Xie Sui returned. The accountant, Uncle Xu Siman, had been waiting to reconcile accounts with him and discuss recent factory matters.
Xu Siman spoke little but was meticulous and kind. Everyone at the factory respected him. After some time, Xie Sui recognized his competence and good character, deeming him trustworthy.
While they were discussing business in the office, Lin Wanwan took Xie Min to see her footless leggings.
Xie Min had only known they brought back several large packages, but didn't know what was inside. Seeing the footless leggings, her eyes widened. "You two are something else, bringing back so many footless leggings. How many lifetimes would it take to wear them all out!"
Lin Wanwan replied, "Wear them? We're going to sell them. We'll sell them together, and you'll get thirty percent of the profit."
Xie Min was surprised. "The family factory isn't enough for you? You've set your sights on this small amount of money?"
Lin Wanwan said, "The factory money is earned by Xie Sui. This money is mine. Who would complain about having too much money? If you don't want to make money, I'll sell them myself. I'm telling you, the supply and marketing cooperative sells them for eight yuan each, and they're always out of stock. If we sell them at the same price, we can earn this much per piece."
Lin Wanwan gestured a number. Xie Min immediately nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you, sister."
Without telling Xie Sui, the two of them took a large bag of clothes on their bicycles and went out to sell.
They found a spot near the supply and marketing cooperative, spread out a sheet, laid out the footless leggings, and began to sell.
It was the first time either of them had done this, and they were too shy to call out to customers. When people looked at them, they felt embarrassed.
Lin Wanwan regretted, "I knew we should have brought Xie Sui. He's thick-skinned and can shout. We're too thin-skinned. It looked easy before, but doing it ourselves feels so shameful."
Xie Min also felt timid. "Tell me about it. How about we go back?"
"No!"
Lin Wanwan was not one to give up easily. Years of being a sent-down youth had forged a resilient character. She wouldn't retreat before even starting!
"Then what do we do?"
The two of them stared blankly. Fortunately, the footless leggings were popular. A young girl came out of the supply and marketing cooperative, her eyes lighting up when she saw the leggings. "Are these pants for sale?"
"Ah, yes, they are. Eight yuan each. We got the goods from a big clothing factory in the city. Take a look, they're definitely good-looking."
The girl was originally going to buy footless leggings, but the supply and marketing cooperative had none. She checked the quality, which was the same as the cooperative's, and said, "Can you make it cheaper? The supply and marketing cooperative only sells them for eight yuan, and you're selling them at this price for street stall goods!"
Lin Wanwan was only shy, not foolish. Thinking about the arduous trip to the city, she insisted, "No bargaining. This is the lowest price. Although this is a street stall, the quality is guaranteed. Not everyone can get these goods. It's not easy for me to make this trip, I'm just earning a little hard-earned money."
The girl was still hesitant when someone else came to look. "How much are the footless leggings?"
"Eight yuan. What size do you need? I have them all. This batch is limited, so if you come late, you might not find the right size."
The girl quickly said, "I want a small size."
Xie Min was overjoyed and helped her find a small size. "Here you go, eight yuan."
Once the first sale was made, things became smooth. As noon approached, more people finished work and rushed to buy. The two of them were almost overwhelmed.
Coincidentally, the supply and marketing cooperative was out of stock that day, and they seized the opportunity. Just after lunch, everything was sold out.
Exhausted, the two of them sat on the ground, their voices hoarse, not wanting to speak.
"Second sister, I'll go buy two bottles of soda. I'm dying of thirst."
After drinking the two bottles of soda, Xie Min felt better and shouted excitedly, "They're all sold! They're really all sold! Good heavens, I can't believe we actually sold everything!"
Lin Wanwan said, "Low profile. Let's go home."
"Right, low profile, low profile."
The two returned to the factory. Xie Sui had already cooked dinner and was waiting at the door. They hadn't said where they were going, and it was worrying.
Seeing them finally return, beaming like flowers, he asked, "Did you find money? Your faces are all wrinkled with smiles."
"Your face has wrinkles. I'm so young to have wrinkles, I can't live. Guess what we went to do?"
Lin Wanwan's eyes sparkled, her spirit high, confident and happy. Xie Sui wanted to kiss her and played along. "I can't guess. But I know you must be hungry. I made meat sauce noodles. Do you want to eat first or talk first?"
"Eat, eat, I'm really starving. It's more tiring than working in the fields."
The noodles were ready-made, cooked and soaked in cold water, served with shredded cucumber. It was a kind of cold noodle. Lin Wanwan said while eating, "We sold a bag of footless leggings. You wouldn't believe it, people were scrambling to buy them. The scene was so intense, they almost ate us alive."
Xie Min added, "Exactly! I didn't expect them to sell so well. Shall we go again tomorrow?"
Xie Sui chuckled, half-amused, half-concerned. "You two are truly bold, just going out to sell like that? I don't want to pour cold water on your enthusiasm, but you won't be able to sell tomorrow. Also, count the money later and see if it matches the accounts, to make sure no one ran off with any."
Lin Wanwan was confused. "Why won't we be able to sell tomorrow?"
"Jealousy. The economy isn't fully open yet. Only food, vegetables, and meat are sold. Who sets up a stall to sell clothes? And right in front of the supply and marketing cooperative. Do the people at the supply and marketing cooperative want that?"
Although the policies had been relaxed, and even individual business was encouraged to make people prosperous, some lingering systems couldn't be changed overnight. The black market in the county town still existed, where they sold things the state didn't allow.
The two naive girls went to compete with the supply and marketing cooperative, and the cooperative's employees could easily find a reason to deal with them.
After hearing Xie Sui's analysis, Lin Wanwan's face fell. "Then what should we do?"
Xie Sui glanced at Xie Min, who was being unobservant at the moment and waiting for him to speak, not giving the two women a chance to talk alone.
Xie Sui sighed helplessly, giving up on teasing his wife. "Leave it to me. You two just wait at home to split the money. This requires a professional like me."
Xie Min sighed. "But then we won't have the sense of accomplishment from selling things ourselves."
"Isn't it tiring?"
"Even if it's tiring, we're happy."
Xie Sui shook his head, not understanding their mindset. Wouldn't it be better to just count the money obediently at home?
Lin Wanwan didn't dwell on it. She went with Xie Min to count the money and became unhappy again. "We're short forty yuan. Five pairs of pants were not paid for. It's a loss!"
Xie Sui comforted his wife. "That's normal. With so many people, there are always some who are dishonest, taking advantage of the situation. This is normal wear and tear. So when selling goods, you should factor this risk in. You should have sold them for nine yuan. That would have covered this loss. People who can afford eight yuan won't mind paying an extra yuan, and the supply and marketing cooperative has no stock. If you don't earn a bit more, is this hard work enough for you two?"
Xie Min slapped her thigh. "Why didn't I think of that!"
Xie Sui looked at her disdainfully. "If you could think of that, it wouldn't highlight your younger brother's intelligence. Forget it, you've never been as smart as me since you were little. I won't laugh at you for being slow."