In her previous life, Su He had happened upon a video on a short-video platform of a girl painting designs on children’s faces. She found it quite interesting. Having studied a bit of drawing before, and knowing that face painting didn’t require professional-level mastery, she had picked it up. Back then, when she was in a good mood, she would set up a stall at parks or school gates. However, since she wasn’t short on money at the time, she did most of it for free.
During her morning runs, she had observed that the places with the most children were parks and shopping malls. Setting up a stall in a mall would definitely require a fee, so she set her sights on a spot near the park entrance.
She set up her table and chairs and laid out her portfolio and paints. People came to the park to stroll; they had both the time and the disposable income.
No sooner had she set up her stand than people began to gather. “What’s this for?” “Drawing?” “Doesn’t look like it; there’s no easel.”
Su He flashed a sweet smile. “Hi there, Sir, Ma’am! I do face painting for children—it’s called children’s face artistry.”
She was naturally beautiful, and having put on a little weight over the past few days, her smile was even more charming and likable. Seeing her smile, the expressions of the elderly bystanders softened. They had seen face painting in videos before, but this was the first time they were seeing it in person. Being of an older generation, they weren’t about to paint their own faces, so they stood around with their hands behind their backs, chatting and watching the spectacle.
The weather was perfect—neither too hot nor too cold—and many grandparents were bringing their grandchildren to the park to play.
Su He began to call out, “Face painting! Get your face painted here!” “I can do Sun Wukong! The Monkey King! Pigsy too! Or a little rabbit!”
After a few shouts and some “promotion” from the curious grandpas nearby, Su He quickly welcomed her first little customer.
A young boy stood before the stall and asked politely, “Hello, can you do Sun Wukong?” Su He replied with a smile, “Of course I can! You can look at this picture first; it’ll look just like this when it’s finished.” She pointed to a pre-printed reference photo for the boy.
The boy took one look and turned excitedly to his grandmother. Su He looked over as well. The grandmother smiled and patted the boy’s head. “How much do you charge?”
“A simple one like Sun Wukong is 20 yuan. If it’s something like Princess Zixuan, it’s 38,” Su He explained calmly. “Since you’re my very first customer today, I’ll give you a discount. How about 15 yuan for Sun Wukong?”
The boy looked at his grandmother imploringly, tugging at her hand. It was clear he wanted it badly. By now, several other seniors with children had gathered around. The grandmother agreed readily, “Alright.”
Su He immediately switched into work mode. She pulled the boy closer, moistened her brush, and skillfully began to paint while soothing the child so he wouldn’t be nervous. Whenever the boy fidgeted, she paused immediately.
Wearing a thick mask, she coaxed him in a sweet voice, “Hang in there, sweetie, the Monkey King is almost finished~” “Wow, look at those long eyelashes! What a handsome boy you are~”
A few minutes passed, and the outline on the boy’s face began to take shape. The onlookers started discussing it. “I must say, that really looks like him.” “Mhm, she’s quite talented.”
A mother holding a little girl’s hand watched for a while before asking, “Are these paints clean?”
Su He knew exactly what parents worried about and explained quickly, “I use high-quality, safe paints that are specifically made for this. They won’t harm a child’s skin at all. You can check the brand name here and look it up yourself if you’d like.”
Seeing how transparent Su He was, the mother nodded in approval.
These pigments were the bulk of Su He’s expenses this time; if she had opted for cheap, low-quality stuff, she probably could have gotten everything for 300 yuan. However, she couldn’t bring herself to make money against her conscience.
The little boy, eyes closed, waited for a few minutes before asking anxiously, “Big sister, is it done yet?”
Su He traced the boy’s eyebrows a couple more times. “Almost done, baby.”
After adding a final red mark on his nose, Su He pulled the brush away. “All done, baby. Take a look.”
The little boy stood up, took the mirror, and immediately beamed. Seeing everyone around staring at him, he became a bit shy and happily dove into his grandmother’s arms. The onlookers gasped in unison, “Oh, be careful! Don’t rub it off!”
Su He waved goodbye to the boy and his grandmother. She was grateful to the little guy; he was the one who jump-started her business.
As the other children saw the results, they swarmed Su He, unwilling to leave. Su He’s business had officially arrived. She lined the children up, and soon, the melodious sound of payment notifications began to chime one after another. She felt her body surge with energy.
From 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM, Su He didn’t have a single moment of rest. She had prepared a bottle of water to drink when she got thirsty, but the popularity of her stall far exceeded her expectations. she managed only one sip before things got too busy to stop. There were just too many children waiting.
At 6:30 PM, as the kids headed home for dinner, Su He took the opportunity to buy two buns from the old lady’s stall next door to tide herself over. She ate happily, guessing just how much she had earned that afternoon. She didn’t want to check yet; she wanted to save that thrill for tonight.
Her arms were sore and aching. Whenever her physical strength faltered, it was the sound of incoming cash that kept her going.
8:00 PM brought another small peak. It wasn’t until 9:30 PM, when Su He truly could not lift her arms anymore, that she decided to pack up. She thought about treating herself to a nice meal at a restaurant, but then she stopped. Sigh, it’s a long road ahead, she thought. She still had debts to pay tonight.
After a moment of internal conflict, she carried her bags and headed home. She’d just order takeout; it was more cost-effective than eating out.
Back home that night, Su He dropped her things and crawled onto the sofa. Every inch of her body was screaming from the day’s overexertion. Only her spirit remained high.
She struggled to pull out her phone. To show her “piety” before the big reveal, she sat up straight, pressed her palms together with the phone between them, and bowed toward the ceiling.
She muttered under her breath, “Please let me have made a lot of money today!”
Taking a deep breath, she opened her phone.
“Ha!!!” Su He flopped back onto the sofa in joy. Heavens, her savings were finally no longer just three digits!
She had suspected as much; she must have painted nearly fifty children today. After all, she hadn’t stopped for a second. Subtracting the 660 yuan she had when she left this morning, she now had 1,860 yuan in her digital wallet!
She had made 1,200 yuan in a single day!
“Hahaha!” Su He rolled around on the sofa, feeling like she was going crazy with joy.
When Shen Juanzhou heard the noise and came out, he found Su He with her legs kicked up, grinning like an idiot. Seeing him, Su He froze and quickly composed herself.
Still, she was beaming. She picked up her phone and immediately sent Shen Juanzhou the money she owed him.
Shen Juanzhou felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at the notification but didn’t tap it. Instead, he looked at Su He.
“Get your paycheck?”