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

Chapter 193: Buying an Electric Sewing Machine

As soon as she started speaking, everyone around immediately quieted down.

Zhang Dongmei saw everyone looking at her and gritted her molars in anger.

Su Xiaoxiao! It’s Su Xiaoxiao again!

Why does she always love showing off so much? Can’t she live without being in the spotlight?

She snorted coldly, "What good idea can she come up with? She was always the last in class, and her brain is worse than a block of wood."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Yulan spoke up softly, "If I remember correctly, when joining the department store, Xiaoxiao came first in both the written exam and interview among the sales clerks in your batch. Mr. Zhang, do you know what rank you got back then?"

Hearing this, Zhang Dongmei got even angrier.

Su Xiaoxiao, that wretched girl, must have used some trick. Despite being so bad at studies, she made such a splash when joining the department store, and even made her lose a bicycle.

Thinking about this, she glared viciously at Su Xiaoxiao and stopped talking.

Seeing everyone quieted down, Su Xiaoxiao cleared her throat and started speaking, "How about we do a magic performance? Combine it with a skit to showcase the demeanor of our department store sales clerks, and it would be quite a spectacle."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at her with a "are you for real?" expression.

Zhang Dongmei said, "Su Xiaoxiao, dreaming isn’t supposed to be like this. Can you do magic, or can I?"

Zhang Yulan, usually on Su Xiaoxiao’s side, hesitated, "This magic performance sounds good, but we’re not professionals. Just a month left, even learning now would be too late."

Zhang Guoqing chimed in, "Yes, this thing requires skill. Who among us has the ability?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly walked towards him, gently patted him on the shoulder, and the surrounding went quiet for a moment.

After the silence, everyone burst into exclamations.

When Zhang Guoqing looked, he saw Su Xiaoxiao’s previously empty hand now holding a bunch of bright red roses.

The roses were fresh and dripping with dew.

He was thoroughly perplexed, "No way, Comrade Su, are you really a magic expert?"

A big bunch of flowers and she just conjured it up?

Qin Shuang looked at Su Xiaoxiao with growing admiration, "Xiaoxiao, can you teach me this trick? It’s amazing. Where did you hide the flowers? I didn’t notice at all."

"Yeah, this is incredible! I want to learn too!"

Qian Xiaoyan also approached with a face full of admiration, looking around but couldn’t find a place where such a large bunch of flowers could be hidden.

Zhang Yulan was also shocked, "Xiaoxiao, how did you make the flowers appear? I was standing right next to you and didn’t see a thing."

Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, of course, they wouldn’t find it; she took the flowers from her space warehouse.

Zhang Dongmei scoffed disdainfully, "Isn’t this just hiding things in advance and then taking them out? Who can’t do that?"

Zhang Guoqing immediately turned his head towards her, "Mr. Zhang, are you also a hidden magic expert? Come on, show us what you got."

Zhang Dongmei: "..."

She was just speaking offhandedly; she has no idea how to perform magic.

But these tricks are fake anyway, just common sleights of hand, nothing special.

At that moment, there was a sudden commotion downstairs.

It seemed like someone was causing a disturbance in the department store.

Zhang Dongmei sighed with relief and quickly said, "Something seems to be going on downstairs, let’s go take a look."

As she spoke, she was the first to rush to the first floor.

The others exchanged glances and headed downstairs as well.

As soon as they got downstairs, they saw a middle-aged woman with her hands on her hips, angrily arguing with a young lady at the counter.

The young lady at the counter was part of the batch of sales clerks that joined with Su Xiaoxiao, her surname was Li.

She had a round face, two pigtails, and sweet dimples appearing whenever she smiled.

At the moment, although she tried to keep a smile on her face, she seemed on the verge of collapsing.

"Comrade, we really don’t have the mini electric sewing machine you’re mentioning at our department store. Why don’t you try asking at another store?"

But the middle-aged woman was relentless, "How could you not have one? You’re the biggest department store in this area. If you don’t have it, other places are even less likely to."

The group moved to the front of the gathering crowd, and Su Xiaoxiao curiously asked an older lady beside her, "Aunty, what’s going on?"

The older lady was all ears, saw a pretty young girl, and immediately began to chat.

Turns out the middle-aged woman wanted to buy an electric sewing machine, but the sales clerk explained that the only sewing machines they had were foot-operated, which the woman refused to believe.

"It’s called an electric mini sewing machine, about this big. Place it on the table and it works once plugged in. Think carefully; I’ve seen others use it, so it must exist."

The middle-aged woman gestured to indicate the size and spoke with certainty.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly realized this must be the sewing machine she sold to Grandma Liu last time.

As it turns out, this woman is the workshop director at the city’s shoe factory, distantly related to Grandma Liu’s granddaughter-in-law’s family.

A few days ago, she attended a younger generation’s engagement party and immediately took a liking to the sewing machine that was gifted as a betrothal gift.

She thought her daughter was soon to be married and wanted to buy a similar sewing machine to make a splash.

She was too proud to ask Grandma Liu where she bought it, and so went directly to the department store, thinking it surely must be purchased from there.

At this point, the young lady Li at the counter was almost crying, "Comrade, I really didn’t lie to you. We really don’t have the sewing machine you mentioned, just the foot-operated kind. If you want, we have them in stock now."

The middle-aged woman widened her eyes, "I’ve had the foot-operated kind at home for a long time, nothing special about it. I want the electric one, understand?"

The surrounding people listened and began discussing.

"This sounds so advanced, could it be imported?"

"Maybe, I’ve seen sewing machines in factories, they’re all on big tables, nothing as small as she describes."

But no matter how young lady Li explained, the middle-aged woman just wouldn’t believe it.

She scowled and shouted loudly, "Maybe you don’t know because you’re new. Get your manager over here; I want to ask myself."

At that moment, someone summoned Chen Meilan.

After Chen Meilan explained repeatedly, the middle-aged woman finally left angrily.

Once she was gone, young lady Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Yulan and the others began to discuss in low voices.

"I’ve worked here for so long and never heard of such a mini electric sewing machine."

"If it’s about electric sewing machines, those are used by clothing factories. Director Dong even came looking for one. That thing’s expensive and consumes power. Regular families can’t afford such items."

"Even if it exists, it’s likely imported, don’t you think, Xiaoxiao?"