Qin Jian heard there was an issue at work, and the expression on his face immediately turned serious, "I’ll be right back, wait for me one minute."
That person stood by waiting for him, and Qin Jian very apologetically said to An Hao, "I can’t escort you this time, you should go back by yourself! Be careful on the road!"
"I understand," An Hao nodded obediently, "Brother Qin, you should head back quickly! Goodbye!"
"Okay. Goodbye!" Qin Jian briefly bade farewell to An Hao and turned around to leave.
Watching Qin Jian’s retreating figure, An Hao felt a small sense of loss deep inside.
Attending university and marrying Qin Jian were her dreams in this lifetime. Since she was still young, and she didn’t have many interactions with Qin Jian, she decided to focus on her studies for now.
Getting into university, this was the most important goal right now.
An Hao stopped a passerby wearing a watch to ask the time, it was only half-past two.
The last bus back to the village was at half-past five, giving her three hours to make use of in between.
On her way to the city, she had heard an auntie and an older sister on the bus discussing Snowflake Cream, and she felt there was a business opportunity to explore.
The people in the village all used clam oil because it was cheaper. Fewer people used Snowflake Cream because it was more expensive.
Therefore, the village’s supply and marketing cooperative didn’t stock Snowflake Cream, as it was hard to sell.
But in the city it was different. With the cosmetic products becoming increasingly abundant, all kinds of new brands appeared, like Pearl Cream and Pechoin, reducing the usage of basic skin care products like Snowflake Cream by quite a lot.
Comparatively, the price would be a bit cheaper.
An Hao thought she should look around to see. If the price was right, she could buy some to take back and recommend to the local neighbours, which should allow her to sell a good amount.
She remembered there was a store specializing in cosmetics in the city; as time passed, the original store began to expand, and twenty years later, that place turned into a wholesale market for cosmetics.
Following the memories deep in her mind, An Hao walked through three streets and found the cosmetics specialty store on the most bustling street of the city.
On a Sunday afternoon, there were many people looking at cosmetics in the shop. An Hao went inside and walked around the counters until she finally found the Snowflake Cream skin care product tucked away in a corner.
"Hello, could you please tell me how much this Snowflake Cream is selling for?" An Hao asked the clerk for the price.
"Eighty cents. The price just dropped; it’s a good deal to buy now," the clerk answered her.
In the village, they were selling it for two yuan, while here it was eighty cents, more than a half-price difference. An Hao was thrilled, as she had heard the older sister on the bus saying it was sold for one yuan fifty in the city.
An Hao did a quick calculation of the money she had at hand. If she used all her money to buy Snowflake Cream, she wouldn’t make much profit. How could she maximize her return on investment?
"Are you buying or not?" Seeing An Hao hesitate, the clerk spoke up again, "If you’re buying, I’ll sell it to you for fifty cents."
An Hao’s eyes flickered, it seemed there was room for negotiation.
"Why is your product so cheap? Is there something wrong with this Snowflake Cream?" An Hao purposefully asked, "I won’t buy it if there’s a problem."
Hearing An Hao say this, the clerk hastened to deny, "No, of course not. How could there be a problem? Nowadays, cosmetic products have started to diversify, and fewer and fewer people buy Snowflake Cream. We overstocked it in the store and have been unable to sell it all. So, we’re practically having a clearance sale now."