A big order comes knocking

When she saw the result, the young woman covered her mouth in surprise and looked at Shen Tao.

"Young man, has your mouth been blessed? I really won first prize!" The young woman laughed with delight.

Shen Tao had not expected his words to be so accurate either. He scratched his head sheepishly. "Comrade, that was your own good luck. I was just saying it."

"Hehe, thanks anyway!" The young woman checked the first-prize reward: one pair of stockings.

"I'm so lucky! I looked at these stockings just now, and they cost fifteen yuan a pair!" The young woman handed the first-prize slip to Shen Moxi. "Boss, I won first prize, a pair of stockings. Could you get me a pair?"

Shen Moxi took a look, then glanced at her in surprise. "Miss, your luck is incredible! All these people, and nobody had drawn first prize yet. You got it on your very first try! Wait here, I'll get it for you."

She went over to one side, picked out a pair of stockings, and handed them to her. "Here. When you go out in a skirt, wear these with high heels. You'll look even prettier, and they'll make your legs look smooth and fair."

The young woman took them and happily shook Shen Moxi's hand. "Thank you, boss! I'll be going now. I'll come often and bring my friends along."

"All right, take care. Thank you for appreciating the clothes in our little shop." Shen Moxi waved and saw her out.

The people in the shop had seen how beautiful that young woman looked in her outfit and matching heels. Changing her clothes had practically turned her into a different person. She really could rival the stars in the newspapers.

The young women who had not yet decided whether to buy anything immediately picked out the styles they liked and went to try them on. Many of them were unmarried, and they had to look beautiful to find a good match.

Another reason was that they all wanted to win first prize. Seeing those stockings on the mannequin made them envious. They were so beautiful. But fifteen yuan a pair was outrageously expensive.

Quite a few young women who worked in factories picked out two or three outfits along with high heels, then went to draw from the red envelopes hanging above.

Although the stockings were expensive, there were plenty of people with money, and quite a few pairs sold too.

Shen Moxi could not help marveling: women's ability to shop and splurge really transcended eras. There was no shortage of shopping-crazy women anywhere.

The whole morning was a bustle of activity. Whenever customers picked out the coordinated outfits on the wall, Shen Moxi hurried to put together more and hang them up.

Children's clothes did not sell much, because very few married women came shopping. Many could not bear to spend the money, unless their families were truly well-off.

After eleven, the crowd thinned, with only a few scattered customers coming in to browse.

Wang Xiaoxia saw that there were not many people and that it was getting late, so she wanted to go cook.

She found Shen Moxi and spoke to her. Seeing that it really was time and there were fewer customers, Shen Moxi let her go, telling her where the vegetables, seasonings, and other things were. Still a little uneasy, she had Shen Yuan go upstairs to help.

Shen Moxi and Song Qi straightened the clothes and shoes that had been left in disarray. Wherever the stock had thinned considerably, they brought more out of the little storeroom and put it on display.

After twelve, there were no customers left in the shop. Wang Xiaoxia had just finished cooking, and Shen Yuan came downstairs to call them.

"Little sister, you all go eat first and rest afterward. I'll watch the shop and eat last. We'll still be relying on you when it gets busy this afternoon." Shen Yuan sat in the chair behind the checkout counter.

"All right, eldest brother, we'll go eat first. We'll hurry back down when we're done and rest a little, so second brother can go up and eat." Shen Moxi nodded.

They went upstairs and washed their hands and faces, instantly feeling refreshed. They had spent the whole morning rushing around and were drenched in sweat.

Wang Xiaoxia had made three dishes and a soup.

Seeing them come in, she wiped her hands and brought them chopsticks. "My cooking is nothing special, so you'll have to make do."

"We're lucky to have food at all. Your cooking is good, sister-in-law. This looks really appetizing. You're being too modest." Shen Moxi took the chopsticks and sat down.

"Yes, my wife's cooking is pretty good. It isn't as good as little sister's, but it's better than Mom's." Shen Tao nodded.

They sat down and hurried through their meal so they would have more time to rest afterward. The busy morning had left them exhausted.

After the meal, Song Qi volunteered to take the bowls and chopsticks and wash them. Shen Moxi and the others went downstairs to relieve Shen Yuan so he could eat.

Sitting in the chair, Shen Moxi wondered whether she should get a few folding recliners to keep here, so they could lie down on the first floor for a short rest at noon when things were busy.

They rested until around two, when customers started coming in.

Children's clothes sold much better in the afternoon. It seemed some of the people who had left that morning had spread the word, which came as quite a surprise to Shen Moxi.

Quite a few customers were buying gifts and asked for prettier wrapping, while a smaller number brought their own children to shop.

One look at the clothes of those who brought children told her they were not short of money. Shen Moxi attended to these customers herself, choosing the clothes that suited their children best. She would pick out three or four outfits at a time for them to try on, complete with children's sandals or little hats.

The result was easy to imagine. When the children saw how good they looked in everything, they would wheedle to take it all home. Even the smallest purchases were one or two outfits.

They arrived empty-handed and left with empty wallets ╭☞( ￣ ▽￣)╭☞.

A particularly unusual customer came that afternoon, and a big client at that, bringing Shen Moxi's little shop an unexpected windfall.

Sometime after three, an elegant woman of about thirty came in and went straight to Shen Moxi.

"You're the owner of this shop, aren't you? I heard you design all the clothes you sell here yourself. Could I ask you to design some clothes for us?"

Shen Moxi looked at her in surprise, then nodded. "Of course. Let's sit over here and discuss it in detail."

Shen Moxi led her to the little table beside the glass wall and sat down with her.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Sun Xibai. Xi as in stream, and bai as in white. I'm the head of a performing arts troupe. We have an important performance in two months, so our costume requirements are very high. I've tried many places without finding anything satisfactory. I heard your clothing designs were beautiful, so I came to you," Sun Xibai said with a smile.

Shen Moxi nodded. "My name is Shen Moxi. Just call me Xiao Xi. My xi is written with the water radical beside the character for evening, as in sunset. We have quite a connection."

Sun Xibai nodded too. "Haha, we certainly do. I'm older than you, so just call me Sister Sun."

Shen Moxi took a pen and paper out of her shoulder bag. "Sister Sun, designing clothes is no problem. Could you tell me what kind of acts you're performing? Singing, dancing, or something else?"

"We have two acts. One is a women's chorus singing 'Sing a Mountain Song to the Party,' a song praising the motherland. I'm the conductor. The other is a dance, 'Bless the Motherland.'"

Shen Moxi rubbed her chin after listening. "Do you use any props for the dance? Fans, little red flags, or anything like that?"

Sun Xibai smiled. "We carry fresh flowers."

"I haven't seen your dance. If I design something like this and it ends up being a poor match for the choreography, it won't look good either." Shen Moxi scratched her head.

"I'll tell you roughly what style we need, and you can design it from there. The gowns need full skirts, and they should look neat, beautiful, and one of a kind." Sun Xibai took her hand.