“Making Cosmetics Is Not Difficult”

Jiang Yuanfan saw the situation and immediately turned his back.

He took out paper and a pen from his pocket and lay down on the ground.

Jiang Yuansheng silently admired his third brother—he was reliable at critical moments and even carried paper and a pen with him at all times.

“You just crush the flowers you collect and then add… Yes, yes, also the scented balm…”

Jiang Yuanfan’s wrist was about to break from writing.

His little sister not only explained how to make face powder but also detailed the process of making lip balm.

She even carefully described how to create different colors of lip balm.

He counted—twenty-six different types in total.

And there were also various recipes for different scented balms.

Simply incredible!

“Oh, and about pearl decorations, they are… Wait, why is Third Brother lying on the ground with his butt sticking up?”

Jiang Yuanxi was curious. Was he sneaking food under the table?

Jiang Yuanfan stiffened all over, remaining motionless on the ground. He turned his head, looking at his eldest brother for help.

His little sister was about to come over.

Jiang Yuansheng quickly said, “Yuanxi, the kitchen made crystal pork hock.”

“Huh? What?!”

“Pork hock.” Jiang Yuanxi turned around, looking dumbfounded.

Jiang Yuanfan took the opportunity to grab the stack of papers and ran for his life.

Jiang Yuanxi suddenly turned her head back.

“Ah! Third Brother stole my pork hock!”

She chased after him without hesitation.

Jiang Yuansheng shook his head and chuckled.

There was no saving this. Absolutely no saving this.

Even though they could hear Yuanxi’s thoughts, using her own methods against her…

She would find out sooner or later. So before making these things, they needed a proper reason.

The next day.

During a family meal, Jiang Yuansheng took out a book from his pocket.

“Mother, I found a book while studying. Could you take a look and tell me if it’s real?”

Receiving Jiang Yuan Sheng’s signal, the family members subtly prepared themselves.

Jiang Yuanxi was curious.

[A book? What book? I want to see too.]

Madam Chen took the book and glanced through it, looking slightly surprised.

“This book is rather unique. As far as I know, the noblewomen in the capital love cosmetics, and this book contains very detailed records. Quite rare indeed.”

Jiang Yuanxi climbed onto Madam Chen’s lap.

She flipped through the book eagerly.

The entire family’s gaze was fixed on her.

[“Hmm? This looks familiar.”] It felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

Since she often listened to Jiang Yuancheng read books to her, she recognized some of the words.

She just didn’t know how to write them.

Jiang Yuanfan swallowed nervously.

He had written down every word exactly as his sister had spoken.

Would she realize something was off?

[“Oh, I see!”]

The whole family held their breath.

“So the female lead didn’t create these formulas herself. In the previous life, she had already inherited her mother’s estate by this time, so she must have found this book by accident and learned how to make these things.”

Jiang Yuanxi continued flipping through the book, reaching the last page.

[“Wait… Why is Third Brother’s name written here? Did he write this book?”]

Jiang Fengyuan glared at his third son.

Useless! He couldn’t even handle this properly.

Why did he have to write his name? Was he afraid Yuan Xi wouldn’t see it?

Madam Chen and the others all turned to look at Jiang Yuan Yuan.

“Uh, uh,” Jiang Yuanfan stammered, “I-I found the book. It was too damaged, so I copied it down.”

In reality, he just had the habit of noting his name at the end of book copies.

“Yes! For convenience! Hahaha.”

[“Oh, that makes sense. The ink is new, so that explanation holds up.”]

[“I thought Third Brother had reincarnated too. That’s disappointing. No allies.”]

Jiang Yuanfan quickly took a sip of tea to calm himself down.

Jiang Yuansheng smiled. His sister was incredibly sharp—she would surely be extraordinary in the future.

Madam Chen suggested, “Since we now have recipes for making cosmetics, why don’t we open a shop and earn money ourselves?”

[“Yes! Yes! Make money! Walk the female lead’s path so she has no way forward!”]

