The first floor of Shop No. 43 is very dark and smells of wet plants. [Read the latest chapter] After getting used to the momentary darkness from the brightly lit street into the store, you can see the panoramic view of the shop.
The shop is pitifully small, with not even a single shelf. There is a wooden counter on the square tile floor facing the street, and a cash register. Sun Shangxiang has been here several times and knows that this is just a cashier place. The real shop is in the back entrance leading to the corridor next to the cashier - No. 43 has a narrow shop and a large entrance.
Beside the counter stand two Chinese and American kapok trees, also known as money trees, planted in porcelain pots.
The cashier at the counter recognized her and came over to greet her with a smile on her face.
"Shang Xiang, are you here to buy something for the chief?"
"Buy it for yourself." Sun Shangxiang said a little proudly, "I'm about to go to the "Lingao Times" for an internship, and the chief asked me to prepare some things."
"Oh, that's great." The salesperson clapped her hands and said enviously. She is also an unassigned student who was eliminated from the maid training class. Now one is serving people and the other is being served. Naturally, she is envious and jealous of the life secretaries.
"It turns out that everyone said that you suffered a loss by serving the female chief. I said that female chiefs also have the advantages of female chiefs, and they can promote people. You see, I was right - now you are a serious cadre 'Yes. Besides, can the female leader keep you by her side forever? I will find a good husband for you in the future. Maybe she will be married by a certain leader."
"Look what you said," Sun Shangxiang felt pleased with what she said, "I don't dare to think so much. Just work hard to repay the kindness of the Senate and the chief."
Sun Shangxiang's family is a low-level official. Since he was a child, he has been exposed to the influence of his family members and relatives who talk about kindness and virtue. There is no sense of violation when talking about this.
"That's it. That's it." The salesman nodded repeatedly, feeling increasingly ashamed. After all, he was the person next to the chief, and his conversation was unusual.
"I'm in." Sun Shangxiang didn't want to talk to her anymore. She inquired about this salesperson: she was from a humble background, her appearance and figure were not rated high, her academic performance was poor, and she was too old. He was directly eliminated without even being qualified to be selected. According to Chief Sun, having multiple friendships with her is a "waste of time and emotions."
"Okay, okay, you go in."
Go through the corridor. Behind is a long paved room, and behind it is a cave. The skylight casts bright light, and it doesn't feel narrow and dark at all. Various goods are displayed on open shelves along the walls. There are a wide variety of daily necessities provided in No. 43. The most important part is various clothing materials. It’s a dazzling array of things to see: an entire wall is lined up with all kinds of goods on display racks from ceiling to floor. According to Li Mei's instructions, whether the textiles are trophies, imported or Lingao's own textiles, as long as they are in stock, a sample must be prepared in No. 43 for the elders to choose.
Ready-made clothes are also available here, but the variety is very small and there is no choice. The main items supplied are underwear and socks in various sizes manufactured to modern specifications. As for outerwear, there are only three types of outerwear: "men's and women's veteran uniforms", "men's and women's work clothes" and "maid uniforms", and the colors are only blue, black and gray. If it weren't for the natural white color of the cotton - speaking of it, the maid's uniform would be the most exquisite coat here. Therefore, if the elders and maids want to change their image, they can only rely on clothing inventory and buy their own materials to make clothes.
"Shangxiang, what do you want to buy today? Come on. Sit down and take a breath first." The salesperson greeted her very enthusiastically - this is a special store, but like the salespersons in other cooperative system stores, the salesperson's main income comes from commissions. Sun Shangxiang came here more than once to select and buy various clothing materials and daily necessities for the chief, and each time the purchase amount was very high - Cheng Yongxin and those who she said "don't understand the taste of life, and never leave life secretaries, big ocean horses, people" Different from the crude male director of the museum, he is very concerned about the enjoyment of life and is not willing to squander his circulation coupons. So although she became the life secretary not long ago, she is already a popular figure in No. 43.
Sun Shangxiang sat down in front of the large glass window at the back of the shop near the backyard. Someone had already brought the tea cup. Without opening the lid, she knew from the faint aroma floating in the air that this was Luoshen tea specially for the elders. Chief Cheng drinks every day. Sour and delicious. She accidentally mentioned it once last time, and this time she changed it to this kind of tea.
In fact, she didn't particularly like drinking tea, but she felt very happy. She took the tea and specifically said: "I'm sorry."
"There is newly arrived silk and satin from Hangzhou. I heard that it was woven from Hangzhou for the Ming Emperor. The color is very rare. Do you want to take it out and take a look?"
"No, I won't buy clothing materials today." Sun Shangxiang said, "I want to look at the stationery."
"Selected for the chief?"
"No, it's for my own use. The chief asked me to do an internship at Lingao Times and asked me to buy some needed things."
