Chapter 19: A Sales Pitch Rebuffed

“Tap-tap-tap…”
The crisp sound of the sewing machines echoed through the tailor’s shop.
Wu Ya rode away on his bicycle.
The wages for these workers were set at a guaranteed minimum of one hundred, with additional piece-rate commissions—two yuan for each garment.
With their skilled hands, they could easily produce three to five pieces in a day.
And with money urging them on, their motivation soared.
Consequently, problems began to emerge—
Sales.
The thirty new hires, plus the original five, each making three garments a day—
That amounted to one hundred and five pieces daily!
Such a massive quantity demanded an urgent search for outlets.
Otherwise, Wu Ya wouldn’t last even a week before facing stockpiles once more, teetering on the brink of collapse.
So he had to act quickly.
His target: the marketplace.
In the 1990s, shops and malls didn’t exist in small places like Suiyan District.
All goods were sold at the marketplace, stalls divided by category.
“Give me an ice pop.”
Soon, Wu Ya bought one and crouched in a corner of the clothing section.
His eyes swept the surroundings, searching ceaselessly.
Observing.
He watched the clothing vendors, noting each stall’s sales volume.
He needed to find the right one before approaching them.
Selling was an art.
“Hmm, that lady is truly formidable with her tongue!”
Until the sun dipped westward,
Only then did Wu Ya rise in satisfaction, strolling leisurely toward a stall ahead on the left.
At that moment,
A nearly thirty-year-old woman was busy at her booth.
Under her boisterous calls and persuasive words,
Customers came and went, constantly reaching for their wallets.
In just a single afternoon, she sold twenty garments—
The best sales in the area!
Yet judging by the size of her stall, it wasn’t the largest.
Clearly, she was either new to business or lacked the capital.
“Hello, ma’am.”

Wu Ya approached and greeted her politely.
“Young man, are you looking for a shirt or a pair of pants?”
The woman remained enthusiastic, beaming at Wu Ya.
Today was truly peculiar—
Business was booming, one sale after another.
Just this afternoon’s sales equaled two days’ worth.
And even at this hour, customers still arrived!
Naturally, her mood was excellent.
“Ma’am, I don’t need anything.”
Nothing?
The smile faded from the woman’s face.
“Well, it’s like this. I have a batch of clothing—are you interested?”
Seeing her expression change, Wu Ya hurried to clarify.
“You have a batch of clothes?”
She glanced at him, her eyes betraying a trace of suspicion.
At his age, children were either in school or already dropped out.
Those who left school often became street layabouts—
Idle, stirring up trouble, sometimes even petty theft.
Was his so-called batch of clothes stolen from somewhere?
“What kind of clothes are they?”
Yet the woman concealed her doubts, asking calmly.
“School uniforms.”
“School uniforms? Get lost! I’m busy and have no time to deal with riffraff like you!”
Unexpectedly, her face turned cold.
School uniforms?
Now she was certain this young man had nothing to sell—
He was simply bored, here to amuse himself.
Young people of that era had little entertainment beyond video parlors or wandering the streets,
Or gathering in groups to tease or embarrass others for idle pleasure.
To her, Wu Ya was exactly such a person.
Because—school uniforms.
That was a relic from decades ago!
Let alone selling them, no one would take them even for free!
Wasn’t he just making fun of her? What else could he be after?
“Ma’am, I really do have a batch of school uniforms. My family runs a tailor shop.”
Wu Ya persisted, smiling as he promoted his wares.
But—
“Then your family’s unlucky! What possessed you to make school uniforms? Did a donkey kick your brain? Those are things from the thirties and forties! We modern folks wear batwing shirts and tapered pants! Understand?”
The woman grew even more caustic.

In her view, this kid was still just playing games.
His claim that his family had a tailor’s shop was pure fabrication.
Anyone running a tailor shop was in it for profit—
Who would invest so much money in clothes discarded for decades?
Was he courting disaster, or simply throwing money away?
Wu Ya’s face sagged.
“Ma’am, if you don’t want them, it just means you lack vision! But please, mind your words—karma is real!”
“You!”
Her eyes widened, but Wu Ya had already turned and left.
There was no need to argue with such small vendors.
They were hardworking common folk, rising early and working late, always following the latest trends—
They lacked the sharp sense to seize business opportunities.
Yet this encounter made Wu Ya realize a problem.
His school uniforms would undoubtedly be the future trend.
That was beyond question.
But the time hadn’t come; the trend hadn’t formed.
These small vendors simply wouldn’t dare take the risk.
To abandon the current fad of batwing shirts and tapered pants, and stock up on school uniforms from him?
One misstep, and they’d lose everything!
Who would throw their hard-earned money away for him?
“It seems I must rethink my strategy! I considered only the future of school uniforms, not their present! If no one dares to be the first, my batch of clothes will remain nothing but rags!”
Wu Ya pedaled slowly, lost in thought.
“But if I simply wait for the trend to arrive, I’ll miss my chance and fall behind. That way, I’d lose the best opportunity for a breakthrough!”
Business is like war—
Seizing the moment is crucial!
If he waited for school uniforms to become popular before seeking retailers,
The opportunity would be gone.
Clothing dealers sourced goods from everywhere;
Once a trend formed, price wars would erupt.
Without seizing the business opportunity,
Profits would be thin, and he’d be trapped in a mire of price competition from the start!
So now, his most urgent problem was how to claim the right timing—
To launch his school uniforms before the trend formed,
And conquer the market!
“I was too optimistic! In these circumstances, what should I do?”
Wu Ya, who came with confidence, departed troubled.
The timing was wrong, the market unresponsive.
The attitude of that woman, representing the small vendors, struck him like a blow to the head.
It was the first setback he had encountered since his rebirth.