By the time Xu Shichu fully woke up, it was almost noon. The servant came to report again, and Xu Shichu remembered it and was immediately surprised: "They are still waiting?"
The servant nodded and replied, "It's just that Madam Xu and Miss Xu don't look too well."
Xu Shichu couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "After waiting for so long, it would be strange if they looked so good. I underestimated their desire to climb the ladder of power and wealth... Go and ask them to leave. I won't see them anymore."
"This... is right. I'll let them leave right away." Although the maid was surprised at Xu Shichu's tough attitude for a moment, she quickly did as she was told.
"Madam, isn't it a bad idea for you to do this? After all, they are still from your mother's family. What if they say outside that you look down on your mother's family once you become successful..." Zhichun said with some concern.
Xu Shichu said nonchalantly, "So what? As long as I am still the prime minister's wife, they will have to swallow their dissatisfaction, unless they are crazy and want to offend the prime minister's mansion. Besides, I don't care about my reputation now, so what does it matter whether they say it or not?"
"I was worrying too much." Zhichun thought about her master's behavior these days and realized that she was not the type of person who would be threatened by others, so she felt relieved.
As for how furious and humiliated the Xu family's grandparents and grandchildren were after waiting for a long time but not even seeing Xu Shichu and being driven away, Xu Shichu had no idea. Of course, she didn't care.
A month later, Xu Shichu's spice shop was finally renovated. She spent these days recuperating while quietly making perfumes. She brought the shopkeeper Sun along to make perfumes with her and taught him many new spice recipes. He was so excited that he burst into tears of gratitude towards Xu Shichu. He devoted all his attention to the spice shop and vowed to repay Xu Shichu.
On the day of reopening, Manager Sun asked two young men to place an exquisite and gorgeous sky-blue incense burner that was half a person's height on the left side of the door. He then inserted a stick of incense that was three fingers thick and thirty inches long as an adult into the incense burner and lit it. A wisp of fragrance wafted out.
"Shopkeeper, what kind of fragrance is this? It has a very special aroma. The more I smell it, the more I want to smell it..." A young shopkeeper smelled the fragrance and asked Shopkeeper Sun with an intoxicated look on his face.
Shopkeeper Sun said proudly: "My master said this incense is called 'A Stunning Thing'. She made it specially for the day of the reopening, just to make our spice shop a sensation! Just wait, today this incense will definitely make our shop the most amazing and lively place!"
"A blockbuster? What a name!" Another young man exclaimed in amazement. The scent of this incense was unlike anything he had ever smelled before. It was not a single scent, but complex and diverse...
First, there is a slightly spicy dry woody scent, which is light, followed by a borneol-like earthy scent, and it also smells like cypress and vetiver. The aroma spreads continuously and for a long time.
This top note first makes people feel refreshed and attracts attention, and then slowly turns into a special sweet fragrance, with a faint scent of white orchid and green fragrance, a scent similar to bitter orange flower and a faint grassy base...
The various refreshing aromas are like a playful spring breeze, blowing across the faces of everyone passing by the spice shop. The elusive and tempting aroma is like the unpredictable and affectionate eyes of a dream girl, making people feel itchy and eager to pounce on it immediately to take it for themselves...
Such a complex and varied fragrance is not the biggest feature of this "blockbuster"; its long-lasting and far-reaching power is its most amazing advantage.
If ordinary incense sticks are lit outdoors, they can only travel two meters at most. If there is wind, they can drift farther, but the fragrance will be scattered and not strong.
However, this "blockbuster" fragrance was unexpectedly contagious. It could not only be smelled on the street where the spice shop was located, but could also be smelled from miles away.
On the busiest and bustling Chang'an Street, a rich lady who was shopping in a jewelry store shrugged her nose and asked her friend: "Do you smell any fragrance? It's like jasmine... No, no, it's like magnolia, but it's not magnolia now..."
What she said sounded like gibberish, but fortunately her friend actually understood it. She nodded repeatedly and raised her chin as if she also smelled something: "Yes, yes! So fragrant and sweet... Very refreshing and pleasant..."
"What on earth is this fragrance?" The rich young lady was extremely curious. She looked around, trying to find the source of this scorching aroma.
On the other side, the child held by his mother’s hand squinted his eyes and said, “Mom, it smells nice… sweet… I want sweet osmanthus cake!”
His mother looked around the stalls and didn't see any cake stall, so she scolded him, "Where is the sweet-scented osmanthus cake? If you're craving for it, just tell me!"
"It's the smell of osmanthus cake!" The little boy didn't know what the spice smelled like, he only remembered the sweet fragrance of osmanthus cake in his memory.
The young and frivolous boy smelled a fresh and refreshing fragrance, like the smell of ocean breeze, with the scent of fresh air, flying and flowing.
This morning, many people smelled a refreshing fragrance that made them feel relaxed and happy. It was melodious and refreshing, not strong, but it made people's hearts beat faster.
So, following the scent, we saw Xu Shichu’s reopened spice shop - Zui Xiang Ge, and the "Yiming Jingjing" towering in front of the door.
"So it's the fragrance coming from this incense? It's so big, no wonder it can spread so far..."
"Zui Xiang Pavilion? Is it selling spices? Hey, let's go in and take a look!"
"What kind of fragrance is this? I've never smelled it before. I like it very much. I might as well buy some to take back home."
…
More and more customers are attracted by the "blockbuster" in this way. What does it matter if the store is located in a remote place? Good wine needs no bush, and the fragrance of spices is no problem either!
Shopkeeper Sun couldn't stop smiling as he looked at the endless stream of customers.
So on this day, Xu Shichu's Zui Xiang Ge really became a "blockbuster" in the capital. Many people knew that there was such a novel and unique spice shop, which opened the door with a giant and eye-catching incense stick on the opening day.
Many of the perfumes in Zuixiang Pavilion are recipes developed by Xu Shichu in the previous world. Therefore, they are unique in this world, with a wide variety of varieties and novel scents. It is no wonder that the business is booming. Zuixiang Pavilion quickly became famous in the capital.
Xu Shichu was not surprised at all. There were countless people in the capital who pretentiously followed culture, and even more rich people. As long as she created a unique and luxurious reputation for Zui Xiang Pavilion, she could attract a group of people to willingly pay her money.