Chapter 43 Beauty Gallery
After testing the rouge on herself for a few days and confirming that it was safe, on a sunny morning, Aman finally embarked on her journey to sell rouge.
In the bustling city of Yongzhou, rouge was not a rare item. As long as a family was relatively well-off, they would give their daughters rouge when they came of age to celebrate their coming of age.
Therefore, there were rouge shops everywhere in Yongzhou City, and there were even more street vendors selling rouge, especially in the Changqing Street area, where you could see a rouge stall almost every two or three steps, with lipstick, face powder, and floral foil all available.
Ah Man was a newcomer and a complete stranger, so even opening a business was a difficult task for him in the short term.
After all, who would dare to misuse this face product? If something goes wrong, spending money is a small matter, but ruining one's appearance is a big deal.
Therefore, for eight or nine days in a row, Aman didn't sell a single box of rouge.
At first, Aman was a little discouraged and doubted whether she was cut out for business, but after persevering, she no longer cared.
I leave home on time every day, and when it's almost time, I go home for dinner. Then, I go out again in the afternoon when it gets a bit cooler.
Just as the young master said, everything is difficult at the beginning, and one cannot rush it.
After several days of this, although Aman did not sell any rouge, she became a familiar face on Changqing Street. Almost everyone who frequented the area knew that there was a girl named Aman selling rouge in the area. She came every day without fail, rain or shine, but she did not sell a single box.
Although it doesn't sound nice, at least someone knows about it now.
A laughingstock is also a name.
Besides Changqing Street, another place Aman frequents is Lirenfang.
She arrived precisely on time every day, and invariably stood at the very front of the crowd. Her petite figure was conspicuously out of place among a group of ladies adorned with gold and silver.
This is not a good thing.
Soon, Aman was spotted by the staff at Lirenfang.
Moreover, the other party had also heard about her "reputation" in the Changqing Street area.
Lirenfang also sells cosmetics and face powder, making them competitors with Aman. Although Aman is just a small-time peddler and can't cause any big trouble, her daily surveillance might be a trap.
Out of concern for the shop's safety, the waiter quickly reported the matter to the manager. And so, Aman was immediately targeted the moment she arrived today.
On the second floor of Lirenfang, the shopkeeper, Wang Sheng, watched the figures below desperately pushing their way to the front of the crowd. He stroked his beard, his eyes slightly narrowed, making his expression unreadable.
The waiter stood next to him, complaining, "The shopkeeper is that woman. She comes every day, just looking but not buying. I thought she was short of money, but it turns out she sells rouge. I guess she's up to something."
Looking down at Aman's youthful face, Wang Sheng couldn't quite make out anything.
He had seen countless people, and judging from this woman's appearance, she didn't seem like a particularly wicked person. However, one should always be wary of others. The owner trusted him, which was why he entrusted this large beauty salon to him. If something were to happen to him, he would be held responsible even if he were to die a thousand deaths.
After a moment's hesitation, Wang Sheng waved his hand and said, "Go and invite him up for a chat."
"Alright!" Upon receiving the order, the waiter excitedly went downstairs to arrest the person.
Downstairs, Aman was squeezing his way to the front of the line.
She went to bed late last night because of insomnia, and when she woke up this morning, the sun was already high in the sky.
Fortunately, she managed to make it despite her hurried pace.
Today is Lirenfang's once-every-seven-day giveaway day. Not only are there plenty of free rouge and face powder to give away, but also the best makeup artists in Yongzhou will be there to personally try out makeup on you.
Aman came not for the free cosmetics, but to watch the makeup artist apply makeup.
Although she knew from the beginning that the so-called randomly selected lucky audience members were arranged by Lirenfang in advance, she had to admit that the other party's makeup skills were indeed amazing.
Since Ah Man has no official status, he can't get to the best seats, so he can only squeeze his way to the front to get a better view.
After much effort, Aman finally managed to find a spot near the front.
Before she could even catch her breath, a large hand suddenly appeared behind her, covering her mouth and trying to drag her away.
