"Your skin is fair, so you need to choose colors with more emphasis to make it look good. The colors you chose earlier were too light; combining them would lack contrast and fail to attract attention," Feng Jin explained logically, picking up a box of rouge and handing it to Lin Yuwei. "Try this rouge. And this is mascara; applying it to your lashes will make your eyes appear larger. Let me apply it for you."
Feng Jin's hands were deft. After her skillful application, Lin Yuwei's appearance was instantly elevated by several notches.
"It's so beautiful," Lin Yuwei could hardly believe the person in the mirror was herself. She looked infinitely better than before.
"Sister Feng Jin, teach me how to use these things," Lin Yuwei pleaded, grabbing Feng Jin's arm and shaking it playfully.
"Alright... alright, I'll teach you everything," dizzy from her shaking, Feng Jin quickly agreed to her request and patiently taught Lin Yuwei how to use the cosmetics.
"You need to use it like this..."
"The color is too heavy, a bit lighter..."
"You've smudged the lipstick outside the lip line."
With Feng Jin's repeated corrections, Lin Yuwei finally managed to learn some of the techniques. Makeup also requires practice to master; one cannot become proficient overnight.
"Sister Feng Jin, give me one of everything here and then wrap them up." Lin Yuwei liked every item in the shop, and since she couldn't pick and choose, she decided to take one of each.
"All of them? Did you strike it rich?"
"Sigh..." Lin Yuwei sighed. "Don't even mention it. That scoundrel Chu Chenyi is always eyeing my dowry. Sooner or later, I'll have to cheat him out of all of it."
For a prince, he was surprisingly poor. He couldn't even afford to pay the monthly wages for the maids and servants in his manor. If it weren't for the income generated by the shops, she wouldn't even have money to buy a piece of jewelry.
"If I had known he was this poor, I would never have married him." Lin Yuwei's anger simmered, and she wished she could drag Chu Chenyi out and beat him soundly.
"Alright, don't be angry. I'll have my staff send these items to your manor. I do have a business opportunity. Are you interested?"
"I'm willing, I'm willing! As long as it makes money, I'll do anything." She was truly desperate. She was going crazy from poverty, having never worried about money before. Ever since marrying Chu Chenyi, she had been constantly worried about finances. She never wanted to live in such poverty again.
"I'm planning to open more branches, but I'm short on funds. Why don't you invest some money and help out? I'll give you a twenty percent share of the profits each month."
Lin Yuwei's mind raced, calculating. The shop's business was booming, and a twenty percent share was quite substantial. Money sitting idle would barely grow over decades, but investing in the shop would be different. Lin Yuwei immediately agreed, "I'm willing. Sister Feng Jin, how much money do you need me to invest?"
"How much money do you have on hand right now?"
"I have about ten thousand taels of usable money. I can go back to Pingyang Marquis Manor and ask for more." It wasn't the first time she had asked her family for money. By the end of each month, she would usually go back to ask for financial assistance. Over time, her mother even arranged for a maid to send her some silver each month, saving her the trouble of making the trip.
"I'll need twenty thousand taels. You'll have to find a way to raise some more."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Raising ten thousand taels was a simple matter for her. Returning to Pingyang Marquis Manor was as easy as moving her lips.
After Lin Yuwei left, Cai Qing inquired, "Young Madam, we have enough funds to open a few more branches. Why did you tell the Princess of Jing that you were short on money? Besides, the shop's profit yesterday was ten thousand taels. Raising twenty thousand taels will only take a few days."
"You must not mention this in front of Yuwei. I know she's not having an easy time, and I wanted to help her," Feng Jin replied. Cai Qing's esteem for her Young Madam soared. The Young Madam was truly beautiful and kind-hearted.
...
"Why are you here again?" Pingyang Marquis's wife asked when she saw Lin Yuwei, her tone tinged with helplessness. How many times had she visited this month? It was too frequent. Pingyang Marquis's wife took a deep breath, held Lin Yuwei's hand, and said earnestly, "Yuwei, with you visiting so often, your father and I will have our retirement savings completely spent by you. For your father and me, please visit less frequently from now on."
Lin Yuwei's lips twitched uncontrollably, her eyes filled with a mournful expression. "Mother, I am your biological daughter. How can you treat me like this?"
"Alas! Yuwei, calculate how many times you've visited this month. Every time you leave, you're never empty-handed; you always return loaded. My money box is almost empty. Your brother is getting married soon, and you must leave him some money for his wedding." She was truly at her wit's end; she was out of money. If this continued, even the Marquis Manor would be in jeopardy.
"Is it really that serious? I've only come a few times," Lin Yuwei muttered with dissatisfaction.
"You shouldn't come anymore. As the saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water. You're already spilled water, and yet you're still lingering at your mother's home and draining her finances. What kind of conduct is this!"
As soon as Pingyang Marquis heard from the servants that Lin Yuwei had arrived, he rushed over without even washing the ink from his hands. This daughter was here to collect debts. Every time she came, she would take a substantial amount of money before leaving. If this continued, Pingyang Marquis Manor would be emptied by her.
"Father, you've changed. You never used to be like this. You yourself said that if I ran out of money, I should come to you and not let myself suffer. How could you go back on your word so soon!" The words his father had spoken to her that day were still vivid in her memory, and she had been touched for a long time. How long had it been since then, and he had already turned his back on her? It was truly heartbreaking.
Pingyang Marquis truly regretted his impulsive words that he would later regret for life. Who would have thought that this girl would be so unyielding? He had merely spoken casually, and she had taken it to heart, coming to him whenever she had a reason or not. It wasn't just about being short of money; she also needed items. Previously, she visited once a month, but now she visited several times a month. This vast Pingyang Marquis Manor was almost entirely emptied by her.
"My dear daughter, please spare your father and mother. We truly cannot bear it anymore." Pingyang Marquis spoke almost pleadingly, wishing only to quickly see her out and never have her return.