Chapter 365: Chapter 365: Yue Ming 15
’That sounds just like what Mom said,’ Liuu Yuming thought. ’She also said that if you have money, you can find any man you want. It just goes to show you really do need money. That’s why I have to work hard and earn it.’
’I’ll start with a small goal: filling up Chen Min’s little backpack with cash.’
Tan You chuckled. "You talk big. A backpack full of money... do you have any idea how much that is?"
Liuu Yuming retorted confidently, "No, I don’t! But I at least have the right to dream, don’t I?"
Liuu Jun was also a man of action. In less than three days, his and Liuu Yuming’s shop was up and running. It was also time for Liuu Min to start school, so Liuu Yuming smoothly enrolled her in a nearby kindergarten.
It was only a three-minute walk away. Because Tan You was around, Liuu Min usually walked to and from school by herself whenever Liuu Yuming had to go out for a bridal makeup appointment.
Fortunately, Liuu Yuming wasn’t completely hands-off. She had asked a woman from next door to help pick up and drop off Liuu Min. Of course, Liuu Yuming didn’t let her help for free; she was paid for her time.
Now that Liuu Yuming didn’t have to worry about things at home, her career was flourishing, and she had quit her job at the garment factory, she could spend more time honing her professional skills.
One day, while doing a bride’s makeup, the bride suddenly commented, "Yue Ming, all of your cosmetics are amazing. You can’t find them in any stores. It’s a shame you don’t have a shop; I can’t even buy them if I want to."
Liuu Yuming’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. The idea of selling cosmetics popped into her head. But then she laughed at herself. ’I can’t even run a small business properly, and now I’m thinking about opening a factory to produce cosmetics?’
Despite her self-doubt, Liuu Yuming couldn’t just let the idea go. She mulled it over the entire way home after the appointment.
Liuu Jun naturally noticed that something was off with Liuu Yuming. Having been out in the world for a bit, Liuu Jun knew his cousin couldn’t hide her feelings. Her thoughts were so simple he could read them at a glance.
He had to admit, he quite liked spending time with Liuu Yuming. He didn’t have to overthink anything; it was just easy.
"Sis, what’s on your mind?"
Liuu Yuming didn’t hide it from Liuu Jun. "We’ve been doing these bridal makeup jobs for a few months now, and time and again, brides want to buy the cosmetics I make. It got me thinking how great it would be if we could mass-produce them."
She added with a laugh, "But it’s a shame I’m not cut out for business..."
Liuu Jun abruptly slammed the brakes on his motorcycle. "I think that’s a great idea!"
The sudden stop sent Liuu Yuming lurching forward, her forehead knocking against Liuu Jun’s shoulder. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Ouch, that hurts!"
Liuu Jun offered a perfunctory apology and started driving again. "Sis, I really think it’s a good idea! If we open a factory, you won’t have to make all those cosmetics by hand anymore. It would save you so much time."
Liuu Yuming rolled her eyes. "I know that! But we’ve barely saved up any money these past few months. We don’t have the people or the property for a factory. How would we produce anything? Besides, I make everything by hand. If we tried to use machinery, none of us would know how."
Liuu Jun suggested cautiously, "What if... we find someone to partner with?"
Liuu Yuming always remembered Tan You’s warning. "We’d be providing the formulas. What if they just steal them? Even if we get equity for our technology, what happens if their factory goes bankrupt? We’d have no recourse."
Liuu Jun grew frustrated. "You’re right. Business really isn’t that easy."
They dropped the topic for the rest of the ride home. Liuu Yuming brought up something else instead. "I had another idea recently while doing makeup for a bride. What if we hire a photographer? We could bring them along on our jobs and take pictures for the brides too."
"Wedding photos?" Liuu Jun’s mind worked fast. "I’ve thought about that too, but it’s pretty hard to find a photographer around here."
Liuu Yuming thought for a moment. "We’ll just have to see if we get lucky. If we do find a photographer, couldn’t we plan a wedding photoshoot for the couple before their ceremony? Then they could display the photos at the wedding. Just imagine..."
Liuu Jun excitedly twisted the throttle. "Sis, you’re a genius! How do you come up with this stuff?"
Liuu Yuming felt a little guilty. ’It’s not me who’s a genius, it’s my mother.’ ’If we also do wedding photoshoots, wouldn’t that be the perfect opportunity to use all those clothes I’ve been making?’
’I’d better go home and make some more outfits!’
"I’ll start asking around right away!" Liuu Jun clearly saw the potential in this new venture. However, compared to wedding photography, he was undoubtedly more interested in the cosmetics business.
He wasn’t an idiot. As someone who went out drumming up business, he knew that opening a factory was far more profitable. But they would indeed have to choose a partner very carefully. His sister’s formulas were the most important asset.
"Sis, how did you even figure out these cosmetic formulas?" Liuu Jun asked casually as they drove. He wasn’t trying to get the recipes; he just wanted to know if Liuu Yuming’s formulas were truly unique.
Liuu Yuming replied with a half-truth, "I’ve been dreaming about my mom a lot lately. I learned from her in my dreams."
A chill ran down Liuu Jun’s spine. "Sis, don’t joke around like that."
Liuu Yuming shook her head. "I tell you the truth and you don’t believe me. Fine, I just tinkered around and figured it out myself. You know those old books we have at home? I learned from them. They’re supposedly imperial court formulas."
"We still have books like that?" Liuu Jun clearly accepted this explanation. "Okay. With these imperial court formulas, I’ll have more confidence when I go out to negotiate business deals."
Liuu Yuming could tell Liuu Jun hadn’t given up on the cosmetics business. She didn’t try to persuade him otherwise. After all, if the cosmetics went into production, she would be the one making money in the end, and making money was all Liuu Yuming could think about these days.
Putting the cosmetics issue aside for now, Liuu Yuming spent her time either on bridal makeup jobs or holed up in her shop making clothes. When they had renovated the place, she had specifically requested large glass windows. Next to the windows were two racks of clothing, hung with dresses of various colors.
In addition to various red formal dresses, Liuu Yuming had also made other styles. She had even made two wedding gowns. Unfortunately, people were very conservative at this time. It had been a month since Liuu Yuming finished the gowns, and still, no one had even asked about them.
Everyone just assumed you were supposed to wear red for your wedding.
But Liuu Yuming wasn’t disappointed. She had made the wedding gowns simply because they were beautiful. So what if no one appreciated them right now? As long as she was happy, that was enough.
Tan You spoke up, "Actually, when you offer the wedding photography service, you can recommend these to your clients. Just because people won’t wear them for the ceremony doesn’t mean they don’t want to wear them for the photos."
As far as Tan You knew, wedding photography was a very lucrative business. Especially in the future, there would be all sorts of destination photoshoots, some even advertised on national media, which just went to show the exorbitant profits involved.
To be honest, her mind was brimming with money-making ideas, but few were suitable for Liuu Yuming. After all, to start a business, you first needed capital, right?
