Chapter 73: Perfume Business After eliminating her concerns, Chu Yufu quickly took action...
Pei Yue returned home from duty. He had barely stepped into his inner chamber, barely able to unfasten his sword, when a graceful figure slammed into his chest. His young mistress's lips curled slightly, her eyes gleaming with astonishing brightness, like two obsidians immersed in a spring, brimming with tiny fragments of light.
He opened his arms and held the person firmly.
The warm breath of midsummer, mixed with the unique sweet fragrance of a young girl, suddenly filled my arms.
Chu Yufu raised her face, her eyes full of smiles: "Thank you."
Pei Yue raised his eyebrows slightly: "Thank you for what?"
"Hmm..." She nuzzled into his arms, "Mrs. Luo came here with Xue Shutong." As for what happened, it was self-evident. Apart from coming to apologize, what else could she do?
So that's why.
Pei Yue's thin lips curled upwards imperceptibly, and he shook his head. "I really didn't do much about this matter. She was willing to bow down, most likely because she was intimidated by the power of the Mingxuan Marquisate. It's all thanks to the good relationship you created, Madam."
Cutting off business ties with the Lu family and causing trouble at the palace gates were merely minor tactics. He had limited connections with the Ministry of Rites, so it was inconvenient for him to do anything. After hearing that Marquis Zhao had rejected Lu Minzhong's memorial, Madam Luo was willing to humble herself and bring her daughter-in-law to visit him. This was likely due to her fear of Chu Yufu's connections to the Marquisate and a desire to avoid creating a rift.
Chu Yufu naturally understood these principles. However, the confidence that comes from having someone's unconditional backing and support is ultimately worlds apart from the feeling gained by relying solely on one's own efforts.
She gently rested her cheek against the man's firm, warm chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat. She sighed, "It feels so good to have someone to back me up."
Pei Yue thought she was just recalling the time she was bullied in the Chu family. A delicate pity welled up in his chest. He gently stroked her soft hair with his big hand and said in a low voice, "I won't let anyone bully you again."
Chu Yufu smiled and stepped back from his arms, reached out to untie the heavy sword at his waist, and shouted to the maid outside to serve the meal.
During the meal, she expressed an idea she had been thinking about for many days: "I want to open a bathhouse."
"Bathhouse?" Pei Yue paused holding his chopsticks, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes, "Isn't it a clinic?"
Chu Yufu bit her chopsticks and nodded, her eyes bright. "Most of the people who come to see me are women, seeking treatment for hidden ailments that are difficult to disclose. Some people don't want others to know they're ill. So I thought it would be better to open a health and medicinal bath parlor. That way, whether they're sick or not, they can come openly. Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"
Helping others was only one of her reasons. She had a deeper thought in her mind that she had not yet explained to Pei Yue.
After nearly a year in Dayan, she discovered that, aside from attending banquets and social events, the ladies of the capital had no private places to relax and socialize. Even for herself, it wasn't easy to get together with friends. Besides dining at a restaurant, she always had to wait for a lady to host a banquet.
She secretly envisioned turning this medicinal bath into a private "gathering place," combining medicinal bathing, healing, rest, and socializing. Besides providing medicinal baths and medical treatments, she also created a spacious and elegant lounge for guests to enjoy tea and chat, similar to a modern private club, with reservations required.
Pei Yue had no objection to this, it was just another property under his name. He gave a faint "hmm" as an agreement.
Chu Yufu thought for a moment, her pair of bright black eyes fixed on him, and added, "I am not just the boss behind this bathhouse. I also need to sit in the bathhouse and see patients in person. I don't have to be there every day, but I must be there five days out of ten." After she finished speaking, she held her breath and waited for his reaction.
"Sure." The man remained calm and answered decisively.
Now it was Chu Yufu's turn to be completely surprised. Even her grandmother had warned her that as a daughter of an official, she shouldn't be seen in public easily. Pei Yue didn't care at all? He wasn't afraid of the criticism that his wife was practicing medicine outside of the palace, which was unbecoming?
