Chapter 107
"He came all the way from the South City to buy Body-Shaping Pants here, and he bought more than a dozen pairs at once. I guess he was buying them for someone else."
"Really? Are these Body-Shaping Pants really that popular?"
As soon as Liang Ying finished speaking, Shanhu pointed to the television set on the iron rack behind her and said, "Sister-in-law, watch TV!"
Liang Ying turned her head and saw that the mutton hot pot restaurant was run by a private individual. Private businesses are more open to doing things than state-owned ones. They had bought a TV and placed it against the wall so that customers could watch TV while eating.
Right now, there's an interview program on TV.
The show features a currently popular female celebrity, Zhang Lili. Speaking of Zhang Lili has a pretty good relationship with their grandmother, but right now, Liang Ying's focus is on Zhang Lili's pants.
She was wearing a pair of pure black Body-Shaping Pants and high heels. Zhang Lili was already tall with long legs, and this outfit made her stand out even more.
The guy at the next table said, "Hey, Zhang Lili is such a sweetheart. If I could marry a wife like her, my life would be worthwhile."
"Get lost! Didn't you know Zhang Lili was your brother's wife?" his companion joked.
Lin Lu and Liang Ying couldn't help but exchange a smile.
Lin Lu said, "Liang Ying, this is great news! Zhang Lili is a female celebrity. If she wears these Body-Shaping Pants, our pants will sell even better!"
"Yes, that's what I thought too, Lin Lu. I need to call back right now and order another five hundred bolts of fabric." Liang Ying was excited; she felt like she could see bills flying into her pockets. "Could you do me a favor and help me promote our company? Tell them we specialize in Body-Shaping Pants, and we make them in every color."
"Okay," Lin Lu immediately patted her chest and agreed. "Just wait, I'll ask my sisters who sell clothes to help you promote it when I get back."
"Okay, if we make a lot of money, I'll definitely give you and your husband a big red envelope later!"
Liang Ying was overjoyed.
She had lost her appetite; no matter how delicious the mutton was, it wasn't as valuable as money. She quickly ate a few bites of meat and hurried off to run her errands.
Lin Lu couldn't sit still either. She said to Shanhu, "Brother, you stay and continue eating. I'm going back first. We can't let this business opportunity slip away."
Although they are in retail, retail has the fastest response time.
Shanhu exclaimed "Ah!" but before he could say anything, his wife had already wiped her mouth and run away, leaving Shanhu completely helpless.
These days, women work way harder than men to earn money.
Shanhu had long realized that his wife's earning power had caught up with his.
Body-Shaping Pants have become incredibly popular.
The next day, newspapers and magazines published photos of Zhang Lili wearing Body-Shaping Pants. This trendy and figure-hugging outfit drew heavy criticism from many conservative older generations, who even believed that Zhang Lili's attire would lead young girls astray.
But this era is an era of resistance; the more something is criticized, the faster it becomes popular.
Lin Lu is quick to act.
Liang Ying received seventy or eighty calls in one day, all of which were orders for several hundred items at once.
Some people are willing to pay a high price to buy it.
Liang Ying discovered that the market was larger than she had imagined, and she found it hard to believe that such a pair of Body-Shaping Pants could generate so many orders.
She quickly found Lin Lu and said, "Lin Lu, we can't keep up with the orders here. Do you want to do this kind of business too?"
Lin Lu was taken aback. To be honest, seeing so many people wanting to buy Body-Shaping Pants these past couple of days, it would be a lie to say that Lin Lu didn't have any thoughts about it.
But she knew that there had to be boundaries in friendship, and she shouldn't interfere in her friends' business dealings.
"W-Will this work? If you're too busy, I'll find a way to help you."
Liang Ying pulled Lin Lu down to sit and poured her a cup of tea. "You've really picked up some honesty from being around Shanhu. We're both in business, and let me tell you the truth: our Body-Shaping Pants are so popular, others will definitely follow suit. Instead of letting others make money, why don't we let our own people do it? How about this: go find a clothing factory, I can give you the sample, you can have them produce them, and then you can sell the goods. What do you think?"
