Facing the woman who had once abandoned her brother and now speaking to her in such a flattering way, Lu Yunzhao felt extremely pleased. “Of course! My brother is such a good man—anyone who likes him is surely a hundred times better than you!”
She lifted her chin, the corner of her lips curling into a smug smile. Her eyes were filled with pride, and her entire expression seemed to say, “See? Back then you didn’t know better. Now you must be envious and jealous.”
Yutao felt no irritation at all. She smiled gently and congratulated her: “That’s wonderful. I hope your brother and that young lady can marry soon, have children quickly, accumulate wealth, and live a happy life.”
The young girl was still basking in her own triumph, not noticing Yutao’s subtle difference in mood, nor understanding why Yutao seemed so happy when saying those words.
“I won’t talk to you anymore.” Lu Yunzhao snorted, turning away from the kitchen. Her back looked like a proud peacock.
The kitchen was stuffy and hot, with smoke curling around, making Yutao dizzy. Her feet ached terribly as well, so before Lu Yunzhao had entered, her mood had been sour. But now, looking at the bone-setting liquid in her hand, the gloom that had weighed on her lifted completely.
Unfortunately, Song Meihua had already noticed her, so she couldn’t go looking for that man. She had to focus all her energy on her business plans.
All her ingredients for rouge and whitening ointment were ready; only the processing remained.
Once the honeycomb on the stove melted, she filtered it and let it cool into beeswax. While the Su Family members were still away, she took out the pre-soaked base oils and other materials.
The base oils had been soaking for nearly half a month. They gleamed with a red hue and gave off a rich rose fragrance. Yutao poured out the oil, combined it with the melted beeswax over a water bath, and once done, she added the previously ground powders, mixing them into a paste.
The process wasn’t complicated, but it required careful attention. After the oil and powder fully blended, she poured the mixture into ceramic containers to set. Once cooled, the products were basically finished.
Due to limited ingredients, Yutao made only three colors of rouge this time, each color filling exactly two small ceramic jars, for a total of six jars.
For the whitening ointment, besides seven types of Chinese herbal medicine, there was one very special ingredient: egg white. This was expensive at the time, so Yutao only made a small amount as a test. If anyone from Lin Lifang’s side wanted it, she would decide then whether to make more.
That evening, Grandma Su noticed one egg was missing from the house. She had been counting them, muttering, “I counted twenty eggs more than half a month ago… why are there only nineteen now?”
“Mom, are you mistaken?” Zheng Chunling asked, seeing her recount and still reach nineteen. “There should only be nineteen, right?”
“Impossible.” Grandma Su had a sharp memory. Eggs were five cents each; she remembered calculating the value of twenty. “There were definitely twenty.”
“Could a mouse have eaten it?” Wu Xiaofeng suggested, as rats in the countryside were rampant.
“This jar is sealed tight. How could a mouse get in?” Grandma Su groaned. “The mouse must be magical!”
Yutao, now a “magical mouse” quietly eating, lowered her head, silently vowing that once she sold the rouge in a few days, she would return that one egg.
A few days later, it was market day again.
Near the end of July, Su Yuqing’s middle school exams were ending, and dormitory belongings needed moving. As the most idle member of the family, Yutao was assigned by the old lady to pick up Su Yuqing.
Her own products were ready, and she needed to visit the hospital to see Lin Lifang, as well as check on the man she missed even for a day.
Su Yuqing’s exams lasted until the afternoon. Upon arriving at the commune, Yutao first sought out Lin Lifang.
The hospital was crowded, and Lin Lifang was busy. After waiting some time, they finally had the chance to meet.
More than half a month had passed since the matter began. Lin Lifang had thought Su Yutao had stood him up. She was surprised to see that she had indeed made the rouge, with three color options!
The packaging was delicate ceramic, immediately distinguishable from department store products. She believed it truly was made by Su Yutao herself.
She tried the product. The colors were bright, the rose scent intoxicating. Applied to the face, the rouge spread naturally, unlike the slightly dry, cakey department store versions.
Everything was perfect, except the quantity was slightly smaller than department store versions.
Her eyes gleamed with delight, and Yutao, knowing this was a success, began to enthusiastically extol the virtues of her rouge.
“Don’t be fooled by this small box; it actually contains a lot,” she said, smiling as red as the rouge itself. “I won’t even mention how precious the olive oil is. The benefits of angelica—every woman should know. And there’s lithospermum, you know?”
“Lithospermum reduces inflammation and fever, great for skin irritation. It won’t cause acne. The pigments are from flowers soaked in olive oil, completely natural, no artificial colors, no allergies. You can trust it completely!”
“And this isn’t just rouge; it can double as lipstick. One box, two uses, practical and skin-friendly.”
She spoke so smoothly that Lin Lifang was genuinely tempted. She asked, “How much do you plan to charge per box?”
Yutao smiled knowingly; she liked intelligent people. Lin Lifang understood she intended to make money without her saying a word.
“If you like it, I’ll charge you only two yuan per box. I won’t give this price to anyone else,” she said, leaning closer and winking. “See? That’s fifty cents cheaper than department store. If you take two boxes, it’s one yuan cheaper.”
