Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 67 Experiencing Much Leads to Broad Knowledge

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The clothing stalls were all made of four-point iron pipes with buckles, and the facade was covered with wire mesh. All the clothes and other items were hung on the wire mesh with clothes hangers. When it was time to close the stall, the clothes were taken down, the iron pipes were unscrewed with the buckles, and the clothes scattered into a pile. They could be tied up with rope, and it didn't take up much space.

The shoe stall had no shelves; instead, it used a stepped display stand made of wooden planks, with samples arranged in layers.

Selling electronics is the simplest; some sellers even just lay a carpet on the floor, put the products on it, and start selling.

The stalls vary in size, with the largest being seven or eight meters wide and the smallest only one meter wide, enough for one person to sit in the back.

As everyone walked around, Chen Hui and Li Na explained the techniques for bargaining at the market. These country bumpkins had never seen anything like this before; they were a bunch of walking ATMs, and if they were to buy things themselves, they would all get ripped off.

"These shoes, you know, they only cost thirty yuan to get in Nanta, but they sell for two or three hundred. Ask around, how much do they want? Two hundred and forty? See? So when you buy something, you have to roughly figure out where they get their stock from, and then set a price in your mind based on the general quality. You can't stop people from making money, right? For shoes like these, if you ask for fifty, they definitely won't sell them, but a hundred is too much. Eighty yuan is about right. They can make a profit by taking fifty cents from each pair of shoes, so they can sell them."

"If you happen to be there just before they close up shop, you can sometimes snag a pair for sixty. They're going to close up shop anyway, so every little bit helps. Don't rush to buy anything right when they open, it's hard to negotiate the price."

"You can't let people know what you really want to buy. If you rush over to anything that looks interesting, you're just offering yourself up to be ripped off. Forget about bargaining; you'll be lucky if they don't raise the price."

"If you don't understand, don't say anything. Just bargain. Fifty, if you don't sell it to me, I'll offer seventy. If you still don't sell it to me, I'll offer eighty. If you still don't sell it, just turn around and leave. Either come back in a while, or forget it and buy it next time. The more you talk, the more you'll reveal your true colors."

"If you really don't understand something, you can look at it. There are always people who want to buy it and bargain. Just listen quietly for a while, and then serve the food according to the picture."

"If you're unsure about the price of something you want to buy, don't touch it. Wait for someone else to buy it. When they're bargaining, you step in and say, 'Can you lower the price a bit? I'll buy it too, let's buy together.' Don't say anything else, just let the buyer be the main one. That's the easiest way to bargain, because the boss is afraid you'll leave. And that's not just one thing, it could be two items if you leave."

"The rarer something is, the more you should act like you don't care, understand? Look at other things, just ask casually, haggle over a price, and the shopkeeper's attention is all on the item in your hand. He thinks, 'Since you don't really want to buy it, I'll take it as soon as possible.' That's how people are. If you don't care, he'll be happy to sell it to you cheaply, feeling like he got a good deal and made another sale."

"Don't make absolute statements. If you don't think the price is right, just leave, or you can try to negotiate for a while. But don't say things like 'it's too expensive, the boss is too greedy, I won't buy unless the price is lowered.' If you say that, the boss will remember you for a month. Unless you find something else at another store, you definitely won't get a cheap deal from him."

"The profit margin for clothing is not as high as you might think. You can usually bargain down to a little over half the price. But for shoes, you can bargain down a bit more. People say that shoe sellers don't even cut the price in half; they still make a profit on the instep, let alone the ankle. Clothes are different."

"The smaller and more fragmented the item, the more money it actually makes. Take ear picks, for example, they cost 50 cents each, aren't they cheap? They make more than 40 cents profit on each one. Do the math, how much profit do you make? Buttons, the better ones cost a dollar each, and their cost to buy them is only a few cents. The cheap buttons are sold by weight, so you can't calculate the cost."

"How do you know all this? How did you find out?" Xiao Wei finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Go for a stroll around Wu'ai South Tower and the West Gate when you have time, go shopping more often, you'll gradually realize that staying at home all the time will only make you dumber, you know?"

At that moment, Xiao Wei realized that seeing and hearing more was also an advantage, a resource, and could save money.

They chatted and laughed as they strolled around for about an hour. Finally, Xiao Hong bought the sweater she liked and also bought two sweaters for Xiao Wei. With the help of Sister Jin and Li Na, Xiao Wei bought two sets of clothes for Xiao Hong.

Xia Maosheng bought a pair of shoes, while Jin Jie and Li Na didn't find anything they liked and didn't buy anything. Chen Hui, Li Guangzhao, Yang Tiebin, Xia Maosheng, and Luo Qinghe each got a lighter. With it almost ten o'clock, everyone headed home.

Upon arriving at the Cultural Palace, everyone said goodbye. Some went upstairs, and some went downstairs. Only Xiaowei, Chen Hui, and Xiaohong had to brave the wind and walk back. Chen Hui said, "It's so painful. I feel like I'm getting ripped off by coming here."

There was nothing he could do; he dared not not go home tonight, as his father was definitely waiting for him and had something to say.

Xiao Wei led Xiao Hong, and Chen Hui rode Xiao Hong's Kun bike. The three of them chased each other towards Nanhu. It was getting cold, and Chen Hui's motorcycle was already in the garage. Riding this in the cold wasn't just showing off; it was swagger.

When he got home, Chen Hui went straight upstairs. He was actually quite uneasy. Although he said he was fine, only he knew the fear in his heart when he actually walked home. This was a habit he had developed since childhood. The closer he got to home, the greater the psychological pressure became. He even felt his buttocks start to hurt when he entered the door.

Chinese parenting traditions emphasize the importance of discipline and discipline, and there's always some truth to what our ancestors left us. When raising children, there needs to be someone in the family whom the child genuinely fears, even if it's just a facade. Did fathers in the past not like their children? Did they not love them? Did they not want to enjoy the pleasures of raising children? No, because what has been passed down from generation to generation is that a father must be authoritative and instill fear in his children.

This kind of family education model has its advantages; it's a good thing that people have fears, so they always have something to consider and can't go too far wrong. However, this model has a side effect: never let such grandparents raise their grandchildren.

He had to restrain his emotions in front of his son and maintain the image of a "fierce father." But when he had his grandson, he doted on him immensely. This is the love between grandparents and grandchildren. They poured the love of two generations into one. How could they not spoil him? So it's best not to rely on grandparents to raise children for too long when they are young. Even good children can develop problems from being spoiled.

Xiaowei and Xiaohong opened the door and went inside. As soon as they entered, Xiaohong exclaimed "Eh!", changed her shoes, and ran inside.

A moment later, Xiao Hong's little face popped out of the bedroom door and she called out, "The heating is on! The heating is on!"

Xiao Wei went over and touched it; it was really hot. He scratched his head and said, "Why so early? I remember we were given supplies in the eleventh month, right? Why are they being given supplies so early here in Fengtian?" Although he was puzzled, it was true that the room was warm. The chill that had accumulated along the way was no match for the heating.