In the end, renovations still had to be done and Cui Xi was now spending half her time living in the pleasure house and half in her new living quarters above the shop. Therefore, the mezzanine was turning into a convenient blessing.

 

With a bit of luck, she’d also been able to secure a contract with a winemaker for highly distilled baijiu to use as disinfectant because the madam had a long-standing agreement with an old craftsman.[1] There had been quite a bit of haggling and at first the craftsman had refused her request three times, but she’d solved the problem by designing a still for him. In fact, it was the man’s son who had finally convinced his father after a few pointless discussions. Having a more mechanical mind than the old man, he had actually already been experimenting with still making on the sly, though he had still been focused on the traditional steaming method. When he’d seen her rough sketch and heard her explanation of what it did, his face had lit up immediately.

 

She didn’t know very much about still design, but she had a rough idea, and the younger man took up her sketch with enthusiasm. Working together, they had had the still constructed within a week and then started to test. While the design had improved the shop’s liquor production by quite a bit…the biggest problem was temperature control. Without a steady heating element and no thermometer, she’d actually spent three weeks in the shop monkeying with the damn thing after it had been constructed.  In the end they’d hit on the right combination of factors to boil the ethanol, but not the water.

 

Her intense focus on the work had brought her a great deal of respect from the grumpy old man who’d grudgingly admitted that the still had improved on five generations of practical knowledge producing a very clean tasting product. Elated, the old man had presented her with a very fine jar of southern style nongxiang.[2] Xiao Hei’s eyes had bugged out at the sight of the jar, promptly leading her to hide it under the floorboards of her new bedroom. Not a huge drinker of spirits herself, she kept it to use it as a bribe.

 

After securing the alcohol contract, the other contracts for items such as raw materials and manufactured items had followed more easily, no doubt because of the young winemaker’s heartfelt recommendations, but very soon Cui Xi was able to set up her own workroom and start making products.

 

After that, she suddenly found herself stocking the shop’s backroom shelves with hard and liquid soaps made of various natural ingredients, rose and lotus flower facial cleansers, toner, and moisturizers made with aloe and with precious essential oils from as far away as Persia. Her current favourite was a ginger, orange, and honey scented soap.

 

When summer arrived, there would be fruit and that meant a whole new set of products could be made. Once the facial cleaners started to sell, then she would turn her attention to the problem of cosmetics. Rouge and face powders were not unique items, so using the cleaning products as her foot in the door, she would break the market open with something different and exciting.

 

Making the products was only part of the work – negotiating and meeting with suppliers, scheduling, calculating required quantities of ingredients, coming up with labels, packaging, and deciding on a shop name that would uniquely reflect her products was another issue and in the end she had named the shop Xinyue or Crescent Moon for its romantic connotations. It had been a little bit skewed for her because of the erotic dancing, but there was no harm in using a bit of scandal to build hype around the products.

 

Besides, if women somehow thought they might be capturing even a tiny bit of that sinful, erotic feeling with which their sons, husbands, and lovers were now enamoured, perhaps it was all worthwhile. Marketing sex appeal…Hah! Nothing new there.

 

Marketing…she sighed. What she needed was to do something original with sales promotion, and she also needed entry into the Imperial palace. If it was known that she sold products to the palace, then the business would be made simply on that basis.

 

“What about posting notices all over the city, Mistress?” asked Xiao Hei, as he polished his sabre.

 

“Hmmm, that’s a good idea, but that will only attract the common people. That’s not bad, but in order for us to be well off, I need to have rich clientele. The products must be marketed as luxury goods…and for the ingredients needed, I’m a bit in the hole now…so I need the money…” Cui Xi shook her head.

 

In fact, the sum of money she had asked for as an advance from the madam had pretty much made her an indentured servant at the moment. Her finances were not looking good and the pressure was making her sweat a little.

