Looking around, only the pan-fried buns seemed decent.
After the meal, the two walked around the streets and found a nice guesthouse to settle in.
An international hotel, inside was quite clean, no vouchers needed, just a bit pricey; a single room cost five yuan a day. Fortunately, Lin Wan wasnât short on money, so she was naturally willing to stay somewhere nicer.
When booking the room, the receptionist even asked for their marriage certificate, luckily they brought it along.
The room on the third floor was further inside, with an extra window allowing good ventilation. Surprisingly, it even came with a TV, something Lin Wan hadnât anticipated.
"Itâs quite nice," Han Yi nodded in agreement after looking around.
There was hot water and other amenities, just no private bathrooms; they were shared on each floor.
Luckily, there was a place to shower. The two took a quick shower and had a good nightâs sleep.
...
At eight, they found a breakfast stall downstairs and grabbed a simple breakfast before Han Yi led Lin Wan to a trading area in the city.
In Shanghai, besides state-owned stores, thereâs also a trade area bustling with many shops and merchants, very prosperous. Additionally, thereâs a foreign trade section selling imported goods straight from overseas. After days of drifting at sea, the prices are quite steep!
Today they didnât plan to find manufacturers but to explore the cityâs malls instead.
Last time, Han Yi caught a criminal who fled here, so he was quite familiar with the trading district.
The shops here sold clothes much more stylish than those in S City or Z City, mostly foreign products.
Han Yi found them all similar, but compared to Lin Wanâs knack for picking clothes, he was way off. Yet, seeing the vast variety of things, even Han Yiâs eyes lit up.
"Do you like anything? If you do, just buy it." They came specifically to explore Shanghai with enough money. "This dress looks great, want to try it?" Han Yi pointed out an elegant European-style dress in the shop. It was off-white, with good drape and lace trim at the bottom. The dress had an additional layer of tulle on top, a simple V-neck design on the upper body, sleeveless, looking quite sophisticated.
"Itâs indeed very beautiful." Even Lin Wan, whoâs skilled at making clothes, found herself fond of the dress.
"How much is this dress?" Lin Wan inquired about the price.
"Forty yuan each, European goods, loved by young ladies and wives alike. Miss, would you like one?" The shop owner, a middle-aged woman with the usual shrewdness of a businessperson, said.
Forty yuan wasnât expensive for Lin Wan; sheâd sold winter clothes for the same price. But she wouldnât agree to whatever price was quoted. She knew there was profit margin, "Too expensive, make it cheaper, Iâll take it for thirty yuan!" Lin Wan frowned, "You see this dress, the white color gets dirty easily, and the buttons arenât to my liking..." She negotiated while critiquing the dress with a picky expression.
Hearing Lin Wanâs words, the salespersonâs face darkened, seeing these two dressed so smartly, she thought theyâd be generous with money, not expecting them to be calculative!
"Young lady, thirty yuan is too little. Such beautiful foreign goods canât go for such a low price. How about this, I see youâre serious about buying, and Iâm sincere about selling, thirty yuan is really low, but if thirty-five yuan works for you, you can take it?" The woman, her eyes gleaming, smiled at Lin Wan.
"Thirty yuan, sister, if you donât sell, Iâll look elsewhere..." Lin Wan smiled while being well aware that the price she offered was profitable.
As she spoke, she tugged Han Yi to leave, "Ai Yi, letâs go and look around, weâre just getting started anyway."
"Hey... young lady, donât be so hasty, you see, if the price isnât suitable, we can still negotiate. Fine, this dress is the last one left, I see youâre serious, thirty yuan it is, but outside, such a price canât be mentioned, itâs really too low..." The woman quickly caught Lin Wan and started packing, talking non-stop about how sheâs losing on the sale...
Seeing this, Lin Wan didnât say anything further, promptly took out three big bills from her wallet and handed them over.
Han Yi secretly smiled, feeling quite enlightened; women are fierce bargainers. He had prepared to pay but was stopped by Lin Wan pinching him.
