I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

"Do you know anything about cosmetics?" Yang Tongchuan had never seen Xiangxi use such things before.

"I can learn. I didn't know how to sew before, but I'm doing quite well now." Xiangxi actually wanted to go; she was subconsciously making excuses for herself.

"You're going to work? What about Xuebao? He's a nursing baby. Are you really willing to leave him?"

"I can't bear to part with it." Xiangxi was also struggling with this.

"We're not short of money at home, you just need to stay home and take care of the kids. Don't overwork yourself." Yang Tongchuan's first reaction was to refuse.

Xiangxi lay in bed at night unable to sleep.

My mind is in complete chaos.

Suddenly, Yang Tongchuan turned to the side and placed his large hand on Xiangxi's waist.

Xiangxi looked at Yang Tongchuan, who was also awake, with innocent, wide eyes.

"Sigh, do you really have to go?" Yang Tongchuan really had no idea what to do with Xiangxi.

"It's not that I have to go, but I just feel that it's good to have something to do to earn money." Xiangxi is used to setting up a stall outside and doesn't think there's anything shameful about a guy going out to earn money.

He was just worried that Olaf was too young and no one would take care of him.

"Let me think about it some more." Yang Tongchuan didn't want Xiangxi to go out and show her face in public anymore.

He still remembers the first time he met Xiangxi.

The sight of a skinny young man begging and pleading in the cold wind for a few coins' worth of bread had a profound impact on Yang Tongchuan.

He didn't understand why Xiangxi couldn't stay indoors when her sister-in-law stayed there every day without getting bored.

In the following days, Xiangxi did not mention going to Shuanghua Pavilion to work again.

It wasn't until early March that Yang Tongchuan, after returning from his shift, mentioned it to Xiangxi.

"I've been observing Duan Ziqiu's shop for a while, and it seems alright. Business is decent." Yang Tongchuan didn't tell Xiang Xi this. During this time, he took the initiative to talk to Duan Ziqiu once.

When two intelligent people are talking, they should stop short of making a point.

Duan Ziqiu showed the utmost sincerity, and Yang Tongchuan didn't mind placing the small shop under the protection of the government.

"You agree to let me go?" Xiangxi felt that happiness had come too suddenly.

"It's not that I agree to you going, it's that you're not sure if you can really earn that kind of money. Go and try it out first, and if you don't feel comfortable, come back soon." Yang Tongshan finally gave in.

"What about Xuebao?" Xiangxi looked at the child in her arms.

"I discussed it with my mother. From now on, we will pay an extra 500 coins a month into the public account for living expenses. She and my sister-in-law will help us take care of Xuebao during the day, and we will take care of her ourselves at night." Actually, Yang's mother didn't ask for the money. Yang Tongchuan gave the 500 coins voluntarily. Now that his monthly salary is higher and his income is higher, it's not a burden for him to give a little more to his family.

The 500 coins were less a gift to his family and more a gesture of goodwill from Yang Tongchuan.

"My husband, you are so good to me." Xiangxi was overjoyed.

"Honestly, I've never seen a husband who's always looking for work when he doesn't have any." Yang Tongchuan had already paved the way for Xiangxi. From now on, Yang Tongchuan would protect Xiangxi.

Just do it if you want to.

The next morning, after feeding Xuebao, Xiangxi handed her over to Yang's mother and went out.

Yang's mother initially disapproved of Xiangxi going to work, fearing that the neighbors would laugh at her.

Yang Tongchuan persuaded her that if Xiangxi liked it, he should give it a try. If he didn't try, he would keep thinking about it. Whether it worked out or not, it didn't matter; he could just treat it as a game.

Yang's mother wanted to say something more, but Yang Tongchuan's attitude was very firm.

My two sons are now grown up, married, and have their own ideas.

After thinking about it for a moment, Yang's mother realized that in this situation, saying too much would only annoy people and wouldn't have any practical effect.

Okay, let's take care of Xuebao first.

Xiangxi was quite nervous on her first day at work.

Duan Ziqiu personally guided him, explained the products in the store to him, and taught him how to sell the goods.

