Chapter 6: Opening

Jiang Mu took a deep breath while making sure Sun Quan couldn't see, then walked to the side of the road, clapped her hands, and shouted, “Look, take a look, knitted gloves are convenient for keeping warm! Wear these knitted gloves, and you will no longer be afraid of cold hands when riding a bicycle, or frostbite when doing homework!”

The girl's dark jeans, red padded jacket, and fair face along with her clear voice really attracted many workers who had just gotten off.
Those people who were currently riding their bikes with bare hands were especially interested.
  ”Little girl, how much are you selling these gloves for?”   Jiang Mu immediately showed off her wares with a smile, “Brother, the ones with no fingers are 3 yuan a pair, and the ones with each finger separated are 5 yuan a pair.”   Upon hearing the price, all the onlookers retreated a little.
  The man frowned, “It's too expensive!”   ”How come? Look at this wool, it's all of high quality, and the stitches are so densely woven that they will keep you warm even in such cold winter weather.
If you don’t believe me, try it out.”   Jiang Mu directly took picked up pair of black gloves and asked him to put them on.
  The man reluctantly put them on, and his cold hands, which were already frozen by the cold wind, immediately warmed up a little.
He held the handlebar of his bicycle, and the gloves insulated them from the cold metal.
  Jiang Mu saw that there was now some proof to her words being shown in real time, continued to persuade.
“Brother, you earn a lot of money each month; spending 3 yuan on a pair of gloves should be regarded as a reward for your hard work.
You won’t have to suffer when you commute to and from your job.”

When the mean heard what she said, he realized what she said wasn’t false.
When he thought harder, he wondered what was really wrong with buying a pair of gloves with his salary of 200 yuan a month?

  ”Alright, I’ll buy these.”   ”Okay!” In an instant, Jiang Mu collected money and gave the man his change all in one go.
  ”Little girl, how much wool do you even need to make a pair of gloves? You can't be using more than 50 cents worth of thread, but you’re charging 3 yuan to buy a pair.
Your way of doing business is too slimy!” said a shrewd woman.
  ”Sister, I can see that you know the goods.
Come, feel these gloves with your hands.
My gloves are no different from the sweater you are wearing, and your sweater looks like it was bought in a mall.
The quality of my gloves is not inferior to that of a mall garment.” Jiang Mu said with a smile and said a few words of flattery.
  When the woman heard this, she smiled brightly; she was a little proud of how much she had spent on her clothing, and she showed off eagerly, “That's right, I bought this sweater at Yong'an Department Store, and it cost 50 yuan.” “Sister your skin is so white, red gloves will be suitable for you.
Not to mention these gloves will match your sweater very well.” Jiang Mu chased after the victory.
  ”The little girl has eyes, I want a pair with the fingers separated.”   ”Okay!” Another 5 yuan came into the account.
  Sun Quan's eyes widened, and he admired Jiang Mu for selling two pairs in such a short period of time.
She is too capable.
  Jiang Mu also breathed a sigh of relief, and her confidence was a little stronger.
Now she felt that selling was indeed a feasible way to make money in this era.
  ”Brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, the Chinese New Year is coming soon! After working hard for a year, you should buy a pair of gloves as a New Year's gift for yourself.”   An uncle said with a smile, “It's too expensive, you can cut a catty of meat for 3 yuan.”   ”You can't say that uncle, look, the weather is so cold now! With gloves, you won't get frostbite.
Think about it, if your hands are frozen, let's not talk about the money you would need to take out to buy medicine, it will be painful and itchy, you’ll suffer! Instead of spending money on medicine, it’s better to buy a pair of gloves, don’t you think?” Jiang Mu analyzed with a smile.
  A few more people were persuaded, and several pairs were sold in a row.
  Jiang Mu and Sun Quan came here today just to try out selling, and they ended up selling fifteen pairs in total.
After a while, more than half of the gloves have already been sold.
  In winter, no one is made of iron, and it is difficult for anyone to resist such warm things as gloves, especially these workers who earn one or two hundred yuan a month.
  ”There are three pairs left, and there won’t be any more gloves when they are sold out.
If you want gloves, hurry up!” Following Jiang Mu's yell, the people who were still hesitant at first started to grab them directly, for fear that they would not be able to buy them if it was too late.
  The people who bought a pair of gloves rode their bicycles home happily as if they had won a battle.
  The people who didn’t buy anything were a little anxious, and surrounded Jiang Mu, “Little girl, are you sure you don’t have any more left? I’ve got all the money ready.”   Jiang Mu smiled and showed her little white teeth, “Don’t worry, everyone, I’ll return with more tomorrow.”   ”Save me a pair for me tomorrow.”   Jiang Mu put away the long blue cloth she had spread on the ground, and explained to everyone with a smile, “It will be first come, first served, I don’t have that many prepared n total.”   ”Little brother, give me the pair on your hands and I’ll give you 5 yuan, how about it?” A middle-aged man stared at the gloves on Sun Quan’s hands.
He had been standing here for a long time, and he could clearly see that the boy had been wearing these gloves from the beginning.
  Sun Quan took off his gloves immediately without thinking, “Sure-”   ”No-” Jiang Mu interrupted him and threw back the one took off to him.
  She met the man's gaze and said seriously, “This pair is not for sale.”   ”Why? I’ll give you a lot of money?” The man was puzzled.
  Sun Quan was a little anxious and confused too, that was five yuan!   The corner of Jiang Mu's eyes glanced at Sun Quan's face with a fierce look in them.
Sun Quan immediately put the gloves back on, not daring to take them off again.
  ”These is for my brother.” She explained with a smile.
  The man looked at Sun Quan, and then at the girl.
Her clear eyes were bright.
Standing in the cold wind, her slender body was as straight as a young white poplar, and the smile on her lips was as bright as the sun, as if nothing could beat her.
  ”Little brother, you have a good sister.” The man said with a grin, “Uncle will come over early tomorrow.”

