"I won't hide it from you, you are also my child, and Qingyi and Qingduan are also my grandchildren. I will never favor one over the other. I will definitely make it up to the two children, so you can rest assured."
Pan Jinhua wasn't lying to him; in just over a year, she had already amassed a considerable amount of money.
Qi Wan had given her all the money she had previously received. Now that the soap was about to go on sale, she truly had no shortage of money, only a lack of status.
She lived comfortably for the past ten years or so, leaving some mark on the world, and she could distribute her wealth to whomever she wanted.
She loves all her grandchildren, and her three sons are obedient. Of course, she doesn't want the family to be divided over these things.
"Mother~"
Li Xu was moved. He knew that his thoughts were somewhat dark. As an uncle, it was really inappropriate for him to be jealous of his nephews.
"Everyone has selfish desires. It's good enough if you can speak them out openly. Second brother, having some minor thoughts is harmless. If you're uncomfortable, just say so. Don't bottle it up, but don't have any ulterior motives. Only then can our family last a long time. The Li family is still far from where it is now."
"Yes, Mother."
Li Xushi felt ashamed. He really had no ulterior motives, but he just felt uneasy. After hearing his mother's words, he felt relieved. His mother was still thinking about their second branch of the family.
"Mother can spend her money as she pleases, but as her father, I have to work hard to save up a considerable fortune for them."
As he spoke, Li Xushi became quite animated.
Indeed, they're about to start selling soap, and he's very optimistic about it. With this product, the Li family is sure to amass a fortune.
The soap shop is a small building.
Besides selling soap, they also purchased lip balm, rouge, eyebrow pencil, and other similar products.
So this shop is a cosmetics shop.
Li Xushi and Li Xuchang spent a lot of money to hire a female manager named Zhang Qianqian. She used to run her own cosmetics shop, but later her husband fell ill, and she sold the shop to buy medicine.
Now that her husband's health has improved, she went out to find work and met the Li brothers who wanted to open a rouge shop, and they hit it off immediately.
The shop also hired many women as waitresses, paying them well, and many people applied. Zhang Qianqian selected ten of them and signed employment contracts with them.
These ten women, each with their own unique charm and skill, were all skilled in makeup. After a brief training, they were ready to take up their posts.
The second floor has private rooms where ladies and young women can come to drink tea and try on makeup.
Everything in the store is expensive. To paraphrase Pan Jinhua, they're just ripping people off.
On the opening day, they even invited Mrs. Lin.
Madam Lin was mainly interested in the soap. Before the store opened, Pan Jinhua had Liu Yun send two bars to Magistrate Lin's residence and took the opportunity to invite Madam Lin to the opening of the shop.
Originally, Madam Lin did not want to go, after all, she was the wife of the county magistrate, and her actions would have some influence. However, after using the soap, she changed her mind.
This stuff is just as good as bath beans. She wouldn't do something like this if the Li family gave it to her. They sell it in the shop, so she can just come and buy it.
The rouge shop is called "Li's Rouge Hall," which follows the consistent naming style of the Li family.
When the shop first opened, other competitors were watching with disdain. Was the Li family tired of making tofu and now preparing to enter the beauty industry?
It looks impressive, but the prices are so high. Do they think people are stupid enough to throw their money down the drain at their shop?
An outsider is an outsider. How can a cosmetics shop be opened so easily? If it were that easy, what would they have become?
The others in the industry scoffed, especially after seeing how deserted Li's Rouge Hall was after its opening; they all laughed coldly.
They said, "Nobody's stupid. You can't spend money like that."
They might be interested occasionally, but after asking a couple of questions about the price, they get scared away.
Manager Zhang wasn't flustered at all; her employers had already explained the preparations to her when they first started.
The shop's target customers were the wives and daughters of the major clans, wealthy merchants, and gentry in the county, as well as the wives and daughters of officials. In short, it was a place to fleece the wealthy.
Their goal was to make Li Family Rouge Hall a trendsetter in the cosmetics industry.
When Madam Lin's sedan chair landed at the entrance of Rouge Hall, Manager Zhang came out to greet her attentively.
She had already received word from her employer that the magistrate's wife would be coming today, so she felt very confident.
"Madam, I am Zhang Qianqian, the manager of Rouge Hall. Please allow me to take a look at your membership card."
Madam Lin's maid took out a plaque and showed it to Manager Zhang.
"Our master has already sent us a message, saying that he will definitely make sure to satisfy the lady."
"You've worked hard, please go inside first."
"Please, Madam Magistrate."
Manager Zhang is thin, but her makeup is unique. At first glance, she makes a good impression, and upon closer inspection, she leaves an even deeper impression.
Following Manager Zhang's footsteps, Madam Lin entered the interior of Li's Rouge Hall.
The small building is quaint and elegant, and incense is burning inside the shop. The aroma is refreshing and delightful.
"The incense that's burning is quite unique."
Madam Lin, who also enjoyed perfumery in her boudoir, couldn't help but like the fragrance after smelling it and asked a question.
"This incense is made in the shop's secret recipe, which is not to be shared with outsiders. If you spend a certain amount of money at the shop, you can give some to your wife."
Madam Lin glanced at Manager Zhang in surprise; she had never heard of such a business method before.
Manager Zhang smiled faintly and began introducing the store's products to Madam Lin.
"I want soap."
Madam Lin already had a goal in mind, and interrupted Manager Zhang, saying that she wasn't very interested in anything else for the time being.
"Alright, please come with me, madam."
Manager Zhang was not discouraged and led Madam Lin directly upstairs to the second floor, where there were individual rooms.
Madam Lin glanced at the sign and immediately noticed the characters for "plum blossom," "orchid," "bamboo," and "chrysanthemum," indicating that it was a private room in the shop.
"Please have a seat, Madam. There are many types of soap available; the maids will fetch them."
Madam Lin sat down patiently, and a maid brought over fragrant tea, while another brought over pastries.
"White jade cake?!"
"These are our dim sum dishes. We only make a few servings a day. They are only available to our distinguished guests in the private rooms. Please enjoy them, Madam."
Madam Lin smiled. The Li family really knows how to do business. Just this white jade cake alone will surely attract many customers.
Another maid poured fragrant tea for Madam Lin. This tea was also a famous and very expensive one, but only in this way could it be worthy of a distinguished guest.
Mrs. Lin took a sip and was full of praise. The Li family had indeed put a lot of effort into this shop, and she was already looking forward to the soap.
In the blink of an eye, four more people came in carrying trays. There were no customers in the shop now, so everyone was naturally focused on Madam Lin. Fortunately, the private room was quite spacious.
The four entered the private room and lined up in a row. The items on the tray came into Madam Lin's view.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
