You are unlucky and I am tough

Chapter 174 Fu Ya Zhai

Cheng Shuang used a knife to break open all six bamboo tubes and took out six long strips of soap. She mixed the soap strictly according to the recipe and added high-purity alcohol, so the hardness of the soap was very good.

The family gathered around curiously. Cheng Pan poked it lightly with her finger and said, "Sister, what on earth is this? Can it really wash clothes?"

"I named it soap. You'll know if it's useful after trying it." Cheng Shuang took out the silk thread she had prepared in advance and cut off a piece. The round soap was a little wider than her palm and about three centimeters thick.

"Find me a dirty piece of clothing, preferably one with oil stains."

"Madam, please use this apron I'm wearing." Wu Junniang took off the apron she was wearing. "I put some on it when I was boiling lard yesterday."

Cheng Shuang took the apron to the sink, filled a basin with water and soaked the apron in it. After it was wet, the oil spots on it became more obvious, and a layer of oily sheen floated on the water surface.

The others watched as Cheng Shuang picked up the soap and rubbed it on the apron a few times. Some white stuff got on the fabric, and then Cheng Shuang put down the soap and started rubbing it. After just a few rubs, a lot of foam was produced.

When the scrubbing was almost done, Cheng Shuang looked up and said, "Get me another basin of clean water."

Wu Junniang quickly went to the well and fetched a bucket of water. Cheng Shuang poured clean water into the bucket, dipped the apron in the water, and then picked it up and spread it out for others to see.

"Look, isn't it clean?"

Others gathered around to watch.

"Really? The oil spots are all cleaned up, and the colors seem brighter."

"This cleans better than soap locust soap powder, and you only need to wet it and rub it a few times to clean a piece of clothing."

Cheng Shuang handed the soap in her hand to Aunt Peng who was in charge of washing clothes. "If you have a lot of clothes, you can soak them in water and make enough foam to soak a whole basin of clothes. This amount can be used for more than half a month."

"A soap pod can only be used for two days, but this one can really be used for more than half a month." Cheng Guqiu was also used to washing clothes, and he was surprised when he saw the small piece of soap.

"That's about right." Cheng Shuang smiled. "We'll use this for washing clothes at home. I'll cut these six pieces into pieces later. I'll keep half for home use and use the other half for other purposes."

Cheng Guqiu remembered that he hadn't used up all the lard from yesterday. "Shuang'er, there's still quite a bit of lard left. Do you want to continue?"

Cheng Shuang nodded in agreement. After all, she was the only one who had alcohol and shell powder, and she was not afraid of others knowing the production steps. Without these two things, it would not be successful.

Cheng Guqiu still remembered what Cheng Shuang did yesterday, so he immediately asked Peng Xiangsui to pick up some hay and burn it as ash. He also asked Wei Nanxing to saw the remaining bamboo into pieces to use as a container, and then went to the kitchen to heat the remaining lard.

Cheng Shuang cut the six long strips of soap into small pieces and placed them on a bamboo plate covered with cloth. There were a total of thirty pieces.

Although it can be used directly now, it is actually better to saponify the soap for a longer time. If it is produced in large quantities in the future, a warehouse will be needed to store the saponified soap, which will have a better effect.

After everything was ready, Cheng Shuang returned to the room and took out a bag of shell powder and a bottle of alcohol in a ceramic bottle.

No one asked where these two things came from. Cheng Shuang took the initiative to explain that she made them according to the medical book given by the miracle doctor. They were the two most critical materials for making soap.

Afterwards, she made it again according to yesterday's steps, but this time she made more than yesterday, filling ten bamboo tubes.

Wei Qinglang, who had no idea that he had drunk the added medicine, woke up from his sleep and found that everyone in the family was studying the soaps that had been divided. He took out the mold pattern he had drawn before and discussed with Cheng Shuang about custom-making the mold.

Wei Qinglang had superb painting skills, and Cheng Shuang was very satisfied with the mold styles. They decided to go to the city the next day to sell soap and customize molds at the same time.

Anyway, she is not worried that the soap will fall on her hands after it is made.

—

The next day, Cheng Shuang got up early, but found that Wei Qinglang got up even earlier and said he wanted to go into the city with her.

Unable to persuade him, but also not letting the patient drive the car, Cheng Shuang asked Aunt Peng to call his son Peng Jiang to help drive the car. The two of them set off with more than a dozen bars of soap.

The brothers Lai Fu and Lai Cai from the village bought an ox cart and continued their business of soliciting passengers. A horse carriage met them halfway, pulling villagers into the city, but the carriage soon overtook them.

The villagers on the ox cart recognized that the driver was a servant hired by the Wei family, and the topic of their conversation immediately turned to their family.

After entering the city, they first found a carriage inn to park the carriage. There were special people in the inn to look after and feed the horses. Wei Qinglang arranged for Peng Jiang to take the drawings to the carpenter shop to customize the mold.

Afterwards, the two of them asked around in the city about shops selling cleaning supplies and were pointed to Fu Ya Zhai.

Fu Ya Zhai is the largest incense shop in the city. It not only sells spices, incense powder, perfume, aromatherapy and other products, but also sells some cleaning and beauty-related items for cleaning the body and clothes.

Before reaching the store, Cheng Shuang had already seen many stalls selling cleaning and beauty products on the street. They had everything from bath beans, soapberry pills, facial creams, hand creams, rouge, lipstick, and so on, and there were quite a few people surrounding the stalls.

