8
A Path to Wealth: Ten Dollars is Not a Small Amount
Just as Wang Xiao’s eyes darted around, contemplating how to execute a “golden cicada sheds its shell” escape, firecrackers suddenly erupted at the village entrance. She quickly turned to look: “Which family is setting off firecrackers?”
“Oh, it’s Uncle Heping’s daughter Xiuyun getting married. Do you remember? That girl is the same age as you—you used to play together often as children.”
Wang Xiao remembered nothing of the sort; she suspected the original owner didn’t have much impression either, since they had long ceased to move in the same circles. But without hesitation, she summoned her lifelong acting skills and instantly celebrated their eternal friendship: “Ah, Xiuyun is getting married! No, Uncle, I must go see her off—this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Uncle, you should head to work; don’t let me delay you.”
Chen Yidong, however, didn’t dare let his niece slip away: “I’ll walk you there. I need to give a gift anyway. You can have lunch at Xiuyun’s place. Don’t worry about the braised food—we’ll sell it together tonight after we get home. Splitting the sales will surely make it go faster.”
He led her to Uncle Heping’s house and specifically reminded the lady of the house: “Sister-in-law, sorry to trouble you. Our Xiao Xiao rarely visits, so she isn’t very familiar with the village paths. She insisted on coming to see Xiuyun off, so please don’t let her wander off alone—we don’t want her getting lost later.”
Though Xiuyun’s mother found it odd that anyone could get lost in their small Qianjia Village, she cheerfully escorted the guest to her daughter’s room: “Xiuyun, look who’s here. Wang Xiao came all the way from the city just for you!”
Such a claim wouldn’t fool anyone—the villagers had all seen Chen Yidong’s niece arriving days earlier. But both host and guest were pleased.
Who was Wang Xiao? A college graduate! A genuine city dweller from the provincial capital, now working as a public official.
Her presence truly honored Xiuyun’s family. When the groom’s party came to fetch the bride, seeing that Xiuyun had a state cadre as her friend would make them regard her more highly.
The bride, dressed in vibrant red, eagerly sat up from the bed and looked at Wang Xiao in delighted surprise: “You came! Oh, you really made a special trip.”
She had spotted Wang Xiao on the road a couple of days prior. But having not even finished junior high, she felt too shy to approach a college graduate and hadn’t greeted her.
Wang Xiao immediately stepped forward, clasping the bride’s hands as if reuniting with a long-lost best friend, radiating enthusiasm: “Of course I came! Your wedding is such a joyous occasion.”
She even pulled out ten yuan wrapped in red paper from her pocket and pressed it into Xiuyun’s hand: “Take this—wishing you a harmonious union for a hundred years!”
The adults nearby quickly intervened: “Ah, no, no, no! You’re not married yet… Xiao Xiao, are you married?”
Rural gift-giving customs were specific—it was always done by family units. Unmarried youth, regardless of age, didn’t give separate gifts; no matter how close they were to the person, the family elders would handle the gift.
Wang Xiao knew this perfectly well, hence her generosity—after all, her money didn’t grow on trees. She hastily shook her head: “No, no, I just felt that since this is Xiuyun’s big day, I ought to show my support.”
Xiuyun’s mother promptly stuffed the money back into Wang Xiao’s pocket: “Your presence is the greatest gift. Sit down now—Auntie will bring some melon seeds and candy. You girls catch up properly.”
Wang Xiao amiably took back the money and cheerfully turned to greet her uncle: “Uncle, you can go to work now. We have so much to talk about.”
She wasn’t being polite—she genuinely had many questions to ask. The room was packed with seven or eight girls around 20 years old, making them perfect subjects for her market research.
Coincidentally, the girls were somewhat intimidated by Wang Xiao, this highly-educated, wealthy beauty. When she initiated conversation, they were more than delighted, eagerly pouring out all the information she wanted to know without any prompting.
Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Xiuyun’s sister-in-law arrived. Seeing her future sister-in-law still looking plain and unadorned, she immediately grew exasperated: “Put on some makeup, for heaven’s sake! You’re about to get married.”
This reminded everyone that it was indeed time for makeup. However, the sister originally scheduled to help with makeup had been suddenly sent on a business trip by the factory. With no one else available, Xiuyun had to do it herself.
Wang Xiao watched as the girl prepared to use her only makeup item—rouge—on both her lips and cheeks, intending to paint her face into a red-faced monster. It was truly painful to watch.
