“Anyway, I’m telling you—the dolls sell extremely well at Pacific Department Store. They go for 68 yuan each and are sold out constantly.”
The woman frowned and waved her hand. “No, no, I only sell fabric here, not dolls. You should try somewhere else.”
Jiang Luo stayed patient. “Please hear me out, sis. Take these and put them on your stall—you can sell them for 68 too.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card, and handed it over with the dolls. “If you think they’ll sell and want more later, just contact me. My pager number is on this card; call me on your landline, and I’ll call you back.”
“If you don’t sell them, the two dolls are yours—you can take them home for your child or sell them for whatever price you like.”
“Free? Really?”
The woman’s resistance melted at the word “free.” She took the dolls and looked at the card. “These dolls are pretty nice… Really the ones from Pacific Department Store? 68 yuan? That expensive?”
She spoke reluctantly, “Alright,” without promising whether she would actually sell them, and placed them in a corner of her stall.
Meanwhile, Wang Chuang was using the same pitch at his own stall. “Yes, free, no charge. Really! Go check Pacific Department Store—68 yuan each, I’m not lying.”
“Here, take my card—it has my pager number.”
In this way, Jiang Luo and Wang Chuang moved stall by stall, promoting the dolls.
By the time the small market closed at 8:30 p.m., both had emptied most of the dolls from their bags.
Wang Chuang, sweating profusely, wiped his forehead and groaned, “I used to think doing business was easy and a fast way to make money… today I get it. I’m exhausted; my lips are raw from talking so much.”
Jiang Luo asked, “So, how did it go?”
“Not bad. Most stalls took them since they were free. A few didn’t, so I just left.”
“And your side?” Wang Chuang asked.
“Fine,” Jiang Luo replied.
Nearby, a man was pushing a bicycle with an insulated box on the back, selling popsicles. Jiang Luo nodded toward him. “Let’s grab something cold—this heat is killing me.”
Eating their popsicles, Jiang Luo and Wang Chuang exchanged smiles.
Wang Chuang, still dripping with sweat, wiped his face while eating. “I’m melting out here.”
Jiang Luo laughed. “Silly.”
Wang Chuang grinned back. “So this is what doing business really feels like.”
Jiang Luo glanced at him. “Already complaining about a little hard work?”
Wang Chuang stretched his back, puffed out his chest, and shouted into the evening moonlight, “Work! That’s what business is!”
“If others won’t, I will!”
Jiang Luo laughed and teased, “You fool.”
Wang Chuang added, “I thought big money meant eating lobsters in style. Now I know… after running around all day, even a fifty-cent popsicle tastes sweet.”
Jiang Luo couldn’t help but chuckle—indeed, in this life, even the simplest treats felt sweet.
A woman in a bright pink top was walking toward the small market, holding the hand of a little girl of about four with pigtails.
As they walked, the woman said, “Sweetie, if it’s here and not too expensive, I’ll buy it for you. If it’s not here—or it’s 68 yuan, that’s too expensive—I can’t, okay?”
“Okay,” the little girl replied obediently.
The woman thought the dolls from Pacific Department Store were unlikely to appear in the small market, and 68 yuan seemed way too expensive for a single doll.
Yet, just as they entered, the little girl pointed excitedly ahead. “Mom! Dolls!”
The woman looked and saw two dolls—a blonde and a pink-haired one—placed in the corner of a fabric stall. Surprise lit her face.
She quickly led the girl over and asked the shopkeeper, who had just risen to greet them, “How much are these dolls? How do you sell them?”
The shopkeeper, recalling what the young man had said the day before about Pacific Department Store pricing, quickly answered, “Fifty.”
“Fifty? That’s expensive!” the woman exclaimed.
The shopkeeper, feeling it was indeed pricey for just one doll, shrugged. “What price would you like?”
The woman asked, “Can I see them?”
“Sure.”
The shopkeeper brought both dolls from the corner for the woman to examine.
The woman picked up the dolls and examined them closely—they were identical to the ones sold at Pacific Department Store. One even had the same dress, while the pink-haired doll looked just as nice, with an even prettier dress.
She bent down, holding both dolls out for the little girl. “Sweetie, which one do you like?”
The girl pointed at the pink-haired doll, her voice soft and excited. “Mom, I want this one.”
The woman smiled, affectionately ruffling her daughter’s hair, then straightened and addressed the shopkeeper. “How about a discount? 50 yuan is really too much—I’ll buy them, but it’s expensive.”
The shopkeeper shook her head, thinking, 50 isn’t expensive. Go check Pacific Department Store—they sell for 68.
The little girl chimed in, “Mom, they have one over there too.”
The woman looked over and saw that a nearby stall selling daily goods indeed had a pink-haired doll on display. She didn’t hesitate anymore—she took the pink-haired doll from her daughter’s hand and, along with the blonde doll she was holding, returned them to the shopkeeper.
Just as she was about to walk away toward the next stall, the shopkeeper quickly called out, “Wait! I’ll sell them to you for 20, 20 each.”
“Really? You don’t have to go anywhere else?”
“Sure. Others will definitely charge more. Take one for 20.”
The woman paused, thought for a moment, checked her pocket, and nodded. “Alright, 20 it is.”
The shopkeeper leaned out from her stall and handed the pink-haired doll to the little girl. “Here, sweetie, this is for you.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” the girl said, taking it.
The woman handed over the 20 yuan. The shopkeeper examined it briefly, nodded, and said, “Good.”
The woman walked away, holding her daughter’s doll.
Soon, another woman entered the market, heading straight for the fabric stall. “I heard you have a doll for 20, right?”
The shopkeeper had just sat down, but quickly stood up, surprised. No one had come for fabric today, yet the two dolls she gave away yesterday were already bringing in customers. She handed over the remaining blonde doll.
The woman looked it over and asked, “Do you have two?”
The shopkeeper regretted not getting more yesterday. “Just this one left.”
“I’ll take it,” the woman said, handing over 20 yuan, and walked to the next stall. “Hey, do you sell these dolls for 20 too?”
The man selling daily goods confirmed, “Yes, 20.” Thinking it was still pricey for a single doll, he added, What’s it made of? 20 yuan is a lot.
The woman paid, and he handed her a bag.
That day, many stalls in the small market sold the dolls for around 20 yuan.
Some nearby stall owners chatted:
“What kind of doll is this? 20 yuan and people are buying it? Just a toy—usually three to five yuan at most.”
“Have you heard? At Pacific Department Store, they sell for 68, and they’re sold out.”
“68? Really? That’s crazy.”
“Who cares? If it sells, it sells. I kept that young man’s card from yesterday—I’ll call him later to see how much he charges. Selling for 20, I’m making more than selling shoes.”
Meanwhile, one stall that specialized in children’s toys picked up the card and called the pager number from the market office.
After hanging up, the landline rang shortly after. The stall owner asked, “Are you the young man who gave me the dolls yesterday for free?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I want to place an order. Do you still have the dolls?”
“Ah, one doll is 15 now. That’s expensive. Can you give a discount?”
“Sure, okay, I’ll wait for you to come by.”
Around 3 p.m., when the small market was quiet, two tall, young men—one fat, one slim—entered, carrying woven bags and holding up blonde dolls.
“Who wants these dolls? Who wants to buy?”
“Limited quantity, so hurry!”
The fabric stall owner at the entrance saw the tall, slim, good-looking one and quickly raised her hand. “I want ten! Come over here, give me ten!”