A small portion of the toys and jewelry I sold separately, and the rest I packaged up and sold to Old Niu, and another package to the salesperson at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
During his recent trip to Haicheng, Jiang Changhai didn’t forget to buy gifts for his wife and daughter.
He bought Su Wanyu an orange woolen coat, which was windproof and warm, just perfect for wearing now.
Su Wanyu put on the coat and looked at herself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction, "Brother Hai, your taste really is good, this coat fits me just right, and I love the color too."
"I knew you’d like it, I took to it the moment I saw it," Jiang Changhai said proudly.
"Come here, daughter, Dad bought you a pair of leather shoes, the shoemaker said they are made of cowhide and are very comfortable to wear, give them a try." Jiang Changhai took out the small leather shoes and handed them to Jiang Mianmian.
"Thank you, Dad." Jiang Mianmian happily tried them on, indeed they were more comfortable than the ones bought at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
After distributing the items, Jiang Changhai, having been busy all day, quickly tidied up before retiring to his room to sleep.
Having slept soundly, the next morning Jiang Changhai got up reinvigorated. After breakfast, he picked up two parcels, large and small, and set out to deliver the goods to Old Niu and the salesperson.
Meanwhile, Su Wanyu specially wore a low-neck sweater and accessorized with pearl earrings and a necklace, and went out to chat with the neighbors.
Grandma Li had sharp eyes, she noticed Su Wanyu’s new jewelry right away, "Hey, Wanyu, did you buy that pearl necklace at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative?"
Wanyu was naturally fair-skinned and with the pearl jewelry, she looked all the more gentle and beautiful—a born model.
The moment Aunt Li asked, the other neighbors who were talking with them also turned their gaze towards Wanyu.
"Hey, Wanyu, that pearl necklace looks really good on you, where did you buy it? I want to get one too," Wang Li’s Mother asked enviously.
Touching her own necklace and with a bright smile, Su Wanyu explained, "This necklace wasn’t bought at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, it was my husband who noticed it in Haicheng and bought it especially for me. If you like it, we happen to have a few extra at home, I can sell them to you."
On hearing Su Wanyu’s words, the neighbors knew that if they bought from her, everyone understood it was a common practice among the workers from the transport company.
Although it was technically speculation, the authorities weren’t concerning themselves with such matters anymore. When going out, they could see several groups making private deals without any inquiry or investigation.
Moreover, the necklace and earrings Su Wanyu wore really did look very pretty. They had seen others wearing them before and wanted to buy them, but the Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s stock was in such short supply that even money couldn’t buy them.
Now that Wanyu had the stock, it would be insincere to say they weren’t tempted.
Besides, among neighbors, without spreading the word, no one else would know.
After realizing this, the neighbors asked one after another, "Oh, Wanyu, that’s great, how many sets do you have? I want to buy two sets, one for my sister too."
"Yes, I’d like one too, will there be enough?"
"I want to get a set for my daughter too. The last time she came home, she mentioned that all of her sisters-in-law have pearl jewelry except her, she has been nagging me about it quite a few times," Grandma Li, fearing she’d miss out, quickly said as she saw everyone wanted to buy.
Upon hearing their enthusiasm, Su Wanyu was overjoyed. She knew the jewelry was popular, but she didn’t expect it to be such a hit.