Chapter 88.
After calming her emotions, Yu Ying left the guesthouse and headed towards the market, as directed by the staff the day before.
She examined lip balms at a stall selling rouge and powder, carefully inspecting both cheap and expensive varieties, then bought a few small jars to test on her wrist.
After a closer examination, she realized these lip balms were made from animal fat; the cheaper ones were paste-like, while the more expensive ones were slightly more solidified.
Yu Ying thoughtfully recalled the evolution of lip balms in ancient times, realizing that using beeswax in lip balm was a practice that emerged after the Tang dynasty, and the current era seemed to precede the Tang. Thus, finding a beehive to make beeswax could lead to creating a unique lip balm.
These lip balms, in small jars, seemed to contain about twice the amount of a modern lipstick.
The cheapest lip balm cost eight wen, both the pottery jar and the balm itself were quite rough, and the color was uneven.
Slightly better ones were priced around fifteen wen, but they were only marginally better than the eight wen variety.
In the shop, the better quality balms were priced at twenty-five wen per jar, with the more expensive ones going upwards, even reaching a thousand wen.
Yu Ying, having a sense of the quality and pricing of these lip balms, began searching for materials to make her own.
Lip balm didn’t require many ingredients, but those needed were somewhat costly.
Tea oil, lithospermum, dried flowers, and finally, beehives for making beeswax.
She found dried flowers at a fragrance shop, choosing roses.
Roses not only had a pleasant fragrance but also offered beauty and skincare benefits.
These dried flowers were expensive, costing fifty wen per liang, but fortunately, one liang could make a good amount of lip balm. The cost was worth it.
Lithospermum would deepen the color of the lip balm and also prevent chapped lips, offering restorative benefits. Combined with tea oil, beeswax, and roses, it would create a balm that was not only aesthetically pleasing but also effective in repair and hydration.
Finding the tea oil proved challenging; after asking around, she learned it was available at medical halls.
She went back to the Ren Shan Medical Hall to purchase tea oil and lithospermum.
Tea oil was expensive, costing thirty wen per liang.
Lithospermum was available at the pharmacy, costing ten wen per liang.
Since it was just a trial and the New Year was half a month away, Yu Ying didn’t plan to make much lip balm. Excluding the four liang of tea oil, she bought two liang each of the other ingredients, spending a total of two hundred and twenty wen.
As the apprentice packed the tea oil and wrapped the lithospermum, Yu Ying was about to leave when she happened to run into Doctor Wu.
Doctor Wu was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Mrs. Yu.
Yu Ying smiled and nodded at Doctor Wu before turning to leave.
Watching her depart, Doctor Wu hesitated slightly but then decided to follow her out.
“Mrs. Yu, please wait a moment.”
Yu Ying turned around, “Is there something you need, Doctor Wu?”
Doctor Wu said, “About the face cream we discussed earlier, I would like to have another conversation with Mrs. Yu. Would it be convenient for you to sit in a private room for a talk?”
Yu Ying was genuinely surprised that Doctor Wu would seek her out again to discuss the face cream business and agreed after a moment of thought.
Once seated in the private room, a young apprentice served them tea.
Doctor Wu spoke, “After discussing with the head of the medical hall, we can offer forty-five wen per jar for your face cream, with a minimum order of one hundred jars. The medical hall will provide the jars.”
Doctor Wu had realized that if the price was too low, Mrs. Yu would simply refuse to sell, firmly and resolutely.
He had also heard that Mrs. Yu had already set up a stall in the county seat, where the face cream was selling well and had a good reputation, as reported by an apprentice who had investigated.
After some consideration, he understood that if the price was lower than what Mrs. Yu initially mentioned, she would likely still refuse, thinking it might be better to set up her own stall.
Therefore, Doctor Wu decided not to haggle over a few wen and agreed to the price she had previously stated.
Besides, the face cream sold at the stall for fifty wen per jar, and the cost of the jar alone was about ten wen, so offering forty-five wen per jar, with the medical hall providing the jars, was still profitable for them.
Honestly, a month ago, Yu Ying would have immediately agreed, but now she hesitated.
Seeing Mrs. Yu's hesitation, Doctor Wu added, “The clientele buying face cream from the medical hall is different from those at the stall. Those who can afford to buy from the medical hall are mostly from the middle class or wealthier, and the price will undoubtedly be higher, not lower. This arrangement won’t affect your business adversely.”
