signingbooks Chapter 169 Reunion with Ye Yizhu
Chapter 169 Reunion with Ye Yizhu
Ye Yizhu works as a loader in the clothing wholesale market in the provincial capital, which happens to coincide with Lu Yuan's plan.
He had a criminal record and was not highly educated, so those respectable and high-paying jobs were out of his reach, and he could only make a living by selling his physical labor.
He was supposed to work the night shift tonight, so he didn't have much time to rest. But when he learned that Lu Yuan and his sister Ye Yixian were coming, he specially swapped shifts with a familiar coworker and made time to have a meal with the two of them.
Lu Yuan remained quite calm about meeting Ye Yizhu.
He was neither afraid nor too excited. After all, he had been punched solidly by his brother-in-law during their last meeting, and he still remembered that "old grudge" with his narrow mind.
By the time Ye Yizhu finished work, it was already past six o'clock in the evening.
Fortunately, it was early July, with long days and short nights, and the bright sunset still hung on the horizon, gilding the city's outline with a golden edge.
Ye Yizhu knew this area very well, so he naturally decided where to eat.
The three of them sat at a table in the restaurant.
Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian sat side by side, while Ye Yizhu sat alone opposite them.
Seeing this scene before him, Ye Yizhu's expression was somewhat complicated.
The older brother couldn't help but feel a little bitter when his younger sister, whom he had protected since childhood, was "kidnapped" away by this young man.
Actually, he wasn't deliberately making things difficult for Lu Yuan. It was mainly because he knew too little about Lu Yuan and couldn't be sure of his character, let alone whether Lu Yuan was truly sincere towards Ye Yixian.
However, Ye Yixian had already spoken to him on the phone before he came and told him about the recent events.
Upon learning that his younger sister had found an easy summer job at the Lu family's garment factory, where she could not only earn her own living expenses for university but also learn something, Ye Yizhu felt much more at ease.
From this perspective, Lu Yuan truly cares about his younger sister.
"Brother, Lu Yuan came to the provincial capital on some business, so I came with him to broaden his horizons and also to see you."
Ye Yixian smiled broadly. Today, she and Lu Yuan strolled around the provincial capital, ate a lot of delicious food, and witnessed the prosperity of the big city. She was still very excited.
Both Jiangnan University of Science and Technology and Jiangnan University of Finance and Economics are located in the provincial capital.
She had originally planned to come back in September to broaden her horizons, but she had experienced it beforehand, which made her even more excited for her upcoming university life.
"If you have a job, work hard and don't run around aimlessly."
Ye Yizhu was not good with words, and he kept repeating the same few instructions.
He just felt that this summer job was hard-won and hoped that his sister would have a proper attitude so as not to offend Lu's parents. Losing the job was a small matter; being disliked was a big deal.
Ye Yixian understood her brother's concerns and gently reassured him, "Don't worry, brother, I'm very serious about my work. Lu Yuan's parents like me very much, and they supported my decision to come to the provincial capital this time."
"That's good...that's good."
Looking at his younger sister, Ye Yizhu could clearly feel that not only had her personality become more cheerful and optimistic, but she had also become much more refined and beautiful.
It is evident that she received excellent care after meeting Lu Yuan, which led to such a transformation from the inside out.
While I felt gratified, a sense of inferiority also crept into my heart.
As the older brother, I have struggled at the bottom of society for so many years, yet I still couldn't guarantee that my younger sister would have enough to eat and wear every day. I feel truly ashamed.
Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian both noticed Ye Yizhu's low spirits, so Lu Yuan spoke up at the right moment, breaking the slightly dull atmosphere: "Brother-in-law, Yixian is doing very well now. And she's about to go to university, and if nothing unexpected happens, she'll be studying at the provincial university of finance and economics."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yizhu, who had been feeling down, suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly lighting up.
He was unaware of his sister's college entrance exam results, or even that the results had already been released.
Ye Yixian had deliberately kept it from him before, wanting to wait until she received the admission notice, take a picture, and send it to him. That way, it would be more convincing and more surprising.
