On the second floor of the luxury shop.
A group of madams and young ladies had just gone upstairs, and they smelled a faint scent of honey and freesia, but did not see any flowers anywhere, which made everyone even more curious.
Most importantly, the counter was completely empty, and they did not see any new products at all.
"Little Er, what is it? Hurry up and take it out!"
"Madam, ladies, please take a seat," a clerk said very politely, "We will show you right away."
After everyone sat down, several clerks got busy.
Someone brought in an exquisite copper basin and placed it in the middle of the room. Someone else carried a large bucket of hot water, and another person brought a steaming hot towel for washing faces and hands.
The grand setup left everyone confused about what the luxury shop was trying to do.
"Madam, ladies, this is what we have prepared for you esteemed guests this time," the clerk said as he took out two paper packages and showed them to everyone.
"This... still looks like soap, doesn't it?"
"Yes," the clerk replied. "This is indeed soap, but not ordinary soap. Our boss said this is the finest soap she has carefully refined—perfumed soap!"
"Perfumed soap?"
"That's right," the clerk went on. "Just now you all saw that we sold 400 bars of soap downstairs, and the price was very cheap. Why was it cheap? Because all the essence in those soaps has been extracted to make perfumed soap."
The clerk unwrapped two perfumed soaps, and an even more intense fragrance instantly assailed their noses. Moreover, the milky white and light pink colors made everyone's eyes light up.
The lye they usually used to wash their faces was pitch black and looked very uncomfortable, with a strange smell.
But the perfumed soap before them had such nice colors and such a fragrant scent.
It really deserved to be called a refined luxury product!
"What's more, this perfumed soap not only smells nice, it also has excellent cleansing effects," the clerk continued. "You all know our boss Ms. Li used to be a farm woman. But now look at her face—where's the trace of a farm woman left? It's because she uses perfumed soap to wash her face, wash her hair, and cleanse her body every day that her face is so fair and tender, her hair so silky and smooth, just like an 18-year-old girl!"
Everyone's eyes shone brighter.
They were all women. What woman doesn't love beauty? What woman doesn't want to stay forever young?
A wealthy madam immediately said, "Xiao Qian, go try it!"
A dark-skinned little maid named Xiao Qian promptly stepped forward and asked, "Is there any difference between these two?"
"Good question," the clerk replied. "The pink rose soap leaves lingering fragrance after use. The white one is honey soap, with more emphasis on skin care."
"Then I'll try the pink rose soap."
The little maid began washing her face with the light pink rose soap following the clerk's instructions. When she used a hot towel to wipe her face dry, she went before her mistress.
Seeing the maid in front of her, the wealthy madam's eyes lit up with amazement.
She knew her maid well. She was usually very clean and washed her face carefully every day. But never before had she been this clean.
Those tiny black dots on her face were so much lighter!
Her little face also felt more tender when pinched.
The obedient little maid washed her hair again on the spot. The oily hair instantly became silky and clean. Not only was the odd smell gone, it left a faint floral scent.
Such instant visible effects—the madams and young ladies present could wait no longer. They didn't even ask the price, just grabbing a few bars each first.
In the blink of an eye, the 200 bars of perfumed soap were snapped up clean.
The perfumed soap was priced at 3 taels of silver per bar. Since they were VIP customers, the total revenue was 480 taels.
Ms. Li gave the shop 2 taels per bar. With the 40 taels commission, she netted 440 taels. By her calculation, each bar cost no more than 20 copper coins to make.
Just like Clear Gel, sky high profits.
Ms. Li didn't let them take out the remaining 200 bars. The consumer base at Baichuan Market was this big. Rather than letting these upper-class women buy them to stockpile at home, it was better to keep them on hand,
to have Manager Zou send them to Yizhou Prefecture, or have professional merchants come buy them.
Anyway, her intention was that products of the Li Family of Heway in the future would surely sell all over the world.
While a group of madams and ladies were trying perfumed soap upstairs at the luxury shop, across the street at the teahouse, Zhang Guangsheng wished he could kick his two servants a few times.
"I'm feeding you for nothing when you can't even make a mess properly," Zhang Guangsheng scolded them.
"Master, we tried our best," one servant said to Zhang Guangsheng. "We just didn't expect that Ms. Li would really be willing to give away money like that!"
This was also unexpected for Zhang Guangsheng.
He had thought the 1888 taels grand prize was just a gimmick to attract people. After all, selling soap so cheaply, she couldn't be earning much money.
"Is it possible that auntie was hired by Ms. Li to act it out?" Zhang Guangsheng asked. "She took the top prize, then secretly gave it back afterwards?"
"That's unlikely," the servant said. "That auntie's surname is Wu. She's from our village. I don't think she was pretending."
"No, she was pretending," Zhang Guangsheng insisted.
"No..."
"What do you mean no?" Zhang Guangsheng frowned. "I say she was so she was!"
The two servants were confused.
Although the master was usually very overbearing, the truth was the truth. How could he stubbornly insist on calling the truth a lie?
Who would believe that?
"Pig brains, can't even figure this out?" Zhang Guangsheng looked at them impatiently. "Come here!"
They quickly leaned in, and after a whispered exchange, had an epiphany.
"Don't worry, Master," the excited servant said. "I'll go right now and guarantee it'll be done flawlessly!"
The auntie who had won the big prize made a beeline for home after leaving the market, no stops. But not long after she left, two men began following her from afar.
Seeing the two sneaking figures always hiding at the roadside woods, the yamen runner who had been secretly waiting grew excited and quickly tailed them.
"Chief, Ms. Li really is capable to have predicted this," a yamen runner whispered. "I recognize those two. They're Zhang Guangsheng's servants. They usually bully people relying on their master's power. They caused trouble at the market last time, but were taught a lesson by Ms. Li. Didn't expect they would dare to come make trouble again."
"Ms. Li has extraordinary wisdom. How could she not foresee something so small?" Captain Zhang said. "What's rare is her willingness to give us this credit."
"Then we've accepted her favor, so of course we should back her at Baichuan Market in the future."
Back Ms. Li?
Captain Zhang secretly laughed to himself.
Let alone that she had earned great merit this time, with so much business she did every month, how much money did she make?
It probably wouldn't be long before she became the wealthiest person in Baichuan County.
Who would be backing whom in the future was hard to say!