Volume One, Chapter 16: Making a Fortune Selling Hair Flowers

After Wang Shufen left, Song Yi spread the tablecloth she had brought over the table, laid out all the hair accessories, and loudly called out, “Hair accessories, beautiful hair accessories! Don’t miss out, come take a look!”

Before, she would never have dared to shout so loudly. Not only was she afraid, but even if there were customers, she would be too shy to say much.

Now, perhaps her mindset had changed, and with it, her courage had grown.

It was ten o’clock; the department store had opened, and customers were steadily flowing in. Hearing her call, many glanced over, some curious even came closer to browse the hair accessories on the table.

Some felt tempted and asked the price, “Comrade, how much for these hair accessories?”

Song Yi warmly explained, “Two yuan each. They’re made of tulle, which takes quite a bit of work.”

“What? Two yuan? That’s too expensive.”

At that time, pork was only two yuan per jin; it seemed excessive for a simple hair accessory to cost as much as a jin of pork.

But Song Yi wasn’t upset; she smiled gently and said, “But these hair accessories last a long time. Two yuan for one, you can use it for a whole year. That’s less than a cent a day, and they also bring emotional value.”

“Emotional value? What’s that?”

The other person was puzzled by this unfamiliar phrase.

Song Yi explained, “Emotional value means happiness. When you wear the hair accessory, and see yourself looking pretty every day, doesn’t that make you happy?”

The customer was clearly moved, especially seeing that Song Yi herself wore the same style on her head, which looked stunning. She gritted her teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll take one.”

After speaking, she handed over two yuan.

Song Yi was delighted, took the money, and handed over the comb and mirror she had prepared. “Would you like to try it on now?”

The customer was a bit eager, shyly thanked her, and pinned the hair accessory onto her head.

It really looked good. Paired with her dress, she exuded a refined lady-like aura, instantly feeling very satisfied and even wanting to buy two more.

But considering the price, she gave up.

Two yuan each was already expensive; buying two more would be too extravagant.

With the first customer, the second soon followed. Seeing someone buy one, other customers couldn’t help but follow suit.

This pretty comrade was right: though expensive, they lasted long, and that so-called emotional value did sound convincing.

One woman pointed at Song Yi. “I want the one on your head. Is that alright?”

The hair accessory Song Yi wore was also made the night before, mainly to showcase the product. For this, she had put on the floral dress she’d specially bought at the department store yesterday.

Unexpectedly, the first customer hadn’t chosen the one on her head, but the second did.

She immediately took it off. “Of course.”

Then, she took another hair accessory with fluttering ribbons, tied up her hair, and put it on.

Jiang Qiu watched hesitantly. “I think the one you’re wearing now looks even better.”

What was going on?

Why did she feel the hair accessory on this woman’s head looked more beautiful?

Song Yi chuckled softly, “Maybe the one on my head suits my temperament and outfit better. If you trust me, I can help you pick one.”

Jiang Qiu immediately nodded, “Okay.”

Song Yi glanced at Jiang Qiu’s attire and selected a black ribbon bow with short tails. “Try this one.”

Jiang Qiu obediently put it on but felt something was missing.

Song Yi said straightforwardly, “Do you mind if I fix it for you?”

Jiang Qiu didn’t mind at all and handed it over.

Song Yi had her sit on a stool, took half of her hair and tied it up, then made a small hole in the middle and pulled the hair through to prevent it from drooping. She secured it with the hair accessory, tidied it up a bit, and handed her the mirror.

“Look.”

Jiang Qiu’s eyes lit up when she saw herself in the mirror. “So pretty! What’s going on?”

Song Yi smiled, “It’s because of your clothes. You’re wearing wine red, which goes well with black. Plus, you have a lot of hair. When tied all up, it’s easy to loosen. By tying half tightly and then loosening it a bit, the crown of your head looks higher, making it more beautiful.”

These skills she had learned over the years while styling Xie Yifei’s hair. To make Xie Yifei look good, she—someone who rarely used her phone—spent countless days watching tutorials online.

By the end, she was almost an expert, able to tell at a glance what hair accessory wouldn’t suit someone.

Jiang Qiu carefully touched the hair accessory, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Song Yi. “You’re amazing. I’ve never seen this style before. Pick a few more that suit me, I’ll buy them all.”

Song Yi’s eyes brightened; she didn’t hesitate and picked out a few that matched Jiang Qiu’s temperament. “These three suit you well. If you don’t know how to wear them later, you can come find me. I’m here selling every day.”

Jiang Qiu took out a ten-yuan note and handed it over without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll come find you later. Keep the change.”

Her family wasn’t short on money; her parents and brother gave her plenty of pocket money. Ten yuan was nothing compared to some people’s half-month living expenses.

Song Yi still gave her two yuan back. “No, I can’t take advantage of you. If you like my hair accessories, just introduce a few customers to me later.”

Jiang Qiu looked at Song Yi with newfound respect. “No problem.”

Having sold five hair accessories at once for ten yuan, Song Yi was overjoyed.

Other women watching were also tempted, especially after Jiang Qiu’s transformation—it was clear she looked more attractive. They hurried to choose, afraid someone else would snatch their favorite.

Some even asked Song Yi to pick for them and style their hair like Jiang Qiu’s.

Soon, Song Yi was busy nonstop, but the hard work paid off as the hair accessories sold like hotcakes. After this rush, only half of the original fifty remained.

She had spent eight yuan on scrap fabric and two yuan on a large bag of elastic bands. Including needles, thread, and labor, the cost per piece was at most fifty cents.

That meant she had earned nearly forty yuan from selling twenty-five hair accessories.

Forty yuan—that was a month’s wage for many workers.

She had hit the jackpot.

Overjoyed, Song Yi took a moment to drink some water before continuing to call out to customers.

Unbeknownst to her, this scene was witnessed by Zheng Hongxia from nearby. Seeing Song Yi sell more than twenty hair accessories in such a short time and collect a pile of money, Zheng Hongxia’s eyes reddened.

She had come to work in An City. Since Song Yi refused to marry Xie Yu and no one else was willing to fully support him, with the dowry only a measly 100 yuan and no one to pay for college tuition, Zheng Hongxia had no choice but to work in the city to earn money for Xie Yu.

But she had no skills or education and could only work as a dishwasher for twenty yuan a month.

Yet Song Yi had just earned two and a half months’ wages in one go. How could she not be driven mad with jealousy?

Back in her rented room, she told Xie Yu about this.