Chapter 22: How Much Money Did You Make?

Lu Fan looked at the woman with a face full of humble smiles. She had already abandoned her habit of fanning herself with stacks of cash.

"Sister, I really can't teach you these tricks. I’m just an employee, and I have to follow the company’s arrangements."

"Your company must have some real experts! What’s your company called?"

"Our company is named... Vancl, I suppose."

"A clothing brand? How come I’ve never heard of it?"

"The company is too small and has no influence, so it’s normal that you haven’t heard of it."

"Oh, where is your company located? How much do you charge for wholesale shirts?"

"Our company is in the Baiyun District of Yangcheng. I am the market manager for Jiangcheng. The company uses a direct-sales model and does not do wholesale."

After saying this, Lu Fan prepared to leave with Bai Lu.

However, the woman stuck to him like a plaster and followed along: "Young man, you don't look very old, but I didn't expect you to be a market manager. Does that mean you call all the shots here in Jiangcheng? You must have a lot of power."

Lu Fan really wanted to say: "You’re mistaken, I’m already quite 'big' in that regard."

"As the market manager, I am responsible for the Jiangcheng market, but right now, I only have her as an assistant. I don't really have much power."

"Hehe, you two are a young couple, aren't you? Sister has a sharp eye; while you were selling clothes earlier, the little lady’s eyes were glued to you."

"Haha!"

Lu Fan neither admitted nor denied it, simply pushing his bicycle forward.

Unexpectedly, the woman walked in front of him and grabbed the handlebars.

"I’m a straightforward person, sister. Seeing what you guys pulled off tonight, I’m jealous. I want to do business with you."

Lu Fan looked toward the man who had been watching the stall. The latter trotted over quickly and offered him a cigarette.

"Brother, have a smoke. The two of us have been selling clothes for years. We thought we had some real skill, but after seeing your performance today, we realized there is always someone better out there."

"We work hard all year and can’t save much money. Brother, could you see if you can take us under your wing?"

Lu Fan said with surprise, "But your business looks pretty good, and you’re selling quite a bit."

"Brother, you don’t know. Selling these low-end clothes doesn't make much money. It looks like we sell a lot, but the margins are thin. We only make a dollar or two per piece. Making eighty or a hundred a night is considered a good night. It's just busy work."

"Big brother, it’s pointless to talk like that. We are both in the same trade; there’s no need to hold back. I know the profit margins on this type of bulk stock."

"Hehe, even so, it's not much. Compared to you, it's like heaven and earth."

"How about this? We’ve gotten to know each other tonight, and I’ll be setting up my stall here for a few more days. I understand your desire to get into this business, but I have a company and leadership above me. I have to apply step-by-step and see what the company decides. We can talk about it slowly then. My name is Lu Fan. What should I call you two?"

"Jiang Ermei! You can just call me Ermei."

"My surname is Shi. Shi Hu."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

Lu Fan shook hands with them symbolically and left with Bai Lu. When passing a toy stall, he picked out a thirty-yuan ragdoll and grabbed two hair clips from the twenty-yuan section—one butterfly-shaped and one maple-leaf-shaped, both inlaid with rhinestones and very pretty.

"Here, a gift for you."

Bai Lu said, "This is too expensive. My hair tie is just fine."

Lu Fan said, "Take it. Keep one you like for yourself, and give the other to your aunt so she can be happy too."

"Oh, okay!"

Bai Lu took them, looking down and admiring them repeatedly; she loved both very much.

Afterward, the two wandered around the night market. Lu Fan bought a set of clothes for each of the three women in her family, and they ate stinky tofu and lamb skewers.

This gave Bai Lu a pang of guilt, as if she were sneaking treats behind her family's back.

"Lu Fan, when are we heading back?"

Lu Fan placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Someone is following us. Once we get out of the night market, I’ll get on the bike, and you hop on immediately."

"Okay!"

Bai Lu’s heart hammered like a rabbit, and she tried her best not to look back.

Lu Fan laughed, "It’s fine, don't be nervous. Once the bike is moving, they won't be able to catch us."

"Can we call the police?"

