Long Yingtong had moved to the next door residence, not sharing a room with Yang Mengchen.

Staring at Yang Mengchen's slightly gaunt face, Long Xuanmo's eyes darkened, and after a long while, he left as silently as he had come.

"Send someone to look for iron rods and sweet wormwood as well as various fruits, and the items Ah Jiu needs. Mo Lei, return to the residence immediately to fetch the thousand-year ginseng."

"As you command!" Mo Yun and the others respectfully complied.

The next day, as soon as dawn began to break, Yang Mengchen got out of bed and went to the small kitchen to make date paste cakes, honey sponge cakes, dragon beard sweets, as well as steamed buns, soup dumplings, preserved egg and lean pork congee, and several pickled dishes and fresh stir-fries, not forgetting the milk, of course.

The stewards of the two academies' dining halls, having received Yang Mengchen's notification, had stayed at the Yang family residence since the previous night. They followed along with the main kitchen's steward Jin Yongshi, learning the new pastry methods from Yang Mengchen and then trying their hands at it, managing quite well.

The breakfast was sumptuous, and everyone almost overate, especially with the new pastries, which they couldn't stop praising.

Soap factory.

Yang Mengchen first taught Xiao Wanxue and a dozen servants to make soap, a simple process. First, they dissolved the caustic soda in water, stirring continuously until it became transparent. They then added animal fat, stirring for about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea until the liquid gradually thickened, and finally poured it into molds to cool for a day or two.

And with that, the soap was successfully made.

After watching Xiao Wanxue and the servants perform the task several times without any issues, Yang Mengchen taught them how to make laundry powder and liquid, as well as various shampoos, shower gels, and hand sanitizers, and finally the toothpaste. She was not used to using twigs and saltwater to clean her mouth since her reincarnation into this time and place.

As for the toothbrushes, she taught Yang Chaowen, who then led the workers to produce them.

Similarly, the finished products were distributed by Hai Tang and others to their own people, including the Clan Leader and a few other households, as well as to the workers in several factories.

For the next two days, Yang Mengchen did not visit the factories but stayed at home, developing cosmetics and guiding those nine people in medical skills. The work of purchasing was all entrusted to her brothers Yang Chengrong and the servants.

When the time came for the appointment with Long Jingxi, Yang Mengchen and Sister Jin, along with six others, arrived at the separate courtyard.

After administering acupuncture to Long Jingxi, Yang Mengchen took the pulses of both Long Jingxi and Min Luozhan. Their conditions had clearly improved, much to everyone's delight.

Seeing Long YiXuan there as well, Yang Mengchen raised her eyebrows slightly.

The day after the courtyard's festivity, Long YiXuan had been eager to attend classes and board at the Academy. Now, during class hours, what was Long YiXuan doing here?

"Sister, I have to return to the palace tomorrow," Long YiXuan hurriedly explained, as if sensing Yang Mengchen's curiosity, his tone nonetheless carried a hint of coquettishness. He also gave Long Xuanmo a resentful glance, clearly indicating that it was Long Xuanmo's doing that he had to return, but he didn't want to leave at all.

"It's good to go back; your siblings are all away, and the elders must miss you all very much."

Seeing Long YiXuan's face fall, Yang Mengchen smiled and said, "Prince, could the Fifth Prince return to the palace a couple of days later? I promised Yingtong to prepare extra varieties of sweets for the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Tenth Prince.

I have also developed a few sets of cosmetics, and I will give them to the Fifth Prince to bring back, as well as to Big Brother Luo, Second Brother Luo, and the families of Hua, Nangong, and Situ."

Yang Mengchen's requests were something Long Xuanmo would never refuse. Seeing his royal younger brother looking dispirited, he said coldly, "If you stop causing trouble, I will persuade our father the Emperor to let you attend the Academy after the New Year, otherwise you can forget about it."

Long YiXuan's brows lifted, and his eyes lit up with joy, "Thank you, Third Imperial Older Brother, I promise I won't make trouble!"

Long YiXuan was a food lover, and he couldn't bear to see anyone waste good food. He had gotten into conflicts several times over this issue, but others, knowing his identity, dared not make trouble.

Glancing gratefully at Yang Mengchen, Long YiXuan understood very well that if there was anything in the future, he just needed to ask his Ninth Sister, and the Third Imperial Older Brother would surely agree.

Yang Mengchen presented the four of them with several sets of beautifully packaged cosmetics, including face wash, essence water, lotion, day and night creams, eye cream, and facial masks, among other things. She also gave Long Jingxi a set of blush and face powder made from fresh flowers.

"We have some too?" Min Luozhan asked with a smile, slightly surprised. He had never used cosmetics before, nor had he heard of anyone else using them.

Long Xuanmo and Long YiXuan were also somewhat puzzled.

"It's not just women who want to retain their youth and beauty, men do too," Yang Mengchen said with a faint smile, her tone laced with a hint of teasing. "These are made from the essences extracted from fresh flowers, plants, and herbs. They are harmless to the body and have a pleasant, non-overpowering scent. With continuous use, they can make the skin fine and smooth.

Surely, the prince consort wouldn't want to see, in another ten or twenty years, the Eldest Princess still beautiful as a flower, while he grows increasingly old, right?"

"Uh?" Min Luozhan was taken aback, not expecting Yang Mengchen to tease him. A touch of embarrassment surfaced on his handsome face.

Long Jingxi covered her mouth, laughing softly, while Long YiXuan laughed heartily.

Long Xuanmo's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, his gaze upon Yang Mengchen filled with indulgence. Ah Jiu was even teasing her brother-in-law; she was truly naughty, but he liked it.

Meanwhile, the maids and guards bowed their heads, shoulders trembling as they clearly struggled to contain their laughter.

After the laughter and teasing, Yang Mengchen explained how to use the products. Then she took Sister Jin and the six others back to the confectionery to hurry the production of new varieties.

Unfortunately, wheat was a rather precious commodity in this time and place and could not be used to make candies of various flavors. However, she made several types of confections that were easy to preserve, allowing Long YiXuan to take them back with him. Products from the other factories were also prepared in some quantity.

Two days later, Long YiXuan and the guards returned to The Capital with two carts full of gifts. Meanwhile, people posing as Long Jingxi and her husband, along with Sister Lu, appeared hundreds of miles away beyond Qinghe Prefecture, heading in the opposite direction and getting farther away.

Yang Mengchen asked the village head and Lizheng to notify all the villages to purchase a large number of fresh flowers and plants. Of course, she only wanted the types of plants depicted in the drawings she provided.

At the cosmetics factory, Yang Mengchen put the death contract servant, Hui Niangzi, in charge, and chose Yan Niangzi and a dozen girls with good looks to learn makeup techniques. Nearly half a month went by with Yang Mengchen bustling between the new and old factories daily, noticeably becoming thinner.

Long Xuanmo felt both distressed and angry, but he was utterly helpless against Yang Mengchen; all he could do was to keep sending bird's nest and ginseng. He insisted on watching Yang Mengchen eat them every time before he would leave it alone.

Before long, the pastry factory was completed. Yang Mengchen went to instruct the Shen family and the workers on how to make various pastries. During this time, Long Xuanmo, Long Jingxi and her husband, Luo Jingrui, and Nangong Lingfei sent many fruits, with which she made a variety of fruit-flavored pastries. Those who tasted them sang praises without end.

A month passed, and the construction of Fairy Lake and the commercial street was completed. The opening of the Yang family's stores was imminent.

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