The wife had put on her clothes and stood in front of the full-length mirror checking out herself. Her was very discontented about her chubby look in the mirror and, for the same of looking pretty, took off her knitted undergarment. She nodded satisfactorily. Pulling open the door, the wife immediately shivered in a gust of wind.

  The husband appeared now, pulled her back inside of the house, and gave her a set of fall winter garment romantically. The wife put them on dubiously. She twirled around in front of the mirror and it didn’t look like she had any kind of undergarment on at all. When they left the house, the winter gust had no effect on her. She turned, looked at her husband who also had the same undergarment on, and the two of them exchanged a happy look.

  The commercial was a little cliché but, back at this era, this was the first airing of a commercial of this kind. Every woman who saw this commercial fell for it instantly.

  Many wives hinted to their husband that their outfit were too clumsy and that they need a set of fall undergarment.

  The smart ones would know to get a set for their wives. The ones who didn’t catch on immediately were picked at by their wives. All in all, when a woman wanted to find faults with a man, they could always find something.

  After being aired on CCTV, the commercial hit all satellite television. All of a sudden, it was as though anyone who watched television at all would have seen this commercial.

  Their phone at their company rang off the hook. Calls came in from every location where the commercial was aired.

  They thought their inventory was plenty sufficient but their 30,000 sets of fall undergarments were sold out within a day.

  “I don’t want to listen to excuses. All I need from you is to find out whether we will be able to increase production and how to solve this problem that we have right now,” said Hu Ruixue nonchalantly to the manager of the production department as she put down a file.

  “We have already started up all of our back up plants and we will be able to produce 30,000 sets a day. But that is still way below demand.” China was a very big country and with so many different locations calling in for orders, the production department, too, was under a lot of pressure.

  “Haven’t we lined out a few other factories to help out as well? What’s the situations over there?” Hu Ruixue understood that this was a big problem for the production manager as well. The effect of the commercial had exceeded her expectation as well.

  “I have already contacted them. We have already sent over the materials and they should be able to churn out productions shortly. That being said, we are running into shortages from some of our suppliers.”


  “You don’t worry about materials. I’ll figure that one out. You just take care of production.” Hu Ruixue immediately placed a call to Hu Ruiyang after the production manager had taken off. “Big brother, I need a massive quantity of materials.”


  “Just contact my assistant. We will arrange to have them send over immediately.” Hu Ruiyang had been paying close attention to Hu Ruixue’s company. He knew that her company would be successful when he first saw the proposal. He just didn’t know it’d be this successful. His sister’s company had beco0me a well-known brand within the country in just a few days. As long as they didn’t run into any issues in the later stages, their company would be considered as established in the undergarment field.

  “Thank you, big brother.”


  This winter, one would be considered behind their days if they did not possess a set of Xianxue fall undergarment. Especially young girls, if they would still walk outside dressed chubby, they would be talked about behind their backs. Let it be the rich or the poor and those from all ages and walks of life, everybody would have at least one set of Xianxue fall undergarment.

  “Have you purchased a set of Xianxue fall undergarment?”


  “Yes, of course! A long time ago. They are so comfortable. No wonder their commercials were aired on CCTV.”


  “I know, right? It wasn’t uncomfortable at all to sleep in at night. And they are warm too.”


  “Exactly. Remember the days when we used to wear knitted tops and pants? Along with our sweater and padded jacket, we all looked like bears. Check it out, you can see my waist now.”


  “That’s because your body is shapely to begin with. My mom said it was too thin before and won’t be warm enough. I straight up bought her a set. She said they are warmer than knitted undergarments after she had tried them and bought my dad a set too.”


  “Knitted undergarments are thick and heavy. And not wind-proof at that. The cold air goes straight through when the wind blows. Of course it is cold. These fall undergarments are much better. Use their thinner set when it’s warmer out and the velvet added ones on colder days. I’ve heard that they will be coming out with a set that has thicker velvet. I am going to buy a set of those when they come out for the snowing days.”


