Meng Ling wasn’t entirely happy either. She wasn’t even sure the event would be successful, and yet someone was already trying to steal the spotlight and take a chunk of her sales.

But the person who made the request was her sister-in-law’s father. He had convinced her with reason and sentiment, so she couldn’t easily refuse.

“Let’s do it, then.” Ji Meng stood up.

“With 3,000 extra pieces, even if we don’t display them all, using bamboo poles won’t be enough. We’ll need to rearrange the space here.”

As she spoke, Ji Meng took out her notebook and began sketching a plan. Midway through, she looked up and asked Meng Ling, “Will it rain the day after tomorrow? Have you checked the weather forecast?”

“Huh? I don’t think it’ll rain…”

“The weather in March is unpredictable. It’s best to set up a tent. These five stalls should be big enough.”

Ji Meng glanced at the sky. The sun was out, and though the weather wasn’t hot, it didn’t seem like it would rain. Still, she wanted to play it safe just in case.

She continued drawing quickly, speaking to Meng Ling as she worked:

“When doing this event, we can’t just focus on the immediate outcome, we also need to think about the future. Our main foundation is still this small market. If we want to revitalize it, it’d be best for you to gather the other vendors for a meeting. Tell them to clean up their stalls, hang up signs for what they’re selling and the prices, and make sure the hygiene is spotless. If the stalls look tidy, people will naturally want to come and shop.”

Meng Ling nodded, thinking it made sense. “Alright, I’ll gather everyone and talk to them about it later.”

“Good. And about these clothes—they’re too wrinkled. You need to iron them again. I’m busy preparing the models, so I don’t have time. You’d better find someone to help you.”

Meng Ling responded, “Alright, I’ll take them home later and have my mom and grandma help me iron them.” Meng Ling was spoiled at home, so this task was easy, even if it meant relying on others.

“Okay.”

Ji Meng nodded and went back to her drawing. Meng Ling looked curious, leaned over to take a look. “What are you drawing?”

She saw that Ji Meng had quickly sketched out the layout for the runway on the small square, and now she was working on the display area for the market. The lines were perfectly straight.

Meng Ling was stunned. She looked up at Ji Meng, only seeing her delicate, straight nose and her thick, curly lashes.

“When did you get this good?”

“You can draw, and so well, too.”

“Just picked it up while doing nothing in the countryside,” Ji Meng replied casually.

After about half an hour, everything was drawn, and Ji Meng had also written out a detailed event plan.

She handed the drawing to Zheng Wu and the plan to Meng Ling.

“Follow the instructions on this. After completing each task, check it off. Work fast—we only have tomorrow, and the event starts at 10 a.m. the day after. Make sure everyone is notified.”

“In addition, with so many people attending, safety is crucial. Contact the neighborhood office and ask the factory leaders for help to arrange people to maintain order.”

“We’re using a combination of public voting and judges’ votes, so we need to borrow a stamp to prevent any tampering with the ballots.”

“Got it, I’ll handle the neighborhood office, and the factory leaders have already been informed,”

Meng Ling replied. She had previously organized a cultural performance, so she knew the key things to keep in mind.

“As for the stamp, that’s easy. I have a small private market stamp that I had made earlier. We can use that.”

“As long as you’ve got it covered.” Ji Meng acknowledged before turning to Zheng Wu, who was studying the drawing intently.

“What do you think? Can we set up the stage? It might take a lot of bamboo poles.”

“Yes,” Zheng Wu replied after staring at the drawing for a long time.

“Then we’re good to go.”

Having arranged everything she could think of, Ji Meng looked at the stall. By now, a few people were beginning to stroll through the market. There weren’t many, but they managed to sell a few bars of soap, some socks, and enamel cups here and there.

“Will you still set up the stall today? If not, you can pack it up now, and I’ll head to the department store to buy makeup supplies for the models. Then we’ll head to the factory to meet the contestants.”

Now that everything was decided, and with the factory in agreement, there was no time to waste. The schedule was tight, and there wouldn’t be time to keep the stall open.

Meng Ling was reluctant to leave her stall, as there was always some income trickling in.

But the time crunch was real, and she had a lot to do—she still needed to get the banners, the red fabric for the runway, and the GG paper Ji Meng had requested. So she gritted her teeth and agreed.

“Alright, you go ahead. Xiao Wu and I will pack up the stall and start working right away.”