Indeed, buying the cream for forty-five wen and selling it at a doubled price would not impact their business.
For those who had tried both, they might even think that the fifty wen face cream was worth eighty or ninety wen, further enhancing the reputation of Jade Workshop.
Doctor Wu was confident Mrs. Yu would agree, continuing, “Mrs. Yu, the pottery jars you use for your face cream are exquisite and must be expensive. Our Ren Shan Medical Hall has long cooperated with a ceramics workshop. Regardless of whether our business deal happens or not, I will introduce you to them as a favor to Manager Luo.”
Hearing this, Yu Ying found it hard not to be swayed.
Although switching to selling her face cream through the medical hall meant the good reputation would not be hers, it did not conflict with making money or her own face cream business.
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Ying’s thoughtful gaze became clear and decisive.
She smiled and replied, “I’ll take the deal.”
Doctor Wu smiled upon hearing her response, “The medical hall will give a thousand wen as a deposit. We'll settle the balance once the face cream is delivered. How does that sound to Mrs. Yu?”
Yu Ying nodded in agreement, then added, “However, I won’t be in the county seat for long, and making face cream requires time and labor. Could I first deliver fifty jars and then send the remaining fifty after ten days?”
Doctor Wu responded, “That’s acceptable. As for the jars for the face cream, I’ll have someone deliver them to you tomorrow. Where should they be sent?”
The medical hall also made face cream, so the pottery workshop had stock, only needing to label the new face cream on the bottom.
Yu Ying gave the location of her stall for the delivery.
Doctor Wu nodded, handed her the deposit, then called an apprentice and instructed, “Take Mrs. Yu to Gu Ji Pottery Workshop and say it’s on behalf of Doctor Wu from Ren Shan Medical Hall. Ask them to give her the same pricing as they do for the medical hall.”
Yu Ying stood up, bowed slightly to Doctor Wu, “Thank you, Doctor Wu.”
Doctor Wu laughed, “It’s just a small effort on my part.”
After all, the face cream was of good quality, and collaborating with Mrs. Yu was mutually beneficial.
Yu Ying took the deposit and left the medical hall with the apprentice, heading to Gu Ji Pottery Workshop.
At the workshop, Yu Ying chose two types of ceramic jars similar to her current ones. With the introduction from an acquaintance, the cost of each jar dropped by three wen.
The better jars were nine wen each, and the standard ones five wen each.
She ordered a hundred of each type.
Finally, she selected two different styles of smaller jars for the lip balm, these more attractive ones costing six wen each.
Yu Ying, making only a small batch of lip balm, initially ordered just thirty of each type of jar.
After inspecting these, she asked the pottery workshop staff about the smallest available ceramic bottle.
The staff informed her that the smallest were the ones used for lip balm; anything smaller would require a custom order and at least two days to complete.
Yu Ying needed the lip balm for gifting purposes and couldn't use bamboo tubes. She also wanted to enhance the perceived value of the gift, making customers feel that getting free lip balm with their face cream purchase was a great deal.
Since the quantity was limited, the containers for the lip balm had to be exquisite.
For the promotional lip balm, the quantity had to be small to save costs while also encouraging quicker usage and repurchase.
Yu Ying planned to use the three wen saved from the cost of face cream to order smaller containers.
The diameter of the new containers would be about one inch, with an even narrower interior, and the height including the lid would be only a third of an inch.
When filled, only a shallow layer of lip balm would be needed, making even sparing use last at most around ten applications.
Yu Ying ordered one hundred and fifty of these, which would also be ready in two days.
The total cost for these ceramics was about two thousand five hundred wen. After subtracting the cost of jars and lip balm from the money she received yesterday, nearly half would be spent.
Indeed, making money was not easy, but fortunately, the medical hall had provided a thousand wen as a deposit, giving her the capital to buy materials for the face cream.
After paying the deposit, Yu Ying continued her market stroll, hoping to find a beehive for honey.
In this dynasty, beekeeping existed but was still uncommon.
After a long search, Yu Ying finally found a stall selling white honey.
She hurried over, finding that the stall had ready-made white honey priced at fifteen wen per liang.
The stall also had unprocessed honeycombs, and a jar beside it contained already squeezed honeycombs.
Beehives were the source of beeswax, which was exactly what Yu Ying needed.
Remembering that Fu Wei would be in the county seat for another four days and would likely drink again, she thought honey water might comfort him.
With this in mind, she had the vendor pack two liang of honey in a bamboo tube.
