Li Laoshi said that because he had let some people try out the medicinal oil and gave a few more jars to the third branch of the Nie family, he only received thirty-eight taels of silver in the end.

Jiang Zhi was very satisfied with the sales amount and couldn't help but ask, "Since you sold them yourself, why did the letter say that the Nie family was acting as an agent?"

Li Laoshi jumped up immediately: "I never said it was sold by the Nie family, I just set up a stall outside their shop. Ah! I know, it must have been that ghostwriter who thought I was being too verbose, so he just wrote it as being sold by the Nie family without even listening to me."

"Hmph, I only patronized him out of kindness because his stall wasn't doing well, and he wrote something rubbish on my paper. I'm never working for him again; serves him right for not making any money!"

He was very dissatisfied with the misrepresentation of his achievements.

Jiang Zhi understood this feeling; she could have shown off, but instead, she became someone else's target.

Li Laoshi is truly a teddy bear; his abilities are only good enough to get by when things are going smoothly.

If no one lets him rely on him or gives him any help, he's just a good-for-nothing who drifts through life.

But he was particularly good at leveraging his connections, and with the help of Jiang Zhi, he lived a very successful life in the village.

He was given the opportunity to go to Jincheng, and immediately took advantage of the Nie family's influence to buy cloth on credit and sell goods on their land, making a fortune.

Li Laoshi asked Qin to bring out a wooden box containing two five-tael silver ingots and what he estimated to be three or four strings of loose copper coins.

He was a little embarrassed: "Sister Jiang, there are still fourteen taels of silver in here. Hehe, you said you'd give me half, but I want more!"

Jiang Zhi had just received a dividend of 500 taels of silver from the Huo family's pharmacy three months ago, so naturally she wouldn't bother arguing with him about it now.

As long as there are sales, there's no need to worry about money. Besides, the medicinal oil was originally sponsored for this couple, so whatever amount goes to Mr. Li.

When Jiang Zhi saw that Li Laoshi was about to give her money, she said, "Laoshi, you will be staying in the city for a while, so I won't accept the money now. You can pay me back later."

Upon hearing that Jiang Zhi refused to accept the money, Li Laoshi immediately seized the opportunity and put the box away: "Fine, I won't stand on ceremony with Sister Jiang. Money is money in the city!"

When it comes to spending money, Qin had a lot to say: "Oh dear, the doctors in Jincheng are skilled, but they can't afford it."

My medicine is better; each dose only costs one hundred coins.

I saw that doctor write a prescription for someone, and then charge three or four taels of silver for the medicine!

A few days later it's three or four ounces again, tsk tsk tsk, they're eating way too much!

In the minds of ordinary farmers, human life is the cheapest thing, not as valuable as a bowl of spoiled leftover porridge, a vegetable, or a chicken or pig.

Four or five taels of silver for a single dose of medicine is truly outrageous!

Qin kept complaining about the high price of the medicine, while Li Laoshi kept winking and exchanging glances with Jiang Zhi and Er Rui.

After finally finishing the meal, Qin went to wash the dishes, and Li Laoshi finally revealed the truth.

They sought out the most skilled gynecologist, a veteran imperial physician, whose prescription cost at least three taels of silver.

Not only do they need to take medicine every day, but they also need various nourishing diets.

Qin's illness was not only caused by poor diet during her previous pregnancy and exposure to cold during childbirth, but also by violent beatings that caused her heart to be inflamed, resulting in blood deficiency and qi stagnation, and blood clotting in the uterus.

To treat this condition, it is necessary to replenish blood and promote the flow of qi, and to regulate the body in all aspects.

The old imperial physician added that he had only seen these symptoms on a concubine in the palace who had miscarried before. However, that concubine was pregnant when she was banished to the cold palace and was deliberately abused.

In ordinary families, it is rare for a woman to have all the ailments at once, either due to improper prenatal care or catching a cold during her postpartum period.

So, while treating him with medication, he tried to replenish his body with various foods, spending money like water.

