Chapter 15

Making money had always been on Sang Ran’s mind. From the very first day she arrived here, she had been thinking about it.
But some things couldn’t be rushed.
In this small village of the 1980s, social attitudes were still conservative. Most people held traditional views, and many were barely literate. It was difficult for them to accept an unmarried girl stepping out into the public eye.
Especially when she had no capital to begin with.
As soon as Sang Ran arrived, she was burdened with an impending marriage and her grandfather’s health issues.
Fortunately, she encountered a kind mother-in-law who helped her solve her most urgent problems.
But just as that was settled, the wedding came around. And after sensing her own family’s attitude, Sang Ran decisively decided to pursue her plans only after getting married.
The original host’s goal had been to protect Zhu Chang’an. At the same time, in her previous life, she had received kindness from Zhu Chang’an’s parents. Even after their son passed away, they were willing to take in someone who had never truly been their son’s wife. That alone had opened up another path in the original host’s difficult life.
So Sang Ran thought she might as well build her career alongside Zhu Chang’an after marriage.
Thus, after returning from the bridal home visit, Zhu Chang’an had expected life to return to the leisurely and carefree days of the first two days after their wedding. Little did he know that as soon as he entertained such thoughts, his wife would drag him onto a train.
He didn’t even get a chance to spend the two yuan he had painstakingly saved!
There was no way to sneak off and buy cigarettes, either, because his wife stuck to him like glue and disliked the smell of smoke. Zhu Chang’an found this aspect a bit frustrating, but for some reason, he also felt inexplicably happy and couldn’t bring himself to resist, so he just went along with it.
From their wedding day until they boarded the train, the only cigarettes Zhu Chang’an managed to smoke were the ones he mooched off his father. Thankfully, he wasn’t a heavy smoker, or he would have been miserable.
Traveling by train at this time was uncomfortable, especially since the distance between where they lived and Shenzhen was vast, the train ride took nearly forty hours.
Sang Ran sat through the journey, and by the time they made the round trip, she felt as though her bones were about to fall apart.
Other than that, however, there weren’t many major difficulties.
She wasn’t afraid of danger, either. At this time, without gunfights, few people could overpower her with sheer strength. So even though they were carrying a fair amount of money, they did encounter robbers, but none could withstand more than three moves from Sang Ran before retreating on their own.
Zhu Chang’an would hide to the side and, once the fight was over, come over to massage Sang Ran’s shoulders and shower her with praise.
Sang Ran knew that it would be a long time before her next trip, so she made the most of this one. She and Zhu Chang’an brought two large suitcases and two small ones. When they left, the suitcases were empty, but by the time they returned, they were completely full.
The large suitcases were packed with all sorts of beautiful clothes and pants. It was summer, so the clothes were lightweight, allowing them to fit a lot. And since they were buying from the production source, the prices were very cheap, less than three yuan per item.
Sang Ran bought a lot, and the seller even gave her a good discount.
However, Sang Ran didn’t have enough money, and her suitcases weren’t big enough to hold everything.
In the end, she had over four hundred yuan left, which she used to buy lipsticks.
While other cosmetics might be hard to sell in the town, lipstick was something most women wouldn’t turn down.
With just the two of them and four hands, it took nearly a week to bring the goods all the way back from the distant city of Shenzhen.
Sang Ran didn’t start selling right away. Instead, she rested for two days before figuring out how to get started.
In the 1980s, there were already individual entrepreneurs, but choosing the right location was crucial. If most of the customers were the penny-pinching type, selling even a single piece of clothing could be a hassle.
Between selecting a location, targeting the right customers, and selling clothes and lipsticks, nearly a month had passed by the time word reached Sang Ran’s parents.
Sang Ran couldn’t care less about how furious her parents would be upon learning she was making money from her business.
At that moment, she was completely immersed in the joy of her harvest.
Aside from setting aside a small portion as gifts for Zhu Chang’an’s close relatives, Sang Ran sold everything else.
Combining the earnings from clothes and lipsticks, she made nearly 4,500 yuan, tripling her money in just one month.
Such earnings were enough to make anyone envious.
