As the two were thinking, they heard some noises inside the house, so they quickly fetched hot water and brought it into the outer room of the bedroom.

As soon as the water was brought in, Yanxiao stretched and slowly walked out.

Even though Qianqiu Wandai had already seen Yanxiao's current appearance last night, he still couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"Madam, this servant will help you wash up."

"No need, I can do it myself."

Yan Xiao walked over while yawning, looking lazy and casual.

Knowing Yanxiao's temperament, Qianqiu Wandai didn't force him, but simply stood aside and waited for him.

After Yanxiao finished washing up, the two of them looked at her expectantly and cautiously asked for her permission:

"Madam, would you like to change your outfit today?"

The two of them spent the whole night thinking of several new outfits for Yanxiao, wanting to dress up their wives nicely so that they could dazzle those blind fools.

Yan Xiao glanced at the two of them and immediately understood their little scheme.

She felt that her current simple attire was fine. If she were to wear a head full of jewels, it would be inconvenient for her to move around, and it would be a complete loss. So she shook her head and refused.

"Simple is fine, I prefer something lightweight."

The two women were somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but neither dared to disobey Yanxiao's wishes. They made some adjustments to the details, but when they were about to do Yanxiao's makeup, they found themselves at a loss for what to do.

This time, the feeling of not knowing where to start is different from before. Before, it was because it was too dark, and if you painted it lightly, it wouldn't be obvious, and if you painted it heavily, it would look like a ghost.

Now, they've discovered that Yanxiao's facial features are perfectly proportioned and shaped; adding or subtracting even a little would ruin their original beauty, so they simply don't know where to begin.

Qianqiu wanted to apply some powder to Yanxiao to make her look fairer, but Yanxiao refused again.

"Alright, that's fine then."

Yan Xiao was quite disgusted with these cosmetics. She didn't know which dynasty this novel world was imitating, as the items that appeared were all quite chaotic and didn't follow any normal historical progression.

The powder that Qianqiu and the others wanted to use on her was lead powder, which was considered the best thing for women these days.

But she knew that while these products were easy to remove, they were toxic. People who used them for a long time would either have their skin ruined and turn sallow, or even suffer liver damage. So she didn't want to use them.

She tolerated being tanned for so long, and now that she's so much fairer, there's even less need for her to tan.

Seeing that Yanxiao was so uncooperative, Qianqiu Wandai had no choice but to listen to her.

Even though she was bare-faced and without any complicated makeup, when Yanxiao was all dressed up, the two women still stared at her with admiration, showering her with compliments as if they were free, and all of them were heartfelt praises.

The two only calmed down after the thick-skinned Yanxiao was overwhelmed by the compliments.

The crayfish business is temporarily suspended, and Yuan Yitang only has Mu Yunniang as a patient right now, with the appointment scheduled for the afternoon, so Yan Xiao is quite free.

Whenever she had free time, she wanted to do something, so after breakfast, she asked Chiaki to prepare some things for making soap. She really didn't want to use bath beans to take a bath anymore.

Wood ash, lard, and coarse salt are readily available, but seashells need to be bought from outside. Fortunately, nowadays some women use seashells to make decorations.

And what is needed for laughter is the most common type of shell, regardless of the species, even freshwater mussels will do, so this thing is not difficult to find.

Qianqiu Wandai was completely bewildered by the instructions, not understanding what strange thing their mistress was up to again, but they did as she said.

Before long, they had brought back what Yanxiao wanted.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiao was not idle. She asked Zhao Qianyang to bring a small stove and various small tools she needed from her own yard.

Making ordinary soap is actually quite simple. You just need to burn seashells to form calcium oxide/trace elements, then crush them into powder for later use.

Then, after boiling the wood ash, filter out the alkaline water using gauze.

Next, pour the ground seashell powder into an alkaline solution made from wood ash, stir well, filter it a second time, and then let it settle for later use. It is best to let it settle overnight.

Next, pork fat can be rendered. After the rendered pork fat has cooled, add the top layer of alkaline water that has settled overnight, then add crushed coarse salt and stir in one direction until a saponification reaction occurs, turning it into a sticky paste.

Finally, put it into a bamboo tube or other mold to set its shape, wait three or four days for it to set, and then take it out and cut it into the size you want.

Yan Xiao assigned the task of handling the seashells to Zhao Qian and the other two servants, while the task of boiling the wood ash was given to Qian Qiu and Wan Dai.

He would sit in a recliner, eating sunflower seeds and some porridge, occasionally giving instructions from the side.

As for rendering lard, there's no rush now; we can do it tomorrow.

"Madam, this...this isn't some new kind of food, is it?"

Qianqiu looked at the wood ash boiling in the pot with disgust, but when he thought of the crayfish his wife had made at the beginning, he couldn't help but feel a little expectant.

One might guess that because the crayfish business failed, the lady of the house thought of something else.

Not only Qianqiu, but the others also had this guess. When Qianqiu asked, they all perked up their ears, waiting for Yanxiao to give the answer.

Yan Xiao could easily see through their little scheme, and simply smiled:

"It's not for eating, you'll find out later."

"Not for food?"

Qianqiu was even more puzzled by this answer. What else could be cooking in the pot if not food? Could it be some new medicine that Madam had developed?

Although she was puzzled, seeing that Yan Xiao didn't seem inclined to answer, she wisely refrained from asking further and simply continued with her work.

By the time they finished, it was already afternoon. Yanxiao gestured to Zhao Qian to move it inside and put it away, so they could continue tomorrow.

After putting the things down, Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask with some anticipation:

"Madam, wouldn't this be quite valuable once it's made?"

Yan Xiao originally wanted to say that she would make it for herself, but before she could even say it, her eyes lit up immediately.

"Yes, this is soap, something that doesn't exist yet. If we put it out to sell, wouldn't all the rich ladies and young women be fighting over it?"

Throughout history, women's money, especially the money of wealthy women, has always been very easy to earn.

If you can make something they absolutely love, then counting money until your hands cramp is not a dream.

Thinking of this, Yan Xiao immediately perked up, looking as if she had suddenly taken a super tonic.

She looked at Zhao Qian with admiration, making him feel uncomfortable, before finally saying:

"Of course it will make money. Once you've made some, I'll give you a big red envelope."

As she spoke, her mind raced. After a moment's thought, she put on her cap and hurried outside, giving instructions as she went:

"Let's go, let's go out of the manor."