Meng Ling didn’t have much money on hand, but fortunately in the morning they sold soap, bars of soap, and socks, along with the fact that Ji Meng had sold quite a bit herself, her wallet was a little fuller. Earlier, to get her sister-in-law to agree to help, she had played the pity card. Her sister-in-law, being kind-hearted, had gone all the way to help her secure the funding in advance. Now, knowing that Ji Meng would need money to buy supplies, Meng Ling handed over ten 10 yuan bills.

“Remember to ask for receipts.”

“I know,” Ji Meng waved her off and headed to the department store.

She had to buy makeup supplies, but there weren’t as many options as there would be in modern times. Ji Meng, mindful of saving wherever she could, only bought the basics—moisturizing cream, powder, lipstick, eyebrow pencil, eyebrow powder, and a brow shaper.

Since it was a beauty contest, the contestants needed to be well-groomed from head to toe, with hair being especially important. So, hair accessories like flowers, clips, and headbands were essential. However, when Ji Meng saw the prices of those items, she decided against buying them. Instead, she bought the cheapest, plain black hairpins and clips, black headbands, and a few black hair ties and elastic bands, then headed back to the small market.

By the time she returned, Meng Ling and the others had already packed up their stall. Zheng Wu had gone off to gather the bamboo poles and wires needed for the stage, while Meng Ling was talking to the market vendors.

Meng Ling repeated everything Ji Meng had told her to the stall owners, emphasizing that another event would be held in the small square. Most of the people setting up stalls in the small market were young and quick-witted. They knew very well how an event could bring more foot traffic and what that could do for their business.

They also understood the benefits of following the suggestions Meng Ling mentioned. Everyone cooperated with smiles on their faces, even offering to help if needed.

“Do you want to deal with that batch of defective items now, or wait until after we’ve sold the current batch of clothes?” Ji Meng asked Meng Ling after pulling her aside once the vendors went back to their stalls to clean up and prepare their signs.

“If we can handle it now, then definitely now! You have no idea how much those things irritate me every time I see them!” Meng Ling answered without hesitation. She wanted to be free from those unsellable leftovers, but they just wouldn’t budge.

“Do you have a way to get rid of them?”

“Of course,” Ji Meng glanced at Meng Ling confidently, but she didn’t reveal her plan.

From what had just happened, Meng Ling understood that Ji Meng wasn’t someone who worked for free.

Meng Ling gritted her teeth, then quickly changed her attitude, flashing a flattering smile. She reached out, grabbed Ji Meng’s arm, and swayed it a little, pleading:

“Hey, we’re partners now, right? Just tell me. If we make money, you won’t miss out on your share.”

“And what percentage is my share?”

“30%?”

“How much did you get that batch of goods for?” Ji Meng didn’t say whether she agreed, instead asking about Meng Ling’s cost.

“Why are you asking?” Meng Ling eyed her warily.

“Was it over 400 yuan?”

“I got it for a little over 300,” Meng Ling finally admitted after Ji Meng’s slow, sure words hit the mark.

“Right. You’re sharp. It’s like you didn’t come back from the countryside—you must have done some advanced training in a fairy’s cave!” Meng Ling huffed.

“Okay, then after we sell them, we’ll split the money 50-50, after deducting the cost.”

“What? You want half?!”

“Otherwise, I’m giving you ideas and also selling for you,” Ji Meng replied confidently.

“If I don’t give you ideas, you won’t make a cent, and you’d even lose 300.”

“Fine, fine, just tell me, what’s the plan?”

“It’s simple. Take those defective items and transform them into hair accessories—hair flowers, clips, headbands, and hairbands.”

Meng Ling was stunned. “How did I not think of that? But cutting them up will be troublesome, and I don’t know how to make them.”

“I do.” Ji Meng smiled.

She wasn’t skilled at making clothes, but making things like headbands and hairbands wasn’t a problem.

“Time is tight, though. I can’t make a lot. I’ll just work on some at night and we’ll try selling them the day after tomorrow. Don’t tell anyone—I want to make a little profit from this.”

Ji Meng glanced at Meng Ling. “You know, the textile factory has a large batch of leftover fabric scraps…”

“!?” Meng Ling’s eyes widened. After a moment, she wiped her face dramatically. “Ji Meng, I’m sticking with you for life!”

“Tell me, what do you need?”

