A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

The visitor nodded in agreement, and Huang Zhenzhu boarded the carriage with a heart full of trepidation, heading towards Yanhua Lane.

Along the way, her thoughts were in disarray. Ever since Liu Xiong had caused that mess when he first built a house for Nie Qianqian, she had felt guilty, and the guilt lingered in her heart.

When Nie Qianqian wanted to do business with Liu Xiong, Huang Zhenzhu knew perfectly well that this was a rare opportunity. However, she was afraid that Nie Qianqian would harbor resentment because of the Huang family's past mistakes and would no longer involve Liu Xiong. Therefore, she refused to get involved in the Liu family restaurant business at all.

Sometimes, she would listen to her family members enthusiastically discussing the business of Liu's Restaurant and find it quite interesting, but each time she could only pretend not to hear and take Tuantuan and Tiedan out to play under some pretext.

Lost in thought in the carriage, she soon arrived at Yanhua Lane.

When Nie Qianqian saw the carriage arrive, she first helped A-Ling into the carriage. "Aunt, you've arrived. I asked you to come here because I wanted your help with the opening of the new shop. To make a long story short, it's like this..."

In a few words, Nie Qianqian told Huang Zhenzhu about her plan to cooperate with Master Jiang on Yueji Pavilion.

"The opening, renovations, and hiring are all handled by Mr. Jiang. But we have a lot to do on our side too. We need to thoroughly research the products on the market, then select the cosmetics I developed that are suitable for sale, and we also need to master the art of applying makeup. It's a complicated matter, and we really need your help."

As Huang Zhenzhu listened, her heart pounded faster and faster. She could clearly hear her own heart pounding. She hurriedly said, "Qianqian, I... can I do it? I'm really afraid I'll mess things up."

Nie Qianqian smiled and comforted her, "When we had the house-raising ceremony, the hairstyle you did for my mother was so exquisite. I could tell then that you must be a skillful person. You've studied makeup, and makeup and hairstyling are essentially the same thing, so you must have learned it very quickly."

After listening to what Nie Qianqian said, Huang Zhenzhu suddenly understood why Grandma Ma had been so agitated last time.

Nie Qianqian's beautiful eyes look at you so sincerely and clearly. Her simple word "believe" is both touching and makes you feel a lot of pressure.

During this period, she actually felt that she was the most useless person in the family.

She is straightforward and energetic, and used to be very good at managing household chores and handling family matters.

But ever since Liu Xiong and Liu Yan started their business and made it a great success, she was happy from the bottom of her heart, but on the other hand, she secretly felt that she was no longer of any use.

A few days ago, even Grandma Ma got to do some work. It would be a lie to say she wasn't a little disappointed, but she didn't dare show it.

Now, it seems like an opportunity has arrived. From now on, when everyone is busy, she won't just be able to watch from the sidelines; she can actually participate...

"Qianqian, thanks to you..." Huang Zhenzhu's eyes reddened slightly.

Nie Qianqian waved her hand and said, "We're all family, no need to thank me. Let's work together and make our lives better and better."

Huang Zhenzhu nodded emphatically, "That's right! With Qianqian here, whatever you say we do, we'll just do it wholeheartedly, and we're guaranteed to do the right thing."

Nie Qianqian then instructed, "When we go into the store later, listen carefully to how the shopkeeper introduces and guides us in buying things. We should buy some of the currently popular items in the store. Don't worry about the money; this is the initial investment we need to make."

The three of them alighted from the carriage and stepped into Yanhua Fang. The shopkeeper, Yan Niang, with her sharp eyes, spotted them and immediately greeted them with a beaming smile.

Yan Niang said enthusiastically, "Please come in, three distinguished guests. What would you like to buy? Let me tell you all about it."

Yan Niang smiled and spoke, while her eyes subtly observed the three people's clothing and appearance.

The clothes worn by the three were not made of expensive materials, but the woman in the middle had an extraordinary temperament. Her every move exuded confidence, and it was clear that she was not from an ordinary family.

This was Huang Zhenzhu's second time entering such a high-end shop in Shizijie. She was a little nervous at first, but she was soon attracted by the dazzling array of goods in front of her.

Ah Ling picked up a delicate little porcelain bottle, about half the size of her palm. She gently opened the cap, revealing a vermilion lip rouge inside. She quickly whispered to Nie Qianqian, "Sister Qianqian, Liu Meiqing also has this vermilion lip rouge. I've seen many ladies wearing this color, so it must be very popular."

Yan Niang smiled and chimed in, "Miss has a good eye. This vermilion is bright and eye-catching. It makes one look both dignified and beautiful."

"Buy it." Nie Qianqian said succinctly.