The confusion on her face was too obvious. Pei Yue did not explain directly, but for the first time brought up his own affairs, spewing out a long string of words.
"My mother's surname is Zhuang. My maternal grandfather had three sons and one daughter, but when it comes to business talent, none of my three uncles matched my mother's. By the time she was a teenager, she was already managing the family business for my maternal grandfather, and her uncles had to learn from her. Later, when she married my father, she wasn't confined to the inner chambers, spending half a month each month traveling to various businesses. My father and I both believe that no matter whether you are a man or a woman, you should strive to the best of your ability and fulfill your dreams to live a fulfilling life."
Regardless of gender, everyone should do their best and follow their own wishes...
It turned out that he was influenced by his mother. Chu Yufu recalled the fragments of information in the book, and suddenly she blurted out, "If you had the chance, would you establish a girls' school so that girls could learn and gain knowledge?"
Pei Yue put down his bowl and chopsticks, and looked at her calmly and seriously: "If there is an opportunity, I would like to try my best."
After his mother's death, he accompanied his father to a military station. One year, while suppressing river bandits, he passed through a village ravaged by banditry and was surprised to see the village leader, a sturdy, dark-skinned woman, leading the rebuilding effort. From that moment on, he felt deeply that the difference between men and women lay not in physical strength but in their ability to fully utilize their talents. When appointing people to a task, one should judge them by their abilities.
Chu Yufu's eyes flickered at this answer, but she said nothing more. She simply picked up a piece of tender, flavorful sweet and sour pork ribs and gently placed it in his bowl. Gazing at the handsome features of the man before her, she silently pondered, "Such a broad-minded person shouldn't have died so young."
-
After putting her concerns aside, Chu Yufu quickly took action.
The first thing to do is to choose a location.
She instructed Manager Ma to rent a three-story shop with a courtyard on the uphill slope south of Jinma Street, facing the water. Then, she submitted paperwork to the Jingzhao Prefecture Municipal Office to apply for official "city registration."
Because the bathhouse required extensive use of water and fire, posing a significant risk, ceramic jars and sandbags were placed under the eaves of the corridors, in accordance with the fire prevention regulations of the capital's "Fire Squad." Furthermore, because the bathhouse involved medicinal bath recipes, the recipes needed to be compiled into a book and submitted to the Imperial Academy of Physicians for record and approval.
Fortunately, as she was the general's wife, the government offices did not deliberately make things difficult for her, and these complicated procedures were completed quickly.
Next came the interior construction. Chu Yufu wasn't an expert in this area, so she invited an experienced construction engineer to consult with her. After several discussions, the overall plan gradually became clear.
The first floor is divided into a bright front hall for reception, and then into several exquisite rooms, each with a medicinal bathing pool. Under the pool is a floor heating system to maintain the room temperature in winter.
The second floor is designed as a spacious lounge with comfortable low couches and desks, where guests can take a rest after bathing and enjoy some exquisite tea and snacks.
The third floor is planned as a private treatment area, specially prepared for guests who need medical consultation.
Since it was aimed at the officials and their families in Beijing, the fees were high and the decoration expenses were extremely exquisite.
The wood used for the interior and exterior is Huanghuali, a wood with a delicate and fragrant aroma. Chu Yufu carefully considered that Huanghuali wood is strong and tough, highly resistant to deformation, and is particularly resistant to moisture.
Dayan's bathhouse business was prosperous, collectively known as the "perfume shop", and a kettle hanging in front of the door was its symbol.
Ordinary bathhouses offer a wide range of services, including back scrubbing, pedicures, and massage. Therefore, in addition to recruiting shopkeepers, pharmacists, and handymen, they also need to recruit ordinary maids and "bathhouse workers" who are skilled in massage.
Most of the chores could be handled by Ma, the steward. There was one task he couldn't oversee—the assessment of the women who performed the bathing and massage services. This task had to be handled by Chu Yufu herself.
Not only did she personally test the skills and strength of the female workers, she also patiently taught them how to identify acupoints and explain how to follow the meridians to better relax the muscles and promote blood circulation for the guests.
