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

However, the big tree attracts the wind.

Master Lü, a rigid and meticulous old scholar in the academy, has recently taken a dislike to the seven little moons.

Master Lü taught the Analects, and he valued the ancient teaching that a gentleman should not speak of profit.

He had long been critical of the growing trend of cosmetics in the academy, believing that it diluted the academic atmosphere of this place of sages.

What's the point of these female students just scribbling and drawing all day?

Now, seeing that Yiyue and her girls were openly doing business in the academy, he felt it was improper and a disgrace to culture.

On this day, during a public lecture, when Master Lü was talking about how a gentleman understands righteousness while a petty person understands profit, he suddenly changed the subject and glanced at the girls sitting in January, intentionally or unintentionally.

"I have recently heard that my White Deer Grotto Academy is a place for studying, learning, and cultivating one's character, yet some students are not ambitious and are full of greed, treating the academy like a marketplace and turning the friendship between classmates into a business transaction!"

"

This is putting the cart before the horse, and indulging in trivial pursuits to the detriment of one's ambition!

"If this continues, how will the spirit of the academy be preserved? Where will the dignity of the sages be?"

These words were spoken with great emphasis, and the entire school fell silent.

All the students' eyes turned to the seven sisters.

He remained unfazed for a month.

February's face fell.

March was about to jump up and speak, April rolled up her sleeves, and May quickly pulled them both down, whispering, "If you're unhappy with us, you can say it in private. Who are you trying to insult by saying it in front of so many people?!"

June was completely dumbfounded. This old man wasn't afraid of her mother?!

July fell into deep thought... If someone isn't afraid of her mother, it means they have powerful backers.

They all knew that Master Lü was using this as a warning to intimidate them.

If it were an ordinary student, being reprimanded in public by the teacher like this would probably have made him feel so ashamed that he wanted to disappear.

But after a period of training, their temperament has become far beyond that of ordinary children.

Yiyue did not immediately stand up to argue, but waited until Master Lü finished his lesson and announced a break before leading her younger sisters to Master Lü and respectfully bowing to him.

"Master Lü".

Master Lü was about to tidy up his teaching materials when he saw them arrive. He snorted coldly and didn't even lift his eyelids.

"What's the matter?"

In January, he spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Master, there is something I do not understand and would like to ask you for guidance."

"explain."

"What the Master just said is that a gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit."

The student wanted to ask, "Are righteousness and self-interest truly incompatible and irreconcilable?"

Master Lü was surprised that she would ask such a question. He adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "The Book of Changes says: 'Benefit is the harmony of righteousness.'"

It is evident that a virtuous person does not refrain from discussing profit, but rather that the profit they speak of must be in accordance with righteousness.

To abandon righteousness for personal gain is the act of a petty person.

"What the Master said is absolutely right."

January nodded and continued, following his words, "Then, Master, may I ask you, what is righteousness?"

"Righteousness is what is appropriate."

Acting appropriately is called righteousness.

Master Lü's answer was watertight.

"So,"

January's voice suddenly became a few degrees clearer, "Is it appropriate for us sisters to use our time and energy to provide convenience for teachers and classmates in need and to accept reasonable compensation?"

Master Lü paused for a moment.

“We sisters will donate all the money we earn to start a girls’ school, so that dozens of orphaned and helpless girls outside the city can have books to read and clothes to wear. Is this appropriate?”

“Through this experience, my sisters and I can learn arithmetic, bookkeeping, communication skills, and how to handle situations in advance, laying a foundation for managing our household and building our careers in the future. Is this a suitable approach?”

Three questions in a row in January, each word clear and resounding.

The entire classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Master Lü was speechless after being asked that question.

He could accuse them of being profit-driven, but he could not deny that everything they did was reasonable and even worthy of being called good deeds.

Looking at Master Lü's flushed face, Yiyue bowed deeply once again.

"Master, my students have never missed a single class because of buying things on behalf of others."

"The benefits we seek are obtained through proper means and used wisely."

“We even did it in our spare time after school,”

"If this is still considered petty behavior in the eyes of the Master, then we sisters have nothing to say and are willing to accept the punishment."

