In their school, what they really need now is smart and capable talent.
Qin Xiangyang had sent Spring Festival couplets to the entire school, even the school gate was adorned with a three-meter-long couplet, it really felt majestic and all the school leaders were very honored. This year, because of the addition of the small year tiger, Qin Xiangnuan decided that the whole family would mobilize to sell Spring Festival couplets. Granny Lu’s snack shop was closed, but the internet café was not; during holidays, the internet café was the most profitable. Therefore, it could not be closed. Qin Xiangnuan gave everyone an extra month’s salary, and also gave away lots of gifts. Meals were also provided for everyone; she just thought about making more money during the New Year. The internet café business was already good, and now it was really booming. Qin Xiangnuan had known that internet cafés could make money, but she didn’t realize they could be so profitable. Throughout the day, money was just flowing into her pocket, making her eager - no, itching - to open a branch. However, opening a branch wasn’t so easy, finding a location was a big problem right now. The piece of property they had bought had just been demolished, and they were currently building a high-rise on it, which would take at least a year or two to complete.
However, she could wait out these one or two years. During these crucial next ten or so years, she resolved to seize the opportunity well; first and foremost, getting this one internet café running well.
Let’s not talk about the internet café for now; they had to sell the Spring Festival couplets first.
Indeed, the whole family had mobilized, even Jian Zhiqing’s grandfather Mr. Li had returned. He had even set up a stall planning to write and sell at the same time. Qin Xiangnuan’s calligraphy was better than this old man’s, which made him quite uncomfortable inside. He had been writing his whole life, and yet, he was surpassed by a young girl. However, as the saying goes, each generation will outdo the previous, and this old wave has already died on the beach.
A small chubby tiger, two meters tall, crouched on the ground, very conspicuous, attracting many people from afar.
"Mommy, I want that big tiger."
A little girl pointed at the large tiger tugging at the woman’s sleeves.
The woman also liked it, helpless, this large year tiger was really appealing to everyone, young and old. She also thought about how eye-catching it would be at home, and since it was the Year of the Tiger, it matched the festive spirit. But, if the big one was too much, maybe she’d buy a smaller one.
On a nearby table, there were large and small year tigers with very strong ethnic styles, ranging from about one meter to as small as keychain-sized, all fully made.
"How much is this one?" the woman asked about a year tiger that was about one meter tall.
"This one is fifty yuan. Buy a large one, get a small one free," Qin Xiangnuan then took out a thirty-centimeter one. "The stuffing inside is clean PP cotton, not the black cotton or the like, very clean. These are all made by us, not processed in a factory. Look..." as she placed the year tiger in front of the woman, "all of it is hand-embroidered," she said, referring to the small plum blossoms on the face of the year tiger.
The small year tiger looked really cute, making it irresistible to grab and squeeze.
Even though it was a bit expensive, the buy one, get one free deal made it seem not too pricy. After all, it’s New Year’s, all about the festive atmosphere, and her child liked it, the woman steeled her heart, paid fifty yuan, and took two back home, she carried the big one and her daughter carried the small one.
It felt really trendy.
Qin Xiangnuan’s bundled deals were indeed popular, actually more expensive compared to selling individually, but quite curiously, people did enjoy such offers.
Although this year, everyone had also bundled Spring Festival couplets, packing them in a nicer bag with Spring Festival couplets and other items like ’blessing’ characters. But no one expected that this year Qin Xiangnuan would innovate with the paper products. The Qin Family’s Spring Festival couplets were each distinctive, impossible for others to imitate, especially the red envelopes in various styles inside, and this year they could freely match them: one large Spring Festival couplet, one small, two blessings, ten red envelopes. Buying two sets came with a free New Year’s small year tiger to hang on a keychain, which was quite intricate. Although it didn’t use much fabric, it was time-consuming. However, for Qin Xiangnuan, she wasn’t afraid of running out of time. As she worked, she gained experience and knew how to produce the most quickly, making over a hundred a day.
She spent a month making thousands of them. Some customers originally wanted to buy one set, but ended up spending ten yuan more to buy another, acquiring a small gift. Of course, you could buy three, four, or five sets, and the gifts you’d receive were even bigger.
"How many would I need to buy to get this?"
Someone was eyeing that big year tiger that Qin Xiangnuan used as a showpiece.
This item was probably unique in the Capital City, rather, it was unique in the entire country. The large and small were identical in craftsmanship, even the large was more refined in some ways, the details were easier to discern, so they had put more meticulous effort in its crafting, be it in the workmanship, design, or stuffing.
Jian Zhiqin was selling Spring Festival couplets when he saw someone drooling over his tiger, he got anxious, it was his, his!
Qin Xiangnuan had promised Jian Zhiqin, so naturally, it couldn’t be sold.
She could only apologize to the person; they couldn’t take the big one, but there was a slightly smaller one, more than a meter big.
"If you buy a hundred sets, you’ll get one a bit smaller than this one."
Initially, Qin Xiangnuan thought nobody would want it, but indeed someone did buy a hundred sets just for that slightly smaller one, over a meter big, saying it was a gift for people in his village, which was quite impressive, and Qin Xiangnuan received 1000 yuan. Although most Spring Festival couplet sellers nowadays also knew about packaging, basically, Qin Xiangnuan’s business was still the best, due to the high quality of the Spring Festival couplets themselves, and also those year tigers and the various designs of red envelopes, as well as the unique twine for the Spring Festival couplets. This time, they made a big profit, and when it came to sharing the money, Qin Xiangnuan naturally divided it evenly, with each person taking their share. In the end, the large tiger was claimed back by Jian Zhiqin.
It was just too big. Jian Zhiqin couldn’t carry it by himself; Jian Zhiqing had to use a truck to haul it back, and during the haul, it was envied by many. Some people also wanted it, but, unfortunately, there was only one in Capital City, because Qin Xiangnuan had only made one.
Qin Xiangnuan felt that the Spring Festival couplet business could still be viable next year, but Spring Festival couplets might need to go the route of customization rather than her own writing. The big focus next might be on these handmade crafts, which could be sold, making more sales than Spring Festival couplets, and be easier to sell.