Bai Shuxin is a truck driver, often looked down upon by many. However, over the years, he has earned more through his transportation business than those with stable government jobs or even those in office positions.
This year, he bought another truck and traveled long distances with his apprentice. By year’s end, he had purchased a new apartment, which was larger than anyone else’s he knew.
The apartment was bright and tidy, the sun shone brightly, and the central heating kept the place as warm as summer.
Last month, he finished decorating his new apartment and now planned to furnish it with the most expensive furniture available, all set up before the New Year. He wanted to show those who once doubted his prospects and abilities just how well he was living now.
He wanted them to see the kind of life he led now, the kind of house he lived in, and the high-end appliances and furniture he used.
He parked his truck by the roadside in the back street and walked around to the main street just in time to see someone’s store opening, complete with firecrackers at the entrance of the Fuyun Building.
Covering his ears from a distance, he waited a long while until the firecrackers ceased. He wondered who could afford such an extravagant display, surely hundreds of firecrackers were set off.
After the firecrackers stopped, the people involved arranged baskets of flowers at the entrance of the Fuyun Building.
Each basket had a red couplet with the keywords ‘Dahua Furniture’ in bold and enlarged letters, followed by one auspicious phrase after another.
Bai Shuxin glanced over and unconsciously memorized a phrase:
“Buy Dahua Furniture, live a happy life.”
He paused, then walked towards the Fuyun Building to look at the furniture as he was in the market for some.
Upon entering the building, he noticed something interesting.
Every few steps on the floor tiles of the building was a large footprint sticker, with the words ‘Dahua Furniture’ written in the center.
Following the footprints, one path led to the building’s only elevator, and another towards the staircase.
He took the elevator to the second floor, then followed the footprints to the next elevator leading up.
Continuing this way until he reached the seventh floor, he turned following the footprints and saw the entrance to the lively and festive Fuyun Furniture City, the first shop being particularly bustling.
Stepping inside, he looked up to see the elegantly lit sign:
Dahua Furniture.
At the entrance, a standing blackboard read:
“Free rice with purchase!”
He looked around, noticing the shop’s spacious and luxurious decor, giving off a grand and modern vibe.
Bai Shuxin has driven his truck to many places; he has seen big cities like Harbin and Qiqihar, his perspectives broader than others.
Seeing this store now, he finds it refreshingly different.
Unlike other storefronts that cannot shake off the provincial feel no matter how they are dressed up, Dahua Furniture stands out with its simplicity and grandeur, exuding a high-end aura from its very core.
He felt a stir of interest, wanting to step inside and browse to see if any piece of furniture caught his fancy. However, he found that although the furniture store occupied the largest area, it was packed with people, and he couldn’t squeeze in for quite some time.
After waiting a bit longer, he considered whether to visit other stores first.
As the crowd in front thinned, he suddenly caught sight of a model room displayed behind the glass walls of Dahua Furniture.
There was no need to go inside; standing outside the store, he could see everything through a whole wall of reinforced glass windows.
Turning away then back again, he pushed forward, taking a closer look at the living room displayed in front of the customers.
Despite the living room being crowded with several people moving back and forth, touching the cabinets, the tables, and the curtains, which constantly blocked his view.
Yet, Bai Shuxin’s gaze remained bright and keen, his mood lifting as he observed more closely.
He couldn’t help but reveal a look of envious longing, like those admiring the interiors.
The soft curtains, tablecloths, sofa cushions, and throw pillows created a homely and comfortable vibe.
The finely carved furniture exuded an atmosphere of opulence and grandeur. Inside, someone sat on a wooden long sofa, hand resting on a mythical beast’s head, appearing as if they held the world in their grasp, both broad and proud.
What captivated him most was a small, movable tea table on the wooden multi-seater long bench, with a delicately carved wooden tea tray on it, holding four small tea cups and a teapot, alongside a small wooden tea pet.
The craftsmanship was so exquisite that it instantly elevated the living environment to one of luxury.
Bai Shuxin couldn’t resist imagining: after driving long distances for days, returning home exhausted, waking up after a long sleep, then sitting on the long wooden sofa after a meal, sipping tea and playing with the tea pet while a never-ending TV drama played on.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, and the indoor furniture and wooden floors reflected a deep wood tone, as if he were a wealthy landlord, counting money, drinking tea, and waiting for tenants to pay their rent all day.
This was Bai Shuxin’s ultimate fantasy of a rich man’s life.