Especially since it was only July, and there were plenty of potential customers in the town. At the very least, she could sell summer clothes two more times before moving on to autumn and winter wear.
The only issue was that winter clothes were too bulky, and with their small suitcases, they wouldn’t be able to carry much.

At the Zhu household,
Zhang Cuixia was beaming as she saw off another customer who had come to pre-order clothes after missing out: "Don’t worry, if we go again, I’ll definitely save the best-looking ones for you!"
"Please do! My daughter loves them so much. She works at the factory and doesn’t get the news fast enough. Now all her friends have them, and she’s feeling so left out," the woman said, glancing back repeatedly, afraid she’d be forgotten.
In a small place like theirs, how often did they get goods from outside?
Especially during the early days of individual entrepreneurship, few dared to venture into such activities, fearing that a sudden change in government policy could ruin them.
There was also the issue of social stigma, most families were reluctant to get involved.
But the Zhu family was different. Although they had initially opposed the idea of the two young people starting a business, seeing their younger son idle away his days, disliked even at the factory, they realized that aside from entrepreneurship, he had no other promising path.
So they agreed.
Who would have thought that in such a short time, these two youngsters would give them such a pleasant surprise?
Once Zhang Cuixia and the others were out of sight, she turned back, took Sang Ran's small hand, and said cheerfully, "With this much money, you two should rest a bit longer. Taking the train is such a hardship, you come back looking like you’ve starved for days, pale and thin. You’ve just gotten married; the priority should be having a grandson soon. Don’t wear yourselves out."
Though money was a good thing, Zhang Cuixia cared more about her son. Every time he returned from a trip, he looked as if he hadn’t eaten properly for days, sallow and gaunt. Now that he was newly married, the focus should be on having a child soon, not exhausting his health.
Zhu Chang’an lay on his side on the bed, his head resting on Sang Ran’s lap, nodding in agreement. "That’s right, dear. The train is exhausting. Let’s rest a while longer before going again."
Sang Ran smiled and shook her head. "No, we can’t. Summer clothes are actually the most profitable. Besides, we’ve already rested for almost twenty days. Be good, and if we earn this much again after this trip, I’ll let you play cards all day."
"Deal!" Zhu Chang’an, who hadn’t played cards in a long time, agreed immediately. "How about I ask a few buddies to come along to help with the stock? That way, we’ll have more goods to sell."
Sang Ran hadn’t expected him to think of this. She wasn’t familiar with this world herself, and the original host only knew young girls who definitely wouldn’t travel far with her. Among all the steps in the process, sourcing goods was the hardest because there were so many thieves, swindlers, and robbers. If it weren’t for her superhuman strength, she wouldn’t dare go alone with Zhu Chang’an. Having a couple more men along would mean they could earn a lot more.
She nodded in agreement.
Seeing his wife’s approval, Zhu Chang’an sprang up like a carp leaping out of water and hurried out excitedly.
Watching her son’s enthusiastic demeanor, Zhang Cuixia was somewhat stunned. Then, glancing at her daughter-in-law’s delicate face with its faint smile, so beautiful and charming, she began to understand.
They say even heroes struggle to resist a beauty’s charm. As for her son, no matter how clueless he was, he’d obediently listen to his wife.
Zhang Cuixia had spent countless efforts trying to guide her son. Now that someone could make him behave, she felt not a hint of jealousy but rather a sense of relief. As long as he wasn’t fooling around anymore, it was all good!
Sang Ran turned to Zhang Cuixia and said, "Mom, if we’re bringing more people, the money we have now won’t be enough. Could we borrow two thousand from you and Dad? I’m thinking that after this deal, we’ll rent a proper shop in town."
Of course, she didn’t say everything. In the early 1980s, the clothing business was relatively easy. Once the business stabilized, she planned to sell the shop and acquire a few stores in prime urban locations, seizing the opportunity to become a landlady.
To truly succeed in the clothing business, they’d need to hire fashion designers. Without originality, it’s hard to rise to the top. But that would mean running a formal company, which was far too exhausting. Her ambitions weren’t that grand, she’d be content with modest wealth.
