vrcanaries Chapter 144 Earning 2
Chapter 144 Earning 2
Seeing Wenwen applying the perfume to her neck and then repeatedly touching it without saying a word, Madam Yongrong asked, "Wenwen, how does it feel after you applied the perfume to your neck?"
Seeing that the other party didn't say anything and was touching his neck, the noble ladies and their husbands were all very worried that there might be something bad for their skin added to the perfume.
It's not that they were suspicious; a similar incident had occurred in the capital not long ago.
A year ago, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong bought a box of face cream from a cosmetics shop. After using it, her face became extremely itchy and many red spots appeared. She kept scratching it with her hands, and in the end, no one knew what happened to her. All that was known was that for almost a year, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong stayed in the Marquis's mansion and refused to go out.
Having learned from past mistakes, the elegant lady and her entourage of noble ladies and husbands were unwilling to risk their reputations in any way.
Although they were all the eldest wives and daughters-in-law in their families and didn't need to rely on their looks to keep their husbands' hearts, women still want to dress up for those they love, and no one wanted to ruin their beautiful face.
Wen Wen lowered her hand and looked at them, her light black eyes sparkling.
He said, "This fragrant dew... is truly wonderful!"
Wenwen said to Madam Yongrong, "Sister Chen, you know my skin. It gets terribly dry in winter. After applying the perfume, my skin feels as if it has been thoroughly hydrated. It feels better than ever before."
As Wen Wen spoke, she jogged over to the other person and stretched out her neck for them to touch. Chen Jiayi raised her hand and stroked Wen Wen's neck.
Sure enough, the skin on the other person's neck was no longer as dry as before. Every inch of skin and every line, moisturized by the fragrant dew, seemed to have drunk its fill of water and become delicate and plump.
Chen Jiayi turned to the group of noble ladies and husbands behind her and said, "Indeed, Wenwen's skin has become much smoother and more delicate."
Upon hearing this, the group of noble ladies and their husbands, who had been hesitant, immediately showed enthusiasm and longing for the fragrant dew on their faces.
They all turned to look at the young man, and Chen Jiayi decisively said, "Boss Gu, prepare about twenty bottles of perfume for me."
Upon hearing this, the other ladies and gentlemen immediately laughed and scolded Chen Jiayi, "You good-for-nothing Chen Er, twenty bottles of perfume, do you have that much face to use? You'll be using it for ages!"
Chen Er looked at them with a disappointed expression.
She glared at them and said, "You only use such good stuff to wipe your face? It's not like we can't afford it. Starting today, I'll use this perfume to wipe my body."
"Girls and boys, don't expect others to care for us; we must learn to take care of ourselves."
As soon as Chen Jiayi finished speaking, thoughtful expressions immediately appeared on the faces of the ladies and husbands present.
As women and men alike, they loved beauty just as much as each other and were willing to spend a lot of money on maintaining their health.
However, they weren't as quick-witted as Chen Jiayi, and now that they had been reminded, they certainly wouldn't let any of the fragrant dew go to waste.
Chen Jiayi turned her head slightly to look at Wen Wen, who was grinning foolishly, and reminded him, "Didn't your husband just finish the palace examination? Hurry up and seize the opportunity to cultivate your relationship with him, and try to have another child when your relationship is good."
Wen Wen was taken aback: "How did this turn into talking about me?"
Seeing this, one of the husbands chuckled and advised, "Sister Chen, please don't talk about him. Her husband is a well-known gentleman in the capital. When Xiaowen was pregnant, he did not take a concubine or seek out other women. Xiaowen also gave birth to a son smoothly. She has nothing to fear about her position in her husband's family being unstable."
Wenwen nodded honestly: "My husband treats me very well."
The other wives and husbands were also newly married. Upon hearing Wen Wen's words, they all laughed good-naturedly. Even Madam Fang looked at Wen Wen with a teasing expression.
Looking at the group of people in front of him, Gu Lin knew that they must have a really good relationship.
Chen Jiayi shook her head slightly and said to them with a serious expression, "You guys! Have you forgotten what kind of people your own fathers, uncles, and brothers are like at home? On the surface, you all respect your wives, but you've had quite a few children with your concubines. If it weren't for our families valuing face and rules, if it were a poor family in the capital, they would have already produced an illegitimate eldest son."
What I just said wasn't just a reminder for Wen-ge, but also for all of you: a man isn't necessarily yours, but a child is.
As soon as these words were spoken, the other noble ladies and their husbands gradually quieted down their laughter.
Their eyes held complex emotions; they clearly understood this principle.
They were newlyweds, deeply in love, and couldn't tolerate anything or anyone between them. But what would happen as time went on...?
