Chapter 27: Character is Revealed Through Comparison

Su Tang asked Mu Jingzhou to buy several popsicles, placing them in the concave part of a pot lid.

Li Lan was startled: “Third Sister-in-law, the popsicles will melt if you steam them. You can’t steam them!”

“That’s exactly what I want to do.”

Su Tang didn’t bother explaining; Li Lan wouldn’t understand anyway.

Normally, ice cubes would be used to increase the extraction of rose hydrosol, but there were no ice cubes, so popsicles had to be used instead.

“It’s so hot, if you want to drink sugar water, just use brown sugar. Steaming popsicles is such a waste!”

“It’s alright, it’s Third Brother’s money being wasted.”

Mu Jingzhou nodded in agreement: “That’s right.”

Li Lan:………

Even Old Lady Mu felt it was wasteful, but Mu Jingyun was sitting in the yard watching, so she didn’t dare say anything.

She could only secretly curse her third son for being henpecked, doing whatever his wife said.

As the fire heated up, a strong rose fragrance filled the air.

Taking advantage of this time, Su Tang added seashell powder and plant ash to the water to precipitate lye.

Mu Jingyun’s interest in learning was piqued. He excitedly asked: “Third Sister-in-law, can you really make soap?”

“Ask your second sister-in-law.”

“Wife?”

“Yes!”

Yu Miaomiao nodded.

This kind of handmade soap was a piece of cake for the two of them!

However, they were still missing a mold.

“Second Brother, can you help make a rectangular wooden trough, the kind that can be disassembled on all four sides?” Yu Miaomiao asked.

“Yes!”

Mu Jingyun immediately went to find wood planks to make the mold.

Everything was ready, except for the roses. The drying process was too slow, so Yu Miaomiao took the flowers to the stove opening to use the residual heat to accelerate water evaporation.

Old Lady Mu and Li Lan looked at each other, neither understanding nor daring to speak out!

After the rose hydrosol was extracted, the temperature of the lard had also cooled to the appropriate temperature.

Su Tang mixed the lye, melted rosin, rose hydrosol, salt, and sugar into the lard and began to stir.

The following process was time-consuming and laborious, so she decisively handed the work over to Mu Jingzhou: “Third Brother, help me stir, my hands are tired.”

“Okay.”

Mu Jingzhou was strong, and the wooden stick in his hand was like an egg beater.

Watching the oil in the antimony pot become sticky and turn white, he found it amazing: “It does look a bit like soap!”

“It is soap.” Su Tang shook her head with a smile. “Keep stirring, this process is called saponification, it’s very important.”

Mu Jingzhou silently memorized the new term.

After two hours, the first saponification was complete.

Under Yu Miaomiao’s guidance, Mu Jingyun made four rectangular wooden troughs and poured the soap liquid into them to continue saponification and drying.

The white, thick substance was dotted with petals, and the fragrance was strong. Although it was still liquid, it already looked promising.

“Wife, you’ll use this to bathe from now on.” Mu Jingyun could already imagine how fragrant his body would be after bathing with it!

Mu Jingzhou glared at him, unwilling to be outdone: “I want some too.”

“No need to fight, there’s plenty. We’ll keep a few for ourselves and sell the rest.”

Su Tang and Yu Miaomiao had another plan in mind.

They could make fifty or sixty bars of soap. Assuming each bar of soap sells for 25 cents, selling fifty bars, after deducting the cost of materials, they could still earn 7.5 yuan!

That was too little!

At this rate, when would they be able to save enough money for a house?

“I still have twenty yuan, let’s think about what else we can do to make money,” Yu Miaomiao whispered.

Su Tang nodded vigorously: “Okay, let’s think about it!”

But what else could they do?

The fastest way to make money was reselling, but they didn’t dare.

Raising livestock and secretly selling them in the free market was relatively less risky, but neither of them was good at it.

As the two were racking their brains, Li Lan came over and said: “Oh, Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law are so amazing. You really made soap?”

“Didn’t Big Sister-in-law not believe us before?” Yu Miaomiao’s impression of Li Lan was getting worse and worse, and she didn’t want to give her a good face.

