In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

Finally, Chunxing applied a bright red lipstick to her to enhance her complexion.

Once all the makeup was done, Chunxing stepped aside.

"Madam, are you satisfied?"

Madam Wang looked at herself in the mirror and remained silent for a long time.

The person in the mirror was still her; her eyebrows and facial features hadn't changed.

But then again, he seemed to have become a completely different person.

Her face, which had initially looked slightly tired, was now radiant and glowing. She looked at least five years younger than her actual age. Moreover, this beauty was refined, dignified, and utterly unpretentious.

"Great...that's wonderful..."

She murmured to herself, her eyes filled with excitement and joy.

She immediately stood up.

"Give me a set of everything downstairs!"

She took off a fine jade bracelet from her wrist.

"I didn't bring enough silver notes with me today, so I'll leave this bracelet here as collateral, and I'll send someone to bring the silver over tomorrow!"

Chunxing quickly stopped her.

"Madam, you flatter us. You are our first distinguished guest today, and according to our owner's rules, all your expenses today will be covered by our shop as a congratulatory gift for your opening."

Madam Wang was stunned.

She hadn't expected the other party to be so generous. Just by looking at the packaging and the effects, she knew this entire set of cosmetics was incredibly valuable.

"How does this work?"

“Of course,” Chunxing said with a smile. “I only hope that you will visit our shop often in the future and say a few good words about it. That would be the greatest support you could give us.”

Madam Wang gave Chunxing a deep look, then burst into hearty laughter.

"Alright! Lady White Snake is a shrewd businesswoman! I appreciate this favor!"

She straightened her sleeves and walked downstairs, looking radiant.

After receiving Bai Lu's invitation, the prefect of Qingzhou specially ordered that since he had no wife, the wives and daughters of his subordinates should attend the event to support Bai Lu.

Madam Wang was just there to make up the numbers, but she ended up getting the prize.

When Madam Wang walked out of Bailu Beauty Shop with an elegant demeanor, the ladies and young women who were about to enter were all stunned.

"Madam Wang? What brings you here...?"

"A Mrs. Li, who knew her well, asked in surprise."

Madam Wang nodded with a smile.

"Just came out of this store."

"Your complexion...it looks so good?"

Another Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but lean closer for a closer look.

Madam Wang was in a very good mood and did not hide anything.

"It's all thanks to this shop. If you're interested, you might as well go in and take a look. I dare say you won't be disappointed."

After saying that, she boarded her carriage amidst the gasps of the crowd.

With the wife of the magistrate as a living advertisement, the effect was immediate.

The women who were initially observing immediately swarmed in.

"Shopkeeper, what was that that the wife of the Assistant Magistrate used just now?"

"Quick! Give me one too!"

"I want to experience it! I want to become like Madam Wang!"

The store was instantly filled with noise.

Chunxing and the other shop assistants were busy, but they remained completely organized.

Following Bai Lu's prior training, they received guests in an orderly manner, introduced the products, and guided them to the second floor to experience them.

Bai Lu was upstairs, watching the lively scene below with satisfaction.

She knew that the first step had been successful.

Ever since Madam Wang walked out of Bailu Beauty Shop looking at least five years younger and radiant, the newly opened shop has become a hit.

Initially, most people adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

However, when more and more women who had personally visited the store appeared before everyone with visible and stunning changes, they stopped just watching.

Sun, the wife of the Salt Commissioner of Qingzhou, was one of them.

At a tea party with several close female friends, Madam Sun met Madam Wang again.

"Sister Wang, it's been a while since I last saw you. You look even better now."

Madam Sun exclaimed sincerely. Sitting opposite Madam Wang, she could clearly see that the other woman's skin was fair and radiant, with many fine lines that had faded. A touch of red lipstick made her look even more radiant and exuding an air of nobility.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang gently touched the corner of her lips with a silk handkerchief, her eyes filled with undisguised joy.

"You flatter me, Sister Sun."

"It's not because I take good care of myself, it's all thanks to the Bailu Beauty Shop on the street."

Another Mrs. Chen sitting next to her immediately chimed in.

"Is the cosmetics store you're talking about, sister? I've heard about it, but I haven't dared to try it yet."

"Everyone says the things there are incredibly strange; with just a light touch, a person looks like they've been transformed."

Madam Wang smiled.

"Strange? In my opinion, it should be described as exquisite."

She stretched out her hand and pointed to her face.

“Look at my face, it’s still my own face. My eyebrows and eyes haven’t changed, and my features haven’t been altered.”

