Linhua was drawing on paper with a homemade brush. Since she had arrived here, she found it difficult to use the calligraphy brushes properly. Whenever there were too many strokes in the characters, her writing looked completely illegible. To solve this problem, she devised her own method - by charring a branch into carbon and wrapping it with cloth as an improvised pen. This new tool suited her much better; now whatever images formed in her mind could be easily transferred onto paper.

Naming this brand was proving to be quite challenging for Linhua. The thought process gave her such a headache that she finally decided on "NingHe Cosmetics." She found the name unique and memorable, believing it would leave an immediate impression when people saw it. For the display cabinet design, she chose a combination of pink and green hues - the plaque featured a pink lotus flower and green lotus leaves in complementary colors. This vibrant pairing would surely draw attention; with time, customers would instantly recognize these visual elements as belonging to her brand.

With all these plans finalized, Linhua finally emerged from her room. The family had wisely left her undisturbed during her seclusion, but now they couldn't resist asking about the commotion. They'd already interrogated Ziqing and Ziyu who remained tight-lipped until their mistress spoke up. Linhua was particularly pleased with how discreet those two maids were - never uttering careless words nor overstepping social boundaries.

She shared with her family what Uncle Wen had told her, along with her business plans for Erniu. As always, Erniu wholeheartedly supported her decisions even though he lacked understanding of the details. His role was simply to follow through whenever she needed something done.

Linhua's main concerns were ensuring consistent product supply across all stores and leaving distribution management to Uncle Wen. Another matter on her mind was acquiring a carriage - she instructed Erniu to find a skilled driver through the broker. Here, reliability was paramount; such workers had to commit themselves fully rather than being hired hands.

Erniu recalled one of their farmhands who possessed both driving skills and commendable character in his mid-twenties. A quiet, diligent man with no family obligations that she knew of. However, Linhua frowned at this suggestion - most willing laborers rarely chose servitude unless circumstances left them no choice. It was safer to purchase from the broker directly.

She also realized their household staff was growing dangerously close to exceeding living space capacity. Discussing expansion plans with Erniu, she envisioned acquiring a larger plot for constructing an extensive courtyard complex. This would provide necessary accommodations as their workforce inevitably expanded while maintaining proper social boundaries between family and staff quarters.

Erniu agreed the estate had become overcrowded since Ziqing and Ziyu's arrival. While he acknowledged the financial implications of building multiple courtyards, his wife Huangshi strongly opposed this expansion. She clung emotionally to their current residence - a house built with their first earnings after Linhua's arrival here. Though attached to these memories, Linhua understood growth required sacrifice.

She instructed Erniu to negotiate land purchase from the clan elder while waiting for business profits to stabilize. The ideal location would maintain proximity to existing properties like the fish pond and other facilities. Most importantly, it should remain near her father who managed farmhands efficiently in this area.

The next day, Linhua accompanied Erniu and Ziqing to meet the broker seeking a carriage driver. Preparing beforehand, he'd arranged only for candidates who both knew driving and were available for servitude. Among these men, Linhua selected a man around thirty years old whose background check revealed tragedy - his wife had died from illness several years ago with no children left behind.

After negotiations, they paid 35 taels of silver plus an additional tael as commission to the broker who became visibly delighted at their patronage. The new servant was temporarily housed among farmhands until permanent accommodations were ready. Linhua formally named him Changgeng - a quiet man whose stoicism reminded her of someone who'd lost his family during a plague years ago before ending up in service.

Changgeng's reserved nature proved ideal for this role; he rarely spoke unless asked direct questions and simply followed instructions without hesitation or curiosity about salary. This reliability was precisely what Linhua needed - someone trustworthy to observe operations discreetly while carrying out duties competently. With arrangements complete, Ziqing briefed him on household protocols before assigning him to accompany them tomorrow in purchasing the carriage.