Chapter 382: You Are the Ladies

Chapter 382: You Are the Ladies

"That's it—that's it—that's it—gently press your left wrist downward, slowly, slowly lower the bamboo screen into the pulp water..."

In the deep autumn and winter courtyard, under the towering pines and ever-blooming velvet flowers, Xianjin, dressed in a practical short outfit with wide sleeves tied behind her back, submerged her hands in the water. She worked in tandem with Suo'er across from her, swiftly but smoothly lifting the bamboo frame.

A thin, damp layer of paper pulp, resembling the fragile membrane inside an eggshell.

Xianjin deftly stacked it to the side, her movements quick and precise. With a flick of her right hand, the thin film lay flat on the ground—a true master never looks back to check their work, and Xianjin didn’t need to confirm her success, immediately moving on to the next sheet of paper.

It was... just so cool...

And Boss He was incredibly tall! Even taller than the average southern scholar!

Her features were delicate, with a sharp jawline and a high nose. Her attire was simple, with clean cuts and modest fabrics, a deep brown outfit that was both stylish and fitted. Her hair was tied high, secured with a single peachwood hairpin coated in clear lacquer.

Since she had to immerse her hands in water to lift the paper, Boss He removed her jade ring and casually set it aside. Though she wore no jewelry or luxurious fabrics, her height! Her presence! She could stand alongside many noble sons and not lose out, no doubt!

And...

Miss Rong's gaze drifted downward.

Boss He's fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles, like a long, thin, yet powerful flute.

Miss Rong's face turned a deep shade of red, feeling a bit warm. She lifted her head, pretending to look around, but when she noticed the expressions of those around her, she stiffened slightly—well, good, all the girls' faces were about the same shade of red...

Her close friend, Xue Yaoniang, nudged Miss Rong's elbow: "This Boss He is really..."

Xue Yaoniang paused, her cheeks flushing with shyness, and whispered, "She's really something else, isn't she?"

Something else?

What something else?

Miss Rong was a bit lost in her friend's train of thought, but following her gaze, she saw Boss He lower her head, raise her arm, and casually wipe the sweat from her face onto her sleeve—ah, she really was something else.

...

Although "Pin Xuan Studio" was indeed targeting young girls and married women...

Xianjin stood in the courtyard, hands at her sides, eyes lowered—but weren’t there really too many young girls and married women coming?

The private rooms were practically full.

Rather than coming for DIY paper-making, it seemed more like everyone was here to find a quiet place to sit, have tea, eat snacks, and relax... Since the Grand Princess came into power, it was clear that more women were out and about on the streets, but many restaurants and teahouses still weren’t very welcoming to women sitting alone, offering private rooms as the most they could accommodate.

"Pin Xuan Studio" almost exclusively catered to women. First, the environment was elegant, and second, it felt very safe—for example, all the employees were women, and the two aunties standing at the entrance were broad-shouldered and stern-faced. Upon inquiry, it turned out they were both from military households, with some martial arts skills and lives on their hands.

Of course, the most important thing was that besides DIY paper-making, "Pin Xuan Studio" also sold cute and clever paper products—paper fans had already launched four or five series, featuring bird-and-flower paintings, ink wash landscapes, and even simple sketches, like a three-stroke pig, a simple fish, or a fluffy cat in adorable styles;

Paper bookmarks were also popular. The material wasn’t anything special, but the sayings on them were quite striking, like "Life has no hardships, as long as you’re willing to give up," "If you persist, every hardship can overcome me," or "Money can be earned again, but if you lose your conscience, you can make even more"... and other anti-PUA slogans that made the girls and married women laugh as they read them, then happily handed over their money;

Paper popsicles also led a trend for a while. The popsicles themselves were the same, as this era couldn’t offer matcha-flavored Haagen-Dazs, but with a bit of salt and sugar, and the cooling effect of saltpeter, they were quite refreshing. The popsicles didn’t change, but the sticks did—Zhou Ergou treated a batch of paper to make it sturdy enough for popsicle sticks, carving flowers and words on them. What used to be a five-cent popsicle now sold for ten cents at "Pin Xuan Studio," but people still bought them happily...

...

There were many more paper products Xianjin wanted to create, some inevitably too avant-garde, like paper cups, paper hairpins, or paper makeup collaborations... Too many ideas required a lot of time and effort to develop.

For a long time, Xianjin lived in the bedroom on the second floor of "Pin Xuan Studio."

After entering the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, Xianjin became even busier. Coordinating the three stores required some planning. The "Xuan" store at the district's head continued its high-end, grand, and upscale approach, with more samples and trials given away. The "Xuan Paper" store at the tail of the district simply offered discounts as the best celebration. The planning for "Pin Xuan" was more mentally taxing...

The lights in the courtyard on the first floor were bright, and inside, Xianjin was scratching her head, thinking about the event.

Qiao Hui's low, hoarse voice, carried by the cold wind and frost, drifted into the hall: "Are you sure you don't want to go out and take a look? The big girl from the Rong family is about to fight with the big girl from the Xue family."

Xianjin glanced up.

Qiao Hui stood with his arms crossed, leaning slightly against the corridor, his head tilted. He was still wearing the soft armor from the Western Mountain Barracks, his boots unchanged, with traces of snow and mud at the heels.

Xianjin set down her pen and smiled, surprised: "Didn't you say you were going to stay stationed at the Western Mountain until after the New Year? Why are you back these past few days?"

Qiao Hui's eyebrows arched unconsciously, though his words were a bit vague: "Something happened in the east, and the Grand Princess urgently mobilized the commandery to assemble—Oh, I'm not going home, and you're not either?"

Qiao Hui kicked the frost and snow off his boots at the threshold before walking in, casually finding a stool and resting his hands on the back of the chair: "My old man sent me a letter some time ago, full of strong and aggrieved words—saying that you and Third Master have no conscience, one running around all day with his bowl and never seen, the other never at home, chasing money without a care..."

Xianjin laughed out loud: "Nonsense! I just went home to take a bath the day before yesterday!"

Qiao Hui frowned tightly: "So, you haven't bathed for two days?" Qiao Hui pretended to hiss, leaned in to sniff, and then nodded seriously: "Not bad, still fragrant."

Xianjin took the opportunity to press Qiao Hui's head and gave him a loud kiss on the forehead before letting go with a chuckle: "What did you just say about outside? Why are little Rong and little Xue arguing?"

Qiao Hui spoke with a sour tone: "Hmph, the Rong girl said you held her hand for half an hour today, and the Xue girl said you held hers for an hour, so they started arguing—"

Qiao Hui touched his forehead, still damp from the kiss, and suddenly felt he shouldn't be angry.

What's there to be angry about?

As long as I am the queen, you will always be the concubine!