"But why does it look different? It's because that store's cosmetics know how to accentuate strengths and minimize weaknesses."

Madam Wang's words instantly piqued everyone's interest.

"What do you mean?" Madam Sun pressed.

“Take that thing called foundation,” Madam Wang said in detail. “It’s not as white and heavy as ordinary lead powder. Instead, it’s very light and thin, making your skin look even and clean, as if you were born with such good skin.”

"And then there's that thing called contouring, which is a stroke of genius. Just a few light strokes on both sides of the cheeks can make the face look smaller. Isn't that amazing?"

The ladies present listened intently.

After the tea party ended, Madam Sun could no longer suppress her curiosity.

The next morning, she prepared a carriage and went straight to Bailu's shop.

When she personally experienced Chunxing's skillful service and looked at herself in the mirror—a reflection that was both familiar and unfamiliar—she truly understood the meaning behind Madam Wang's words.

In the mirror, her once somewhat plain features became more defined and sculpted, radiating an unprecedented air of sophistication and confidence...

Mrs. Sun immediately bought the entire set of cosmetics. Furthermore, without hesitation, she booked a month's worth of makeup services at the store!

From then on, the threshold of Bailu Beauty Shop was almost worn down by the ladies of Qingzhou City.

Gradually, a new social trend quietly emerged among the wealthy women of Qingzhou City.

The gatherings of ladies are no longer just about enjoying tea, admiring flowers, and listening to opera.

Their conversations began to increasingly revolve around the Bailu Beauty Shop.

"Oh, Sister Li, is that the red lipstick you're wearing today? It really suits you."

"That's right. I arrived late yesterday, and Chunxing specially saved this one for me. I heard that the new batch sold out in just one morning."

"Have you heard? Bailu Beauty Store is launching a new product, I think it's called something like a face mask. It'll make your skin soft and supple when you put it on."

"Really? Then we'd better book it right away!"

Bailu Beauty Store quickly introduced a membership system.

Bai Lu stipulates that any customer who spends 300 taels of silver or more in a single transaction at the store can become a silver card member and enjoy priority access to new products. Spending 1,000 taels or more will qualify them as a gold card member, who will not only enjoy all the priority access but also have the opportunity to have Bai Lu personally design a unique makeup look for them.

Three hundred taels, one thousand taels.

This is an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but for the wealthy and powerful families in Qingzhou City, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Thus, whether one possesses a membership card for Bailu Beauty Store, especially the gold card that symbolizes top-tier status, quickly became an unspoken standard for measuring whether a lady is at the forefront of fashion and the wealth of her husband's family!

Madam Zhao and her concubine were always arguing. They even argued about such things.

If you buy three sets of eyeshadow today, I'll order ten lipsticks tomorrow.

In the end, it was Madam Zhao, who had the greater financial resources, who was the first to raise a thousand taels of silver. When she received the membership card made of pure gold and engraved with exquisite plum blossom patterns from Chunxing, the pride on her face was almost overflowing.

Many people went to the afternoon when she got the chance to have Bai Lu do her makeup herself.

Everyone wanted to know just how incredibly skillful this Lady White Snake was.

When Madam Zhao came out of the private room on the second floor, everyone waiting in the hall held their breath.

It was a beauty that defied description...

Bai Lu didn't apply heavy makeup to her; instead, she used an extremely light and subtle technique.

A flawless base makeup, perfectly separated eyelashes, and a gentle mauve lip color.

Her makeup was extremely light, yet it amplified the best features of Madam Zhao's face several times over, perfectly highlighting her gentle and scholarly air.

At that moment, everyone understood.

Bailu Beauty Store sells more than just cosmetics; it sells an aesthetic!

From then on, being able to use cosmetics from Bailu Beauty Store became a complete trend!

At important banquets, if a lady's makeup wasn't done by Bailu Beauty Shop... she would feel inferior, and even her voice would unconsciously become three degrees softer.

Young ladies consider owning a lipstick from Bailu Beauty Shop to be the most desired gift for their coming-of-age ceremony.

Even the maids in the mansion would save up several months' wages to go to the store together, just to buy the cheapest multi-color eyeshadow palette. Then, on their days off, they would hide in their own little rooms and paint each other's eyeshadow.

......

Bailudong Academy.

The married teachers at the academy noticed that their wives seemed to be acting differently lately.

Previously frugal and domestic wives began spending more time in front of the mirror. Ladies who rarely went out started attending various tea parties in the city. But the most obvious change was in their conversation topics.

"Oh, have you heard? Madam Wang got a new lipstick yesterday, it's called Maple Leaf Red, and it makes her complexion look amazing."