Doing this is essentially feeding Lin Lu right up to her mouth.
If Lin Lu were to say no, she would be truly foolish.
She nodded emphatically, "I won't take your design for nothing. How about this, I'll do the contract manufacturing, and you can use our trademark. I'll give you five yuan per garment."
Liang Ying felt a surge of warmth in her heart; this was a good friend of her and her husband.
Only a friend like that could be so kind.
"What five yuan? If you really want to give me five yuan, three yuan at most. I don't want any more!"
"Alright!"
Lin Lu wasn't one to dawdle, so after discussing it with Liang Ying, she handed over the shop's affairs to her sister and went to the clothing factory to take orders.
The sudden surge in popularity of Body-Shaping Pants kept Liang Ying and Lin Lu extremely busy.
Although Lin Lianhua didn't know exactly how much money they made, she knew that Liang Ying and the others must have made a lot of money just by looking at the Gu Family was ordering more and more diverse takeout dishes every day.
Lin Lianhua was so angry she was about to vomit blood.
She was puzzled. She had clearly instructed Manager Wen to cut off the supply to Liang Ying, so why were Liang Ying's orders still coming in continuously?
Liang Ying kindly explained this issue when she ran into her.
"Lianhua, we really have to thank you this time." Liang Ying smiled and even stuffed a Youtiao stick into Da Bao's hand.
Lin Lianhua tried desperately to signal to her son with her eyes, but Song Dabao only had Youtiao for the fried dough sticks and was busy eating Youtiao, so he didn't have time to pay attention to his mother's gaze.
"Liang Ying, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Lin Lianhua feigned ignorance and answered with a smile.
Liang Ying glanced at her and laughed, "It's okay if you don't understand. Anyway, it's a good thing the factory wouldn't sell to me, so I thought of stocking up. And just by chance, these Body-Shaping Pants became a huge hit. I really didn't expect my luck to turn around so quickly."
What??
Lin Lianhua's face turned almost green.
He had unexpectedly helped Liang Ying make a fortune!
"By the way, and thanks to you, we've been getting cheaper supplies than others. You don't know, the price of Spandex fabric has gone up really fast these past few days. Luckily, we placed our order early, when it was cheaper. Otherwise, if we bought it at the current price, the cost would probably be much higher."
Seeing Lin Lianhua's expression, Liang Ying felt a sense of satisfaction.
After saying this, she patted Lin Lianhua on the shoulder and said, "Lin Lianhua, next time there's a good thing like this, you must help me."
Lin Lianhua so angry she felt like she was going to grind her teeth to powder.
Liang Ying felt even more relieved.
Although she didn't know how Lin Lianhua got Manager Wen to agree to help, she figured it wasn't some underhanded tactic; it was nothing more than coercion and enticement.
She can't do anything about them now, but she'll settle the score with them when the opportunity arises!
"Have you packed everything? If you get sick from the change in water and soil when you get to Shandong, just mix some of this soil with water and drink it."
As the saying goes, a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. Even though Gu Jinshui is quite old, He Chunlian was still a little worried. She pulled Gu Jinshui aside and instructed him, "You have to behave yourself. This time you're going out without Shanhu to help you, so don't do anything reckless."
Gu Jinshui cast a pleading look at Liang Ying.
Liang Ying, suppressing a laugh, said, "Yes, Mom is absolutely right. You're out there all by yourself, and all the people you go with are teachers and professors, each one older than you. You'd better be careful and not cause any trouble."
"Okay, I'll definitely behave myself this time."
Gu Jinshui had no choice but to pat his chest and promise.
I accidentally let slip about what happened in Xi'an last time, and my mother and daughter-in-law found out that those guys had weapons. The whole family was terrified.
Bullets don't discriminate; if they hit someone, even if they're taken to the hospital, they might not survive.
He Chunlian was still worried, so when she saw him off at the station, she said to Professor Bai, "Professor Bai, you can use my son as you please, just don't let him go out and wander around aimlessly!"
Professor Bai glanced at Gu Jinshui, and seeing his menacing wink, he knew what was going on. "Alright, don't worry, there are strict rules for this business trip. No one is allowed to leave without permission; everyone must report to their superiors."
