The shopkeeper, realizing the immense potential of Yang Haiyan’s soap recipe, was taken aback.

If what she said was true—that with enough materials, she could produce 1,000 bars of soap a day, yielding 500 taels of silver per month—then the value of the formula far exceeded the 1,000 taels they initially discussed.

The shopkeeper asked, “In that case, Madam Qin, how much are you willing to sell the recipe for?”

Yang Haiyan calmly replied, “Five hundred taels of gold.”

The shopkeeper was surprised. “Gold?”

Five hundred taels of gold was equivalent to 5,000 taels of silver, but gold was rare, and silver was the primary currency in circulation.

Even for large transactions, people typically used silver.

This Madam Qin was unusual, requesting gold instead of silver.

Yang Haiyan smiled, “I like shiny things.”

In reality, that wasn’t the reason.

The exchange rate between gold and silver was 1:10 in their time, but she knew that on her platform, the value of gold was higher.

One gram of gold could be exchanged for 10 grams of silver, but the platform priced one gram of gold at 340 coins, which could buy her 68 grams of silver.

The deal would be much more profitable for her if she sold gold on the platform and stored the money there.

Otherwise, whether it was 500 taels of gold or 5,000 taels of silver, it wouldn’t be safe to keep such a large sum hidden, even in silver notes.

The shopkeeper thought Madam Qin had peculiar tastes but said, “Madam Qin, I’m afraid I don’t have the authority to make that decision. I’ll need to consult my master. If Captain Qin is around later, I’ll come to your home to discuss it. Would that be alright?”

Yang Haiyan nodded, “That’s fine.”

After leaving the shop, Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang headed home.

Along the way, Qin Fang admired his wife.

She was incredibly skilled at negotiating.

Yang Haiyan smiled and held his hand, “Once we sell the recipe, let’s buy something nice to send back home. What do your parents, siblings, and the rest of the family like?”

Qin Fang felt warmth in his heart when she mentioned his family. “I’m not sure,” he said, touched by her thoughtfulness.

He vowed to work hard and advance in his career. “Thank you,” he said, squeezing her hand.

Yang Haiyan chuckled, “Why are you thanking me? For buying things for your family?”

Qin Fang shook his head. “No, I’m thanking you for marrying me.”

Yang Haiyan teased, “Well, you’d better treat me well. If you always treat me well, I promise I’ll never betray you, and we’ll grow old together.”

Qin Fang smiled, “I won’t let you down.”

When they got home, it was still early in the day, so Yang Haiyan began teaching Qin Fang how to read and write.

The original owner of her body had excellent embroidery skills and had been educated but didn’t write well.

In wealthy families, the main servant girls who accompanied young ladies would be educated, but they wouldn’t be given the same resources, such as paper and ink, to practice writing.

As a result, the original owner’s handwriting wasn’t good.

However, she had never written much, so no one knew that her handwriting wasn’t pretty.

Yang Haiyan’s handwriting, on the other hand, was quite decent.

While not particularly beautiful, it was neat and legible.

In modern times, she had taken calligraphy and handwriting lessons from elementary school all the way to university.

Even without a natural gift, after more than ten years of practice, she had developed nice handwriting.

Thus, Yang Haiyan took on the task of teaching Qin Fang, her much older student.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the shopkeeper from Yong Ji headed to the Marquis of Yonghe’s estate.

The Marquis’s estate was in the county town, and it only took about fifteen minutes by carriage from the nearby town.

Inside the estate, the shopkeeper reported to the Marchioness, the heir’s wife. “If what Madam Qin said is true, this recipe is indeed worth more than 5,000 taels,” she said, pondering the situation.

The shopkeeper was a trusted member of her household, a brother of her wet nurse’s family.

Normally, she wouldn’t have sent such a close associate to handle a simple town shop, but because this particular town was near the military camp, any developments at the camp would be known in town before they reached the county.

This proximity made the town important, which is why she had entrusted this task to him.

The Marchioness had been pleasantly surprised when, twenty days ago, her wet nurse’s brother had brought her the discovery of the soap recipe.

Having used the soap herself, she could attest to how effective it was.

The wet nurse said, “Madam Qin is from the capital, so she must have seen much of the world. Given that she knows the recipe’s value, why would she only ask for 500 taels of gold?”

The Marchioness thought for a moment. “Perhaps it’s because her husband, Qin Fang, is stationed in the military…”

The wet nurse asked, “So, do you want it, my lady?”

The Marchioness replied, “The court is becoming stricter with the Yong family’s army, and they’ve been delaying soldiers’ wages. Most of the soldiers are now relying on the private wealth of our Marquisate. When the heir takes command of the Yong family army, there will be many financial needs. The profit margin on this soap is simply too high to pass up.”

The wet nurse understood immediately what she meant.

Lady Shizi (heir’s wife/Marchioness) said, “Naturally, since they’ve shown us favor, I must repay it. But whether or not Qin Fang has the capability will determine how things go.”

There were 50,000 soldiers stationed at the Yongzhou camp.

Though they technically belonged to the imperial army, in reality, they were no different from the forces of the Marquis of Yonghe.

Because of this, the court was very stingy with the military funds allocated to them.

To prevent the soldiers from becoming disheartened, the Marquis of Yonghe mostly supported them using his private assets.

For higher-ranking officers, like the Qianfu (Commander of 1,000), their salaries were recorded by the court and distributed accordingly.

The court couldn’t delay these payments.

