’Besides, limiting the supply is the only safe way to go. Earning a little less now ensures there’s a future. Once the volu increases and I’m making more money, it’ll be hard to avoid the envy of others. Jealousy is a truly terrifying thing, and I have no desire to beco a target.’
’What’s the point of earning money if you don’t live to spend it? Wouldn’t that be tragic?’
’I could find a safe channel and hand over the ointnt formula in the na of benefiting the common people. That would save ti, effort, and worry. But, what if soone with ulterior motives discovered the business opportunity, got clever, and justifiably raised the price of the ointnt? That wouldn’t be benefiting the people; it’d be ripping them off. Even if I could get a cut, it would be a small profit, while the bulk of it would be swallowed up by soone else.’
’Instead of handing it over with no guarantee of a mutually beneficial outco, it’s better to keep this a small-ti operation and wait for the right opportunity.’
"You want to raise the price?" Second Aunt asked in surprise. Before Qin i could reply, she went on, "The ointnt is remarkably effective, so people would still buy it even if you raised the price. It’s just... if we earn too much, we’ll inevitably make people jealous, and they’ll co after us... Oh, listen to , I misspoke. Not ’us,’ ’.’"
"I’m not raising the price," Qin i said decisively.
Hearing that Qin i wasn’t going to raise the price, Second Aunt breathed a sigh of relief. A price hike seed too risky for her; she would rather Qin i just make a few more patches. When it ca to business, Second Aunt always put safety first.
"Second Aunt, scarcity creates value," Qin i said. "For now, the daily limit is twenty patches. I won’t make a single one more. I need to balance work and rest."
Seeing she couldn’t persuade Qin i, Second Aunt gave up. She was still quite content earning two yuan a day. "Jing Si’s wife, there’s one more thing. Can you give the ointnt a na?"
Qin i pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Qin’s Ointnt."
Second Aunt froze, the corner of her mouth twitching. ’Is Jing Si’s wife always this casual about naming things? Her surna is Qin, and she makes the ointnt, so calling it Qin’s Ointnt isn’t wrong, per se. It’s just...’
"Jing Si’s wife, your surna is Qin. Naming it Qin’s Ointnt is basically telling everyone that you’re the one who made it. What if—and I’m just saying, what if—I get reported? We’re close, and the ointnt is called Qin’s Ointnt. You’ll be dragged into it," Second Aunt said, her voice laced with worry.
"I don’t mind," Qin i said with a shrug. ’If not Qin’s Ointnt, then what? Yu’s Ointnt?’
Second Aunt blinked. Since Qin i herself had said so, what else was there to worry about? She smiled and said, "Fine, Qin’s Ointnt it is."
They struck a deal right then and there. Second Aunt took the twenty ointnt patches and walked out of Qin i’s room, happy as could be.
Qin i stayed inside for a bit, washing up in the bathroom and changing out of her pajamas. When she finally stepped out, she was in high spirits.
When she saw the bedsheet hanging to dry in the courtyard, she was reminded of last night’s predicant. Qin i’s face flushed crimson, and even the tips of her ears turned red. ’Jie Jingchen is so thoughtful. He not only washed the sheet I soiled but also the clothes I changed out of.’
Before they had a proper bathroom, she would wash her clothes after her shower. But ever since they had one built, she only washed her undergarnts; Jie Jingchen took care of her outer clothes and pants.
’Do it once, and there’ll be a second ti, then a third... and before you know it, the grand duty of laundry falls squarely on your shoulders.’
She had never washed any of Jie Jingchen’s clothes. She’d promised to wash a white shirt of his that she had stained, but in the end, he had washed it himself.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what did Second Aunt want?" Jie Jingshan asked, rolling out in her wheelchair after getting changed. She smiled as she looked at Qin i, who was staring blankly at the bedsheet.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Qin i turned to Jie Jingshan and asked with a smile, "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"I have," Jie Jingshan answered, adding, "I got up early, so I ate with Fourth Brother."
Qin i nodded, satisfied. "I’m a late riser," she said. "From now on, don’t wait for to eat. Just eat with your Fourth Brother. That’s the only way I can sleep in with a clear conscience."
"Okay," Jing Shan agreed.
"Good-for-nothing layabout," Aunt Zhang muttered under her breath from the courtyard where she was washing clothes, having overheard Qin i.
Qin i couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge Aunt Zhang. She had never considered her love of food and aversion to work anything to be ashad of.
"Jing Si must have had eight lifetis of terrible luck to marry a good-for-nothing wife like you!" Aunt Zhang said loudly while scrubbing her laundry.
"Sigh!" Qin i let out a deliberate, loud sigh. She fixed her gaze on the laundry-scrubbing Aunt Zhang and proclaid, "Being born is an art form, you know. If you’re born into a rich family, you’re set for a life of luxury. If you’re born into a poor family in the back of beyond, you have two choices: either work your fingers to the bone to change your fate or marry well to climb the social ladder and change your fate. And I’d say I’ve been very successful. I’m using my marriage to live my own small life of luxury. My husband treats like a precious jewel. He can’t bear to let do this, can’t bear to let do that. He practically worships the ground I walk on. This life is just carefree and blissful."
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