The attic connects the past and present; I became a tycoon and got rich overnight!

Chapter 25 Kyoto's New Elite, Perfume

Song Youan's intentions were not hard to guess, and she knew that Miss Li would definitely see through her purpose.

So she put extra effort into today's dessert, as a way of showing goodwill to Li Chuyou and hoping that she would be willing to help her with this favor.

In just one day, thanks to the birthday banquet of the Duchess of Su, the cake became a household name in the capital, and the perfume, as a rising star, made an astonishing debut. All the ladies and young women inquired with Li Chuyou about where it came from.

The next day.

"No visitors?"

At the Marquis of Fuyang's residence, Zhu Ling's face darkened upon hearing the maid's report.

The maid Cuizhu nodded: "This servant saw a sign hanging in front of You'an Residence that says it will be open to guests on the 28th."

"Didn't you knock on the door?" Zhu Ling asked.

Cuizhu said, "This servant went up and knocked on the door. I thought that Miss was anxious, so I knocked for a while, but it seemed that no one was inside."

Zhu Ling's expression turned even uglier.

It wasn't that she harbored any resentment towards Song You'an; it was just that she had seen that rare item called perfume at the Duke of Su's mansion yesterday, and it had been on her mind all night. This morning, she ordered her maid to go to You'an's residence to buy it, but she was turned away.

Cuizhu hesitated for a moment before saying, "This servant...this servant also met Xiangyu, Tong'er and Qiuyu."

These people were all maids serving noble ladies in Kyoto.

Clearly, Zhu Ling wasn't the only one who wanted the perfume.

"You haven't seen anyone, have you?" Zhu Ling asked.

Cuizhu nodded quickly: "No, it seems that Miss Song is not at home."

"In that case, you tell Xiao Tao to keep watch at the entrance of Fuhua Alley. If she sees Miss Song, she should be invited to your residence immediately."

"Yes, slave, go right away."

Zhu Ling rarely felt so uneasy, and her hands unconsciously twisted the handkerchief in her hands.

It wasn't a life-threatening matter, but the noble ladies in the capital were all about comparing these superficial possessions. This perfume was quite rare, and she was mainly worried that Miss Song herself didn't have many of them.

She had to get a bottle, no matter what, so that she could hold her head high in front of others.

As a result, even when Xiao Tao returned home at noon, she still hadn't seen the door of You Anju open.

"Don't worry, Miss. The house is there, and Miss Song will eventually come back. I'll go and keep an eye on things this afternoon," Cuizhu said.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Xiao Tao rushed in, lifting her skirt: "Miss, Miss Song is here."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ling stood up excitedly. She herself did not realize how obviously her attitude towards Song You'an had changed. She just excitedly said, "Quickly, invite her in."

Song Youan was unaware that Miss Zhu had been waiting for her all morning. She carried the food box and entered the house at a leisurely pace.

"This humble woman sees..."

Before she could finish her greeting, Zhu Ling raised her hand and said, "Miss Song, please don't stand on ceremony, have a seat."

Song Youan was slightly taken aback, then handed the food box to Cuizhu, sat down and said, "I promised Miss that I would save one of these cakes for you, so I brought it to you."

Zhu Ling then remembered the matter. She had been so distracted by the perfume that morning that she had completely forgotten that Miss Song was supposed to come to her residence to deliver a cake.

"Miss Song, you've worked hard."

Zhu Ling pretended to be calm, and after speaking, she gave Cui Zhu a wink. Cui Zhu understood and took out a silver note from her sleeve and placed it on the small tea table next to Song You'an.

Song Youan was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by this, Miss?"

"It's just a small token of my appreciation for Miss Song's housewarming. I've heard that You'an Residence has been beautifully and elegantly renovated. I'd like to take a look if I have the chance," Zhu Ling said with a smile. This time, she abandoned her haughty demeanor, even her tone of voice was much gentler, and she didn't glance at Song You'an out of the corner of her eye while speaking, but looked at her seriously.

Song Youan wasn't stupid; how could she not sense the change in Zhu Ling? In fact, Zhu Ling had already changed since the last time she visited the Marquis of Fuyang's residence.

She did it last time for this cake.

That day...

Having already understood, Song You'an said calmly, "I am overwhelmed with gratitude. How can I accept such a great gift from you, Miss? Besides, the fact that the house came into my hands so smoothly is entirely thanks to your help. I should be the one thanking you."

After speaking, Song Youan took out her purse and took out a dark blue glass porcelain bottle.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Ling's eyes lit up immediately.

"I have prepared a bottle of perfume for you as a token of my gratitude, and I hope you will not find it offensive."

The perfume is small and exquisite, about the size of a dumpling. This is a sample of the perfume, and the capacity is not much, only 15 ml.

Even the bottle given to the Duchess of Su yesterday was only 30 milliliters, which is considered a small-capacity full-size bottle.

Song Youan knew all too well how long a bottle of perfume could last; if she started by offering large quantities, she would soon find herself with unsold stock.

"Is this what the Duchess of Su received yesterday?"

Song Youan smiled and nodded, then explained, "However, the fragrance of this bottle is different from that of the Duchess of Su's bottle. Miss, please smell it."

Gently press the pump head, and a mist of water carrying fragrance will spray out.

Even Cuizhu, standing to the side, subconsciously took a deep breath.

"Can you smell what it is, Miss?"

Zhu Ling tasted it carefully and shook her head: "It's quite complicated, but I think I can smell the scent of citrus."

Upon hearing this, Song Youan smiled and said, "Miss is very capable. This perfume is a complex citrus scent. The top notes are bergamot and grapefruit, the middle notes are mint and bergamot, and the base notes are pink pepper and orange."

Zhu Ling held the small, exquisite glass bottle with great delight, marveling at how cleverly and beautifully Song You'an had made it.

"Does Miss Song have any other perfumes?" Zhu Ling suddenly asked, looking at Song You'an.

Upon hearing this, Song Youan said softly, "There are still some."

"Can you sell it to me?"

“Of course,” Song Youan replied. “But perfume is a long-lasting thing. Miss, don’t underestimate this small bottle. Even if you use it every day, it will last for quite a while.”

"It's alright, I just want to use a different one every day, since the scents are all different." After saying that, she winked at Song You'an and asked, "How much does this perfume cost per bottle?"

"To be honest, the price of this perfume varies depending on the scent. For example, the bottle you have here costs one hundred taels, but there are also cheaper ones and more expensive ones."

Song Youan made it very clear that this was something she had thought about long ago.

Perfume is bound to become an indispensable fashion item for wealthy women, and the different characteristics of perfumes, such as ingredients, volume, and packaging, give them a natural pricing advantage.

The more precious the ingredients, the larger the volume, and the more exquisite the packaging, the higher the price of the perfume.

The 15ml perfume sample that Zhu Ling was holding at that moment was not actually intended to be sold for 100 taels by Song You'an. It was a gift, so she intentionally inflated the value of the sample.

In any case, she decides how much this thing costs in Dazhao.

"I want the most expensive bottle," Zhu Ling said without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)