"We can't call the police right now. They haven’t done anything yet. These people just hang around the night market; they're probably just thugs or pickpockets. I’ve been waiting for a while now, though I don’t know what they’re waiting for."

"Ah..."

Bai Lu looked at him in shock.

The two walked side-by-side toward the exit of the night market. When they reached a less crowded area, Lu Fan mounted his bike and pedaled hard. Bai Lu ran quickly, holding onto his waist, and hopped onto the back seat.

A muffled sound followed, and Lu Fan felt a sensation of softness. Immediately, two arms wrapped tightly around his waist with great force.

"They’re chasing us."

Lu Fan looked back and saw four or five people in the crowd starting to run toward them.

Lu Fan hit the brakes, planted his right foot on the ground, and lifted the front wheel, spinning the bicycle in a circle from motion to stillness.

Luckily, Bai Lu was holding on tight, or she would have been thrown off. This move scared her quite a bit, and she kept her eyes shut tight. The surrounding pedestrians were also startled and quickly moved away.

Lu Fan watched as the men slowed their pace; their behavior was now very conspicuous. The one in the lead had already reached him.

"Well? You guys chasing after us—looking to rob someone?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? We’re just out for a night run!"

"Then why stop running?"

"The weather is too hot, it’s uncomfortable to run!"

Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing, the leader with triangular eyes waved his hand, and the men quickly moved off in another direction.

Lu Fan turned and left, though he took several detours through different streets.

"Lu Fan, are we safe now?"

"Probably. They exposed themselves in front of so many people, they shouldn't bother us anymore!"

"You have such nerve. There were so many of them, and you actually turned back."

"That’s because I knew they wouldn't make a move in a crowded place."

Bai Lu looked around and saw no one; she unconsciously hugged him even tighter.

A moment later...

"Bai Lu."

"Yes?"

"You're hugging too tight. You're going to squeeze the lamb skewers I ate tonight right out of me."

"Oh, oh, I’m sorry."

Bai Lu quickly loosened her arms and switched to holding onto his clothes with both hands.

Lu Fan sensed her tension and changed the subject: "Have you calculated how much we made tonight?"

"Yes, I calculated it. We brought 200 pieces of clothing. One for 98, the second at half price for 49, and the third for free, which averages out to 49 yuan per piece. That would be 200 times 50 minus 50, which is 9,950 yuan."

"But the last two pieces didn't make a set. One was worn by you, and I gave someone a ten-yuan discount on another. Plus, we collected eleven 1-yuan coins at the start, and since each 1-yuan coin was worth 10, we subtract 11 times 9. In total, we collected 9,841 yuan."

"Then there was the ice cream we bought three times tonight, totaling 6 plus 9 plus 4.8, which equals 19.8. And you collected 13 yuan for the queue numbers."

"So that’s 9,841 minus 19.8 plus 13, which equals 9,844.2."

"Later, you bought a ragdoll for 30, two hair clips for 40, and three sets of clothes..."

Lu Fan felt his head spinning from her calculations and hurriedly interrupted, "Alright, alright, no need to count those; those don't count as business expenses."

"Bai Lu, you’re a natural accountant! How do you keep such clear track of so many numbers?"

"It’s not troublesome, as long as you record each transaction. It’s all just elementary school addition and subtraction."

Lu Fan: "..."

The bike left the main urban area of Baoshan District and slowly entered the connecting road between districts.

These roads were full of potholes and in a state of long-term disrepair. Eight out of ten streetlights were broken, making their progress very difficult.

As they passed a cornfield with a nice view, two bright headlights suddenly turned on ahead of them.

Immediately after, three motorcycles sped toward them.

Lu Fan stopped the bike and shielded Bai Lu behind him, sighing: "I underestimated the attraction ten thousand yuan holds for others."

Bai Lu suddenly hugged him from behind, her voice trembling: "Lu Fan, don't fight them. Let’s just give them the money. I don't want anything to happen to you."

The three motorcycles reached them, surrounding the two in a semicircle.

One of the men, riding a motorcycle with a broken headlight cover, said triumphantly: "Boss, what did I tell you? They are definitely from Dongping. This is what you call waiting for the rabbit to hit the tree."