Saved ten yuan just like that?
"Alright, young lady, exactly thirty, do visit again!" The woman took the money, smiling so widely her eyes turned into slits.
Lin Wan dragged Han Yi to visit a few more stores, buying the snow cream Saozi mentioned, and also a piece of clothing for both her and Mom. Even Han Yiâs brother and father didnât miss out; the brother would frequently wear them, but Han Yi and his father seldom wore casual clothes.
So she bought them each a foreign trench coat, costing over fifty yuan each.
Lin Wan didnât buy much because the clothes were similar, seeing them once, she could make them herself, mostly missing the fabric used. She wondered if there were fabric manufacturers around.
Apart from clothing, there were many selling appliances here. TVs and refrigerators were sold by quite a few. TVs came in all sizes, both black-and-white and color were available, prices varied greatly. Itâs not about finding one; itâs about having the money. Refrigerators that were hard to find in S City had two stores selling them here.
Mom mentioned wanting Dad to get one for her a few days ago. Itâs probably tough to get, requiring foreign exchange certificates, and even then, not guaranteed supplies.
"Ai Yi, letâs take a look" not to buy but checking them out is fine.
"Sure."
They chose a store with more brands and went inside.
Xiangxuehai single-door refrigerator 125 liters for 685 yuan, Shuanglu brand double-door refrigerator for 1200 yuan, Bai Xue refrigerator for over 800, imported Hitachi, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Haier for at least two to three thousand yuan, but all donât require certificates, just direct payment.
"Comrade, weâre not locals, if we buy one, do you have ways to ship it back?" Lin Wan asked curiously.
"Where are you from, comrade? We deliver to various cities, but itâs a bit slow," the store owner said.
"S City."
"Oh, thatâs not close."
The store owner was surprised, causing Lin Wan to secretly roll her eyes; if it were close, they wouldnât be bothered.
"However, if we deliver there, itâs about the quantity. Merchants around here are connected; if anyone needs something sent to whichever city, theyâll organize and tally everyoneâs goods, rent a truck to haul them together. The shipping fee per item is fifty yuan, which youâll have to cover. If miss wants one, leave a phone number, and if a truck heads to S City, Iâll call. How does that sound?"
Lin Wan raised her eyebrows, this method was good, "Whatâs your payment method?"
"To be honest, miss, itâs our first meeting, itâs not that we donât trust you, but in doing business, we emphasize trust, worrying more about untrustworthy clients. Shipping these goods isnât easy, if they arrive and you donât want them, itâs alright to haul them back, but the shipping fee must be covered by the buyer since we donât provide transportation service. Offering you convenience and assembling a truck is purely for the sake of selling more units."
What the owner said made sense; generally, asking for fifty yuan upfront would make many hesitate, fearing the owner might be a scammer.
But Lin Wan paid; if he were a scammer, sheâd consider it bad luck and a lesson. If not, and they did call, sheâd benefit.
The refrigerators here were much cheaper than the one Mom bought; if they did deliver, sheâd save at least over two hundred yuan.
"Ai Yi, what do you think?" Lin Wan still sought her husbandâs opinion.
Han Yi shared the same thoughts as Lin Wan, "Store owners doing business, a refrigeratorâs profit far exceeds fifty yuan, letâs pay."
The ownerâs face lit up, many outsiders wanting to buy things hesitated upon hearing about upfront payment, then cautiously walked away.
Rarely encountering such trustful people.
"Miss, young sir, rest assured our machines are guaranteed in quality; I believe in long-term business relations, selling one unit means selling to your friends and family. Iâm hoping old customers introduce more business; if thereâs a vehicle, itâll definitely be shipped to you. The machineâs genuinely new; if it performs well, help recommend us more in your region. We guarantee delivery with a vehicle. And itâs covered by three guarantees. But refrigerators really rarely break, lasting five to eight years without issues."