Chapter 188: The Steward of the Marquis’ Residence Comes to Visit

Er Zhu didn’t expect Ye Xin Ran would call on him.

He quickly responded, “Alright, alright, I’ll go home and get it right now!”

He dashed off.

The others stayed behind, gathered around Ye Xin Ran, observing the face-washing soap in her hand.

Just now, when everyone was present, no one had noticed how Ye Xin Ran had taken out the soap.

Carrying something like this on one’s person seemed strange.

But as soon as they smelled the soap, they all understood.

“Who wouldn’t want to carry something so fragrant around?”

Soon, Er Zhu returned with the basin of water, which was half-full and sloshing a bit.

Ye Xin Ran called to Old Lady Zhang, “Granny, would you like me to wash your face with this soap today?”

Old Lady Zhang was flattered but also a bit embarrassed.

Her old face hadn’t been washed in days, and she was worried the water might turn dirty.

But she couldn’t resist the enticing fragrance of the soap.

“Alright, I’ll take the plunge today and let you wash my face.”

She cupped some water in her hands and splashed it on her face, while Ye Xin Ran placed the soap in her hands.

After a couple of rubs, her hands were covered with a rich lather.

“Close your eyes, and gently spread the foam on your face, just like you usually wash it,” Ye Xin Ran instructed.

Old Lady Zhang applied the foam to her face, and immediately, the faint fragrance of osmanthus surrounded her nose.

She didn’t want to rush through the washing like usual, but instead took her time, rubbing it in carefully.

The accumulated grime over the days slowly began to come off with the rubbing.

When Ye Xin Ran saw she was almost done, she reminded her, “It’s enough now!”

Reluctantly, Old Lady Zhang rinsed off the foam from her face.

Once the foam was washed away, everyone noticed that Old Lady Zhang’s face actually looked a little whiter than before.

“She’s whiter! She’s really whiter!”

“Yeah, it really looks like she’s gotten whiter!”

Old Lady Zhang felt a bit embarrassed when she saw the murky water.

But she didn’t care about that anymore.

Her face now felt smooth and slippery, and she felt like she had become younger.

“This stuff really works! When I was in my twenties, my face never felt this smooth!”

“Old Lady Zhang, can I touch it?”

Zhang Sheng’s wife asked.

Old Lady Zhang quickly protected her face with her hands. “No way! I’ve finally managed to wash it clean!”

Seeing her like this, everyone burst into laughter.

“Is it really that effective?”

“Yeah! After Old Lady Zhang washed her face, it’s so smooth and soft!”

“Isn’t it just like the bath beans?”

…

Seeing everyone was curious, Ye Xin Ran casually said, “How about everyone try it? The water here isn’t convenient, so let’s go to the riverbank and find a place to wash.”

Hearing Ye Xin Ran’s suggestion, the women all became excited.

“Alright, let’s go to the river!”

“Remember, everyone can only use a little, no more!”

…

Not long after, over twenty women from Yun Bian Village were crouching by the riverbank.

They wet their faces with river water and then waited for the face-washing soap to be passed to them.

Each person, once they got the soap, would swirl it a couple of times in their hands, and once their hands were covered with rich lather, they would pass the soap to the next person.

After using the soap, their faces became moist and smooth.

The women looked at each other, complimenting how much prettier they looked.

Then they laughed and couldn’t stop smiling.

The men standing on the shore were also happy.

They didn’t understand why their wives were so happy just from washing their faces.

But seeing them happy, they were happy too.

Ye Xin Ran, as an observer, watched a group of women giggling by the water’s edge.

A group of men stood on the shore, laughing too.

It was truly a harmonious scene.

After everyone finished washing their faces, the soap had shrunk by about a circle.

The last one to use it was Er Dan’s wife.

She shyly returned the soap to Ye Xin Ran and said, “I think this soap really works. It’s way better than the bath beans. But we’ve used so much, it’s almost gone.”

Ye Xin Ran took the soap and tucked it at her waist.

She then said, “It’s meant for everyone to use. If you like it, when the soap from the workshop is ready, I’ll give each of you a piece.”

“That won’t do. We can’t just take it for free.

When you sell it, we’ll buy it!”

“Well, we’ll talk about that later.”

While the two were talking, a young couple had already gathered together.

Da Zhu had just married not long ago.

Now, he couldn’t wait to get close to his wife. “Wife, what did you use to wash your face just now? It smells so good! Let me smell it!”

“Don’t get too close, everyone’s watching!”

Da Zhu’s wife, embarrassed, pushed him away.

Da Zhu then held his wife’s hand and said, “Let’s go home and smell it.”

The two of them were sweet with each other, making many people blush.

The other couples looked at each other, exchanging glances that were filled with a bit of flirtation.

Only Ye Xin Ran, standing alone, looked around, but there wasn’t a single person who met her gaze.

“Truly a feast of dog food!”

She sighed inwardly and then left the crowd to walk home.

When she arrived at her doorstep, she noticed an unfamiliar carriage parked outside.

In the yard, Leng Qing Yu was talking to a stranger.

“Guests from the capital?” Ye Xin Ran greeted them.

Leng Qing Yu waved at her.

“Xin Ran, you’re back. Come over and sit. This is the steward from the Marquis’ residence. He’s here to settle the accounts with me!”

The Marquis’ steward?

Settling accounts here?

Did the Marquis value his wife this much?

As Ye Xin Ran thought about it, the steward continued speaking:

“Half a month ago, the Duke of Qing Guo added a young master to his family, and the old madam had someone send a pair of jade Ru Yi, a golden lock, and a pair of silver bracelets. These were charged at Ling Long Pavilion, totaling 850 taels.

The second and third masters haven’t received their monthly allowance this month, so the old madam took 400 taels from her own account to cover it.

The old madam said that the 400 taels are an advance, and the remaining 1,600 taels will be paid to the second and third masters when the madam returns to the capital.”

The steward rambled on, reading from his account book.

Leng Qing Yu asked Lightly (calmly): “Anything else?”

“Just some household expenses, like food, clothing, and silver for the young lady and master’s visits to friends, totaling 1,300 taels.”

The steward then handed the account book to Leng Qing Yu.

As per the usual procedure, once Leng Qing Yu signed and stamped the document, the steward could go to Leng Ji’s silk shop to collect the money.

The shopkeeper was an old stickler.

He only recognized Leng Qing Yu’s handwriting and seal, not the person.

The steward waited quietly.

But Leng Qing Yu didn’t make a move.

He simply asked, “I was just wondering, are any of these expenses mine?”

The steward was stunned.

The madam’s expenses?

Isn’t there a difference between the Marquis’ expenses and the madam’s expenses?

Aren’t they all managed by the madam?