His brows furrowed; he had made up his mind to buy that set of long wooden sofa, including the tea table, tea tray, and sofa cushions.
His gaze swept across the living room, his body stopping. He glanced at the TV cabinet, then at the tea table, and the beautiful large dining table and chairs… and the ‘Prosperous Blooms’ scroll hanging on the wall behind the long sofa.
He hissed, taking in a breath of cool air, turning around to squeeze into the store.
No way, he saw someone inside asking about the price of the solid wood sofa. He wanted to take home the decor and furniture of this model room himself, not letting anyone get ahead.
After much difficulty, Bai Shuxin finally squeezed into the entrance of Dahua Furniture, initially set on taking the entire model living room home, when he suddenly spotted a bedroom with its doors wide open to his right front.
A bookshelf, a desk, and a single bed… This year, my daughter is in her senior year of high school; having a small room like this would be perfect for her to study independently and concentrate.
As if possessed, he lifted his foot and turned directly into the side bedroom.
A finely crafted wardrobe, a space-saving bedside cabinet, and a chair that can be pushed forward during study times—clearing space in the middle where a mat could be laid out for even dance practice.
This model room could be directly installed at home, especially since the storage cabinets were quite inventive and the bookshelves were also superb.
He squeezed out of the side bedroom, intending to return to the living room model to have a look or perhaps to inquire about the prices from the owner.
However, his eyes uncontrollably caught sight of the kitchen…
In the end, Bai Shuxin pushed through the crowd, viewing all five rooms. While the bedroom was also nice, it differed a bit from the overall Eastern style of the home. Thus, he decided to primarily choose the living room’s style to select matching furniture and decorations for the other rooms.
With this thought in mind, he approached the front desk and said to the young girl sitting behind it:
“Miss, how much for the entire set of furniture in the living room model?”
Sitting behind the counter, helping her parents manage the store while sketching in her sketchbook, Hua Jie put down her pen and responded with a service-oriented smile:
“Uncle, that furniture set has been sold, but you might like these? We can customize them.”
As she spoke, Hua Jie handed Bai Shuxin a watercolor home design album.
The album, filled with sketches she created at a pace of two a day over about twenty days, could not match an IKEA catalog, but Hua Jie could certainly draw.
So, she treated it as practice in watercolor, gradually accumulating this small 32-page sketchbook.
Inside were various home decor styles that people of this era would accept and love, encompassing different house types and sizes, and various perspectives of furniture, intuitively displaying how the furniture would look in a home.
For some classic pieces of furniture, she even dedicated the next page to a close-up drawing, as clear and detailed as a photograph.
Prices and dimensions were also clearly marked, and custom adjustments could be made according to customer needs.
Bai Shuxin took the album, still a bit confused, and after smacking his lips, he reluctantly asked:
“Has all the furniture in the model room been sold? Is there anything left? I could buy pieces individually.”
“Uncle, everything has been sold, even the curtains were bought as a complete set, just 20 minutes ago.” To reassure him, Hua Jie also showed him copies of invoices and the accounting book from home.
Bai Shuxin saw the neatly recorded item names and prices. The page she showed him clearly listed about a dozen items, with a summary data displayed below—
The total price for the full set of living room furniture, excluding the carpet, is 16,322 yuan.
“…” He stared in astonishment at the number, swallowing hard. The soft furnishings for just one room cost so much… People really do have money these days.
Seeing his thoughts, Hua Jie chuckled and said:
“Uncle, our furniture is all made of solid wood, handcrafted, and you won’t find the same piece anywhere else in the national furniture market.
“Moreover, what you see in the model room might just be a few items, but to create the luxurious look you see now, there are actually dozens of small and large decorations involved—tablecloths, lamps, small cushions, all of these cost money.
“Plus, all the arrangements are specially customized by a high-end designer. The color matching and layout are meticulously designed to not only save space in your home but also ensure a very rational arrangement. Every item fits into the color scheme, and these pieces are luxurious and opulent without being tacky, all thanks to this.
“You get what you pay for with every product.
“And once you’ve seen our furniture, you won’t settle for less elsewhere.
“It’s hard to go back once your taste has been elevated.”
Hua Jie spoke confidently and composedly.
The high-end designer she mentioned was, of course, the famously talented herself.
Bai Shuxin was taken aback, flipping through the booklet Hua Jie handed him, more amazed with each page. It was his first time seeing such items.
He couldn’t quite understand it, but each page’s colors felt rich and comforting. Looking through a booklet of furniture was dizzying; he wanted it all.