After purchasing the honey, she inquired about the price of the squeezed honeycomb residues.
Although beeswax wasn't used for lip balm in this era, it was likely used for making candles, so the honeycomb would not be cheap.
Indeed, it was expensive.
Sold by weight, it cost eighty wen per jin.
Yu Ying had experience making beeswax; typically, one jin of honeycomb residue yielded only about three liang in the decimal system.
Honeycombs were rare in Yuxian, and she needed to continue making face cream. Unable to delegate the purchase and knowing beeswax could be stored for a long time, Yu Ying decided to buy the residue inside the pottery jars.
In total, it amounted to three jin and twelve liang, more than enough to make one jin of beeswax.
After paying, Yu Ying bought some gauze and then went to Song Sanlang's stall to give him the silver coins she had calculated the day before.
She also paid Miss Su's wages through Song Sanlang.
Miss Su, having heard from Song Sanlang about the possible year-end bonus, was exceptionally enthusiastic when she saw Yu Ying.
After a brief stop at the stall, Yu Ying discussed the medical hall collaboration with Song Sanlang and instructed him that the medical hall would be delivering pottery jars the next day.
He was to take the jars to where he lived, as the face cream would also be made there.
After giving these instructions, Yu Ying returned to the guesthouse.
Back at the guesthouse, finding Fu Wei absent, she inquired and learned from the guesthouse staff that Fu Wei had gone to the county office with the magistrate.
With Fu Wei away, Yu Ying quickly ate her meal and began sewing small bags from the gauze. Later, she borrowed a clay stove, pots, and a small steamer in the kitchen to start processing the beeswax.
She boiled the honeycomb in water until it bubbled, then let it cool and settle.
Once the beeswax solidified and separated from the water, she scooped it out, broke it into pieces, and placed them in the gauze bags. Then, she put the bags in a large bowl and steamed them in the steamer.
The steamed beeswax oozed from the bag, effectively filtering out impurities.
After repeating the process, the pure beeswax was ready.
Yu Ying quickly poured it into small bowls while it was still hot, making the solidified wax smaller, convenient for carrying and use.
Once finished, she looked out the window and noticed the darkening sky, guessing that Fu Wei must be returning soon.
Chapter 88.
After calming her emotions, Yu Ying left the guesthouse and headed towards the market, as directed by the staff the day before.
She examined lip balms at a stall selling rouge and powder, carefully inspecting both cheap and expensive varieties, then bought a few small jars to test on her wrist.
After a closer examination, she realized these lip balms were made from animal fat; the cheaper ones were paste-like, while the more expensive ones were slightly more solidified.
Yu Ying thoughtfully recalled the evolution of lip balms in ancient times, realizing that using beeswax in lip balm was a practice that emerged after the Tang dynasty, and the current era seemed to precede the Tang. Thus, finding a beehive to make beeswax could lead to creating a unique lip balm.
These lip balms, in small jars, seemed to contain about twice the amount of a modern lipstick.
The cheapest lip balm cost eight wen, both the pottery jar and the balm itself were quite rough, and the color was uneven.
Slightly better ones were priced around fifteen wen, but they were only marginally better than the eight wen variety.
In the shop, the better quality balms were priced at twenty-five wen per jar, with the more expensive ones going upwards, even reaching a thousand wen.
Yu Ying, having a sense of the quality and pricing of these lip balms, began searching for materials to make her own.
Lip balm didn’t require many ingredients, but those needed were somewhat costly.
Tea oil, lithospermum, dried flowers, and finally, beehives for making beeswax.
She found dried flowers at a fragrance shop, choosing roses.
Roses not only had a pleasant fragrance but also offered beauty and skincare benefits.
These dried flowers were expensive, costing fifty wen per liang, but fortunately, one liang could make a good amount of lip balm. The cost was worth it.
Lithospermum would deepen the color of the lip balm and also prevent chapped lips, offering restorative benefits. Combined with tea oil, beeswax, and roses, it would create a balm that was not only aesthetically pleasing but also effective in repair and hydration.
Finding the tea oil proved challenging; after asking around, she learned it was available at medical halls.
She went back to the Ren Shan Medical Hall to purchase tea oil and lithospermum.
Tea oil was expensive, costing thirty wen per liang.
Lithospermum was available at the pharmacy, costing ten wen per liang.
