During these days, she had also noticed that as more and more young men and women from the village went out to work, the poverty-stricken village was quietly undergoing changes.
People were no longer struggling to meet their basic needs for food and clothing, and besides spending on meals and education, they gradually began to have some pocket money.
Quite a few people started to pay attention to their clothes and appearance. For instance, before the new year, many families were still making clothes from floral fabric, but now, that was happening less and less.
Many young people had begun to buy clothes in town, and although the styles were not as varied and attractive as those in the city, they were incomparably better than the homemade ones.
There was a clothing factory in their village, and it was precisely because of this factory that a large number of ready-made garments were entering the market.
The influx of ready-made garments into the market in large quantities, with ample supply, inevitably led to lower prices, so when people bought one or two pieces, they didn’t find it particularly expensive.
An Hao felt there might be some business opportunities here; she needed to visit the shops in the city for some research to determine the direction she should aim for.
Having this thought, she said to Zhang Lanxiang, "Sister-in-law, since you’re off work today, why don’t we go for a stroll in the city, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lanxiang agreed immediately, "Sure. I want to go out for a stroll too. Let’s wait until we send off these two men, then I’ll take you out shopping!"
"Great," An Hao nodded happily.
"Have you two set this up already?" Jianguo said with a smile, "Look at me, if Qin Jian and I didn’t leave, wouldn’t you still be unable to go shopping? All right, all right, we’re leaving now."
When they were about to leave, Qin Jian said to Zhang Lanxiang, "Sister-in-law, can I have a word with you in private?"
Zhang Lanxiang, who was about to see them out, turned back with him when she heard what Qin Jian said, and the two of them whispered in the house for a while before leaving.
An Hao was curious; when Qin Jian came out, she quietly asked him, "What did you say to sister-in-law?"
"It’s a secret," Qin Jian smiled, leaving her with a mystery, and followed Jianguo out the door.
"They’ve left; let’s go too," said Zhang Lanxiang as she picked up her bag, locked the door, and joined An Hao on the street.
There were many clothing stores on the street. Since the reform and opening up, many people had gone into business, resulting in a surge of small traders in the city.
Among them, the clothing business was the hottest.
As An Hao and Zhang Lanxiang walked and looked, they arrived at a clothing store.
The store was not big, but it was bustling with people, busier than the vegetable market.
The owner was holding a pair of jeans and shouting to the crowd, "On sale now, on sale now! The latest trendy material and style, only twenty yuan a pair."
"Twenty yuan a pair is cheap?" An Hao couldn’t help but exclaim.
The owner spotted An Hao immediately, seeing the fair-skinned and slim girl with a full figure who had spoken out. Despite the crowd, he said loudly, "You should ask about the original price, these pants were originally thirty, thirty-five, or even some sold for forty-five a pair. I’m only selling them for twenty yuan a pair, do you still think that’s expensive?"
An Hao had lived in the village for some time and hadn’t been to the city for a long while; she wasn’t very familiar with the current prices.
But seeing how people were jostling and eagerly buying, she felt the prices must be relatively cheap.
"What do you think, An Hao? Do you like them? If you like them, why not buy a pair?" Zhang Lanxiang asked tentatively.