"That's right, when you're out and about, you have to follow the leader's orders."
He Chunlian felt much relieved.
She didn't believe a word her son said; that wild monkey had never been honest with her since he was a child.
"Beep beep beep..."
The sound of a train starting could be heard from the platform.
As the saying goes, "Even a thousand miles of farewell must come to an end." He Chunlian and the others watched as Gu Jinshui helped Professor Bai into the car. He Chunlian felt a pang of sadness, and she subtly wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
Liang Ying understood the old lady. She wasn't the kind of person who was happy only when her children were around her all the time. It was just that it was really dangerous outside, and Jin Shui was not a well-behaved child. Even if the old lady was worried about her a thousand times, she still had to send people out.
"Mom, actually, if you ask me," Liang Ying pretended not to see the old lady's tears, "our family can never get together. If we really have the chance, we should all go on a trip together, relax, and not make a fortune only to have people say, 'I just wandered around Beijing,'"
"That's a good idea."
He Chunlian was somewhat tempted. "If Yin Xing and the others are free, we can go together. We can even bring Old Master Yan along. We're not short of money now; we should enjoy ourselves."
Gu Yousi listened to their chatter, even though it was just everyday talk, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
She said, "Bring Grandpa Lan and Little Lan along too."
He Chunlian and Liang Ying were taken aback.
Liang Ying laughed and said, "We have to tell Xiao Lin this; he'll be overjoyed if he finds out!"
As it turns out...
Liang Ying really overestimated Lan Lin.
Ever since Lan Lin learned that Gu Yousi planned to take the whole family on a trip and bring him and his Grandpa along, he has been extremely accommodating to Gu Yousi.
Sure enough, school had just ended, and the two children had just put their schoolbags down.
Gu Yousi said she wanted to eat roasted sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were especially sweet this time of year. They were steaming hot when they were taken out of the fire pit. She tossed them back and forth between her hands, peeled off the skin, and the red flesh inside was caramelized and sweet.
It's strange, but sweet potatoes are available all year round, yet roasted sweet potatoes seem to taste especially good in Fuyubi.
The two children bought six.
Gu Yousi was an impatient person, so she ate as she walked, while Lan Lin carried the roasted sweet potatoes and would occasionally wipe her mouth with a handkerchief.
In the words of He Chunlian, the elderly lady who is about to star in the late Qing Dynasty drama "Palace Grudge," her meticulousness was just like serving a master.
"Let me get it for you, you eat it."
Gu Yousi, unusually feeling a pang of conscience, was willing to do the hard work and reached out to take the bag.
Lan Lin said, "No need, I won't eat it. I'll give you mine later."
Gu Yousi glanced at Xiao Lan Lin silently.
Lan Lin seemed to think she was unhappy, and quickly said, "Then I'll eat when I get back."
"Xiao Lin, if you keep indulging me like this, I'll really take advantage of you."
Gu Yousi earnestly explained the reasoning to him.
As a self-proclaimed mature "elder," she felt obligated to give the child a moral lesson. "You shouldn't always think about others; you should also think about yourself. If you don't want to eat, you should have said so from the beginning."
"But I didn't think about anyone else, I only thought about you."
Lan Lin scratched his head, looking puzzled.
Gu Yousi was momentarily speechless at those words. "But aren't you tired doing this?"
"I'm not tired at all, I'm very happy."
Lan Lin's appearance already showed signs of mixed race; his eyes were very dark, and his eyelashes were thick and curled. Even in the simple school uniform of the Second Elementary School, he was still the focus of attention in a crowd. "I like being with Niuniu."
Niuniu Niu--
Gu Yousi looked up at the sky and sighed.
Well, how should I put it?
There's a saying that goes, "You can refuse animal performances, but you can't refuse animals that insist on performing."
"Sure, as long as you don't think there's a problem."
Gu Yousi was very easygoing.
The worry in Lan Lin's eyes finally dissipated like a dark cloud. He took Gu Yousi's hand and said, "Niuniu, did someone say something? Don't believe them. I'm just joking around with them; I'm only really joking around with you."
Gu Yousi: "..."