She figured she’d work hard for just a year or two, and then she could lie back and count her money.
Seeing that her daughter-in-law had already thought things through, Zhang Cuixia nodded without hesitation. "Of course, that’s fine."
Still, she couldn’t help muttering to herself that her daughter-in-law was quite bold. Two thousand yuan would take almost all of her savings. Seeing how calmly Sang Ran spoke, she couldn’t help but feel a bit impressed.
She had always thought of herself as capable, but now it seemed she still had a way to go.
It wasn’t because of anything else, simply because Sang Ran had lived a previous life where money felt almost worthless. In her instinctive impression, two thousand yuan was really very little.
Zhang Cuixia was a woman of action. No sooner had she spoken than she got up to fetch the money.
But just as she moved,Zhu Chang’an, who had run out moments earlier, abruptly returned with a strange expression and looked at Sang Ran. "Your mother is here."
Sang Ran blinked and nodded calmly. "Mm, I'll handle it."
Zhang Cuixia laughed. "What kind of talk is that, child? This is your mother. I'll go greet her." Unaware of the issues between Sang Ran and the Sang family, she hurried out.
What she saw was indeed the Sang family arriving with aggressive energy, led by Sang Ran's mother, whose face was twisted in a scowl.
Zhang Cuixia frowned slightly. "What brings you here, in-laws?"
Sang Ran's mother forced a smile and handed over a small prepared gift. "Sorry to disturb you, in-law. We heard Sang Ran is starting a business, so we came to ask if there's anything we can help with."
"Yes, yes," Sang Ran's father chimed in, stepping forward, while the usually dismissive aunt from the Sang family smiled even more ingratiatingly.
Since it was about this matter, Zhang Cuixia felt it wasn't her place to speak. She exchanged a few pleasantries with them.
Sang Ran came out a step later. The moment Sang Ran's mother saw her, she rushed over, reaching out to grab Sang Ran's hand while affectionately scolding, "You silly child, why didn't you discuss starting a business with your parents?"
Sang Ran took a step back, avoiding her hand, and frowned slightly. "I didn't discuss this with my in-laws either. I only just borrowed money from them today. Are you here to lend me money too?"
Her outstretched hand was dodged, and Sang Ran's mother froze for a moment. The anger that had clouded her mind finally cleared a little, and she began to notice the changes in her daughter.
In the past, Sang Ran's clothes were always old, with the only new piece being the blouse her mother had bought for her when she was engaged to the Song family, the very one she had worn when she first arrived.
Even though she always kept herself clean and tidy and was naturally pretty, she was still just a simple country girl.
But now, things were different.
Sang Ran's hair, though simply tied up without much adornment, framed her entire face, making her already beautiful features appear meticulously refined. Her eyebrows were neat, her eyes large, and her lips a vibrant red, exceptionally lovely.
The light blue dress she wore was clearly brand new, and its style was unlike the simple clothes of the time. The fitted waist design accentuated her slender figure, making her skin appear fair.
Moreover, while her waist was slim, her figure was not lacking, it had curves without being exaggerated, truly deserving of the phrase "graceful and elegant."
On her feet, she wore a pair of delicate strappy sandals with heels, something Sang Ran's mother had never seen anyone wear before, and they looked expensive.
At that moment, with her delicate brows slightly furrowed, she exuded an air of aloofness.
At first glance, she looked just like the beautiful modern girl on the poster pasted outside the department store.
They could hardly recognize this as their obedient daughter.
Even the usually arrogant eldest aunt of the Sang family was momentarily stunned by Sang Ran's completely transformed appearance, feeling a twinge of timidity in her heart.
Mother Sang felt a surge of panic, sensing something was wrong, just like the incident when they returned after the wedding. She had a feeling that the plans they had previously discussed wouldn’t unfold as they had intended.
Flustered and uneasy, she remained silent for a moment, so Father Sang spoke up instead: "What are you talking about, child? I heard you sold one piece of clothing for ten yuan, surely you’ve made a lot of money. Why would you need to borrow?"
Sang Ran smiled. "Of course I need money. How else can I restock? After all, I came to the Zhu family with nothing."