Chapter 33: The Magical Rejuvenation Ointment
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In the 1980s, children were delighted for half a day if they could eat even a single piece of fruit candy.
If they were shown these beautifully packaged snacks in such unusual flavors, would they not go completely wild on the spot?
Taken out and sold, they would be an overwhelming blow to the competition!
But she soon dismissed the idea.
No.
These products were far too advanced for the times. There was no way to explain their packaging or manufacturing process.
Taking them outside rashly would be far too risky.
For now, she could only keep them for herself and An’an to enjoy.
She pushed the cart onward.
The second stop was the fresh food, grain, and cooking-oil section.
This was the area she had stocked most heavily back when she had planned to open a private restaurant.
The shelves held everything from Wuchang rice from the Northeast to fragrant Thai rice; from blended oil by Arowana to imported olive oil; from Haitian soy sauce to aged vinegar from Shanxi. Every kind of seasoning imaginable was available.
The refrigerated display cases beside it were even more impressive.
Australian wagyu, Spanish Iberian black pork, French-style lamb chops, and all kinds of cleaned and neatly portioned chicken, duck, and fish...
The fresh-produce section was filled with crisp, succulent fruits and vegetables out of season.
Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, avocados...
“My goodness...” Zhou Susu could not help swallowing as she stared at it all.
No wonder the meals she had been making lately were becoming more and more delicious.
With ingredients of this caliber, even a complete beginner could produce food worthy of three Michelin stars!
She decided that from now on, she would prepare something delicious for An’an and Lu Zhan every day, changing the dishes constantly and raising them both until they were plump and rosy-cheeked.
The third stop was the household goods and cosmetics section.
This was the place Zhou Susu was most interested in.
The shelves carried everything from Head and Shoulders shampoo to Safeguard soap; from Colgate toothpaste to sanitary pads and toilet paper. Every household necessity was available.
At the very back stood a special counter that held her dearest treasures.
The cosmetics and skincare section!
SK-II miracle water, La Mer face cream, Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum!
Dior lipstick, Chanel foundation, Armani eyeshadow!
All kinds of international luxury brands, from affordable products to high-end indulgences, filled an entire counter.
These were the supplies she had deliberately stocked up on back then to “treat herself.”
She had never expected that they would now become the most promising trump card she possessed for gaining a foothold in this era.
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Zhou Susu picked up a bottle of miracle water, her eyes gleaming.
The skincare products used by women in the 1980s were still limited to cold cream and clam oil.
The products in her hands, however, were a full forty years ahead of the times!
With the knowledge passed down through her family of traditional Chinese physicians, she could analyze and improve the ingredients in these skincare products, then develop a line suited to this era—entirely natural, with results so immediate they would seem miraculous. She could call them Miracle Balm and Jade Radiance Cream.
This was absolutely a viable business venture, and one with enormous profit potential!
The fourth stop was the books and audiovisual section.
This was what Zhou Susu considered the most precious place in the entire space.
The shelves were packed with books.
From Three Hundred Tang Poems to A Complete History of the World; from Principles of Economics to A History of the Development of the Internet; from The Complete Collection of Popular Songs of the Nineties to An Illustrated Guide to Twenty-First-Century Fashion Design...
This knowledge, this information—they were all priceless treasures!
They could help her seize even more opportunities in this era!
...
Zhou Susu pushed her shopping cart around her own “commercial empire” for a full two hours.
With every new section she examined, her confidence grew a little stronger.
At last, she had completely calmed down.
She knew she could not afford to rush.
A meal had to be eaten one bite at a time, and a road had to be traveled one step at a time.
For now, the most urgent task was to find a suitable “point of entry” and test the waters here.
That point of entry could not be too far ahead of its time or too conspicuous, but its results had to be impressive enough to make an impact.
In the end, her gaze settled on the row of luxury skincare products.
There it was!
She would begin here!
From the shelves, she carefully selected a mid-to-high-end skincare set focused on hydration, moisturization, repair, and anti-aging.
For the brand, she chose a respected domestic label with relatively understated packaging.
Then she went to the warehouse and found several plain glass bottles without any logos or markings.
She planned to transfer the skincare products into them and use them as her “secret weapon,” finding someone to try them first.
And she already had the perfect candidate in mind.
The wife of Regiment Commander Wang, Sun Xiulan.
Sun Xiulan was upright, outspoken, and a highly influential voice in the residential compound.
If she could win Sun Xiulan over, it would be the same as winning over the entire market of military wives in the compound!
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Besides, Sun Xiulan had helped her so much before. Giving her a set of skincare products would count as returning the favor—entirely reasonable and proper.
Once she had made up her mind, Zhou Susu immediately got to work.
She carefully poured the toner, emulsion, serum, and face cream into the ordinary glass bottles.
Then she went to the bookstore section and found a copy of The Compendium of Materia Medica, using it to give her “three-no-product” set an impressive-sounding origin.
“These were personally prepared by a distant relative of mine, an old Chinese physician. He followed a secret imperial formula and used more than a dozen precious medicinal herbs to make this Rejuvenation Balm. It is worth a fortune and nearly impossible to obtain!”
Yes. Perfect.
When everything was done, Zhou Susu left the space, thoroughly satisfied.
She looked at the set of skincare products on the table. They had been repackaged by her and appeared plain and unremarkable, yet inside they concealed extraordinary secrets. A confident smile curved her lips.
...
The next day, Zhou Susu calculated the time carefully. When Sun Xiulan was home alone, she carried a small basket wrapped tightly in cloth and knocked on her door.
“Sister-in-law, are you home?”
“Ah, yes! Is that Susu?” Sun Xiulan opened the door warmly.
“Sister-in-law, thank you so much for what you did last time. If it weren’t for you, I truly wouldn’t have known what to do.” Zhou Susu spoke with an expression of heartfelt gratitude.
“I don’t have anything good enough to give you in return. A relative of mine makes these skincare products herself, and I’ve heard they work wonderfully. I thought your skin would be especially suited to them, so I brought you a set to try.”
She handed over the little basket.
Sun Xiulan saw that it contained only several ordinary glass bottles filled with milky-white creams, and did not pay much attention to them.
She simply took them as a token of Zhou Susu’s affection.
“You’re such a thoughtful girl. You’re far too polite!” she said with a smile as she accepted them. “All right, I’ll give them a try.”
That evening, after washing up, Sun Xiulan approached the products with the attitude of trying them just once and applied the creams to her face.
The texture was light and refreshing, carrying a faint herbal fragrance. It absorbed quickly and was not greasy at all.
She found it pleasant enough and, without giving it much thought, went to bed.
However, the next morning, when she walked sleepily to the mirror—
She was utterly stunned.
The face reflected there, once somewhat dull from years of hard work and marked with a few fine lines, had somehow...
It had become moist, smooth, and luminous, like a peeled egg!
It was as though she had grown five years younger overnight.
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