Lin He looked at Xiao Jun, recalling Old Man Qin's words. Deep down, Lin He knew that even though Old Man Qin and Xiao Jun had been staying with them for so long, they couldn't entirely shake off the feeling of being dependent guests. She figured that if their circumstances improved in the future, it would be best for Old Man Qin and his grandson to establish their own household.

With that thought, Lin He asked Old Man Qin, "Grandpa Qin, how about I send Xiao Jun to the local school to study?" "Forget it. Xiao Jun himself dislikes sitting indoors studying all day. He'er, if you don't mind, teach him some characters when you have free time.

Just teach him a few things casually; it'll be enough for him to make a living when he grows up," Old Man Qin spoke to Lin He with rare seriousness. Lin He replied, "Grandpa Qin jokes too much. I don't know much myself, but if you're willing to let Xiao Jun learn from me, I'd be happy to teach him.

Just don't worry that I'll teach him anything bad." Old Man Qin smiled, understanding that Lin He's words were an agreement. "Then I'll entrust Xiao Jun to you, **. Do as you see fit; you don't need to worry about pleasing me." Lin He noticed Xiao Jun hadn't spoken and asked, "Xiao Jun, from now on, every time Sister He delivers goods, I'll take you with me, alright?" A smile spread across Xiao Jun's face, and he nodded, indicating his willingness to go.

After chatting for a while, they soon reached the town. Old Man Qin parked the ox cart at the entrance, helped them deliver the goods to the entrance of the Butterfly Hues Pavilion, and Lin He took Xiao Jun inside. Lin He went to the back room to discuss the ointment production with Uncle Wen.

The last batch of ointment had sold out. Uncle Wen settled the accounts with her: a total of one hundred and fifty taels, from which thirty taels for consignment were deducted, leaving one hundred and twenty taels of silver, which he gave to Lin He. Lin He showed Uncle Wen the newly made Cherry Blossom Ointment and Peach Blossom Ointment she had with her.

She informed Uncle Wen that she intended to price the Cherry Blossom Ointment higher because the cherry blossom season is short, and cherry blossoms are not as common as ordinary flowers—they might only be available for one or two months. Therefore, she planned to sell them for seven hundred wen per box, while the others would remain at five hundred wen per box. Uncle Wen agreed with the pricing, so they set the prices according to Lin He's suggestion.

This time, she brought three hundred boxes, one hundred of each type. Lin He estimated they might sell out in about ten days to half a month, and she arranged with Uncle Wen to deliver the next batch in half a month. Uncle Wen told Lin He, "That's fine.

But He'er, have you considered producing some other items, like rouge and face powder, to expand the line? Many customers who come to buy have been asking our staff about them." Lin He had considered this herself, but she truly didn't want to make cosmetics like rouge and powder using the methods of this era, as those things were too damaging to the skin. What she wanted to create were skincare products like facial cleansers, soap, and moisturizing creams.

Lin He shared her ideas with Uncle Wen. Uncle Wen felt Lin He’s philosophy was excellent; she wasn't solely focused on making money but also considered whether these products were beneficial to people's health. He was confident that anything Lin He produced would certainly sell well given enough time.

Leaving the Butterfly Hues Pavilion, it was nearing noon. Lin He thought Da Bao would be returning from school soon. She decided to take Xiao Jun to see He Cai Doll to check on how Da Bao had been doing these past few days and if he was adjusting well there.

When they arrived at He Cai Doll, Da Bao hadn't returned yet. Lin He sat in the shop for a while. Since it was midday and the weather was starting to warm up, it was lunchtime for the staff at He Cai Doll.

There were four people in total, and they took turns leaving for lunch, each break lasting about half an hour. Lin He felt this arrangement was inconvenient. Ideally, the person handling the accounts—the cashier—should not leave the premises, otherwise, if the accounts didn't balance in the afternoon, it would be unclear who made the error.

Similarly, the shop manager should preferably not wander off unless absolutely necessary. If an urgent matter arose requiring his attention, his half-hour lunch break would leave no one in charge, which was also not ideal. With two shop assistants, the situation was slightly better as they could cover for each other.

Moreover, this arrangement did not foster a sense of belonging among the staff. Lin He planned to wait for Da Bao’s return and then invite Uncle Wen over to discuss this matter. Lin He's idea was to hire an older woman to cook meals for the shop staff.

Hiring a woman for daily cooking would cost about four hundred large coins monthly, which was roughly the same amount the four employees spent eating out over a month. The shop would cover this cost, essentially treating it as a staff benefit, which she believed the employees would appreciate. If the employees ate out, they couldn't afford large establishments, and sticking to small stalls meant eating the same few options repeatedly, leading to boredom.

While providing in-house meals would mean an additional monthly expense for the shop, it would undoubtedly be worthwhile in the long run. Lin He had been sitting for a while when Da Bao returned from school. Seeing him arrive, Lin He quickly stood up and suggested they go eat together.

Da Bao happily agreed, informing the manager that he was going out for lunch. Lin He was quite satisfied with Da Bao’s demeanor and conduct. As they walked, Lin He asked Da Bao, "Big Brother, have you been adjusting well at the shop these past few days?

And at school, has anyone bullied you?" Da Bao said that attending school for the first time with unfamiliar peers was wonderful, answering that everything was fine and he was getting along well with his classmates. He also mentioned the shop assistants were good people. Lin He carefully observed Da Bao's expression; he didn't seem the type to lie, so things were likely going well.

Da Bao also told Lin He about Uncle Wen's youngest son. He said Uncle Wen’s younger son had come to the shop two days ago to buy a doll. He looked to be about eight years old and was quite mischievous.

When he arrived, he handled every doll in the shop and finally bought several of the very large ones. Lin He smiled. It was understandable for children from wealthy families to be a bit naughty; growing up without worrying about food or clothing, what else did they have to do besides play all day?

She presumed Uncle Wen's family doted on this youngest son. The three of them casually found a noodle stall, each ordering a bowl of noodles and an extra meat bun. After they finished eating, Lin He asked Xiao Jun to take a portion back for Old Man Qin.

Once Old Man Qin finished, Xiao Jun was to return to He Cai Doll. Lin He also explained the shop meal plan to Da Bao. Da Bao thought Lin He's idea was excellent, saying that eating in the shop would definitely be much better than eating outside.

He admitted that sometimes when customers came during meal times, the shop lacked enough hands to manage everything properly, and it would be great if they could eat on-site. Lin He expected as much. She then asked Da Bao to go to the Butterfly Hues Pavilion to fetch Uncle Wen to He Cai Doll so they could discuss the staff meal arrangements.