The two lived in the cheapest house but took the most expensive medicine. The silver they brought from Xujia Village and the income from selling medicinal oil totaled more than sixty taels, but after only a few months, they had spent all but a dozen taels left.

"Sister-in-law Qin is reluctant to spend money, so I always lie to her and say that I only pay one hundred coins each time, but the food costs more!"

Li Laoshi chuckled: "Sister-in-law Qin is so naive. She believes everything I say. She still doesn't know how much money she's spent. Don't let it slip later."

It is said that money moves people's hearts. Now, when money is mentioned, Jiang Zhi feels the same way, not because of greed, but because of love.

Li Laoshi and Qin Shi were like lone geese separated for half their lives, finally meeting again in the vast sea of ​​people, and they did their best for each other.

Jiang Zhi stayed at Qin's place for a day and returned to the inn to stay in the evening.

Errui went to the front cabinet to find a pen and paper, lit the lamp, and Jiangzhi began to write and draw.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Errui asked curiously as he adjusted the wick of the lamp.

Jiang Zhi didn't even look up: "Tomorrow, you and Li Laoshi will go to Jincheng Prefecture to find the best craftsmen to make a small set of copper pots and tubes for distillation."

The family already had pots and stoves for steaming wine and medicine, but they were a bit rough for making cosmetics and the like. Also, since we have several workshops, we need to have several sets.

Errui nodded: "Okay!"

Jiang Zhi thought for a moment and then wrote the words "caustic soda" on the paper: "Buy some if you find any suitable ones, at least a hundred catties!"

Errui quickly reminded her, "Mother, we can buy alkali in Pingchuan County; we don't need to go this far."

Jiang Zhi then realized what was happening and crossed out the caustic soda, saying she didn't need it.

Although alkali was not a common item in ancient times, it was still sold, but it was usually soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate.

Soda ash can be used in food such as baking soda, in textiles for dyeing and fixing colors, and in animal leather treatment for hair removal and softening.

Using soda ash to wash clothes is a bit wasteful; ordinary people usually use soapberry, wood ash, or similar materials to wash their clothes.

What Jiangzhi needs now is caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide or lye.

They have essentially the same name and function, but their chemical properties are different.

Caustic soda is a highly corrosive alkali that reacts with water to generate high heat and produce a strongly alkaline solution.

Soda ash is a type of salt, and its aqueous solution is weakly alkaline, possessing a certain neutralizing property.

Jiangzhi needs to make soap, so of course he needs caustic soda. If he can't buy caustic soda in Pingchuan County, it doesn't matter. He can use soda ash and quicklime to produce sodium hydroxide, which is caustic soda.

Making soap is a must-learn skill for time travelers, and Jiang Zhi is no exception.

Previously, people hadn't even filled their stomachs; they could wash their clothes with soapberry and wood ash water.

Families with ample means can buy scented soap, soap made from soybeans and lye, or soap powder made from soapberries, which have good cleaning power.

Since Li Laoshi's medicated oil has a market, the Nie family also wants a share of the pie, so they can make more scented soap, regular soap, and medicated soap.

After the essential oil technology was handed over to the Huo family, Lao Yunya stopped making Cangchunxiang. Chunfeng and Dazhu were able to free up their time to make soap, thus separating from the pharmacy.

Some flowers bloom, some red blossoms, yet they do not disturb each other!

Jiang Zhi explained these plans to Er Rui in detail, telling him to keep these matters in mind in the future.

The medicine shop, mosquito coil workshop, and soap workshop on Laoyun Cliff in Pingchuan County and Xujia Village, and later, Li Laoshi's place in Jincheng Prefecture.

Errui's face was tense. He didn't think about how his mother knew these things; he couldn't even keep up with her learning. He had no time to think about anything else.

The next day, Li Laoshi and Qin Shi had just arrived at the inn, and Jiang Zhi hadn't yet arranged any tasks for them, when Old Master Nie and his wife came to personally invite them to be guests.

With no other option, Jiang Zhi and her group had to go to the Nie family's house first.