After some time, Mr. Xu would be returning, and they would stop their studies. With nothing much for Xiao Jun to do at home, it was most suitable for him to come and help. Once Da Bao went to town, Huang Shi could come and assist. Hiring help at this stage was not ideal; firstly, they lacked the funds, and secondly, introducing an outsider to something like this invited complications concerning security and secrecy. Should the secret leak, this entire source of income would vanish. It was better to keep it within the family.

Thinking this over, Lin He spoke to Huang Shi and Er Niu. "Father, Mother, when Mr. Xu's teaching days conclude, let Da Bao go study at the schoolhouse in town. He can attend classes in the morning and then go to the shop in the afternoon to learn the ropes from the manager. At night, he can stay over at He Cai Wa Wa's place."

Huang Shi and Er Niu were perplexed by Lin He's arrangements for Da Bao to leave. Lin He quickly explained, "Big Brother is old enough now. I plan to open my own shop eventually. I can't keep consigning my Plum Blossom Balm indefinitely; the consignment fees will amount to a fortune over time. I want Big Brother to learn some skills so that when we open our own store, he will know how to manage things."

Hearing this, Huang Shi and Er Niu nodded. Though reluctant to see their eldest son leave, they conceded that Lin He had a point. A man’s ambition should lie in exploring the world; he couldn't stay home his entire life. They agreed that once the current situation settled, Da Bao would enroll in the town school.

Da Bao himself was quite willing. He had often visited town recently and had grown accustomed to that sort of life. He knew that truly learning something required hands-on effort. However, Da Bao worried that once he left, there wouldn't be enough people at home to manage the work, fearing they couldn't cope.

Lin He assured Da Bao not to worry and shared her plan to ask Xiao Jun for help. Da Bao thought this was feasible. Lin He then went to Old Man Qin’s room to discuss asking Xiao Jun to assist, offering five hundred large coins per month, adding that it wouldn't be a daily commitment immediately, but the monthly wage would increase once production scaled up.

Old Man Qin was delighted, though not primarily because of the wages. That his grandson could work alongside Lin He signified two things: first, that Lin He trusted them, grandfather and grandson; and second, that his grandson would have something meaningful to do, as he couldn't possibly feed cattle forever. Thirdly, Old Man Qin had felt deeply uneasy since they arrived, feeling like useless burdens eating their rice without contributing anything. Now that Xiao Jun could finally be productive, it settled his mind.

That evening, Old Man Qin coached his grandson. "Xiao Jun, when you work for Sister He, don't ask too many questions about what you see. Absolutely do not mention anything when you go out, and don't even tell me everything when you return. Just do whatever Sister He tells you to do. Their family are all good people; if you work hard, they will treat you fairly."

Xiao Jun nodded. He had spent time playing with Xiao Bao and Chen Er and knew that Da Bao and Lin He treated him like a younger brother, and even Er Niu and Huang Shi were exceptionally kind to him. A child knew who treated him well. Now that his grandfather confirmed it, he resolved to follow instructions diligently.

Early the next morning, Lin He had Da Bao take the ox cart to town to retrieve the small wooden boxes. The craftsmanship of the shop selling these boxes was superb; the carvings were intricate, and the lacquer work beautiful. The red wooden boxes were adorned with green lotus leaves and pink lotus blossoms, making them truly stunning. The material was genuine rosewood, justifying the expense.

Lin He observed that her newly designed small boxes were far more appealing than ordinary rouge boxes, possessing a distinctiveness that she was certain would make buyers remember them, which would surely benefit sales.

Once the boxes were retrieved, Lin He led the younger ones to begin work. Early that morning, Lin He took Xiao Jun and Chen Lin to Old Mrs. Xu's place to pick plum blossoms. On their arrival, she gifted Old Mrs. Xu a box of Plum Blossom Balm and showed her how to use it; the recipient was overjoyed.

Old Mrs. Xu only had a few plum trees in her yard, meaning they wouldn't be able to pick for long. Fortunately, the weather was beginning to warm up, and spring would soon bring an abundance of flowers for production. Different flowers could yield different varieties, scents, and colors, promising even better sales down the line.

Recalling the potential future profits energized Lin He further. She, Da Bao, and the younger ones worked diligently all day. By evening, the entire family helped package the finished Plum Blossom Balm into the boxes, laboring late into the night before finally finishing.

The next day, Lin He and Da Bao transported the more than one hundred boxes of finished Plum Blossom Balm to Uncle Wen’s Cai Die Xuan. When they arrived, the shop was not yet open. Da Bao and Lin He waited a while before the doors were finally unlocked.

The shop assistant, seeing Lin He and Da Bao waiting outside for a long time, spoke up, "Miss Lin and Young Master Da Bao are so early! Why didn't you knock? We could hear you outside. If the manager finds out you waited so long in this cold, we’ll be severely scolded."

Lin He smiled and replied, "How could that be? We simply arrived too early. We had nothing pressing to do, so waiting a bit is no trouble."

The shop assistant, named Chen Bing, had grown up in Boss Wen's household and initially served there. Boss Wen, finding him quite sharp, assigned him to Cai Die Xuan to serve the clientele.

Chen Bing was adept at reading situations. He observed how respectfully his boss treated Lin He and Da Bao, even partnering with them in business. He knew what sort of man his boss was; people able to establish a rapport with the boss were never ordinary. Although Lin He’s family wasn't wealthy, the fact that the boss held them in such high regard suggested they would amount to something significant. Thus, the assistant was exceedingly attentive to Lin He and Da Bao.

Furthermore, Lin He and Da Bao never acted superior towards Chen Bing; they always spoke to him politely, never treating him like a subordinate despite their connection to the boss. Chen Bing genuinely liked both Da Bao and Lin He.

Chen Bing ushered Lin He and Da Bao inside. The shop had not yet opened, so it was empty save for Chen Bing preparing for the day. He asked them to sit briefly while he sent someone to fetch the manager. After preparing tea for Lin He and Da Bao, he stood quietly nearby.

It was Lin He’s first time examining Cai Die Xuan so thoroughly. The shop spanned two stories. The entire upper floor sold bolts of fabric, ranging from common coarse cloth to the finest Yun Brocade, stocking all manner of colors and materials. The ground floor mostly stocked cosmetics and toiletries, along with a few children’s toys, though the organization of items was somewhat haphazard.