"One hundred coins for each item, three items for three hundred coins."
The boss answered with a smile.
"It's so expensive, Cuifang, you can only buy one thing."
When the village chief's wife heard how expensive it was, she exclaimed, "This is outrageous! It's dozens of kilograms of meat! This is still far from being settled, I can't possibly pay that much!" She immediately declared that she could only buy one item.
"Mom, please buy it for me. I promise I can definitely win over Young Master Zhang."
Liu Cuifang really wanted it so badly that she even said it out loud.
"Oh dear, if your father finds out, it will be terrible. Besides, I only brought two hundred coins with me today."
The village chief's wife was annoyed. Who knew this rouge was so expensive? She thought a hundred coins would be enough.
"Then buy two things, Mother, please, this is a major event in my life, we can't be careless."
Liu Cuifang persisted in her coquettish behavior.
"Then you must perform well the day after tomorrow and win over the Zhang family. I heard that Madam Zhang is the one in charge of their family. You need to try to please Madam Zhang tomorrow, understand?"
The village chief's wife also relented.
"Yes, I know, I'll buy two."
Liu Cuifang grinned, but then a problem arose: which two items should she buy?
"Boss, let's buy two items. If they're nice, we'll come back to buy more next time."
As she spoke, the village chief's wife took out two strings of cash from her pocket.
"Yes, Miss Gui, if you want to buy two items, I recommend goose egg powder and peach blossom rouge."
Because this peach blossom rouge can not only be applied to the face, but also looks beautiful on the lips.”
The shopkeeper opened the peach blossom rouge and showed it to Liu Cuifang; it was a bright red color and smelled nice.
"Okay, then I'll take these two."
Liu Cuifang couldn't wait to apply it right now.
The shopkeeper accepted the money, wrapped up the rouge, and handed it to Liu Cuifang.
"Goodbye, both of you. Welcome back next time."
When Liu Cuifang returned home, she began to apply makeup in front of the bronze mirror. She applied a layer of egg-white powder, but then felt it was too white, so she patted some off.
After applying rouge to her lips and cheeks, Liu Cuifang felt that she was now much prettier than Wei Yuyan.
He immediately went out to show off.
"Little grass, little grass."
Xiaocao was about the same age as Liu Cuifang and lived in front of Liu Cuifang's house, but Xiaocao's family was very poor.
"Hey, Cuifang, I'm doing laundry, come in."
The sound of the grass came from above.
Liu Cuifang tidied her hair and then pushed the door open to go inside.
"Little Grass, I really feel sorry for you washing so many clothes all by yourself."
Liu Cuifang stared at the several basins of clothes on the ground, speechless. Xiao Cao's grandparents were still alive, along with her younger siblings. It must be exhausting for her to wash all the family's clothes.
"Thank you, Cuifang, but I'm used to it. Oh, your face is so white."
As soon as Xiaocao looked up, she saw the rouge on Cuifang's face and was surprised, so she quickly stood up to take a closer look.
"I forgot to tell you, my mother bought me this rouge today. It's very expensive, costing several hundred coins. Do you think it looks good?"
Liu Cuifang inadvertently showed off her family's wealth.
"Beautiful, so pretty, Cuifang, you look like a young lady from a wealthy family, not like a country bumpkin. But it seems like you've been hit too much; you should hit less for it to look natural."
Xiao Cao remembered the rich young lady she had met in town before; her rouge was applied just right, not too much and not too little.
"Uh...you're right, this is my first time poking, I don't have much experience."
Liu Cuifang thought to herself, "This country bumpkin has never even bought rouge before, yet he wants to teach me how to apply it. He's crazy."
"Cuifang, I'll tell you something in secret. I'm going to meet someone tomorrow."
Xiaocao always considered Cuifang a good friend and would tell her everything.
"Oh, you're going to meet someone tomorrow? Where are you from? What do you do?"
Liu Cuifang became interested. This little grass wasn't pretty, so it probably wouldn't be able to marry into a good family.
“He’s from my maternal grandmother’s village. My uncle and aunt arranged it for me. They said the man is a carpenter who makes furniture for people to earn money.”
"This job isn't dangerous, and I don't have to go far. My family has three or four acres of paddy fields, so the conditions are pretty good. As for what the crops look like, I don't know."
Xiaocao described the man's family's financial situation with a look of contentment on her face.
"That's quite a good match for you, but Xiaocao, it's not a bad thing to look at a few more. Maybe there's someone even better."
Liu Cuifang pursed her lips, saying, "What's so great about this? My family already has three or four acres of paddy fields."
Even if Xiaocao marries into the family, she still has to work in the fields every day. How is that any different from her parents' home?
Whether it was a change of heart or something else, she began to advise Xiaocao not to choose right away, but to be more selective.
"Cuifang, you're right. I will definitely be reserved and not agree immediately. Maybe there will be someone with better character and looks later."
Xiaocao is straightforward and doesn't have any ulterior motives; otherwise, she would have discovered Cuifang's little scheme long ago.
"Okay, then take your time washing up. I'll come find you tomorrow afternoon to see how things went."
Cuifang didn't mention that she would also be looking for a partner the day after tomorrow. What if Young Master Zhang didn't take a liking to her? That would be incredibly embarrassing.
On her way home, Cuifang unexpectedly encountered the matchmaker.
"Oh my, Cuifang, you've put on rouge today? You look so pretty, but..."
Your aunt has something to remind you: you can't wear such a thick layer of powder the day after tomorrow.
Mrs. Zhang doesn't like glamorous girls; she prefers simple, hardworking girls. "You'd better cook a feast tomorrow and show off your skills."
The matchmaker was telling the truth; of course, she hoped that Madam Zhang would take a liking to Liu Cuifang, so that she could benefit from both sides.
If they don't find a suitable match, the Zhang family will probably ask other matchmakers to arrange things, and they'll lose their red envelope (gift money).
Madam Zhang didn't like going out and socializing. Although her family was well-off, she didn't hire any servants.
She does all the housework; she's very good at it, and the house is always very clean and tidy.
Mr. Zhang has leased out a lot of his land, which he also needs to manage regularly.
"Is that so? You mean Mrs. Zhang prefers hardworking women and doesn't like women who like to dress up?"
Liu Cuifang was a little curious; who doesn't like someone who is pretty?
"By the way, my parents-in-law like women who are virtuous, good at managing the household, and hardworking, while men prefer women who are beautiful."
If you're going on a date with Young Master Zhang, you can wear rouge and look pretty so he'll like you, don't you think?
The matchmaker knew these men's tricks best and taught Liu Cuifang a lot about how to get along with them.
"Sister-in-law, your brother Zhang went to work today, and I'm so bored at home."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua came with some more clothes, clearly intending to mend and repair them.
"Speaking of which, Sister Xiuhua, I'd also like to get a puppy to raise."
Do you know anyone whose female dog is pregnant? I need to reserve one in advance.
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