Curing Her Is Unthinkable
Chen Yi was somewhat surprised. Opening the box, a light and faint fragrance immediately wafted out. The scent was very light, quite pleasant to smell, but it looked no different from ordinary scented powders.
He only curiously asked, “Can scented powder calm the mind and induce sleep? Mother hasn’t been sleeping well, has she? Let’s try lighting one.”
Having said that, he beckoned a nearby maid to light the scented powder.
Chen Feiyan didn’t pay attention; her heart and eyes were fixed on the lipstick in her hand. She couldn’t wait to show it to everyone. “Look, how pretty this lipstick is! The effect on the lips is much better than those lip rouges.”
She pointed to the rosy color on her lips.
Dong Shi glanced at it a few times; a surprised expression appeared on her pale face. “This lipstick is indeed better than those lip rouges. It seems Aunt Yun found a good shopkeeper.”
Although she rarely went out due to her headaches, she had heard that Bao Xiang Shop’s business had been poor recently and was worried that the shop might close. It turned out she was overthinking.
She saw that this lipstick was even better than the high-quality lip rouge brought back from the Western Regions. If those Madams and Young Ladies found out, they would probably all go to Bao Xiang Shop to buy it.
However, Bao Xiang Shop’s reputation plummeted because of Qiu Niang. Those people probably wouldn’t mention Bao Xiang Shop anymore, and they might even consider it unlucky, let alone set foot in it.
It’s a pity. If she could attend banquets, she would definitely help Bao Xiang Shop to restore its reputation. But her headache is aggravated by the slightest cold wind, making her completely unable to go out, let alone attend any banquets.
Thinking this, she said seriously, “At Duke Anguo’s Residence banquet in a few days, you should mention Bao Xiang Shop and see if you can attract some customers for the shop.”
Aunt Yun was kind to her, and over the years, the two of them had developed a certain friendship. Now that Bao Xiang Shop was declining, she should help.
Chen Feiyan smiled and nodded, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
Dong Shi helplessly shook her head, tapped her forehead, and worriedly said, “I’m afraid that once you go, you’ll forget all about it and just play around with those Young Ladies.”
She knew her daughter’s nature: once happy, she would forget everything and only focus on playing, never remembering serious matters.
This banquet was a good opportunity for Bao Xiang Shop. If they missed it, they didn’t know how long they would have to wait for such a large-scale banquet.
Chen Feiyan touched her forehead a little embarrassedly, “How could I? I’ll definitely remember this time, Mother, don’t worry.”
Even if she forgot, as long as those Madams and Young Ladies saw the lipstick on her lips, they would be curious.
Currently, no rouge and powder shops in the Capital had this lipstick’s color or its moisturizing effect. The difference from ordinary lip rouge was immediately apparent.
Dong Shi just smiled, but suddenly smelled a faint fragrance, which eased her dull headache.
Her line of sight fell on the incense burner beside her. She smelled the fragrance in the room and curiously asked, “This scented powder smells really good. Is it also from Bao Xiang Shop?”
She wasn’t new to Bao Xiang Shop’s scented powders, but this particular scent seemed to be her first time smelling it.
Chen Yi also sniffed the faint fragrance in the air and nodded, “This scented powder does smell special. When did Bao Xiang Shop start having this kind of scented powder?”
Chen Feiyan casually replied, “I heard it’s newly made. What do you think?”
She didn’t understand scented powders much. She only felt that the scent of the burning scented powder wasn’t as strong as other scented powders; the fragrance was light, and she didn’t notice anything else.
Dong Shi rubbed her temples; her originally pale complexion eased slightly. She nodded in surprise, “It smells good. It seems to really relieve headaches.”
Ever since the scented powder was lit in the room, she felt that her intense headache had lessened, and her muddled mind seemed clearer.
As soon as she said this, Chen Feiyan’s eyes widened in shock. She stood up from the pear wood chair, walked to the incense burner, sniffed hard, and said incredulously, “This scented powder really works?”
When Shopkeeper Jiang said that the scented powder could calm the mind and induce sleep and relieve headaches, she thought it was just casual talk and never imagined that it could actually relieve headaches.
Mother had been troubled by headaches for many years. Every time a headache attacked, even the Imperial Physicians were helpless, and the prescribed medicines had no effect. They could only relieve it with massage.
Unfortunately, massage wasn’t always effective. Yet now, this insignificant little scented powder could achieve this. How could she not be surprised?
Dong Shi was also a little puzzled and hesitantly said, “I don’t know if it’s the effect of the scented powder, but my head doesn’t hurt so much now, and the fragrance makes me feel comfortable.”
She had always disliked the smell of scented powders; sometimes, the smell would even worsen her headache. Unexpectedly, this scented powder not only had a light and refreshing fragrance but also relieved her headache, making her feel comfortable all over.
She just didn’t know if her headache would return after leaving the presence of the scented powder.
Chen Feiyan quickly said, “Shopkeeper Jiang sent two boxes of scented powder. Mother, try it first. If it can really relieve your years of headaches, I’ll buy more next time I go to Bao Xiang Shop. Maybe it can cure your headache.”
Dong Shi just responded, but she didn’t take it seriously.
Her head ailment had lasted for many years. Over the years, the residence had invited countless Doctors, none of whom could cure it. It was good enough that this small scented powder could slightly relieve her headache.
A cure was something she dared not even think about.
This thought persisted until bedtime.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly tonight, but unexpectedly, as soon as she lay down on the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.
The faint fragrance of Cut Worries lingered in her nostrils, relaxing her whole body. The lingering worries between her brows seemed to disappear.
There was no pain from the headache tormenting her even in her dreams as in the past, only peace and tranquility.
Dong Shi slept extremely well. If the maid hadn’t called her, she would probably have continued sleeping.
Dong Shi was somewhat unbelievable. Looking at the bright sky outside, she was momentarily stunned.
Last night, she actually fell asleep like that, slept through the night without dreams, without the usual difficulty falling asleep due to headaches, and without suddenly waking up in the middle of the night.
There was only a night of peaceful sleep.
The little maid served her while dressing, smiling and saying, “Master came back last night and saw Madam sleeping soundly, so he didn’t disturb you and slept in the side room.
He went to court early this morning.”
For years, because of Madam’s headaches and inability to sleep, Master was afraid of disturbing her and always slept in the side room.
This morning, not seeing Madam, he found it strange. Upon learning that Madam was still sleeping, he instructed them not to disturb Madam and let her rest peacefully.
Dong Shi was stunned, somewhat surprised, “Master came back yesterday?”
In the past, whenever her Husband came back, she would immediately wake up. Because she couldn’t sleep, she would always talk to her Husband, serve him dressing and washing.
Yesterday, however, she didn’t know when her Husband came back or when he left.