Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 126 - 119 Sold Out

Chapter 126 -119 Sold Out

Just a couple of days after New Year’s Day, Lu Jiaxin went to the convenience store to make a phone call and saw Big Sister Chen showing off her newly bought leather shoes to the store owner.

Big Sister Chen lifted her shoe and asked, “Ah Li, looks good, doesn’t it?”

Fatty Aunt couldn’t take her eyes off the leather shoes, but she said, “What’s the use if they look good? They’re not warm, and not as good as my cotton shoes!”

Big Sister Chen leaned against the wall with her left hand and took off the shoe with her right hand, peeling it back to reveal the fleece inside: “See? With such thick wool, it’s very warm on the feet.”

Lu Jiaxin recognized the style of the leather shoe and knew it was one that she’d had a processing factory make. This model used synthetic leather and was the cheapest.

Fatty Aunt touched it and found the fleece both thick and soft, which piqued her interest in buying a pair: “Where did you buy these, and how much per pair?”

Sister Chen said she bought them on Xiushui Street: “My husband went there yesterday to shop and saw everyone scrambling for these leather shoes. Knowing I’m afraid of the cold, he bought a pair when the seller said the shoes were both warm and waterproof.”

Initially, when she learned that her husband had bought shoes for her, Sister Chen scolded him for wasting money, mainly because his taste was so poor that she never liked anything he bought. But when she saw the shoes, it was a total surprise.

“How much per pair?”

“The asking price was eighty-eight, but after a long bargain, I got them for sixty-six point eighty.”

The wholesale price was thirty-four, turning around at sixty-eight was actually okay. However, since these were synthetic leather, the price was definitely not too high. Su Heyuan wholesaled these shoes to buyers in the Forty-nine City who also needed to make a profit, of course, excluding Hong Kong where the channel was not envy-worthy.

Fatty Aunt was very tempted and decided to buy a pair for herself.

When Xue Mao heard this news, he went to Xiushui Street that very afternoon, and came back a bit upset, telling Lu Jiaxin, “Sister Xin, our leather shoes, the small sheepskin ones are one hundred eighty-eight a pair, the sheepskin ones one hundred sixty-eight a pair, and the artificial leather is eighty-eight a pair. These prices are more than double what we sell them for.”

Lu Jiaxin felt it was quite normal: “They transport them from Yangcheng City here, and the freight and labor costs are a big expense. By the time they get to the Forty-nine City and then wholesale to others, they need to make a profit at each step.”

She was very clear in her mind that Su Heyuan had set his sights on the design of those few models, so he hadn’t pressed the price too much. Otherwise, that guy would have just taken the shoe designs and made them himself, and she wouldn’t have earned so much.

Upon hearing this, Xue Mao felt it made sense, but still thought it was too outrageous: “Sis, the difference between the cost and the selling price is too big.”

Lu Jiaxin replied, “That’s because they had the first-mover advantage. Wait till next year when the imitations come out, the price will at least drop by thirty or forty percent. Although there will still be profits, they won’t be as high.”

During this era, the clothing industry was indeed very profitable. The batch of shoes they produced were novel in design, good in quality, and warm, which made them perfect for the cold weather. Plus, the sellers promoted them as branded goods from Hong Kong, so a price of one hundred eighty-eight didn’t seem expensive to many people. In department stores, the winter shoes weren’t even as good-looking and would cost one hundred eighty or even over two hundred.

Xue Mao did the math and realized that even if the price dropped by thirty percent, there was money to be made, just not as much. Although Su Heyuan had exclusive rights to the shoes, Xue Mao still frequently visited Xiushui Street to keep tabs on the sales.

A few days later, Xue Mao said, “Sister, our shoes are sold out, and many people who want to buy can’t find them anymore. Sis, are there so many rich people in the Forty-nine City?”

Let’s not even mention small sheepskin shoes; even the discounted price for synthetic leather was sixty-eight, which was the monthly salary for some people.

