Now that the business license was approved, Xia Xiaolan needed to sell all the previously acquired inventory within two days to free up capital for restocking, ensuring the store could open on time. To prevent the three storefronts from looking too empty, she needed at least ten thousand yuan worth of merchandise.

This would be the last batch of winter clothing. Although the weather wouldn’t warm up for another two to three months, the fashion industry worked ahead of the season. For winter clothes, the Spring Festival marked the watershed moment. After the Spring Festival, regardless of the weather, no one dared to stock up heavily. Instead, they focused on clearing existing inventory. For remaining styles, profit margins became secondary – selling them at all counted as a gain.

This was because the initial investment had already been recovered, and having less stock meant the profits weren’t just numbers on paper.

The pre-Spring Festival inventory needed to be well-stocked. Even those who usually hesitated to buy clothes would grit their teeth to wear something new for the New Year, especially children’s clothing!

Xia Xiaolan had been hesitating about whether to bring in some children’s clothing for a quick profit.

If adults couldn’t bear not wearing new clothes during the Spring Festival, what about the children?

But children’s clothing differed from adult clothing. She dared to stock men’s clothing because men’s classic styles were limited, and sizing wasn’t too complicated. Especially now that people were generally thinner, small to extra-large sizes could accommodate most customers. Children’s clothing was different – what fit a three-year-old would barely work for a four-year-old.

Clothes meant for five or six-year-olds would be particularly small, with short pants and sleeves, and completely inappropriate sizing!

Each year of age required a different size.

Of the clothes brought in before New Year’s Day, about two thousand yuan worth remained. Li Fengmei felt quite embarrassed as she wasn’t as good at selling as Xia Xiaolan.

She didn’t know which clothes suited which customers, and her recommendations often left people unsatisfied.

Xia Xiaolan had a sharp eye – she wouldn’t recommend tight fits for those with thick waists, and for those with short legs, she’d suggest coats that ended ten centimeters above the knee. Short people had their way of dressing: tucking sweaters into pants and pairing them with high-waisted flared trousers created a visual illusion.

Xia Xiaolan explained that dressing well wasn’t about height but about “body proportions.”

Colors also had warm and cool tones, relating to skin tone. Some women weren’t dark-skinned but looked sickly in green – the warm-cool balance was off!

Li Fengmei found it all incomprehensible.

For Xia Xiaolan, this was basic knowledge. In the future, people would test makeup colors to find what suited them, gradually figuring it out… Even the slowest learner would develop an understanding after trying lipsticks at cosmetic counters a few times.

But women in the 1980s had no such concept.

Not just Li Fengmei – even the female customers in Shangdu City who could afford hundred-yuan coats didn’t understand.

Li Fengmei’s aesthetic sense needed development, but Xia Xiaolan told her not to worry:

“It’s nothing special, anyone can learn.”

Li Fengmei stayed with Xia Xiaolan rather than setting up separately. After each customer left, Xia Xiaolan would explain why she recommended particular clothes.

She also shared small sales techniques.

While flattering customers was necessary, you had to make them believe it and feel happy enough to spend money… Money was particularly valuable now – did people think a few casual compliments would make someone spend big?

You had to touch the customer’s heart, hitting the right spots with your flattery.

“That woman earlier was dark-skinned and short, it’s amazing you found something to compliment,” Li Fengmei said.

Xia Xiaolan winked, “Well, I didn’t lie – she did have beautiful eyes.”

Li Fengmei had to admit she was impressed!

Business had been good today. As noon approached, Li Fengmei was about to buy some food when several people wearing armbands approached.

“No stalls allowed here. What’s going on?”

There weren’t any officially designated spots for street vendors – they were always playing cat and mouse with patrol officers.

Xia Xiaolan had been caught before, but usually, speaking politely and agreeing to move was enough to be let off. She’d paid city appearance fines twice, complying without complaint, expecting the same routine this time.

Besides, she wasn’t set up just anywhere – she was in front of her own store under renovation.

No work was being done in the store today, waiting for the walls to dry and the floor tiles to set properly before installing the crystal lamps and other fixtures.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t occupying other spaces or blocking traffic.

Still, she didn’t plan to argue.

It was lunchtime anyway, and she was preparing to pack up.

Suddenly, one person’s face darkened as they blocked her path. “We received public complaints that your clothes are overpriced and poor quality. We suspect you’re selling inferior goods as premium products – that’s speculation and profiteering!”

Poor quality?

It was difficult to find poor-quality clothes now. Even those wholesale pants costing just dozens of yuan per dozen weren’t necessarily poor quality – they just used very cheap fabric. Moreover, Xia Xiaolan’s clothes had expensive wholesale prices, and neither the fabric nor the workmanship could be faulted.

Even though she’d brought in some cheaper clothes this time to recover capital faster, they were only cheap compared to Chen Xiliang’s wholesale prices.

The clothes’ quality was fine – she’d inspected each piece while ironing. Why would she risk her future store’s reputation by selling inferior goods in front of it?

The charge of “speculation and profiteering” was even more unacceptable. In the early days of Reform and Opening Up, such accusations could drive private businesspeople to suicide!

Xia Xiaolan sensed something was wrong – these armband-wearers had specifically targeted her.

“Comrades, how could our goods be problematic!”

Li Fengmei panicked, stepping in front of Xia Xiaolan and tugging hard at a pair of pants.

The pants didn’t even show loose stitching, let alone torn fabric.

“You’re a vendor too? Then come with us as well!”

The surrounding vendors were too frightened to breathe. Xia Xiaolan told Li Fengmei not to be afraid, then asked the red armband:

“Comrades, if you’re checking product quality, may I ask which department you’re from?”

“The police station.”

Why would police wear red armbands instead of uniforms? That would have made everything clear.

The red armband bearer thought this would frighten Xia Xiaolan, but she just nodded, “Officer, I’d like to see your work ID.”

They choked – it was the first time someone had asked for ID during enforcement.

Usually, ordinary citizens’ knees would go weak at the mention of police investigation, let alone asking for credentials.

They had no ID.

“You need to cooperate with our investigation. We won’t wrong an innocent person, nor let a guilty one go… At the station, you can explain your situation… You’re just a street vendor, who would impersonate police to investigate you?”

Xia Xiaolan gripped her display rack. “That’s hard to say. What if you’re criminals pretending to be police…”

She trailed off, but everyone present understood the implication.

Other vendors might not be worth deceiving, but she was beautiful – she couldn’t just follow some men claiming to be police.

“Without ID, without telling me which station you’re taking me to, I won’t go even if you shoot me dead right here!”

The red armband wearers exchanged glances.

They weren’t actually police, but getting Xia Xiaolan to the station to scare her was indeed their goal. They could get away with verbally claiming to be from the station, but Xia Xiaolan was just street vending now – once the clothing store officially opened, they’d come to cause trouble regularly.

Think having a business license makes you something special?

Opening three storefronts in such a prime location, making loads of money – how could that work without backing?

Many people watched and whispered from a distance.

One red armband wearer grew impatient, shoving Li Fengmei down and reaching for Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan had already activated her electric shock device – she never expected this self-defense tool she’d never needed outside would come in handy in Shangdu:

“You’re acting like hooligans! Help! Some people are pretending to be police and harassing us!”

Finally, several men in the crowd couldn’t stand by any longer and seemed ready to step in.

Suddenly, someone pushed to the front and kicked the red armband wearer who was about to grab Xia Xiaolan, sending him sprawling. “You should’ve checked who you were messing with before bullying people! That’s my sister-in-law you’re trying to touch! Damn it, Kang Wei, you’re too slow!”