Nie Qinghe brought out a porcelain jar decorated with doucai chrysanthemums and butterflies. Inside was the cleansing ointment, accompanied by a small wooden spoon for scooping.
She decided to be extravagant for once, requesting a copper basin from Shopkeeper Liu. She placed it in the small back room and filled it with warm water, then invited the two women to wash their faces.
As they began, the scent of medicinal herbs and cool mint wafted up, instantly refreshing their spirits. The ointment felt slippery at first, then slightly astringent. After rinsing with clear water, their skin felt smooth, firm, and indescribably clean.
“Miss Nie, I’ll buy this!” they exclaimed in unison.
Nie Qinghe didn’t rush them. Instead, she guided them to the dressing table. “Please, sit. Let’s get your hair smoothed out first.”
She would then design their makeup and hairstyles to complement their outfits.
The two women hurriedly opened the boxes they had brought. “Miss Nie, we’ve brought our own jewelry.”
To make a statement, they had brought their finest and most expensive gold pieces. They had no intention of spending money to buy or rent anything from the shop.
Nie Qinghe smiled. “Jewelry needs to complement your skin tone and clothing. More expensive isn’t always better.”
Madam Fang’s fair skin and light-colored robes were perfectly accented by her gold ornaments. Madam Zhao, however, had a sallow, slightly dark complexion and wore a heavy, dated outfit. The gold jewelry she’d donned only made her look worse.
“It’s fine,” Madam Zhao retorted defiantly. “I can just apply more powder to whiten my skin.”
Nie Qinghe went silent.
You’ve already applied it, she thought. And you’ve caked it on so thick that your face is ghostly white, ending in a sharp line at your ears. The contrast is stark.
She had the two women apply a dab of fragrant balm to their skin before beginning to style their hair.
Madam Zhao was short, with a small, pointed chin and a narrow forehead. Nie Qinghe combed all of her hair up, coiling it into a yuanbao bun—a shape resembling a gold ingot—at the crown of her head.
She secured the bun with a hairnet, then added a shimmering silver hairpin with a fangsheng pattern and a pearl headband. At the back of her head, she pinned a floral ornament shaped like a Buddha’s hand citron and a pomegranate.
To complete the look, she paired the style with a pair of gourd-shaped silver earrings.
Madam Fang had fair skin, but her face was large with a square jawline. Nie Qinghe styled her hair in a modified butterfly bun, tilting the main coil slightly to one side for a look that was seventy percent gentle and thirty percent languid.
She then braided the side hair into loops, securing them with red cords at intervals. These loops draped loosely over the area where her cheeks met her ears, wrapping behind them before being tucked into the bun and fastened with U-shaped wave clips.
Instead of earrings, Nie Qinghe simply inserted gold-set pearl studs directly into Madam Fang’s earlobes.
With the hair finished, she efficiently moved on to grooming their eyebrows and applying makeup.
The concept of makeup for women at this time was vastly different from later eras. Their definition of “applying makeup” encompassed a wide range of practices: twisting the face into shape, shaving the sideburns, applying powder and rouge, painting the eyebrows, and coloring the lips.
Some women preferred a stark white face with bright red cheeks and lips, topped with thick, black “broom eyebrows”—and sometimes even yellowed foreheads—claiming it was a “retro” style. However, more natural looks were currently in vogue.
Elegant, willow-leaf, and slender brows were far more popular than the heavy broom style.
Madam Fang’s eyebrows were sparse, so Nie Qinghe trimmed them slightly before focusing on the makeup. With her square face, a pair of slender, crescent-shaped brows would soften her sharp angles and add a touch of elegance.
Because Madam Fang’s skin was so fair, Nie Qinghe mixed a hint of rouge into her powder, creating a delicate pink blush. A single, thin layer was enough to give her a peach-blossom glow and a healthy radiance. There was no need for rouge on her cheeks; Nie Qinghe simply dabbed a bit of rouge onto a cotton pad and used a brush to blend it onto her lips.