Since it was just a trial and the New Year was half a month away, Yu Ying didn’t plan to make much lip balm. Excluding the four liang of tea oil, she bought two liang each of the other ingredients, spending a total of two hundred and twenty wen.
As the apprentice packed the tea oil and wrapped the lithospermum, Yu Ying was about to leave when she happened to run into Doctor Wu.
Doctor Wu was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Mrs. Yu.
Yu Ying smiled and nodded at Doctor Wu before turning to leave.
Watching her depart, Doctor Wu hesitated slightly but then decided to follow her out.
“Mrs. Yu, please wait a moment.”
Yu Ying turned around, “Is there something you need, Doctor Wu?”
Doctor Wu said, “About the face cream we discussed earlier, I would like to have another conversation with Mrs. Yu. Would it be convenient for you to sit in a private room for a talk?”
Yu Ying was genuinely surprised that Doctor Wu would seek her out again to discuss the face cream business and agreed after a moment of thought.
Once seated in the private room, a young apprentice served them tea.
Doctor Wu spoke, “After discussing with the head of the medical hall, we can offer forty-five wen per jar for your face cream, with a minimum order of one hundred jars. The medical hall will provide the jars.”
Doctor Wu had realized that if the price was too low, Mrs. Yu would simply refuse to sell, firmly and resolutely.
He had also heard that Mrs. Yu had already set up a stall in the county seat, where the face cream was selling well and had a good reputation, as reported by an apprentice who had investigated.
After some consideration, he understood that if the price was lower than what Mrs. Yu initially mentioned, she would likely still refuse, thinking it might be better to set up her own stall.
Therefore, Doctor Wu decided not to haggle over a few wen and agreed to the price she had previously stated.
Besides, the face cream sold at the stall for fifty wen per jar, and the cost of the jar alone was about ten wen, so offering forty-five wen per jar, with the medical hall providing the jars, was still profitable for them.
Honestly, a month ago, Yu Ying would have immediately agreed, but now she hesitated.
Seeing Mrs. Yu's hesitation, Doctor Wu added, “The clientele buying face cream from the medical hall is different from those at the stall. Those who can afford to buy from the medical hall are mostly from the middle class or wealthier, and the price will undoubtedly be higher, not lower. This arrangement won’t affect your business adversely.”
Indeed, buying the cream for forty-five wen and selling it at a doubled price would not impact their business.
For those who had tried both, they might even think that the fifty wen face cream was worth eighty or ninety wen, further enhancing the reputation of Jade Workshop.
Doctor Wu was confident Mrs. Yu would agree, continuing, “Mrs. Yu, the pottery jars you use for your face cream are exquisite and must be expensive. Our Ren Shan Medical Hall has long cooperated with a ceramics workshop. Regardless of whether our business deal happens or not, I will introduce you to them as a favor to Manager Luo.”
Hearing this, Yu Ying found it hard not to be swayed.
Although switching to selling her face cream through the medical hall meant the good reputation would not be hers, it did not conflict with making money or her own face cream business.
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Ying’s thoughtful gaze became clear and decisive.
She smiled and replied, “I’ll take the deal.”
Doctor Wu smiled upon hearing her response, “The medical hall will give a thousand wen as a deposit. We'll settle the balance once the face cream is delivered. How does that sound to Mrs. Yu?”
Yu Ying nodded in agreement, then added, “However, I won’t be in the county seat for long, and making face cream requires time and labor. Could I first deliver fifty jars and then send the remaining fifty after ten days?”
Doctor Wu responded, “That’s acceptable. As for the jars for the face cream, I’ll have someone deliver them to you tomorrow. Where should they be sent?”
The medical hall also made face cream, so the pottery workshop had stock, only needing to label the new face cream on the bottom.
Yu Ying gave the location of her stall for the delivery.
Doctor Wu nodded, handed her the deposit, then called an apprentice and instructed, “Take Mrs. Yu to Gu Ji Pottery Workshop and say it’s on behalf of Doctor Wu from Ren Shan Medical Hall. Ask them to give her the same pricing as they do for the medical hall.”
Yu Ying stood up, bowed slightly to Doctor Wu, “Thank you, Doctor Wu.”
Doctor Wu laughed, “It’s just a small effort on my part.”
After all, the face cream was of good quality, and collaborating with Mrs. Yu was mutually beneficial.
Yu Ying took the deposit and left the medical hall with the apprentice, heading to Gu Ji Pottery Workshop.