 

Muttering, she stuffed a preserved plum into her mouth and chewed around the pit with a thoughtful look. Xiao Hei watched her from where he sat opposite to her on the large windowsill. Looking down into the courtyard below, she leaned out a bit and he instantly sat up, putting a hand out to steady her.

 

“Mistress! Careful!” he cautioned.

 

Her lips twisted with irony. Xiao Hei was such a worry wart. She wouldn’t fall out…she’d already fallen so far there was no place to go but up.

 

“Hmmnnn,” she said, taking another bite and ignoring him. Inwardly she sighed…it was late in the spring and fruit would not come for a few more months. She had been so used to eating things out of season, a privilege of the modern world, and missed it. Pouting, she put the small container down, allowing herself to feel a little deflated.

 

“A’Xi, there’s no doubt about your skills with cosmetics, but except for the courtesans, no one has really tried it…so maybe demonstrations?” asked Xiao Yu, letting herself in with a smile.

 

She pointed to the plate she held.

 

Cui Xi sat up with interest.

 

“Almond biscuits?” Cui Xi asked and reached out greedily. Xiao Yu smiled and passed her the plate. Behind her there was a maid with tea, who set the tray out and then stepped out.

 

“Mistress, we’ve been borrowing servants from next door, but soon you’ll need to establish your own household,” Xiao Hei pointed out. “We won’t be able to rely on the good graces of Miss Lian and Miss Hong’er for too much longer.”

 

Cui Xi nodded.

 

“You don’t have to remind me…but the shop is the most important right now. I have to hire people for the shop before I can hire servants for us…and I still haven’t solved the problem of what to do about promoting the opening. We only have one chance at this, if we fail, all the work that we have done up to now will be wasted…”

 

“Goddess Jie Jie! Goddess Jie Jie!” came a shout from outside.

 

Xiao Hei had already stood up and exited out the sliding door out onto the mezzanine.

 

“No need to shout, you little monkey!” he called down, grinning. “What’s the matter?”

 

At the street level, one of her messenger urchins shaded his eyes and squinted up at Xiao Hei as Cui Xi came out to look.

 

The grinning boy waved a letter.

 

“Hey kid! Are you hungry?” she asked, waving back as she leaned over the rail.

 

A smiled bloomed on the small face as she held up an almond biscuit. There was no need for a further invitation, but before she could move, Xiao Hei had snatched it from her and stepped lightly off the railing, scaring the wits out of his Mistress.

 

Huh! Show off! So, he has been practicing…!

 

He landed lightly below and handed the biscuit to the boy in exchange for the letter.

 

Giggling, the boy ran off.

 

Xiao Hei easily made it back up to the balcony in one leap.

 

Cui Xi sighed. She could never get used to watching qinggong in action. It was still like being in a TV show, and yet Xiao Hei acted so naturally as he handed the letter over.

 

She became abruptly alert as she stared at the seal.

 

“It’s the Changping seal. Look,” she pointed.

 

“Ennn,” he grunted, recognizing it. “Will you go see him, Mistress?”

 

“I can’t avoid him forever, Xiao Hei. It may actually be beneficial to see him now. Perhaps there is a way he can get me into the palace…but it would also be good if he has gossip about the noble families in the capital…if there’s any information we can use to our advantage, that may be the angle we need to market the products.”

 

The key to selling a product is knowing your clientele…if she had somewhere to start, then she could start a client registry and collect relevant information so that she would always be able to anticipate the need before she was even asked.

 

The letter was indeed an invitation to the Changping Shizi manor.

 

“Mistress, you should stay wary…” Xiao Hei lifted his shoulders eloquently.

 

“We can only have a look and then act accordingly…” she said with a carefree smile, causing Xiao Hei to roll his eyes.

 

The Mistress has no sense of danger!

 

 

 

 

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[1] Clear alcohol made from sorghum, rice or other grains

[2] A type of baijiu made that is sweet and mellow in flavour. It’s aroma is stronger than some of the other varieties and comes from the south.