Chapter 572 - 213: The Power of a Brother-in-law
Chapter 572: Chapter 213: The Power of a Brother-in-law
Xu Shiling knew that Xu Suying had a blood clot in her head.
When Xu Yanlin wrote to him, he had told him everything he had found out and witnessed.
The blood clot also explained Xu Suying’s amnesia. Otherwise, she was so quirky and mischievous that he sometimes found it hard to believe a word she said.
Xu Shiling said, "Don’t trouble yourself thinking about family matters. If there’s anything you want to know, ask Yanlin, or I’ll tell you everything. As for the blood clot in your head, once we’re back in the Capital City, we’ll have Father ask an Imperial Physician from the palace to treat you. It’s nothing to worry about, so don’t let it weigh on your mind."
Bringing up how Xu Suying had earned money doing makeup for people over the years, Xu Shiling couldn’t help but laugh. "This is what you’ve always loved. Back in the day in the Capital City, whenever there was a palace banquet, your little group of friends would practically move into our house for no other reason than to have you advise them on their outfits and makeup."
His sister always had such clever ideas, and she was never stingy about teaching her techniques to others. As a result, she had a very wide circle of friends, and so many girls were close to her.
After she disappeared, those girls cried until their eyes and noses were red. Several of them spent all day at the family home, just waiting for news of her.
When she still hadn’t been found after a long time, and their family delayed setting up a cenotaph for her, those girls nearly got into a fight over it.
Some firmly believed she was still alive, while others said the undercurrents were treacherous and the chances of survival for anyone who fell in were slim to none. How could a delicate young woman possibly have survived?
With all the squabbling, there wasn’t a moment of peace in the house those days.
Hearing these stories from the past, Xu Suying’s eyes filled with a smiling warmth. When she heard her big brother praise her skills, she couldn’t help but flash a smug grin. "Well, I’m much stingier now. I still teach those skills, but people have to pay. Back in Qingshui County, I charged five taels of silver for a full makeup session. When I got to the prefecture..."
"What about it? Don’t tell me you’re still in that business? I heard you’re making perfume now, aren’t you?"
"Oh, I stopped, I stopped. My husband is a Sixth-rank Official now, after all. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing for him if I were still doing makeup for people? I gave up that work a long time ago. Now I mainly help my daughter manage her perfume business."
While it was true that Xu Suying no longer did makeup for money, she still taught others how to do it. Not just anyone, though—her main pupil was Wang Jun’s mother.
After arriving in the prefecture, Xu Suying had reached out to Mrs. Wang, given the family’s connection to Wang Jun, Zhao Jing, and De’an. She sent her a special invitation, and they had since had tea together on several occasions.
Her status was different now, so of course Mrs. Wang wouldn’t think of continuing to buy her makeup services or the undergarments she designed.
But Xu Suying could tell that Mrs. Wang really appreciated her creations, so she took the initiative to teach her some of her secrets and even drew some undergarment designs for her.
The two became very good friends—so good that they could even talk about what goes on in the bedroom.
*Ahem.* ’No need to tell these stinky men about that part.’
Changing the subject to perfume making, Xu Suying said proudly, "I don’t make it myself anymore; I mainly just help run things for my daughter. Qing’er is incredibly talented, even more so than me. The Moonlight Fragrance she created is sold all throughout the Wei Dynasty."
Chen Wanqing grew flustered. "Mother, that’s such an exaggeration."
"We’ve shipped to other places, but only in small batches, just to test the waters. Right now, the bulk of our shipments go to Xinghuai Prefecture and the Capital City."
"It doesn’t matter how much we supply. Just tell me, did our Moonlight Fragrance get sent there or not? Did it sell or not?"
"That much is true."
"Then what are you being so humble for? You’re so young and you already have such a big business—even your mother works for you! You should be proud to tell people about it."
Xu Shiling was astonished. "Qing’er created Moonlight Fragrance? It’s true what they say: a tigress won’t birth a pup. Your mother was brilliant at making perfumes. She was interested in it from a very young age and was such a quick study that the tutors the family hired couldn’t teach her anymore. Mother even paid a special visit to an old friend to ask them to mentor your mom. To this day, there are still a few ’noble lady’ perfumes in the Capital City that have been bestsellers for twenty years straight, and those were all created by your mother. I never expected you to be even more amazing than her! The last time I came to Xinghuai Prefecture, Mr. Sheng himself specially recommended Moonlight Fragrance to me. When I was leaving, he even gave me a box of it as a local specialty to take with me. It’s really excellent. I was just thinking I should buy some more."
"No need to buy any, then. I’ll give you some later. But speaking of which, *little* brother, did you just throw away your books after becoming an official? What’s this ’tigress won’t birth a pup’ nonsense? You make me sound like a shrew. Aren’t you ruining my reputation?"
Chattering away and catching up on family news, they didn’t notice that night had fallen outside.