Chapter 177 Tailor Fan Jinxiu herself was also confused.
For women, going outside to bathe was an unthinkable thing. Although the Qing Dynasty had been gone for several years and new things from abroad were gradually being introduced, most people still followed the survival rules of the old era. Although it was not the case that if someone touched an arm, they would cut off the hand, most people still believed that places like the feet could only be seen by close relatives such as husbands.
This trend continued until around the 1930s, when various movements were in full swing, rubber products were widely spread, and sandals became the habit of female workers. Only then did feet gradually disappear from the ranks of private parts. Under such strict regulations, not to mention Ge Dali and others, even Pan Tiefeng, who had a wealthy childhood, and Fan Jinxiu, whose hygiene conditions were relatively good, were taking a bath outside for the first time.
Taking a bath is a very common thing for men, especially in summer: men in the countryside can simply go to the river to wash themselves clean if they get dirty; men in the city can go to public bathhouses or even public toilets that are everywhere, spend a few or even dozens of yuan, and either soak in the hot spring alone or enjoy a one-stop service of scrubbing, washing hair and shaving.
But women are different. They are obedient, sensible, and rule-abiding. Entering the water means suffering from cold uterus, childlessness, and difficulty in marriage. Every word and every glance is like a chain. When the discomfort becomes unbearable, they can only wipe themselves with a wet cloth. If they really want to bathe, they boil a pot of water at home and clean themselves. This kind of head-to-toe washing in a proper bathhouse is a first for everyone—
Except for a short period at the beginning, Clean Women's Bathhouse basically doesn't do any advertising. As the first and still the only large-scale women's bathhouse in Shanghai, they have been busy all year round after the initial customer acquisition period.
The boss has always had the idea of opening a branch, but after several years it remains just an idea. It's not that he doesn't have the money, but Shanghai is a complex and treacherous place, full of powerful figures and corrupt officials. He still hasn't managed to get through all the connections.
In this era of slow travel, even though some of the employees had lived in Shanghai since childhood, they didn't know this place existed. Once inside, they were all at a loss. Fortunately, the waitresses had encountered this kind of customer before, so they simply had other waiters come over and take them away one by one to clean up.
Yao Xiaoyu takes her hygiene very seriously and arranges one-on-one service for her employees. The girls who file in take a look at their clients and then drag them to the next room in unison. Even the tailor Fan Jinxiu is no exception—she doesn't have lice on her head, but she hasn't washed it for several days and still has to go through the process.
The hired workers followed the girls in a daze, and soon they were all in the room. Inside was a row of narrow beds with basins of water at the head of each bed. The girls asked the workers to lie down on the beds one by one, and to avoid making them feel awkward, they thoughtfully asked if they wanted to draw the curtains.
There were supports between the beds, with a curtain more than a meter long hanging on them. Once pulled open, you couldn't see the condition of the bed next to yours. The workers were already a little uncomfortable because they could see each other, so when they learned that there was this option, they immediately nodded. Then they were immediately relieved by this decision: this room was specially used for combing hair, and the basin was filled with hot water to kill insect eggs and lice!
The difference between combing hair and combing hair is not much. It's just that because the teeth of the comb are fine and there are a lot of things on people's hair, the service staff comb slowly from bottom to top and occasionally use a brush to clean the comb.
If the employees don't draw the curtains, they can't see the condition of their own hair, but they can see the hair of others. Whether it's for the sake of long-term interaction or for the sake of eye protection, it's not a pleasant experience.
The initial cleaning is not the end of the process, but rather the beginning.
After the comb had been run over every inch of their heads, the girls officially began washing the hair of the hired workers. At this time, there was no shampoo, but the bathhouse did not use soap. Instead, they used a more popular and expensive scented soap—products made by a boss surnamed Tao. They were no worse than those from foreign factories, but much cheaper than imported goods.
Their hair was washed inch by inch. The girls didn't skimp on time or soap. Once their hair was completely clean, they piled a cloth all over their heads before starting the full process of soaking in the hot spring and scrubbing their heads.
These things were completely unfamiliar to the workers, and they were at a loss and even frightened. But remembering Yao Xiaoyu's words that if it wasn't clean, they would leave, so they gritted their teeth and persevered.
"What does the young lady want you to do?"
Pan Tiefeng asked the tailor in a low voice that after being hurt by the comb several times, she decisively chose to cut her hair short. In addition, she cooperated very well in the process. The whole cleaning took about the same amount of time as the tailor who did not use the comb but was a little awkward. Now the two of them were lying on the rocking chairs to rest, and would go out after their hair dried a bit.
Pan Tiefeng looked at the tailor, her heart pounding like a cat scratching at her—all the other employees had arrived early, but the tailor had come with Yao Xiaoyu, and she had only been chosen earlier. Pan Tiefeng was really curious.
"I don't know either……"
Fan Jinxiu shook her head listlessly. She didn't consider herself a pedantic woman, but the stimulation of having her buttocks spread open and her cleft rubbed was still too much. Pan Tiefeng treated her as a connection, and she still felt that today was really absurd. How could she obediently get into the car just because someone said they would give her a job? Wasn't she afraid that Yao Xiaoyu was a prostitute and would sell her out?
