Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons-Chapter 17: Buying an Electric Fan

Unable to dissuade Tong Yao, Li Nuanchun had no choice but to accompany her to the bank. She watched as Tong Yao withdrew two hundred yuan. After leaving the bank, seeing Tong Yao’s arm still bandaged, she offered to carry the things they had bought. Li Nuanchun was strong, and the items felt weightless in her hands. She walked quickly.

"Sis, after buying the fan, we should head home. Don’t you dare start wandering into other shops. If we bring all these things back, Si Chen will blame me for not stopping you."

Tong Yao chuckled: "Sis-in-law, I’ve already bought bowls, chopsticks, rice, and noodles. If I don’t buy a stove, how can I cook?"

Li Nuanchun felt a sting in her heart. Even though it wasn’t her own money being spent, she couldn’t stand seeing others wasting money so recklessly. In her agitation, she felt the need to go to the restroom. They arrived at the place selling fans. She told Tong Yao to choose a fan first, and she excused herself to the restroom.

The couple selling fans were middle-aged, around their forties. The man had an honest face while the woman was shrewd and rotund. Seeing that Tong Yao was pretty and well-dressed, they recognized her as someone well-off, and likely generous when buying things. They warmly welcomed her.

Seeing Tong Yao studying the fans, the woman quickly came over to help. "Miss, are you looking to buy a fan? These are all newly arrived, high wind power and energy-saving."

She pointed at each fan in turn. "This small one is fifty yuan, the larger one is ninety-eight, and the biggest standing fan is one hundred and fifty-eight - it’s good for an entire family. If there aren’t so many people in your home, the ninety-eight yuan one would be sufficient."

Fearing that Tong Yao, a young girl, might not have enough money, and might be reluctant to buy the standing fan, the woman cautiously recommended the mid-priced fan first.

While the wages were low during that time, appliances were not cheap. They had high production costs, and thus high selling prices. However, the quality was excellent. A fan could last for a decade or two, with some even being able to last three to four decades. When netizens in the 21st century reminiscence about fans from this era, they joked that, "when the person is long gone, the fan is still around."

Tong Yao’s eyes landed on the one hundred and fifty-eight standing fan. It was more than half her height. Its position would be perfect if placed opposite to the bed. If she bought a smaller fan, she would need to find a table to place it, and that would not only occupy more space but also be inconvenient.

Seeing Tong Yao’s interest in the standing fan made the woman ecstatic. She quickly signaled her husband to get an extension cord, "Miss, let me tell you, the wind power of this fan is impressive. I’ll plug it in and let you feel it."

The man acted efficiently as soon as he saw the potential big sale. He quickly fetched an extension cord. The fan, once powered, produced a strong breeze. It made the room feel as though it had air conditioning—it was so refreshing.

"Miss, not only does this fan produce a powerful, cold breeze, it also saves energy. If you sincerely want to buy it, I’ll give you a discount and only charge one hundred fifty-five yuan. We’ll also deliver it to your home." The woman passionately sells the fan, praising like it’s the best there is.

The offer of home delivery brightened Tong Yao’s eyes, and she quickly made her decision, "This one then!"

At that moment, a tall, thin woman in her late twenties walked into the shop. The first thing Tong Yao noticed was the woman’s two short pigtail braids, which seemed very vintage. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt and perfectly ironed black pants without a single wrinkle. She was wearing black leather shoes. Her whole appearance screamed of a particular, delicate taste.

Perhaps because she was too thin, her cheekbones stood out. Her double-eyelid was wide, which coupled with her stern face, gave off a harsh impression. As she walked straight towards Tong Yao, Tong Yao instinctively made room for her by moving aside a bit.

"Older sis, what kind of fan are you planning on buying?" The woman shop owner greeted warmly, thinking that business was good today. Just after dealing with a generous young girl, another customer had shown up.

The woman walked up to the fan and stood still, looking at the strong gusts it was creating. She then asked in a commanding tone, "This fan seems pretty good. How much is it?"

"That fan is the last one, and this young lady just placed an order for it. Why don’t you take a look at these other ones? They’re pretty good too, with powerful wind and energy-saving." The shop owner unplugged the standing fan and plugged in the ninety-eight yuan one to show the woman instead.

Although the requirement for purchase coupons had been lifted, buyers of large fans like this were fewer. Plus, it was just the start of summer. Therefore, they hadn’t dared to stock up more than one of this type in the shop.

Hearing that it was the last one made the woman shrug off Tong Yao’s presence entirely. She simply said, "As long as it’s in the shop, it’s for sale. Whoever pays for it gets it," and began to take out her money.

Tong Yao furrowed her brow at this. The woman looked educated, yet her manners said otherwise. Tong Yao wasn’t accustomed to being bullied like this. She took out her money and pushed it toward the shop owner, "Ma’am, I spoke for this item first. You can’t sell it to someone else."

The couple looked distressed, but when doing business, trust was fundamental. Since they had promised to sell to Tong Yao, they couldn’t just sell the fan to someone else. Since they had to offend someone, it would just have to be the person who came later.

"Older sis, we’re really sorry. I already promised to sell the fan to the young lady here. She came first. Why don’t you take a look at the other fans? Or, you could wait until tomorrow, and I’ll bring in another one. If not, you can have a look at other shops."

The woman frowned, her stern face made her look even more like a harsh character."I came to sincerely buy a fan, and you’re pushing me away. Is this your way of doing business?" She said to her colleagues that she would buy this kind of standing fan and invite everyone over for meal the next day. After walking around for a while, this was the only shop that had the one she wanted. If she couldn’t bring it back, wouldn’t her colleagues say that she was lying and deceiving them when they arrived tomorrow?

At school, everyone admired her for marrying well and for leading a prosperous life. If they found out that her place lacked basic furniture, wouldn’t she be the laughingstock?

How could she then mingle with other teachers at school?

"We’re truly sorry. How about this - you can look at the other fans here, and for whichever one you fancy, we’ll give you a discount of two yuan." The couple apologised with a smile. They thought that since all customers were here to buy something, they would prefer not to offend anyone if possible. Reputation was crucial in business.

"I want this one," the woman declared, "I don’t need a two yuan discount."

So, they were willing to sell to a young girl but not to her? Did they think she couldn’t afford it since she wasn’t dressed as well as the young girl?

"..."

The woman shop owner felt very helpless. She signaled her husband to quickly pack up the fan. The money had already been received, so they had to sell the fan to Tong Yao.

The man understood and quickly packed the fan into a cardboard box. Seeing this, the woman became even more displeased. Her face was long as if someone owed her a huge sum of money and her words were sharp and hurtful.

"With the way you do business, you’re bound to close down sooner or later. I can’t believe I actually stepped into your shop."