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Hu Ruoyun pulled Cui Shuigen out to discuss matters in person. Since this was entirely Hu Ruoyun's operation, Cui Shuigen had no idea what was going on. Hu Ruoyun brought him to the warehouse they had rented and opened the door. Upon seeing the large pile of packaging inside, Cui Shuigen exclaimed, "Brother San, what is all this?"
Hu Ruoyun opened a package and took out a stack of postcards. The front featured a close-up of the grand entrance of Jiangbei University, with the words "Jiangbei University" boldly inscribed. In the background stood the library building, adorned with the university's motto: "Extensive Learning, Prudent Thinking, Resolute Action!"
Cui Shuigen immediately liked them, saying, "They're beautiful!" He then asked Hu Ruoyun, "Are all of these?"
Hu Ruoyun nodded. "All of them! There are a total of twenty thousand two hundred cards. Next, we need to mobilize our brothers to sell these and turn them into cash."
Cui Shuigen perked up at the mention of making money and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Brother San, just tell me how to sell them!"
Hu Ruoyun laid out the plan: "Our cost price is forty cents each, so we'll sell them for fifty-five cents. We’ll inform our distributing classmates that anything above fifty-five cents is theirs!"
Cui Shuigen hesitated a bit. "Brother San, we're only making fifteen cents per card? Isn’t that a bit low?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "It’s early December now; we must sell everything before New Year's Day or at least before the winter break. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck with them. As long as we can ensure they sell out, this price will work."
Having already made some profit from selling shoe insoles earlier, Cui Shuigen rallied his group of brothers again. This time they set up stalls at various locations around campus without needing to leave school—at the entrances of cafeterias in both the arts and sciences areas, along the riverside market between the two campuses, and in front of the school auditorium. Students were also selling postcards near the dormitories (though boys couldn’t enter the girls' dorms, their girlfriends and female classmates could).
Sales were particularly optimistic among freshmen. Being in college was an exciting time for them; although these Jiangbei University postcards were slightly pricey, their exquisite design represented their identity well and offered a chance for prizes in February or March of the following year—what a status symbol!
Some bought three to five cards while others purchased twenty or more. After three weeks, over ten thousand cards had been sold.
With New Year's Day approaching and about eight thousand cards still left in stock, Hu Ruoyun planned to discuss things with Mao Na during their holiday at home. He instructed Cui Shuigen: "The days leading up to New Year's Day should be peak sales time; sell as many as you can. After New Year's Day, clear out everything regardless of price—forty cents or thirty cents is fine; we can't leave any behind. Oh, and save twenty cards for each person in our dorm; those shouldn’t be sold."
Cui Shuigen looked pained at the thought of selling them for so little. "Aren't we losing money at forty or thirty cents?"
Seeing Cui Shuigen's reluctance, Hu Ruoyun explained, "The rent is due soon; if we keep occupying this warehouse without selling everything, we can't get our deposit back—that's also a cost."
Cui Shuigen nodded in agreement.
New Year's Day in 1994 fell on a Saturday. Hu Ruoyun and Mao Na took leave on Friday to return to Annan early because they were attending Li Shengnan's wedding the next day. That night, Hu Ruoyun stayed at Mao Na's house.
They brought gifts for Mao Weiguo, Zhang Xiuzhen, and Mao Jie. Zhang Xiuzhen measured her daughter's newly bought down jacket from Jiangcheng Trade City against herself and liked it but scolded them saying, "You’re all students now; you shouldn’t be buying us anything!"
Mao Na chimed in with sweet words: "Hu Ruoyun picked it out; he said it would suit you because you’re young."
Zhang Xiuzhen was even happier: "What nonsense! How old do you think I am?"
Mao Na helped her mother adjust her collar: "We brought three pieces in total; the other two are for Xiaoxue and Li Shengnan. Yours is just different in size from theirs—don’t you think you’re young?"
Zhang Xiuzhen was a bit surprised. "You bought three items at once. They look nice and the material seems good. They can't be cheap, right? How much did all three cost?"
Mao Na comforted her, "You don't have to worry about it. Hu Ruoyun knows a shop owner in the market who helped us get them through a connection. They would sell for around two hundred each in the store, but she got them for just over eighty."
