Entering Tongcheng, Gu Sanniang was really eye-opening, there were many shops along the street, and all kinds of shouting and selling on the street were endless, and she even saw the blonde and blue-eyed alien on the street, Shen Zhuo saw her surprised appearance, and said: "This is a merchant from Dawan and Java, who brought spices and jade to our Dayuan in exchange for porcelain and silk, and then returned to China to sell at a high price." ”

Gu Sanniang was amazed, and she said to Shen Zhuo: "Look at them, they are really capable, far away from their homeland to do business in such a far place, compared to them, I am nothing." ”

Shen Zhuo was afraid that she would emulate these foreign businessmen again, so he hurriedly said, "Do you think this money is easy to earn?" I left Beijing last year, and on the way to hear people say that a group of merchant ships came from Java, who knew that when they encountered a storm at sea, the entire team of merchant ships sank, and there was no survivor. ”

Gu Sanniang shook her head, she said: "I don't expect to earn foreigners' money, as long as I can support me and Xiao Yezi, I will be satisfied." ”

Shen Zhuo listened to her words and put his mind at ease, it was not early at this time, he should find a place to settle down, he had been to Tongcheng a few times before, and he was quite familiar with the city, so he took Gu Sanniang to the investment store.

After entering the inn, the two of them each asked for a room, and when the shopkeeper led them back to the room, Gu Sanniang asked Shen Zhuo: "When are you going to see Mr. Dongfang?" ”

Shen Zhuo didn't guard her for suddenly asking about it, so he cleared his throat and said, "You are not familiar with your life, I will always accompany you to ask about the rouge trade clearly, and then go to meet with Dongfang." ”

He saw that Gu Sanniang was about to open his mouth to ask again, so he hurriedly opened his mouth and said: "Dai Chunlin's rouge gouache is all tribute to the inside, these imperial merchants are all above the top, and they may not be willing to supply them to you, if you are idle, you still need to think about how to convince them." ”

Gu Sanniang really pondered, the rouge gouache sold by Dai Chunlin is famous all over the world, just because it is exclusively for high-ranking officials and nobles, I heard that even if someone holds the silver to ask for goods, it may not be able to buy it, but if she wants to change to another family, she is unwilling, after all, Dai Chunlin's reputation is there.

"Tomorrow, I will accompany you to Dai Chunlin first, and see what they mean." Shen Zhuo said.

Gu Sanniang nodded, so she and Shen Zhuo went back to the house.

On the second day, Gu Sanniang woke up early in the morning, she washed up, and when she was about to go downstairs, she saw Shen Zhuo also come out of the house, the two said hello, seeing that the hour was still early, so they asked the store to send breakfast, and when they finished eating, Gu Sanniang asked Xiao Er about Dai Chunlin's store address, and then went to Dai Chunlin's rouge shop with Shen Zhuo.

And say that this Dai Chunlin, the surname Zhu, since the beginning of the previous dynasty is to do rouge gouache business starts, now it has been more than one or two hundred years, the head office is in Tongcheng, the other two branches, one in the capital Chang'an, the other in Zhongzhou Luofu.

Gu Sanniang listened to the rumors that Shen Zhuo told her about all things all the way, and while gaining knowledge, she also said: "Shen Juren, I still don't listen to things outside the window, and only read sage books, I don't want you to know so much." ”

Shen Zhuo smiled: "I lived in Beijing before, so I naturally saw and heard more. ”

The two families lived in the same courtyard for more than half a year, and Gu Sanniang rarely heard him mention the past, so she asked: "Then why do you want to move to our county, is it good to live in Beijing?" ”

The corners of Shen Zhuo's lips drooped slightly, and he said lightly: "I felt bored after living for a long time, so I changed places." ”

Gu Sanniang keenly felt that he didn't seem to be willing to mention the past, so he didn't ask more.

When the two were talking, they had found Dai Chunlin's shop, which Dai Chunlin was located in the most prosperous area of Tongcheng, with a row of four shops, a total of three floors, and a plaque hanging at the front door, with three big characters written on it, Gu Sanniang didn't recognize it, but she guessed that it should be Dai Chunlin's signboard, at this time, because it was morning, there were not too many guests in and out of the shop, there was a guy at the door, who was sweeping the floor with a broom, and when he saw Gu Sanniang and Shen Zhuo, he stopped his movements first, and said hello to them respectfully, He said smartly: "The guests are really early, please go inside and have a look." ”

Gu Sanniang smiled back, and then entered the store, only to see that the decoration inside was magnificent, and the rows of display cabinets were inlaid with glass, and there were all kinds of rouge water in them. ”

Gu Sanniang approached, in the end, it was the nature of a woman's love for beauty, when she saw all kinds of rouge in those white porcelain boxes, even her eyes were straight, she looked at it again, and she had seen the commonly used rouge cream, jasmine powder, lead powder, and the rest, she had heard about it, and even more so, there were many things in it that she had seen for the first time.

