Seeing the head shopkeeper, Madam Fang and her friends wasted no time praising Nie Qinghe, confirming the value of her five-coin hair-styling fee. They also took the opportunity to complain that the jewelry shop had refused to mark their items uniquely, leaving them to mingle with everyone else’s pieces.
Shopkeeper Liu offered a continuous, apologetic smile, promising to add free markings to their gold and silver jewelry from now on.
His craftsmen were always busy, so he’d strictly decreed that only custom or special orders could be marked. The discounted ready-made items displayed in the counters were off-limits for unique marks.
He was still surprised when they mentioned Nie Qinghe’s skill with hairstyling and jewelry. His previous impression of her was a pretty girl with a shy, flighty, and rather childish temperament—someone who blushed at the sight of a stranger. Master Liu had even mentioned wanting her for the third young master, but Father Nie had declined, citing his daughter’s betrothal.
Seeing her now, speaking with such poise and confidence, not even flinching in his presence, Manager Liu was quietly amazed. A well-bred girl from a modest family like this was truly a rare find.
He exchanged a few more words with them, but as a man, his role ended once he’d agreed to the markings. The ladies had little more to say to him; they turned their full attention to Nie Qinghe, eager to discuss beauty and adornment.
Madam Fang insisted that Nie Qinghe accompany her to help with her hair and jewelry. She’d already recognized Nie Qinghe’s skill, her gentle and beautiful nature, and her affordable prices. Taking her along would certainly be a point of pride.
Seeing how the women had already paved the way for her with Shopkeeper Liu, Nie Qinghe smiled. “I’ll be coming here often from now on. If any of you ladies need help with your hair or jewelry, you can find me here. We can even do the styling on the spot, highlighting your best features and hiding any flaws to make everyone look their most beautiful.”
Shopkeeper Liu, ever the quick thinker, immediately sensed a business opportunity.
“That sounds wonderful!” he exclaimed. “Our shop already stocks the finest cosmetics, so you ladies won’t need to bring your own. And if you ever tire of your own jewelry, you can browse our selection right here.”
One of the ladies pursed her lips. “Buy something new every time? We can’t afford that.”
After all, they weren’t wealthy nobles whose fortunes blew in with the wind. She had spotted several patterns she liked, but could only choose a single hairpin, unable to grandly declare, Send them all to my house.
Nie Qinghe turned to Manager Liu. “Head Manager, does your shop rent out jewelry? Much like renting a house?”
Wealthy families could afford new jewelry for every occasion. But middle-class households like those of Madam Fang and Madam Zhao simply couldn’t. Still, these women loved to dress up. A rental service would be perfect: they could rent a set, wear it to a gathering, and then return it. A win-win for everyone.
As for guarantees against damage or loss, and how to handle compensation—that was a matter for the professionals.
Manager Liu was a businessman. The moment he heard the idea, his mind began racing, calculating potential profits. Meanwhile, the women whispered among themselves, agreeing that such a service would be incredibly practical.
Sometimes they couldn’t afford new jewelry, but not wearing it would invite ridicule. Even a simple visit to their maiden homes could lead to mockery from sisters and cousins if they weren’t dressed properly, let alone attending a flower festival. A rental service would allow them to maintain their dignity without spending a fortune.
Two of the ladies immediately spoke up.
“We have a few events coming up,” they said. “We’ll need to come here for hairstyling and rent some jewelry.”
One of them was attending her younger uncle’s matchmaking banquet. Such an occasion was a crucial opportunity for the family to present themselves well. The prospective bride’s family would judge their daughter’s future based not only on the matchmaker’s words but also on the appearance and manner of the groom’s sisters-in-law.
The other woman was accompanying her husband to his teacher’s birthday celebration, an occasion where a flawless appearance was mandatory.
Shopkeeper Liu readily agreed to their requests.
However, Nie Qinghe gently declined Madam Fang’s request to act as their personal attendant for the day. To her, an all-day commitment wouldn’t be worthwhile for less than seventy or eighty coins.
Madam Fang and her friends were likely expecting to pay only twenty or thirty, and their need for a fashion accessory to show off would far outweigh their actual need for her styling expertise. It simply wasn’t a profitable deal for her.
Only when a bride truly needed professional hairstyling for a wedding would she be willing to charge over a hundred coins for the day. For now, any other requests were out of the question.
Seeing her youthful face but resolute demeanor, Madam Fang and the others realized she wasn’t someone they could easily manipulate. They reluctantly dropped the matter. The three ladies who had hired Nie Qinghe to style their hair just now each paid her five coins.
After the women departed the Jewelry Pavilion satisfied, Nie Qinghe turned to Shopkeeper Liu to discuss their potential partnership.
Though Manager Liu kept a pleasant smile, his inner thoughts were churning with astonishment. He knew Nie Qinghe’s father to be a simple, honest man who always kept his head down—how could he have fathered such a clever and spirited daughter?
Moreover, Nie Qinghe had always seemed a bit dim-witted and slow in the past. Today, she was the picture of intelligence and composure, neither arrogant nor submissive.
