Gu Jiaojiao unmolded the facial soap.
Leng Yuan had already bought the wrapping paper.
The wrapping paper manufactured during this era was rather plain, with few patterns, and Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t satisfied.
So, she had Leng Yuan buy a stack of plain paper instead.
She would design the patterns and fold the wrappers herself.
Gu Jiaojiao had studied painting before and knew a bit of both oil painting and traditional Chinese ink wash painting.
She drew several elegant, traditional-style designs and had Leng Yuan carve them into stamps the size of the paper.
These stamps were different from ordinary ones. They could hold ink—several colors at once, in fact—making them sowhat like a small printing press.
Gu Jiaojiao had only described the concept tentatively.
She didn’t even know the principles behind it, let alone the finer details; she only rembered its function.
She was relying entirely on Leng Yuan’s ingenuity.
She figured it was worth a shot. If he succeeded, it would save a lot of trouble. If not, she would just have to mix the colors individually for each print, which would be much slower.
Leng Yuan pondered it for a mont before getting to work. By noon, he had made the device for Gu Jiaojiao.
She filled it with ink.
After testing it on paper a few tis to get the colors just right, she began stamping the designs directly onto the wrapping paper.
A plain, light-colored sheet of kraft paper, now adorned with a retro, traditional-style ink painting, was instantly elevated.
Gu Jiaojiao wrapped all the facial soaps.
There were three hundred and seventy bars in total. Gu Jiaojiao set a few aside for herself, leaving three hundred and fifty.
Three hundred of them were regular facial soap bars.
Priced at eighty cents a bar.
The remaining fifty were shampoo bars infused with Polygonum multiflorum, priced at ten dollars a bar.
These fifty shampoo bars were packaged in wooden boxes carved by Leng Yuan.
His skill with wood was a constant source of pleasant surprises for Gu Jiaojiao.
She had long hair and sotis couldn’t be bothered to style it, so she would simply coil it up and secure it with a fountain pen.
After seeing her do this twice, Leng Yuan quietly crafted her a hairpin.
Though it was made of wood, it was carved from the finest Agarwood—a material more precious than gold.
’I have no idea how he found it.’
Agarwood has strict growing conditions and is extrely rare. It’s said that a complete, high-quality piece of Agarwood can take hundreds of years to form.
The one in her hair was a century-old piece of Agarwood.
Agarwood is incredibly hard, making it exceptionally difficult to carve into accessories. This was especially true for a delicate hairpin with intricate floral engravings, where the slightest bit of misplaced force would cause the wood to snap.
Even in the era Gu Jiaojiao grew up in, there were few delicate items made from Agarwood; most were large with simple patterns.
However, because it has long been considered to have an "affinity" with Buddhism, it is believed to be a "spiritual" object capable of protecting a ho and warding off evil. As such, it is a treasured collector’s item that people scramble to acquire.
Gu Jiaojiao had personally witnessed a wealthy businessman spend sixty million at an auction for a single piece of the wood.
That just showed how precious it was.
Besides being rare and valuable, Agarwood is also a prized aromatic.
It holds the esteed title of "King of All Incense."
In ancient tis, it was a favorite among royalty, nobles, and high-ranking officials.
Products made from Agarwood, especially back then, were typically reserved exclusively for the "imperial family."
What Gu Jiaojiao liked most was that Agarwood could be used in dicine.
A very expensive, highly effective drug from later generations, used to treat heart disease, contained Agarwood as an ingredient.
In fact, many dicines contained this ingredient, not just that specific one.
Beyond being rare, precious, and dicinal, Agarwood was also beneficial for one’s well-being.
The fragrance it emits can calm the mind, improve sleep quality, and uplift one’s mood, possessing the special ability to relax both body and soul.
Traditional Chinese dicine emphasizes emotional regulation, aning a person’s emotions have a huge impact on their health. Since Agarwood can bring about a sense of joy, it is exceptionally good for the body.
This hairpin was a thoughtful gift. Even though the man had said nothing, Gu Jiaojiao knew.
It was a gift that truly touched her heart.
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