Finest Servant

Chapter 281 Liar

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a body good; all who follow my path enjoy a carefree life." Lin Wanrong hummed to himself as he got up from bed, having slept soundly after the previous night's fatigue. When he stepped outside, he noticed the rooms opposite were vacant; the two young ladies had already risen and were nowhere in sight.

Bored and in the middle of his morning exercise, a petite maid, her cheeks pink with cold, came running towards him. "Brother San, Brother San—" she called out.

Lin Wanrong recognized her. She was the maid Sister Song had assigned to serve the young ladies the night before, a delicate and adorable little creature named Huan'er.

"What's the matter, little sister Huan'er?" He feigned surprise. "Oh, there's a cockroach on your head! Let me get it for you."

Huan'er, taken aback, jumped to his side, clutching his arm. "Brother San, where, where is it?"

"I'm right here!" Lin Wanrong laughed cheekily. Teasing the young maid early in the morning – what a damn good life it was.

Realizing she'd been duped, Huan'er flushed and released his arm, whispering, "Brother San, the young ladies asked me to check on you. If you're up, they invite you to join them for breakfast."

Yawning, Lin Wanrong responded, "Go tell them I'm still asleep. Last night I fell asleep so hastily, it wasn't really restful. I didn't even have time to bathe. I plan to take a good bath later, and then take another nap. Oh, little sister Huan'er, I see you're not so young anymore, how old are you now?"

"Is that so? So young? I guess I shouldn't make a big mistake then. Huan'er, come back later to help me scrub my back."

With a startled 'ah', the little maid fled like a gust of wind, leaving Lin Wanrong laughing boisterously behind. If it weren't for his search for Qingxuan, he would gladly spend his days teasing maids and cuddling with his wife, living such a carefree life.

He had come to the capital for two reasons. One was to help the young ladies manage their business, and the other was to find Qingxuan. The mysterious encounter from last night gave him renewed confidence – if he could bump into her by chance, surely he'd find her if he was actually looking?

After a long journey and a restless sleep, a morning bath was indeed necessary. The inner courtyard was occupied by women, and he felt somewhat embarrassed to trouble the maids with fetching his bath water.

Eventually, he filled the large wooden tub with hot water, fetched some soap, and stripped to take a bath. The slightly hot sensation was refreshing, making his whole body feel utterly comfortable.

After the languid bath, he let out a sigh of contentment. With a few gentle strokes, he hummed in amusement, "I swim, I swim, I swim, swim, swim!"

Just as he was enjoying the bath, the sound of light footsteps approached from outside, and a woman's voice called from the other side of the door. "Are you in there? What are you doing? Why aren't you coming out for the meal?"

‘How come there isn't even a name? If I weren't familiar with you, I wouldn't even know who you were talking to.’ He buried his head in the water for a while before raising it to take a breath. Shaking off the water droplets from his head, he laughed and said, "Eldest Miss, I'm taking a bath. You mustn't come in, or else I'll cry out for indecent behavior."

Xiao Yuruo, outside, found it amusing. A morning bath? His words were never serious, every sentence was dishonest.

"I would be foolish to trust you!" Eldest Miss Xiao grumbled, "What are you doing? Hurry up and come out, or else I'll come in."

"I warn you, don't come in, or you'll bear the consequences."

Lin San's words sounded bluffing, Eldest Miss Xiao naturally didn't believe him. Seeing him not coming out, her stubbornness kicked in and, without a second thought, she pushed the door and entered.

"Ah--" both of them screamed at the same time.

Lin Wanrong was sitting in the tub, his hair dripping with water droplets. He saw Eldest Miss Xiao barge in hurriedly, a wooden tray in her hand. On the tray were rice porridge, steamed buns, and a few delicate dishes, clearly prepared for him.

"Eldest Miss, now that you've seen my chaste body, you must take responsibility for it!" Lin San said, laughing.

"You, you, you...why aren't you dressed?" Xiao Yuruo, flustered and embarrassed, quickly turned her head and said in an annoyed tone.

‘Who bathes with clothes on?’ Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Didn't I tell you? I'm bathing! Why didn't you believe me? Now, how will you take responsibility for me?"

Eldest Miss Xiao quickly left the room, her cheeks burning like fire. Seeing the delicious breakfast, she couldn't help but let out an annoyed grunt.

After bathing, he felt relaxed and rejuvenated. Lin Wanrong stepped out of the room, only to find Eldest Miss Xiao sitting outside, looking absent-minded, lost in her thoughts.

"Forget it, I'm the unlucky one here. Now that you've seen me naked, I'll just take the loss and won't pursue this matter. You don't have to look so upset either, go on with whatever you need to do!" Lin Wanrong generously said.

"Annoying!" Eldest Miss Xiao blushed and grumbled. She didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh. He seemed like a completely different person from the night before. Seeing him reach for the food, she quickly said, "Don't, the food is cold. I'll have them bring some hot ones."

Lin Wanrong nodded and said, "Eldest Miss cares about me after all!"

"Who cares about you." Eldest Miss Xiao grumbled lightly, her cheeks a bit red, "Always lazing around, making me take care of you. If others see this, won't they gossip?"