Could her illness have steadied her temperament? Manager Liu wondered. It was possible. Many children, once foolish and impulsive, matured quickly after a severe illness or a life-altering crisis.
He didn’t know that Nie Qinghe had chosen Liu’s Jewelry Pavilion as her patron precisely because of his character.
Her father and elder brother both worked here, and through them, she had learned much about the staff. Head Shopkeeper Liu was nothing like other managers. He never fawned over the wealthy or trampled on the poor, and he never berated or struck his employees or apprentices.
He would often counsel the assistant managers and master craftsmen, arguing, “We are the ones who hired these workers. Their performance reflects our own judgment. If a worker struggles, teach them. If they cannot learn, dismiss them. Why waste time beating and berating them day after day?” Whenever his staff faced difficulties, he would take the initiative to help, or at least find a way to assist if he couldn’t solve the problem himself.
Just before, when Old Madam Nie had caused a scene in Jintai City, the assistant managers had insisted on firing Father Nie to avoid future trouble. It was Head Manager Liu who had overridden them all to keep Father Nie and her brother on the payroll.
For that reason alone, Nie Qinghe had chosen him.
She also knew that people of this era were somewhat superstitious, especially merchants. She had already prepared a convincing explanation for her sudden change in demeanor.
Her story would be simple: while drifting in a feverish coma, she had dreamed of a Flower Immortal who had taken her to a sprawling, celestial garden.
The garden seemed endless, filled with pavilions, pagodas, and a lush array of divine flowers and spiritual herbs.
Ethereal maidens in flowing robes moved gracefully through the grounds—some painted, others danced or played the zither. Some were busy applying makeup and crafting rouge, while others brewed medicines or prepared food. It would have taken three days and three nights just to see a fraction of it all.
The Flower Immortal had not only shown her the sights but had also treated her to delicacies and taught her various skills, including the art of beauty and grooming. Before leaving, the immortal had even asked her to stay and serve as the fairies’ personal beautician.
As Nie Qinghe told this tale, she had already rehearsed it thoroughly. The entire sequence had played in her mind like a movie, looping over and over until the details were burned into her memory. She was certain she wouldn’t stumble.
History had taught her that many in this era used dreams as a convenient excuse to achieve their goals. People would claim they met a divine immortal or a Weasel Spirit in the mountains who granted them secret knowledge. Some even learned basic divination and physiognomy, posing as a “medium” for a family fool to “channel” a celestial master who could find lost items or predict the future.
The common folk lacked the discernment to see through such claims. When word spread, they would follow the crowd, their belief growing stronger as the rumors became more outlandish. Some people would even travel great distances just for a consultation. When these practitioners became famous enough, they even founded their own cults.
As long as they didn’t incite rebellion, the authorities turned a blind eye.
Nie Qinghe considered this narrative a savvy adaptation to the spirit of the age. Her story, which simply recounted a young woman’s dream of beauty and finery, was far removed from the deceptive antics of charlatans who posed as mediums. It was unlikely to draw suspicion or alienate anyone.
Manager Liu was completely convinced by her vivid account. She had described everything—the layout of the celestial garden, the Flower Immortal’s appearance, her makeup, her attire, her jewelry, and even the intricate patterns on her shawl.
He truly believed her.
He reasoned that a person’s imagination was limited by their experience. Nie Qinghe had lived here all her life, never traveling far nor seeing much of the world. How could she have invented such a detailed and original fantasy? The descriptions were things he had never even heard of; he couldn’t have conjured something so realistic if he tried.
Moreover, as a Tongsheng who had traveled extensively and read widely, Manager Liu was well-versed in the zhiguai—the strange tales of old. He’d read stories of the Old Dragon King visiting Emperor Taizong of Tang in a dream to plead for mercy, of the “Dream of the Southern Branch,” and of Dragon Kings recruiting sons-in-law. To him, her story fit right into these traditions.
To start with something close to home, there was a spirit medium in the north of Jintai City and a shaman in the south. The medium claimed to channel the immortals and was a master of fuji spirit-writing, while the shaman boasted of divine dreams and the power to exorcise evil spirits. Both were regarded as miraculously gifted.
Shopkeeper Liu had also experienced something similar in his own life. As a child, while visiting his grandmother, he had gotten lost and wandered into a village. The entire village was gathered to watch an opera. A young woman had invited him to her home for a feast, but an old man had chased him away. Later, someone woke him up by the roadside, and he realized he had somehow fallen asleep there.
He had no memory of sleeping, only the vivid impression of visiting that village to watch the opera. Yet, when he returned with others to find the place, the village was nowhere to be seen. He later learned from the elders that a village had once stood there, but its entire population had been wiped out in a war.
He had always been convinced he had encountered the supernatural.
This was why he believed Nie Qinghe’s dream without question. He was even curious to know what other gifts the Flower Immortal might have bestowed upon her—perhaps something that could bring the shop’s business to the next level.
