The Vicious Female Supporting Character Just Wants to Cuddle with the Heroine - Chapter 9

Ning Xin found the medicinal ointment cool and soothing, but she felt a bit dramatic about it. So, after Shen Qingzhi applied it a couple of times, Ning Xin pulled her hand away, unable to bear it anymore.

Shen Qingzhi said, “This ointment is very effective. Your hand will be better by tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not making rouge for a while, so what else do you plan to do?”

Ning Xin looked at Shen Qingzhi, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. “I haven’t thought of anything yet. I’ll let you know when I do. I’ll send you a message.”

“Alright.”

After Shen Qingzhi left this time, Ning Xin gathered everyone on the estate and distributed money to them. She followed her own records to pay them based on their work. The least anyone received was five taels, and the most was a full twenty taels—a sum many people couldn’t earn in a whole year on the estate.

Ning Xin looked at their happy faces and said with satisfaction, “As long as you all remain loyal to me, I promise you’ll earn endless money. The condition is, you must not tell the master about what I do here. If anyone leaks information, I will leave, and then no one will be able to earn money again.”

“Yes!”

As the saying goes, money makes the world go ’round. The people on the estate already had little loyalty to the master; now that Ning Xin was giving them money, their loyalty naturally shifted to her. After all, who wouldn’t want to live a better life? Seeing everyone so happy, Ning Xin felt happy herself. Her life was now carefree, with money to spend and servants to wait on her. It couldn’t get any better, though the lack of entertainment was a bit boring. Without any electronic devices, she felt quite idle.

To pass the time, Ning Xin had people buy storybooks for her, along with brushes, ink, and paper. She wasn’t good at embroidery, so she decided to improve herself in other ways.

Shen Qingzhi returned ten days later.

Ning Xin was napping in a rocking chair, with the warm sun on her, feeling very comfortable.

When Shen Qingzhi saw this, she froze for a moment before gently nudging Ning Xin.

Ning Xin was a light sleeper. She opened her eyes and saw Shen Qingzhi, and the visual shock nearly made her fall out of the chair. Luckily, she held on just in time. “Sister Shen, why did you come so suddenly?”

“I’ve come to bring you money. Here are the two thousand taels we earned this time.”

Shen Qingzhi took out the banknote and handed it to Ning Xin, and as an afterthought, she gently stroked Ning Xin’s head. She had wanted to do it before, and if she didn’t get to do it today, she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Ning Xin was so focused on the banknote that she didn’t really feel anything about Shen Qingzhi stroking her head. By the time she reacted, Shen Qingzhi had already lowered her hand. “Sister Shen, I’ve been busy reading storybooks and haven’t thought of anything else to do. Do you have any suggestions?”

“I don’t, but whatever you decide to do, I can help you. You can take your time to think about it.”

“You’re so kind.”

Ning Xin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Shen Qingzhi. In her eyes, Shen Qingzhi was a walking, glittering gold mine, and she needed to hold on tight.

“Alright, I have other things to do, so I won’t stay long. Let me know when you’ve made up your mind.”

“Okay!”

A few days after Shen Qingzhi left, Ning Xin once again gathered everyone and gave them money, making everyone on the estate grin from ear to ear.

Li Niang received a total of thirty taels from the two distributions, a sum she couldn’t have imagined before. “Miss, are we not making those things anymore?”

“We’ll have to wait two months before we start again. I haven’t decided what to do during this free time.”

While she spoke, Ning Xin looked at Li Niang, and her attention landed on Li Niang’s clothes.

Li Niang noticed Ning Xin staring and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you looking at my clothes, Miss?”

“Yes. Your clothes seem to be quite old. Now that you have some money, take some time to get a couple of new outfits made. Your stitching looks good. Make two new outfits for me in a few days.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, and could you bring me your winter clothes to look at?”

“I’ll go get them now.”

Li Niang was quick and brought out her only few winter clothes. Although they looked a bit worn, they were clean and had no musty smell, only the scent of soap.

Li Niang watched Ning Xin nervously, wondering what her young lady was plotting now, but she couldn’t figure it out.

As for Ning Xin, after looking at them for a while, she decided to make perfumed soap. The soapberry used now cleaned things well, but the scent was plain. Wealthy families would deliberately scent their clothes with incense, but if she could create perfumed soap, it would be a different story. Perfumed soap, like rouge, would be a very profitable business.

With this in mind, Ning Xin quickly wrote a list and had someone prepare the materials. She told Li Niang to take her clothes back and fell into deep thought again.

Li Niang’s winter clothes were bulky but not warm, a common characteristic among the poor. It occurred to Ning Xin that perhaps cotton wasn’t widely used here yet.

Based on the timeline in the story, Shen Qingzhi was supposed to leave around the end of the year, just as it was getting cold. If she started preparing now, she might be able to get a batch of winter clothes ready before Shen Qingzhi left.

Ning Xin was a person of action. Once she thought of cotton, she drew a diagram from memory and had someone deliver it to Shen Qingzhi. She could handle making the winter clothes, but finding cotton was likely something only Shen Qingzhi could do.

Shen Qingzhi was extremely busy at home, but receiving a message from Ning Xin was the only thing that could make her feel a brief sense of relief.

She had never seen the thing drawn in Ning Xin’s diagram, so she went to see Ning Xin that very day. Her intuition told her that Ning Xin had another surprise for her.

Ning Xin was walking around the estate to digest her dinner. When she returned, she saw Shen Qingzhi, but she was now used to Shen Qingzhi’s sudden appearances and didn’t scream.

Shen Qingzhi was a bit disappointed by her lack of reaction, but business was more important. “What have you drawn here?”

“Something very important. If you can help me find it, I will definitely give you a surprise at the end of the year.”

“Alright. I’ll have someone look for it as soon as I get back, but you have to be sure your drawing is correct.”

Remembering Ning Xin’s embroidery skills, Shen Qingzhi looked at her with a hint of doubt.

Ning Xin immediately understood Shen Qingzhi’s meaning and playfully chided her, “Sister, don’t tease me. I know I’m not good at needlework, but I personally designed all those rouge boxes. Don’t you think those are good enough?”

Thinking of the exquisite rouge boxes, Shen Qingzhi felt a little relieved. “That’s good then. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know as soon as this item is found. But you didn’t call me here just for this, did you?”

“You’re so clever, Sister. Of course not. The main reason I called you is to tell you about another profitable business opportunity.”

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