Chapter 80: The Fragrance Shop’s Business Flourishes

The butcher’s family was considered well-off in the county, never lacking food or drink. However, the butcher’s daughter, Miss Zhang, was rather plump, which had made it difficult for her to find a husband.

Some time ago, she had spent a considerable amount of money to buy a bottle of rose-scented dew from the shop. After using it for a few days, she miraculously got engaged to the youngest son of the Liu family from the neighboring county. Her wedding was scheduled for the sixth day of the next month.

Miss Zhang attributed all of her good fortune to the scented dew, believing it to be the reason behind her engagement. Because of this, she was extremely grateful to the Zhou family’s fragrance shop. Whenever she had spare money, she would come by to purchase something, as a way of supporting their business.

Today, she stepped into the shop once again, carrying a slab of pork in her hands.

“Shopkeeper Zhou, have you got a new batch of scented dew?” she asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she glanced at the shelves.

Zhou Feng greeted her warmly, “Yes, my brother and sister-in-law just brought it in. It’s especially effective for mosquito bites—you should give it a try.”

As he spoke, he handed her an already opened bottle.

Miss Zhang took it without hesitation, then turned around and shoved the slab of pork into Du Wanchun’s hands. “Sister Du, take this!”

Du Wanchun initially wanted to refuse, but there was no arguing with Miss Zhang.

Not only was Miss Zhang strong in stature, but her physical strength was also formidable. With a swift motion, she stuffed the meat into Du Wanchun’s arms before she could even react.

By the time Du Wanchun looked up again, Miss Zhang had already applied some of the peppermint-scented dew onto her skin. She sniffed at it carefully and, after a long pause, burst into hearty laughter. “This stuff is amazing! I had a nasty bug bite yesterday, and now it doesn’t itch at all! My father slaughters pigs every day, and with all the flies and mosquitoes around, this will be perfect for him.”

She then turned to Zhou Feng and asked, “How much is this per bottle?”

Hearing her question, Zhou Feng looked toward Du Wanchun.

Smiling, Du Wanchun replied, “It’s twenty wen per bottle.”

In the village, twenty wen could buy a lot of things, but compared to the floral-scented dew that cost several taels of silver, this was already quite affordable.

For the county’s merchants, it was a price they could easily afford.

Without hesitation, Miss Zhang pulled forty wen from her pocket and handed it to Du Wanchun. “I’ll take two bottles!”

“Alright, Miss Zhang.” Du Wanchun smiled as she took the copper coins from Miss Zhang’s hand, then turned around and grabbed two bottles from the shelf to hand to her.

Miss Zhang held the bottles with great affection, smiling as she walked out the door.

Although she was rather plain in appearance, she had a warm and cheerful personality and was well-acquainted with all the neighbors on this street.

Sure enough, she had barely stepped outside before people from the tailor shop, teahouse, tavern, pawnshop, and noodle shop all started pouring in.

Having heard about the effectiveness of the new scented dew, they didn’t hesitate at all and rushed into the store.

The Zhou family’s fragrance shop instantly became lively.

As the crowd in the shop grew, it naturally attracted even more onlookers.

Many ordinary townspeople who had been out shopping for daily necessities also joined in, curious to see what the commotion was about.

Normally, they couldn’t afford the expensive rose-scented dew, but this peppermint-scented dew was much more practical. It didn’t have the strong medicinal smell of ointments, yet it had the same soothing effects.

Many of them gritted their teeth and decided to buy a bottle.

For those who couldn’t afford the twenty-wen price, a few people would chip in together to buy one bottle and share it. That way, each person only had to pay a few coins.

Before long, the entire batch of peppermint-scented dew that had just been delivered was completely sold out.

Zhou Feng was overjoyed, unable to keep up with counting the copper coins piling up in front of him.

Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruizhen didn’t rush to leave either. They stayed to help collect the coins and hand out the goods.

By the time all the customers had dispersed, the sun was already setting.

After having dinner at Zhou Feng’s shop, Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruizhen headed to the marketplace to purchase some supplies.

They bought beeswax and sesame oil for making scented balm, along with some shoes, fabric, and candles.

Previously, their home had only used oil lamps, but the light was dim and produced a lot of smoke. Candles, on the other hand, were much brighter.

With their purchases in hand, the couple prepared to get on the carriage.

Just then, an elderly fortune teller spotted Du Wanchun and quickly called out, “Young lady, you are blessed with great fortune! Would you like to have your fortune read?”

The old man had graying hair and a thin, frail frame, suggesting a life of hardship.

Du Wanchun paused and asked, “Sir, what kinds of readings do you offer?”

The old man looked up at Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruizhen, squinting slightly as he smiled. “I can read your fate in love and predict your future children.”

Zhou Ruizhen’s eyes darkened slightly, and he spoke seriously, “Then tell us about our marriage and our children.”

Du Wanchun nodded in agreement and wrote down her birth date and time on a piece of paper.

The old man examined the characters and was momentarily stunned before breaking into a wide smile. He clasped the paper together with both hands and said, “Young lady, young master, the two of you are a match made in heaven! Your fates are intertwined over three lifetimes. In this life, your love will be deep and harmonious, like a perfect melody played on the qin and se.”

As he spoke, he pinched his fingers together, calculated something, and stroked his beard. “According to your destinies, you will have three sons and one daughter—your household will be full of children and grandchildren, and you will live a long and prosperous life!”

“Three sons… and one daughter?!” Du Wanchun was stunned. That was even more than she had imagined.

The old man nodded with certainty. “Yes, the two of you are destined to have many children.”

After speaking, he calculated something again with his fingers and murmured, “It’s happening soon… very soon.”

“What’s happening soon?” Du Wanchun asked.

The old man squinted his eyes and smiled mysteriously, but he didn’t answer.

Du Wanchun didn’t quite understand and wanted to press further, but Zhou Ruizhen gently stopped her.

Taking out a few copper coins, Zhou Ruizhen generously tossed them to the old man. “Thank you, sir.”

His expression carried a hint of joy.

Whether or not the fortune teller’s words were true, they pleased Zhou Ruizhen greatly. He was in an excellent mood.

If he were still in the imperial palace, he would have rewarded the old man with ten thousand taels of gold.

The old man accepted the coins with a smile and said, “May you both go in peace.”