Chapter 57: Sold Out
Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan returned home and saw there was no firewood in the courtyard, so she felt unhappy.
“What’s going on with Zhang Dachun? Didn’t he say he would carry the firewood over?” Zhong Lanhua said as she rushed next door and patted the door.
The door opened, and Zhang Dachun’s mother stood there, looking at Zhong Lanhua discontentedly: “Something wrong?”
“Didn’t your Dachun say he would carry the firewood to my courtyard? I just got home and didn’t see any firewood. Call him out and ask where he put it.”
“The firewood my Dachun carried is of course in our own courtyard. Did you pay money, or do we have some relationship? Why should my son carry firewood for your family?”
“Your Dachun…” Zhong Lanhua wanted to argue more but was held back by Jiang Yihuan.
“Mom, forget it. We can’t take Brother Dachun’s firewood anymore.” Jiang Yihuan advised Zhong Lanhua, then said to Dachun’s mother, “Auntie, my mom is in a bad mood. Sorry to bother you.”
Dachun’s mother spat at the backs of Zhong Lanhua and her daughter, cursing, “Two shameless sluts, flirting with the men in the village all day to take advantage. Men fall for your tricks, but this old lady isn’t fooled by you. Only my family’s idiot gets played around like that. He’s just a stupid pig thinking with his two ounces of flesh.”
Zhang Dachun came out from inside and said fiercely, “Mom, how can you say such ugly words? Sister Yihuan isn’t the kind of person you described. She has never deceived me.”
“She didn’t deceive you with her mouth, but with her brain, you pig-brained fool. You’d even help count the money after being sold.”
Zhong Lanhua was quarreling noisily over there, but Zhang Zhaodi here had a deep mother-daughter bond. Now Zhang Zhaodi no longer worked as a midwife, but followed her two daughters in making cosmetics.
Zhang Zhaodi often took her two daughters up the mountain, then carried down large amounts of flowers and planted them in the courtyard. Now the Su family’s courtyard was filled with floral fragrance, a rare elegant place in the village.
“When we rent a place in the city to open a shop later, the thing I’ll hate to part with most is these flowers.” Zhang Zhaodi said.
“Godmother, these flowers can be transplanted. When the time comes, we’ll dig them up.” Jiang Jing said.
Market day came again. Zhang Zhaodi took her two daughters into the city.
Today for business, Su Yaoguang did makeup for Jiang Jing, using pearl powder to cover the black mark, then slightly adjusted it to bring out Jiang Jing’s beautiful features.
Zhang Zhaodi looked again and again, exclaiming in admiration, “Looks like my daughter is one to be picked for her face.”
Jiang Jing wouldn’t feel inferior because of others’ disdainful looks, but being looked at by Zhang Zhaodi with amazed eyes still made her feel warmth and happiness.
The mother and daughters sat on the ox cart, and the nearby villagers looked at the three with strange eyes.
“Yaoguang’s mother, you have cosmetics on your faces, right? How much did they cost?”
“Made them ourselves.” Zhang Zhaodi said.
“Made them yourselves? They probably don’t cost much. Do you have more? Share some with me? My daughter is having an arranged meeting soon. If she has cosmetics, we can dress her up, and maybe get a better family.”
“Although we made them ourselves, the cost is still high. This face powder, the cheapest is thirty copper coins. This lip balm, we recently made a small bottle that can be used ten times for ten copper coins. And rouge, face cream, eye grease… In short, for a full set of makeup, even the cheapest full set would cost one hundred twenty copper coins.”
“Really money-crazed.” Several village women looked at her like a monster.
Su Yaoguang smiled and said, “Aunties and sisters-in-law, you’ve been to cosmetics shops, right? Aren’t the things there even more expensive than what we said?”
“The things in cosmetics shops are made by master craftsmen. Your things are just fiddled with by yourselves. How can they be the same? You mother and daughters haven’t learned it. How could you make cosmetics? In the end, you’re just fooling people who don’t know better. We’re all fellow villagers. We won’t mind if yours aren’t good. What’s wrong with sharing some for us to use?”
“So Auntie wants a free meal.” Su Yaoguang said, “These cosmetics use a lot of materials, some of which are herbs, and the raw materials are very expensive. For example, this box of face powder, I sell for thirty copper coins, but the raw materials cost twenty-eight copper coins. This box of face powder can last two months even if used every day. Is that expensive?”
Jiang Jing held out both hands nearby: “Look, my ten fingers are all blistered from grinding these things.”
“If no one had come to me for midwifery recently, I wouldn’t be trying my luck with these cosmetics. They cost a lot and don’t sell for much.” Zhang Zhaodi sighed.
The villagers, hearing them say this, had originally felt some jealousy, but now that jealousy was completely gone.
“Your daughter is having an arranged meeting. My things cost too much, so I can’t give them to you for free, but I can do her makeup once that day for just five copper coins.”
“That works, that can do. I’ll come find you then.” That auntie, hearing it was only five copper coins, had her previous dissatisfaction disappear from her face.
“Auntie, we’re all fellow villagers, so we’re only charging you cost price.” Su Yaoguang said, “If you need it in the future, you can all come to me. It’s all five copper coins per time.”
After entering the city, Zhang Zhaodi and her daughters parted ways with the villagers.
Jiang Jing said, “Godmother, Yaoguang, why did we reveal that we’re making cosmetics?”
“We fiddle with things at home every day. Village people have long been curious. Several have already peeked through door cracks. Better to tell them openly than let them spy sneakily. Once they know the ‘truth’ and their curiosity is gone, they won’t keep staring at us.” Su Yaoguang said, “Plus, spread the word: small money is still money. Earn when there’s earning. Don’t underestimate five copper coins. A hundred times five is five hundred copper coins. Two hundred times five is one tael of silver.”
“See? This girl is becoming more and more like a money grubber.” Zhang Zhaodi laughed.
Zhang Zhaodi had been smiling more lately, even her face had changed. Before, her face looked bitter, like she was trapped in daily sorrow and couldn’t break free. Now she used face cream every day, the shampoo for washing hair was their new concoction, and even the bath beans for bathing were specially made to condition her body. She was visibly younger.
“Sister, you’re finally here.” Chun E saw Su Yaoguang and strode over. “Your goods all sold out. Come count the money!”
Su Yaoguang was surprised: “So fast?”
“Recently met a big customer who praised your things highly and wants to meet you personally. I said I’d ask your opinion, so I’ve been waiting for you.” Chun E said.
