Everyone was stunned for a moment, not because the news itself was explosive, but because of Lu Hao.
At this moment, although Lu Hao still had a bit of shyness on her face, the light in her eyes was open and confident, completely devoid of her usual evasiveness and timidity.
It felt like her entire demeanor had changed.
"Congratulations, Sister Haohao! Brother Gousheng!" Bai Jing clapped her hands excitedly.
"Congratulations, congratulations!" Everyone clapped their hands happily.
Gousheng finally had a wife; this was the shared sentiment of everyone that night.
The couple's wedding date was set for the Little New Year. Neither side had many relatives, so they planned to celebrate at home during the Little New Year.
Bai Sheng picked out two rooms for Gousheng and Lu Hao, one as their marital chamber and the other as Manman's room. Gousheng and Lu Hao were deeply touched.
Lu Hao let go of her inhibitions, dedicating herself with full vigor to both her studies and work.
The work at the workshop was her foundation for self-reliance, so she was determined to help Bai Sheng achieve the best possible products.
The first batch of trial production products were generally good. Due to some minor flaws in certain items, Bai Sheng gave them to all the female workers in the workshop as a welfare bonus.
With Chinese New Year just a month away, if they hurried with production, they could stock a batch of goods before the year ended, so the workers were all full of drive.
As the "Hong Fen Jia Ren" (Fragrant Beauties) workshop primarily produced cosmetics and skincare products, it would be quite ironic if their own employees' skin wasn't well-cared for.
Therefore, Bai Sheng also spent a considerable amount of time teaching Du Min and the other four women about skincare, makeup, and dressing up. As workshop supervisors, their appearance was also a living advertisement for Hong Fen Jia Ren.
Of course, Bai Sheng did not neglect to impart these beauty-enhancing lessons to Tian Guihua and Mi Mian, who were busy in the kitchen, as well as Lu Huo and Lu Yin.
No woman dislikes beauty; taking care of one's skin and hair is the first step to self-love.
Bai Sheng also compiled the methods for skincare and makeup, along with tips on dressing and matching, into a booklet, which might be useful when they eventually went to the capital.
Unknowingly, all the women in the household became more beautiful and confident.
Lu Hao's transformation remained the most significant. When she first came to Bai Sheng's home, she was skin and bones, with dry hair, sallow complexion, and numerous wrinkles. At twenty, she looked like she was forty.
With good food and drink, and after more than two months of good living, Lu Hao had regained considerable weight and looked much more radiant.
Combined with her work in the workshop, which kept her out of the sun and wind, and her daily use of moisturizer, the wrinkles on Lu Hao's face had completely disappeared, and her skin had become even fairer and more delicate.
Now, she had finally regained the appearance of a twenty-year-old woman.
Gousheng would stare at her blankly every day.
Prince Yu sent Wang Quanfu and others to Hongshu Village to collect saplings for Bai Sheng.
Bai Sheng deliberately kept Lu Hao by her side. Initially, Wang Quanfu did not recognize the beautiful woman as Lu Hao at all; he assumed she was the young mistress of some wealthy family.
It wasn't until Bai Sheng called her "Sister Haohao" that Wang Quanfu clearly saw that this "young mistress" was the lowly wretch he used to treat worse than a dog. He knew that wretch had changed her name to Lu Hao.
He was so shocked that he froze on the spot. This... was this truly Lu Youdi?
Wang Quanfu widened his eyes and looked carefully. It was indeed her!
In just over two months, how could she have changed so much? Without a close look, it was impossible to tell they were the same person. Could she have drunk some elixir of life?
Now, Widow Li was not even fit to be a scullery maid in front of her.
Seeing Wang Quanfu's expression, Bai Sheng was delighted. Hmph, this situation would keep him preoccupied for at least a year or a half.
Lu Hao maintained a calm exterior, but inwardly, she felt immensely satisfied.
In the past, when Wang Quanfu physically abused her, he never failed to insult her, calling her old and ugly, and claiming that just one glance at her would make him vomit.
But that scumbag never stopped to think why she had transformed from a blooming young girl into an aged woman at twenty!
By leaving that perverted trash, she had truly gained a new life.
As Wang Quanfu pulled a cart full of saplings towards the desertification control camp, he regretted his ancestors so much that he wished he could dig them all up and slap them one by one.
As ancestors who had been dead for so many years, they had failed to protect him, causing him to miss out on Lu Youdi, this golden opportunity!
During their six years of marriage, why hadn't he realized that Lu Youdi was destined to be helped by noble people and have great fortune come to her later in life?
If he had known today, he would have endured hardship himself rather than tormenting Lu Youdi.
The dozen or so Wang family members accompanying Wang Quanfu also mocked him relentlessly, calling him blind for not cherishing and loving Lu Youdi, this golden asset, but instead resorting to violence against her, while embracing and kissing that stinky egg, Widow Li. They said that if a person was bent on self-destruction, even heaven couldn't stop them.
Wang Quanfu slumped like a frost-beaten eggplant, no longer able to put on a brave front.
The Ghost Shadow Pavilion base was finally completed.
What was originally estimated to take a month ended up taking over two months. The primary reason was that Feng Pingyuan felt that as a martial arts sect, the Ghost Shadow Pavilion base had to overshadow many other sects. Therefore, he poured all his acquired knowledge into building a magnificent and grand base for Bai Sheng and Lu Ye.
The overall architectural style perfectly matched the name "Ghost Shadow Pavilion." In addition to being grand and spectacular, it also exuded an eerie and ghostly aura.
Especially the towering main gate, which was adorned with dozens of real skulls. On either side of the gate hung five or six stark white human skeletons.
In the desert, there were many deaths, so skulls and skeletons were readily available.
Looking at the base before them, Bai Sheng was stunned. If she didn't manage the Ghost Shadow Pavilion well in the future, it would be a disservice to such a high-class base.
Brother Feng was incredibly talented, having built the base in a modern Gothic style.
Bai Sheng looked at Feng Pingyuan, who had always been low-key and upright, and felt that he was unlike an ordinary farmer. Such a high-class building could only be completed by someone with professional architectural talent, comparable to the skilled craftsmen in the imperial court's Ministry of Works.
Brother Feng and Sister Du were definitely not ordinary people. However, since they didn't mention it, Bai Sheng didn't ask. Everyone had their own secrets, and there was no need to pry.
Moreover, Bai Sheng could sense that Brother Feng and Sister Du were loyal to her. Sometimes, Sister Du's unconscious displays of concern were as if she regarded Bai Sheng as a close relative.
Today, the disciples of the Ghost Shadow Pavilion were officially moving into the base. Bai Sheng, dressed in a black robe and wearing a skull mask, sat at the high main seat in the grand hall with a lazy yet commanding posture.
Lu Ye, also in a black robe and skull mask, stood upright beside her. The eleven Ghost Messengers stood on the steps below Lu Ye, each facing the hundred disciples they were in charge of.
It was evident that the base built by Brother Feng had a deterrent effect on all the sect disciples. They realized how formidable their Ghost Shadow Pavilion was, having built such a magnificent base in the desert.