidly decreasing further to below 10,000 yuan.
Ye Xiaoyu understood this was due to the declining foot traffic as the holiday approached. However, she was both surprised and touched that even at this time, the store could still achieve sales close to 10,000 yuan, reflecting people’s deep yearning to reunite with their families for the New Year.
Even those unable to secure suitable tickets would rather spend New Year’s Eve on the train as long as they could get home during the Lunar New Year.
Interestingly, sales of fragile and decorative packaged goods picked up again during this period.
Ye Xiaoyu finally implemented her planned promotional strategy. The past few days had been so hectic that there was no time for such activities.
The promotion was straightforward and enticing: for every 30 yuan spent, customers could participate in a lucky draw. Every draw was a guaranteed win, with prizes ranging from 0.66 yuan to a top prize of 666 yuan, along with several auspicious amounts in between.
To ensure fairness, instead of using envelopes of varying thickness, the draw involved ping-pong balls of uniform size. Ordinary ping-pong balls could be exchanged for 0.66 yuan, while others corresponded to different amounts. The prizes were distributed in envelopes prominently featuring the Chinese character “福” (happiness).
Once the draw box was prepared, Ye Xiaoyu and her staff each took a turn drawing. Most got 0.66 yuan, except for Chen Yanan, who won 6.66 yuan.
Chen Yanan was overjoyed, and the others were equally happy, as they all felt a sense of good fortune.
Although lucky draws were not a novel concept at the time—schools and shops everywhere were hosting similar activities—people still couldn’t resist participating.
With the promotion in place, sales rebounded, though not reaching the peak levels, they still surpassed 10,000 yuan daily.
On New Year’s Eve, the store only operated in the morning but still achieved 4,800 yuan in sales. This was partly due to bundled deals on leftover stock.
At the end of the day, Ye Xiaoyu distributed the remaining goods to employees, kept some for herself to give to neighbors and friends, and sold the rest to a nearby shop for 1,688 yuan.
Though this price was lower than retail, it still yielded a few hundred yuan in profit.
While the employees helped tidy up the store, Ye Xiaoyu focused on depositing the earnings and calculating accounts.
By rough calculations:
Adding this to the 140,000 yuan she already had, Ye Xiaoyu’s total assets reached approximately 490,000 yuan.
This marked an impressive “first pot of gold.”
As promised, Ye Xiaoyu handed out New Year’s bonuses to her employees. Long-term staff received an additional 500 yuan on top of their initial 500 yuan bonus, while newer hires each got 500 yuan.
“Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you all joy and success in the coming year!” she said cheerfully.
“Happy New Year, Boss Ye!” the employees responded with wide smiles, thrilled with their bonuses.
In addition, the remaining small prize envelopes from the promotion (about a hundred) were distributed among the employees for a final draw.
Everyone was excited to participate in the lucky draw, which felt even more enjoyable than directly receiving money. The activity brought plenty of laughs and drew curious onlookers, including travelers, nearby shop owners, and even station and police staff on duty.
“What a generous boss!” they remarked, impressed.
Ye Xiaoyu herself drew a prize of 6.66 yuan, much to her delight. Her son, Lele, drew twice, winning 0.66 yuan each time. She let him keep his winnings, calling it his savings to spend on whatever he liked.
Lele was thrilled, carefully counting his crisp new bills like a miniature accountant.
After the festivities, the employees exchanged contact information and headed home. Aunt Mao arranged for her daughter Wang Hui to help transport the remaining goods on a tricycle. Ye Xiaoyu, riding her bike with Lele, followed behind them.
Aunt Mao had suggested they all ride the tricycle, but Ye Xiaoyu declined, not wanting Wang Hui to carry the extra weight. She had already asked Ye Ermei to bring her bike from home a few days earlier.
That evening, Ye Ermei’s family and Zhao Qing joined Ye Xiaoyu and Lele for a shared New Year’s Eve celebration at her place.