The rubber factory gates were already open, and the early arrivals rode their bicycles inside. Quite a few turned back for a curious look at their stall.
But they were all men, without such a strong urge to shop. They would have to rely on the women for this.
There was a small market behind the rubber factory where people bought breakfast and groceries in the morning. Several women on their way to buy groceries stopped at the sight of the clothes on the mannequin.
"Hey, Lili, look how pretty those clothes are! Just like the stars in the newspapers."
"Yes, they're lovely. They must be expensive, right? Judging by the styles, even our local department store might not have them."
"Pfft, Xiaomei, didn't you see the sign up there? Those are the prices. I checked, and they're cheaper than the department store. Shall we go take a look?"
"Yes, Sister Mei, let's go have a look. None of us are fat, and we're about the same height as her mannequin, right?"
The women came over to Shen Moxi's stall, chatting and laughing.
Shen Moxi had caught some of their conversation. Seeing them approach, she immediately went over in excitement.
"Come take a look at the clothes, ladies. They're all the latest styles I designed myself," Shen Moxi introduced them with a smile.
"They look very nice. Your marked prices aren't expensive at all," one of the women said with a smile after checking the prices.
"That's right. I don't have a storefront, after all. It's my first day running the stall, so I'm selling them a little cheaper to attract some repeat customers." Shen Moxi nodded with a smile.
"Hey, Lili, this red one is pretty. It'll suit your complexion. Aren't you going to a gathering in a few days? Wear this, and you're sure to dazzle them," Xiaomei said with a smile, pointing at the red dress and looking at the woman named Lili.
"It is very nice. Twenty yuan each-that's cheaper than the department store, too." Lili nodded.
"If you like it, you can hold it up by the mirror and see how it looks. You have fair skin, so red will look especially lovely on you." Shen Moxi quickly went over, took down the red dress, and handed it to her.
"Yes, come over and take a look. This one leaves your neck showing just right. Put on the necklace your boyfriend gave you, and you're sure to look as pretty as a movie star." Xiaomei pulled her over to the mirror.
Lili shyly held the dress against herself and looked in the mirror, turning this way and that. The style really was very nice. She could already imagine how lovely it would look with that necklace.
Lili nodded. "I wear the smallest size in this dress. Could you get one and wrap it up for me?"
Shen Moxi happily took it from her. "Of course. Would you like anything else? I also have leggings here. Wear a pair under this dress, and you won't have to worry about accidentally exposing yourself. Pair it with little leather shoes like these, and you'll be a thoroughly fashionable lady."
Having forgotten about shopping bags, Shen Moxi began talking about the other clothes to divert the pretty women's attention. She contacted Xiao Tao and ordered a hundred shopping bags, planning to take them out later while pretending to search the boxes.
"Look, the mannequin is wearing the outfit I put together: a dress with leggings underneath and little leather shoes. How chic!" Shen Moxi pointed at the mannequin beside them.
After looking for a long while, she nodded as though she had finally made up her mind. "Get me those black leggings. For the leather shoes, I want the same ankle boots as the mannequin, size 37."
"Of course! I'll wrap them up for you now." Delighted, Shen Moxi walked over to the clothes rack and took down a pair of black leggings. She found a pair of size 37 leather ankle boots among the shoes, then waved a hand to take out the shopping bags and put them in the cardboard box. She packed the leggings and dress in one bag and the shoes in another.
"Here you are. Twenty yuan for the dress, thirty for the leather shoes, and eight for the leggings. That's fifty-eight yuan altogether." Shen Moxi smiled and handed over the bags.
Lili took them, pulled out her money, counted out fifty-eight yuan, and handed it to her.
Shen Moxi accepted it. Seeing a young woman carry so much money on an outing, she wondered just how much money her family had. That was seriously rich.
"I'd like to buy one too, but I haven't brought enough money. Could you hold one for me?" a woman named A Fang asked, looking at the mustard-yellow and blue color-block dress.
"Of course. I'll probably leave in the afternoon, so you can come at noon." Shen Moxi nodded.
"Great, thank you so much. The smallest size will do for me, too." A Fang nodded gratefully.
The woman named Meizi took a fancy to a dress and a trench coat and reserved both, planning to come back with the others at noon to collect them.
Once they had left, Shen Moxi jumped up happily with the banknotes in her hand. "Song Qi, look! We made money!"
Song Qi smiled and took them. "Yes, you're amazing. They all like the clothes you designed."
After that, many workers arrived one after another. Quite a few stopped to admire the beautiful clothes. Many women went over to touch and examine them, and some men came to look as well.
"Will you still be here at noon? Can I come buy some after work?"
"Keep these pieces for me. We'll come out to collect them after work."
"Excuse me..."
Shen Moxi was incredibly excited inside, but her expression was exceptionally calm. She smiled and clapped her hands. "Everyone, I'll still be here at noon. If there's anything you want, just come over after work. We won't leave until the afternoon."
"Good, then let's hurry to work. We're almost late. We'll come back after work." Hearing this, those who wanted to buy hurried off to work.
Throughout the morning, quite a few women passing by stopped to look. Although the prices were much lower than in the department store, many still found them expensive. Some single young women, especially those about to get married, steeled themselves and bought something.
Over the course of the morning, they sold another two trench coats, three dresses, five pairs of leggings, two pairs of leather shoes, and a men's shirt and trousers set. The last was bought by a young man going on a blind date.
Once the crowd thinned, Shen Moxi bought two small self-heating hot pots, a box of self-heating rice, a bread roll, and four bottles of water from the system.
Song Qi was hungry by then, too. He counted the money, recorded the amount, and put it in the bag. Seeing what Shen Moxi had taken out, he walked over curiously. "What's this?"
"Something delicious. Come sit down, and I'll show you how to eat it." Shen Moxi closed up a cardboard box, spread a sheet of newspaper over it, and set the food on top.
She tore open the packaging of the little hot pots and rice and opened the lids. "This is a small self-heating hot pot, and this is self-heating rice. You don't need a fire to cook them. Just add water to this bottom layer and wait fifteen minutes."
"What's hot pot? We don't have it where I'm from." Song Qi curiously picked one up and examined it.
"I'll open it up and show you." Shen Moxi opened all the packets and poured the ingredients into the top layer.
"There are glass noodles, vegetables, and meat in here. It's delicious. I used to sneak one occasionally." Shen Moxi swallowed.