Finally, he hesitated for a moment and then said:
“Can I order a set just like the one in the living room model? That was my favorite at first sight.”
“That’s possible. You need to pay a 10% deposit, and when the final design is ready, I’ll make some minor adjustments, like changing the taotie armrest to a pixiu armrest, for instance. Since it’s all handcrafted, we can’t produce an exact replica.” Hua Jie explained.
“That’s fine, but can you adjust it to fit the dimensions of my living room?” Bai Shuxin asked.
“Of course.” Hua Jie smiled and pulled out another notebook, checked the order dates, and looked up apologetically:
“However, uncle, you’ll have to wait until January 15th to receive your order. Is that acceptable?”
Even though her father no longer needed to make each wooden part himself—relying on factories for components and focusing on carving and assembly—it still took time to gather and prepare everything.
Their shop had just opened and had already sold six sets of furniture, a success far beyond their family’s expectations.
Hua Jie had anticipated that people in Jinsong city were improving their living standards, buying homes, and decorating, ready to spend on quality furniture, but she hadn’t expected so many customers willing to spend tens of thousands on soft furnishings for every room in their homes.
She blamed herself for being too poor, lacking the imagination for wealth.
“Ah, could we possibly move the date forward a bit? I would like to move in before the New Year,” Bai Shuxin said, flipping through the booklet Hua Jie handed him, pointing at a few pages:
“I’d also like to order this master bedroom set, this bathroom’s waterproof wooden washstand, the hanging cabinet combination, and the side bedroom student room from the model home.”
“Wow! Uncle, you’re so good at making money!” Hua Jie exclaimed sincerely, impressed. The total price for the sets he wanted to order could come to sixty to seventy thousand yuan.
Spending sixty to seventy thousand on interior decorations alone was considered reasonable in future times, especially since this didn’t even include home appliances.
Dahua Furniture’s main focus was on high-end furniture. Hua Jie had thought that presenting sets could better showcase each piece’s function and beauty. She hadn’t expected that the store, just opened a short while ago, would already have so many people ordering full sets.
Hua Jie didn’t know that today’s good business was also due to the year-end approaching, with many people holding onto a year’s savings, looking to improve their living conditions.
Moreover, many had been shopping for furniture for over a month without finding the right pieces, hesitating until they were struck by her exquisite designs, which finally met their expectations. The influx of customers created a sense of urgency that if they didn’t buy now, someone else would, leading to impulse purchases.
Even if it meant queuing for custom orders, it was possible to get a spot moved up.
Bai Shuxin, flattered by the young girl’s sweet praise, felt a surge of pride in being able to support his family and provide a good life for his wife and daughter.
His family had grown accustomed to the gradually improving life, living together so long that they forgot the importance of praise and looking back at past efforts, never having so formally complimented him before.
Now, the praise came not from a seasoned adult salesperson, but from a young girl like Hua Jie, with her youthful face adding to the genuineness.
Bai Shuxin grinned broadly, figuring that since January 15th was some days before the New Year’s Eve on January 23rd, if the furniture could be delivered by the 15th, there would be enough time to set everything up at home, let it air out, and move in.
Thus, without further ado, he agreed, asking the young girl to note down the numbers for the sets of furniture and decorations, leaving his phone number and personal information.
Bai Shuxin mentioned that he didn’t have enough cash on hand right now, and would go to withdraw some money to come back and pay the deposit.
Hua Jie readily agreed, adding the note “Deposit Pending” to the order record, thus completing it.
Bai Shuxin nodded with a smile, noted the total amount for the deposit, and turned to go against the flow of incoming customers, heading straight for the People’s Bank across the street.
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Hua Jie had just seen off Bai Shuxin when another customer arrived, looking to purchase a few individual pieces of furniture.
These too had already been sold and required pre-ordering. The customer agreed, so after discussing the timing and specific dimensions, they exchanged a deposit for a queue number.
From zero orders, the ledger rapidly filled up with over a dozen direct sales orders that would start being delivered the next day, and about twenty more, both full sets and individual custom orders, scheduled into the post-New Year period.
Hua Jie took a deep breath and, between conversations with customers, sipped some water.
She felt this wasn’t sustainable.
They needed to expand production and definitely maintain inventory. Selling custom pieces like this, with such a severe imbalance between supply and demand, was bound to create issues sooner or later.
She frowned, lost in thought.
Her father would need to take on several apprentices, or perhaps deepen their collaboration with the factories.
If they were to store products for sale, they’d need a warehouse.