  Conversations like that took place all over and orders came into Yanxue like snowflakes.

  Shu Yan, too, went to help out at the company to liaised with the bigger customers. Usually she’d take them to their direct sales shop after they had chatted.

  “This is our direct sales shop. We do more than just fall undergarments. We also do casual wear and underwear. You can check out the styles and quality.” That was right. The other plan for their company was to look for franchise on chained shops.

  Chapter 215 As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (1)

  Chapter 215 - As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (1)

  Hu Ruixue had been considering franchising since the very beginning and that was Shu Yan’s idea as well. As such, when the important customers came, they’d always take them to the direct sales shop after they have toured the factory.

  “Will your company be producing these casual wear and underwear in the future as well?”


  “Of course. These are all designed by our own designers. The factories that will produce the underwear are already in the preparation stage and production will commence shortly. Same for the casual wear.”


  During their tour, other customers would trickle in periodically. As there were other men presence, most of the women were embarrassed to look at the underwear and left after they have purchased some fall set or pajamas.

  Many customers’ eyes beamed. As long as they could find a good location, the Yanxue and Xianxue brands would for sure be profitable.

  “I will like to find out more details about joining the franchise. What kind of help and support will we receive?” Someone asked.

  “We are only looking for 50 franchising partners for the time being and tentatively looking into tier 1 and tier 2 cities. We do ask to see a proof for a storefront rental contract. Better if you own the place, of course. The fee to join the franchise is 10,000 yuan. Once you have joined the franchise, our company will have a team to help you with remodeling, product display, and training of employees.”


  “10,000 yuan to join the franchise?” A few of them felt that the amount was too high.

  “This is the discount for the first batch of franchisees. The fee is going to go up afterward. I trust that you are aware of the power of the commercials of the Yanxue and Xianxue brands. We are already well-known throughout the country. Once you have joined us, you will start earning money immediately. It all depends on whether you have the drive to be the first to do it.” Shu Yan smiled lightly. The opportunity was being presented to them. If they chose to let it pass them by, there wouldn’t be on her.

  “What about merchandizing? Are there any discount on that?” A woman among them had already decided to join. Her question was more in depth.

  “We have done the calculation. Stock for an entire shop plus some inventory came out to around 10,000 yuan. We offer two options. First one is 55% off the first time, then 50% off going forward. The second is you get an additional 10,000 yuan of merchandises on us for every 50,000 yuan you add to your account. Essentially the inventory is on us.”


  Cost of franchising was 10,000 yuan. 50 of them meant 500,000 yuan in capital. If they choose to add 50,000 yuan, that would come out to 3 million yuan. That would allow them to start up the clothing and underwear factories. The cost of 10,000 yuan of merchandizes was only 1,000 yuan. Either way, they stood to make a lot.

  “Putting 50,000 yuan in our account means money will be deducted from it in the future. What kind of discount are we looking at then?”


  “Right. Money will be deducted when you merchandize in the future. Same discount as the other plan, 55% the first time and 50% going forward. We might have other promotional activities in the future.”


  Many people starting whispering to others. Xianxue’s name was becoming more and more well-known. That meant as soon as the shop was set up, there would be business immediately. And business translated into money.

  “In addition, we have our own direct sales shop in tier 1 cities. We will divide the city up into separate regions and there will only be one franchised shop per region. So if you are interested, you should sign a contract soon. You don’t want someone else to take away the opportunity first.” Shu Yan added more fuel to the fire with a smile.

  Three of the people present immediately expressed their intention to move forward. They stated that they would look for storefronts immediately to join the franchise. Shu Yan had them signed an agreement, paid a deposit, and their districts had been reserved for them.

  Chapter 216 As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (2)

  Chapter 216 - As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (2)

  The 90s was a very polarized period of time. There were the conservative ones who still believed that holding onto the iron bowl by working for the government-ran businesses was the best option out there and then there were the ones who were more progressive in their way of thinking and wanted to make a life of their own.

  The ones who made it to City Nan from all over the country were part of the bold ones. They had the ambition and the drive. After checking out the direct sales shop and the future plans of Yanxue, most of them decided to join the franchise.

