Lin He knew Aunt Xu was such a good person. She had come to her house asking for things, and now the way Aunt Xu spoke made it sound as if Lin He had actually done her a favor. So, she smiled sweetly and said, "Alright, but I can’t pick them all at once. I’ll take two baskets back first, and I’ll come back in a few days to pick some more. Aunt Xu, please don’t let anyone pluck the plum blossoms off the trees; they’re quite useful."

Aunt Xu laughed and replied, "I know, I know. Anything you ask me to save for you, He'er, I’ll certainly keep it safe for you. I won't let any mischievous little sprites pluck them away." As she spoke, she glanced towards Xiao Bao and Er Gouzi; both boys scratched their heads and chuckled.

Lin He and Chen'er took two full baskets of plum blossoms and headed home. Xiao Bao stayed behind to play at Er Gouzi's house, saying he would have his elder brother come pick him up later. Back at home, Lin He and Chen'er washed the plum blossoms in water. Then, she had Chen'er build a roaring fire and fetched a clean pot from home, scrubbing it thoroughly with boiling water.

Lin He and Chen'er set to work: Chen'er tended the fire by the stove, while Lin He stirred the blossoms in the pot with a wooden rod. The plum blossoms needed to be simmered into a thick plum blossom essence—the richer, the better.

The two labored for a long time until they had boiled down the two baskets of blossoms into the essence. Around the time they finished, Da Bao returned with the items he had bought. Da Bao had purchased dozens of small wooden boxes, the common lacquered variety. Lin He instructed Da Bao to set the boxes aside.

Lin He asked Da Bao to help stoke the fire higher, then melt the beeswax she had bought over a water bath. Once the wax had liquefied, she poured in the almond oil, and finally, the plum blossom essence. Before adding the essence, they carefully strained out all the sediment.

All four bags of beeswax purchased were used, along with a large bucket of freshly pressed almond oil and a small tub of the fresh plum blossom essence. The three of them simmered and worked the entire afternoon until they finally produced the plum blossom cream. Lin He gazed at the fruit of her labor. The balm had absorbed the color of the essence, giving it a faint, lovely pink hue that complemented the bright red lacquered boxes beautifully. When held close, one could still catch a delicate scent of plum blossom.

Cosmetics at that time were mostly powdery. Lin Chen rarely saw anything like this. Looking at what his older sister had made, he thought it must be edible. The plum blossom cream inside the wooden boxes was a crystal-clear paste, genuinely beautiful, truly resembling something one could eat.

Lin He laughed and said, "It’s not for eating. It’s something girls use to rub on their hands and bodies. If your face gets very dry, you can even use it there." With that, she scraped off a little and rubbed it onto Lin Chen’s hand.

Lin Chen held his hand close to his nose, inhaled, and declared, "Sister, it smells wonderful. I want to use it."

Lin He told him not to rush. She had Da Bao bring out the wooden boxes he had bought, and then they carefully spooned the finished plum blossom cream into them. They filled over forty boxes, with about ten boxes left over, which Lin He told Chen'er to put away for later use.

Since this batch was purely an experimental attempt, they hadn't made a large quantity. They would let the family try it first to gauge the effect, and only then would they take it out for consignment sales. Because this plum blossom cream contained absolutely no chemical substances, anyone could use it—children, adults, even pregnant women. It was far superior to the commercial cosmetics sold in town.

Lin He gave one box to Lin Chen, kept one for herself, and took another to Huang Shi, instructing them to use it morning and evening, or whenever their hands or face felt dry. She urged them to use it consistently, saying they would see the results in a few days.

Huang Shi held the small wooden box, gazing at the pink paste inside and inhaling its fragrance. Her heart swelled with joy. This was the very first time Huang Shi had ever used something called a cosmetic. She had never afforded such a luxury before—not even the cheapest kind, let alone something this fine. Furthermore, ordinary country women never even considered using such things.

It is an eternal truth that every woman, from the oldest crone of eighty to the youngest girl, yearns for youth and beauty. Even someone like Huang Shi, who never used such items normally, felt a surge of happiness upon receiving them.

Following Lin He’s instructions, Huang Shi applied some to her face and hands. Immediately, she felt the skin smooth out considerably wherever the cream touched. Her skin felt less dry, and a faint, sweet scent emanated from it. Lin He advised them that once their faces felt less dry after a few days of use, they should stop applying it to their faces, as it could make them oily.

Having used a few boxes at home, Lin He planned to keep one box for Aunt Xu and take the rest to Cai Die Xuan for consignment. At that time, the finest rouge sold for one tael of silver per box, yet this product was far more beneficial.

The rouge commonly sold then was quite damaging to the skin; overuse was detrimental. This cream, however, would actually improve the skin over time. Still, since this was a brand-new product, she feared pricing it too high. For now, she set the price at three hundred wen per box.

If consigned at Cai Die Xuan, the shop would take a two-tenths commission. After covering the costs of raw materials and all other expenses, she would net a profit of slightly over a hundred wen per box. If they sold just ten boxes a day, that would be a net income of one tael of silver daily. Over a month, that amounted to thirty taels—and that was the most conservative estimate. Lin He had immense confidence in her product; once sales picked up, she was certain they would sell far more than ten boxes a day.

Once spring arrived and more flowers bloomed, she could create flower creams with different scents; there would be plenty of work then.

After the women in the household had used the cream for a few days, Huang Shi came to Lin He and said, "He'er, the plum blossom cream you made is truly wonderful. The scent is lovely, and look, the cracks on my hands are slowly healing, and my skin feels much smoother. I think it will sell very well if you take it out."

Lin Chen chimed in eagerly, "Yes, Sister, this cream smells so good and looks pretty. If you sell it, you’ll surely earn lots of money!"

Lin He already anticipated this result and wasn't as agitated as they were. She felt it was time to start selling. Thus, the very next morning, Lin He and Da Bao took an ox cart to town to discuss selling the plum blossom cream with Uncle Wen.

Upon reaching town, they alighted from the ox cart and asked Old Man Qin to wait by the town entrance while she and Da Bao headed straight for Cai Die Xuan. When they arrived, Boss Wen was in the shop. Seeing Lin He and Da Bao approaching, his face broke into a wide smile, and he hurried out, saying warmly, "He'er, it’s been a long time since you’ve been to town. What brings you here today?"

Lin He explained, "Yes, we’ve been busy with many things for the New Year. My mother couldn't manage alone, so I had to stay home to help her. I came today because I need Uncle Wen’s help with something."

Boss Wen raised an eyebrow slightly, ushered Da Bao and Lin He into a side room in the back, and asked them what the matter was.

Lin He had Da Bao take the lacquered boxes out of the satchel and present them to Boss Wen, saying, "Uncle Wen, I was idle at home and made some plum blossom cream myself. It's something women use to make their skin smoother. I would like to leave it here with you on consignment."