This busy schedule lasted for more than a month. She was almost completely busy and had no time to spare.
Besides the intensive preparations for the opening of the bathhouse, he also had to regularly visit the Xinguo Mansion to treat Young Master Yan with acupuncture. Whenever he had some free time, he would read and study, researching the remaining poison in Madam Shen's body.
To make matters worse, Madam Jiang, who had recovered several months earlier, had a relapse of her back pain. Considering Marquis Zhao's previous protection, Chu Yufu had no choice but to make a few more trips to the Marquis's residence.
After days of hard work, her eyes quickly became pale. Her appearance made Pei Yue's face darken.
Allow her to have her own things to do, but don't let her be so busy that she has no time to rest.
So at the end of July, he forcibly detained her in his mansion and ordered her to have a good rest for a day and not go anywhere.
Chu Yufu rarely had time to spare at home. The morning sun was shining brightly, so she instructed the maids to move the damp books from the house to the courtyard and spread them out on bamboo mats to dry in the sun. After lunch, she returned to her couch to catch up on some sleep.
She slept very deeply that day, and when she woke up drowsily, she heard the sound of rain. She first thought, no wonder I slept so soundly, it turned out to be raining. Then she suddenly opened her eyes wide and remembered that there were books drying in the yard!
She quickly turned over and sat up, pulling aside the red gauze curtains and stretching her feet to put on her shoes. The warm orange candlelight came into view, and she saw that the desk opposite her was neatly stacked with books.
Zhong Zhiyao was standing by the table, putting books back on the shelf one by one. Hearing the noise, she turned around and saw Chu Yufu had woken up. She quickly put down the book in her hands and walked over to hang the gauze curtains on the copper hooks on both sides. "Madam, are you awake? Would you like some tea?"
Chu Yufu nodded, looked out the window, and seeing that it was dark outside, she asked, "What time is it now?"
"Madam, it has been raining for a while. It is now around mid-afternoon." Zhong Zhiyao brought a cup of warm tea and replied with a smile.
It was past 5 p.m., which meant it was around four o'clock... I had slept for so long. It seemed I had been terribly exhausted these past few days.
Chu Yufu took the teacup and sipped it as she walked over to the bookshelf. The books were neatly arranged, even categorized by medical books, scriptures, and miscellaneous books. She glanced at them for a few moments, then looked away and suddenly asked, "I heard you can read?"
Zhong Zhiyao was slightly startled, then replied respectfully, "Yes, ma'am. I learned to read for a while from a teacher in a rural family school. Later, I also helped with the bookkeeping in my own tea shop."
Hearing her mention her tea shop, Chu Yufu stroked the rim of the cup with her fingertips and asked, "Why didn't your mother take you back to her parents' home after your brother passed away?"
Zhong Zhiyao obviously didn't expect the lady to ask this. She was stunned for a moment before she smiled bitterly and said, "Madam, you don't know. I have been back home. But on the day I got home, my uncle forced my mother to sign some kind of 'surrender document'. He said that I could live back in my mother's home, but the thirty taels of silver awarded to my mother by the county government must be handed over to him in full. My mother refused..."
Chu Yufu frowned.
Well, when a woman marries into her husband's family, they'll call her an outsider and take away her property. When she loses support and wants to return to her parents' home, they'll treat her like spilled water, no longer a member of their family, and try to squeeze out every last ounce of her life savings! It's truly pitiful! With no support, you're stuck in the middle of nowhere!
She raised her eyes and looked again at the girl in front of her, whose delicate features and intelligence revealed a certain brilliance. The more she looked at her, the more she felt that it was a waste of her to be confined to the inner room doing chores such as serving tea and water, even though she could read and keep accounts. A thought flashed through her mind, and a gentle smile appeared on her face as she spoke:
"You can read and do accounting, would you like to try your hand at something else? I've just started a new business and have been busy with it lately. I don't lack waiters in my house, but the new bathhouse outside is in need of a pharmacist. Would you like to give it a try?"
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