Chapter 71 New Store "Huaying Snow"
The process of making soap and ointment is not difficult. Chen Ning selected some people from the canning factory in advance, trained them separately on different processes, and signed a confidentiality agreement.
Perfume and lipstick are more complicated, but Chen Ning has already taught July all the processes for both, and July is fully responsible for them, so she did not interfere.
Just when Shen Ning was about to ask Yuan Yue to hire more guards to strengthen the patrol and defense of Xinzhuangzi, Zhao Tong and Lian'er came to see her with their children.
The child was given a full name, Zhao Cheng. Chen Ning directly hung a small gold lock on the child. Lian'er was shocked and hurriedly refused, but she couldn't refuse no matter how many times she refused.
Shen Ning smiled and said, “The child is almost half a year old. This is a gift for the child.”
Knowing that she was not being polite, Lian'er finally accepted it... But after accepting the gift, she couldn't say what she wanted to say.
Shen Ning saw that something was wrong with the couple, and after repeated questioning, Lian'er blushed and asked if she could find a job for Zhao Tong at Shen Ning's manor.
There has been almost no rain in the past few months, and the crops have not grown well. In addition, there is drought in Yun and Lanzhou in the north, and floods along the Jiang and Huai rivers in the south, so the crop yields are worrying. At the same time, the court has increased taxes... Life is becoming increasingly difficult for the people.
Zhao Tong's physical condition is not as good as before after his last serious injury, so hunting is too risky...
"I'm really embarrassed to come looking for you, but Cheng Ge'er is still too young, and I can't do much work. What if Zhao Tong goes hunting and something happens to him again... That's why I have the audacity to come looking for you, Ningning."
Lian'er blushed and felt very ashamed.
After all, it had always been Shen Ning who had helped them since the two families became friends, and now they were asked to come to their house, which made the couple feel very ashamed.
Shen Ning laughed happily: "I thought it was something else, what a coincidence, I recently opened a new farm, and I was worried that I didn't have anyone reliable and trustworthy to help me guard it, and then my sister-in-law and Brother Zhao came."
Chen Ning smiled and took Lian'er's hand: "Brother Zhao is very experienced in archery. Let him be in charge of the guards on the farm tomorrow and train the people I hired. This is really helping me a lot."
When Lian'er heard this, she was both happy and grateful. She knew that with Shen Ning's current abilities, it would be easy for her to find someone.
She was clearly helping them and taking care of them, but she said that they had done her a great favor, giving them and their spouse enough face.
Lian'er's eyes were red, and she grabbed Shen Ning's hand, not knowing what to say.
Chen Ning touched Cheng Ge'er's head and said to Lian'er with a smile: "When I was poor and unwelcome, I borrowed a bow and arrow from my sister-in-law's house to make money. My sister-in-law gave it to me without saying a word and asked Brother Zhao to go into the mountains to help me and save me. When our Anan was kidnapped, it was Brother Zhao who saved me with an arrow.
I treat my sister-in-law and Brother Zhao as my own family. I've been wanting to ask you if you would consider following me, but I was afraid it would be too abrupt. Now that my sister-in-law and Brother Zhao are here, I have more trustworthy and reliable helpers around me. I should thank you."
Zhao Tong was a man of few words. Upon hearing this, he spoke in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Madam Shen. Leave the Zhuangzi to me. I will make sure not even a fly can fly in."
Shen Ning smiled and said, "Of course I believe in Brother Zhao's ability. From now on, don't call me Madam Shen. I treat Brother Zhao as my brother."
Zhao Tong said in a deep voice: "Then I will shamelessly acknowledge this girl..."
Lian'er hit him: "This is my sister, you are at most a brother-in-law."
Several people burst into laughter immediately.
Soon, Chen Ning asked someone to find a small courtyard for Lian'er and his wife in Yongping Lane. The three of them didn't need a very big house, just a small, compact and new one would be fine, and most importantly, it should be close to Chen Ning's home.
Zhao Tong became the chief guard at Huayingxue Manor.
He was an experienced hunter, so being a guard was no problem for him. With his good archery skills, he quickly established his prestige in the guard team.
Many people in the refugee village also found work in the village. Once, when Chen Ning passed by from a distance, he saw smoke rising from the village. He knew that people could finally have food to eat.
Strike while the iron is hot, the store officially opened when the first wave of Huayingxue products came out.
Since Chen Ning had arranged people to "promote" the business in advance, not limited to restaurants and teahouses, but also on the streets and alleys, and coupled with the reputation built by the previous canned food business, it soon became known to people in Pingning County and even the surrounding counties that the owner of Mi Ji had opened a new store, called Huayingxue.
They said they were selling secret soaps, perfumes, ointments, and non-fading lip balm.
What is perfume? It is said to be a fragrant liquid that can replace incense and can be applied to clothes or body to leave a long-lasting fragrance.
Never heard of it?
It doesn’t matter. They said you can try it out for free in the store for the first three days, and it doesn’t cost any money. You can try it out and see if these things work.
Is there anything that doesn’t cost money these days?
Just give it a try.
On the opening day, as soon as the firecrackers were set off and before the lion dance ended, many young girls and wives came together into the beautifully decorated shop. Among them were wives of wealthy families who brought their maids and servants to see the novelty.
Some people were originally worried that with so many people, the store would be in chaos, but after entering the store, they found that their worries were completely unnecessary.
The long counter circled the entire store. The counter was not made of wood as before. The side facing the customers and the top of the counter were transparent. They were made of imported glass from France that Chen Ning had someone buy at a high price.
