Chapter 259: Chapter 256: Stocking Up (Part 2)

Moving forward, they picked up some woolen overcoats, jackets, trousers for men and women, more wool coats, and jackets. They also got some silk-padded jackets, machine-knit acrylic sweaters, and wool-blend sweaters—some for layering and some to be worn on their own.

Machine-knit sweaters were bestsellers in department stores back then. They were uniform, tight, and finely woven, looking leagues better than anything knit by hand.

Lin Lan wasn’t satisfied with the color or material of the sweaters from the first few stalls they had visited. She found the colors too monotonous.

They were almost all purple, red, black, white, or cream, and she felt they weren’t soft or warm enough.

The three of them walked up to a stall selling sweaters and noticed that while the others were packed with people, this one only had two or three customers buying stock.

Lin Lan went over to feel the fabric and discovered their sweaters were light, soft, and warm. More importantly, the styles were more elegant and attractive than those at the other stalls.

After watching the two customers pay, she asked about the price. She discovered that for what it cost to buy two sweaters elsewhere, you could only buy one here. No wonder the other stalls were overflowing with people while this one was so quiet.

The owner glanced at the three of them. “My goods are a bit pricier than the others, but I’m selling quality. Buy from me once, and I guarantee you’ll be back for more.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a middle-aged man who was buying stock. “If you don’t believe me, ask Boss Zhu. This is his third time restocking from me.”

Boss Zhu nodded and chuckled. “My third time, and you still won’t cut me a break on the price.”

The owner laughed and patted him. “Boss Zhu, you make at least a threefold profit on each piece. Don’t try to haggle with me!”

Boss Zhu gave a wry smile. “If I couldn’t make that much, I wouldn’t even come. The travel is expensive, not to mention unsafe.”

Lin Lan examined a few more pieces and concluded that while his goods were pricey, the quality and styles were genuinely excellent.

She discussed it with Li Xiangyang, and they picked out several colors. After Boss Zhu left, she haggled with the owner and managed to get the price down by fifty cents per piece.

Liu Da picked up a slate-blue sweater and felt the material. “Nice. Grab a couple extra. I’ll take them back with me.”

“Alright, Uncle Da.” Lin Lan turned to Li Xiangyang. “You pick out a couple, too. Get two for Uncle Li and everyone at home.”

Li Xiangyang nodded. “And let’s get a couple for Dongzi and Ding Bang, too.”

Black, slate-blue, ochre, dark brown, navy blue… Lin Lan got a full run of sizes for the men’s sweaters in each of these colors.

Lin Lan paid, but just as the three of them were about to leave, a delivery arrived.

“Hey Boss, wait up! I just got a shipment of women’s sweaters. You all should take a look and see if there’s anything you like.”

The owner said this as he dragged over a large sack. With two quick snips of his scissors, he cut the packing twine and pulled out several brightly colored women’s sweaters.

He gave them a few shakes and laid them flat on the stall for the three of them to see. “Just arrived. These are the latest styles. I also have some made from a blended thread. The price for the blended ones, in particular, is an absolute steal.”

“Let me see. If the price is right, I’ll take a few.”

“Don’t you worry, the price is absolutely right,” the owner said, quoting the prices.

After Lin Lan negotiated a price with the owner, Li Xiangyang picked up a light purple crewneck sweater and a delicate, sky-blue one. “These two are the prettiest,” he said to Lin Lan. “Get them for yourself so you have something to change into.”

Lin Lan nodded, picking out some solid-color crewnecks, some small-collared sweaters with two-tone woven patterns, and some embroidered ones.

Li Xiangyang and Liu Da stuffed the goods into their sacks. The two large sacks they had brought with them were now filled to the brim.

Seeing the exhaustion on Liu Da’s face, Lin Lan said to Li Xiangyang, “Let’s take this load back to the guest house and grab another sack.”

“Good idea, my feet are killing me,” Liu Da said, helping to hoist one of the large bags onto his back. “Lin Lan, you take the small one.”

“Thanks, Uncle Da.” Lin Lan carried one bag while Li Xiangyang shouldered the other. The three of them returned to the guest house, panting for breath.

Li Xiangyang put the goods in the room where Liu Da was staying. “Uncle Da, you get some sleep. Little Lan and I are going to get more stock.”

Liu Da nodded. “Don’t be out too late. We still have to go to the warehouse to inspect that shipment in the morning.”

“Right,” Li Xiangyang replied. He took the backpack Lin Lan was wearing, and the two of them headed back to the night market.

They bought trench coats, gabardine jackets, women’s suits, white blouses, wool skirts… and even two electric irons.

On the way back, Lin Lan also picked up some ties, leather belts for dress pants, sheer scarves, silk scarves, and wool scarves.

Li Xiangyang had a huge sack of goods on his back and a canvas bag in his hand. Lin Lan’s sack was also stuffed full, and she was carrying a canvas bag as well.

All four of the large cloth sacks they had brought were now full. The two canvas bags had been a gift from one of the wholesale vendors.

Hearing Lin Lan panting, Li Xiangyang quickened his pace and moved in front of her to clear a path.

Lin Lan hitched the straps of her sack higher onto her shoulders and followed Li Xiangyang back.

Back at the guest house, Li Xiangyang took their thermoses downstairs. He bought two packs of cookies, then went to get two flasks of boiling water. Seeing Lin Lan hunched over and sorting through their receipts, he said, “Little Lan, come wash up and eat something. You can deal with that tomorrow.”

Lin Lan nodded, tucked the receipts into her backpack, and looked at Li Xiangyang. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving!” Li Xiangyang handed her a hot washcloth and pulled her into a chair. “Hurry and wash up. I bought some cookies.”

Lin Lan took the towel and washed her face. Seeing him sitting on the edge of the bed watching her, she gave him a mock glare. “We have to be at the warehouse early tomorrow. Go wash up, have some cookies, and get to sleep.”p>

Remembering how she had been traveling for days and was already exhausted, on top of going straight to the market, Li Xiangyang suppressed the urges stirring within him. He stood up, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a kiss. “The washroom is the room at the end of the hall. You can brush your teeth and wash up in there. Do you want to go?”

“Mhm.” Lin Lan nodded. She opened a pack of cookies, handed one to him, then put her towel, toothbrush, and toothpaste into a porcelain basin and left the room.

Li Xiangyang stood at the door with the cookie, watching her go.

When Lin Lan returned with her basin, he reminded her, “Wedge a chair against the door before you go to sleep. If you hear anything, yell for me.”

Lin Lan stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I know. Now hurry up and go to sleep.”

Li Xiangyang pulled her into a hug and murmured, “Sigh… you’re so exhausted, and we’re away from home… I guess I’ll let you off the hook tonight.” With that, he opened the door and went next door.

Liu Da opened the door, a sly grin on his face. “I thought you were staying with your wife tonight!”

Li Xiangyang rolled his eyes at him. “We have our whole lives for that. Little Lan spent days on a train, and then she was busy until midnight the moment we arrived. A man has to know how to dote on his own wife.”

Liu Da shuffled over to his bed, quickly dove under the covers, and poked his head out. His voice was muffled as he said to Li Xiangyang, “Doting on your wife must be a family tradition. It’s a shame I don’t have a daughter.”

Li Xiangyang shot him a smug look. “Wait until you have a granddaughter. She can marry my son.”

Liu Da laughed. “Not a bad idea. But we’ll see if I have a grandson first.”

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