In the late summer of 1994, in the evening breeze of Huaihua Lane, four girls who had been laid off by the textile factory started their own counterattack by setting up stalls.
Song Mingyan is 21 years old and is the eldest sister who takes care of everything; Lin Yan is 19 years old and gave up the college entrance examination to support her brother's studies; Tao Shu is 19 years old and grew up in her parents' department store and developed an eye for discovering fashion; Ye Xiaoman is 16 years old and escaped from the countryside. She has a red string begged by her mother on her wrist. She has timid eyes but the most skillful hands.
With no capital, they scraped together three months' worth of food to go to Yiwu to purchase goods; without experience, they were tricked, deceived, and chased by urban management officials; without backers, they supported each other and no one could bully anyone.
Being laughed at by others for "showing their faces", they said: There is no shame in being able to make a living on your own. Forced into marriage by their families, they said: I want to live for myself. Being envied by their peers, they said: We have good products, honest people, and we are of the same mind, so no one can trip up.
From a street stall to the first small store; from supplying goods to department stores to creating their own signature "Four Sisters"; from hiring the first worker to opening a branch store and a processing plant. They work as bosses during the day and go to night school at night, turning their hard life into a bright and good life.
Some people find stable love, some people stay single and live a transparent life, and some people finally realize their dream of studying. The only thing that remains unchanged is that every year during the Chinese New Year, the four of us will get together, talking, laughing and making noises just like they did in Huaihua Lane.
The evening breeze in Huaihua Lane remembers their suffering, and the great rivers and mountains of the motherland bear witness to their sweetness.
This is a story about four ordinary girls working together on their own.
