frightfiction Chapter 439 Big Shot Leather Collector
Chapter 439 Big Shot Leather Collector
Li Ju'an glanced at the calendar in the gold shop. It was 84, and the international gold price was $360 per ounce. Converted to domestic gold prices, that was about 45.8 yuan per gram. It seemed much cheaper than in later years, but at that time, the average monthly wage was only 50 yuan per person, and some families earned less than 47 yuan, so the difference in purchasing power was significant.
Li Ju'an did the math and concluded that it wasn't worthwhile compared to other options. He felt that hoarding gold didn't have much purchasing power, so it was better to buy only the amount he needed.
He chose a gold pendant for his daughter with the words "Peace and Health" written on it. The saleswoman enthusiastically recommended two other pendants, saying, "Comrade, how about adding one for intelligence and wisdom? These three also have a 'lucky bead' design. You can string them together with a red string for your child to wear. It's both auspicious and beautiful. My niece wears one too."
Li Ju'an observed that the female shop assistant was quick-witted and articulate, a natural salesperson. He glanced at Chen Xiangqian and said, "I need a method."
Chen Xiangqian stared intently at the female sales clerk in the jewelry store. At this time of year, any sales clerk, especially in a jewelry store, would undoubtedly be a beautiful young woman, looking like a movie star. Many directors would choose actors from among the pretty sales assistants and cosmetics counter staff.
Chen Xiangqian leaned against the glass of the jewelry store with a grin, his elbow pressed against the glass, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Hey, do you have a phone number? Let's get acquainted."
The female shop assistant's name is Jiang Feng, a grand and imposing name, but her family worried that such a grand name wouldn't suit her destiny, so they gave her the nickname Shengnan. The other shop assistants usually call her Jiang Shengnan.
Jiang Shengnan's eyes lit up as she stared at Chen Xiangqian. Chen Xiangqian was dressed very fashionably, in designer clothes, sunglasses, and stylish shoes; he looked like a rich kid.
Several female shop assistants laughed and teased, saying, "Jiang Shengnan, it's perfect that you're off work, let's go see a movie together. There's a new movie showing at the cinema that we haven't had time to see, why don't you go see it for us?"
"Such a handsome young man, he looks quite decent, Shengnan, could you give him your phone number?"
Jiang Shengnan stared at Chen Xiangqian, who remained calm. He glanced at the sales guide badge pinned to her chest and said, "Jiang Feng, what a lovely name. Comrade Jiang, let's go see a movie later. This is my first time at your department store, so could you recommend a good film? You're such a good host, aren't you?"
Jiang Shengnan became reserved at this moment, and she no longer had the enthusiasm she had when she was promoting to Li Ju'an. She lowered her head and said, "I have things to do after get off work."
Chen Xiangqian said with a grin, "It's good that you're busy. I happen to have a car, so I'll drive you there. Wherever you need to go, I'll drive you there."
Upon hearing this, the female shop assistants perked up and exchanged surprised glances.
"Yes, you have a car, a sedan?"
Chen Xiangqian winked and laughed, "Of course, it has to be a car."
The shop assistants' screams grew even louder; they were all enthusiastic young women, and very outgoing. Several of them joked and teased Jiang Shengnan, making her blush bright red.
Li Ju'an picked out a gold Ruyi pendant and bought three lucky beads for his wife to string together. The two necklaces were then beautifully packaged.
Li Ju'an smiled at Jiang Shengnan and said, "It's time to get off work. Good results today."
Jiang Shengnan was in a good mood after making a sale. She glanced at Chen Xiangqian, then followed him shyly towards the movie theater, saying, "Let's come here for the first time. Our movie theater is huge, and the movies are great."
"Is it true or not? I'll have to take a good look."
The two walked forward, chatting and laughing. Li Ju'an was filled with mixed emotions watching this, and his heart was pounding with excitement.
Back then, that awkward young man would blush whenever he saw a girl and stammer when he spoke. Now, Chen Xiangqian can finally strike up a conversation with the girl he likes.
Li Anlong ran to a public phone booth and called Pang Duolai. He felt that making phone calls was really inconvenient these days. Landlines were available in the city, and he wanted to get one for the Li family too, but nothing beats a mobile phone.
The first mobile phone entered the domestic market in 1987, and he still had to wait three years before he could own a mobile phone.
Pang Duo told him on the phone that Qin Shuang was very satisfied with the snow leopard pelt he had brought. The tanning technique was also something Qin Shuang greatly admired.
On the other end of the phone, Pang Duolai said, "Boss Li, do you still have any snow leopard pelts? If so, I'll buy them all. I'll take as many as you have."
Li Ju'an laughed and cursed, "If I had that many snow leopard pelts, why would I need you to distribute them? I could just do trade directly."
Pang Duolai wasn't embarrassed at all. Having been a middleman for so long, he had developed a thick skin. He smiled and said, "Qin Shuang is one of your clients. If you ask me, I have quite a few clients like Boss Qin, at least thirty or so. If Boss Li can get more snow leopard pelts, I'll buy each one for three thousand eight hundred!"
He had already made his threat, and Li Ju'an said, "Alright, just you wait. Whether you peel one layer of skin or I peel two layers, it's all the same."
On the other end of the phone, Pang Duolai chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "Alright, let's make money together."
Li Ju'an took the fox fur back to the old lady of the Sun family. The old lady of the Sun family was all smiles when she saw it and kept saying that Sun Quande should take out all the furs he had brought recently to take a look.
The old lady promised Li Ju'an that if she could defeat the red fox that had bewitched Sun Weimin, and the fox spirit was defeated through Li Ju'an's help, her beloved grandson Sun Weimin would not be bewitched by the fox spirit.
Li Ju'an happily collected all the hides the Sun family had recently hunted. It was common for hunters in the mountains to buy and sell hides from each other. They mostly bought freshly skinned hides to process either raw or cooked.
Sun Quande brought back a considerable number of pelts this time, including leopards, greyhounds, and lynxes, but snow leopards were extremely rare, and hunters generally never encountered one.
In addition, Li Ju'an offered a higher price. Although Lao Tao also processed leather, he only charged a processing fee as payment for his hard work. Li Ju'an, on the other hand, genuinely bought leather, and his price was more than ten yuan higher than that of the purchasing station in the county town.
As a result, word spread that Li Ju'an was buying the Sun family's game pelts, and hunters from several nearby villages came to ask Li Ju'an if he would buy their unused pelts.
He called Pang Duo over to collect the goods.
If anyone else called Pang Duolai, he would be incredibly aloof and wouldn't even acknowledge them. But as soon as he heard Li Ju'an calling, he rubbed his hands together with a grin and led two workers to Li's house.
Pang Duolai also got into a car.
He drove a used car, a Santana that someone else had discarded. He proudly showed off the Santana and his expensively hired driver, exclaiming as he entered the house, "Mr. Li, the land where you live is worth a fortune now! It's right by the highway, and land prices are skyrocketing. You have a real eye for things!"