Jiang Yuanxi eagerly supported the idea with both hands and feet.

Jiang Fengyuan lowered his head, hiding his smile.

Jiang Yuansheng calmly sipped his tea.

The pressure was now on Jiang Yuanfan.

Why weren’t their father and eldest brother saying anything?

Acting in front of his little sister was hard!

“Uh… Mother is right.” Jiang Yuanfan braced himself.

Madam Chen smirked. “I’ll handle hiring workers. You two have upcoming exams, so we’ll discuss this later.”

“Yes, we’ll follow Mother’s plan,” Jiang Yuan Yuan replied.

Jiang Yuansheng added, “Since we’re opening a shop, we need to come up with a good name.”

Everyone lowered their heads in thought.

Jiang Yuan Xi also propped her chin on her hands.

[“Golden Cosmetics Shop, Honey-glazed Braised Chicken Cosmetic Shop, Spiced Duck Cosmetics, Crystal Pork Hock Shop… Ah! I’m a genius at naming things!”]

Jiang Yuancheng twitched at the corners of his mouth. A Honey-glazed Braised Chicken Cosmetics Shop? A Spiced Duck Cosmetics Shop?

If his little sister opened a store, what exactly would she be selling?

With names like those, people would laugh them out of business.

Might as well sell roast duck.

Jiang Yuan Xi became more excited. “Mother, let’s call it—”

“Mother.”

Jiang Yuansheng swiftly interrupted her. “Let’s call it ‘Lan Fang Pavilion.’ Gathering all beauty, nothing could be better.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Madam Chen quickly covered Jiang Yuan Xi’s mouth. “That’s a good name. Let’s go with it.”

She was afraid her daughter would blurt out something absurd again.

The next day, Chun Zhi brought in a few samples.

“Madam, our people followed your recipe and made these.”

Due to time constraints, they had only managed to make three boxes of lip balm.

Madam Chen tried some.

It was smooth and moisturizing, with a texture far superior to anything on the market. It even had a unique floral fragrance.

“This is excellent. Have them make more in different colors, and then we’ll open the shop.”

[“No way! The female lead must have made hers by now too. Mother needs to make Lan Fang Pavilion famous before she does!”]

They couldn’t let the female lead gain the upper hand.

“Wait,” Madam Chen called out to Chun Zhi, “Make as much as possible and open the shop tomorrow.”

Chun Zhi hesitated. “Isn’t that too soon? With only one product, the shop might seem too simple.”

Customers might not even come.

Madam Chen thought for a moment. “Then prepare gift boxes. Some will be sold individually, and some as sets.”

“Yes, I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

…

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruo Wei was working alone in her room.

With her previous life’s experience, she quickly recreated the formula.

Looking at the cosmetics on her table, Concubine Hua’s heart ached.

Her daughter had spent so much money just to make some makeup.

She didn’t understand how expensive things were until she had to manage a household.

“Try this, Mother.”

Concubine Hua looked down at the small porcelain jar, which contained a red, balm-like solid.

Under her daughter’s expectant gaze, she applied some.

Her already stunning face became even more radiant.

“This is wonderful,” Concubine Hua praised. “Did you spend a lot of money?”

Jiang Ruowei smiled. “I made it myself. Many noble ladies in the capital will love it.”

But Concubine Hua looked worried.

They had no money and no staff.

How could they run a business?

Jiang Ruo Wei reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mother. I have a plan.”

Meanwhile, Madam Chen swiftly set up a high-end shop.

In just one day, it was beautifully renovated.

Now, they just needed to advertise it as quickly as possible.

Jiang Yuanxi suddenly realized—she had power now too!

She ran off to find Jiang Yuancheng.

“Fourth Brother!”

Jiang Yuancheng put down his book.

He picked up his little sister and kissed her.

She had gained weight recently—her soft little face was even more pinchable.

“Fourth Brother, I’ll take you to see the empire I built!”

Huh?

What empire?