Lin He found some old cloth in the closet, and Madam Huang cut some for her, showing her the techniques. It looked easy enough—a single snip seemed able to halve the fabric—but executing it proved surprisingly difficult. Snipping the cloth itself was simple, yet cutting a straight line was quite another matter.

Lin He felt these tasks were likely beyond her capabilities, reserved for professional tailors. She didn't hold herself to such high standards; surely, even if the cloth wasn't cut perfectly straight, the garment could still be assembled, and any uneven edges trimmed later. Thinking this, she told Madam Huang as much, and seeing she couldn't argue her out of it, Madam Huang let her have her way.

After imparting a few techniques, Madam Huang let Lin He tinker on her own. Lin He wanted to start by making clothes for Xiaobao and Xiaojun first. The two children were still wearing their winter outfits, which were now clearly too large and long—they were big enough to fit two children inside. Children's clothes were usually made slightly oversized so they could be worn for a couple of years, and since they were meant to accommodate padded underlayers, they were even larger, looking distinctly ill-fitting.

Lin He asked Madam Huang to bring out the household fabric. Uncle Wen had gifted quite a bit of cloth during the New Year. Lin He selected a few bolts: ordinary blue cotton for Xiaojun and Xiaobao, bordered with silk—sturdy cotton was best for children who constantly ran about. For herself, she planned to use plain cotton too, pairing sage green with rosy pink. For Lin Chen, she’d combine pink and yellow. This way, two bolts of fabric would make clothes without waste.

Lin He spent several days at home diligently working with needle and thread and finally finished the clothes for Xiaobao and Xiaojun. Their garments were simple tunics and trousers, with the collars and cuffs trimmed in green fabric; children didn't need overly complicated styles.

For her own clothes and Lin Chen’s, Lin He needed to put some thought into the design, though simple and neat styles were preferable. After much thought, she couldn't settle on anything—anything too fine might look ostentatious for daily wear at home. Finally exasperated, she simply made two loose-fitting, modern-style long-sleeved T-shirts out of plain cotton for herself. She made matching long trousers for them to wear as pajamas at night, and for daytime wear, she made two sets of simple tunics and long trousers.

Lin Chen was quite astonished when she saw the pajamas Lin He had made. “Sister, what kind of clothes are these you’ve made? They look so strange, and there aren't even any buttons. How do you put them on?”

Lin He had forgotten that people at this time all wore clothes fastened with buttons and that round necks, exposing the entire neck, were uncommon and perhaps improper. However, Lin He felt such a garment would be much more comfortable for sleeping.

She demonstrated once how to put the garment on for Chen'er, explaining it was strictly for sleeping. Chen'er, with a child's obstinacy, didn't care if the neck showed and insisted she wanted one too. Lin He reluctantly cut and sewed a set out of cotton for her, cautioning her never to wear it outside, only within this house. Chen'er promised she understood.

After some more time, Lin He felt the soap should be ready to sell. She went to check, and sure enough, the soap had been successfully manufactured. Lin He brought out the custom boxes she had ordered in town; each box held one bar of soap, carved with pink cherry blossoms on top. Lin He calculated that since the soap ingredients weren't particularly expensive, and the boxes weren't made of the high-grade rosewood she'd considered, selling each box for about 200 wen would be reasonable. After giving Cai Die Xuan their two-tenths profit share, each box would still net a profit of over 100 wen.

While the profit margin per unit wasn't huge, Lin He believed this soap would certainly be more lucrative than the scented pastes. Those pastes were only useful to women, but this soap, exaggeratedly speaking, could be used by everyone, and once people grew accustomed to it, they wouldn't be able to do without it—she was poised to earn quite a sum.

Lin He, along with Madam Zhou and Hong Yun, finished packing the soap. There were over three hundred bars in total. Lin He asked Old Man Qin to hitch up the ox cart, and with Xiaojun in tow, they traveled to Cai Die Xuan in town to see Uncle Wen.

When Uncle Wen saw Lin He arrive, a flicker of joy immediately crossed his face, knowing Lin He must have brought something valuable. These three hundred-plus boxes of soap were heavier than the scented pastes, too much for Lin He and Xiaojun to carry, so Old Man Qin helped deliver the goods and then left.

Lin He presented the soap to Uncle Wen. Uncle Wen remarked, “He’er, what is this? It isn't scented paste, is it? It doesn’t look like it, and the scent isn't quite the same either.”

Lin He smiled, “Uncle Wen, you’ve truly become an expert vendor, recognizing immediately that it’s something different. This item is called xiang zao (fragrant soap), and it's distinct from those pastes. This can be used for washing the face, for bathing, and it will leave the skin smoother and impart a subtle fragrance to the body, though not too strong. Furthermore, it can be used not only by women but also by men and children.”

After hearing Lin He’s explanation, Uncle Wen thought the product a fine item and decided he must take a few bars home to try himself. Lin He set aside several bars—larger, with plainer packaging than the retail boxes—explaining these were samples for him to test.

Then, she meticulously reviewed the price and detailed instructions for use with Uncle Wen, asking him to relay everything to the shop assistants so they could clearly promote the product, ensuring customers understood exactly how to use it.

As Lin He was preparing to leave, she unexpectedly encountered the legendary younger son of Uncle Wen, Wen Ningmo, who was eight years old, the same age as Lin He. Lin He had occasionally heard Uncle Wen mention his youngest son, and Da Bao had mentioned him once as well.

When Wen Ningmo entered the shop, Lin He took him in: large eyes, long lashes, wearing a vest with a gold floral pattern on a green background, his hair tied up with a kerchief. He appeared scholarly and refined, though Lin He suspected that was just outward appearance; she could tell by the way his eyes darted about.

Wen Ningmo, staring back at Lin He who regarded him without blinking, found this girl rather odd. No one had ever stared at him quite like that. He looked into her eyes, and Lin He calmly shifted her gaze away, as if she hadn't been looking at him just a moment before.

Wen Ningmo felt a touch of indignation. Who was this little girl who didn't offer a formal greeting upon seeing him, acting as if she hadn't noticed him at all? He finally spoke, asking, “Father, who is she? I’ve never seen her before.”

Uncle Wen cast a reprimanding look at Wen Ningmo and said, “This is the young lady I told you about, Lin He. You must call her Sister He from now on.”