Chapter 13: Shoes That Cannot Be Worn

That afternoon, Shen Yuequn and his wife hastily ate a few bites of lunch, then took out the remaining two hundred blind boxes and returned to the market. They had assumed the place would be deserted by now, but as soon as they parked, two or three people approached. To their surprise, these were customers from the morning, waiting for their return. Shen Yuequn was startled—could blind boxes really possess such irresistible allure?

Well, not quite. Had Shen Yuequn observed closely, he would have noticed these customers were all over sixty years old, with time to spare. They could spend an entire afternoon watching others play chess, or rise at four in the morning to queue for eggs at a discount. Waiting for Shen Yuequn was hardly an inconvenience; it simply helped pass the time.

Once these elderly buyers made their purchases, the crowd thinned considerably.

“Brother, I just can’t figure it out—what makes your blind boxes so attractive?” During a lull, a nearby vendor couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know either; today’s my first day selling them!” Shen Yuequn replied. Unlike Boss Huang, who could write a thesis on blind boxes with zero plagiarism, Shen Yuequn had little expertise. “Why don’t you try one yourself?”

“Me? No, I won’t buy!” The vendor shook his head vigorously.

“No worries, I’ll give you one!” Shen Yuequn said, grinning warmly.

“I couldn’t possibly accept—”

“It’s fine, we’re stall neighbors. I’m new here, first time at this market, and I could use some guidance from a veteran like you!” Shen Yuequn insisted sincerely.

“Well, in that case, thank you.” The vendor licked his lips, then took a blind box from Shen Yuequn’s little car.

Shen Yuequn kept smiling. Though he’d lost ten yuan, he’d gained goodwill. As he’d said, he was a newcomer—and a popular one at that—sure to arouse envy among the regulars. Who knew what tricks they might pull?

So Shen Yuequn was keen to build good relations, hoping to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“A wallet!” The vendor opened his box to find a wallet. Nothing unusual, except it was white. Frankly, it looked awful—he’d never use a white wallet in his life.

A hint of displeasure crossed the vendor’s face.

“Wow, it’s actually white!” Shen Yuequn’s eyes lit up as he saw it.

“What’s so special about a white wallet?” the vendor asked curiously.

“Well, there is something special. White wallets aren’t made from ordinary cowhide, but from rhinoceros hide!” Shen Yuequn replied.

“Rhinoceros hide!” The man’s eyes widened. “Impossible! Rhinos are protected animals; using their hide is illegal! And if it really were rhinoceros hide, you wouldn’t be selling a wallet for ten yuan!”

“It’s true!” Shen Yuequn said earnestly. “I prepared this rhinoceros hide myself. But it isn’t illegal—at least, our company didn’t break any laws.”

“Last year, they busted a wildlife skin smuggling ring. They confiscated over a dozen sheets of rhinoceros hide. By regulation, these hides can’t enter the market or be auctioned—they were shredded and buried.”

“But someone, I don’t know if they dug up the burial site or got them another way, ended up with a batch of rhinoceros hide scraps, which they sold to our factory as cowhide.”

“Because they were scraps, nothing else could be made—so they were all turned into wallets. See those lines on the wallet? Those are seams connecting the pieces of rhinoceros hide.”

“When the wallets were finished, an old master at the factory recognized the material as rhinoceros hide. The whole place was shocked; Huang He’s neck turned red with regret.”

“But there was nothing to be done—the hide had already been made into wallets, the cheapest product possible. Huang He ordered all the wallets to be made white and tried to sell them to wealthy foreigners, at a minimum price of two thousand yuan each!”

“Unfortunately, soon after, the factory closed, and Huang He fled. The goods remained in the warehouse, and now, amazingly, they ended up in the blind boxes!” Shen Yuequn sighed, then skillfully turned on his loudspeaker, playing Boss Huang’s brash sales pitch.

“What a legendary story!” Not only did the vendor listen with relish, but a dozen people had gathered, all absorbed in the tale.

“Ahem, folks, I made up the part about rhinoceros hide. We absolutely don’t sell prohibited goods—please don’t spread rumors!” Seeing the crowd, Shen Yuequn grew nervous.

As for the truth of his words, only a ghost would know.

The vendor carefully put the wallet back in its box, then stashed it in a container at his stall. Still uneasy, he opened his only locked cashbox and placed the wallet inside.

Rhinoceros hide—impressive!

Meanwhile, as Boss Huang’s story played on repeat, the crowd around Shen Yuequn’s stall grew even denser, and the boxes dwindled before their eyes.

At the same time, many who purchased in the morning returned in the afternoon with friends, and sales were even brisker than before. In the blink of an eye, half the blind boxes were gone.

But then, an unexpected incident occurred.

A customer who’d drawn a pair of leather shoes in the morning approached Shen Yuequn, shoes in hand, shouting, “Boss, I want to exchange these!”

“Sorry, blind boxes are not exchangeable!” Shen Yuequn replied without hesitation.

“But you can’t sell shoes that don’t fit!” the man protested. “My feet are size 41, but these are size 38. I can’t even squeeze them on. I win, but can’t wear them. If you won’t exchange, these shoes are useless!”

“I really can’t exchange them. These are blind boxes—where am I supposed to find size 41 shoes for you?” Shen Yuequn said helplessly.

“Then refund me ten yuan. I don’t want the shoes anymore—at least do that!”

“No, blind boxes are neither refundable nor exchangeable!” Shen Yuequn insisted.

“That’s absurd!” The man grew agitated, snatched Shen Yuequn’s loudspeaker, and shouted to the queue, “Everyone, don’t buy! Don’t be fooled! Even if you win shoes, there are dozens of sizes, but your feet are only one. You’ll get shoes that don’t fit!”

His words immediately struck a chord, and many in the queue reconsidered. Winning shoes that couldn’t be worn—what sense did that make?

About half the crowd left the line. Those who remained hesitated; a few minutes later, only a handful were left, leaving Shen Yuequn dumbfounded.

Worse still, several other customers who’d drawn shoes soon demanded exchanges. Shen Yuequn refused, and chaos ensued, making it impossible to continue business. Helpless, Shen Yuequn had no choice but to pack up and go home, preferring to quit rather than refund.

After all, the chairman had said it himself: once a blind box is sold, it is neither refundable nor exchangeable—not even the emperor could change that!