The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 156 - 155: Day 1 of Setting Up a Stall

It was He Lang’s first day selling clothes at his stall. He arrived at the market a little after four in the afternoon. There were already a few other stalls set up, but they were all selling food. After he secured his spot and laid out the clothes, an elderly woman came up to him and asked, "Young man, is this your first day? I haven’t seen you here before. Are you selling clothes?"

He Lang smiled and nodded. "Yes, it’s my first day. I had some free time, so I thought I’d set up a stall and sell a few things."

The woman saw that He Lang was handsome and had a pleasant voice, so she walked over, picked up a piece of clothing, and began to examine it.

He Lang scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Ma’am, who are you shopping for?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "HAHAHA, you thought I was looking for myself, didn’t you, young man? No, I know these clothes aren’t right for an old woman like me. I’m looking for my daughter. But how much are they? I need to see if I have enough money on me."

He Lang laughed along with her. "Please, ma’am, take your time and look. Once you’ve found something you like, we can talk about the price. You’re my very first customer, so I’ll give you a discount. I guarantee you’ll get a better price than anyone else."

"That’s wonderful! This one is nice. How much is it?" The woman was holding a puff-sleeve dress.

"Ma’am, I usually sell that one for 25, but for you, I’ll take 20 percent off, so it’s 20. I won’t even make a profit on it. Think of it as a thank you for supporting my business."

The woman nodded in satisfaction. "You’re a good young man. You’ve got a real knack for business. An old woman like me, I live right around here. I’ve seen plenty of merchants come and go, and I can tell your business is going to be a great success."

He Lang clapped his hands and said decisively, "Ma’am, for saying that, you can have it for 18. We’ll call it a thank you for your kind words."

The woman couldn’t help but break into a wide grin. "Oh, thank you."

With that, she took a money pouch from her pocket, counted out 18, and handed it to He Lang.

"I’ll have my daughter try it on when I get back. If it looks good on her, I’ll be sure to spread the word for you in the neighborhood."

He Lang nodded. "Thank you so much, ma’am."

Making his first sale so quickly gave He Lang a significant boost in confidence.

A little after five, foot traffic was at its peak. Many people came to the market to buy groceries after getting off work. He Lang was the only person in the entire market selling clothes, which made him stand out. Some of the young girls would blush just looking at his face. They would hesitantly approach and ask in a quiet voice, "How much is this dress?"

He Lang was all smiles for everyone. "Miss, this dress is 28. You’re tall, so it would definitely look great on you."

The girl glanced at He Lang, paid for the dress without even examining it closely, and hurried away with a red face.

At first, He Lang was a little nervous. He was a man selling women’s clothes, and he was worried some women might find it awkward. But after selling a few items, he relaxed and got into the swing of things.

After school, Xue Yue made a special trip to the market to see how He Lang’s stall was doing. From a distance, she saw a large crowd gathered around it, made up entirely of young women.

He Lang’s voice was clear and magnetic. "Miss, you’re so pretty, you’d look good in anything. If you ask me, you should buy both of these to have something to switch between. My clothes are one-of-a-kind; you won’t find them anywhere else."

"Ma’am, I can tell just by looking at you that you’re a manager in an office. This blouse with a pair of black pants? It’d be a perfect match."

"..."

Xue Yue saw that he was handling things with ease and that business was booming. She checked the time and decided not to go over, heading to the school to pick up Ruanruan first.

He Lang didn’t get back until after nine that night. The three children had already eaten, and Xue Yue was sitting in the courtyard waiting for him.

Hearing a noise in the alley, Xue Yue went to open the gate.

"Why are you so late?"

"There were still people at the market, so I waited a little longer."

He Lang pushed his handcart into the courtyard.

"Go wash your hands. I’ll get you a glass of water."

By the time Xue Yue brought out his dinner, He Lang was sitting in a chair, rubbing his face with both hands.

Xue Yue looked at him. "What’s wrong? Is your face bothering you?"

He Lang ran his tongue over his back molars. "I’ve been smiling all afternoon. My face is about to freeze."

Xue Yue chuckled, walking over to cup his cheeks and gently massage them. "You poor thing. I have to say, I didn’t expect your stall to be so popular."

He Lang looked up at her in surprise. "You went to the market?"

Xue Yue nodded. "I came from the school and swung by to take a look. I saw you schmoozing with all the ’misses’ and ’ma’ams.’ You were handling it so well that I didn’t want to interrupt."

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

Xue Yue rubbed his face. "What’s there to be jealous about? I’m thrilled they’re giving you business. I just thought if I came over, I might interrupt your flow, so I went to get Ruanruan instead. But can you really manage all by yourself?"

"It’s manageable for now."

Speaking of business, He Lang took off the small money pouch he was wearing. "I’ve been busy all afternoon and haven’t even had a chance to count the money."

Xue Yue gestured toward the table. "Eat first. We can count the money together after you’re done."

He Lang glanced at the food on the table. "Alright. I am pretty hungry. Where are the kids?"

Xue Yue pointed to the house. "Daya’s inside playing with the other two. Your daughter was looking for you the moment she got out of school. She had a drawing class today and said her teacher praised her. She’s holding onto her picture and is insisting on showing it to you. You should go see her in a bit."

He Lang smiled and nodded. "Is that so? I’ll go right after I finish eating."

As soon as He Lang finished eating, he hurried inside to see the children. Xue Yue cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash.

When she entered the room, she saw He Lang pick up Ruanruan and toss her lightly into the air.

"My baby girl is so amazing! Your teacher even gave you a little red flower sticker. What gift do you want, Ruanruan? Daddy made money today, so I’ll find time to buy it for you."

Ruanruan gasped. "Really? Can I pick it out myself?"

"Of course. I’ll take you to the department store another day, and you can choose for yourself then."

"Yay! Daddy’s the best!" Overjoyed, Ruanruan gave He Lang a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad, I want a gift too. And I want to pick it myself," Shiyi said, looking up at He Lang from where he stood on the floor.

He Lang glanced down at him. "Your big sister was praised by her teacher for drawing today. What did you do that was so good? Besides, who was it that wet the bed last night? I haven’t even spanked your little bottom for that yet."

At this, Shiyi quickly covered his bottom and shook his head. "Dad, Shiyi didn’t do it! Shiyi doesn’t wet the bed. It must have been Big Sister Daya last night! Don’t spank Shiyi’s bottom."

He Lang scoffed. "You won’t admit your own mistake, and now you’re trying to blame someone else? That just makes it worse. No toys for you this month."

Shiyi stared at He Lang, his eyes wide. He blinked, his lip trembled, and then he saw Xue Yue enter the room. He ran to her, crying to be held. "Mom, Daddy’s mean! Shiyi wants a toy!"

Xue Yue picked him up and gave his little bottom a gentle pat. "Yes, our Shiyi just had an accident last night, that’s all. And you’re still so little, wetting the bed is no big deal. But you can’t push the blame for your mistakes onto other people. Poor Big Sister Daya. She takes care of you every day, and you tried to blame her for this. Do you think that was the right thing to do?"