The eldest sister-in-law was like a mother, and they, as younger sisters-in-law, should respect her.

But Li Lan didn’t deserve it!

Since she and Su Tang married into the Mu family, she had been constantly making things difficult for them. It was as if they had stolen her livelihood, it was disgusting!

“Yes, I really didn’t expect you two to have this skill. From now on, our family can get rich just by selling soap.” Li Lan smiled brightly.

Soap was something used by city people; in the countryside, it was good enough to use ordinary soap.

The kind of soap with rose fragrance that they made, even the supply and marketing cooperative didn’t have it!

With this livelihood, what was there to worry about?

It was almost Dragon Boat Festival, she would take two bars back to her parents’ home as gifts, saving her own money and showing off at the same time.

“Big Sister-in-law is wrong, it’s us, not you.” Yu Miaomiao unceremoniously broke Li Lan’s fantasy, “This business is invested and worked on by me and Third Sister-in-law, Big Sister-in-law, you did nothing but hinder us.”

“You’re tattling! If Second Brother hadn’t come back to settle things, our business would have been half-done.” Su Tang said angrily, hands on her hips.

Li Lan was embarrassed and explained: “I’ve never seen this done before, I was afraid you would waste the lard. From now on, I’ll support you! You need money, right? My husband and I saved two yuan, I’ll invest it in you.”

What could two crumpled yuan do?

Su Tang disdainfully curled her lips: “Big Sister-in-law, you should find something else to do!”

“Third Sister-in-law, we’re all family, we should make money together.” Li Lan forcefully stuffed the money.

Su Tang didn’t have her thick skin and retreated step by step, feeling the money burning her hands.

Just as she was worried about how to refuse, Yu Miaomiao suddenly asked: “Third Sister-in-law, didn’t you forget to add alcohol?”

“Ah? I, I forgot! Besides, we don’t have any alcohol at home…”

“It’s ruined! All the effort was wasted!”

Li Lan heard that it was ruined and immediately retracted her hand: “It failed?”

“Yes, this process can’t go wrong even one step.”

“Alas, we failed before we even started, we directly lost five yuan! Ahhh!”

Su Tang and Yu Miaomiao looked at each other sadly, fearing they had almost gone bankrupt.

Li Lan was relieved that she hadn’t invested her money, otherwise, she would have been filling their hole.

She knew they couldn’t do it!

Without the skills, they still wanted to do such a difficult task? Now they’ve failed, haven’t they?

Serves them right! For messing around.

Character is revealed through comparison. Li Lan’s scene of offering money and then taking it back made Mu Jingyun and Mu Jingzhou very unhappy.

Their eldest sister-in-law was too much, she couldn’t just use schemes against the two younger sisters-in-law because they were young! Did she think they were dead?

“Wife, it’s okay, we’ll try again tomorrow. Try a few more times, we’ll succeed one day.” Mu Jingyun couldn’t bear his wife’s sadness and gently comforted her.

Yu Miaomiao and Su Tang looked at each other: “Then, let’s buy some more lard tomorrow and try again!”

Strike while the iron is hot, and make another batch of goat milk soap. With a gimmick, they could increase the price and profit.

“Second Brother, do you still have meat coupons?” Mu Jingzhou asked, “Mine are all used up.”

“Yes.”

Mu Jingyun immediately went back to the room and brought out several meat coupons.

From half a catty to three catties, a total of seven catties of meat coupons.

Yu Miaomiao was shocked: Was her husband so rich?

“Second Brother, you and Third Brother are both amazing. You gave all your work points to the family, and you can still save private money!” Su Tang winked mischievously and poked Yu Miaomiao, “Second Sister-in-law, we married well.”

“Uh, yes! We married well.” Yu Miaomiao reacted and agreed.

People who are often stubborn like to be praised, and Mu Jingyun indeed smiled: “I’ll let Third Brother tell you later.”

“Third Brother?” Su Tang looked at Mu Jingzhou again.

The book mentioned that these two brothers had other businesses besides earning work points, but it didn’t elaborate.

Now it seems that they must be doing something big!

What is it?