When they got married, their mothers repeatedly taught them that they should be attentive to their husbands, but not give their hearts away completely.
They were not so naive. With Chen Jiayi's reminder, they gradually woke up from their illusory marriages.
They were somewhat saddened but not distressed. The marriage between the two families was not for the sake of romantic love; the key to maintaining the prosperity and strength of the family was the alliance between two prominent families.
Mrs. Fang tried to ease the tension by saying, "Alright, let's not talk about such discouraging things."
After exchanging a glance with Madam Fang, Chen Jiayi said to Gu Lin, "Boss Gu, your Zhenyulou has plenty of stock. Don't make us fight over a few bottles of perfume."
Looking at the group of men and women in front of them who would be nothing more than college students in modern times, but here they were mothers and fathers. They had only been married a short time and hadn't had enough of their happiness when, reminded by a friend, they woke up from their dream and began to make plans for their future.
Gu Lin sighed softly. You must know that these women and boys are all noble ladies and gentlemen of the Great Qian Dynasty, but even they have to live a life of walking on thin ice in their husbands' families after marriage, and dare not entrust themselves to the person next to them.
It is easy to imagine how difficult life was for women and boys in ordinary families.
Clearing his mind of his chaotic emotions, Gu Lin smiled again and said to Chen Jiayi, "If you ladies and husbands are not in a hurry, you can also take a look at our Zhenyulou's fragrant milk. Fragrant dew and fragrant milk are a set of skin care products. The former can soak into the skin, and the latter can moisturize the skin, so that you can be free from the trouble of dry skin."
Having just learned about the benefits of the fragrant dew, Wen Wen urged, "Boss Gu, please bring out the fragrant dew so we can see its effects."
Seeing that the others were nodding in agreement, Gu Lin immediately turned around, picked up the porcelain bottle containing the fragrant milk from the counter, and opened the bottle. The young man was very quick-witted and immediately ran to Gu Lin's side.
Gu Lin poured out the lotion, and without the young man needing to say anything, he immediately closed his eyes. Gu Lin then raised his hand and evenly applied the lotion to his face.
Then, without the young man reminding them to go forward and check, Wen Wen stepped forward a few steps. After the young man's skin had absorbed the lotion, he raised his hand and touched the other man's face. He immediately felt a soft and delicate sensation. Wen Wen turned his head and looked at the young man with excited eyes.
Without the other person saying anything, Gu Lin reached out and handed the fragrant milk to the other person. This time, Wen Wen took it and wiped it on her neck without any hesitation. Then, his eyes lit up.
If applying perfume to the neck primarily serves to moisturize the skin, then after applying lotion, Wenwen can immediately feel the difference between the two when used on the neck.
Wen Wen felt that his skin looked better than ever before at this moment.
With this fragrant lotion and cream, even in winter, he no longer needed to carry his face cream with him at all times.
Suddenly, Wenwen seemed to have thought of something.
He looked up and asked the young man next to him, "Boss Gu, will applying this lotion to your face cause pimples? Not the kind of pimples caused by an allergy to the lotion, but the kind that cause pimples if you apply it for too long and your skin can't stand it and gets suffocated and develops bumps and pimples."
As soon as Wen Wen asked these questions, the previously overjoyed ladies and their husbands immediately came to their senses.
They hesitated. Indeed, if they used too much of this perfumed milk, like face cream, it could easily cause acne. They had to be careful when using it.
Gu Lin explained, "If all of you ladies and husbands, like me, only take a pea-sized amount of the fragrant milk, rub it in your palms to warm it, and then press it onto your face, you won't get pimples."
"That's good." Wen Wen breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, with a flourish of his eyebrows, he said to Gu Lin, "Boss Gu, I'd like fifty portions each of the fragrant dew and the fragrant milk."
Gu Lin smiled and agreed.
Immediately afterwards, the other noble ladies and their husbands gestured to their servants, who then placed orders with Gu Lin. Gu Lin instructed the woman behind the counter to write it down, and then assured the ladies and husbands present that the fragrant dew and milk would be delivered to the gates of each mansion within the day.
Completely intrigued by the fragrant dew and milk from Zhenyulou, Wenwen asked Gu Lin curiously, "Boss Gu, you must have more than just fragrant dew and milk here, right? What other good things do you have? Show them to us quickly."
Wenwen is ready for a big shopping spree.
Upon hearing the question, Gu Lin smiled generously and said, "To be honest, besides the fragrant dew and fragrant milk, there is one last good thing left in my little house."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked over. Meeting their curious gazes, Gu Lin introduced, "This product is called moisturizing oil. It is made from flower essential oils. When applied to the body, it can not only prevent wrinkles from forming on the skin, but also help women massage their bellies after childbirth to remove stretch marks caused by childbirth."
