Xiao Yu carved as she explained, "Actually, fruit carving is a kind of culinary art. To put it plainly, it should be categorized as food carving since not just fruits can be carved; any food can be, to turn food into art, is also a way of perceiving beauty. However, due to the lack of tools, the subjects I can carve are limited. To carve an image that is both alive with vitality and artistically expressive, one not only requires skill, but also a certain aesthetic sense. Taking a fruit, you should be able to envision what you want to carve with the ingredients at hand, and this series of reactions has to happen in an instant."
"When I first started practicing, I would always use radishes for carving training. As a civilian girl, I injured my hands countless times. My current skill level is the result of experiment after experiment. There are no shortcuts in this craft; it’s all about practice. Do you see these characters on the apple? If you are a sculptor, but your handwriting is unsightly, it will greatly detract from the beauty. That’s why I’ve been practicing my writing for many years—I was afraid of making a fool of myself."
"In my free time, I also observe the layering in flowers, the vivacity in animals. In short, any skill cannot be attained without effort. You only know that the dishes I make are tasty, but you have no idea how to pair foods to create flavors that everyone raves about."
"Besides cooking and carving, I’ve done quite a bit of research on makeup as well. I opened a skincare store selling products like shampoo, body wash, facial cleanser...,"
Xiao Yu was like a marketer, tirelessly sharing beauty tips with these women who had never been exposed to such matters. As she spoke, she also integrated much knowledge about beauty care such as how to protect against the sun, how to remove spots, how to whiten the skin, how to shape beautiful eyebrows, and how to moisturize dry skin—she was meticulous and comprehensive in her explanations.
Therefore, none of them showed impatience; they were even curious and eager to ask her questions.
Even about rouge and attire, people inquired.
In the end, the women who came to pick faults all obtained from Xiao Yu on-spot written beauty recipes, those that were abundantly available online in future days. Coincidentally, she had been very keen on them, such as cucumber masks, honey masks, egg washes for hair, and so on.
Anyway, whether they were useful or not, she just wrote them down to garner goodwill.
Because through today’s lecture, she was confident that the business of her small shop would do even better.
When all the concubines reluctantly left Changchun Palace, Xiao Yu took the initiative to say to the Empress.
"Lady, I didn’t dare to disturb you before, but tomorrow I will have Prince Qing bring some trial kits for you to the palace. If you don’t find them objectionable, please give them a try. If you like them, I’ll ensure they are regularly delivered,"
The Empress watched Shen Xiaoyu with mixed feelings, sensing that today’s performance had not been in vain.
She certainly did not have the grace to be in the spotlight, but everything was laid out in the open; black was black and white was white. There was no sense of deception about her, sincerity that garnered sympathy.
She didn’t seem like a naive country girl; she was literate and had practiced writing, and looking at the recipes she had written, her writing was quite decent and pleasing to the eye.
She was skilled in cooking, carving, and beauty maintenance—these were her strengths, and the Empress felt she couldn’t pretend to have seen nothing.
Although she did not come from a prominent family, with the knowledge and skills she had acquired, she would certainly make a good wife. Newest update provided by N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Second Brother had always disliked schemes and intrigues. It might not be a bad choice for him to go to Qingyang Prefecture with her.