Chapter Twelve: The Graceful Younger Sister

When Jiang Han returned to the courtyard, night had already fallen. Yet, at the doorway stood a solitary figure. After a moment of surprise, he recalled who it was—Jiang Qingyan, both his younger sister and cousin.

Though Jiang Han was born of a concubine, unlike the bitter conflicts often depicted between legitimate and illegitimate offspring in dramas, his relationship with this sister was fairly good.

Soon, Jiang Han found himself captivated by her beauty. The young girl wore a pale teal silk dress, her face delicately shaped like a melon seed—classically refined. Her nose was slender and elegant, her lips a soft, subtle pink. At first glance, she looked like a heroine stepped out from an anime.

He was stunned by his sister’s striking looks. As the original Jiang Han, a devoted admirer of Gu Xirou, he had never paid much attention to this sister.

“Second brother,” Jiang Qingyan looked up at him with a hint of joy in her voice. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, I went out to do some business,” Jiang Han replied, waving his hand as he pulled a key from his pocket and opened the courtyard gate, stepping inside.

Jiang Qingyan had been waiting at this detached house for some time. From neighbors, she had already learned that her brother intended to enter the perfume business, though she held some doubts.

The perfume trade was not easy. Although profitable, ninety percent of the market was monopolized by Mianxiang Workshop. Some small shops made cheap ointments, but they barely earned a penny.

Moreover, over the years, Jiang Han had dabbled in many ventures, none of which had succeeded.

Upon entering, she was even more puzzled by the strange apparatus scattered around the yard.

“Brother, Mother worries about you a lot. Why don’t you come back with me? Father has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If you’re willing to return, he’ll be truly pleased,” Jiang Qingyan gently urged.

Jiang Han shook his head. “I’m fine here, and I still have business to attend to.”

Jiang Qingyan furrowed her delicate brows, reluctant to dampen her brother’s spirit.

“Is Mother well?” Jiang Han asked.

“She’s fine. But since you moved here, she often misses you. Brother, if you don’t want to live at the main residence, at least visit Mother more often,” Jiang Qingyan replied.

Jiang Han pondered silently. In his memory, his stepmother had indeed treated him like her own. If time allowed, he ought to pay her a visit.

“All right, once I’m done with my work, I’ll go see Mother.”

Jiang Qingyan bit her lip, looking at her brother earnestly. “Second brother, a good horse never returns to the grass it has left. Since Miss Gu has called off the engagement, just let her be. The Gu family is greedy and scheming, eyeing the Yin family’s perfume business. There’s no need for you to hold any lingering feelings. Don’t let it affect you.”

Jiang Han was taken aback for a moment before realizing she thought his perfume venture was an attempt to win back Gu Xirou.

In truth, since the engagement was broken off, he had paid no further attention to Gu Xirou and was unaware that the Gu family had already accepted the Yin family’s betrothal gifts.

“Why would you think I still care about Gu Xirou?” Jiang Han frowned.

His sister stuck out her tongue playfully. “Second brother, you’re obsessed with her to the core. I’m really afraid you might do something foolish.”

“If I cared about her, I wouldn’t have returned the marriage contract,” Jiang Han said firmly.

“Are you just being stubborn?” Jiang Qingyan widened her sparkling eyes. “Didn’t you go out today to find Gu Xirou?”

Jiang Han found himself unable to explain. Instead, he pulled out two delicate glass bottles and pressed them into her hands. “I recently met a beautiful girl and have moved on.”

Jiang Qingyan looked at the glass bottles in confusion. Such exquisite bottles must have been expensive. Where did her brother get the money to buy them?

As for the story of meeting a pretty girl and moving on, she filtered it out.

She uncorked one bottle, and a fragrant scent immediately filled the air.

Her eyes lit up in surprise as she looked at Jiang Han. “Brother, where did you steal this from?”

Jiang Han nearly stumbled but snarled fiercely, “This is the fragrance I made myself! Want some? If not, give it back!”

“Of course I want some!”

Jiang Qingyan held the bottle to her nose, inhaling deeply. The more she smelled, the more delighted she became.

This was made by her brother? When had he gained such skill?

Looking at him, she belatedly noticed a change in his demeanor:

The brother she once knew was somewhat dull and awkward, always avoiding direct eye contact. But now, a calm confidence radiated from him, and his eyes shone with a rare brilliance.

Jiang Qingyan treasured the glass bottles as she hugged them to her chest. “Brother, Mother will be so happy when she knows you made this perfume. Father will also be comforted.”

Jiang Han scoffed coldly. “If Father knew, he’d have to call me ‘Dad’.”

Jiang Qingyan blinked in confusion.

...

After seeing her off, Jiang Han busied himself once more. He tidied the courtyard and hung a custom-made signboard.

He contemplated that relying solely on Miss Qin’s promotion wouldn’t be enough to sell the perfume well.

Perhaps Miss Qin’s friends might buy some, but making the perfume popular would be difficult.

The main issue was reputation—his original self was infamous, and no one would want to buy from a fool.

As for printing flyers and hiring people to distribute them, he quickly dismissed the idea.

First, the perfume was costly to produce, so the price would be high, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Second, no amount of advertising could rival the fame of Purple Mianxiang.

Third, only women would buy such things.

Suddenly, Jiang Han slapped his forehead, realizing he had fallen into a mental trap. Who said perfume was only for women?

In fact, in this era, scholars and gentlemen liked to carry fragrant sachets to show refinement—these were originally used by men.

He suddenly thought of Zhong Li You, a renowned scholar famed throughout the land. If Zhong Li You would write a couplet or a poem praising his perfume, giving it an elegant name, wouldn’t that be the best advertisement?

He regretted not thinking of this earlier; otherwise, he would have befriended Zhong Li You to obtain a literary endorsement.

Still, having impressed Zhong Li You once, he believed their next meeting would not be far off.

And if Zhong Li You didn’t come to him, why couldn’t he seek out Zhong Li You?

With this in mind, Jiang Han eagerly anticipated their next encounter.

...

On Qingping Street’s cobblestone alley, a new perfume shop suddenly opened. For Yunyang County, it was like a small stone dropped into a lake—causing little ripple.

Only a few knew about the shop—for instance, Gu Xirou.

In a pavilion, Gu Xirou heard the news from Wang Siyu. “That Jiang Han has started a business again. He’s been busy these past days, buying many things and a lot of fresh flowers... Xirou, he’s going into the perfume trade!”

Gu Xirou gave a faint, mocking smile. “How could he make perfumes? He’s just messing about!”