Chapter 107: Rebirth
Jiang Jing said from the side, "Actually, the cost of sending people to the door is just small change. The real money comes from the goods we sell. Take hair products, for example, a bottle of hair cream can be used up to five times, so customers have to buy at least one or two bottles a month, which is six taels of silver. Then there’s face mud and various skincare and body creams. On average, each customer can spend ten taels a month. Yaoguang brought back contracts for ten customers, which means around two hundred taels. And this is just the beginning. Once we have more customers, we’ll make quite a bit from just going out."
"Our store’s products aren’t cheap. Average customers buy once and can use it for a year or two, so the return is slow. Our main clientele is still those wealthy ladies and young misses," Su Yaoguang said. "We need to come up with ways to become their favorites and make them adore our door-to-door services. Today, I used the massage techniques Jing’er taught me, and those ladies and misses loved it. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you all how to do it too, so if we have too many people, you can help me out."
"Yaoguang, you’ve worked too hard. Rest early today, and we’ll learn from you tomorrow," Zhang Yingdi said. "Tonight, we’re having lamb stew and duck stew, all your favorites."
"I kept watch the whole day today, and the shop across the street only served a few customers. I doubt they’ve even made one tael of silver. They just opened and are already giving discounts, yet their business is like this," Zhang Zhaodi gloated. "Zhong Lanhua deliberately opened her store opposite ours to steal our business. Is she dumbfounded now? Can she really take our business?"
Taoyao Square was celebrating their victory, while across the street, there were only curses and complaints.
"I think this Xiao Ci is our nemesis. He can trip over while walking, hit his head even when he falls, and now, after using so many good medicines, I lost big time buying him."
"Mom, stop talking," Jiang Yihuan said softly. "What’s done is done, complaining is useless. Fortunately, we’re making money now, so we’re not short of this money."
"You just started earning for a few days, and you’re already dismissing two taels of silver?" Zhong Lanhua said discontentedly. "You haven’t really fallen for this guy, have you? I think Yang Quan is more useful than him."
"Mom, don’t forget who enabled Brother not to pay tuition, and whose efforts started this shop." Jiang Yihuan dragged Zhong Lanhua outside. "Quick, go and prepare the medicine! Let’s feed Brother Xiao the medicine early so he can wake up soon. The doctor said he hit his head this time, and if he doesn’t wake up, he could turn into an idiot."
After Jiang Yihuan and Zhong Lanhua walked out the door, Xiao Yanci opened his eyes.
He had more memories in his mind, some related to Su Yaoguang. His mind was in chaos, unsure how to face Jiang Yihuan, so he pretended to still be asleep with his eyes closed.
In these memories, he and Su Yaoguang were married. Su Yaoguang supported his education and helped him become a Champion Scholar. He rejected the recruitment by high officials and still gave Su Yaoguang the title of official wife. In fact, he truly admired Jiang Yihuan and had a child with her too. He proposed to take Jiang Yihuan as a concubine, but she refused, saying it wouldn’t be fair to Su Yaoguang.
These memories surged into his mind, merging with his current memories. His thoughts clashed, unclear whether it was a dream. Until he sorted everything out, he realized the memories were real, things really happened, but they were memories from a past life, and somehow, he had returned to a few years ago.
Yet, it was different from a few years ago.
This time, Su Yaoguang didn’t buy him, nor did she toil excessively to support his education. He arrived early at Jiang Yihuan’s side, not having to face the plain-looking Su Yaoguang.
Perhaps, heaven favored him, unwilling for him to be burdened with a woman as dull and uncouth as Su Yaoguang again, so it changed the trajectory of this life.
But what about Zhou Wangshu? There was no such person in the past life.
Never mind, probably someone insignificant, didn’t appear in his life, so he wasn’t aware of their existence.
Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan left through the window.
"How did you know he was awake?" Zhong Lanhua grew more impressed with her daughter.
"His breathing was off," Jiang Yihuan said. "Unconscious people don’t breathe like that."
"My daughter is so smart, it serves those men right to fall into your hands," Zhong Lanhua said proudly. "By the way, I saw the steward from the Horse Market today. He was pressing us for repayment. Isn’t his son usually easy to appease? Haven’t you seen him lately, and now he’s throwing a tantrum?"
"I’ll look into it tomorrow! These men are ridiculous. He gave me a bit of silver and thought I’d marry him. I’m not that foolish."
At midnight, the rain stopped. The next morning, as day broke, the sun rose slowly, dispelling the dampness of yesterday, turning it into a bright sunny day.
Business at Fenghua Pavilion was picking up again. Today, even Taoyao Square started attracting casual customers. After all, with a simple comparison, anyone with an eye for quality could tell the products here were much better.
Most importantly, there were makeup services here. The looks that Su Yaoguang could create were too avant-garde for the women of this era, something they had never seen, naturally prompting them to want a change.
"Are you here to cause trouble?" Zhong Lanhua pushed out a chubby girl impatiently. "I sell cosmetics, clothes, shoes, and women’s intimates here, just not medicine. If you want to lose weight and become beautiful, you should visit a pharmacy, not our Fenghua Pavilion. Did someone pay you to ruin our business?"
"You’re bullying me," the chubby girl wailed. "When you coaxed me into buying before, you didn’t talk like this."
"Back then, you wanted to buy rouge, so of course, I had to serve you well. But now that you’re asking for some nonsense, wanting me to make you thin, do you think I’m a deity?"
When Xiao Yanci returned, this was the scene he saw. Zhong Lanhua, like Zhang Zhaodi, was the queen of shrews. He looked at them with disgust, softening only his gaze when he saw Jiang Yihuan.
"Sister, if Fenghua Pavilion can’t help you, we at Taoyao Square can," Su Yaoguang stood at the door, speaking to the chubby sister. "Would you like to come in and have a look?"
Xiao Yanci turned back, seeing Su Yaoguang dressed much better than in his memories, he was momentarily dazed.
Ever since those memories emerged, strange thoughts often appeared in his mind. For instance, meeting Su Yaoguang, he used to feel unresigned, but now he felt a bit angry.
And annoyed.
This life, Su Yaoguang didn’t buy him, and he felt it was an insult. He could look down on her, but she couldn’t look down on him.