"Gossip? What gossip? What is Eldest Miss afraid of?" Lin Wanrong said with a faint smile, seemingly carefree, "Gossip is from idle people, and there's nothing I fear more than gossip in this world."

Seeing the teasing look in his eyes, Eldest Miss Xiao felt a bit flustered. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.

"You... you always make fun of me!" Xiao Yuruo's eyes filled with a slight mist, feeling a bit aggrieved and touched, she quietly asked, "Where did the lantern from yesterday go? I want to see it."

"I threw it away when we got here." Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Just a broken lantern, nothing worth seeing."

Eldest Miss's nose twitched, her teeth clenched in a bitter, silent cry. "Liar, you're nothing but a liar, a specialist in fooling me!"

—---

According to Eldest Miss's plan, their journey to the capital was primarily intended to promote the sale of perfume and soap. Although Madame Xiao hailed from the capital, she had been absent from it for many years, leaving few of her connections intact. The Xiao family was virtually unknown in the capital, with few recognized high officials or nobles. Once Xiao Yuruo arrived, she had to start from scratch.

The Xiao family in Jinling was quite influential and well-established, so their wishes were generally well-received. But the capital was not Jinling. It was a place of dragons and tigers at the emperor's feet, with high-ranking nobles at every turn. The Xiao family, although it had been operating there for many years, primarily dealt in textiles. Now, they wanted to switch to dealing in ‘rouge and powders.’ Even if their soap and perfume possessed a unique charm, they would have to start from scratch. It could be said that opportunities and challenges coexisted.

Eldest Miss's brow was furrowed. Sister Song sitting beside her dared not speak, for fear of interrupting her train of thought. The Second Miss sat next to Lin Wanrong, her eyes beaming as she looked at him. She would turn seventeen after the New Year, a year older. As per the instructions of the madam, the Second Miss was also expected to participate in the family's discussions in the future.

"Lin San, how do you think we should take the first step? Should we start by visiting my mother's old friends, or should we rely on the connections Sister Song has and build up from there?" Eldest Miss inquired.

This question was a piece of cake for Lin Wanrong, who had handled countless cases himself. The launch of new products was all about ceaseless promotions and packaging. As long as people remembered and used the product, it was considered a success.

However, in this era, with regard to the target audience for perfume and soap, how to package and advertise required careful consideration. These refined ladies didn't favor extravagant lace or suspenders; the sales technique had to be tactful.

Seeing her sister's furrowed brows, and Lin San smiling faintly, Yushuang knew from her understanding of him that he must have some brilliant idea. She gave him a gentle push on the shoulder, "If you have a solution, just say it. Don't let my sister worry."

Lin Wanrong whispered, "Last night, you promised me that if I guessed the lantern riddles right, you'd give me a kiss. Why did you run away first?" The Second Miss gave a soft "tsk", her face blushing, and dared not speak again.

Laughing, Lin Wanrong stood up and said, "Eldest Miss, both of the methods you suggested are reasonable and worth trying. If nothing else, we'll at least make our faces known. Whether or not it will be effective is another matter."

Eldest Miss grumbled dissatisfied, "If you have any ideas, just say them. You always like to speak in riddles. Be careful, or I might tell my mother on you."

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Lin Wanrong thought, ‘She's got no other tricks up her sleeve now, using Madam to pressure me.’ He chuckled and replied, "The methods Eldest Miss proposed are feasible, but they all rely on pleasing others, which is not very reliable. The money we make from selling perfume and soap is our own, so we should focus on our own needs."

"How should we focus on our needs?" Eldest Miss asked.

"That's simple! We should take the initiative, advertise, hold exhibitions, and promote our products. With the allure of our perfumes and soaps, creating a sensation shouldn't be too difficult." Seeing Eldest Miss lost in thought, Lin Wanrong continued, "The main consumers of our products are the ladies and young misses of the capital. If we want to attract their attention, we must appeal to their tastes. In my opinion, why not hold a fragrance-tasting event?"

"A fragrance-tasting event? What's that?" the roomful of people asked in unison.

"Imagine, what would be the effect of putting perfume and flowers together?" Lin Wanrong hinted.

"It would smell even better than the flowers!" Eldest Miss clapped her hands, her face lighting up in surprise.

Lin Wanrong clicked his tongue, "Eldest Miss is indeed astute. You catch on quickly! I am impressed."

Eldest Miss cast him a flirtatious glance and teased, "Stop mocking me. I understand what you mean. But how do we get the ladies and misses to attend our fragrance-tasting event?"

"Every spring, there are countless flower appreciation events. The ladies and misses all venture out to admire them. Finding such an opportunity to host a fragrance-tasting event isn't too difficult, is it? On-site promotion, giving out samples, it's elegant and innovative, the effect will be sensational. Remember, opportunities always favor those who are prepared," Lin Wanrong said with a smile.

Xiao Yuruo nodded slightly, and the Second Miss was overjoyed. She said softly to Lin Wanrong, "Lin San, could you step outside for a moment?" With that, she swiftly darted out of the room.

Ignoring Eldest Miss's astonished gaze, Lin Wanrong quickly followed her out.

The Second Miss, hiding behind the flower bed, beckoned him over. Seeing him approach, she couldn't help blushing, her phoenix eyes half-closed, her voice trembling as she said, "Scoundrel, give me a kiss!"

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