  On the way back, Sun Quan looked at Jiang Mu several times, wanting to say something, but didn't speak.
  Jiang Mu thought it was a little funny, and boy to blush suddenly.
  ”Ask whatever you want, a man should be able to speak up for himself.” Jiang Mu said.
  ”Why didn’t you want to sell my gloves? I didn't wear them before, and it doesn't matter if I don't wear them now.
If I sell them, I can get another five yuan more.” After speaking, Sun Quan's voice was so low that Jiang Mu could hardly hear him, and the lingering words disappeared into the cold wind.
Sun Quan didn’t know Jiang Mu’s reasoning, but he wanted to know if she just didn’t care about the 5 yuan or if she pitied him.
  Jiang Mu stretched out her hand and flicked his head, “Are you stupid? Isn't it just five yuan? What can you do with just that much? The frostbite on your hands is so severe, if you freeze again, you will feel how bitter life can be.”   ”Five yuan is enough for me to pay my school tuition and other miscellaneous fees.” Sun Quan muttered in a low voice.
  What greeted him was another brain collapse, “You are stupid if you say you are stupid.
Your body is the capital of the revolution, so how will you study without a good body? Your grandparents still count on you to take care of yourself while they try and make money.
You have to be careful about your little body.”   Take the gloves with you when you go out from now on, don't even think about selling it.
If I find out you did, I'll beat you up!” Jiang Mu shook her clenched fist as she spoke, her attitude completely different from the smile she’d had on her face when speaking with the customers earlier.
  ”I can't keep such expensive gloves.” Sun Quan refused.
  ”It’s my protection fee, you did well in keeping me safe.” Jiang Mu said.
  Sun Quan wanted to say something more, but Jiang Mu interrupted directly, “Don't be naughty, go, Grandma Sun must be waiting at home.”   She took his arm and ran towards the house against the cold wind.
  In the cold wind, Sun Quan raised the corners of his lips and smiled silently.
  After winning her first battle, Jiang Mu was in a good mood.
She went home happily, but she didn't know that Zhao Yue had prepared a big surprise for her.