However, Cheng Shuang would not use soap to set up a street stall. Since Fu Ya Zhai is famous, it is just right to use its popularity to promote the reputation of the soap, saving the trouble of advertising.

As the two stepped into Fu Ya Zhai, a rich fragrance hit them in the face.

The store is decorated in an exquisite and elegant style, and is bustling with customers. Gorgeously dressed ladies, accompanied by their maids, are selecting their favorite perfumes at the counter, while several scholars and writers are discussing the origins and stories behind certain spices.

The guys were busy as they enthusiastically introduced the effects of various incense products to the customers, while skillfully taking the goods requested by the customers from the shelves.

"This sandalwood comes from a distant foreign land. It has a delicate fragrance that is most soothing to the mind."

"Madam, you have good taste. This agarwood is of top quality, with a long-lasting and mellow fragrance."

Cheng Shuang and Wei Qinglang walked around the store. Although they were dressed casually, they were not ignored by the waiters. From time to time, enthusiastic waiters came forward to ask if they needed anything. This gave them a good first impression of the store. The waiters' attitude proved that at least the owner was not a snob who was arrogant and looked down on others.

The counter was filled with all kinds of goods, as well as exquisite incense burners. Cheng Shuang couldn't help but pick out an exquisite small incense burner, intending to buy it back and use it to burn incense in her room.

After walking around for a while, the two finally found the counter selling bath beans and soapberry pills. It was obviously much quieter here, and Cheng Shuang was shocked when she saw the prices.

Wow, bath beans and other things are expensive enough on the market, and the ones here are more than twice as expensive as those outside. No wonder not many people come to see them.

The guy in charge of the counter saw the customer and ran over enthusiastically, "Madam, would you like to buy some bath soap? They've released a new scent these past few days. Let me introduce it to you."

Seeing that the waiter was young, Cheng Shuang smiled and asked, "Young man, why are the bath beans in your store so expensive? They are almost twice as expensive as those sold outside."

The guy didn't look down on it because the price was indeed not cheap.

He smiled widely, "My lady, you may not know this, but the ones we use at Fu Ya Zhai are all infused with precious spices. We also have separate areas for washing clothes, face and body, and hair, so they leave a lingering fragrance. Furthermore, the formula is personally formulated by our boss, so it's unique, so naturally, the price is a bit higher."

Cheng Wei Qinglang frowned after seeing the price. "These things are consumed quickly. One bath bean is gone in two or three times. Ordinary people probably can't afford it at your price, right?"

It's obvious that this is a high-end boutique product, specially for wealthy people.

The clerk nodded and said, "You are right, sir. These are mostly used by the ladies of the wealthy families in the city. They usually send servants to buy them, or we deliver them to their homes regularly. We sell very few of them in the store, so they are good things. Sir, would you like to buy one for your wife?"

Wei Qinglang smiled and thought that this young man was quite good at salesmanship.

Cheng Shuang pulled Wei Qinglang, the target customer, behind her and asked the waiter with a smile, "Your boss is a woman, right?"

"You two are not locals, right? Our host is Qin Suyue, the second daughter of the Qin family."

"Then these things she made should mostly be sold to wealthy young ladies she knows."

"Our hostess is a famous talented woman in Luohe Prefecture. She also has a talent for business that is widely praised. Of course, the things she makes are very popular among wealthy families."

"But there are only a limited number of wealthy families in the city. The majority are ordinary people, right?"

The clerk paused, "Madam, are you saying that we should reduce the price of these things?"

Cheng Shuang shook her head. "I think you can capture both the upstream and downstream markets. Can I meet your boss? I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with her."

The guy was dumbfounded. He guessed that the young lady was a couple because she was beautiful and accompanied by a handsome man. He thought that if the young lady acted coquettishly, the man might grit his teeth and buy the bath beans for two taels of silver, so he came over to try to sell them.

I didn’t expect that these two people were here to do business!

The clerk scratched his head. "Yes, but our boss is very busy and has no interest in your business."

The guy's attitude was always good, and Cheng Shuang didn't get annoyed by his evasion. She smiled and said, "What if I had something that could wash clothes, bathe, wash face, and wash hair, and it was several times more durable than bath beans and soapberry pills, but it was cheaper than the bath beans on the market, would your boss be interested in cooperating?"

"How come I haven't heard of such a good thing?" The guy opened his eyes wide when he heard it.

Cheng Shuang turned around and took out a bar of soap from the box Wei Qinglang was holding behind her. She unfolded the paper and handed it to the waiter. "This thing is called soap. We make it. If a family of three uses this big bar to wash clothes, it can last for a month. You can show it to your boss and ask her to try washing some dirty clothes. I believe she will be interested. Also, tell her that this piece of soap cost me no more than two hundred coins."

In fact, it was no more than twenty cents, but she certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to tell him the real cost.

The guy took the thing, weighed it curiously and smelled it. There was no fragrance, but such a big piece weighed about 100 grams, more than three times the weight of bath beans. With such low cost, the profit margin is huge.

Realizing this was a business opportunity, the clerk immediately put away his things and said with a smile, "Please wait a moment, my lady. I'll go find the boss right away."

After saying that, he took his things and hurried upstairs.

The two of them were waiting downstairs. After about a quarter of an hour, the waiter came down, followed by a beautiful woman in white. Her gentle and dignified temperament made it clear that she was a lady from a wealthy family.