Madam Zhao stared at her companion, completely stunned. She had no idea Madam Fang could be so beautiful!
A chorus of admiration rose from the crowd. The other ladies, who had come to buy jewelry and have their hair styled, had gathered around to watch, their eyes wide with wonder.
“She’s absolutely stunning!”
“The way her lips are painted is so pretty—not that tiny cherry-mouth style.”
“Did you notice? Miss Nie kept painting Madam Fang’s nose. What was that for?”
“I’m not sure, but I think her nose looks higher than before.”
Seeing how beautiful Madam Fang had become, Madam Zhao felt a sudden pang of insecurity. She had always thought her own pointed chin gave her an advantage over Madam Fang’s broad face and strong jawline. But now, all she could think was how dark her own skin looked.
Because of her complexion, she always applied extra powder, and the result… was a disaster.
Just as Madam Zhao was lost in her own thoughts, Nie Qinghe began to apply her makeup.
She didn’t use a single dab of powder on her face. Wuuu, Madam Zhao thought. Does she know it’s pointless to apply it to skin this dark?
Nie Qinghe mixed a bit of rouge with a touch of powder and some eyebrow powder to create a brown eyeshadow. With it, she gave Madam Zhao a simple eye look. The woman’s features were striking and well-defined; with a full set of cosmetics, she could have achieved a glamorous, seductive look. But with the limited makeup available, a simple eye enhancement was all that could be done.
Madam Zhao’s eyes and brows were naturally beautiful. Her eyebrows were thick, long, and black, lending her a spirited, heroic air. They only needed a light trimming of stray hairs and a bit of filling at the tails. With her well-defined brow shape, deep-set eyes, and thick lashes, a touch of eyeshadow was all it took to draw all the attention to her gaze.
Since the summer heat would make her sweat, Nie Qinghe skipped the foundation. Applying it to her arms, hands, neck, and ears would only result in a muddy mess.
Instead, she painted Madam Zhao’s lips a full, vibrant red. Against her darker skin, the bright lip color made her look stunningly sexy.
When Nie Qinghe finished, Madam Fang stared, speechless. She had never imagined that “Madam Black Egg” could look so glamorous.
“Miss Nie, your skill is truly remarkable!” Shopkeeper Lin and Qian Er exclaimed from behind the counter, where they had been watching the transformation.
Qian Er couldn’t help but nod in admiration. The young girl truly had skill; that purple rabbit hair brush hadn’t been wielded in vain.
Though the process seemed slow, Nie Qinghe’s movements were anything but. With few skincare and makeup products to apply, the steps were minimal, and her practiced hands moved with efficiency. Even the hairstyling took little time.
She had quoted the prices while combing their hair.
“Madam Fang, that’s fifteen qian for the face wash and makeup, eight qian for the brow shaping, and eight qian for the hairstyle. You also used one large hairnet for twenty qian, along with several small U-shaped wave clips and small hairpins—all silver. That brings your total to one tael of silver.”
Nie Qinghe explained that Madam Fang would be refunded the tael for the silver clips and pins upon their return, provided they weren’t lost or damaged. She would only need to pay a rental fee of ten wen.
Madam Zhao’s services were identical, though she used a small hairnet for twelve qian and rented a silver floral ornament. Her total came to two taels and twenty qian of silver. Like the other woman, she would be refunded the cost of the jewelry upon return, paying only the rental fee.
The two women felt they had gotten a bargain. Not only had they received a full face wash, makeup application, and brow shaping, but they also had beautiful, flattering hairstyles.
Nie Qinghe had even selected the perfect accessories, securing them so firmly that they didn’t have to worry about them falling out.
They hadn’t spent a single unnecessary coin.
Other hair-stylists would simply shave their eyebrows off completely and redraw them—a look that always appeared stiff and lifeless. For that reason, the two women never allowed anyone to shave their brows.
