Some turned around and left on the spot, while others took out their money and insisted on going into the store to see what was so special about it.
Finally, three ladies remained at the shop entrance.
The husbands of these three ladies were all local gentry in the county, and they had always been at odds with each other. Today, they just happened to run into each other again.
They're all in the same circle, and they couldn't bring themselves to leave like that, especially since the magistrate's wife was still in power.
"How much is this membership? I'll open one."
"Thank you, one hundred taels of silver."
The price was carefully considered by Manager Zhang. One hundred taels wouldn't be too much for those ladies and young women, but it did raise the bar. After all, one hundred taels of silver could buy anything, but buying a spot in a cosmetics shop was still a bit of a luxury in Shao County.
"·····"
Madam Zhou was taken aback by the price. Was she about to be ripped off? But the magistrate's wife had also been taken inside. Surely the shopkeeper wasn't so audacious as to try and cheat even the magistrate's wife?
Since the words had already been spoken, it was natural not to contradict oneself, so the money was taken out.
"Madam, please come this way to register."
Madam Zhou felt a pang of regret; the hundred taels had gone down without a trace.
"What? You two sisters can't even come up with a hundred taels? Do you want your older sister to lend you some?"
Seeing that the other two were still hesitant, Madam Zhou, who had already taken out the money, began to mock them.
She bought it, so how can I not buy it? We know each other. If she leaves now, I'll be laughed at by this person.
These two couldn't stand it, so they immediately took out their silver as well.
"Where would I need to borrow from you, sister? What's a hundred taels?"
Shopkeeper Zhang was overjoyed, registering the three people's information. Once they entered her shop, it wouldn't be easy for them to leave.
Some onlookers watched the three of them with strange looks from a short distance away.
So, there really are such idiots in this world?
These three weren't oblivious; they all felt like they were being mocked.
Hey, I, the one who paid, didn't say a word, and you bunch of poor scumbags still dare to laugh at me?
"Sigh, only people like us can afford to enter Manager Zhang's shop. Poor bastards who can't even afford a hundred taels of silver are really not good at shopping with me."
As soon as the money was paid, one of the ladies began to tremble, looking disdainfully at those who only dared to watch the spectacle from the sidelines.
Having already spent the money, why would I feel like I've been ripped off? It's because I'm unique and have good taste.
"Haha, you're right. If you can't even afford this much money, you'll probably be too ashamed to attend banquets in the future."
"Congratulations, ladies. Our store currently only has fifty membership slots available. Once we reach fifty, we will no longer accept new members. In the future, only distinguished guests with Silver membership or higher will be allowed to enter with their guests."
"Silver Member?!"
Shopkeeper Zhang smiled slightly; the fish had taken the bait.
She explained the membership system of Rouge Hall to the three of them in detail. When they heard about the membership system of Rouge Hall, they perked up. They were amazed. "Is this even possible?"
Comparing spending habits? Do you think they have less money? You'd have to be a silver member at least, right?
After obtaining their identity tags, each lady was accompanied by a maid who acted as their personal "waiter." The group then gathered on the first floor to watch the spectacle.
After all, Manager Zhang used to run a rouge shop, so the quality of the eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, and rouge in his shop was indeed quite good.
Several people bought a few items each.
What's upstairs?
"In reply to Madam, the upstairs rooms are private rooms, which require additional payment."
The maids are trained to give simple answers if asked, without needing to elaborate.
The three of them were still waiting for the maid to continue the introduction. Since there was no county magistrate's wife on the first floor, she must be on the second floor. They wondered what good things were on the second floor.
In other shops, even if they didn't ask, the maids would lead them upstairs. But now that they asked, the maids only gave a brief answer and didn't offer any further explanation.
The three exchanged glances, their brows furrowed.
"What do you mean by this? Why don't you continue? Are you afraid that we can't afford it?"
The maid quickly apologized, "Please forgive me, Madam, please come with me."
The three of them went up to a private room on the second floor and did not separate; they all entered the same room.
As soon as I entered, I curiously looked around.
They entered the "Chrysanthemum" room, which was decorated with many paintings of chrysanthemums, giving it a very elegant feel. The incense smell was also different from that on the first floor.
"Ladies, this is the tea and snacks prepared in the private room. Please enjoy."
The white jade cake that was served was a small portion, shared among the three people. They felt that the shop was looking down on them in every way today.
Before they could even speak, the maid deftly divided the white jade cake into three pieces and placed them in front of the three of them.
"This is white jade cake, a pastry that is only available in Rouge Hall. Ladies, please have a taste."
Before I could even utter the words I was holding back, my attention was drawn to the words "white jade cake".
"This is white jade cake?"
Last year, white jade cake was quite popular in the upper-class circles of Shaoguan County, but Madam Zhou had never eaten it before.
Once, while attending a banquet, I overheard someone talking about white jade cake. I thought it was just empty talk; if it were really that good, wouldn't it have spread far and wide?
She was somewhat unconvinced at the time, saying that no matter how delicious the white jade cake was, it was definitely not as delicious as the mung bean cake from Piaoxianglou. As a result, as soon as she said that, she was looked down upon by many young ladies who had eaten the white jade cake.
They lost a lot of face.
Even now, when Madam Zhou thinks about it, she still feels indignant.
So this is what white jade cake is!
She wanted to see what could compare to mung bean cake!
She picked up the plate, which came with a wooden fork, and forked off a small piece, putting it in her mouth.
!!
What kind of pastry is this that's so soft! And what's that white thing? It smells so sweet!
How could there be such delicious pastries? A small piece is gone in just a few bites.
After finishing her meal, Madam Zhou felt a little embarrassed. She glanced at the other two women and saw that they looked the same way. She also noticed that the maids were calm, which calmed her down.
It's such a small piece, not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
"Do you have any more white jade cake? I'd like another one!"
"I want one too!"
"Me too!"
The maids had expected this; during their previous training, Manager Zhang had let them try a small piece, and it was incredibly delicious. Just thinking about it made their mouths water.
"That white jade cake from before is a must-have in the private rooms. Would you like to order it again…?"
"How could we be short of money? Hurry up and bring it to us."
Knowing the maid's unspoken meaning, Madam Zhou impatiently interrupted, "We've already spent a hundred taels of silver, so this white jade cake can't be sold for a hundred taels of silver a serving, can it?"
The other two gave her an approving look. Of course they did! Who did they think they were, treating them like poor wretches who couldn't even get in?
"By the way, is the magistrate's wife also on the second floor?"
"Exactly."
"Madam, what did you buy?"
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