Chapter 49: Boiling shampoo

Song Yuntang looked at Song Jinsheng, “Second Brother, when you go to Brother Ma’zi’s place this afternoon, can you ask him to make three bathtubs for us first?”

Song Jinsheng nodded, “Okay, we have the wood; I’ll help, and the bathtubs won’t take long.”

“How many people are helping him now?” Song Yuntang asked.

Song Jinsheng quickly replied, “He took another water wheel order; besides us two, he hired five more people.”

After dinner, Zhao Qiao’e looked at Song Yuntang.

“Tang’er, the matchmaker Zhou came this morning.  Dongming Village replied; they agreed to let you meet Wu Bi.”

Song Yuntang nodded, “Should we go to Dongming Village?”

Lin Jingyao had stopped her earlier to talk about Wu Bi.

Although she didn’t let him say it, she could guess that the Wu family wasn’t poor, and their family was good.  They didn’t look for someone nearby; they found her across several villages, so Wu Bi probably had some problems.

But Second Brother didn’t find out anything last time.

Zhao Qiao’e said, “We were going to Dongming Village, but Matchmaker Zhou thought it was too far for you, a young girl, to travel.  Wu Bi’s father will bring him to Cile Town; then your father will take you to meet them.”

Song Yuntang had been reluctant to go to Dongming Village, knowing Wu Bi might have problems.

But if it was in Cile Town, she didn’t have that worry.

It was better to go and put her family’s minds at ease.

“When is it?”

“Three days later,” Zhao Qiao’e replied.

“Okay.” Song Yuntang put down her chopsticks, “The soybeans should be soaked; I’ll sprout them.”

Song Jinyuan also stood up quickly.

“I’ll help you; once I learn, I can do it myself.”

The weather was hot, and the soybeans soaked quickly.  After an hour, they had swelled.

Song Yuntang spread a thin layer of soybeans in the water buckets and bathtub, wetted some old cotton cloth and placed it on top, sprinkled some water, and put the buckets and bathtub in the pigsty and closed the door.

“Bean sprouts should be kept in the dark; the cotton cloth needs to be kept moist; it’s hot now, so they’ll be ready in about two or three days.”

Song Jinyuan nodded, “I’ve got it.”

After doing this, Song Yuntang wanted to rest, but she heard Li Dahei’s voice outside the courtyard.

“Miss Song, I’ve brought the things you wanted.”

Song Yuntang quickly opened the courtyard door, and Li Dahei was standing at the door carrying two cloth bags.

“Doctor Li, come in.”

Li Dahei entered the courtyard, put down the bags on his shoulders, and said while catching his breath, “Some of these herbs I had saved before, and some I collected from the mountains these past two days.  I managed to gather them for you.”

Song Yuntang smiled, “Thank you, Doctor Li.”

If she bought them in town, it would cost at least one or two taels.

Li Dahei waved his hand, “Miss Song, don’t be so polite.  I also benefited from you, didn’t I?”

Zhao Qiao’e poured a cup of water and came out of the main hall, “Doctor Li, have some water.”

“Doctor Li, come in and sit,” Song Jinbao also greeted him warmly.

Li Dahei couldn’t refuse, so he went to the main hall after saying goodbye to Song Yuntang.

Song Yuntang poured all the herbs Li Dahei had brought onto a bamboo plate: pine and cypress leaves, soap nuts, soapberries, astragalus, thoroughwort, privet, mulberry leaves…

She counted them; almost all the herbs she had asked Doctor Li for were present.

Seeing these herbs, Song Yuntang wasn’t sleepy anymore.

She immediately went to the kitchen, washed the pot Zhao Qiao’e had already cleaned again, saw that the water in the water jar was low, and shouted outside, “Big Brother, we’re running low on water.”

“Coming.”

Song Jinyuan, who had just lain down, came out of the room.  When he went to get the water buckets, he realized that all four of their water buckets were being used by his sister to sprout bean sprouts.

Scratching the back of his head, Song Jinyuan walked towards the courtyard gate, “I’ll borrow water buckets from Brother Ma’zi’s house.”

Watching Song Jinyuan leave, Song Yuntang smiled.

This Big Brother was quiet but efficient.

She took half of the herbs from the bamboo plate, broke the soap nuts, and put them in the pot with the other herbs.  She added water and put it on the fire to boil.

Doctor Li had other things to do and didn’t stay long.

After Zhao Qiao’e and Song Jinbao saw him out of the courtyard, they came to the kitchen, “Tang’er, what are you doing?”

“I’m making shampoo.”

She hadn’t properly washed her hair for many days. There was a soapberry tree in the village, but the villagers of Rongshu Village had already picked it bare.

In hot weather, oil secretion was strong, and washing with only water was like not washing at all.

“Shampoo?” Zhao Qiao’e didn’t understand but didn’t ask further, “Put some large firewood in the stove and let it burn itself.  Go out and get some air; don’t stay inside for too long, or you’ll get heatstroke.”

Song Yuntang nodded, “I know, Mother, go rest.”

Zhao Qiao’e agreed and took Song Jinbao back to their room.

Song Yuntang put two larger pieces of firewood into the stove and then returned to her room. The water in the pot was already boiling; it only needed to simmer for an hour.

…

Just after Wei Shi, Song Yuntang put out the fire.  Opening the pot lid, she saw that a pot of water had been reduced to half, the soup was thick, and the whole room was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

She removed the herbs, poured the liquid into a clean large jar, sealed it after it cooled, and took a small jar of the remaining liquid outside.  She poured a large basin of water and thoroughly washed her hair twice with the shampoo.

After washing, her hair was smooth and shiny, and she felt refreshed.

In the room, Liu Xiangyun’s neck was sore from embroidery, so she put down her needlework basket and came out.  Song Yuntang was sitting under the eaves combing her almost dry hair.

Her hair was smooth and distinct, shining healthily in the sun, like flowing silk, making Liu Shi envious.

“Tang’er, your hair is so beautiful.”

Then she touched her own hair wrapped in a cloth; her scalp was sticky, and her hair was dull and dry; it was difficult to comb.

Song Yuntang looked at her, pointed to the small jar in the corner, “I washed my hair with the shampoo I just made; Sister-in-law can try it too.”

“Okay.” Liu Shi eagerly untied her hair, poured a basin of water, and washed her hair thoroughly with the shampoo.

Song Yuntang handed her a comb, “Comb it before rinsing.”

Liu Shi took the comb; her freshly washed hair was smooth, and it was easy to comb.

“Tang’er, this shampoo is amazing!”

Song Yuntang smiled, “Sister-in-law, since you like it, go for a walk after your hair dries.”

Liu Shi understood Song Yuntang’s meaning; after rinsing her hair, she moved a stool to the courtyard door.

“No need to wait until it’s dry; I’ll sit here and let my hair dry.”