After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

Lin Qianqian looked at the shampoo soap she had made; it was already hard and stiff. She had been so busy these past few days that she had completely forgotten about it.

Take out the custom-made wooden box and put the shampoo bars inside one by one.

"Sister Qianqian, why are you putting them all in wooden boxes?" Hu Zi squatted to the side, watching her arrange them one by one.

Lin Qianqian didn't answer immediately. She picked up a bar of soap and then a boxed bar, holding one in each hand: "Tiger, look at these two, which one is more expensive? Which one would you buy?"

Without a second thought, Tiger pointed to the wooden box.

"See?" Lin Qianqian tossed the bare soap onto the table. "A bare bar is worthless, no matter how good it is. But once it's put in a box, its value doubles. Just like the pastry boxes sold in shops, wrapped in oil paper, they look ordinary, but once they're put in a wooden box, they're like the pastries of a wealthy family."

"Sister Qianqian, how are you so amazing?" Tiger was full of admiration.

"What's this?" Lin Qianqian patted the box. "I plan to sell these to the young ladies of wealthy families. No matter how good the peasant families are, they'll think these are useless. Good things only have value if they're sold to people who understand them."

Tiger's eyes lit up: "Great idea! The young ladies from wealthy families are all rich. They're willing to spend money as long as the things are good."

"Don't get too excited yet." Lin Qianqian pulled up a stool and sat down, crossing one leg. "Do you know which wealthy families are in town?"

Tiger counted on his fingers: "The Zhao family, the Su family who owns the silk shop, and... and that, the Qin family who owns the pharmacy?"

"The Qin family isn't a large family, at most they're well-off." Lin Qianqian shook her head. "Let me tell you. The Zhao family goes without saying, they're an official family, and Miss Zhao was pampered growing up."

"The Su family's silk shop has three daughters. The eldest daughter married a scholar from the prefectural city, the second daughter is engaged and I heard she's going to own a jewelry shop, and the third daughter is about my age and loves to dress up."

"And then there's the Wen family. Master Wen is a retired wealthy man who has returned to his hometown. He has two daughters, one fourteen and the other thirteen. I heard that the money they spend on cosmetics each month is enough for us to eat for half a year."

Tiger's mouth dropped open: "Sister Qianqian, how do you know so much?"

"Your sister was quite busy when she went to town," Lin Qianqian said proudly, raising her chin. "All those aunties and grandmas carrying baskets to buy vegetables were talking about this. Whose daughter got engaged, what kind of flowers whose lady liked, which old lady was a Buddhist—I heard it all clearly."

"So, who should we sell to first?"

"Miss Zhao," Lin Qianqian picked up a bar of soap and weighed it in her hand, "Magistrate Zhao was transferred from out of town and has no connections here. Miss Zhao is unfamiliar with the area, so what does she lack most? People to hang out with. She likes new things, not just for the novelty itself, but to have an excuse to interact with the young ladies in town. With a bar of soap, she can invite Miss Sun's third daughter to admire it, and before long, they'll be acquainted, won't they?"

Tiger slapped his thigh: "So we're not selling soap, we're selling an identity?"

"That's right." Lin Qianqian's eyes crinkled into a smile. "And think about it, if Miss Zhao uses it, what about the third young lady of the Sun family? What about the two young ladies of the Wen family? They're all eyeing Miss Zhao. Even the county magistrate's daughter uses this; how can they fall behind?"

"How much silver does that cost per piece?" Tiger asked.

Lin Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "I won't sell Miss Zhao's piece; I'll give it to you."

If she uses it well, she'll naturally send someone to inquire. Then the price won't be set by me, but by her. Whatever she offers, the Su family and Wen family will have to offer the same amount; anything less would be unacceptable.

"Brilliant!" Tiger slapped his thigh. "But Sister Qianqian, why should Miss Zhao accept our things? What hasn't she seen before?"

"So we can't just deliver it directly." Lin Qianqian lowered her voice. "I've inquired, and Miss Zhao goes to the temple in the west of the city to burn incense on the first and fifteenth of each month. Let's find an excuse to 'bump into' her at the temple gate."

I carried a basket with a few bars of soap inside, saying they were homemade and I would offer them at the temple for good luck, which piqued her interest.

Tiger was stunned: "Sister Qianqian, what's wrong with your brain? You were wasting your talents by collecting snails before."

"Stop being so poor." Lin Qianqian stood up. "Let's go find Doctor Zhou to write something."

"But Sister Qianqian, we don't have a pen or paper."

"No need, the old man has plenty. Feel free to use his things." Lin Qianqian chuckled to herself.

Tiger covered his mouth: "Sister Qianqian, I've discovered that you really can take advantage of Dr. Zhou all by yourself."

"What do you mean by 'taking advantage'? What I gave was all emotional value, understand?"

The two walked toward Doctor Zhou's courtyard.

When we arrived at Doctor Zhou's courtyard, the old man was sitting on the veranda grinding medicine, the millstone making a gurgling sound.

Lin Qianqian placed the shampoo soap on his medicine table: "I just made it, so I'm bringing it to my master as a token of my respect. I'll also borrow some writing brush and ink while I'm at it."

Dr. Zhou didn't even lift his eyelids: "What are you up to now? It's definitely nothing good."

"I'll borrow your calligraphy for a bit."

"Borrow my calligraphy?" The old man paused, looked up at her, and said, "Do you think my calligraphy is like cabbages sold on the street?"

"More valuable than cabbage."

Doctor Zhou glared at her, snorted, and got up to go inside, pushing paper, brush, ink, and inkstone in front of her. "What are you writing?"

"Just write 'Qianqian Handmade' in bigger letters."

Dr. Zhou picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and with a flick of his wrist, wrote the four characters "Qianqian Handmade" neatly and elegantly, with a touch of strength in his brushstrokes.

Lin Qianqian leaned closer to take a look, her eyes lighting up: "Old man, your handwriting is really good! It's even more steady than Ah Long's."

"Stop flattering me." Doctor Zhou said without even looking up.

"Write more, I need it very much." Lin Qianqian smiled and leaned closer, forcing a smile.

At first, Dr. Zhou was quite pleased with his writing, but as he wrote more and more, he wrote, "How many thousand handmade items do you want? My wrists are about to break."

Dr. Zhou's eyes widened as if he wanted to devour someone.

"Almost there, almost there, just write a dozen more, that'll be enough." Lin Qianqian coaxed and pleaded, "I'm spreading medical knowledge, those soaps are the culmination of our hard work."

"He even claimed it was made by me, but it turns out he was going to sell it. His eyes and heart are full of the stench of money." Doctor Zhou said with a sneer.

"I'll make money to support you in your old age and see you off when you die," Lin Qianqian said with a grin.

"I want to live a few more years, and you keep bringing it up. Are you trying to send me to my death?" Doctor Zhou was so angry that his beard almost flew off.

"No, no, I was just explaining my purpose for making money." Lin Qianqian quickly patted Dr. Zhou's back, afraid that the old man would really get angry.