Furthermore, Father Nie was a skilled and honest craftsman, and Nie Dali was an excellent worker. The fact that Nie Qinghe had taken the initiative to seek employment was, in his view, highly commendable.
After weighing all these factors, Manager Liu decided to hire her.
Crucially, the shop truly needed a female employee.
In those days, service-oriented establishments were staffed exclusively by men. Although the social climate wasn’t completely conservative—women often went on outings in groups—they always traveled separately from men. Even when women worked, it was in dedicated workshops like embroidery or weaving studios, again keeping them isolated from male colleagues.
Moreover, parents were fiercely resistant to their daughters being seen in public. Such public exposure could jeopardize their marriage prospects, making it harder to find a respectable family for a match. Some particularly harsh mothers-in-law would even claim that a woman who appeared in public was no better than a streetwalker, a courtesan from a pleasure house.
Consequently, female assistants were virtually nonexistent in the shops of Jintai City.
Yet, for businesses selling ready-made women’s clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, shoes, and socks, the lack of a female employee was a significant disadvantage. After all, not every customer could bring a clever and capable maid along whenever they went out.
Shopkeeper Liu still had his reservations. Employing such a beautiful young woman would expose Liu’s to public scrutiny. He feared his competitors would accuse him of using a pretty face to lure customers, and he worried about the potential objections from the Nie and Song families.
Nie Qinghe spoke with a quiet confidence, neither humble nor haughty. “Don’t worry about my parents, Head Manager Liu. I will handle them. As for the Song family, they have no right to interfere with me. And the other shops? We can deal with them easily. Most of our customers are noblewomen and young ladies. Isn’t it already inconvenient to have them exclusively attended by male shop assistants? I’ll be the one to welcome them, help them choose their items, and assist them with their hair and makeup. That’s the way it should be, isn’t it? We can’t exactly send a male assistant to help a lady dress.”
She wasn’t arguing that women could work in shops, but rather that men shouldn’t be the ones serving female customers. That meant a woman had to do it.
Shopkeeper Liu burst into laughter, clapping his hands. “Well said!”
If his competitors tried to slander him now, he could throw her words right back in their faces.
He was genuinely excited. Recently, Huang’s had hired artisans from the Capital to design new styles, becoming a formidable rival to Liu’s.
He stopped treating Nie Qinghe like an inexperienced young girl and began discussing their cooperation as serious business partners.
Nie Qinghe already had a mature plan and laid it out for him clearly.
She emphasized that she was partnering with Liu’s, not being employed by them. She would refuse a salary and requested a flexible schedule in return.
Manager Liu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly. “That’s fair.”
Nie Qinghe proposed a commission structure: for every 100 coins she earned helping customers with their hair and makeup, the shop would take a cut. For every 100 coins’ worth of jewelry she sold for the shop, she would take a commission of two coins.
She had carefully calculated these terms to ensure the shop wouldn’t feel she was asking for too much, while still leaving room for future increases. This would allow them to assess her abilities through a trial period—a mutual evaluation. If it worked out, they could form a long-term partnership; if not, she could walk away at any time.
Her real goal, however, wasn’t simply to sell the shop’s existing inventory. Those products already had a steady clientele, and the market was reaching a point of saturation. The real profit would come from the new creations she planned to design herself.
Liu’s would provide the funding, the workspace, the labor, and the protection. She would contribute the expertise.
Technical equity was a concept too modern, too strange to voice aloud. Instead, she kept it simple: she would sell a certain amount and take a commission.
Shopkeeper Liu, with twenty years of experience and a sharp mind, considered her proposal for a moment.
“I agree to your two-coin commission on jewelry sales. As for helping customers with their own jewelry for their hair and makeup, the profit margin is small, so I will waive the shop’s cut.”
He paused, then added, “If you go to a client’s home to provide dressing and makeup services, I will take a ten-coin commission per 100 coins earned. In return, you can use Liu’s name. If any problems arise, the shop will back you up. How does that sound?”
Nie Qinghe thought to herself that Manager Liu was truly a man of integrity—exactly why she had chosen him. With Liu’s and Manager Liu acting as her backers, no one would dare stiff her on a bill, take advantage of her, or treat her like a common maid to be ordered around.
This commission was practically a bargain. She had been prepared to offer thirty coins for every hundred.
She didn’t hesitate, her smile genuine. “Then I thank you, Head Shopkeeper.”
Shopkeeper Liu requested that she work at the shop at least fifteen days a month, similar to a physician’s office hours. Nie Qinghe readily agreed; these terms could all be formalized in a written contract.
He watched her closely, a hopeful glint in his eyes. “Qinghe, did the Flower Immortal teach you anything else?”
Nie Qinghe considered this for a moment before replying, “Yes, she did. Hairstyles we’ve never seen here, countless new pieces of jewelry and clothing… even things for washing one’s hair and face. There are too many to name.”
Shopkeeper Liu was overjoyed.
My instincts were right, he thought. This girl must have had some sort of fortuitous encounter. This is the opportunity Liu’s needs to ascend to the next level!