freenovelworld Chapter 13 Making Soap (Part 2)
Chapter 13 Making Soap (Part 2)
There is a well in the Xiao family courtyard, which has been there for many years. It was built when Xiao Yong returned from the army and was injured and unable to use the village's public well. It cost quite a bit of money at the time.
Although it was hot, the well water was still very cold, so Xiao Siyue added some hot water to the basin.
Old Mrs. Xiao wet her hands in the basin, applied some soap, and rubbed them repeatedly until she produced fine white foam. This lard soap, unlike modern processed soaps, may not be as stylish or as effective at cleaning, but it left her hands feeling very moisturized.
After seeing that Old Lady Xiao had washed herself, everyone else wanted to try it too.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, what do you think of the scented soap I made?" Xiao Siyue asked.
She thought, "By now, the soap must have won them over."
If so, she would probably get everyone's support if she proposed making money with soap right now.
"Of course it's wonderful! How can our Yue'er be so intelligent? She must be a little fairy reincarnated." This was, of course, Old Lady Xiao's praise.
Everyone praised it.
"What if I wanted to make money with scented soap? What do you think?" Xiao Siyue's words were like a thunderclap thrown into the crowd, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Xiao Qinian broke the silence.
"Yue'er, why do you suddenly want to make money?"
Xiao Siyue thought for a while, unsure how to answer, and finally chose to tell the truth.
"Father, over the years, the family has spent all its savings because of my health. Now my eldest brother is getting married, and you are going to take the imperial examination. It's a time when we need money, so I was thinking about whether I could alleviate the family's situation." Of course, all of this was the truth, but he concealed the fact about the system.
Silence fell in the room once again.
"Yue'er, you're still a child. All you need to do is grow up healthy and happy. We adults will take care of the money." Old Master Xiao said affectionately.
"Grandpa, I know, but I also want to help you."
What an understanding child! How could anyone not love him/her?
“If we’re talking about making money, there’s no advantage. I heard from your mother that this is made with oil, which makes the cost too high. If the price is also set high, ordinary people won’t be able to afford it. But if the price is too low, we won’t make a profit,” Xiao Qinian said after a moment of thought.
“Father, you’re right.”
Xiao Qinian, as expected of a scholar, immediately grasped the crux of the problem.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Although Xiao Qinian has been studying all these years, he is not a pedantic person, nor does he have the bad habit of looking down on merchants because he considers himself a scholar.
"Then what should we do?" Xiao Qinian seemed to have forgotten that Xiao Siyue was still a child.
“Father, I have no intention of selling this scented soap,” Xiao Siyue said mysteriously with a smile in her eyes.
"Oh?" Xiao Qinian was very curious.
“Father, what you said earlier makes a lot of sense. We don’t have any advantage in this kind of scented soap. Liuyue Pavilion in town sells it, and wealthy people are used to going to Liuyue Pavilion. They won’t buy from us,” Xiao Siyue said, glancing at her father.
"This scented soap is something I made to show you. I hope to get your support. After all, I can't do business alone."
Everyone thought about it and agreed. If Xiao Siyue hadn't brought out the scented soap she made today, they wouldn't be sitting here listening to a five-year-old child.
"The scented soap I'm planning to make will be even better than this."
"There are even better ones," everyone thought to themselves.
"Making scented soap is very simple. What I wanted to do was make it more refined, such as adding crushed peach blossoms. This would not only give it the fragrance of peach blossoms but also turn it pink,"
"Adding mugwort juice not only turns it green but also repels mosquitoes, isn't that great?"
Xiao Siyue's thoughts made everyone hold their breath.
Yes, why didn't anyone think of that?
Before they could even get excited, Xiao Siyue said again:
“We can also make molds, just like making pastries, to give them different shapes.”
"Yes, yes, brilliant!" Everyone was stunned by this idea and looked at Xiao Siyue in unison. This child was too smart.
Then he thought of Xiao Siyue's health and felt sad. God is fair. He gave her a terrible body but also a brilliant mind.
“If you all agree, let’s start right now,” Xiao Siyue said, standing up.
“Sure, I don’t have anything else to do today,” Grandpa Xiao said.
“Well, none of us know how to do it, so we need Yue’er to give us some pointers,” Xiao Qinian said, following up on Grandpa Xiao’s words.
“Okay, then I’ll give you the instructions.” Xiao Siyue ignored her father’s somewhat funny expression.
"Yue'er, just say it, we'll all listen to you," Grandma Xiao said after glancing at everyone.
"Dad, I'd like you to draw a few mold designs first. I've already thought of the styles, I'll tell you about them later."
Grandpa and Second Uncle went to buy some pork fat.
"Grandma and my aunt burned wood ash."
"Brothers, go pick some flowers and mugwort."
After giving their instructions, everyone went about their own business. Xiao Siyue went to her room with her father to draw.
"Dad, I want to make four styles first: two square ones, one with orchids carved on the bottom and one with bamboo carved on the bottom. I also plan to make two cat paw-shaped ones, which can be sold to children, and then one petal-shaped one."
She thought her idea was excellent, as it would satisfy the needs of different people. Moreover, the styles were all novel and would definitely attract many buyers.
"Oh right, Dad, how could I forget? We also need to make some more soap boxes, something a little more fancy. After all, nice packaging makes a big difference. Dad, I'm counting on you for this." Xiao Siyue, who was about to leave, suddenly remembered this.
The morning of the third day
The mold and pork fat are ready, and the wood ash alkaline water has been left to stand for two days, making it significantly clearer than what I made before.
To her surprise, her brothers not only picked peach blossoms and mugwort, but also brought back forsythia and hyacinths, so she could make four different colors.
Since his older brothers went to school, Xiao Qinian had quit his teaching job and was studying at home, so his grandparents were the only ones left to take care of things.
Without hesitation, they immediately set to work, carefully filtering the alkaline water before gently pouring it into the prepared oil.
Next, the crushed and filtered flower juices were added. However, the subsequent stirring proved to be a huge challenge. Because it required thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, this process was extremely strenuous and impossible for one person to complete alone. Therefore, everyone had to take turns.
By the time all the soap liquid was poured into the molds, it was already evening. Although everyone was a little tired, they were very happy. If this was successful, it would bring in a large sum of money, and their family would no longer have to worry.
This time, to ensure the quality of the soap, we waited five days before unmolding it.
It just so happens that this day is also a day off.
Everyone was very excited. When all the soaps were unmolded and arranged together, they looked exceptionally beautiful, with different colors and shapes.
"It's so beautiful!" Lin Qin exclaimed, admiring a pink peach blossom-shaped soap with obvious delight.
"Yes, Mom, this is so cute." Xiao Siyu held a yellow soap shaped like a cat's paw in her hands, her face full of love.
"Yes, indeed. Not only are the colors vibrant, but they also have a delicate floral fragrance that is truly delightful," Xiao Qinian remarked.
It's clear that everyone is extremely satisfied with the freshly made soap.
After packing all the soaps into the pre-made wooden boxes, everyone still found it hard to contain their excitement.