Zhang Xiuzhen criticized her again, "Just over eighty? That sounds too easy! Your monthly salary is only around three hundred; you have no idea how to manage money!"
Mao Na pouted playfully, "Alright, Mom, we've already bought them, so what's the point of complaining now?" She then pulled out a bag she had brought for Zhang Xiuzhen. "One for you, one for me. Aren't they pretty?" She encouraged Zhang Xiuzhen to try it on her arm, and it actually looked quite good.
The suits for Mao Weiguo and Mao Jie were dark blue as well, sourced from the same shop owner's connections at the train station. These brand-name suits, which would typically cost nearly three hundred in the market, were acquired for just over a hundred each. Hu Ruoyun had ordered three sets at once.
Once they had sorted out their mother, they urged Mao Weiguo and Mao Jie to try on their new suits. The brand's clothing always made one look sharp: the fabric was a blend of wool and silk, providing comfort with a delicate feel, good breathability, and decent elasticity. The craftsmanship was evident in the perfectly aligned suit patterns; even the lining, shoulder pads, and chest interfacing were made from top-quality materials.
Mao Weiguo looked at himself in the mirror. "They do look good!"
Mao Jie tried hers on as well and praised, "Sister, you and Hu Ruoyun really have an eye for this!"
After the family tried on their clothes, they asked about the two's academic progress. Mao Na was enrolled through a commissioned program with less strict requirements, but they were more curious about Hu Ruoyun. Mao Na quickly answered for him, "He ranked third in his class and fourth in his year during the last exam!"
Mao Weiguo nodded approvingly. "Not bad at all!"
Zhang Xiuzhen remarked again, "Look at you two buying this and that! Even if Xiao Hu saved up some money from his writing, he can't keep up with your spending! This is almost as much as your dad's and my monthly salary combined!"
Hu Ruoyun felt a bit embarrassed. "Auntie, I've earned a little more recently..."
Mao Na jumped in to explain about their shoe insole project and the postcards they had been working on lately.
Zhang Xiuzhen and Mao Weiguo clearly found it hard to understand. "You mean you're doing this kind of work in school... and it's acceptable?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "Our school and counselors are aware of what we're doing; the Student Affairs Office even issued a document encouraging us."
Seeing that they seemed to grasp some of it, he continued explaining. "Take our postcard project as an example; our Student Affairs Office not only supports us but also ordered 5,000 cards at market price on behalf of the school. Just from this project alone, we can earn two thousand yuan."
Mao Weiguo and Zhang Xiuzhen were left speechless, exchanging glances filled with disbelief. "Is this how universities operate now?" "I really can't understand!"
Then Zhang Xiuzhen remembered something else and said to Mao Na, "A few days ago Sister Zhou asked about you since you weren't around. She wanted to know what we would do with those 4,000 postcards. Now it's good; she doesn't have to worry about it anymore."
After dinner, Mao Weiguo called Hu Ruoyun into his study. "Xiao Hu," he began, "you know that before we just had Gaoqiao Town; now things have changed. County Mayor Jiang Ruming has gone to Jinan City now; I’ve become the head here at the county government and need to focus on comprehensive work across the county. Do you have any good ideas?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "Uncle, I’m not knowledgeable about many areas! I just think that in the future we should still focus on developing the economy. We need to find ways to boost it! Only when people have money will the economy thrive; then finances won't be tight and we can afford to do other work."
Mao Weiguo laughed. "Your thoughts are exactly like Secretary Li Gaoqiang's... That's also my consensus with Secretary Gaoqiang. The key is figuring out how to develop the economy... Right now we’re mainly focused on labor export; there’s only Gaoqiao Town and Lao Gu that are doing relatively well—you're aware of how those two places developed—but there are still twenty-four townships that haven't seen significant progress!"
Hu Ruoyun scratched his head thoughtfully. "Uncle, let me think about it; we can discuss it again later... By the way, has that cattle-raising group in Hohhot completed its restructuring?"
Mao Weiguo suddenly came to his senses, exclaiming, "How could I have forgotten about this!"
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