"Not only that, Madam Sun has even started using something called a face mask, saying it can make the skin fully hydrated."

These teachers, who spent their days lecturing on classical Chinese texts in the classroom, returned home at night to find their ears filled with unfamiliar terms like lipstick, foundation, and gold membership cards.

Although they didn't understand these girlish tidbits, they could clearly sense the ladies' joy.

Master Zhang, who taught the Book of Rites, was one of them.

His wife was virtuous and gentle, and had never asked him for anything in decades. But these past few days, however, she had been sighing and groaning in front of the bronze mirror without him noticing.

Master Zhang saw it all and felt deeply pained.

That day, he finally mustered up his courage, took his several months' salary with him, and went to the legendary Bailu Beauty Shop during his day off.

However, he was stunned by the sheer number of people as soon as he arrived.

A long queue stretched out in front of the shop, filled entirely with well-dressed women and their maids. He, a tall man in a scholar's robe, stood out awkwardly among them, attracting many stares.

He reluctantly queued for half an hour, finally managing to squeeze to the door, only to be politely informed by the shop assistant that...

"Sir, I'm so sorry, but today's lipsticks and foundations are sold out... If you would like to buy some, please come back early tomorrow."

Master Zhang was turned away, so he got up early the next day to go again, but he still returned empty-handed.

For three days in a row, he didn't even see a trace of the lipstick.

Feeling depressed, Master Zhang returned to the academy and couldn't help but pour out his grievances to several familiar colleagues.

"This is utterly outrageous! A mere tube of lip rouge is harder to find than a book of sages!"

Unexpectedly, his complaint immediately resonated with many.

Master Li, who taught mathematics, slapped his thigh.

"Brother Zhang, are you also troubled by this? My wife doesn't say it, but I know she's worried about it. I've tried four times, but I couldn't even get through the door!"

Even Master Zhao, who taught the history of the nation, sighed.

"Who says it isn't?"

"My wife's birthday is coming up soon, and I was thinking of buying something to surprise her, but now it looks like that's out of the question."

Several grown men huddled together, looking at a small lipstick with furrowed brows.

Just then, Master Li's eyes lit up, and he suddenly thought of something.

He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously to everyone.

"Gentlemen, why don't we try a different approach?"

"Oh? What insightful opinion do you have, Brother Li?" Master Zhang quickly asked.

Master Li gestured with his lip towards the direction of the school.

"Have you forgotten? Isn't the owner of Bailu Beauty Shop the mother of those seven girls from the Bai family?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood.

That's right! How could they forget about this relationship!

This is a ready-made opportunity!

So, during the break between classes the next day, the three teachers, Zhang, Li, and Zhao, agreed to meet up and found the seven sisters playing shuttlecock in the courtyard.

"Cough cough."

Master Zhang cleared his throat, trying his best to appear kind and approachable.

The seven little girls immediately stopped playing, stood in a row, and bowed respectfully.

"Hello, Master Zhang! Hello, Master Li! Hello, Master Zhao!"

"Alright, alright." Master Zhang rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Well... I have something I'd like to ask you sisters for a favor."

January blinked her bright eyes and asked curiously.

"Please speak, Master. We will certainly help if it is within our power."

Master Zhang glanced at his colleagues before stammering out his answer.

"That's right... the Bailu Beauty Shop that your mother runs is doing incredibly well."

"The teacher wants to... wants to buy a lipstick for his wife, but he can't seem to find one..."

After he finished speaking, his old face turned slightly red.

Master Li and Master Zhao nodded repeatedly, their faces filled with anticipation.

"Yes, yes, us too."

"We just wanted to ask you to go back and talk to your mother, to see if... you could leave us a few?"

The seven little heads huddled together, chattering and whispering amongst themselves.

They had heard their mother say that everything in the shop was sold according to the rules, and even family members couldn't take things without permission.

It would probably be inappropriate to ask my mother for it directly.

Just then, April, who usually had the most mischievous ideas, suddenly had a thought pop into her head.

She tugged at January's sleeve.

After listening to this, January's eyes lit up.

She cleared her throat and faced the three teachers again.

"Master, we can help with this."

"Really?" Master Zhang was overjoyed.

“But…” January changed the subject.

“It takes us time and effort to buy these things for the teachers. Besides, we have to use our relationship with our mothers; that's called doing them a favor. So…”

She paused, then held up a tiny finger.

“We can help you buy it, but you have to pay an extra 10% as a reward for our hard work.”

"This is called a personal shopper!"