He really didn't want Shen Xiaoyan to see his face twitching with laughter; it would be far too embarrassing.
Shen Xiaoyan finally realized that for Lu Taobao, eating was the main business.
Truly a… foodie.
Seeing Lu Taobao's eagerness, Shen Xiaoyan quickly explained the matter and then handed over a wooden box from her small table to Lu Taobao.
The wooden box was made by Zheng Wei; it was simple and practical, without any ornate carvings, looking somewhat crude.
Lu Taobao opened the wooden box, and the first thing he saw was a light green powder.
"Is this the refreshing powder?" Lu Taobao brought the wooden box closer, sniffed it, and asked Shen Xiaoyan.
"Yes," Shen Xiaoyan nodded with a smile.
Receiving Shen Xiaoyan's affirmation, Lu Taobao observed it carefully.
The powder was ground very finely, with a mint scent mixed with a faint fragrance, very pleasant.
"It smells good, but what ailments is it primarily used for?" Lu Taobao closed the lid and continued to inquire.
"It mainly provides coolness and relieves itching. Children are prone to rashes in the summer heat. After bathing, if they rub this on, they won't feel itchy for long. It's not just for children; adults can use it too," Shen Xiaoyan briefly explained its uses.
"It sounds quite good, but I wonder if it will sell well. After all, no one here has ever used it," Lu Taobao hesitated.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to cooperate with Shen Xiaoyan to sell the refreshing powder; it was just that to sell something, they first had to produce a batch.
He wasn't afraid of anything himself, but he worried that after Shen Xiaoyan and the others worked hard to make the product, it wouldn't sell. Then, not only would it be a waste of time and effort, but he imagined they would also feel disheartened.
"That's not an issue. We can make some smaller wooden boxes, put a thin layer inside, and give them to some people to try. If the effect is good, they'll come to us themselves," Shen Xiaoyan revealed her pre-planned idea.
Lu Taobao's eyes lit up when he heard Shen Xiaoyan's suggestion, and he clapped his hands, saying, "That's a great idea. How did I not think of that?"
After speaking, he kept patting his head, calling himself foolish and admitting that all his energy was focused on eating.
Seeing his actions and hearing his words, Shen Xiaoyan and the others couldn't help but laugh heartily.
Shen Xiaoyan thought to herself, this was the most common method in her past life: trial samples. If others tried it and found it to be a good product, there would be no worries about selling it.
"Then how should the price be set? How much should a box contain?" Lu Taobao looked at the wooden box in his hand with some difficulty.
This wooden box was about the size of an adult's rice bowl, and such a large box, almost full, how much should it cost?
Although Tongling Town had wealthy families, this was a product meant for high volume sales to make money. If it were too expensive, the sales channels would be greatly narrowed.
Shen Xiaoyan had already thought about this problem. She took out another wooden box from her sleeve, which was the same size as the blush and face powder boxes.
"This size, one box will be sold for 50 li," Shen Xiaoyan said.
"50 li?" Lu Taobao's mouth widened in surprise.
"Expensive?"
Seeing Lu Taobao's reaction, Shen Xiaoyan appeared even more surprised than him.
If this price was still expensive, then they wouldn't sell it at all.
This was the price she had set after considering the situation of most households, and it was already very cheap.
"No, I think it's too cheap," Lu Taobao said, scratching his head. "Sister-in-law, the Chinese medicinal materials alone must cost a lot, right? Plus labor costs, the wooden box, and then our profit-sharing. Calculating all this, how much can you earn?"
As he spoke, Lu Taobao looked at Shen Xiaoyan with concern. Based on his own calculations, Shen Xiaoyan probably wouldn't earn anything.
"You worry too much. Since I've asked you to cooperate in selling this, how could I let myself suffer a loss? If I don't make money, why would I do such a troublesome and unrewarding thing?"
Shen Xiaoyan was amused. Did Lu Taobao think she looked like a saint?
"Don't think too much about it. Your sister-in-law and I are not fools, nor do we intend to be saints. This price was decided after our discussion, and it will absolutely not cause us to lose money," Zheng Wei also said.
"Alright then." Lu Taobao saw that Zheng Wei had also spoken, so he said no more.
The group discussed when to make the trial samples, when the first batch of goods could be produced, and how much Chinese medicinal material they needed to purchase from Lu Taobao first.
By the time all these matters were settled, an hour had passed.
"Ah, we're finally done talking. Should we go pick the cherries now?" Lu Taobao said, standing up impatiently. He could no longer wait.
"Okay, let's go first." Zheng Wei saw his eager demeanor and knew he was longing for the fruit, so he also stood up.
"What about the two sisters-in-law?"
"We'll follow in a bit. We'll bring the children to find you," Shen Xiaoyan calculated the time in her mind; the children would probably be waking up from their naps soon.
Lu Taobao knew that Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin were waiting for the children, so he didn't hesitate any longer. He quickly headed towards the back with Zheng Wei and Sima Han.
Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin hadn't waited long before the four nannies came in with the children.
Because they were discussing matters and feared that loud noises would disturb the children's naps, Sanshengzi had gone to the west wing to sleep with Sima Shui Rong this afternoon.
"My little softie, you've woken up at just the right time. Come, Mommy will take you to see your Uncle Lu picking cherries and see how many he can pick, okay?"
Shen Xiaoyan took Ruan Ruan from the nanny's arms and held her, speaking softly.
Ruan Ruan didn't understand Shen Xiaoyan's words, but seeing her mother smile, she also smiled happily.
Perhaps because they were well-fed, Ruan Ruan and the other children had already started teething, and when teething, they inevitably drooled.
So, when they grinned, a liquid would uncontrollably drip from the corners of their lips.
Shen Xiaoyan quickly used a handkerchief to wipe away the drool from Ruan Ruan's lips, preventing herself from being drowned in Ruan Ruan's saliva again.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's actions, Yue Qingxin kept teasing her from the side.
Each of them held a child. Zheng Jiang and Zheng He were held by the nannies. The other two nannies, along with Fang Huoying carrying the two little girls, carried some essential items, and the group set off towards the orchard.
Fortunately, it was already around 5 o'clock, and the sun was not too harsh, so they didn't use umbrellas and walked like that.
When they reached the orchard, they hadn't even seen Zheng Wei and the others yet, when Shen Xiaoyan heard Lu Taobao's excited shouts.
Shen Xiaoyan could almost imagine how excited he was right now, perhaps with his mouth agape, staring at the trees and drooling.
Indeed, when they reached Zheng Wei and the others, Shen Xiaoyan saw Lu Taobao gazing intently at the peach trees, his eyes glazed over.
"What are they doing?" Shen Xiaoyan was puzzled. Weren't they supposed to be picking cherries?
These people didn't have any baskets or anything. Where were the picked cherries?
"He saw these peaches, persimmons, and oranges and forgot about picking cherries," Zheng Wei said, shaking his head helplessly.
"Well, no need to call him. Let him stare for a while longer. When it gets dark, he won't be able to pick them. I guess he can feast his eyes enough," Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile.
"Who says?" Lu Taobao fiercely wiped his mouth with his sleeve, snorted at Shen Xiaoyan and the others, and strode forward.