Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Career
Starting with the female reporter, they dove straight into the topic of cosmetics.
“Mr. Wu, have you noticed anything? It’s makeup, right? What do you think? These products were all developed by students from our biology department…”
Initially not very interested, the reporter perked up upon hearing this; it was a good lead for another piece of news.
Yang PeiMin had started the conversation, which made Tang Zhao’s part much smoother.
“The effects are very good. We have already reported to the bureau… We’re planning to set up a research lab, so people will have more options in this field in the future…”
“Sure, you’re welcome to visit our laboratory any time. Here is the finished product, and you can see its effects immediately…”
“Thank you, thank you, we are also honored.”
After the subsequent performance, they also visited their laboratory and viewed the products.
Advertisements at that time were very straightforward—what you see is what you get, with no deceit involved. Of course, people didn’t realize these were ads, just an article about the lives of college students.
They made a further arrangement: when the product officially launched, they would do a follow-up piece.
That very night, the trio led by Yang PeiMin started preparing in earnest, setting up the workshop immediately, looking for premises, and buying equipment and raw materials… Otherwise, it would be too late once people started showing interest.
For an entire month, Yang PeiMin was busy with these tasks. Whenever there was something she couldn’t handle herself, she sought help from Shen Yiguang with things like factory premises and various paperwork. With public-to-private transitions common, their initiative was also in response to state policies, and they had little trouble getting the necessary permits. Furthermore, they had their university report to the authorities, receiving supportive attitudes. As a result, their workshop was established with remarkable facility.
The workshop was close to their university, deliberately chosen for convenience.
Yang PeiMin bought the place immediately and had it thoroughly renovated. She placed Yang Peijun in charge and turned her attention to rushing Mr. Gao on the equipment front.
Mr. Gao greatly admired their initiative and felt a surge of pride, joining several teachers in offering his utmost support.
Yang PeiMin was extremely grateful and motivated, spending another month busying herself until the equipment arrived and raw materials gradually filled up the warehouse. Shen Yiguang got a comrade to deliver four refrigerators, one for the home and the rest for the workshop. After interviews, they recruited twenty people—almost everything was ready.
Yang PeiMin invested most of the capital in this workshop. Tang Zhao and Li Yue strengthened their commitment, each buying into ten shares, including technical shares.
She discussed packaging matters with the two. Yang PeiMin personally designed it, carefully deliberating over shape and materials before making the final decision, which required custom orders from the plastics factory.
Yang PeiMin named her product brand after her previous life’s name, Taotao.
Not only was it a name describing beauty, but it also held sentimental value and relevance.
As for job responsibilities, Yang PeiMin mainly focused on product development, formulation control, and adjustments. Tang Zhao and Li Yue worked on targeted R&D, assisting from the sidelines and perfecting and identifying problems.
Everyone was a tech enthusiast, so there really wasn’t much concern about hierarchy.
Yang PeiMin held the main formula for the skincare products, which included a full set: facial cream, toner, facial cleanser, and face mask—these were the essentials. There were two skin care series, one for dry skin and one for oily skin, plus there was hand cream and body lotion. And for color cosmetics, there were foundation, lipstick, rouge, loose powder, eyebrow pencil, and eyeshadow—that covered the basics. Other products were still in development.
All the ingredients were purely traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and natural plant-based, with no heavy metals or mineral oils.
As for the raw materials, half of what Quan had were incomplete.
She had entrusted her comrade Shen Yiguang, who had found some in other regions. The cost wasn’t high, it was just that the timing and transportation were not guaranteed. She had already started to have targeted planting; seeds suitable for the local climate were brought over, and if they were not, they would have people go and specially harvest them where they were.
By late November, Taotao Cosmetics Company officially started production.
It was only after the first batch of products went to market that Yang PeiMin felt she could finally catch her breath.
But before she could catch her breath, she found out she was pregnant again.
After giving birth to Lele, she didn’t have intercourse with Shen Yi for three months. She hadn’t had her period in those months, perhaps because she was still nursing Lele or hadn’t fully recovered, so they didn’t use contraception afterwards. She planned to get pregnant again in the middle of the following year; she was too busy during this time, and with Lele still so small, she was trying to let him nurse for a few more months. Having children too close together didn’t give her body time to rest.
She had planned on having a second child, thinking that family planning would be implemented soon and she was always preparing for it. But she never expected this preparation to turn into a surprise.
She hadn’t had her period by December either, and Lele was already five months old. After asking around, she learned that some women only have their period return a year after childbirth, so she wasn’t surprised. But these days, she’d been feeling dizzy and nauseous, thinking she was just tired. When Shen Yi insisted on taking her to the hospital, she was told she was pregnant, already one month along.
Both were caught off guard and were both shocked and delighted.
Yang PeiMin felt it was all too sudden and early, but then she thought that it might be better for Lele to have a sibling close in age with whom to interact more, and she accepted it.
Shen Yi initially felt a mix of surprise and excitement, but the thought of spending over a year on a vegetarian diet tempered his enthusiasm. Then, learning about the vague upcoming birth policy from above, he felt incredibly fortunate. No matter whether the new baby was a boy or a girl, having another child was always good.
Shen Yi carefully accompanied Yang PeiMin out of the hospital.
The sunlight outside was just right; although it had snowed that morning, it still felt warm on the skin.
Shen Yi couldn’t help but smile, “There’s a new bakery on Jiefang Road making really good scallion pancakes. They also add streaky pork, which makes them oily, aromatic, and flaky. They’re best eaten fresh out of the oven. It’s just around the corner from here, let’s go have some before we head home.”
Yang PeiMin’s mouth watered at the thought, “Then let’s hurry.”
She couldn’t recall the last time she had eaten such things. For the sake of Lele, she had sacrificed all cold, cool, fried, and grilled foods.
Now with the second child on the way and Lele weaning, she had started to show some cravings. Lele had become reluctant to nurse, and she thought it was because she’d eaten something that tasted too strong for him. It was probably because her taste changed after becoming pregnant.
Shen Yi knew she had been restraining her appetites and felt sorry for her.
He knew how picky his wife was about food, and having kids really had been hard on her.
Yang PeiMin followed his lead to the newly opened delicatessen and indulged herself in a delicious meal.