Chapter 14 Women’s money is the easiest to earn, especially women who are getting married

While everyone was still marveling at the bride, someone outside shouted that the groom’s party had arrived to fetch the bride. In an instant, the Lin household became lively. They pretended that everything had already been prepared and placed neatly in the room. Some of the more playful guests ran out of their rooms, eager to tease the groom a bit.

Lin Meiqi’s heart pounded nervously. Just moments ago, she had been feeling beautiful and confident, but now that her man was about to see her bridal look, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried. Holding up a mirror, she looked at herself repeatedly and asked, “Xiangxiang, are you sure this looks good? Does it make me look too childish?”

She had attended plenty of weddings and noticed that brides often looked very mature after getting their makeup done. She was afraid that her look would make her seem like a little girl.

“Don’t worry, you’re the most beautiful one here today. What man doesn’t love youthfulness? Just wait, when your husband sees you, he’s definitely going to be stunned,” Ruan Xiangxiang said confidently. She was proud of her skills. She hadn’t expected that with just ordinary makeup products, she could make the look so flawless. She figured it was thanks to people in this era having good sleep and naturally healthy skin. With that thought, she resolved to start sleeping better herself—she didn’t want to walk around with dark circles or become a balding princess.

Meanwhile, the groom and his friends, after being “slightly” teased, made their way to Lin Meiqi’s bedroom door. Her two bridesmaids blocked the entrance and challenged the groom with two riddles. Once he answered correctly, the bridesmaids smiled at each other and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, everyone’s attention immediately shifted to Lin Meiqi. Especially the girls who had come along to fetch the bride—they couldn’t hide their astonishment at her bridal look.

“Wow! Meiqi, your look is stunning today. Where did you get your hair done?”

“Exactly! And hey, how did you get double eyelids? Your eyes look so big now!”

“So pretty! When my sister got married, she had a stylist from the county, but it wasn’t even close to this!”

The group chattered excitedly, showering her with compliments. Ruan Xiangxiang stood calmly to the side, nodding with satisfaction at her work.

Lin Meiqi, sitting shyly on the bed, didn’t dare look directly at her man. She softly told the other girls, “My friend Xiangxiang helped me—didn’t hire that hairstylist from the county. She’s too busy and said she couldn’t fit me in.”

Only then did the others notice Ruan Xiangxiang in the room. They had seen the unfamiliar face when they came in, but Xiangxiang had kept her head down, quietly tidying up her makeup kit, only giving them a polite nod.

Knowing today’s spotlight should be on Lin Meiqi, and considering her own striking looks and figure, Xiangxiang had purposely worn loose-fitting clothes, tied up her hair, put on thick black-rimmed glasses, and left her face completely bare—no makeup or lipstick—to hide her beauty as much as possible.

Now that people were turning to look at her, they thought she had a unique aura, and someone even noticed her eyes looked water-blue. Just as they were about to ask her more questions, Ruan Xiangxiang cleverly changed the subject with a cheerful voice:

“Oh my, is the groom blushing? Come on, Mr. Groom, tell us—isn’t your bride just beautiful today?”

Everyone turned their attention to the bride and groom again. The groom was visibly shy, head lowered, stealing glances at his bride but too embarrassed to look directly. Lin Meiqi sat on the bed, her face glowing with bashfulness. The makeup enhanced her natural beauty, making her look like a blooming flower.

“M-Meiqi? You look… amazing.” the groom stammered.

“Really? Do I really look good?” Lin Meiqi asked shyly.

“You look so good I almost didn’t recognize you.” the groom scratched his head awkwardly, looking a bit silly.

“Hahaha.”
“Ooooh~~”
The bridesmaids, groomsmen, and all the onlookers began to cheer and tease.

Ruan Xiangxiang was in great spirits—nothing was more heartwarming than seeing two people in love finally tying the knot.

“Kiss! Kiss!” Ruan Xiangxiang led the chant. This couple was just too innocent—she had to spice things up a bit.

Everyone quickly joined in, clapping and chanting, “Kiss! Kiss!”

The bride and groom’s faces turned bright red—after all, it was the 1980s, a time when even holding hands in public felt awkward. Now they were being asked to kiss in front of everyone?

“Kiss! Kiss!”
The crowd clapped and chanted louder.

The groom was already awestruck by his bride, especially curious about her eyes. He remembered her as a single-lidded girl, but now she had double eyelids—he really wanted to take a closer look.

“H-Honey, what did you do to your eyes?” he asked, cheeks as red as a monkey’s bottom. As he leaned in to look closer, one of the cheeky groomsmen gave him a little shove—and just like that, the bride and groom kissed.

“Waaaah!! They kissed!”
“Yes! Yes! Now hand over the red envelopes!”

Ruan Xiangxiang again stirred the crowd’s energy.

The groom, red-faced and flustered, felt as if he’d been granted a pardon. He quickly stood up and fished out red envelopes wrapped in red paper from his pocket to distribute to everyone.

“Wah! Wishing the bride and groom eternal love and happiness!” Ruan Xiangxiang shouted gleefully as she grabbed a red envelope, her blessings flowing smoothly and cheerfully.

Seeing that, the others stopped teasing the bride and joined in the scramble for red envelopes. Those who managed to grab one kept offering nonstop blessings and well-wishes for the newlyweds. This wedding was truly a refreshing change—full of youthful energy, yet never crossing the line. It was all thanks to Ruan Xiangxiang’s excellent crowd management, keeping everything perfectly balanced.

After a while, the auspicious hour for the wedding procession arrived, and it was time for the bride to leave with the groom. Lin Meiqi’s mother and a few of the older aunties were crying their hearts out. Even the bride herself was on the verge of tears. Ruan Xiangxiang leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Don’t cry—your eye makeup will smudge. There won’t be anyone over there to fix it for you.”

With that reminder, the bride held back her tears by sheer will.

Gu Rongqing and Lu Hang, being men, didn’t take part in the teasing and festivities. They had been quietly sitting outside the whole time, behaving properly. But Gu Rongqing’s eyes never left Ruan Xiangxiang. He felt like she was a book full of fascinating content—every page he turned left him even more intrigued.

Today, she was like a lively little white rabbit—spirited and innocent. The smile on Gu Rongqing’s lips hadn’t faded for even a second.

Once the wedding procession departed, and it was getting late, Ruan Xiangxiang and the two men finally said their goodbyes to Lin Meiqi’s family and drove on toward Shendu.

In the back seat, Ruan Xiangxiang counted the 15 yuan she had earned that day, looking very satisfied. Though it wasn’t a huge amount, she saw a business opportunity in it. She had overheard some of the girls in the wedding party say that the local bridal makeup artist in the small county was so overbooked that she couldn’t take new appointments—and her work wasn’t even as good as Xiangxiang’s.

As people’s standard of living continued to improve, the demand for beauty would naturally grow along with it. And when it came to making money, there was no better market than women—especially brides.