Aman didn't even see clearly whether the person dragging her was male or female. She instinctively tried to scream, but the other person covered her mouth tightly, preventing her from making a sound.
Then another man stepped forward and grabbed Aman's kicking feet.
And so, in front of everyone, the two of them carried Aman away.
Aman was still struggling, but she immediately quieted down after seeing who had lifted her foot.
Judging from the other person's clothes and appearance, Aman knew that he was a waiter from Lirenfang.
No wonder those women just looked at her with puzzled expressions when they saw her being dragged away, and didn't try to save her.
They must know that the waiter at Lirenfang wouldn't harm her.
Sure enough, after passing through the crowd, the two men put her down. Once Aman had stood still, one of the older men said, "I'm so sorry to have startled you, young lady. My manager would like to invite you upstairs for a chat. Please come up."
I dragged her through the crowd just now because I was afraid she really had bad intentions. If she had a guilty conscience and ran away while there were many people around, or hurt someone, that would be terrible.
Those who are at the forefront all come from wealthy and powerful families. If even one of them gets into trouble, it will be enough to cause serious problems for Lirenfang.
After seeing that she stopped struggling after recognizing their identities, the two concluded that the woman was not a vicious person, which is why they treated her with courtesy.
Aman didn't know the owner of the Beauty House and was puzzled by the other party's intentions, but given the current situation, she had no choice but to nod.
Aman followed the two men through a side door of the Lirenfang building and went up to the second floor.
This was Aman's first time entering the Lirenfang.
I used to think it was just luxurious on the outside, but I never imagined that the interior was just as magnificent. No wonder it is the top rouge shop in Yongzhou.
The second floor consists of elegant rooms, each furnished differently, all designed to cater to wealthy young ladies and noblewomen. With just a word from them, waiters will bring up items for them to choose from, and there are even makeup artists to help them with their makeup trials.
Therefore, compared to the noisy and chaotic first floor, the second floor is relatively quiet, and even the waiters' clothes are different.
At first, Aman didn't think anything of it, but now, with the tranquil atmosphere setting in, he started to feel nervous.
Aman followed the two closely. As they passed the bend, they saw two more people wiping the railing. When they saw Aman, one of them stared wide-eyed as if he had seen him before.
After Aman walked away, the man pointed at Aman, looking completely bewildered.
This is not a place that just anyone can come up to.
The other person understood his shock and rolled his eyes speechlessly, "This is the shopkeeper's order, hurry up and wipe it, the boss will be here soon."
Aman naturally understood that the other party acted that way because of her identity. To be honest, her attire was indeed somewhat inappropriate for this place.
However, Aman did not feel inferior. On the contrary, she secretly vowed that one day she would open her own rouge shop.
After navigating another corridor, the two finally stopped at a doorway. The door was wide open, and Aman immediately saw a middle-aged man sitting inside drinking tea.
He was about forty years old, dressed in a dark-colored, wide-sleeved casual suit embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. He wasn't fat, and his face had the kind of benevolence typical of middle-aged people. He didn't look like a bad person.
But appearances can be deceiving, and the more the other person acted this way, the more uneasy Aman felt.
Hearing the footsteps, Wang Sheng looked up and met Aman's gaze across the distance. He smiled and nodded at her.
"Please come in, young lady. Ah Fu, bring some tea."
"Yes." One of the waiters turned and left. After Aman went inside, Wang Sheng spoke to the other waiter, "You can go now too!"
"yes."
The two people who brought Aman up left one after the other, leaving only the two of them in the room. Aman, who was already feeling uneasy, was now even more anxious and dared not take a step forward.
Ah Man cowered, wondering what his chances of successfully escaping the building were if he were to run now.
However, Wang Sheng seemed oblivious to her nervousness, and continued to smile, "Please sit down, young lady."
"No, no thanks!" Aman swallowed hard. In the current situation, how could she dare to sit down!
“Young lady, there’s no need to be afraid. I invited you here because I have some questions for you,” Wang Sheng said.
"What is it?" The other person was still smiling, which made Aman even more frightened, and she involuntarily took a step back as she spoke.