  Granted, most of this was accredited to their well-known commercials. The fact that their commercial had made their way onto CCTV played the role as a sort of reassurance for everyone.

  Hu Ruixue had thought that it would take a while to fill the 50 slots when, in reality, all the slots were gone within three days.

  “Should we release another batch of slots?” Hu Ruixue was tempted when looking at the company account.

  Everybody knew how to do their mathematics. 10,000 yuan of merchandizes could be gone over one promotional activity. As such, most of the individuals picked option #2 – receiving their 10,000-yuan worth of merchandize for 50,000 yuan of deposit.

  “No, let’s not bite off more than we can choose. Let’s take care of these 50 first. Once a portion of them had been launched, we can advertise greatly for a second round. Those who are interested will be coming from all region by then,” said Shu Yan as she shook her head. This was not a matter of whether she was bold enough. It was best to take things one step at a time.

  Shu Yan had been busy with dropping off and picking up the kids and coming into the office the last few days. She started feeling that she might have over-exerted herself. Rubbing her temples, Shu Yan let Hu Ruixue knew that she was about to pick up her kids from school.

  “You can’t go on like this. Why don’t you hire a nanny? You are going to over-exert yourself.”


  “I want to as well. In the past, earlier I felt that it was a bit much to have a nanny when I am just renting a place. Then I thought about it again when I have to go merchandizing and take care of the children. It is easy to find a domestic help who can cook and clean, but much more difficult to find someone who can care for your children. I have been looking lately; hopefully I will be able to find one soon.” Both of her children were still young, so Shu Yan didn’t want to be rash on this.

  “Yeah, a good domestic help is difficult to find. When I got married, my folks just have the auntie at home come with me. She is now back with me again. I never had to look for one myself and certainly don’t know much in this area. Why don’t I have my mom keep an eye out. I’ll let you know if we see someone suitable.” Unfortunately, Hu Ruixue didn’t have someone in mind; otherwise, she would have referred her to Shu Yan already.

  “That will be great.”


  As busy as she was at the office, Shu Yan wasn’t going to miss her moving day.

  Lin Hui, Wu Xiuyue, and Zhang Huaxiu arrived at her place early that day. Looking at the sky outside, Shu Yan said, “It’s still dark outside. You two are here so early.”


  “What do you mean early? It’s already past 5 AM. Hurry up. We have to head to the market. We have a lot to do today.” Wu Xiuyue gestured Shu Yan to hurry up.

  “Okay. We won’t need to pick up any seafood. A friend of mine will be bringing them.” As Shu Yan was talking, she saw Hu Ruixue on her way up.

  “Oh, you are all here. I don’t even know where you new place is. Let’s bring the stuff that I have over first.”


  The group of them went downstairs and they saw a truck with its bed filled behind Hu Ruixue’s little car.

  “Oh, my gosh. Did you really take everything from your parents’ house?”


  “What are you talking about?” Hu Ruixue gave her a stare. “Let’s move these over to your new place first and see what else you need and what else we need to get.”


  Lin Hui and Wu Xiuyue exchanged a look. Neither one of them knew that Shu Yan had such a wealthy friend.

  Luckily there was elevator at Shu Yan’s new place. It would be very difficult to move all the stuff up otherwise.

  There was a box of crab, a box of lobster, a box of shrimp, and all sorts of fish and meats. Other than these fresh ones, there were also dried goods.

  “Let’s eat these fresh ones today and you save the dried goods for later. I’ve got more at home. I can bring more next time if you like them.” Hu Ruixue had someone divided up the fresh goods from the dried ones.

  “No need. No need. These are plenty.” Shu Yan felt uncomfortable. She wondered if Hu Ruixue’s parents thought of her as someone who’d take advantage of her friend!

  “It’s fine. What are you going to do now?” asked Hu Ruixue with a slight smile.

