Chapter 9: The First Customer

(P.S.: Regarding the heavy investment losses from my previous book, I sincerely apologize. When I abandoned the project, I didn’t consider the readers who had invested, nor did I truly understand the implications. Had I known, I would have persevered and at least updated for a full thirty days. I promise never to make such a mistake again.)

While Huang He was still busy cleaning up the mess from his impulsive, boastful words, on the other side, Shen Yuequn found himself completely surrounded by a crowd, unable to extricate himself. He had to admit, the trump card Huang He had given him was astonishingly effective; as soon as that catchy voice started playing, every newcomer in the vicinity felt as if they’d been enchanted, irresistibly drawn toward Shen Yuequn’s stall.

“Did your boss really run off with his sister-in-law?” The first person to crowd around ignored the boxes entirely, asking about this matter first.

“He really did!” Shen Yuequn replied with utter conviction. “All of this is stock from our factory. We specialize in export orders—every piece here is made for export. Even the cheapest item in this batch would sell for twenty dollars in America!”

“These boxes, are they really only ten bucks each? And there’s really at least a genuine leather wallet inside?” The onlooker glanced at the sign and pressed further.

“If you buy one and the item inside is worth less than a wallet, I’ll refund you on the spot—and you keep what you got!” Shen Yuequn’s salesmanship began to awaken. “Really, go check the whole street. If you can find a wallet for less than twenty yuan, I’ll cut off my own head and let you use it as a soccer ball!”

He was speaking the truth—wallets for less than twenty were indeed hard to find here. The customer, who was still using a fabric pouch for his money, started to waver.

“I’ll buy one!” After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out ten yuan, becoming the first paying customer of the day.

“Look, all these boxes—take your pick!” Shen Yuequn gestured. “But you can’t touch them, and you can’t pick them up. Just point with your finger, and my wife will fetch it for you!” As it turned out, Shen Yuequn had brought his wife along too.

“Why not? Who sells something you can’t even touch?” The man asked, bewildered.

“Brother, to be honest, these boxes hold wallets, shoes, belts, even leather jackets. They’re different weights and sizes. If you could weigh them in your hand, you’d know what’s inside and just grab the most expensive ones—forcing me to take a loss every time! Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to the customers behind you—they’d lose their chance at winning a thousand-yuan leather jacket!” Shen Yuequn explained.

As soon as he said this, the crowd immediately began to shout, insisting that the man follow the rules and not touch the goods. Helpless, the man stared for a long time before finally pointing at a box in the center.

“Wife, bring that box over!” Shen Yuequn signaled for his wife to hand the box to the customer.

The man first examined the box carefully, noticing two seals—it really did appear to be factory-sealed leather goods. Instantly reassured, he eagerly prepared to open it. Shen Yuequn thoughtfully handed him a small knife to slice the tape. In a few swift motions, the box was open, and out came a finely packaged case.

“It’s a wallet!” The customer’s expression fell slightly, and he was about to leave when someone in the crowd called out, “Hey, don’t rush off! Open it up—see if it’s really genuine leather!”

“Right!” The young man snapped to attention and quickly opened the package. The box itself was ingeniously designed, splitting open with a dozen intricate steps—exuding an air of luxury that left everyone around staring in amazement. None of them had ever seen such exquisite, elaborate packaging in their lives.

“These are all export goods ordered by foreigners. The boxes themselves are designed overseas—extremely particular. In America, these sell for twenty dollars a box. Twenty dollars, you know? That’s 160 yuan!” Shen Yuequn explained through a megaphone, reciting the sales pitches Huang He had drilled into them during training—each person required to memorize at least ten lines.

Sure enough, with this commentary, the crowd’s belief in the export story deepened. That year, people in China were accustomed to judging a product’s value by its packaging. The most obvious example was the mooncakes of the time—a box’s price had nothing to do with the cakes inside and everything to do with the packaging. The most extravagant mooncake merchants even used solid gold for their cases, the pinnacle of the packaging industry!

It was the same case here.

In truth, Huang He had some real capabilities—he understood the primacy of packaging, had specially contacted a packaging factory to design these flashy cases. Unfortunately, he’d still failed in the end.

After a tedious unboxing, the wallet was finally revealed—black, the most common and versatile color, gleaming with a glossy sheen that looked undeniably high-end.

“Let me have a feel!” Suddenly, an old man with a white beard stepped forward, snatching the wallet from the young man and running his fingers over it. He pronounced with authority, “This is cowhide, no doubt about it. And not just any cowhide—top-grain. The only thing is, the cow was a bit old, so the leather’s tough and stiff, am I right?”

“You’re an expert!” Shen Yuequn replied admiringly. “Indeed, these are all made from the hides of dairy cows retired from the milk factory!”

“Of course. I’m a veteran worker from SY Leatherworks—I can tell any hide by touch!” The old man grinned, and the crowd regarded him with newfound respect. Their eyes began to shine—genuine leather goods for just ten yuan—could such a good deal really exist?

The old man turned to the young man. “Son, this wallet isn’t bad. If you don’t want it, I’ll give you eight yuan for it.”

“I want it! Why wouldn’t I?” The young man clutched his wallet protectively. The old man shrugged, then handed over ten yuan. “Boss, I’ll take one of those blind boxes too. That one!”

He picked a blind box, which Shen Yuequn’s wife handed over with a smile.

All eyes returned to the old man as he slowly, methodically unwrapped the box and extracted a large case from inside.

Judging by its size, it had to be shoes!

“My goodness, there really are leather shoes inside!” The crowd was stunned. They had never expected a box to actually contain a pair of leather shoes, and all for just ten yuan!

Regardless of whether the shoes were genuine leather or not, even imitation leather shoes never sold for less than fifty yuan. Yet here, for just ten yuan, he’d gotten a pair!

Amidst countless envious glances, the old man happily pulled out a glossy pair of leather shoes, tossed aside his old cloth ones, and strutted off in his new footwear.

“Boss, I want another box!” The first customer, seeing the shoes on the old man’s feet, looked down at his wallet and shouted eagerly.

Yet anyone observing Shen Yuequn’s wife at that moment would have noticed she was struggling to stifle her laughter. She had never imagined her father-in-law’s acting skills would be quite so impressive.