Chapter 194: Feeling Guilty

Upon hearing that there were free samples of the face soap, priced at two taels of silver each, the crowd watching became excited.

“I’ll try it!”
“Me too!”

Everyone rushed forward eagerly.

The shop assistant had to form a circle around Ye Xin Ran to protect her as the crowd pressed in.

Ye Xin Ran picked out five people from the group.

The first one was the lady who had just mentioned that she had applied rouge.

“This soap cleans very well. After using it, this lady might really need to reapply her rouge,” Ye Xin Ran said.

The lady, who had been quite proud, looked embarrassed.

“Really? I look better now?”

“Yes!”
“You look much better!”

“Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”

“Why would we lie? I don’t even know you!”

Finally, the lady believed them.

“How did you find the soap?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

The lady, still feeling pleased from the compliments, responded happily,
“This soap works great! It’s better than the most expensive bath balls I’ve used.”

Ye Xin Ran smiled and said, “You like to wear makeup, right? If you use this soap before you apply makeup, it’ll keep your face hydrated and help the makeup go on smoother. You’re already pretty, so you won’t need to put on so much rouge. Just a light layer will do!”

One of her friends, who had come with her, suddenly looked displeased.

They were from a brothel and had seen all kinds of clients. They knew exactly which kinds of makeup would attract attention.

Although the shop owner, Ye Xin Ran, was beautiful, she didn’t wear makeup and looked quite plain. How could she dare give San Niang advice on makeup?

“This lady sounds like she knows how to do makeup. But do you really think a light layer of makeup will work? Why don’t you give us a demonstration? We have some freshly bought rouge here. Are you willing to try?”

The friend was clearly trying to make Ye Xin Ran back down.

To their surprise, Ye Xin Ran wasn’t intimidated.

“If San Niang agrees, I’ll give it a try. If you don’t like it, we can just wash it off.”

San Niang didn’t object.

Ye Xin Ran glanced at her face and thoughtfully began to apply makeup using the rouge and powder they had just bought. She created a “Flying Cloud” makeup look.

Her face, once pale, now had a subtle rosy hue, accentuating her red lips and white teeth, with lively eyes that sparkled.

“This makeup is beautiful!”
“Is this the makeup of a courtesan?”

San Niang’s friends were stunned.

“Wow, you really know how to do makeup!”

This makeup highlighted all of San Niang’s best features.

She looked less like a courtesan and more like a refined, alluring lady.

“I only know a little bit. I’m still not as good as you,” Ye Xin Ran said humbly.

San Niang looked at herself in the mirror, and the more she looked, the more she liked what she saw.

She kept praising the face soap to her friends. “This face soap is really good!”

Then, she turned to Ye Xin Ran and asked, “If I buy the face soap here in the future, can the shop owner do my makeup regularly?”

Ye Xin Ran shook her head.

“I don’t have time, but I can teach you.”

“Great! It’s a deal!”

San Niang was very happy and bought three bars of face soap for herself and each of her friends.

Before leaving, she mentioned that she would have the other women from the shop come by to buy some as well.

After finally seeing them off, the remaining four people got a chance to try the soap.

Everyone liked it after trying.

One person only took the free sample, while the others bought additional bars of soap, saying they would give them to their family members.

Seeing how enthusiastic the trial users were, the onlookers began to feel tempted as well.

“I’ll buy a bar for my wife. She loves things that smell nice.”

“I’ll buy one too. If I don’t buy anything and tell my wife, she’ll complain.”

“I’ll buy one too!”

Some of the common folk, although interested, found the price too expensive for their budget, so they could only watch the excitement.

“It’s a great product, but it’s not really for me.”

“I feel the same, but when I have the money, I’ll definitely try it.”

…

On the first day of selling, Ye Xin Ran sold 30 bars of soap, earning 60 taels of silver. She was satisfied with the result.

However, when she returned home, Lu Chang Qing brought her more good news.

He and Chang Sheng had successfully marketed the soap at the academy, and more than ten of their classmates had already pre-ordered it.

“Eight with osmanthus fragrance, ten with sandalwood, and two with orange scent,” Lu Chang Qing reported, looking at his notes.

Ye Xin Ran hadn’t expected them to sell so many, so she was pleasantly surprised.

“How did you convince your classmates? You didn’t individually persuade each one, did you?”

“No,” Lu Chang Qing replied.

“Chang Sheng uses the soap every day, and at first, people noticed the scent on him. After asking, they found out he used the soap to treat acne.

Everyone started paying attention to his face.

After three days, they saw that his face had really become smoother, and then they became interested in the soap.

Word spread, and soon everyone at the academy knew about it.

Sister, you know how important appearance is to us scholars.

So everyone thought they would try it for themselves.”

Once they’ve used it and see how well it works, more people will want to buy it.

“Good!”

Ye Xin Ran felt that her goal had been accomplished and said, “I’ll give you twenty bars to take with you.

Tell them the face soap is available at Yong Le Hall, and if anyone wants to buy it in the future, they can go to Yong Le Hall to get it!”

“Got it, sister!”

Lu Chang Qing watched as Ye Xin Ran counted out the bars of soap from the box and couldn’t help but ask, “Sister, this product is so good, have you really not considered selling it in the capital?

Mother has many shops there. If she gives one to you, dedicated to selling face soap, there will definitely be many people wanting to buy it!”

“I have thought about it!”

Ye Xin Ran replied, “But the capital is far, and I’m unfamiliar with the place. I don’t dare leave just like that.”

“In the past, it might have been reasonable to say it was too sudden, but now, with me and mother here, it’s practically your second home. How can you still call it sudden?

You’re just going back to where you truly belong!”

Lu Chang Qing said with certainty.

“Going back to where I belong?”

Ye Xin Ran heard this and turned to look at Xiao Huai’an.

Xiao Huai’an had been silent the whole time.

When he saw Ye Xin Ran looking at him, for some reason, his gaze suddenly shifted away.

This was the first time since they met that Ye Xin Ran saw Xiao Huai’an avoid her gaze.

A bad feeling suddenly arose within her.

Had something happened to him?

Was it something related to her?

She immediately stopped what she was doing with Lu Chang Qing.

After quickly sending him off, she turned her attention back to Xiao Huai’an.

“Are you in some kind of trouble?”

Ye Xin Ran asked.

Xiao Huai’an shook his head.

“Did you do something to wrong me?”

Ye Xin Ran asked again.

Xiao Huai’an hurriedly replied, “No!”

“Then why couldn’t you look at me just now?”

“I…”

Xiao Huai’an didn’t know how to explain.

He hadn’t expected that just one look would make Ye Xin Ran notice something was off.

He hadn’t realized that in front of Ye Xin Ran, there was no secret he could hide!