Shen Zhuo saw that Gu Sanniang was as curious as a child, and couldn't help but smile slightly, and he said to the guy: "Take out some of your good rose lipstick and jasmine powder here." ”

The guy said yes, took a few white jade boxes from the cabinet, opened them and said to Gu Sanniang: "This is Mei Hua Nu, this is Banbianjiao, and that is Yingdie Fan." ”

As he spoke, he took a woman's hairpin and picked it out, and asked Gu Sanniang to spread out her palm, and the rouge was picked into her palm, and said: "My family's paste is the juice wrung out of the best roses, just a little, it is bright and fragrant on the lips, and I don't want to use other people's rouge anymore." ”

Shen Zhuo looked at Gu Sanniang and said to her, "You put it on your lips and try it." ”

Gu Sanniang's ears were red, she was so big, she didn't apply grease and powder when she married Zhang Yinsuo, and besides, she was embarrassed in front of Shen Zhuo.

"If you don't give it a try, how will you know if it's good or not?" Shen Zhuo said with a serious face.

Gu Sanniang couldn't stand his persuasion, so she picked a little with her finger and applied it to her lips, the guy was also a clever man, and hurriedly took a small round mirror and handed it to her, Gu Sanniang looked at the person in the mirror, the bright red lipstick was bright, as if the whole face was a little brighter, she sniffed the palm again, the aroma was faint, revealing a sweet smell.

"The little lady has fair skin and flesh, and the lipstick of this charming flower slave is just right, we have recently released a purple Sacred Heart Tremor in our store, do you want to try it too?"

Fortunately, Gu Sanniang still remembered the purpose of her visit, and she was wearing filial piety, and it was not appropriate to apply grease and powder, she gently wiped the saliva on her lips with a handkerchief, and only said to the guy: "Your family's rouge is widely known all over the world, and there is no need to say it, but I am not here to buy it for my own use today, I don't know if your shopkeeper is there?" ”

When the guy on the other side heard that she was looking for a shopkeeper, he said, "Two guests, wait a moment." ”

Saying that, he went back to find the shopkeeper, Gu Sanniang and Shen Zhuo waited for a long time, and saw a forty-year-old middle-aged man come out, after he approached, he first glanced at Gu Sanniang, only to see this woman Jing Hai cloth skirt, no powder on her face, looking like an ordinary family, and then looking at the man next to her with a beautiful face, wearing a cyan robe, looking elegant, but when he looked at it a few more times, he inexplicably felt that this person was a little familiar.

Shen Zhuo offered his hand to him and said: "Shopkeeper Wang, under Shen Zhuo, and this Shopkeeper Gu are from Lixian, I want to ask for some things this time, and I don't know if it is convenient for Shopkeeper Wang." ”

When the shopkeeper heard him report his name, and suspected that he had recognized the wrong person, he put away the puzzled look on his face, and without asking them where they came from, he led them directly to the inner hall, and said, "Come from afar, please sit down and have a cup of tea first." ”

Gu Sanniang and Shen Zhuo followed the shopkeeper Wang into the inner hall, and after a while, a guy came up with tea, and the shopkeeper Wang whispered a word to the guy, and saw the little guy go outside.

For a while, the three of them sat down, and the shopkeeper Wang asked, "But I don't know what happened to you, and I came from Lixian on purpose." ”

Gu Sanniang put down the tea cup in her hand, she looked at the shopkeeper Wang, and said: "Don't hide it from the shopkeeper Wang, the little woman opened a shop in Lixian, specializing in the things made by women, just because the quality of the rouge gouache sold by other families in the county is not good, but the treasure number is far away in Tongcheng, the woman in the boudoir just wants to make good goods, and suffers from the inconvenience of transportation between the two places, so the little woman wants to act as Dai Chunlin's rouge water in Lixian, which can be regarded as a piece of the heart of those women's love for beauty." ”

Listening to Gu Sanniang's words, the shopkeeper Wang smiled, his family's rouge gouache has never been worried about sales, and the little Lixian is not in his eyes, but what surprised him was that it was a woman who talked about the transaction, but he didn't know who Shen Zhuo was who came with her.

Thinking like this in his heart, the shopkeeper Wang showed a look of embarrassment on his face, and he said: "Shopkeeper Gu, our Dai Chunlin only has three stores in the entire Great Yuan Kingdom, you are just afraid that you don't know, Dai Chunlin has never had an agent anywhere, you really make it a little difficult for me." ”

Although Gu Sanniang guessed early in the morning that the Zhu clan estimated that she couldn't look down on the small territory of Lixian, she was still a little disappointed in her heart, but Shen Zhuo, who was sitting next to her, spoke, and said to the shopkeeper Wang: "The shopkeeper Wang thinks badly, just an agent, and he doesn't do business in the name of Dai Chunlin, it's like buying more goods, the price is cheap, and the shopkeeper Gu is just making a few agent money in the middle, in the end, Dai Chunlin still makes money." ”

Shopkeeper Wang shook his head with a smile, and said, "Our Dai Chunlin's things, depending on whether you buy one piece or a hundred, the price is a lot." ”

Hearing his words, Gu Sanniang and Shen Zhuo glanced at each other.