She couldn’t help herself. Wang Xiao had always been obsessed with beauty since childhood—vain from a young age and passionate about cosmetics throughout her life. She had mastered hidden eyeliner techniques before finishing elementary school, made rapid progress in middle school, and even worked as a beauty blogger for a while. Although her account never gained traction, she eventually discovered more lucrative ventures and scaled back makeup to a personal hobby. Of course, she still demonstrated makeup techniques during her live sales streams to promote beauty products, which received positive responses.
Now, faced with a girl who didn’t know how to apply makeup, her hands itched and her eyes hurt. Finally unable to resist, she blurted out: “Let me do it.”
Everyone looked at her in surprise: You? With your completely bare face? Do you even know how to apply makeup?
Wang Xiao was speechless. Sisters, what do you know? This is called a no-makeup makeup look.
Without makeup, could anyone’s face be this flawless and radiant? NO—even famously beautiful celebrities rarely dare to go truly bare-faced.
“Let me try. I learned from teachers in university.”
The word “university” carried immense prestige, and the girls immediately cleared the way.
But Wang Xiao stood up: “I need to go home and get some things.”
She had thought the original owner’s makeup collection—consisting only of lipstick, eye shadow, foundation, eyebrow pencil, mascara, and rouge—was embarrassingly basic. But wealth is always relative, and this set already made her the envy of Zhou Town. The girls in the room collectively gasped in amazement—they never knew makeup involved so many intricacies.
“Of course,” Wang Xiao said, falling back into her old habits from her beauty blogger days. As she softened the bride’s eyebrows with a warm towel, she explained, “This is actually minimal. My university dormitory makeup bag was packed full—just foundation brushes alone came in several types.”
Ah, how she missed those days.
Using this current set to do someone’s makeup was only slightly better than expecting a skilled cook to prepare a meal without ingredients.
After plucking the bride’s unruly eyebrows and applying moisturizer to her reddish skin, Wang Xiao began using foundation to conceal imperfections and contour. Unsure what makeup styles were popular in 1990, she opted for a classic, elegant approach. After all, Gong Li was currently at the peak of her fame, and the bride’s room wall featured her large poster.
The room was initially filled with the chattering and laughter of young women, but gradually, perhaps influenced by Wang Xiao’s earnest demeanor, they all fell silent. Only Wang Xiao’s explanations could be heard: “Look here, lift it slightly upward, and your spirit will be uplifted. And here, apply it like this to make your nose appear straighter. Oh, it’s too late today, otherwise I’d definitely give you a lip mask to prep for lipstick.”
For now, she had to settle for concealing imperfections before applying the lipstick.
The room was hushed, everyone holding their breath as they watched the college student from the city transform their familiar friend’s face.
Firecrackers sounded outside, and Xiuyun’s mother pushed the door open, urging her daughter, “Are you ready? Xiao Yong is here to pick you up. Oh my goodness!”
Who—who was this person turning around in front of the mirror? She… she didn’t recognize her anymore.
It might sound exaggerated, but in Zhou Town in 1990, very few people wore makeup—almost none at all. Even color TVs were a rarity back then, with most televisions displaying black-and-white images, so aside from watching movies, people hardly ever saw anyone wearing makeup.
Thus, the transformation of the once plain and unadorned village beauty into a stylish and sophisticated lady was a tremendous shock to her mother.
Besides, wasn’t makeup often called one of the greatest “dark arts” in human history? For most people, with the right makeup, the difference before and after application could be truly staggering.
The young women watching were all dumbfounded. One even pointed at a poster on the wall and exclaimed, “Xiuyun, you actually look like Gong Li!”
They had never noticed it before.
Wang Xiao was making final adjustments when she heard this and glanced up at the poster. Indeed, there was a resemblance. Before, it might have been about 30%—mainly in the face shape, with the eyes and nose not quite matching. But after her skillful application, the resemblance had jumped to at least 70-80%.
A girl with twin ponytails standing beside Wang Xiao grabbed her arm eagerly, her eyes shining. “College student, please do my makeup too. I’m getting married the day after tomorrow.”
Before Wang Xiao could respond, Xiuyun pushed the girl’s hand away. “No way! Wang Xiao is only helping because she’s my good friend. She’s a cadre from the provincial capital and very busy.”
The twin-tailed girl retorted, “What if I pay? I’ll give 10 yuan!”
Gasps echoed around the room. Ten yuan—enough to buy over four pounds of pork or host at least two banquet tables. Their monthly wages at the sheet factory were less than 30 yuan.