"Really? You really got into university?" Ye Yizhu looked at his sister excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's true, brother! The acceptance letter will arrive in a couple of days. I'll take a picture and show it to you then." Ye Yixian smiled brightly.
She did not disappoint her brother's expectations over the years.
Of course, all of this is thanks to Lu Yuan.
At this moment, her beloved brother and the boy who loves her most are by her side; this is probably the happiest thing in the world.
"That's great...that's really great!"
Ye Yizhu was so excited that he was incoherent, only able to repeatedly mutter "good" and unable to utter any other words.
Overwhelmed by emotions, the eyes of this weathered man reddened slightly.
"Brother, why are you so excited?" Ye Yixian patted his hand with a smile. "Just stay here and focus on your work. Don't worry about me. I'm doing fine now. When I come to the provincial capital to study at university in September, I can come visit you more often on weekends."
Hearing his sister's words, Ye Yizhu felt comforted.
Having worked away from home for so many years, he understands all too well the importance of education.
So no matter how hard or tiring it is, I will still support my younger sister's schooling.
Now that his younger sister has finally been admitted to university, Ye Yizhu doesn't understand what a "university of finance and economics" is, but as long as his sister gets in, it's a huge joy.
This also means that all those years of hard work and dedication have not been in vain.
He had already planned in his mind that once his sister sent him a photo of her college acceptance letter, he would definitely show it off to his coworkers.
"Alright, brother-in-law, all the dishes are served, it's time to eat."
Lu Yuan's address of "brother-in-law" was extremely natural. If it were before, Ye Yizhu would definitely have turned sour, but now, he not only didn't mind, but also found the address particularly pleasant.
In high spirits, Ye Yizhu immediately opened several bottles of wine and insisted on drinking with Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's alcohol tolerance was average, and he only drank one bottle. Ye Yixian also only took a sip of a glass, while Ye Yizhu finished the rest by himself.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Yuan, emboldened by the alcohol, inquired about the market conditions of the clothing wholesale market from Ye Yizhu.
Ye Yizhu had been working his way up in this place for several years and knew it like the back of his hand.
He said that the market handles millions of pieces of goods every day, and stevedores like him work non-stop from morning till night, which shows how terrifying the flow of goods is.
Of course, the clothing prices here are lower than you can imagine.
A pair of jeans that sells for thirty yuan in the market only costs about three yuan wholesale here; if you buy in large quantities, the price can be pushed down even further.
The price was actually within Lu Yuan's expectations, but Ye Yixian was still shocked.
She knew the clothes she was wearing weren't expensive, but she never imagined they could be this cheap.
Lu Yuan was even more certain.
He knew that in three to five years, the clothing market would experience a new boom, and the same jeans could be bought in bulk for less than two yuan.
With this information about the lowest possible price, Lu Yuan felt even more confident about his business plan.
He plans to select twenty styles from the wholesale market, purchase three to five hundred pieces of each style, and test the market at ten times the price.
It's worth mentioning that even though the price has increased tenfold, the selling price is still generally slightly lower than the goods sold in existing clothing stores in Jiangcheng, making it highly competitive.
After a two-week trial period, select the most popular best-selling items, then purchase them in large quantities, promote them intensively, and replace them with new models immediately after a quarter of sales.
As for styles that don't perform well in the trial sales, there's no need to worry about them becoming unsellable. We can clear them out at 50% or 30% off, or sell them directly to end-of-season retailers. Even if we lose money, it won't be by much.
This model emphasizes "small steps, quick progress, and rapid response," focusing on promoting whatever sells well, updating styles quickly, and offering affordable prices, making it very attractive to ordinary wage earners.
Of course, to maximize profits, it is necessary to negotiate a fixed supply channel with wholesalers to ensure that a large quantity of goods can be obtained immediately once the trial sales are successful.
Of course, as for these specific implementation details, Lu Yuan plans to personally go to the wholesale market tomorrow to get a feel for them.