After saying that, she quietly withdrew with her sisters.

The news quickly spread throughout the academy.

Most of the teachers and students sided with the seven sisters.

After all, they did nothing wrong; on the contrary, they did a great thing.

Upon hearing this, the headmaster simply smiled and made no comment.

However, the next day, a commendation notice was posted on the academy's bulletin board, recognizing seven students from January to July for their donations to support education and for their noble character, and awarding them the title of "Bai Lu Dong Benevolent Children".

This was undoubtedly a silent slap in the face to Master Lü.

This also definitively settled the matter.

From then on, no one dared to question their purchasing agent business.

......

However, their business has encroached on the interests of some people.

Before they appeared, there were hardly any cosmetic shops in Qingzhou City, except for Bailu Beauty Shop.

They either smuggled novel cosmetics, silks, and satins from other places, or hoarded them through various unorthodox channels, making a lot of money.

Among them, the one who hated them the most was a shop called Jin Yu Ge.

The owner of Jin Yu Ge is surnamed Sun, and is known as Boss Sun.

This man was about forty years old, with a pair of triangular eyes and a shrewd goatee on his chin.

Seeing that Bailu Beauty Shop was doing outrageously well, he hatched a wicked plan.

Since he didn't have any connections to get into the store, he spent a lot of money hiring a group of thugs to line up at the store entrance every day to snatch up products, or to buy popular cosmetics at high prices from ordinary people who were lucky enough to win the right to buy them.

Then, he hoarded these genuine goods in his Golden Jade Pavilion, increasing their price three to five times.

This business once made him a fortune.

But Bai Lu's seven daughters suddenly started a personal shopping service.

In just two months, Jin Yu Ge's business plummeted.

The once bustling place has become deserted.

Mr. Sun was furious as he watched his warehouse stockpile of expensive lipsticks and foundations about to become worthless.

After much thought, he came up with a vicious plan—since he couldn't compete with them on the supply of goods, he would ruin their reputation!

Children are easily embarrassed and are most afraid of slander and accusations.

If the rumors that Miss Bai is selling counterfeit goods and harming people get out, the purchasing agent business will be impossible to continue.

He quickly found a rogue named Liu San in the west of the city.

This person is notoriously stubborn and shameless; his greatest skills are throwing tantrums, acting unreasonably, and distorting the truth.

Liu San was terrified. "Lady Bai is, after all, a marquis... and those ladies are princesses... how can we commoners fight against officials?"

Boss Sun laughed, "You're right, we common people can't fight against the officials, but the problem is, how can Bai Lu take care of her children?!"

"I've somewhat figured out what Lady Bai means. She wants to properly train the children, so she can't intervene whenever anything happens to them... She can only intervene when the children's lives are in danger,"

"But if they can't outmaneuver us in business... that's their own business, and Lady White Snake won't interfere."

"Besides... even if she did intervene, what if we ran off with the money elsewhere? Would she still be able to help then? She probably wouldn't be able to!"

Liu San fell into deep thought for a moment, then said, "That makes sense!!!"

Boss Sun laughed and said, "Besides, our family isn't entirely without backing! We have connections in official circles too!"

Boss Sun promised him a reward of ten taels of silver and gave him a lipstick that had been tampered with beforehand.

He replaced part of the lipstick's base with a mixture of inferior lard and poisonous cinnabar, making it not only strangely colored but also extremely pungent in smell.

With everything prepared, Boss Sun hid in the shadows, waiting for the show to begin.

That afternoon, the bell for the end of the school day at Bailudong Academy rang out softly.

The ancient, vermilion gate slowly opened, and students emerged in twos and threes.

January led July by the hand, February pulled June along, and the seven sisters walked through the crowd, chatting and laughing as usual.

Soon, a piercing wail rang out.

"Where is justice?! That heartless, rotten-hearted Bai family woman is selling counterfeit goods and harming people!"

A ragged, sleazy-looking man shot out from the street corner like an arrow.

