Lu Hua hesitated for a moment, then walked closer, leaning slightly towards the delicate young man. She lowered her voice and said truthfully, "This lipstick's packaging is beautiful, but the lipstick inside is quite dry and lacks moisturizing effects. Its color is also dull, and the saturation isn't high. If you're looking to buy it as a gift, I suggest you try Red Powder Beauty on Green Willow Street. The lipsticks there will surely delight any lady you give them to."
The man put down the lipstick in his hand and smiled faintly. He also whispered, "Thank you for the recommendation, miss. I'll head to Green Willow Street now."
"Please do," Lu Hua nodded and walked away. Today, Lu Yin and Sister Su were managing the shop, and business continued as usual.
Once she reached a secluded spot, Lu Hua clutched her pounding heart and let out a long sigh of relief. She wasn't sure why, but upon seeing the man, her heart had suddenly lurched, and she felt as if her breath had momentarily stopped. It was truly strange.
"Miss."
As Lu Hua was gasping for breath with her hand on her chest, the familiar voice called out from behind her again, startling her. After composing herself, she slowly turned and, feigning composure, smiled, "Is there anything else, sir?"
The delicate young man apologized, "I'm truly sorry for startling you, miss."
"It's fine. Sir, is there anything else?" Lu Hua felt her cheeks flush. She wanted to send the man away quickly, yet she inexplicably wished to speak with him a little longer.
"Uh," the man touched the bridge of his nose, his earlobes turning slightly red. "I... I see you seem to know a lot about lipstick. Perhaps there will be opportunities to consult you in the future, so I... My name is Yan Shuo, Yan for 'color' and Shuo for 'sparkle.' May I know your name, miss? And where might I find you in the future?"
Indeed... quite sparkling, Lu Hua thought to herself. "My name is Lu Hua, Lu for 'land' and Hua for 'flower.' If you have any further questions about cosmetics in the future, sir, you can find me at Red Powder Beauty on Green Willow Street." Was it really alright to give him her name just to attract customers?
Yan Shuo seemed delighted. He waved at Lu Hua and said, "Then... then I won't disturb you any longer, Miss Lu Hua. Goodbye!"
"Mm, goodbye," Lu Hua found herself waving back.
After Yan Shuo's figure disappeared, she turned guiltily to look at Ga Mei and Ding Xiang. She saw them hiding behind the shelves, both wearing expressions of astonished amusement, as if they had just witnessed a major gossip.
"Tsk tsk, Hua, has your iron tree finally bloomed?" Ga Mei teased with delighted surprise.
Ding Xiang covered her mouth and giggled.
Lu Hua nudged Ga Mei with her elbow and chided, "What iron tree? I'm only thirteen!"
"I, this young lady, fancied Brother Qingfeng when I was twelve and a half. What else could you be but an iron tree?" Ga Mei retorted disdainfully.
"What 'fancying' or not, I and Young Master Yan are mere acquaintances met by chance," Lu Hua said, blushing furiously and trying hard to deny it.
"Oh, oh, oh, 'acquaintances met by chance'? You're already calling him 'Young Master Yan.' I think it's love at first sight," Ga Mei mimicked Lu Hua's tone when addressing Yan Shuo, swaying her head affectedly.
"Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore," Lu Hua turned away and went back to looking at the cosmetics. After all, Young Master Yan already had someone he liked and was buying lipstick for her.
"Their eyes were practically making sparks just now, and you still won't admit it's love at first sight," Ga Mei said to Ding Xiang.
Ding Xiang nodded, "Mmm, mmm, mmm, I saw it too."
Ga Mei sighed lengthily with an air of precognition, "Alas, a grown girl can't be kept at home. My Hua is going to be married off." This made Ding Xiang giggle for a long time.
Emerging from Lan Meiren's shop, the three did not linger outside and had Lu Tong drive the carriage straight home.
A good memory is not as good as writing it down. Upon returning to the residence, the three immediately sat down to consolidate the information they had gathered. Lu Hua took out her notebook, ready to record.
Ga Mei spoke first, "The backer behind Lan Meiren is actually the Lan family, who are the maternal uncle of the Minister of Revenue, Zhou Yanqing, and also the maternal uncle of that woman named Zhou who caused trouble last time. The Lan family is a family of officials and merchants; the eldest son is an official, and the second son split off to go into business."
"Their backing is quite substantial. Is this information accurate?" Lu Hua asked with a frown.
Ga Mei smiled, "It should be very accurate. That shop assistant was beaming with pride, as if afraid I wouldn't know their shop belonged to the Lan family. I hadn't even asked in detail before he started bragging."
"If that's the case, won't it be difficult to deal with them if they cause trouble in the future?" Ding Xiang said with some worry.
Lu Hua thought for a moment and said gently, "Let's record this information first and then show it to my sister-in-law. Sister-in-law should know how to handle it." Ga Mei and Ding Xiang nodded.
Ding Xiang continued her report, "Their shop has a relatively rich variety of products, but no perfumes, facial creams, or masks. As for prices, they were previously among the highest in the capital, but far from the prices at our Red Powder Beauty."
Lu Hua stated, "Even though our prices are much higher than theirs, the quality of our products is also far superior. I tested several of their products; their lipstick is very dry, lacks moisturizing properties, and the texture is rough. When applied to the lips, it's like dry flour, prone to shifting and falling off, and the colors aren't vibrant enough or saturated. Therefore, I believe in sister-in-law's pricing and have confidence in our products."
"Mmm, we have confidence. Our Red Powder Beauty has only been open for a few days, and business is already booming like this. Fundamentally, it's the superior product quality that allows us to fear no competitors," Ga Mei said confidently.
Lu Hua nodded in agreement, "However, I did notice their packaging is very beautiful. There was a delicate little porcelain bottle for lipstick that was particularly attractive; I couldn't resist picking it up to look at it." As she spoke, the image of that delicate and gentle face reappeared in Lu Hua's mind, and her heart fluttered again.
"So, we should also put some effort into making our packaging porcelain bottles exquisite and pretty?" Ga Mei rubbed the table with her finger.
Ding Xiang pursed her lips and nodded, "I also think that prettier packaging can attract women more. What girl doesn't like beautiful things?"
"Then I'll write this suggestion down as well," Lu Hua wrote rapidly.
After the three had finalized the information on Lan Meiren, they handed the notebook over to Bai Sheng. Bai Sheng praised it highly after reading it. "The three of you have truly impressed me! You've done an excellent job! This is a very good market research report and very useful."
The three exchanged happy glances. Receiving praise from their sister-in-law (Madam) felt even better than receiving a bonus. Lu Hua and Ga Mei clearly felt they had grown a lot. Embarking on this venture with their sister-in-law (Madam) was indeed the rightest choice. Otherwise, their future fates would only be to marry and have children, revolve around the stove daily, and endure the torment of their husbands having multiple wives, living a drab and dreary life. Now that they had the ability to earn money themselves, even if abandoned by a man, it wouldn't cripple them; they'd merely shed a few tears. Sister-in-law (Madam) had opened a new world for them.