Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading

Chapter 178: The New Store Manager

Electric sewing machines on a big sale, only 199 each.

It’s like the perfect solution for insomnia, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes immediately lit up.

At this price, and it’s electric, isn’t it better than an ordinary sewing machine?

She instantly rushed to order two, planning to give one to Grandma Liu and the other to her own mom, Liu Cuilan.

There was also a sewing machine at home, but it was so old that every time Liu Cuilan used it, it went "clack clack clack" without a moment’s peace, almost comparable to the sound of a train passing by.

After ordering the sewing machines, lying in bed, she found herself having trouble falling asleep.

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, she decided to sit up and casually grabbed a book from the table.

When she looked at it, oh boy! It turned out to be that book "Five Years Gaokao Three Years Simulations."

Probably feeling too bored, she opened it to have a look, and after just a couple of pages, she immediately felt sleepy.

Her eyelids started fighting with each other, and the last thought Su Xiaoxiao had before drifting off was that this thing was even more effective than sleeping pills.

She slept well through the night, not waking up until a scream startled her instead of the morning alarm clock.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes in a hurry, and rushed out the door only to see her mom Liu Cuilan running around the yard swinging a shovel and yelling.

Dust flew wherever she went, with a black shadow darting back and forth faintly in view.

"Mom, what are you chasing this early in the morning?"

As soon as she asked, Liu Cuilan came charging at her with the shovel raised.

Startled, Su Xiaoxiao instinctively took a step back, suddenly feeling like she’d stepped on something alive.

A thing squirmed frantically and let out a sharp "squeak, squeak, squeak."

Almost instantly, she realized what it was, and her face turned pale.

She stiffly looked down, only to meet a pair of panicked mouse eyes.

"Aaaaaah..."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

The screams and squeaks sounded at the same time.

Su Xiaoxiao immediately wanted to lift her foot to let go, wishing she could break into a dance right then and there.

Before she could fully lift her foot off the thing, someone pressed hard on her shoulder.

Liu Cuilan’s voice sounded next to her ear: "Keep it pressed, don’t let it go."

Su Xiaoxiao stood there stiffly, her heart longing to die as she pressed down on the squealing gray mouse.

She was determined to throw away the shoes she was wearing and never wear them again.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard her mom’s voice by her ear: "Lift your foot."

She didn’t know why she was supposed to lift her foot, but instinctively followed the instruction.

Her body reacted even before her mind did.

The next moment, she heard a "bang," and the mouse on the ground turned into a flat, bloody pancake.

Su Xiaoxiao jumped far away, hastily leaving the scene. Her mom was just too fierce.

Because of this little morning incident, Su Xiaoxiao skipped breakfast. Originally, she wanted to throw away the shoes she stepped on the mouse with, but unfortunately, she didn’t own many pairs and these were her best ones.

Dazed, she went to the department store early in the morning, only to be surrounded by a group of people as soon as she arrived.

"Comrade Su, these are tea eggs I brought from home for you to try."

"Comrade Su, these are fried dough sticks I just bought, have a taste."

"Comrade Su, my mom’s chive pancakes are particularly delicious, you should try them."

A crowd warmly surrounded her in the center.

Zhang Dongmei happened to pass by and snorted, "What’s the big deal about becoming a manager? What’s she so smug about?"

Manager? Who became a manager?

Su Xiaoxiao was a bit dazed. At this time, Zhang Yulan squeezed out from the crowd: "Why are you all gathered here? Get back to your counters, it’s about to open."

Only then did the crowd reluctantly shove things into Su Xiaoxiao’s hands and disperse unwillingly.

"What was that about?"

Su Xiaoxiao stared at the pile of random stuff that had been thrust into her hands, feeling a little bewildered.

She never thought she was this popular at the department store, so what on earth was going on today? Everyone behaved as if she was a long-lost relative.

While she was puzzling over this, Zhang Yulan quietly whispered in her ear: "The news came out that they’re appointing a new store chief today. Everyone’s guessing it’s probably going to be you."

So, it turns out they all thought she was going to be promoted and wanted to cozy up to her.

Su Xiaoxiao, although she had acted as acting store chief for a while, was essentially just a temp. Apart from a slightly higher salary, there wasn’t much difference.

Now, hearing that she was about to be formally appointed, naturally, many people wanted to curry favor.

Yang Baoguo, carrying a mop and a bucket, stopped angrily in front of her.

With a "bang," the bucket slammed onto the ground, splashing water everywhere.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Su Xiaoxiao, feeling as if this pesky girl had robbed him of his job.

Yang Baoguo treated the floor like it was Su Xiaoxiao, furiously mopping it with extra force.

At that moment, Xu Cuilan led a young woman into the lobby.

The young woman was tall, standing behind Xu Cuilan, actually towering over her by a head.

"Everyone, I’d like to introduce our department store’s new store manager, Chen Meilan. She’s a top talent who studied abroad."

Chen Meilan gracefully stepped forward: "Hello, everyone, my name is Chen Meilan. I’m now the store manager here, and I hope for your support."

As she spoke, she looked at Su Xiaoxiao: "Hello, Comrade Su. I’ve heard so much about you, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

Su Xiaoxiao’s mouth twitched. She knew full well these were polite formalities and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

So, she followed with the pleasantries: "Comrade Chen, you’re too kind. I should be learning from you. Not only are you well-educated and talented, but you’re also so beautiful."

After exchanging polite words, Xu Cuilan left Su Xiaoxiao to show Chen Meilan around, and went off to her own tasks.

"Tsk, tsk, thought she was going to be the store chief. Has she looked at herself?"

With a tone full of mockery, without turning around, Su Xiaoxiao knew it must have been Zhang Dongmei speaking.

She couldn’t be bothered with her, warmly taking Chen Meilan on a tour around the department store, introducing her to everyone.

After visiting all the counters and coming back, Chen Meilan couldn’t help asking her: "Don’t you resent me for taking your position? If it weren’t for me, it might well have been yours."

Su Xiaoxiao replied: "It’s a bit of a pity, an extra 30 bucks or so a month."

"Just that?"

Chen Meilan looked at her in disbelief, as if trying to uncover some flaw in her expression. Yet, Su Xiaoxiao was all smiles, without a trace of resentment or regret. This left Chen Meilan rather perplexed.

She squinted at the smiling Su Xiaoxiao, feeling that this person wasn’t quite the same as the one she’d heard about.

Su Xiaoxiao’s manner was gracious, wholeheartedly handing over the job without any selfishness, which genuinely surprised her.

After Su Xiaoxiao finished explaining the work duties, she couldn’t help asking: "Do you have another salesperson with the same first and last name as you?"