Chapter 485 – The Idea of Opening a Beauty Salon
Lu Xia laughed after listening to her words.
“If you open a store, you can’t just do this. Didn’t you say you’re too busy right now? After opening the store, you can take in a few apprentices to learn makeup from you. When they graduate, they can handle the makeup, and you won’t be so busy.”
“Then the shop can also offer other services, depending on what you want to do. For example, if you want to specialize in weddings, you can add wedding dress rental services, offering both wedding dresses and makeup.”
“If you want to focus on beauty, you can expand into beauty and body services, basically becoming a beauty salon, also involving makeup services.”
Ye Lin was amazed by what Lu Xia said, almost unable to close her mouth.
“Is that… really possible?”
After saying that, she quickly added, “Sister Lu Xia, could you tell me more about the beauty salon? What should I do?”
Seeing her curious, Lu Xia shared everything she knew about beauty salons.
She didn’t know many specifics since, in her previous life, she was poor, and she hadn’t been to beauty salons many times, mostly dragged there by others.
However, from the few experiences she had, she knew that the services at beauty salons were really enjoyable, and the results were excellent.
If she could open one, she wouldn’t have to worry about making money.
Ye Lin seemed to be thinking the same way. She asked in detail about what services they could offer for beauty and body treatments.
After listening, she was eager and couldn’t wait to start.
But Lu Xia poured cold water on her ambitions.
“You’re thinking too simplistically. I only know these things, but I don’t have the skills. Currently, I don’t even know where to learn them. It will be difficult to start.”
Ye Lin was a bit disappointed, but she didn’t give up. “Sister Lu Xia, I want to give it a try. After hearing your words, I finally know what I want to do. I want to open a beauty salon and help everyone look beautiful! Now that I have a goal, I won’t give up. I’ll learn. Since you said there are people who can teach, I will find them!”
Lu Xia didn’t expect her to say this and looked at her with a higher opinion.
She encouraged, “Great! I believe in you. So go for it!”
Ye Lin left full of confidence. Lu Xia initially thought this matter would be put on hold for a while. After all, she remembered that currently, in this era, the concept of a beauty salon seemed to exist mainly in foreign countries, and she couldn’t go abroad now, making it challenging to learn.
However, within just a week, Ye Lin brought good news to Lu Xia.
“Sister Lu Xia, I found a mentor!”
“Ah? What mentor?” Lu Xia hadn’t grasped it yet.
“It’s a mentor for beauty and body treatments!”
“Huh? Where did you find one?” Lu Xia was surprised. Could it be so easy to find?
Ye Lin was especially happy. “Hehe, thanks to the grandma who taught me how to style hair, I found out that her mother used to be a palace maid in the imperial palace and served Empress Dowager Cixi. She knew many court secrets. Her mother taught her everything, and she taught her daughter. So, the mentor I found is her daughter.”
Surprised, Lu Xia asked, “How old is her daughter? Why is she willing to teach you?”
“The old lady is not even eighty this year, and her daughter is in her fifties.”
“Oh, that’s not too old! But this is a family trade. Why is she willing to teach you?”
Upon hearing this question, Ye Lin replied directly, “Every family has its troubles. She’s not doing very well and wants to make some money using this skill.”
*
Chapter 486 – Wanting to Partner with Lu Xia
.
Speaking of this, Ye Lin sighed again before continuing:
“In fact, the old lady’s daughter isn’t doing very well now. She had three children when she was young, but only one survived, and that child has some mental issues. Her in-laws despised her and divorced her, kicking her out. After that, she never got married and has been living with the old lady, taking care of her child.”
“However, the old lady has other sons and daughters-in-law in her family. If it weren’t for her skill and ability to earn money on her own, they would have asked her to leave long ago.”
“Oh, by the way, she used to be a tailor, making money by sewing clothes for others. But it’s not as good now because the styles of clothes sold in department stores and outside clothing stores have gotten better. She doesn’t get many customers, and the prices are not high. It’s tough for her to make money like before.”
“Moreover, she has a son to support, who is almost 30 and still unmarried.”
Lu Xia frowned after hearing this. “That sounds really tough.”
“Yeah, so I promised that once my shop is up and running, I’ll hire her as a master, specifically to train apprentices. She’ll receive a monthly salary, and she readily agreed.”
Lu Xia thought for a moment. “The term ‘master’ sounds a bit outdated. You can call her a supervisor when the time comes. But have you tried her skills? Are you sure she’s capable?”
“I have tried her skills. She’s really good. After her treatment, my face felt noticeably tighter. She’s also skilled in making various facial skincare products for massage, and they felt very moisturizing. She can also make body oils, and it feels great after the massage.”
Surprised, Lu Xia said, “You’ve hit the jackpot this time. You should definitely keep her. With her, you won’t have to worry about anything.”
After hearing this, Ye Lin responded, “Yeah, but it’s not just me who got lucky, it’s both of us!”
After saying that, seeing Lu Xia’s puzzled expression, Ye Lin directly said, “Sister Lu Xia, I want to invite you to open this shop together!”
“What?” Lu Xia didn’t expect her to have this idea.
“Why do you want to do this?”
Ye Lin didn’t hide anything, “First of all, this idea came from you, and I think you should understand it better. Secondly, I’m not very brave myself. The boldest thing I’ve ever done in my life was setting up a makeup stand in the residential area. I don’t really understand how to open and run a store. My family is also worried, but they said they would agree if it’s a partnership with you.”
Lu Xia didn’t know what to say after hearing all this. Perhaps she should thank the Ye family for their trust in her.
However, she didn’t give a direct answer because she was really busy at the moment. Moreover, partnering with Ye Lin would mean she couldn’t just let go like she did with Qi Xiao…
Seeing Ye Lin eagerly looking at her, Lu Xia thought for a moment and said, “I’ll consider it. I’ll give you an answer in a few days.”
Seeing that she didn’t reject outright, Ye Lin breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I’ll wait for your good news.”
…
To be honest, Lu Xia was intrigued by Ye Lin’s proposal. After all, the beauty industry was relatively undeveloped in China at this time.
Although the economy in China wasn’t as strong at the moment, there were always wealthy individuals in any era. Moreover, the desire to look beautiful was universal. As society progressed and people earned more, they would likely be willing to spend on looking beautiful.
So, it seemed like this industry had great potential for growth.
However, she was genuinely very busy at the moment. She had a lot of academic work, and she needed to set aside time for her children. There wasn’t much time left to focus on other things, especially partnering with Ye Lin, which would require more time and effort.
For a moment, Lu Xia was hesitant.
Just refer her to Su Man. Fashion and beauty. Duh. Just don’t expose yourself
It’s good that she’s finally starting to be tempted by business opportunities. I get that she’s content with her life as it is and has enough money to live comfortably, but watching her ignore the incredible economic opportunity that is China in this era is aggravating.
I mean, take housing as an example. She knows better than anyone other than perhaps Su Man how incredibly valuable properties will become in a few decades, especially in the capital. She has 4 children. Does she intend to have them all live in the small courtyard, and then let them move out into small and cramped apartments once they settle down and get married? Why not buy large properties now for next to nothing and then build houses for her children on these properties later? Or buy land now as an investment and sell it in a few decades?
I get that she isn’t a very business oriented person, but she doesn’t need to be to buy land. The only thing preventing her from amassing land right at this moment is starting capital and the will to do it, and she has this starting capital already. In 10 years time, properties will already be worth 20 times what they are now, and they will only become more expansive over time. It’s such a waste!