Lin Lifang’s eyes lit up. Department store boxes weren’t much larger, and sold for two yuan fifty. Indeed, this seemed like a good deal.
She asked eagerly, “Did you only make these three boxes?”
Seeing her calculating look, Yutao knew she had other thoughts. She raised her eyebrows without revealing her hand. “For now, just three, but I still have raw materials left and can make more anytime.”
“How many more could you make?” Lin Lifang pressed.
Yutao smiled lightly at her apparent eagerness. “About… three more boxes.”
Lin Lifang’s cousin worked in the county’s Cultural Troupe. Many girls there dressed extravagantly; some women lived in large compounds and knew how to present themselves well, meaning they were generally wealthier. If she could leverage this opportunity…
The thought made her heart race.
Lin Lifang exhaled gently, smiling at Yutao, “Cousin Su, I won’t beat around the bush. If I help sell them, can you give me a discount?”
Yutao had intended to cooperate anyway. Seeing Lin Lifang so eager, she considered her determination and finally agreed, “Two mao.”
After settling, she hesitated, “Is this considered doing something wrong?”
Lin Lifang looked at her delicate, exquisite face, the high nose bridge, dark bright eyes that flickered uneasily, stirring a protective instinct.
“How is it wrong?” she smiled. “You’re just helping me and a few friends with some private orders. Who would know?”
Yutao thought that Lin Lifang must have done similar things in private before.
After the deal, Lin Lifang immediately paid for three boxes; the remaining three would be collected next time.
Yutao sighed. People with jobs always had money; she, on the other hand, was empty-handed.
“May I ask you something?” Lin Lifang suddenly asked.
Yutao’s heart skipped a beat; she guessed it was about Lu Yunyang. Sure enough, Lin Lifang asked, “Doctor Lu… does he like any girl?”
Yutao: …
Sigh, knew it. How could that man be so charming?
She looked up at Lin Lifang, smiling softly. “From what I observe… yes.”
“Really?” Lin Lifang’s voice rose slightly.
Yutao raised a finger to her lips and shushed.
Lin Lifang held her breath before saying, “What a pity! I wanted to introduce my cousin to him.”
Her cousin worked in the Cultural Troupe, highly educated, twenty-three, and still unmarried. Her family was anxious.
She wanted to ask more about Lu Yunyang but the hospital became busy, so she hurried off, leaving Yutao behind.
Thinking carefully, Yutao realized Lin Lifang wasn’t secretly in love with Lu Yunyang; she wanted to match him with her cousin. That made things much easier. She was no longer a rival, making future cooperation smoother.
Yutao pocketed the five yuan she had earned and slowly walked toward the consultation room.
At Lu Yunyang’s office, he wasn’t there. After waiting, she saw him walking down the corridor.
Their eyes met in the air.
“Doctor Lu!” Yutao called, approaching him.
Seeing the familiar figure and face, Lu Yunyang’s heart inexplicably raced, and he stopped in his tracks as she came closer.
When the girl arrived, he instinctively lowered his gaze to her feet. “Are your feet better?”
“They should be,” Yutao smiled, lifting her eyes. “I was planning to ask you to check them.”
Her eyes sparkled, her brows carried a natural charm, lips glossy and rosy, face stunningly beautiful.
Lu Yunyang slightly looked away, slowing his breathing. “Then come in.”
He didn’t enter the consultation room but led her to the adjacent lounge, pointing to a sofa for her to sit.
Yutao sat. Noticing he wasn’t wearing his white coat, she asked with a curve in her eyes, “Are you about to get off work?”
He nodded and pulled a chair opposite her, asking her to rest her leg on it.
Her leg was fine, healed over the past few days. Thinking of her purpose today, she didn’t stretch out, instead leaning forward with her body and smiling, “Then… promise me something?”
She suddenly moved closer, a subtle fragrance enveloping his nose. Lu Yunyang felt as if he had fallen into a sea of flowers, his mind swaying.
His Adam’s apple rolled slightly as he met her captivating eyes.
Feeling almost scorched by her gaze, he immediately looked away, stood, and stepped back. “Are you giving me something again?”
Yutao also stood. She hadn’t planned to give anything, but the word again struck her as subtle. She frowned, staring at him. “Don’t you like me giving you things?”
Her eyes became plaintive, her expression tender, like a little kitten, evoking an urge to comfort.
Lu Yunyang said immediately, “No, I like everything you give me.”
“Really?” Yutao looked at him with a playful frown. “Don’t force it. If you don’t like it, you can tell me.”
“No need to lie,” Lu Yunyang said calmly. “The peach hearts were well folded, the flowers nicely arranged. Better than Lu Yunzhao, who couldn’t do it and never gave me anything.”
Yutao felt a flash of annoyance. He mentioned Lu Yunzhao while talking about the ambiguous gifts! Was he implying she was just a sister? Fine, she would double her efforts.
She bit her lip and asked, “Then, if I give you something again, will you accept it?”
“I’ll take it,” Lu Yunyang replied. He had accepted both the peach hearts and the flowers; she couldn’t top that.
Yutao chuckled softly, walked a few steps beside him, rose onto her tiptoes, and planted a quick kiss on his chin.
“This kiss is for you,” she said in her soft, leisurely voice.