Chapter 249 Business is Booming

Chapter 249: Business Boom

"Mr. Luo, Mr. Cai~"

Su An couldn't help but smile as she looked at the two stylish old men.

Mr. Cai's thinning hair was slicked back with precision, clearly styled with a lot of gel, and he wore a long black trench coat reminiscent of Xu Wenqiang from the TV show "Shanghai Beach."

Mr. Luo had short hair, no gel, but a large black pair of sunglasses perched on his head. His coat was unbuttoned, revealing a patterned low-collar cardigan and a shirt underneath.

The two old men strutted like peacocks showing off their feathers, fists clenched, thumbs up, waving their arms, swaying left and right to the music.

"Hurry up, we've been waiting forever!"

"Did you get the message Su Ping passed on to you yesterday? Did you bring the stuff?"

Su An stopped the tricycle and said, "Got it, got it, I brought everything!"

The crowd of elderly men and women immediately swarmed around her. "Girl, do you still have that big radio cassette recorder like Old Luo's?"

"How much is it? I want one too!"

"Hey, Old Luo said you have nylon stockings and detachable collars, the latest styles from the south—we want to see!"

"Hey, we can't afford the radio cassette recorder—do you have smaller radios that can play tapes and listen to the radio? How much are they?"

"Girl, I want to buy tapes, the one that goes, 'The light rain in March~ drip drip drip drip~'"

"Me too! I want that one, 'Lang Beng~ Lang Liu~ Dang Dang Dang Dang~'"

Amid the barrage of questions, Su An responded quickly while unloading the goods.

"Absolutely, the price varies depending on the style you choose. Nylon stockings are two yuan a pair, pick any; all the latest styles, best quality, guaranteed to last six or seven years without wearing out!"

"Small radios are also available—they can tune into multiple stations! Let me show you!"

Mr. Luo and Mr. Cai quickly squeezed in to help Su An unload the goods. "An An, we’ve already promised two of those big radio cassette recorders—you need to save them!"

Mr. Luo lowered his voice. "I’ll make sure you get a fair price. I quoted 799 yuan, selling to my eldest son's boss, whose child is getting married at the end of the month. The bride’s family wants a dual-cassette stereo recorder. They asked at the department store, Sharp is over 1700 yuan, and they’re out of stock. Yesterday, I showed this gem to my eldest son, just happened to meet him, and he begged me to save one for him!"

"The other one is for Mr. Cai's son-in-law who runs a restaurant! You need to save it for him. Yesterday we went to his place for dinner, he saw it and wants to put one in his shop!"

Su An nodded while unpacking the boxes. "Alright, I'll set these two aside!"

The goods imported from the south are sold at double the price. 799 seems like a steal to Su An. Tao's shop retails them for 310 yuan, and considering the long journey—not to mention the risks—transportation, time, food, lodging, shipping—aren’t those all costs?

So for the remaining two, Su An priced them at 860 yuan each.

Dual-cassette stereo radio cassette recorders are rare, and the ones with colored lights aren't even available in department stores.

Most of the old men and women strolling, playing chess, or doing tai chi in the sports park are retired from the system. Many of their children are still shining in major units, so they all have some spare money at home.

Caught up in the excitement, they were eager to spend.

"These nylon stockings are really nice, very elastic, thicker than those in the department store!"

"Hey, we’re all friends of Old Luo—can you cut us a deal?"

Su An smiled warmly, "Alright, since many of you have children and grandchildren at home, here's the deal: if you buy ten pairs at once, I'll throw in an extra pair for free!"

"If you don't need ten pairs at home, you can team up with others to buy ten pairs together, and I'll still give you an extra pair. That way, the price comes down to about one yuan and eighty cents per pair."

"Pretty good deal, right?"

Mr. Luo pretended to be shocked, "One yuan and eighty cents? Xiao Su, don't lose money just because of me. The pair of socks I'm wearing was just bought by my daughter at the department store for two yuan and fifty cents. The quality isn't as good as yours, and the design isn't as nice either!"

An old lady who was friends with Mr. Luo quickly cut in, "Old Luo, the girl has already agreed. She just promised us!"

"Yeah, yeah, my family's big. I can take ten pairs myself, and you can throw in an extra pair."

"I can't take that many. Is there anyone who can split with me? I can take four pairs."

"Then I'll split with you. I'll take six pairs, and whoever gets the extra pair can pay the other back."

Mr. Luo and Eldest Master Cai didn't need Su An to say anything; they just started helping out.

Su An pulled out a bunch of plastic bags she'd brought back from the south and quickly collected money and packed the items.

"What about the fake collars, girl? I want one."

"Okay, okay, just a sec, let's take it one thing at a time," Su An moved the sack of nylon stockings to Mr. Luo's side and started unpacking another box.

Fake collars, also known as saving collars, were invented in Shanghai a few years ago and quickly became popular nationwide. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, wanted to own a few.

Wearing a fake collar not only makes you look stylish and elegant, but you can also change the style every day. The best part is that they're easy to clean and can be removed and washed at any time.

Su An opened the box and began pulling out packages one by one, explaining as she went. "Hold on, everyone. Let me explain first."

She picked up a high-neck fake collar made of wool and put it around her neck, "This one is a high-neck fake collar, made of wool. I won't talk about the quality; you can feel it for yourselves later."

"See? It's warm and keeps the cold out. You don't even need a scarf. It's long enough to cover both shoulders. Compared to a sweater, it's just missing the lower half. When you wear it, it really steps up your look, making you seem more lively. Both men and women can wear it, and it's very elastic, suitable for kids as young as ten to elderly folks. There are three colors available, and the price is ten yuan!"

"I can't go any lower. I'm just making enough to cover my travel costs. I don't have many of these. If I were selling them elsewhere, I'd charge at least twelve yuan."

After taking off the high-neck wool fake collar, she moved the goods to Mr. Luo and Eldest Master Cai's side, and those who were interested went over to take a look.

Su An picked up another shirt collar and put it on herself, "This one is cheaper, only five yuan. The fabric looks high-end. If any of you have children working in offices, buy one of these for them. Wearing it under a suit or a sweater instantly makes them look like a big shot, boosting their presence!"

"And then there's this ruffled one, perfect for young girls. Look, when I put this on and flip the collar out, doesn't it make me look more gentle, well-behaved, and cute? This style is just hitting the market and isn't available in City A yet. I didn't bring back many. The best part is, you can wear it inside out—it's double-sided. You can also use it as a neck scarf. Buy one, get two! This one's eight yuan each!"