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

"Boss Duan's products are of good quality, but he doesn't understand the southern market well enough." Liang Da had his servant place the prepared items on the table.

"Boss Duan, take a look at this."

This is an exquisite shell box containing the most popular lip balm currently available.

The items were brought back by Liang Da from the south.

After putting the truly top-tier packaging together with Duan Ziqiu's self-proclaimed high-end goods.

Even Xiangxi, a self-taught individual, could see the world-shaking difference between the two.

Duan Ziqiu's face turned very pale.

"Boss Duan's stuff is definitely good, but his vision is limited. This is what I want, something that can fetch a good price." Liang Da leaned back slightly, and the room was so quiet that you could hear his breathing.

Duan Ziqiu's palms were sweaty.

She reached out and picked up the lip rouge, examining it closely.

The lip rouge box is only the size of a palm, and it appears to be made using the craftsmanship of mother-of-pearl. The entire box shimmers and sparkles in the sunlight, giving it an ethereal feel.

I tried the cream inside, and it worked perfectly. The color payoff is excellent; it's truly a high-quality product.

"Boss Liang, it's my Shuanghua Pavilion's fault for being so narrow-minded and making you come all this way for nothing. Give me five days, and I'll make immediate improvements. In five days, I'll personally bring the goods to your door for inspection, and I promise you won't suffer any losses."

If she's wrong, she should admit it; it's Duan Ziqiu who's been narrow-minded and ignorant.

"What you're saying, Boss Duan, is true. I won't let you suffer a loss either. In business, neither of us should lose out." Liang Da's words put Duan Ziqiu in a difficult position once again.

Xiangxi now understood why Meng Dongqing was afraid of Liang Da. Talking to this man was not only mentally taxing but also annoying. Most importantly, his fake smile was truly creepy.

After seeing Liang Da and Meng Dongqing off, Duan Ziqiu locked herself on the second floor for a whole day.

When Qingzhu went up, she could hear crying inside through the doors and windows.

Fortunately, Duan Ziqiu came out in the evening with red eyes.

"I'll be away for a few days. You guys keep an eye on the shop during that time."

"Miss, I'll go with you."

"No need, I'm fine," Duan Ziqiu said as she left, clutching the lip rouge box Liang Da had left behind.

-------------

On the way back to the Liang family home, Liang Da sat in the carriage, playing with the samples he had received from Duan Ziqiu.

The packaging is a bit lacking, but the contents are great. I can go back and try them out in the next few days.

"Why are you so harsh on a woman?" Meng Dongqing sensed that Duan Ziqiu was about to cry as they talked.

"Silver doesn't distinguish between male and female, only between purity. Her design is simply unacceptable, and I'm not allowed to say anything about it." Liang Da was only willing to waste so much time chatting with Duan Ziqiu because he genuinely intended to do business with her.

"You could have phrased it more tactfully, to save her some face," Meng Dongqing said, disagreeing with Liang Da's approach.

"What's face worth? This Duan Ziqiu is a direct descendant of the Duan family, the same Duan family from Kyoto who's been living off their wealth." Liang Da hates doing business with those old fogies who rely on their age and status.

"This Duan Ziqiu, apart from the death of her father and the suffering she endured, she hasn't suffered much. If we don't curb her arrogance, it will affect our ability to make money." Duan Ziqiu can investigate Liang Da, and Liang Da can naturally investigate her as well.

"Sigh." Meng Dongqing and Liang Da really have a hard time having a conversation.

"Why are you sighing? Do you think I reek of money? Fine, I'll shut up, you can rest." Liang Da said, about to stop the carriage and let Meng Dongqing go back on his own.

"That's not what I meant. Don't overthink it." Meng Dongqing stopped Liang Da. Their relationship had just improved recently, and they didn't want to argue about business matters.

"Hmph." Liang Da snorted proudly.

Always siding with outsiders means I'm always the one who's wrong.

Liang Daqi closed his eyes to rest, ignoring Meng Dongqing.

-------------

Before going to bed that night, Xiangxi told Yang Tongchuan about what had happened that day.

"Liang Da?" Yang Tongchuan went over the name in his mind several times before he remembered it.

He's not very old, but he's quite bold.

"I've never seen him when I was setting up my stall at the dock, but he sounds like he's in big business. Is that true?" Xiangxi had just put Xuebao to sleep and wanted to talk to her husband.

"Really, it's normal that you haven't seen him. This guy is reckless when it comes to making money. He never rests, even when the boats are at rest. He owns three boats and spends most of the year on the water."

"But Meng Dongqing said he would go home whenever he had time."

"That's probably because his family had something to look forward to after he got married. I've seen him come to the yamen to pay taxes; he's a shrewd businessman." Yang Tongchuan remembered Liang Da because he was the youngest among the group of boat captains.

Duan Ziqiu disappeared for three days. When he returned, he put up a sign that Shuanghua Pavilion would be closed for two days.

After the new packaging was finished, Duan Ziqiu thought it over and decided not to imitate the box that Liang Da brought and copy the butterfly shell design, but instead chose cloisonné enamel.

The bottle in the gift box is decorated with cloisonné enamel to match the scent of the hydrosol inside.

It does look better than before, but it's not as dazzling as the butterfly shell.

"Won't Boss Liang think it's not flashy enough?" Xiangxi was unsure, because to him, butterfly shells were indeed more upscale.

"Don't worry, just watch how I dazzle him." Duan Ziqiu's lips curled slightly.

At the appointed time, Duan Ziqiu went to the Liang family's house alone, carrying a large box.

The steward of the Liang family led her into Liang Da's study.

"Boss Duan looks very confident."

"Of course, I can't let Boss Liang down."

The two sat on opposite sides of the desk, like chess players facing off, waiting to see who could win the decisive game.

Duan Ziqiu took a deep breath and placed the box she had brought on Liang Da's desk.

Upon opening the package, an exquisite cloisonné enamel gift box was presented to Liang Da.

"He has indeed made a lot of progress, but..." Liang Da was disappointed again. This kid is hopeless.

"Mr. Liang, please wait a moment. May I borrow your teapot?"

Duan Ziqiu picked up the teapot and poured the tea onto the gift box.

The wood used for the gift box has been waterproofed.

Although the pattern above is very elaborate, there is also a lot of blank space.

As the tea soaked the wooden box, a fire-avoidance illustration, echoing the blooming flowers, suddenly appeared before the two.

"You have some nerve." Liang Da thought it was shocking enough that an unmarried old maid was selling sex toys, but he didn't expect Duan Ziqiu to be able to do something so outrageous.

"Boss Liang, don't get agitated. This is just an instruction manual."

"manual?"

Duan Ziqiu opened the hidden compartment in the gift box.

A string of delicate and exquisite little jingles appeared in front of Liang Da.

"?? (I can't type these two characters, let me think about it)." Liang Da couldn't believe his eyes.

"Boss Liang is truly knowledgeable, but...? And to match this little gadget, I even adjusted the ingredients in the gift box, so now the two can be used together."

"Are you crazy? If this product becomes a hit, your reputation will be completely ruined."