Chapter 57: Sold Out
When Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan returned home, they saw there was no firewood in the yard, and they felt displeased.
"What’s going on with Zhang Dachun? Didn’t he say he would carry the firewood over?" Zhong Lanhua said, rushing to the neighbor’s door and tapping on it.
The door opened, and Da Chun’s mother stood there, looking at Zhong Lanhua with dissatisfaction: "What’s the matter?"
"Didn’t your son Dachun say he’d carry the firewood to my yard? I just looked when I got home and didn’t see any wood. Call him out and ask him where he put it."
"The firewood my son Dachun carried is, of course, in our own yard. Did you pay money, or do you have some relationship with our family, for my son to carry wood to your house?"
"Your son Dachun..." Zhong Lanhua wanted to argue, but was stopped by Jiang Yihuan.
"Mom, forget it, we can’t ask Brother Dachun for the firewood anymore." Jiang Yihuan persuaded Zhong Lanhua and then said to Da Chun’s mother, "Auntie, my mom is not in a good mood, sorry for bothering."
Da Chun’s mother spat at the back of Zhong Lanhua and her daughter, cursing, "Two shameless hussies, flirting with the men in the village all day for advantages. Men fall for your tricks, but an old lady like me, without a ’handle,’ how could I be fooled by you? Only my foolish son would be so easily swirled around; he’s really a fool who thinks with his two taels of meat."
Zhang Dachun came out from inside, speaking harshly: "Mom, how can you say such nasty things? Younger Sister Yihuan is not like the kind of person you’re saying; she’s never deceived me."
"She may not have tricked you with words, but she did it with brains, and stupid as a pig, you still help others count the money after being sold."
While Zhong Lanhua was making a fuss, Zhang Zhaodi’s mother-daughter relationship was harmonious. Zhang Zhaodi no longer worked as a midwife and instead followed her two daughters into the beauty products business.
Zhang Zhaodi frequently took her two daughters up the mountain, then carried down a large number of flowers to plant in the yard. Now the Su Family’s yard was fragrant with flowers, making it one of the few elegant places in the village.
"When we open a shop in the city later, the thing I’ll miss the most will be these flowers," Zhang Zhaodi said.
"Godmother, these flowers can be transplanted. We’ll dig them up when the time comes," Jiang Jing said.
It was market day again. Zhang Zhaodi took her two daughters into the city.
For business today, Su Yaoguang put makeup on Jiang Jing, using pearl powder to cover the black marks and slightly refining her features, showcasing Jiang Jing’s beautiful looks.
Zhang Zhaodi looked again and again, clicking her tongue in surprise: "It seems my daughter’s out to catch people’s attention with her face."
Although Jiang Jing wouldn’t feel inferior due to others’ disdainful looks, being looked at with astonishment by Zhang Zhaodi still made her feel warm and happy.
The three mother-daughter trio sat in the ox cart, while villagers around them stared at them with unusual expressions.
"Lady Yaoguang, what’s it you’ve smeared on your face? How much did it cost?"
"Made it ourselves," Zhang Zhaodi replied.
"Made it yourself? Then it probably isn’t worth much. Do you have more? Share some with me? My daughter is seeing someone lately, and if she has rouge and powder, she can dress up and might attract a better match."
"Even though we made it ourselves, the cost was still high. This eyebrow powder, the cheapest is thirty cents. This lipstick, recently made in a small package, ten cents can be used ten times. Then there’s rouge, face cream, eye cream... altogether for a full makeup set, even the cheapest complete set costs one hundred and twenty cents."
"Seems like you’re dreaming about money." Several village women looked at her like she was a creature.
Su Yaoguang laughed and said, "Aunts and sisters, you’ve been to the rouge shops, haven’t you? Which item there isn’t more expensive than ours?"
"Things in the rouge shops are made by master craftsmen, whereas yours are self-made, can it be the same? Neither of you learned, how can you possibly make rouge and powder, ultimately just fooling some inexperienced people. We, being neighbors, won’t mind whether you make them well or not, what does it matter if you give us some to use?"
"So auntie wants to freeload." Su Yaoguang said, "These rouges and powders use a lot of materials, some of which are medicinal herbs with expensive raw materials. Like this box of eyebrow powder, I sell it for thirty cents, but the raw material costs twenty-eight cents. A box of eyebrow powder like this can be used daily for two months, now you tell me, is this expensive?"
Jiang Jing showed her two hands beside her: "See, to grind these things, all ten of my fingers have blisters."
"If it weren’t for no one asking me to deliver babies lately, I wouldn’t make these rouges and powders to try my luck. The cost is high, yet they can’t sell for much," Zhang Zhaodi sighed.
The villagers, hearing this, lost their initial jealousy completely.
"Your daughter wants to see someone, these things cost too much, no way to give them for free, but I can do her makeup on the day for five cents only."
"That’s doable, that’s a deal, I’ll come to you then." The aunt who heard it was only five cents, her previous dissatisfaction vanished now.
"Auntie, we’re just charging you cost price because we’re neighbors," Su Yaoguang said, "If you need it in the future, you can come to me, it’s always five cents per time."
Once in the city, Zhang Zhaodi and her daughters separated from the villagers.
Jiang Jing said, "Godmother, Yaoguang, why did we reveal the making of rouges and powders?"
"We’ve been tinkering with things at home every day, the villagers have already been curious for a long time, with many already peeking through the door cracks. Rather than let them spy furtively, it’s better to openly tell them. Once they know the ’truth,’ their curiosity will fade; they won’t keep bothering us. Meanwhile, spreading the word, small money is still money; if there’s money to be made, make it. Never underestimate five cents, a hundred five cents is five hundred cents, two hundred five cents is one tael of silver," Su Yaoguang said.
"Did you see that? This girl is increasingly becoming a money grubber." Zhang Zhaodi laughed.
Lately, Zhang Zhaodi had been smiling more, her complexion changed too. Previously her face had a bitter look, as if trapped in daily worries, unable to escape. Now she used face cream daily, even the shampoo and bath beans were specially formulated for her to condition her body, visibly making her young again.
"Sis, you’re finally here." Chun E saw Su Yaoguang, hastening over. "All your goods are sold out, come and count the money quickly!"
Su Yaoguang was surprised: "How did they sell out so fast?"
"Recently, a major customer says great things about your goods; they even want to meet you personally. I’ve said I’d ask for your opinion, that’s why we’ve been waiting for you," Chun E said.