At the workshop, Yu Ying chose two types of ceramic jars similar to her current ones. With the introduction from an acquaintance, the cost of each jar dropped by three wen.
The better jars were nine wen each, and the standard ones five wen each.
She ordered a hundred of each type.
Finally, she selected two different styles of smaller jars for the lip balm, these more attractive ones costing six wen each.
Yu Ying, making only a small batch of lip balm, initially ordered just thirty of each type of jar.
After inspecting these, she asked the pottery workshop staff about the smallest available ceramic bottle.
The staff informed her that the smallest were the ones used for lip balm; anything smaller would require a custom order and at least two days to complete.
Yu Ying needed the lip balm for gifting purposes and couldn't use bamboo tubes. She also wanted to enhance the perceived value of the gift, making customers feel that getting free lip balm with their face cream purchase was a great deal.
Since the quantity was limited, the containers for the lip balm had to be exquisite.
For the promotional lip balm, the quantity had to be small to save costs while also encouraging quicker usage and repurchase.
Yu Ying planned to use the three wen saved from the cost of face cream to order smaller containers.
The diameter of the new containers would be about one inch, with an even narrower interior, and the height including the lid would be only a third of an inch.
When filled, only a shallow layer of lip balm would be needed, making even sparing use last at most around ten applications.
Yu Ying ordered one hundred and fifty of these, which would also be ready in two days.
The total cost for these ceramics was about two thousand five hundred wen. After subtracting the cost of jars and lip balm from the money she received yesterday, nearly half would be spent.
Indeed, making money was not easy, but fortunately, the medical hall had provided a thousand wen as a deposit, giving her the capital to buy materials for the face cream.
After paying the deposit, Yu Ying continued her market stroll, hoping to find a beehive for honey.
In this dynasty, beekeeping existed but was still uncommon.
After a long search, Yu Ying finally found a stall selling white honey.
She hurried over, finding that the stall had ready-made white honey priced at fifteen wen per liang.
The stall also had unprocessed honeycombs, and a jar beside it contained already squeezed honeycombs.
Beehives were the source of beeswax, which was exactly what Yu Ying needed.
Remembering that Fu Wei would be in the county seat for another four days and would likely drink again, she thought honey water might comfort him.
With this in mind, she had the vendor pack two liang of honey in a bamboo tube.
After purchasing the honey, she inquired about the price of the squeezed honeycomb residues.
Although beeswax wasn't used for lip balm in this era, it was likely used for making candles, so the honeycomb would not be cheap.
Indeed, it was expensive.
Sold by weight, it cost eighty wen per jin.
Yu Ying had experience making beeswax; typically, one jin of honeycomb residue yielded only about three liang in the decimal system.
Honeycombs were rare in Yuxian, and she needed to continue making face cream. Unable to delegate the purchase and knowing beeswax could be stored for a long time, Yu Ying decided to buy the residue inside the pottery jars.
In total, it amounted to three jin and twelve liang, more than enough to make one jin of beeswax.
After paying, Yu Ying bought some gauze and then went to Song Sanlang's stall to give him the silver coins she had calculated the day before.
She also paid Miss Su's wages through Song Sanlang.
Miss Su, having heard from Song Sanlang about the possible year-end bonus, was exceptionally enthusiastic when she saw Yu Ying.
After a brief stop at the stall, Yu Ying discussed the medical hall collaboration with Song Sanlang and instructed him that the medical hall would be delivering pottery jars the next day.
He was to take the jars to where he lived, as the face cream would also be made there.
After giving these instructions, Yu Ying returned to the guesthouse.
Back at the guesthouse, finding Fu Wei absent, she inquired and learned from the guesthouse staff that Fu Wei had gone to the county office with the magistrate.
With Fu Wei away, Yu Ying quickly ate her meal and began sewing small bags from the gauze. Later, she borrowed a clay stove, pots, and a small steamer in the kitchen to start processing the beeswax.
She boiled the honeycomb in water until it bubbled, then let it cool and settle.
Once the beeswax solidified and separated from the water, she scooped it out, broke it into pieces, and placed them in the gauze bags. Then, she put the bags in a large bowl and steamed them in the steamer.
The steamed beeswax oozed from the bag, effectively filtering out impurities.
After repeating the process, the pure beeswax was ready.
Yu Ying quickly poured it into small bowls while it was still hot, making the solidified wax smaller, convenient for carrying and use.
Once finished, she looked out the window and noticed the darkening sky, guessing that Fu Wei must be returning soon.