It was just a small, subconscious gesture, but Wang Sheng acted as if she had done something unforgivable. He stopped smiling, his gaze sharpened, and he looked at Aman with a serious expression. "I heard from the waiter that the young lady has been coming to Lirenfang every day these past few days to try on makeup, and she always tries to squeeze to the front."
"Yes, yes." Aman was still a little embarrassed when this was mentioned, after all, she had been looking at Lirenfang's makeup trial sessions for so long, but she had never bought anything.
Seeing her readily admit it, Wang Sheng asked again, "I've also heard that you sell rouge yourself. Does that mean I can suspect that you have ulterior motives and are after our Lirenfang? Tell me, who sent you?"
Wang Sheng's voice suddenly grew louder, startling Aman. She quickly explained, "No, that's not how it is. No one instructed me. I just came to watch the makeup test."
"Do you really need to push your way to the front every time just to watch the makeup trial? Or are you here not only to watch the makeup trial, but also to learn the techniques?"
Wang Sheng then changed his explanation, which made it difficult for Aman to explain.
To some extent, she was indeed learning by stealing techniques.
Her silence only confirmed Wang Sheng's belief that he had guessed correctly.
She was indeed a naive young girl; a few casual words were enough to make her tell everything.
Wang Sheng stared at Aman quietly for a moment before speaking again, "Aren't you going to explain, young lady?"
Explain, how do you explain this?
Aman was silent for a moment, then muttered, "I'm sorry."
Is this considered an admission?
Wang Sheng chuckled and was about to say something when the waiter came in to serve tea, interrupting him.
The waiter placed the tray on the table, approached, and whispered something in the shopkeeper's ear. The shopkeeper looked at him suspiciously, his eyes full of doubt. "Really?"
“It’s absolutely true. The boss is right next door. He said it himself.”
"Really?" The shopkeeper was puzzled, but he knew the waiter wouldn't lie to him, but...
The shopkeeper looked up and sized up Aman.
Who exactly is this girl that the employer favors her so much?
The rouge she made was so poorly chosen that it wouldn't even be fit for wiping a customer's feet in this beauty salon.
And judging from her attire, she doesn't seem like a young lady from a wealthy family; she looks more like a maidservant. Could it be...?
Wang Sheng's gaze fell on Aman's face. She was quite pretty and had some good looks.
His gaze lingered blatantly on Aman's body, making Aman feel uncomfortable from the bottom of her heart, and she subconsciously frowned.
Perhaps realizing his lapse in composure, Wang Sheng withdrew his gaze and suddenly laughed, "So it was all a misunderstanding. Please sit down, young lady."
The other party's sudden change of attitude left Aman, the monk, completely bewildered. However, since they offered him a seat, Aman couldn't refuse and could only sit down on the nearest chair.
Wang Sheng gave a wink, and the waiter stepped forward and served Aman tea, saying, "Please have some tea, miss."
Aman took it, but didn't drink it; he just put it on the table.
Despite such a rude gesture, Wang Sheng was not annoyed and continued to smile, "I was so busy talking that I forgot to ask your surname, young lady?"
"My surname is Lin," Aman said.
"So it's Miss Lin. May I ask where you live?" Perhaps afraid that Aman would misunderstand, he quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand, Miss. I just thought you looked like an old friend of mine, so I had this question. If I have offended you, it was purely unintentional."
Having laid so much groundwork, the other party is bound to be determined to achieve their goal. Although Aman didn't understand why he had such a big change, he knew it must be related to what the waiter had said earlier.
What exactly happened?
“I live in Fangping Lane, but I am not from Yongzhou. The shopkeeper must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Fangping Lane is indeed very close to the owner's house.
Now that Wang Sheng was certain that his boss hadn't mistaken him for someone else, he nodded and said, "I am Wang Sheng, the manager of this Lirenfang. I invited Miss Lin here today simply to understand your intentions for coming here every day. After all, Lirenfang is such a large business, it's common for competitors to be envious. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me, Miss Lin."
“No, no,” Aman waved her hands repeatedly, feeling flattered by the respect he showed her. “I just came to see the makeup trial, I had no other intentions.”