Huang Zhenzhu picked up another slightly larger celadon porcelain bottle and said, "Qianqian, smell this face powder. This face powder has been sold for many years, and it's very popular. When I was learning how to do makeup, many ladies used this one."

"Buy it!" Nie Qianqian said without hesitation.

"Qianqian, this one is Qingdai, black with a hint of indigo. I heard that the color is closest to that of Luozidai, so everyone likes to buy this one..." Huang Zhenzhu introduced.

Nie Qianqian understood in her heart that this was just a budget-friendly alternative to high-end brands.

He immediately and decisively said, "Buy!"

Seeing how generous Nie Qianqian was, Yan Niang became even more curious about her identity. Her enthusiasm grew even stronger as she inquired about Nie Qianqian's preferences and gave detailed recommendations for the cosmetics in the store.

Yan Niang explained, "This is a rose-colored rouge, made from carefully ground rose pollen. Applying it will create a rosy cheek look, not only making your complexion more radiant but also protecting your skin and brightening your complexion."

"purchase!"

Huang Zhenzhu went shopping with Nie Qianqian and truly experienced the joy of shopping.

You don't need to think too much about anything, just buy it, and the reason is legitimate, so you don't have to worry about the money at all.

This feels so good!

Huang Zhenzhu became increasingly excited as she looked at the various goods, examining them more and more carefully, and earnestly inquiring about their uses and differences from Yan Niang.

Nie Qianqian quickly looked through all the other items in the store and got a basic understanding of the beauty products available in this era.

Her space is a multi-brand cosmetics store called Silky Orchid, which brings together skincare and makeup products from dozens of brands, including big names like Chanel and First O'Neill. Picking the right products from that selection and bringing them to this era would definitely be a game-changer, igniting the market.

As Nie Qianqian looked at the goods in the store, her consciousness drifted into her own space, where she began to select suitable products.

When Yan Niang noticed that Nie Qianqian seemed to be lost in thought and not listening to her, she felt strange, but she still warmly greeted Huang Zhenzhu and A Ling.

Seeing Huang Zhenzhu examining the henna, he introduced, "Madam, the henna you chose is made from ground balsam flowers, and its color is bright. Paired with the vermilion lip rouge you just wore, it's absolutely stunning. Look at the color I'm wearing on my hand."

Huang Zhenzhu looked at Yan Niang's hands, her fingers long and slender with distinct knuckles, and then looked at her own hands, which had become rough and wrinkled from washing clothes and cooking. She subconsciously hid them behind her back.

Yan Niang seemed not to notice Huang Zhenzhu's little actions. She took out a blue porcelain bottle, scooped out a white ointment, gently took Huang Zhenzhu's hand, applied the ointment to it, and said, "My lady, your hands are a little rough because you do laundry and cook for the men and children at home. But this reflects your hard work and contributions. Take good care of these hands and apply this jade hand cream. They will look very different in half a month."

After applying the hand cream to Huang Zhenzhu, Yan Niang gently rubbed it in. After rubbing, Huang Zhenzhu clearly felt that her hands were not so dry anymore.

Yan Niang picked up the nail polish that Huang Zhenzhu had just chosen and applied it to her hands, saying, "Look at it, isn't it gorgeous and elegant?"

Huang Zhenzhu looked at her hands, hands that she used to chop wood, wash clothes, and cook, but had never been painted with such beautiful nail polish before.

This time, without Nie Qianqian even asking, she genuinely wanted to buy both items and said, "I'll buy these two."

Yan Niang's smile deepened as she said, "Alright, I'll wrap it up for you. We women have to treat ourselves well. With this lip rouge and nail polish on, you'll definitely make all the men in the house stare."

Huang Zhenzhu actually imagined what Liu Xiong's reaction would be if she applied these products and saw him.

That simpleton would definitely gape, dumbfounded, speechless for a long time. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

Nie Qianqian witnessed the entire process of Yan Niang selling goods to Huang Zhenzhu. It must be said that Yan Niang was truly a shopkeeper who provided attentive service and was skilled at selling goods.

She grasped Huang Zhenzhu's psychology, personally tried on makeup for the customer, and created anticipation, which made it easy to sell the goods.

Nie Qianqian knew that it would be difficult for A Ling and Huang Zhenzhu to reach Yan Niang's level in such a short time. It would require a long period of contact with all kinds of customers and gradual training.

Nie Qianqian's gaze fell on Yan Niang, and she wondered if she could recruit Yan Niang to her own Yueji Pavilion.

Yan Niang was so focused on how to sell more cosmetics to the three of them that she had no idea that the woman's real intention was not to buy the products, but to buy her as a person.