Lu Jiaxin laughed, “This is the capital, and now with the family planning policy, young men and women can only have one child, which greatly reduces the pressure of life. With money on hand, people are willing to buy a pair of nice and practical shoes for the New Year.”

No era has ever been without the wealthy. Twenty years later, many places would still not escape poverty, but some areas would already be awash in luxury.

Xiao Qiu asked, “Auntie, if the shoes are all sold out, how come Dad and Fifth Uncle haven’t come back yet?”

It was just one more week until school let out, and Lu Jiaxin said it was too cold to keep her stall open after the holidays. With nothing else to do, she wanted to go home. At home, she hadn’t felt it, but having been out for so long, she now deeply missed her grandparents and mother.

“They should be back in these few days.”

Before coming to the Forty-nine City, Xiao Qiu had made arrangements with Lu Jiazong that once all the shoes were delivered and there was nothing left to do, he would come to the Forty-nine City to take Xiao Qiu home with him.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Fatty Aunt shouted from outside, “Lu Jiaxin, your phone call, they will call again in five minutes; you’d better hurry.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Lu Jiaxin responded.

It was Lu Jiajie on the phone, saying he had already bought his return ticket and would be home in four days, “I’ll go back on my own, and this year I’ll head back for the New Year’s, and Xiao Qiu will go with me.”

Originally, Lu Jiazong was supposed to come to the Forty-nine City to pick up Xiao Qiu and take her back to their hometown. However, since Lu Jiajie was planning to go back home for the New Year’s, there was indeed no need for him to come to the Forty-nine City.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “When I come back, I’ll have to treat Master Jia and Brother Ah Le to a meal; they’ve worked hard during this time.”

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Lu Jiajie said, “Master Jia and Xiang Yang have already found work here, so they want to earn more and won’t go back for the New Year’s. I’ll give their bonuses to their families when I return.”

Lu Jiaxin had already paid their wages, but the bonuses were not given yet; they would wait until Lu Jiajie arrived to give them out.

“What about Brother Ah Le and Brother Ah Sheng?”

Lu Jiajie indicated that the two would return to the Forty-nine City with him, “They said there’s no end to earning money; they can go earn next year. For the New Year’s, they definitely want to be together with their families.”

The main thing was that the train ticket was covered by Lu Jiaxin, so they didn’t have to pay themselves. Plus, having been away for many months, they missed their families. Of course, the most important reason was that both felt that since Lu Jiaxin was so capable, she would surely continue to support Lu Jiajie, so they would just work with Lu Jiajie in the future.

“Then take care on your journey.”

Knowing her father couldn’t come to pick her up, Xiao Qiu asked with some concern, “Auntie, will Fifth Uncle really go back for the New Year’s? I miss grandparents and mom and Nannan.”

“If your Fifth Uncle said so, then he will definitely be going back home for the New Year’s.”

“Auntie, what about you?” Xiao Qiu asked. Having been here for over two months, she knew that Lu Jiaxin had a very strained relationship with Lu Hongjun, and spending the New Year’s together was basically impossible.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “It’s my first year since moving here, so I’ll definitely spend the New Year’s at home. Then we’ll see if we can invite my elder brother and his wife to join us.”

According to tradition, the first New Year’s after moving to a new home must be spent there, otherwise, she could also go spend it with her elder brother, bringing Xue Mao and Qian Xiaoxiao along. She had genuine respect and love for Lu Jiaguang.

Xiao Qiu slapped her forehead and said, “Look at me, forgetting something so important. Auntie, after the New Year’s, I still want to come back to the Forty-nine City with Fifth Uncle and sell breakfast with Uncle Xue Mao.”

This was a probing question to see if Lu Jiaxin was willing to let her continue working with Xue Mao on the breakfast stall.

Lu Jiaxin, who could clearly hear the implied meaning, said with a smile, “As long as you’re not afraid of hard work, you can come over with your Fifth Uncle.”

“It’s not hard, not hard at all.”