Ji Meng couldn’t help but smile. She felt like she and Meng Ling really clicked—they understood each other perfectly.

“A sewing machine. If you know anyone from the hair clip factory, get some of those metal clips. I just bought a few from the department store, but we need to work overnight to get them ready for the models.”

Meng Ling didn’t know anyone at the small hair clip factory, but it didn’t matter. She figured she could ask around and get some through friends.

“Got it, I’ll get them for you before dinner,” Meng Ling agreed.

“Alright,” Ji Meng nodded. Then she looked at Meng Ling again. “If you have any money, maybe you should buy more fabric scraps, or get them on credit. What if they see my finished products and decide to sell them directly to the hair clip factory?”

“…Do I look like I have money?”

It was surprising, but in just one day, the two had gotten familiar with each other. Meng Ling no longer pretends otherwise.

“We’ll figure it out. I’ll ask later, and if we can’t get them on credit, we’ll hold off until we recoup our costs.”

After saying that, Meng Ling glanced again at the batch of defective fabric that hadn’t yet been taken to storage.

“Should I take these defective items to your house now?”

“Yes,” Ji Meng answered with a cheerful smile.

After settling that, Ji Meng sat on the tricycle loaded with defective fabric, and Meng Ling took her home. The two unloaded the goods into Ji Meng’s room and then headed to the textile factory to find Meng Ling’s sister-in-law, Zhang Ru.

It was just 2 p.m., and the workers at the textile factory had only been back at work for a short while.

At this moment, Zhang Ru was trying to rally people for the event in the workshop, but the reaction was unexpectedly poor.

“Officer Zhang, didn’t they say this year’s event was canceled? Why are we suddenly having it again?”

“Exactly, they promised us a day off the day after tomorrow. I already made plans, and now they’re suddenly telling us we have to do this event. It’s so annoying.”

“And a beauty contest? Isn’t it already agreed who the most beautiful person in the factory is?”

“Yeah, who could possibly beat Wu Meihua, that seductress?”

This last comment was muttered softly, no one knew who said it because the crowd was too large. The target of the remark, Wu Meihua, stood in the corner, her fair and beautiful face expressionless. Hearing this, she cast a cold glance at the crowd before returning to her station.

Zhang Ru felt a headache coming on. She had anticipated this kind of reaction, especially since they had gone to great lengths earlier to calm everyone down about the cancellation.

“The factory wanted to reward everyone for their hard work, so they decided to hold the event with the clothing factory. Participation is voluntary.”

“But the clothing model beauty contest isn’t free—there are prizes. Participants will get to keep the outfit they wear that day, and the first place winner will receive an additional prize of 100 yuan…”

100 yuan.

A weaver’s monthly salary was only between 30 to 35 yuan.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then excitement spread like wildfire. Even those who had left earlier, bored, couldn’t help but come back.

“That much money? Even the third-place winner gets 20 yuan, and participants still get a set of clothes! I’m in! I’m participating!”

“Me too. I’m not ugly, and even if I don’t get first, I can still aim for third. Worst case, I get a free outfit…”

“Hey, there are only 20 spots. I’ll start taking down names now. If too many people sign up, we might have to hold a selection test.”

“What kind of selection test? Does that mean signing up doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in?”

“That’s not fair.”

Suddenly, some people were unhappy.

Worried that they wouldn’t be chosen, a few people with sneaky ideas started trying to reduce the number of competitors. One of them glanced around and called out:

“Hey, Wan Hong, you’re already 30. Why are you signing up? What does this have to do with you?”

Wan Hong, hands on her hips, snapped back, “Why can’t I sign up? Am I not a woman? Am I not good-looking? There’s no age limit on this. But look at you—pointy-faced and ugly! What are you doing signing up? Just making up the numbers?”

“Who are you calling ugly? Who are you calling ugly? I’ll fight you! You think I don’t know you’ve been bad-mouthing me behind my back all this time?”

In an instant, the two started brawling, going at each other like mad.

When some started fighting, others tried to break it up, only to get hit in the process, sparking even more fighting.

The situation quickly spiraled out of control. Zhang Ru, being young, couldn’t calm things down with her voice alone. She tried pulling people apart but got dragged into the scuffle, ending up even more messy than those who were fighting—her hair was pulled loose.

By the time Ji Meng and Meng Ling arrived, this chaotic scene was what greeted them.