Fan Jinxiu was the second daughter of the tailor shop. Her father only had two daughters in his life. The eldest daughter was Fan Lingluo, and the younger daughter was originally named Fan Chouduan, but in the end, he thought it sounded too bad, so he named her Jinxiu. Fan's father was not the kind of person who loved his daughter dearly. He wanted to have a son but couldn't, and he was unwilling to give the family property to his nephew. In the end, he gritted his teeth and prepared to find a husband for his daughter.
Fan Lingluo was strong-willed and skilled, capable of supporting the family business and protecting her parents. She was the most suitable person to be the pillar of the family, but her father insisted on keeping his gentle younger daughter at home, saying that Lingluo was timid and would be bullied if she married into another family. Outsiders admired her father's love for his daughter, but the two sisters knew perfectly well that his concern was nothing more than fear of losing power to them.
The two sisters had resigned themselves to their fate: despite their parents' many schemes and misdeeds, they had managed to raise the two sisters safely. Although they did not go to school, they did not hide their family's craftsmanship and even hired a tutor to teach them to read and do arithmetic. However, Fan's father should not have suspected that Fan Lingluo had found a sick scholar to return home and seize power after his death, and he hastily married off his eldest daughter to another place.
If it were a matter of careful selection and thorough inquiry, that would be one thing. But Fan's father seemed to be under some kind of spell, blinded by the young man's good looks and completely believing his claims about his family background. Without asking anyone else or verifying the truth, he signed the marriage contract that very day, sent Fan Lingluo away with just a suitcase, and the man boarded a train to another city that same day, never to be heard from again.
This is what Fan Lingluo, who appeared yesterday and looked almost like a beggar, told Fan Jinxiu about the truth behind her disappearance over the past few years—three months ago, Fan Lingluo returned and couldn't find her sister, who was always helping with the business at the counter. Her parents only said that she had run away with someone. Fan Jinxiu tried every means possible, but all she got was an address that was supposedly her sister's husband's family.
The outside world was always in chaos, so Fan Jinxiu didn't dare to travel to other places alone. She could only use her savings to send letters one after another, but she never received a reply until Fan Lingluo appeared in front of her.
"That man was from Yanmen, and he sold me on the train."
Fan Lingluo sneered at Fan Jinxiu's words. Nowadays, there are many tricks to deception, and even different schools of thought have emerged. Yanmen is also called Yanmen, which is said to be derived from Yan Ruyu. It refers to those who use beauty and eloquence to set traps. Fan Jinxiu had also heard about these schools. She wanted to ask how her sister returned, but she was afraid of touching Fan Lingluo's sore spot. She hesitated for a long time and couldn't utter a single word.
No one knows a sister better than her older sister. Fan Jinxiu was also the type who couldn't hide her feelings, and Fan Lingluo knew at a glance what her younger sister wanted to ask. However, when she thought of what had happened before, she also felt very conflicted.
“When my father told me to go with that man, he secretly slipped two gold bracelets onto my wrist.”
The suitcase contained nothing but some cheap fabric; otherwise, the man could have kept her there for a while longer and wouldn't have sold her before she even got off the train. But the two bracelets were solid, giving her a chance to escape her predicament.
After everything was settled, Fan Lingluo secretly went to a gold and silver shop to have the gold appraised. The gold was genuine. Fan Lingluo knew the extent of her family's wealth. Due to natural disasters, man-made calamities, and exorbitant taxes, the seemingly thriving business had not left behind much money. The two bracelets represented about half of the Fan family's wealth, excluding the goods in the shop.
"this……"
Fan Jinxiu didn't know what to say for a moment. Her father was in a hurry to kick her sister out. It was true that even the man's character could not be guaranteed, but real money can't be faked either. Even she, who was just listening, felt complicated. You can imagine how her older sister, who had experienced it firsthand, felt.
"Little sister, you should leave home first."
Before Fan Jinxiu could even sort out her own thoughts, Fan Lingluo had already made the decision for her. Her eldest sister's face was terribly thin, but her eyes gleamed with a wolf-like light.
“I intend to be the head of the household, so I will inevitably have to fight with Father. It’s not good for you to side with either of them. You might as well go find a family to do needlework first, and come back when things settle down.”
Fan Lingluo originally didn't care whether she married out or took a son-in-law in, but her father might be confused a second time if he was confused once. She didn't dare to gamble on her luck, let alone on a so-called change of heart. For the sake of the two bracelets, she wouldn't kill her father as the head of the household, but her father might not be so heartless.
Fan Jinxiu didn't know how she said goodbye to her sister. When she came to her senses, she had already had a big argument with her father and was walking on the street with her small package, tears streaming down her face.
Yao Xiaoyu passed by her in a rickshaw, then turned the rickshaw back. She asked why Fan Jinxiu had cried on the way, and after looking at her needlework, she asked Fan Jinxiu if she would be willing to do something for her. For some reason, Fan Jinxiu agreed immediately. Yao Xiaoyu then called a rickshaw to take her away, and then came the big cleanup of the women's bathhouse.
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Author's note: A small detail: that conman from Yanmen is dead; Fan Lingluo killed him herself.
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