"Both young ladies and gentlemen are shy, even after marriage. The ointment on the second floor can't be sold openly. We're having a buy-two-get-one-free promotion now, and the free item is from the second floor. We rely on repeat customers for this stuff." While Duan Ziqiu was talking to Xiangxi, an old woman came over.

It's obvious they're not from the city; they're probably from the countryside who came to the market.

"Auntie, is there anything you'd like to buy?" Qingzhu, the maid who was guarding the door, stepped forward to greet her.

Qingzhu was originally a maidservant serving Duan Ziqiu. She had a naturally smiling face, and Duan Ziqiu now had her look after the shop at Shuanghua Pavilion.

"Just looking around, taking a casual look." The old lady strolled around the first floor, her eyes glancing upstairs every now and then.

"Does the lady want to buy something from the second floor?" Qingzhu asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"I heard that your family has that thing that a young man can use when he gets married, so I came to take a look."

"I understand, madam, please come with me." Qingzhu led the lady upstairs to the second floor, and after a while, the lady came down carrying a small box.

The box looked familiar; it was the one used for ointments in bed.

"See, it wasn't as difficult as you imagined," Duan Ziqiu said to Xiangxi after personally settling the bill for the other party.

"There's still a lot you need to learn. When I'm not at the shop, you can stay with Qingzhu, and she'll teach you."

"I will study hard," Xiangxi said enthusiastically.

For the first few days after arriving at the store, Xiangxi didn't serve any customers at all; instead, she focused on organizing the shelves and figuring out what she was selling.

Only when he was able to skillfully and quickly find the corresponding items on the shelf according to the customer's needs did Duan Ziqiu allow Xiangxi to start serving customers on his own.

That morning, Xiangxi had just finished restocking the shelves when he heard Duan Ziqiu calling him.

"Brother Xi, lead this distinguished guest upstairs."

The distinguished guest was also a young man, dressed well and with his hair neatly combed, but he lacked energy and looked listless.

Xiangxi's face instantly flushed; this was the first time she had ever sold goods on the second floor herself.

"This distinguished guest bought two boxes of lip rouge, one box of face powder, one box of rouge, and a few tassels. Xi-ge, bring out the best goods from the second floor for the customer and let him choose two he likes." Duan Ziqiu's words were very clear: this was a big fish, and they had to catch it.

Xiangxi silently cheered herself up. She led the young man to the second floor and chose the innermost room, which was the most exquisitely decorated.

"Honorable guest, please rest for a moment. I will bring you the best goods." Xiangxi took the tray and placed the most expensive jars of ointment from the shelf in the room on the tea table of the daybed.

The young man must have been hinted at by Duan Ziqiu and already knows what's inside.

He opened a jar and tried the texture with his hand.

still alright.

Xiangxi noticed bluish-purple marks on his exposed wrists, resembling signs of being bound.

"Will it stop hurting after using it?" The young man's voice was very soft, weak, and tinged with a sob.

For a moment, they were so happy they didn't know how to introduce themselves.

I only found out later during our conversation.

The young man's husband's family is well-off. His husband is a boat captain who goes out for at least ten days to half a month before returning. When he does return, he is subjected to all sorts of torment.

I get injured almost every time.

The young man was afraid of being hurt and didn't want to give it to her, so he tried to hide. The more he hid, the angrier her husband became. Last time, he even tied him to the bed.

"I've been living like an ascetic outside, never letting any women get close. What more could you want? You only want me to be like those other guys, putting all my effort into my work outside, and that's what makes you happy." His husband's words still echoed in his ears, piercing his heart and body with pain.

I stumbled upon Shuanghua Pavilion today and discovered that there was something that could relieve his pain.

"This does relieve some of the discomfort. I was in a lot of pain right after giving birth, but it got better later." Xiangxi tried to stop herself from speaking.

"Would it be good to use it?" The young man raised his voice a little.

"There's a technique to it. If you don't want to suffer, you have to coax her a little." Xiangxi never expected that one day she would be using her experience with Yang Tongchuan as a sales pitch.

This young man never imagined there were so many intricacies involved in sexual matters.

No wonder my husband always asks him to lift it up.