They exchanged a glance, both knowing that such an elaborate makeover at the Dressing Pavilion would have cost at least sixty coppers.
Wary that Nie Qinghe might raise her prices in the future, they tried to curry favor with her. “Miss Nie, we are your very first customers,” one of them said, her voice coaxing. “We’re your loyal patrons now. You can’t raise our prices later, can you?”
Nie Qinghe smiled. “Rest assured, as long as I am the one styling your hair and doing your makeup, your price will never go up.”
Once I’m too busy for you to even book an appointment, she thought, you’ll be the ones winning.
The two women rejoiced, feeling they had secured a bargain. They began praising Nie Qinghe’s skill to the surrounding crowd, raving about her hairstyling, makeup, and even the face-washing service. Speaking of face-washing, their thoughts turned to the cleansing ointment.
Since they had already reserved a sedan chair and had plenty of time, they asked to see the ointment.
Nie Qinghe presented the jar. “This Flower Immortal Cleansing Ointment is brewed from twenty different herbs and five types of fragrance. Not only does it cleanse the skin, but it also promotes blood circulation and treats breakouts and dullness. As a special offer for our loyal customers, one jar is five hundred and twenty-eight coppers…”
Madam Fang’s eyes widened. “So expensive?”
Nie Qinghe smiled. “This is a special price for my regular customers. Once I start selling it in the Capital and other cities, each jar will cost at least six hundred wen.”
Was it expensive? Those who couldn’t afford it wouldn’t even buy a ten-wen bar of soap, preferring to use wood ash instead. But for those who could, a single bar of noble-class jasmine soap cost two taels of silver. While such soaps might be more fragrant and prettier, they weren’t necessarily as effective as her ointment.
The cleansing ointment was costly to produce. A whole basket of ingredients went into each batch, not to mention the expensive charcoal and firewood used for boiling. Even the jars cost twenty-eight wen each.
Five hundred wen a jar was a truly fair price.
If I used high-end porcelain packaging and a better fragrance, she thought, I could easily sell this for three taels a jar in the luxury market.
As she explained the costs, Madam Fang and the others suddenly found the price reasonable.
It was expensive, yes, but it was a quality product. They all knew from experience how much it cost to brew herbal medicine at home—a few doses from a clinic could easily run them two taels of silver. Besides, a large jar like this would last a long time.
Still, compared to the mere eight wen Nie Qinghe charged for hair styling and accessories, the ointment seemed exorbitantly priced. They were taking advantage of her youth and perceived naivety, hoping to pressure her into lowering the price so they could get a bargain.
Nie Qinghe smiled. “Ladies, combing hair is just my time and effort. If I don’t charge for that, the shop loses nothing. But this ointment is different. We hauled cartloads of ingredients in, boiled them down—that’s pure silver we’re talking about. Selling it at a loss is out of the question, and even breaking even isn’t enough. Why would we work ourselves to the bone for nothing? Wouldn’t it be better to just rest?”
Seeing her calm demeanor and lack of urgency to make a sale, the women began to mutter among themselves.
Just then, Madam Li strode into the shop, calling out, “Miss Nie! I heard your shampoo ointment is ready. Give me two jars to keep in stock!”
She shoved her way through the crowd of women, desperate to buy.
Nie Qinghe explained that this was cleansing ointment, not shampoo. But Madam Li didn’t care; she just wanted to buy it.
“You have scalp issues,” Nie Qinghe told her. “You don’t need cleansing ointment. If you want shampoo, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
Although she had reserved half the batch for shampoo, her brother and Chen Zijian were busy making the cleansing ointment. With so many women lined up in the shop, she had no time to sell shampoo.
Besides, she didn’t have any suitable bottles for the shampoo ointment. The flawed ones she’d bought from the porcelain shop were too large—each held two or three jin—and most of them were already filled with the liquid shampoo. Today, she had prepared the shampoo ointment as a semi-solid cleansing ointment, selling it in these wide-mouthed jars.