Another compliment as usual. Sun Shangxiang kept a reserved smile and kept in mind the teachings of Chief Cheng and his mother: "Always pay attention to your identity and don't be too friendly with lower-class people."
"I want to buy pens, notebooks and some stationery. Here is the list..." Sun Shangxiang took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"It's easy to say, I guarantee you'll be satisfied. We have the most complete range of goods here, and there are many new styles that I haven't even seen outside." The salesperson said and hurriedly called people to pick up the goods.
The stationery shelves still have to go further, but big customers naturally don't have to work hard. Now someone is bringing various samples to her for her selection at a reasonable price.
She first needed a few pens. Cheng Yongxin gave her a list of pencils for shorthand and pens for writing. There’s not much to say about the pencils, there’s only one octagonal pencil available locally. As for the fountain pen, the invention right in this time and space belongs to Dr. Zhong, and Dr. Zhong has already considered the sales strategy of fountain pens, which are divided into three grades: high, middle and low.
The salesperson figured out that Sun Shangxiang was favored and would naturally look down on the low-end ones, so he selected several mid-range and high-end ones and sent them to him.
"Look, this i-generation is the latest product, with smooth water flow and very smooth writing..." She handed over a pen tray with several pens with different pen barrels displayed on it.
Strictly speaking, due to the limited material and process capabilities of Lingao Industrial, the performance difference between mid-range and high-end pens does not exist: in fact, they all use the same refill and nib. The only difference is the material and decoration of the case and cap. The mid-range ones mostly use high-grade wood and are decorated with lacquerware and glass inlay techniques, while the high-end ones focus on various traditional Chinese crafts and materials, such as carved lacquer, gilding, silver inlay, enamel, tortoise shell, ivory... they are all amazing.
Since it is all handmade, the output is very low, and it basically meets the needs of the veterans. Except for No. 43, only the cooperative's main store has samples for sale, and it cannot be seen elsewhere.
The first thing the salesperson took out was a mid-range product. The Taibai i-generation is a work pen specially designed by Zhong Lishi for naturalized civilian cadres. The pen barrel and cap are made of specially machined hardwood with special treatment, and are equipped with small copper parts, which is durable. And generous. It is very popular among naturalized cadres. In Fangcaoyuan Academy, a Taibai i-generation fountain pen is the most popular prize among students. The elders also use it frequently on weekdays.
However, this simple and elegant style obviously did not impress Sun Shangxiang. So the salesperson took out another one:
"This is the Golden Dragon i generation. Even the chief likes to use it."
Several i-generation pens displayed on the pen tray were decorated with different craftsmanship and materials, which immediately caught Sun Shangxiang's attention.
She knew that it was almost a special pen for the elders. Chief Cheng had an "elegant version" of the Golden Dragon I generation. It was an ivory pen inlaid with silver and pearls. Sun Shangxiang thought the color was too plain. She had only seen a few naturalized pens. The adopted children and apprentices of senior civilian cadres and elders have such pens.
In fact, Sun Shangxiang is not a person who likes to use pen and ink. Things like pen and ink are not something she likes at all. Since ancient times, "it is virtue for a woman not to have talent." Although she read basic books and knew how to read when she was young, it was just to avoid blindness and to be able to manage the family in the future - she could use more capital to earn a red dress. A "sensitive and eager to learn" woman. Although she obtained the equivalent of a junior high school diploma at the maid school, that was the result of her fear of the cane, not her true intention.
Now she was strongly attracted by the pen and couldn't help but reach out and touch it gently. The salesperson was familiar with this feeling and did not disturb her. He just smiled and tilted the pen tray to make it easier for her to touch, and whispered in a seductive voice:
"There are only twenty or thirty pieces of each style of these pens, so they are very rare..."
In the end, Sun Shangxiang chose an enamel red style. She liked this red color, which reminded her of the "red dress" her mother called her.
"The color is really nice." The salesperson complimented her, "Sister Shangxiang, you are really discerning. You are very elegant."
Sun Shangxiang lowered his head in embarrassment: "How much?"
"Six hundred and ninety circulation coupons."
Sun Shangxiang was shocked: So expensive! But when I thought about what Chief Cheng said, don't be afraid of the price and buy the best, I felt at ease.
The pen is placed in a brocade paper box. In addition to the pen itself, there are three spare nibs in the box. Generally, the nib ball of a fountain pen is made of alloy steel with a variety of rare metals added. Lingao currently does not have the ability to manufacture the nib. The lifespan is very short and can only be maintained by regular replacement. In addition, the box also comes with a set of exquisite pen maintenance tools.
Compared with pens, notebooks are no longer as refined as they are—she still knows when enough is enough. I bought two volumes, one large and one small, with white and thick paper. I also bought other stationery of the grade commonly used by veterans. As usual, Cheng Yongxin's account was recorded. (To be continued...)