The three of them browsed in the shop for an hour before stepping out. The cosmetics they bought filled the entire carriage, costing them nearly a hundred taels of silver.

Ah Ling had accompanied her wife to buy cosmetics before, but she had to consider the price when choosing, and even her wife had to give up many cosmetics she liked. She had never bought a cartload of goods like she did today.

Ah Ling touched and fiddled with everything with satisfaction, clearly showing how much she loved these things.

With plenty of time before their agreed-upon dinner at the Jiang residence, Nie Qianqian led the three of them back to Qiyue Tower. Upon entering, she laid out the cosmetics she had purchased across a long table.

When Tan'er returned from outside, her eyes widened at the sight of the table full of cosmetics.

Which woman could remain calm upon seeing a table full of cosmetics?

Tan'er leaned closer for a look and said, "These are cosmetics from Yan Hua Fang, aren't they?"

Nie Qianqian was somewhat surprised and asked, "Oh? How did you know?"

Tan'er explained, "Sister Qianqian, to be honest, the incense shop where my mother and I used to work supplied Yanhua Workshop. This box of incense powder might even have been ground by my own hands."

Nie Qianqian hadn't expected this connection and pressed further, "Then how much do you know about the shopkeeper, Yan Niang? Is Yan Niang the owner of this shop?"

Tan'er said, "I know a little. Yan Niang isn't the owner of Yan Hua Fang; she's just someone the owner hired to manage the shop. She's worked there for many years. The VIPs of Yan Hua Fang are basically all maintained by her. Her parents passed away early, and she has a younger sister. I heard that because of the trauma of losing her parents when she was young, she developed aphasia. Although she can't speak, her hearing is exceptionally good, and she has a remarkable talent for music theory. Because she loves music, Yan Niang supported her sister's guzheng lessons for many years. Later, her sister became extremely good at the guzheng, and many taverns and teahouses invited her to play. But because she can't speak, Yan Niang was always worried that she would be bullied in those places, so she didn't let her go. Over the years, the family has been entirely supported by Yan Niang alone. She appears glamorous on the outside, but it's not easy for her inside."

Nie Qianqian had no idea that the seemingly cheerful Yan Niang had such a story behind her, and she had already begun to plot how to recruit her to Yueji Pavilion.

Tan'er asked curiously, "Sister Qianqian, what are you going to do with all this stuff?"

Nie Qianqian then told Tan'er about her collaboration with Jiang Wenxuan to open Yuejige.

Tan'er was increasingly surprised as she listened. It was no easy task to successfully reopen Qiyue Tower in such a short time, and the owner was now planning to open another shop. Moreover, according to Nie Qianqian's description, this shop was not small either.

This boss is amazing, doesn't he ever need to sleep...?

This is going to "sweep everyone away"...

Nie Qianqian said, "Tan'er, since you know this Yan Niang, could you act as a go-between? I want to meet with her privately and recruit her to Yueji Pavilion."

Tan'er agreed, but then reminded her, "However, Yan Niang has worked at Yan Hua Fang for so many years, I'm afraid it won't be so easy for her to leave."

Nie Qianqian said confidently, "I have my own way." As long as she could offer Yan Niang a condition that would move her, she didn't believe Yan Niang would refuse.

After finishing this, Nie Qianqian pulled Huang Zhenzhu over and made her sit on a stool, saying, "Aunt, please sit down. I'll do your makeup today using these newly bought cosmetics."

Nie Qianqian then took out a mercury mirror from the room. Huang Zhenzhu and Tan'er had never seen such a mirror before, and their eyes were immediately drawn to it without them even blinking.

Mirrors are magical in themselves, but what's even more amazing is Nie Qianqian's makeup skills.

Huang Zhenzhu sat on the stool, looking in the mirror, watching her skin tone become even and radiant, her complexion increasingly rosy, and her makeup gradually becoming more refined. Until Nie Qianqian finally stopped, the person in the mirror was completely different from before.

Back when Nie Qianqian did Liu Yan's makeup, Huang Zhenzhu was filled with envy; now, it was her turn.

As night fell, Liu Xiong and Liu Yan led Qiao Lao, Tuan Tuan, and others back home. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Huang Zhenzhu, who had finished her makeup and changed into new clothes.

Liu Xiong didn't dare to recognize her at first, but he knew his wife best, and soon realized that the elegant and wealthy lady standing in front of him was Pearl.

Just as Huang Zhenzhu had expected, he opened his mouth wide and stared blankly at Huang Zhenzhu.

Just when Nie Qianqian thought Liu Xiong was about to say that she had gotten a new head, Liu Xiong slowly exclaimed, "Pearl, you look beautiful today."