203: Chapter 203 The Clothing Industry

In the living room, Wang Mei and Aunt Sun Hongli were chatting animatedly.

"To be honest, I really envy you now." Sun Hongli held her teacup, her tone carrying a hint of sincere emotion. "Little Fan got into Jiao Tong University and is now making so much money. You two have even moved to the county town; your life is getting better and better."

Wang Mei listened with a smile on her face, but she said, "Oh, what's so good about the county town? No one knows anyone else between the floors; it's hard to even find someone to talk to. During the day, you all go to work, and I'm the only one at home. There's no one to talk to, I'm bored to death."

She sighed as she spoke, her tone quite serious. "In the village, at least there are people to talk to and neighbors to visit. Living in the county town is very convenient, but it's just too lonely. It's not like the village where you run into acquaintances as soon as you step out, and you can chat for ages just standing by the road."

Sun Hongli laughed at her words. "You're just living in bliss and not realizing it. It's so convenient to live in the city. You just go downstairs to buy groceries, and there's a supermarket right outside. It's not like the village where you have to travel so far to buy something."

"It's convenient, sure, but it's also truly boring," Wang Mei continued with some helplessness.

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, listening to his mother and Aunt's idle chatter, but his mind was on other things.

He had considered the issue of his parents having nothing to do and feeling bored before.

He had even thought about letting them go on a trip to relax. Wang Mei and Chen Jianjun did indeed go on a trip, but traveling wasn't a long-term solution after all; they couldn't be on the road all year round.

So, he still needed to find something for them to do, to give them some purpose so they wouldn't be cooped up at home with nothing to do all day.

But he hadn't been able to decide what to have them do—open a small convenience store? Too tiring.

Contract some land? His parents weren't young anymore; they couldn't handle the physical toll.

After thinking it over, nothing seemed right.

However, now he had a new idea.

Previously, he had spent 500,000 wealth points to redeem a women's clothing design package from ten-plus years in the future from the system.

It contained hundreds of design drafts for women's clothing that would become huge hits in the future, with styles, patterns, and fabric pairings all clearly marked.

He had redeemed it on a whim at the time, thinking it might come in handy later, but he had been busy with the game company, so the package had sat there untouched.

Thinking about it now, maybe it was time to put this package to use.

Start a clothing company specifically to produce these women's clothes.

These designs were over a decade ahead of similar products on the market. With their novel styles and unique flair, he was confident they would take the market by storm.

Once they reached a certain scale, he could open an offline store for his parents in the county town or the village for them to run.

It wasn't about making a lot of money; even just breaking even would be fine. At least his parents would have something to do and wouldn't be bored all day.

Once this thought occurred to him, the more Chen Fan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

But there was a problem—he had never worked in the clothing industry himself and knew nothing about that world. Supply channels, fabric procurement, production processes, and cost control... he understood none of it.

To make this happen, he needed someone who knew the ropes to oversee it. But for the moment, he really couldn't find such a person.

"What are you thinking about? I've been calling you, and you haven't reacted."

Chen Tong's voice suddenly sounded in his ear, interrupting Chen Fan's thoughts.

He snapped out of it and found that Chen Tong had sat down beside him at some point, holding a handful of melon seeds and tilting her head to look at him.

"Nothing," Chen Fan shook his head.

"You're clearly thinking about something." Chen Tong cracked a melon seed, her eyes fixed on him. "You've been like this since you were a kid. Whenever you think about something, you zone out, not even watching TV. Come on, what is it?"

Chen Fan leaned against the back of his chair, thought for a moment, and said casually, "I was wondering where I could find someone who's worked in the clothing industry."

"The clothing industry?" Chen Tong threw a melon seed shell into the trash can, her eyes lighting up. "I know someone."

Chen Fan turned his head to look at her. "You do?"

"My best friend Su Mian's family owns a clothing factory." Chen Tong spoke as casually as if she were saying the weather was nice today.

"Su Mian?"

Su Mian's face—clearly beautiful yet looking a bit dazed—surfaced in Chen Fan's mind.

This seemingly ordinary girl's family actually owned a clothing factory.

Speaking of which, she was technically a second-generation rich kid, but why was there no sign of it on her at all?

Her style was unassuming, she didn't show off in her speech or actions, and she was quiet, no different from a girl from an ordinary family.

Thinking of this, he looked at Chen Tong. "Are you sure her family owns a clothing factory? I can't see any sign of her being a second-generation rich kid at all."

"She said her family's clothing factory is just a small one," Chen Tong said matter-of-factly while cracking melon seeds. "Maybe it's not that big."

Chen Fan nodded and didn't ask further. A small factory was fine. He might not necessarily be able to connect with a large factory, but a small one was actually easier to cooperate with. Small scale, flexible, easy to communicate with—it was just right.

"Sis, do me a favor." He looked at Chen Tong.

"What favor?"

"After school starts and we go back, help me ask Su Mian if I can visit her family's clothing factory. I have some questions I'd like to ask her family."

"No problem, I'll ask for you then." Chen Tong agreed readily but added, "But I can't guarantee it'll work out."

"It's fine, just ask first. If it works, great; if not, I'll think of something else."

"Alright." Chen Tong nodded and threw the melon seed shells into the trash can.

She brushed the crumbs off her hands, glanced at Chen Fan, and suddenly seemed to remember something. "By the way, why are you suddenly asking about clothing? Do you want to get into the clothing industry?"

"Not necessarily, I just want to learn a bit first," Chen Fan said vaguely.

Seeing that Chen Fan didn't explain clearly, Chen Tong didn't ask further.

Just then, the Spring Festival Gala began. Her attention shifted to the TV. With a candy in her mouth and her eyes fixed on the screen, she curled up on the sofa like a carefree child.

...

It was past midnight. The sound of firecrackers outside rose and fell, and fireworks exploded one after another in the night sky, casting flickering light and shadows on the curtains.

Chen Fan lay in bed with his eyes closed, but his consciousness had already sunk into the wealth store in his mind.

On New Year's Eve, he wondered if the system would refresh with any good items on such a special day.

Sure enough, the moment he saw the item list, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in his eyes.

Chen Fan's gaze landed on that line of text, and his heart skipped a few beats—