After Gu Lin finished explaining the effects of the moisturizing oil, the entire second floor immediately fell silent.
Now, not only were Wen Wen and Chen Jiayi and their wives looking at him, but even Madam Fang, who was unaware of the effects of the moisturizing oil, was staring intently at him.
As women and men, they care most about their appearance and figure, but no matter how carefully they take care of their skin, ugly and terrifying stretch marks will still remain after childbirth. They all have good scar removal medicine at home, but they are helpless against stretch marks left after childbirth.
"but."
Gu Lin changed the subject, and Wen Wen and the others stared at him intently. Gu Lin said, "Skin oil is more difficult to extract and produce than perfume and lotion, so I'm sorry to trouble you ladies and husbands, but you can only purchase two bottles each."
Chen Jiayi frowned and said, "Since we're doing business, it doesn't matter who we sell to. Just sell all your moisturizing oil to us, and the price won't be a problem."
Wen Wen and the others nodded; none of them were short of money.
Gu Lin sighed and smiled wryly: "The moisturizing oil is made from the essential oils of spring flowers. The quantity is limited. If we sell them all to everyone here, I'm afraid Xiaolou won't be able to do business."
"Don't worry about not having enough moisturizing oil. Each bottle is about the size of a woman's palm. Even if you use it every day, one bottle will last for half a year." Gu Lin continued, "Moreover, moisturizing oil, like perfume and lotion, is not easy to store. It is not suitable to buy too much. If it is stored for a long time, it will not be as good as freshly made."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiayi's brows relaxed and she said, "Alright, pack two bottles of moisturizing oil for each of us. If new moisturizing oils are ever released in the future, send someone to let us know."
Seeing that he had closed a big deal and developed more than ten high-quality clients, Gu Lin said, "Naturally, whenever Zhenyulou has good items, I will send invitations to your homes."
Seeing that they were having a good chat, Madam Fang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Gu is no ordinary businessman. His nephew is this year's top scholar in the imperial examination. He would never lie to you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiayi looked slightly surprised, then relaxed her lips and smiled kindly: "So you are the top scholar's uncle. If you have time in the future, let's go out for tea together."
Knowing that Madam Fang brought Zheng Hao up to elevate his status, these ladies and husbands, though friends of Madam Fang and aware of her high regard for him, would never treat them in the same way.
Gu Lin smiled and accepted the invitation.
After accompanying the group of ladies and their husbands on a tour of the second floor, Gu Lin personally saw them and Madam Fang off, then turned back to Zhenyu Tower to continue entertaining guests.
As evening approached and all the customers left, Zhenyulou prepared to close. Gu Lin sat behind the counter, tallying up the silver he had earned that day. Even in recent years, he had handled a considerable amount of silver, and Gu Lin couldn't help but gasp.
One hundred thousand taels of silver! Zhenyulou made one hundred thousand taels of silver today!
Even after deducting the costs of materials, labor, and transportation, the net profit is 80,000 taels, which is not a small amount. Moreover, this is not the money earned in a month, but the money earned in a single day.
Of course, the majority of the money came from the wives and husbands brought by Madam Fang. They didn't give Gu Lin plain silver, but stacks of one-hundred-tael silver notes.
A bottle of perfume costs sixty taels, a bottle of lotion costs seventy taels, and each wife and husband has spent nearly several thousand taels here.
Filled with excitement, Gu Lin returned to the inn. Zheng Hao's room was lit up. He knocked on the door and went in, just about to share the good news with him.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Hao dropped a bombshell on him: "Uncle Gu, the Emperor has bestowed upon me a mansion."
Gu Lin was stunned.
I thought he was already very impressive to earn tens of thousands of taels of silver in a day, but I never expected that Zheng Hao would even get a house after returning from the Qionglin Banquet.
Zheng Hao continued, "The residence is very close to the palace and not far from Zhenyu Tower. After moving in, Uncle Gu will no longer have to get up so early to go to Zhenyu Tower."
Hearing what the other person said, Gu Lin swallowed hard. The emperor had not only given Zheng Hao a house, but the house was also very close to the palace.
Based on the other party's description, Gu Lin couldn't help but think that in modern times, that mansion would probably be located in the Second Ring Road.
Calming his rapidly beating heart, Gu Lin looked up and asked, "What did you do at the Qionglin Banquet? Why did the Emperor suddenly bestow a house upon you?"
He had never heard of an emperor bestowing a residence upon a newly appointed top scholar, especially one surrounded by the residences of imperial relatives, high-ranking officials, and powerful ministers.