"I know," Shopkeeper Wang nodded. "I've heard that you also sell rouge, young lady. May I take a look at your rouge?"
"?" This request was something Aman hadn't expected, but since the other person had asked, Aman couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to lift the cloth covering the basket and take out a box of rouge.
Because of the earlier chaos, the rouge in the basket was in a mess, but fortunately, the rouge inside was intact.
Aman handed over the rouge, which Manager Wang took, opened, and examined carefully.
As he suspected, the rouge, while not bad, was not good either. It certainly didn't qualify to be sold in the Lirenfang pharmacy. As for the box containing the rouge, it was an extremely cheap bamboo box. Nowadays in Yongzhou, any decent family would not use rouge in a bamboo box.
I don't know what got into the owner, deciding to accept such rouge. Isn't this just a complete waste of money?
However, Lirenfang certainly doesn't lack this amount of money. If they can win a beauty's smile and capture her heart, it seems like a good thing.
Shopkeeper Wang smiled slightly, then closed the lid and placed the rouge on the table.
"The rouge is indeed fine, and Miss Lin's craftsmanship is excellent. However, I've heard that Miss Lin hasn't sold a single box of rouge since she started selling it?"
"Uh..." Although it was true, it was still quite embarrassing to have it said to your face.
"How about this? From now on, our Lirenfang will buy all of Miss Lin's rouge. We'll charge twenty coins per box, and we'll buy as much as you have. This will save you from having to walk the streets and alleys every day, exposed to wind and rain. What do you think, Miss?"
"Lirenfang wants to buy my rouge?" Aman wondered if she had misheard or was hallucinating.
She knows her own limitations very well.
"Is Manager Wang making fun of me?" Aman didn't believe it.
“Of course not,” Wang Sheng said firmly. “I sincerely want to cooperate with you, Miss Lin. You should think it over carefully. This is an opportunity not to be missed.”
Aman stared at Manager Wang, whose face was full of sincerity. But Aman felt that there was some indescribable emotion in his eyes. It seemed like disdain, or perhaps sarcasm.
Moreover, if the other party had initially asked her to do business with them, Aman might have thought she was exceptionally talented and that the other party had a discerning eye. But it's strange that the other party suddenly changed their mind and wanted to do business with her after questioning her.
Even if she desperately wanted to make money, she could sense that something was fishy going on.
"Thank you for your kind words, Manager Wang, but I know my own skills very well. Please don't tease me anymore."
Ah Man's words were neither humble nor arrogant, which gave Manager Wang a way out and prevented him from feeling embarrassed.
Manager Wang wanted to persuade her further, but Aman simply took back the rouge from the table, stood up, and said with a clear and firm attitude, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he left without waiting for Manager Wang to speak again.
Wang had lived most of his life and had never seen anyone as ungrateful as Aman. He was too lazy to waste his breath arguing with her. After Aman walked away, he got up and went to find his employer.
"She really said that?" Fu Changze was quite surprised after hearing Wang Sheng's description.
He hadn't seen Wang Sheng when he arrived, and only after asking the waiter did he learn that Wang Sheng was receiving a guest, and that it was a woman.
Out of curiosity, he peeked through the doorway, only to find that the person who came in was Aman.
The waiter told him that Aman came to Lirenfang every day to try on makeup and also sold rouge, so he guessed that Aman was up to no good.
Fu Changze had met Aman once before and knew that she was someone close to his elder brother, and that his elder brother trusted her a lot. So he thought he would help her out as a favor.
Unexpectedly, the other party refused.
"He is quite clever and cautious."
If it were anyone else, knowing that Lirenfang was willing to spend twenty coins to buy her rouge, they would probably have been overjoyed and agreed immediately.
No wonder they're from that person's side; their way of doing things is exactly the same.
"Fine, if she's unwilling, then let her be!" Fu Changze said with a smile, his tone not showing any annoyance at being rejected, but rather a hint of helplessness mixed with... indulgence?
This made the shopkeeper even more curious. Who was that woman, that she could make his cold-faced boss, Yama, show such an expression?
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