Marrying the Crown Prince

They definitely dislike people who like to boss others around and pretend to know what they don't.

But Zhou Zhou always brought steamed buns and mantou whenever he came over, and he never pointed at their samples. He usually just stood quietly to the side and watched until they finished, at which point he would ask one or two questions out of curiosity.

Seeing that the little girl didn't understand, they were happy to say a few words, since it wouldn't bother them anyway.

Then, as the craftsmen finished their work, the jewelry box in Zhou Zhou's hands was also completed.

The next day, Madam Du came to Lingcui Pavilion to ask Zhou Zhou to go see the new shop together. When she saw the jewelry box and tools in Zhou Zhou's hands, she asked, "You... made these yourself?"

This hesitation wasn't due to anything else, but rather because he was shocked by Zhou Zhou's actions—why was he so evasive?

When Zhou Zhou arrived, all the trash in the shop had been cleaned up, and the girls were all in their positions, standing neatly at their respective posts.

Indeed, Zhou Zhou didn't just spend the past month studying carpentry. Making jewelry boxes was just something she did to pass the time when she was bored. What she really did was recruit, train, and open a workshop.

The workers were recruited in two batches. The first batch went to work in the shop, and a total of five girls were recruited. These five girls were all introduced by people from the Yongjing Marquis's mansion.

Zhou Zhou summoned the old women from Lingcui Pavilion and spread the word that he had recently opened a shop and needed someone to help manage it. The monthly salary was one tael. The girls needed to be literate, nimble, clever, and at least fifteen years old. Girls under the age of fifteen or over thirty were not accepted.

One tael of silver was a respectable sum reserved for personal maids, so on the day of the interview, several prominent madams from the household sent their daughters over.

Zhou Zhou didn't need to appear in the preliminary selection. Ju Fang and a few others were asked to choose. Those with ordinary looks were eliminated, leaving only about twenty beautiful girls.

Then Zhou Zhou gave several test questions, one of which was writing.

She wrote the character "财" (wealth) on a piece of paper and asked the girls to copy it. After they finished writing, she didn't say anything and started the second test.

Zhou Zhou held a brush and lightly drew a line on the paper, leaving a long, thin straight line.

"Go ahead and write, but remember, make sure it's done in one stroke, and keep your hand steady, don't let it shake," Zhou Zhou said, and then the girls started writing.

After two rounds, Zhou Zhou had a good idea of ​​who to choose and selected five girls with steady, non-shaking hands. Of course, the remaining girls weren't there for nothing either; Zhou Zhou rewarded each of them with ten coins.

Seeing that they would still receive money even if they weren't selected, the girls sincerely kowtowed and thanked them.

Seeing that three hundred coins had vanished just like that, Jufang sighed from the bottom of her heart, "This girl's reputation as a spendthrift has spread far and wide."

Zhou Zhou chuckled, amused by her.

As for the remaining five girls, Zhou Zhou clapped his hands, and soon a maid appeared carrying five sets of headdresses. These five sets of headdresses were picked out by Ju Fang and the others from that pile of jewelry.

Of course, they each received a set as well.

Upon seeing that they could receive such a set of face masks so easily, the five girls' eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

“These are yours, but I can’t give them to you now.” Zhou Zhou said, standing up and running her slender, jade-like hands over the jewelry.

Hearing Zhou Zhou say this, one of the girls mustered up the courage to ask, "Then how can I get it?"

“I’ll give you a month. In this month, you need to learn how to create a sophisticated makeup look,” Zhou Zhou replied, then casually asked, “What’s your name?”

"My name is Yiqiao," the girl, dressed in a light green dress and wearing a pair of plain silver hairpins, replied.

Her features weren't particularly outstanding, but her eyes were especially beautiful. Beneath her arched willow-leaf eyebrows were a pair of clear and bright eyes, like a lake, so bright that looking into them felt like gazing into a sky full of stars.

Jufang whispered in Zhou Zhou's ear, "This is Wang Gui's granddaughter."

Wang Gui was a servant who had taken care of the old lady for many years. She was also quite old, and everyone in the household would call her "Mama".

Zhou Zhou's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he carefully examined Yi Qiao again, noticing that she was composed and neither humble nor arrogant.

Not bad, she has some skill, and she's bolder than most girls. If I remember correctly, she's one of only two girls who can write. I hope she won't disappoint me.

Then Zhou Zhou had someone take the five girls to a house at the entrance of an alley on West Street in the capital.

This house belonged to Zhou Zhou's birth mother, Madam Gao. When Zhou Zhou told Madam Du that she wanted a house with three courtyards and three entrances to use as staff dormitories and workshops, Madam Du gave her this house.

The five girls practiced drawing eyebrows and eye makeup here, and as for who taught them, it was naturally Jufang.

Jufang herself never imagined that her advantage in doing makeup would not be used to draw Zhou Zhou's eyebrows, but rather to teach others.

Of course, Zhou Zhou also came here to instruct a few girls. When she picked up the makeup tools and dabbed at their faces, she would leave them with exquisite makeup. Sometimes, when Zhou Zhou was in a good mood, she would even paint on the girls' faces, leaving a red plum blossom or a nine-tailed fox.

Jufang was dumbfounded. On the way back home, she couldn't help but ask, "When did you learn that?"

"You memorized it after doing it a few times," Zhou Zhou replied calmly.

Ju Fang fell silent. Although she knew that Zhou Zhou's tone did not contain a trace of boasting, Ju Fang still imagined a sentence in her mind amidst his calm words: "This thing, do you really need to learn it?"

Today, Zhou Zhou came to the shop to check on the girls' learning progress.

Applying makeup to oneself is nothing special, and applying makeup to beautiful women or daughters is no big deal either, so today Zhou Zhou also brought along an ordinary-looking woman.

The girls showed off their skills, all trying their best to stay by Zhou Zhou's side.

Half an hour passed, and everyone's makeup was complete, making them look gorgeous and beautiful.

“That’s good, then let’s keep them all,” Zhou Zhou said with a smile.

Zhou Zhou then gave Qingrong three days to organize the girls to arrange the goods and familiarize themselves with them.

Where did the goods come from?

Most of the products were sourced from cosmetic workshops, and each box was priced at one ounce. A small portion was produced in their own workshop, which produced sheep flower cream, but Zhou Zhou renamed it snow cream.

To produce face cream, a formula is essential. Zhou Zhou consulted countless books, but after failing to find a solution, he went to the bookstore again, where he met Lin Yaozhi.

At that time, Zhou Zhou stood on tiptoe, trying hard to reach a travelogue above.

When it comes to height, the harder you try, the more heartbroken you become.

Zhou Zhou tried twice, but she was still just a hair's breadth away from removing it.

She sighed wistfully, and just as she was about to turn around and call the shop assistant to get it, a hand with distinct knuckles reached out from behind and took the travelogue down.