The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

The third son was bestowed the title of "righteous merchant" by the emperor, and Zhao Chengxun generously rewarded his servants.

“A reward of two months’ wages for each person.”

"Congratulations, sir and madam!"

The Zhao family had one happy event after another, and the host family's rewards came one after another.

This made the servants overjoyed.

We're hoping the second young master will pass the imperial examination, and then we'll receive a grand reward.

“Nuan Nuan, your good fortune for the third son is definitely inseparable from your efforts.” Zhou Shi was quite clear-headed: “With his lazy attitude, he’s not cut out for business. You must have given him a lot of pointers, right?”

“Mother, my husband is quite intelligent. He often understands things immediately and can apply what he has learned to other situations. He doesn’t need to say much.”

Chunnuan thought to herself that she would never treat her own son like that again.

Believe in your child's abilities, encourage him often, and help him maintain a positive attitude.

Zhao Minghua is so capable that even his own parents don't know. They've really failed as parents!
After returning from the outer courtyard, Chunnuan began writing letters to Zhao Minghua.

Before going to the capital, he said he wanted to open a shop there.

Chunnuan had lived in the capital for fifteen years and knew from a young age that people in the capital, especially the powerful and wealthy, were extremely afraid of death, so longevity pills were very popular; and women in the capital were afraid of getting old and ugly, so beauty and skincare products naturally sold well.

Since finishing her postpartum confinement, Chunnuan has been researching and developing pills for this purpose.

She developed several facial creams and ointments to treat melasma, dark spots, freckles, and eliminate wrinkles.

This time, the facial cream and ointment we developed will be sold in Beijing under the name of Baicaotang.

For no other reason than to prevent the Xiao family from becoming too famous.

After all, that person is still around. How could a family that was exiled and had its property confiscated suddenly appear in the capital? Wouldn't that be a slap in his face?
If someone is unhappy, another imperial edict could be issued, and that would be the end of them.

You should know when to keep a low profile!
Chunnuan is very clear about this.

Moreover, as Zhao Minghua has recently been promoted to a royal merchant, he definitely needs to have a product that he can present in order to maintain his position.

Other products can be replaced or imitated, but the face creams and lotions she makes are not something that just anyone can replicate.

Once facial creams and lotions enter Beijing, they will inevitably cause a sensation among the noble ladies and young women of the capital.

"Young Madam, the sample of your custom-made ceramic bottle has arrived."

Bai Zhi came in and reported, "Uncle Fu asked you where would be a suitable place to send it?"

"Have him take it to the lobby, I'll go check."

This time, the custom-made ceramic bottles for spring are still based on the seven colors of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, and each bottle contains a different product.

The bottles are exquisite, and the production rate is also high.

Xiao Chunyu's Qingyan Pavilion has been proven; she's not afraid of high prices, she's only afraid of not having enough products.

Good wine needs no bush; as long as the product is good, it will sell even if the price is high.

When spring warmed up in the hall, Uncle Fu was talking with Mr. Hu, the owner of the pottery workshop.

"Mr. Hu, this is my third young mistress."

"I have long heard of the Third Young Mistress's reputation, and I am honored to meet you today."

"You're too kind, Mr. Hu."

Both the Zhao and Xiao families are long-time customers of the pottery workshop.

However, they make their products with great care.

This is a big challenge for the pottery masters.

For a long time, pottery workshops have made pottery jars ranging from large ones for holding water and wine to small ones for holding oil and salt. However, these small ceramic bottles that can only hold one or two items are really rare, and they also need to be made in different colors.

This kind of delicate work was mostly done by official kilns. Fortunately, our workshop had a master craftsman surnamed Ma who had such skills, which enabled us to produce it.

There are advantages to having meticulous work, namely, higher wages.

The labor cost for a small ceramic bottle is higher than that for a large jar.

As long as the price is right, even fine work can be done.

"Third Young Mistress, what do you think of these ceramic vases?" Chun Nuan looked them over one by one, but was still not entirely satisfied.

"The bottle opening is a little too small."

She wanted to put in a face cream or lotion, but the bottle opening was too small to easily take it out.

"But the bottle opening is too big and the cap can't be screwed on tightly."

So, this is a difficult question.

Spring has arrived so quickly, and I don't know what to do.

After thinking about it, I gave up on the idea.

The bottle's color is quite bright, comparable to that of official kilns.

“Master Ma of our workshop has been firing kilns for 46 years. Sometimes he can even achieve kiln transformation. You can rest assured, young mistress, that he will definitely make a satisfactory ceramic vase.”

“Alright, let’s make two hundred of each then,” Chunnuan said. “We might be working together long-term in the future.”

"Thank you for your kind words, young mistress."

Mr. Hu thought that anyone who wanted to make the big jars could do so, and his workshop would focus on making these exquisite little pottery bottles from now on.

It saves time, effort, and money, and most importantly, you still make a lot of money.

After Uncle Fu saw Master Hu out, Chun Nuan held the ceramic bottle and kept thinking about how to extract the ointment.

When I returned to the courtyard, I saw the gardener cutting bamboo.

"Uncle Luo, why are we cutting bamboo?"

"Third Young Mistress, these bamboos have flowered. They will die after flowering, and they will also stain other bamboos." The gardener said, "If we cut them down and split them into bamboo strips, we can weave some bamboo baskets."

Bamboo strips!

A thought flashed through Chunnuan's mind.

"Uncle Luo, may I borrow your machete?"

"Third Young Mistress, I just sharpened this cleaver, it's very sharp. Tell me what you want to chop, and I'll help you."

"Then shave a piece of bamboo for me." Chunnuan took out a small ceramic bottle and gestured, "Use this shape as a guide, shave a thin slice, make it fine."

Uncle Luo immediately did as Chunnuan requested and quickly cut out a piece.

"Third Young Mistress, would you like more?"

"Yes, I'll cut a few more pieces."

"it is good."

Uncle Luo was very skilled at shaving bamboo strips.

After shaving a few bamboo strips, Chunnuan was still a little dissatisfied, feeling that something was missing.
Well, the main thing is that these things are meant to be sold at a high price, and if they're paired with bamboo strips, they seem to lower the overall quality.

If I pair it with jade... no, it's too fragile; if I pair it with silver... no, some medicines might have adverse interactions; if I pair it with copper... no, no, it still won't work.

Chunnuan returned to the courtyard with a few bamboo strips in her hand, her mind filled with questions.

"Young Madam, what do you need this for?" Bai Zhi asked curiously.

"I was thinking of using it with face cream, but I always felt it was a bit too rough."

“Then it can be fired,” Bai Zhi said. “It will look better after firing.”

This seems like a good option!

Chunnuan hurriedly went to the small kitchen and saw the cook tending the fire. She put the bamboo strips into the fire for a moment and then took them out. Sure enough, the bamboo strips changed color and the burrs were gone, making them look antique.

This looks really nice paired with a small ceramic bottle.

"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me." Even though Bai Zhi is a servant, her suggestions are still feasible.

"Bai Zhi, you are so smart."

Praised by the young mistress, Bai Zhi smiled shyly. She often saw this kind of thing at home; her father would lightly heat the bamboo strips in a fire when making them, which made the color much better. (End of Chapter)