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground in an extremely exaggerated posture, blocking the way for the seven sisters.

He was Liu San.

He was crying and snotting his eyes, beating his chest and stamping his feet, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"My poor wife! She believed you little brats and bought lipstick from you!"

"My lips are swollen like sausages, I can't eat or drink, and I can hardly show my face in public!"

His wailing instantly drew everyone's attention.

People were coming and going at the entrance of the academy. Students, parents, and passersby crowded around the place in layers.

Seeing that the audience was in place, Liu San performed even more energetically.

He shakily pulled the tampered lipstick from his pocket, held it high, and showed it to everyone.

"Everyone, come and see! This is it! It's exactly the same as the one in Bailu Beauty Shop! But who knows what deadly stuff is inside!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"You wolf cubs in human skin! Just because you're daughters of the Bai family, you dare to treat human life so carelessly! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for making this kind of money against your conscience!"

Everyone was confused.

"What's going on? Aren't Bai family cosmetics always known for being safe and gentle?"

"Who knows? With such a big business, it's hard to say if one or two defective products will come out... but the consequences would be too serious."

"Tsk tsk, you can never judge a book by its cover. These girls are usually so quiet and well-behaved, but I never expected them to dare to sell counterfeit goods at such a young age! This is outrageous!"

Normally the most lively April, her little face was flushed red, not from fear, but from anger.

She wanted to rush up and argue with that scoundrel, but March grabbed her arm.

Although March was also so nervous that her palms were sweating, she gently shook her head at April.

February pursed her lips tightly, protecting her younger sisters.

As the eldest sister, Ichigawa quickly calmed down.

She knew that at this moment, she was the pillar of support for all her younger sisters.

She looked around... and surprisingly spotted Mr. Sun, the owner of Jin Yu Ge, hiding in the window of the teahouse on the second floor in the distance!

In an instant, January understood everything.

"Everyone, be quiet!"

The noisy crowd gradually quieted down, and all eyes were focused on the little girl.

Ignoring Liu San, who was still howling on the ground, Yi Yue turned to the crowd and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, since the Bai family opened the Bailu Beauty Shop, we have always regarded quality and safety as our guiding principles."

“My mother often said that what you put on your face is the touchstone of your conscience.”

“Although we sisters are young, we understand this principle well and would never dare to joke about the Bai family’s reputation.”

Her tone was sincere and her demeanor composed.

Seeing this, Liu San howled even louder: "You talk a good game! The facts are right in front of you, do you still want to deny it?"

In January, she finally turned her gaze to him, her eyes cold and clear.

"Sir, you keep saying that your wife's lips are swollen because she used lipstick she bought from us."

So, I'd like to ask you, do you know how my sisters and I sell our products?

Liu San was taken aback by the question and stammered, "I... I don't care how you sell it! Anyway, I bought the goods from you!"

"is it?"

January's lips curled into a cold smile as she turned to February, "Second sister, bring out our account books."

"Yes, eldest sister."

In February, she immediately took out an exquisite leather-covered ledger from her small backpack.

In January, he took the ledger, held it high so that everyone around him could see it clearly.

"Please look! Every business transaction we sisters make is meticulously recorded! To ensure the quality and traceability of our goods, we have created a unique serial number for every item we sell!"

She opened the ledger and pointed to the clear handwriting, saying, "This number is like our identity document; it's unique!"

"It's printed with special ink on the bottom of the packaging of every lipstick and every bottle of foundation..."

"For every item we sell, we record its serial number, the time of sale, and the buyer's name in our ledger!"

"One-to-one correspondence, absolutely no errors or omissions!"

Upon hearing this, a low gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

No one expected that these young girls would be so meticulous and thorough in their business dealings!

January stared intently at Liu San, her voice suddenly rising eight octaves.

"Sir, since you said you bought the lipstick from us, please tell me the serial number on the bottom of the lipstick box you have!"

"As long as you can tell us the details, we can immediately find out in the ledger who made the purchase and when!"

"If it is indeed found that there is a problem with the products we sold, the Bai family will definitely take full responsibility and will never shirk our responsibility!"