  “We are just about to head to the market. Now that we have seafoods and meats, all we need are some vegetables.” Compared to Wu Xiuyue, Lin Hui’s family was much wealthier. She wasn’t intimidated by Hu Ruixue.

  “Okay, I’ll drive you,” said Hu Ruixue as she got up.

  Chapter 217 As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (3)

  Chapter 217 - As dinner time quickly approached, Shu Yan looked over at the direction of the front door time and again. (3)

  They didn’t need too many people to go to the market, so Lin Hui and Zhang Huaxiu stayed home to take care of the seafood and meat while Shu Yan, Hu Ruixue, and Wu Xiuyue headed over to the market.

  The market was huge. In addition to seasonal vegetables, there were also greenhouse vegetables. Shu Yan bought both types.

  When they walked past the pork booth, Shu Yan bought 20 lbs of pork. Hu Ruixue brought over beef and lamb. They would need a couple pork dishes. She then bought two ducks and two chickens. Those were must haves as well.

  “Alright, let’s head back.”


  Shu Yan reminded the boss and boss lady to go over for lunch when they walked past the motel.

  After they have dropped off the stuff at home, Shu Yan checked the time. It was still only a little past 7 AM. “I forgot to invite one more friend. I’ll be right back.”


  She was talking about Feng Zeyu. She made a point of looking him up last time but, as expected, he had declined her. Shu Yan decided to go over there and extend her invitation one more time.

  An old lady opened the door. Shu Yan immediately recognized her as the sister-in-law of the old lady landlady. This old lady looked and talked in a very friendly manner.

  “You come looking for Xiao Yu? Hang on, let me go get him.” The old lady looked Shu Yan up and down. Not bad. Thick waist and big butt. She was one who’d do work and take care of the family.

  Her look made Shu Yan uncomfortable. Shu Yan let out a sigh of relief when Feng Zeyu came out.

  “We started cooking already. You must stop by for lunch.” Shu Yan extended her invitation sincerely once again.

  Feng Zeyu didn’t say anything. After a while, he asked, “Aren’t you worried?”


  “What is there to worry about?” Shu Yan chuckled. “I am inviting a few friends over for a housewarming. There will be lots of people there. What’s there to worry about? I don’t think we need to overthink this too much. Even if someone wants to gossip, we just need to ignore them is all.”


  It was kind of fun to have five women there going in and out trying to get things readied. They started with the stewing of the chickens and ducks and the preparations of the more complicated dishes. All of the vegetables were cut and sliced in advance. They couldn’t start those too early or their colors and tastes would not be as good.

  Lao Zhang and his wife arrived shortly after that. As soon as Ye Shuqin saw the rest of them, she immediately rolled her sleeves up to come help out.

  “No need. No need. We have enough manpower already,” said Shu Yan quickly.

  “Are you sure? I have planned to make a few of my best dishes for you all to try.”


  “Her

  meat is like this,” said Lao Zhang with a thumbs up. “You sure you don’t want to try?”


  “I am drooling just from you saying that. We must try it then,” said Shu Yan as she smiled.

  After a little while, the couple from the motel arrived as well and Shu Yan quickly went up to welcome them. Seeing the gifts that they brought, she said unhappily, “You shouldn’t have.”


  Taking the gifts from the two of them and setting them aside, she invited them to have a seat but the boss lady offered to help out as well.

  “That really won’t be necessary. Just have a seat. The food will be ready soon.”


  “It’s fine. I will just be sitting around anyway. My son loves seafood so that’s my specialty.”


  The kitchen couldn’t even fit that many people inside and Hu Ruixue had long been out there playing with JingJing and Tianbao.

  With so many helpers, just a couple of dishes per person and they were done in no time.

  There were two large round tables there. One was Shu Yan’s and the other one they had brought over from Lin Hui’s place. Same with plates and utensils; a set also came from Lin Hui’s place. She’d be borrowing from Shu Yan when it was her turn anyway.

  As lunch time got closer, Shu Yan started looking over at the direction of the front door from time to time. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

  ___

  Translator’s rambling:

  Gee, wonder who that could be? ;)