Wang Xiao, however, wasn’t shocked by the amount. Before transmigrating into this novel, when a monthly income of 3,000 yuan was considered average, it was common for brides to pay 1,000 yuan for a day of makeup services. Besides, given the situation in Zhou Town, where buying cosmetics was difficult, each job she took was a rare opportunity.
She grinned. “You’ll really pay 10 yuan?”
Xiuyun grew anxious, worried that Wang Xiao might be offended by the offer. “Don’t mind her. As a state cadre, you don’t need this petty cash. She’s just being ridiculous.”
Wang Xiao thought to herself, “Even when I earned millions a month, I never stopped wanting to make ten million. I’m always short on money.” How could she possibly turn down 10 yuan now? She nodded cheerfully. “Sure, 10 yuan it is. Give me the address and time for the day after tomorrow, and I’ll be there without fail.”
A room full of young women stared in collective bewilderment, completely unable to keep up with Wang Xiao’s rhythm. How could she—a college graduate and state cadre—charge money for doing makeup? Shouldn’t college students only cherish scholarly pursuits and despise the taint of money?
Xiuyun finally found her tongue after a long pause and stammered, “Then… then aren’t you working the day after tomorrow?”
Right, it wasn’t any holiday season—surely the city wouldn’t grant farming leave. Why was she staying in Zhou Town all this time?
Wang Xiao lied without batting an eye: “The leadership assigned me to conduct research on rural economic development.” She smiled and glanced at the double-braided girl who had bid ten yuan earlier. “Wedding expenses are part of the local economy, so I must accept your payment. Otherwise, my research data would lack credibility.”
Truthfully, the double-braided girl had already regretted her impulsive bid of ten yuan. Though her family was well-off—her father being a factory director—ten yuan was still a significant amount. But with Wang Xiao’s explanation, she promptly emphasized: “Take it. I’m happy to pay for beauty.”
Wang Xiao chuckled. “Alright, you’ll be my first client. Xiuyun, wait a moment—I’ll fetch an outfit.”
Ah, aesthetic taste was universal. How could one expect a decent wedding dress from someone who’d willingly slather rouge on herself until she resembled a red-faced monster?
That red sweater… for it to be this hideous truly qualified as the eighth wonder of the world.
Wang Xiao rushed back to her uncle’s house and dug through her suitcase for a thin red sweater with a turned-down collar. When she first arrived in this era, the original owner had been preparing for marriage, so naturally most clothes in the suitcase were festive new outfits meant for her husband’s family—including a red coat. Through modern eyes, the cashmere coat wasn’t outdated at all, though it was unsuitable for the current season. A red cheongsam caught her eye; she grabbed it too.
Returning to Xiuyun’s home, she had Xiuyun try on both. The cheongsam wouldn’t close around the waist, but the red sweater looked stylish and flattering.
“Fine, wear this today,” Wang Xiao declared generously. “Sit down—I’ll redo your hair.”
Given the current look, an updo would be more suitable. Unfortunately, not only did Xiuyun lack hairpins, but the only accessories the other girls could contribute were elastic bands and small black clips.
Wang Xiao felt a genuine headache coming on. She compromised by weaving a low triple braid, flipping half of it upward and securing it with clips. Then she took the outermost strand from the flipped section and wove a circular braid, continuously incorporating the remaining inner hair. To everyone’s astonishment, the hairstyle formed an oval shape that perfectly complemented the lower half of the ponytail.
After securing it with clips, Wang Xiao added a butterfly hairpin in the center—instantly elevating the entire look.
Witnessing this, the double-braided girl murmured, “Ten yuan was worth it.”
Of course it was worth it! To reach over twenty years of age and finally discover you could look this beautiful—how could it not be valuable?
Just as the room collectively gasped in admiration, the door burst open with a “thud,” accompanied by cheerful shouts: “Time to fetch the bride!”
It turned out the girls had been so engrossed in watching Wang Xiao style the bride that they forgot their most crucial task: barricading the bridal chamber and blocking the groom.
The girls shrieked in unison: “Get out!”
The bride also turned pale with fright, pointing toward the door as she said, “Get out!”
The groom, who had been glowing with happiness moments before, instantly seemed to lose his soul. He grinned foolishly and replied, “Alright, I’ll go out.”
Then he shuffled backward step by step, stubbornly refusing to turn around, afraid of missing even a single glimpse of his bride.
So this was his wife—he never knew she could be so beautiful.