Chapter 50: Black-hearted

Song Yuntang touched her own hair; it was completely dry, clean, and fragrant with a faint herbal scent.

She didn’t tie her hair up but used a strip of cotton cloth as a headband, tying her hair behind her head.  She washed and hung up her previous headband to dry.

The sun was about to set; the women and children who had been indoors came out.  Seeing Liu Shi drying her hair at the courtyard door, a few young women approached her.

“Xiangyun, did you wash your hair with soap nuts today?”

Liu Shi smiled, “No, it’s shampoo my Tang’er made. It’s amazing; feel my hair.”

Upon touching it, they exclaimed, “So smooth!  Do you have more shampoo?”

“I don’t know; you have to ask Tang’er.” Liu Xiangyun looked towards the house, “Tang’er, do you have any more shampoo?”

“Yes, but the herbs for the shampoo were bought, so others need to pay if they want some,” Song Yuntang’s indifferent voice came from inside.

These women knew Song Yuntang’s personality.

She was aloof, didn’t fit in with the village, and didn’t have many friends.  But she was known for her excellent medical skills; Old Man Qiao, who had been paralyzed, could now walk around the village.

He Shuiqin pulled Liu Shi’s sleeve.

“Xiangyun, quickly ask how much it costs.”

She loved the faint herbal scent in Liu Shi’s hair.

Liu Xiangyun happily relayed the message, “Tang’er, how much is it?”

Song Yuntang’s voice came from inside again, “Five copper coins for a small jar; it lasts about three times.”  She paused, “If you use it sparingly, four or five times is possible.”

Five copper coins wasn’t much, but it wasn’t something ordinary farmers could easily spend.

Especially He Shuiqin, who married around the same time as Liu Shi; her mother-in-law was stingy, and her sister-in-law Tian Qiuyan was also controlling, so she didn’t have much money.

“It’s a bit expensive, isn’t it?” He Shuiqin whispered, pulling Liu Shi’s sleeve again, “Xiangyun, ask if she can make it cheaper.”

The others nodded, “Yes, Xiangyun, ask again.”

This time, Liu Xiangyun didn’t relay the message but whispered to them, “My Tang’er spent the whole afternoon making this shampoo, and a whole pot of herbs.”

She pointed to the cooled herbs Song Yuntang had discarded in the courtyard, “Look, a big pile; she just took it out this afternoon.  It cost real money; five copper coins for a small jar; she might not even cover her costs.”

“You’re not lying to us; if it’s not good, we’ll come find trouble with you,” another woman said.

Liu Xiangyun, having already used the shampoo, had complete faith in Song Yuntang.

“I’m a dog if I’m lying to you.”

He Shuiqin joked, “Then bark twice for us.”

Liu Xiangyun glared at them, “I’m not lying; if you don’t believe me, use soap nuts; they’re cheap.”

“We believe you; we’ll buy it!”

They gritted their teeth, went home to get money and containers, some bowls, some small jars, and some small bamboo tubes.

Seeing this, Liu Xiangyun led them into the courtyard.

“Tang’er, these sisters want to buy shampoo; can you help them?”

Song Yuntang came out of the house. Liu Shi’s hair was almost dry, but hers was completely dry.  The women were envious of her flowing hair.

Song Yuntang took down the bamboo jars from the kitchen wall; they were dusty from disuse.

While washing them, she asked, “How much do you want?”

“I want five copper coins worth.”

“I want ten copper coins worth.”

Song Yuntang looked at Liu Xiangyun, “Sister-in-law, help me collect the money; I’ll fill one for each person.”

Liu Xiangyun was happy to help.

“Okay.”

Song Yuntang washed the jars, moved the jar from the house to under the eaves, and scooped shampoo into their containers in front of the women.

There were seven people; two bought two scoops, and the others bought one scoop, totaling forty-five copper coins.

Counting the copper coins, Liu Xiangyun looked at Song Yuntang.

“Tang’er, are we not losing money?”

Song Yuntang resealed the jar; scooping out a few scoops hadn’t reduced it much, “We might earn less, but we won’t lose money.”

Seeing Zhao Qiao’e still busy in the kitchen, Liu Xiangyun gave the copper coins to Song Yuntang, tied up her dry hair, went back to the room to get her needlework basket, and sat back at the courtyard door.

Before dinner, two more young women came to buy shampoo.

…

After dinner, the family washed up, and it was getting dark.

Song Yuntang wanted to go to bed, but she heard the voices of the nearby women outside.

“This Old Third’s daughter is no good; at such a young age, she knows how to overcharge people from our village.”  The woman’s voice became exaggerated, “A little shampoo, and she charged our Xiaolian five copper coins; I think she’s obsessed with money.”

“Yes! Your Xiaolian only spent five copper coins; our Xiaocui spent ten copper coins!” The woman lamented, “Her hair did look better, but this stuff isn’t something poor people can afford!  We’re from the same village; couldn’t she sell it cheaper? She’s so black-hearted!”

“Yes! The price is unreasonable!  We should ask her for a refund.”

The family looked at each other, hearing the voices outside the courtyard wall.

They knew exactly how many herbs were used in the shampoo; these women complained about the price because they couldn’t afford it.

No one forced them to buy it.

Zhao Qiao’e glared outside, “Tang’er, let’s ignore them; it’s not worth getting angry about them.”

Song Yuntang wasn’t angry; Zhao Shi had always been a pushover; she never resisted when others bullied her.

But the next moment, Zhao Qiao’e poured a basin of washing water from the courtyard onto the courtyard wall where the voices were coming from.

Splash!

The women outside screamed.

“Zhao Shi, what are you doing?”

Zhao Qiao’e pretended to be surprised, “Oh! It’s Sister Jiang; why are you outside my courtyard? I thought you were robbers.”