Just making the glass for the counter and the display shelves behind it cost her almost one thousand and two taels of silver.
There is no way. The Daxuan Dynasty does not have the skills to make glass. All the glass is imported and expensive.
Shen Ning knew how to burn glass, but it was too troublesome. First of all, the firing temperature was difficult to reach because of the furnace's limitations.
She doesn't have the conditions to do this now, so she can only pay a high price.
But it was clearly money well spent.
Huayingxue's soap is placed in a simple wooden box, and the box is not much different from those on the market today.
Glass bottles were too expensive, so Chen Ning customized a large number of white porcelain bottles for perfume. They were not fine porcelain, but the kind of rough porcelain bottles that were slightly uneven, yellowish or grayish, and not pure white, but more artistic.
Since it is expensive to make lipstick in tubes, she still packed it in small boxes like the lip balm today.
The four categories are displayed in four locations, each with a trial counter. Behind each counter there is a young girl serving and helping with the trial.
Chen Ning and Su Lianyi also dressed up today, using their own perfume and lipstick. Su Lianyi used bright red, and Chen Ning used maple leaf red. The whole makeup was also dark orange in tone.
The clothes she was wearing were given by Su Lianyi. They were the narrow-sleeved skirt style that Shen Ning liked. They were beautiful and elegant and did not affect her ability to do things.
July was accompanied by a group of ladies and young ladies. She smiled and introduced the items on the counter and helped them try them out. Her sweet smile didn't look like she was a violent loli who could kick someone to pieces.
"The top note of this perfume is pear blossom, which settles into a sweet fragrance. It's very light, but the scent lasts..."
The so-called top notes were what Chen Ning told her, and July learned most of them, but they were enough to fool these ladies who never left the house.
Because Shen Ning had people distribute "flyers" to the Yinlu Island Ferry in advance, the customers in the store include not only those from Pingning and surrounding counties, but also those passing by from other places.
The store was bustling with activity. Some people were trying out perfumes, some were trying out lip balms or ointments, and some were trying to wash their hands with soap...
Several young women dressed simply gathered together to try the lip balm. They cautiously inquired about the price. When they heard the price, one of them couldn't help but exclaim, "So expensive?"
The young lady next to him cast a disdainful look: "If you think it's expensive, then it means this is not something you should buy. You'd better leave as soon as possible and stop joining in the fun... I want that box of man-killing lip balm, and the maple leaf red one next to it, the one that Shopkeeper Shen uses, I want it too."
The girls who were ridiculed blushed but didn't know how to refute. They were girls from ordinary families, and the price of lip balm was indeed very expensive for them.
Shen Ning walked over, took the makeup brush for testing colors, and selected the colors that suited the four girls: "Would you like to try these?"
The girl who had just been ridiculed was dazzled by the shopkeeper who was deliberately putting on makeup. She blushed inexplicably and waved her hand quickly: "No, no, I haven't saved enough money yet."
The other three also shook their heads embarrassedly.
Shen Ning smiled and said, "Then you should take advantage of the free trial to try out the color that suits you, so that you won't make a mistake when you want to buy it later, don't you think?"
The girl nodded blankly, and when she came to her senses she realized that she had been distracted by the female shopkeeper in front of her, and her face suddenly turned even redder.
Chen Ning gently tested the colors for them while explaining, "The price of lip balm is indeed a bit more expensive right now because the cost is relatively high and the production volume is not high enough, so the cost cannot be reduced... Once sales gradually increase and production volume increases, the cost will be lower, and the price should drop then."
Several girls looked at themselves in the mirror with lip balm on, feeling both shy and delighted.
The girl who was ridiculed at first pursed her lips and said seriously: "I will go back and save up some money, and I will come back to buy it as soon as possible."
Chen Ning laughed: "Okay, Hua Yingxue welcomes you all anytime."
“Madam Shen…she has changed so much.”
Li Yushi and Pei Yuanzhou stood next to the perfume counter.
Just now, Li Yushi was trying to apply ointment on the back of her hand, and happened to witness the embarrassment of the girl after being ridiculed and the light in Shen Ning's eyes after she rescued her.
She looked at Chen Ning, who was rarely dressed up, and looked so beautiful and calm. She was a little surprised: "Compared to before, she seems to be a completely different person."
Pei Yuanzhou said nothing.
Li Yushi was a little surprised and turned her head: "Yuanzhou?"
Pei Yuanzhou suddenly came back to his senses, hummed calmly, and seemed not to notice anything else. He asked her, "Have you chosen?"
Li Yushi smiled and said, "Well, let's take the rose scented one. It's almost autumn, and this one is more nourishing."
Just as Shen Ning and Su Lianyi were busy greeting customers in the crowded store, Xiao Nanchen was sitting in a private room on the second floor of Jufulou across the street, frowning.
Isn't it just a business opening? Is there any need to dress up so fancy?
Was Pei What staring at her just now?
He appears to be cool and self-possessed, but he is actually a hypocrite obsessed with sex... I wonder what this woman's eyes were like at the time!
Shen Ning didn't know that someone was secretly watching and criticizing her. Seeing that all the women in the store, regardless of age, had expressions of curiosity and joy, she also felt in a good mood.
It's not just because I'm going to make money again, but also because I have an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
She feels genuine joy when she sees that the things she makes are liked by so many people and will gradually bring some small changes to the world.
For a moment, she suddenly seemed to realize her innermost thoughts: she loved and was grateful for being able to live again, so she wanted to use her own efforts to make this place, slowly, a little better...
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