It was said that the original shop owner had run a tea house, but due to poor management, he lost money. To repay his debts, he intended to sell the shop quickly.
However, there was a hint of deception in this story, as for a three-story shop of this size to be solely a tea house, the owner would have to be either a fool or a simpleton.
The environment surrounding the shop was clean and tidy, with a slightly tranquil atmosphere. The neighboring shops mostly dealt in ready-made clothing, fabrics, calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and musical instruments. Fortunately, there were no disreputable establishments.
Bai Sheng immediately decided to acquire the shop. After handing over five thousand taels of silver notes, she went to the government office with the matchmaker to complete the procedures.
The matchmaker beamed, his smile reaching his eyes, and told Bai Sheng and Lu Ye to come to him for any future needs, promising to do his utmost to assist them.
Bai Sheng naturally accepted with a smile. In the capital, the more connections she made, the more convenient it would be, especially for someone like her who was always buying houses and servants.
Next, it was time to find people to renovate the shop.
When Wen Zhi Mo heard that Bai Sheng was looking for artisans to renovate the shop, he directly brought over the same craftsmen who had renovated his jewelry shop for her.
Bai Sheng had already decided on the shop's name: "Red Powder Beauty" Specialty Store.
Since "Red Powder Beauty" primarily targeted women from the middle class and above, noble ladies, and wealthy families, the entire shop's renovation needed to feature pink as the dominant color. The interior layout and decoration should highlight feminine grace while also exuding style and quality.
After all, the goods she sold were not cheap.
The first floor would sell perfumes, skincare products, and cosmetics; the second floor, sanitary pads and women's underwear; and the third floor, intimate products and other erotic items.
Each floor needed to be decorated according to the characteristics of the goods sold. Additionally, tables and chairs for customers to rest would be provided on each floor, along with unlimited servings of pastries and tea.
The counters inside the shop and the area in front of the main entrance would be adorned with fresh flowers, aiming to give the entire shop a fresh, comfortable, and high-end feel.
This would subtly instill a sense of superiority in the noble ladies of the capital, suggesting that only those of their status were qualified to shop there.
Bai Sheng was quite adept at understanding consumer psychology.
In this feudal society, it was appropriate to leverage class psychology to earn money from the wealthy.
As Bai Sheng explained her renovation requirements, Lu Ye sat beside her, taking notes.
The craftsmen, listening to Bai Sheng's renovation demands, found them entirely beyond their experience and looked at each other, utterly bewildered.
For instance, the request for a flushable toilet that wouldn't emit odors indoors – how was that possible?
When did excrement and urine become so precious, requiring residences in large houses?
They themselves didn't live in such nice houses; truly, their waste lived better than they did.
Lu Ye wrote down Bai Sheng's various requirements, compiled them into a booklet, and handed it to the head craftsman, instructing them to study it carefully later.
The craftsmen, besides finding their female employer's requests peculiar, also found their male employer strange. He wore a mask on such a hot day – what was the matter? Was he so ugly that he couldn't be seen?
Of course, these were just their internal thoughts; they couldn't voice them. Such a generous patron – anyone who offended them would be a complete idiot!
Renovation work was quite arduous. To prevent their precious Bao from getting tired, Lu Ye planned to have Lu Tong come and supervise the artisans.
He, on the other hand, would handle the subsequent matters for their precious Bao. He was his precious Bao's legs and feet; as soon as precious Bao moved her lips, he would immediately carry it out. All the dirty, tiring, and trivial work was his.
And he did it with utter joy.
Bai Sheng was busy developing perfumes in the alchemy room. Given the current conditions, there were only two relatively simple methods for perfume production: maceration and distillation.
Maceration was suitable for flowers that were small and had less juice, such as osmanthus and lavender.
Distillation was suitable for flowers with abundant juice.
Bai Sheng had already extracted perfumes using these two methods in the alchemy room.
However, for large-scale production, many preparations were needed, such as space, raw materials, workers, and perfume packaging.
Furthermore, if the maceration method was used, it would also require winemaking, especially high-proof spirits.
After much consideration, Bai Sheng decided to buy a large estate on the outskirts of the city. The cultivation of flowers and the production sites for perfumes and spirits would all be located on the estate, making it both safe and hidden.
As for the flowers used for perfume making, they would primarily be roses, lavender, roses, gardenias, and osmanthus – flowers with rich aromas.
In addition to cultivating them herself, Bai Sheng also planned to organize two people to be specifically responsible for purchasing them from farmers. The shop was already under renovation, and growing flowers now would be too late.
Moreover, the perfume production method was a trade secret, and naturally, it could not be entrusted to outsiders. Only domestically purchased household slaves were relatively safe, so more servants would need to be acquired.
Ah, Bai Sheng felt as if she was either buying people or on her way to buy people.
Before she knew it, how had she become an evil slave owner?
Once this business was on the right track, she would relax, only expanding the market and not venturing into new fields.
She wanted to spend quality time accompanying her four cubs as they grew happily.
Speaking of the four cubs, Bai Sheng planned to have Lu Huo carry them in that four-pocket satchel. Wherever she went, the cubs would go with her.
Lu Huo let out an excited roar and immediately turned back to her room to find that cherished satchel. She had longed for it day and night, wishing to use it, and now her wish had finally come true!
From now on, she could carry the four little masters and strut around, accepting envious and jealous glances from others.
With the four cubs hanging on her, they were all extremely excited. They could finally follow their mother and Aunt Lu Huo to see the outside world.
Lu Tie drove the horse carriage, while Bai Sheng and Lu Ye, along with Lu Huo and the four cubs, went to Jingye Realty to buy the estate and people.
The matchmaker, seeing the Lu couple return after only two days apart, smiled so wide that his eyes disappeared, revealing all thirty-odd teeth.
Upon hearing that the Lu couple wanted to buy a large estate on the outskirts of the city and twenty servants, he let out excited yells of "wa wa wa," completely losing the composure and stability expected of a middle-aged man.
The shopkeeper of Jingye Realty, seeing him act so unsophisticated, gnashed his teeth in annoyance but couldn't hit him, as this major client was someone he had courted.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged a smile, both feeling that this matchmaker was a person of genuine character and trustworthy.
Finding an estate would not be resolved in a moment, but the servants could be secured immediately.
After selecting ten young men and ten young women, the matchmaker insisted on escorting them.
Thus, Bai Sheng's carriage moved slowly in front, with the matchmaker and the twenty servants following behind.
As they passed Baiye Realty, the matchmaker slowed down, holding his neck high, his smugness evident.
He recalled that when he went to Baiye Realty to look for a job, they had directly turned him away, saying that his appearance was ugly and would affect the clients' moods.
Hmph, you looked down on this matchmaker yesterday, but today you won't be able to reach me!