However, for lower-ranking officers such as the Baihu(Centurions) Commander of 100 soldiers and other soldiers who were not officially registered, the court was much more stingy.

Yet, the soldiers themselves were unaware of this.

The shopkeeper said, “Then I’ll go speak to Madam Qin now.”

Lady Shizi replied, “Thank you for your efforts.”

…

Yang Haiyan, of course, had no idea what these people were thinking.

If she did, she would surely sigh.

She didn’t expect Lady Shizi to speak on Qin Fang’s behalf and promote him.

In fact, she thought Qin Fang was doing quite well as a Baihu(Centurion).

They lived a simple and peaceful life, with a little wealth to spare and no worries about basic needs.

As for asking for 500 taels of gold, Yang Haiyan genuinely thought the soap recipe was worth that much in this era.

She wasn’t being greedy or making an outrageous demand.

Little did she know that in others’ eyes, this was seen as her trying to create an opportunity for Qin Fang.

But a wife striving for opportunities for her husband was seen as normal, and such wives were considered good wives.

Qin Fang, no longer a child, was quick to learn when it came to reading.

However, when it came to writing, things got tricky.

Qin Fang, being a military man with great strength from practicing martial arts, found that he used too much force when writing, which made his handwriting messy and unattractive.

Qin Fang grumbled, “They say reading is hard, but I think writing is harder than reading.”

Yang Haiyan encouraged him, “Don’t get discouraged, dear. You’ve learned to recognize characters so quickly. I believe you’ll master writing too. I have faith in you.”

With Yang Haiyan’s encouragement, Qin Fang felt a bit better.

Just then, a voice came from the door, “Centurion Qin, Madam Qin, are you home?”

Yang Haiyan stepped out of the study. “Shopkeeper, you’re here. Please, come inside and have a seat.”

The shopkeeper entered the kitchen and noticed some papers on the table. “Centurion Qin, are you practicing your writing?”

Qin Fang was holding a brush, and there were sheets of paper filled with writing, so the shopkeeper asked.

The shopkeeper had signed an agreement with Yang Haiyan before, so he knew that her handwriting was quite good.

Qin Fang admitted, “Yes, I didn’t study much when I was younger and only learned a few characters while in the army. Now, when I have free time, I ask my wife to teach me.”

The shopkeeper said sincerely, “Centurion Qin, you’ve truly married a wonderful wife.”

He meant it.

A rough soldier who didn’t know how to read marrying someone as capable as Madam Qin—he was truly lucky.

The shopkeeper continued, “Centurion Qin, Madam Qin, regarding the soap recipe we discussed this morning, my master agrees with the price. However, I have one question: are there any potential issues with the origin of this recipe?”

Yang Haiyan assured him, “I can guarantee there will be no problems. We can sign an agreement stating that I won’t sell the recipe to anyone else, and there won’t be any disputes. Plus, the recipe is quite simple. I suggest that your master take a look at it first, as it would be easy for others to learn it once they see it.”

The shopkeeper nodded, “I will make sure of that.”

Afterward, both parties signed an agreement.

The shopkeeper handed over 500 taels of gold, and Yang Haiyan gave him the recipe.

Without looking at the recipe, the shopkeeper immediately returned to the Marquis of Yonghe’s residence.

As for Yang Haiyan, she joked, “Husband, we’ve made a fortune today! How about we buy an old hen and make some chicken soup for lunch?”

Qin Fang replied, “…Sure.”

What else could he say?

Yang Haiyan handed Qin Fang one tael of silver and said, “Husband, you go buy it. Whatever’s left over can be your personal money. You can save it. From now on, I’ll give you 100 wen every month as your personal allowance. Are you happy with that?”

Qin Fang said, “…I’m happy.”

Qin Fang went off to buy the old hen.

Yang Haiyan placed the 500 taels of gold on a trading platform but didn’t sell it immediately.

She marked it at a higher price, planning to sell it later when needed.

Still, she was delighted to know that the gold could be exchanged for good amount of platform coins.

Qin Fang returned with a live old hen.

He swiftly slaughtered it, drained the blood, and began plucking the feathers.

The water used to scald the feathers was boiling hot, but Qin Fang’s thick skin didn’t mind the heat.

His wife, however, was more sensitive.

While Qin Fang was busy plucking feathers, Yang Haiyan sat nearby making a coin purse.

It was dark blue and embroidered with the characters for Qin Fang’s name.

She showed it to him, “Husband, look, do you like it?”

Qin Fang replied, “I like it.”

His heart was warmed.

For lunch, the couple had chicken noodle soup.

The soup was made with cabbage and bean sprouts and tasted amazing.

The bean sprouts were sprouted from soybeans Yang Haiyan had prepared a few days earlier, and they were ready just in time for today’s meal.

Yang Haiyan loved to chat during meals, a habit from her modern upbringing. “Husband, now that we’ve sold the soap recipe, what should I do next? Should I just be a wealthy first-generation businesswoman?”

Qin Fang asked, “What do you want to do?”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment, “Do you think my pastries taste good?”

Qin Fang responded, “Delicious.”

Yang Haiyan suggested, “How about I open a pastry shop?”

In truth, she had thought about opening a weight loss training center.

Qin Fang replied, “That sounds fine. You could hire some help to run the shop, so it won’t be too tiring for you.”

In the past, he might have thought hiring people was too expensive.

But now that his wife had some money and was only opening a shop to pass the time, he felt it was safer and more practical to hire some help.