“Madam Li, you just had your hair washed yesterday,” Nie Qinghe said. “Come back tomorrow or the day after. You can buy the shampoo then and use it to wash your face too.”
She’d removed the toxic herbs from the shampoo ointment, so it was perfectly safe for facial use.
But Madam Li was convinced Nie Qinghe was trying to push the cleansing ointment on her. “This one can be used for the face and body, right? I’ll take it. I can use it for both.”
“Alright then,” Nie Qinghe replied.
Madam Li immediately paid one silver tael and asked the clerk to weigh it. “That’s a bit over half a liang. If there’s any extra, just put it on my tab. I’ll be back to wash my hair again soon.”
Shopkeeper Lin personally weighed the silver and announced its weight: “Five qian, four fen, and six li.”
Five qian was half a liang, worth five hundred copper coins. Four fen was forty coins, and six li was six coins.
After recording the transaction, Madam Li glanced at the ledger. Though she couldn’t read, she understood the amount Lin Er had announced. She spat on her finger, dipped it in red ink, and pressed her thumbprint onto the page to mark the entry.
She called out to Nie Qinghe, asking her to save some shampoo ointment for her next visit. Then, with a triumphant sweep of her gaze over the other women, she clutched her jar and marched away like a conquering general.
The other women stared in silence.
“What’s gotten into Madam Li?” someone muttered. “She’s the stingiest woman I know. Why is she suddenly being so generous?”
“Is she a shill for Liu’s?”
“No way. Madam Li is related to the Huang family. They’re rivals. She’d never shill for Liu’s.”
“Then why?”
Why? It must be because the stuff is actually good! She’s used it, so she knows!
The other women began asking about the shampoo.
Nie Qinghe explained what had happened with Madam Li.
“My scalp is always itchy,” Madam Sun said, stepping forward. “I get these little sores, and my hair falls out in clumps. I want to try that shampoo ointment.”
Seeing this, Madam Fang and Madam Li didn’t hesitate. They quickly paid deposits for a pound of cleansing ointment each, fearing it would sell out.
They were in a hurry and decided to leave in their sedan chairs, promising to return—at the latest tomorrow when they came to retrieve their jewelry—to complete the purchase.
The rest of the women, seeing the deposits paid, were now eager to buy. Aside from the woman who had gone to the side room to wash her hair, another woman—whose face was oily and prone to breakouts—asked about the cleansing ointment.
“How much for a facial wash?” she inquired.
Nie Qinghe smiled. “Seven coins for a single trial.”
She had the woman wash her face with plain water first, then carefully applied the medicinal liquid, avoiding her eyes, nose, and mouth. After the woman massaged it in for a few minutes, she rinsed it off and washed her face again using the cleansing ointment mixed with bean flour and mint juice.
When she finished, the woman touched her face, her expression one of pure delight.
“It’s so refreshing!” she exclaimed. “The cool sensation has completely chased away the heat.”
She immediately decided to buy it.
“Miss Nie, could we split a jar?” she asked, trying to find a way to save money.
“Of course,” Nie Qinghe replied with a smile. “You can buy it and divide it yourselves.”
The jar held nearly a pound of the ointment.
Someone else suggested, “Could you make smaller jars? They’d be cheaper, and more of us could afford them.”
Nie Qinghe sighed softly. “I’d like to, but buying jars costs money. A large one is thirty wen, and even a small one is over twenty.”
Porcelain, especially the beautiful kind, was expensive.
“Miss Nie, we have our own jars,” someone else said, a sudden idea striking them. “Can we bring our own containers to buy the ointment?”
Nie Qinghe went silent.
Well, she thought, it seems the desire to save money is universal, no matter the era.
In her past life as a child, her mother would buy the face cream in bulk, bringing her own bottle to fill for just three yuan. A pre-bottled one cost at least five.
It showed how different customer segments had different needs.