Chapter 111 Shulan Reads a Magazine, Tao Jingu Opens a Soap Factory

Seeing that Yao Xiaoyu looked uncomfortable, Aunt Taohua didn't continue kowtowing, but she still expressed her gratitude in every word. After listening for a while, Yao Xiaoyu finally managed to extract the cause and effect from the large amount of gratitude—a plague had broken out in Taojia Village, and Aunt Taohua's husband had also been infected.

Originally, her husband had resigned himself to death, but thanks to Yao Xiaoyu's donation, Aunt Taohua was also given medication according to the medical staff's prescription during this critical moment. It wasn't much, but it helped her husband get through the most dangerous time. Although he is now severely weakened, at least he has survived.

"You saved our whole family's lives!"

Aunt Peach looked at Yao Xiaoyu with eyes full of gratitude. Yao Xiaoyu turned her face away uncomfortably and stammered that it was nothing—she really couldn't handle this kind of fervent positive emotion.

Besides, she really felt she hadn't done anything: Yao Xiaoyu's donation was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It was because the plague lasted longer than she had imagined, and the editorial department sent someone to pick up the manuscript. After chatting with someone on the wall, she felt some sympathy and then had someone take the money with them.

The amount of money was carefully considered without affecting her own interests. Compared to those who truly have a sense of righteousness, she doesn't deserve much attention—many people spend their entire fortunes to buy medicine for the poor, and some even personally go to the isolation ward to care for patients. Her careful consideration after deliberation is really insignificant.

But others don't seem to think that way.

When Yao Xiaoyu arrived at Maria's office, she listened to the doctor's praise with a blank face. She felt like she was digging her feet out of the ground. When she donated money, she deliberately asked to keep her identity a secret, but no matter how she tried to hide it, she couldn't hide it from Maria, who was holding the money in her own hands. Aunt Peach Blossom was only grateful for Yao Xiaoyu's position as a medical staff member and didn't know about the donation.

"...How is the situation in Shulan?"

Yao Xiaoyu blushed to the roots of her neck from the praise and could only awkwardly change the subject. Maria saw that Yao Xiaoyu was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, so she finally let go of her little lily and resumed her professional demeanor in accordance with Yao Xiaoyu's words.

"The progress is good. He can already walk on the ground, but he can't be active for more than 30 minutes a day."

In modern times, patients with uterine prolapse can usually resume daily activities after about two weeks of rest. However, that is the best-case scenario, where there is no lack of nutrition and medical care, and the condition is detected and treated during the acute phase. Shulan's symptoms have lasted for a long time, and her current recovery speed is already quite good.

"...There are no good methods for exercising the pelvic floor muscles now; we can only rely on the body's repair capabilities."

Maria sighed as she spoke. Childbirth is a life-threatening ordeal that every woman must go through, and the aftereffects are countless, but few people care about them.

"...I received a letter before, which contained a set of movements that might be useful."

Yao Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said that she planned to bring the Kegel exercise, which was only proposed in 1948, to the forefront. As for how she, an unmarried girl, knew about it—because she was worried about hemorrhoids from sitting for long periods of time, she searched for Kegel exercises and was then associated with Kegel by big data. That should be a very normal and reasonable thing.

"You'll see for yourself later."

Maria didn't take it to heart; she didn't have Aladdin's lamp, so how could her wish come true?

After chatting for a few more minutes, Yao Xiaoyu left the office. The shadow of the plague had just passed, and Maria, as the dean of the hospital, had a lot to do. Yao Xiaoyu was not in a hurry to leave the hospital. She went to check on Shulan again—she had been so surprised by Aunt Taohua's exaggerated performance that she forgot to go see the person being treated.

"Is there anything you're having trouble adjusting to?"

Yao Xiaoyu asked Shulan, and the woman on the hospital bed put down the book in her hand, thought for a moment, and shook her head. Her face was rosy and fuller than when she first arrived, so she was obviously doing well.

"What are you looking at... Do you even know English?"

Yao Xiaoyu took the book from the woman's hand with some curiosity and asked in surprise—it was a fashion magazine, the worn edges indicating how many times it had been read, and apart from the Arabic numerals representing the page numbers, the rest was all in English.

"I can't read,"

Shulan shook her head and pointed to the picture above. She had actually learned a few words since coming to the hospital, such as her own and Yao Xiaoyu's names, but in her mind, only being able to read a passage from a newspaper could be considered literate.

"I'm looking at these paintings; the dresses are very pretty."

Shulan's voice grew softer and softer towards the end. She was the best tailor in the village, able to tell at a glance how much fabric a girl needed, and her clothes were very popular. However, women were not allowed to run shops, so her fame was limited to the nearby villages.

"I was just taking a look..."

Shulan was almost speaking in a breathy voice. She had come across the book by chance. During the plague, no one was delivering handicrafts, and she was so bored that she opened it. She couldn't understand those tadpole-like foreign words and could only look at the pictures, but for some reason, she felt very guilty.

In Shulan's upbringing, looking at pretty clothes and liking nice clothes were not things a good woman should do—being pretty often meant being unable to do housework. But she really loved drawing all kinds of dresses, but unfortunately they were all Western styles, not the ones from her own region.

She had originally wanted to ask if she could buy other books like this, but she gave up after hearing the price. She just looked at the pictures in this book over and over again, and after she became so familiar with the pictures on every page that she could recite them from memory, she started to dream.

In her dream, she cut the wide sleeves of an ordinary jacket and skirt into narrow sleeves, changed the straight cut, and narrowed the waist to show off a woman's figure, but it was not the flirtatious look of someone hiding behind a half-closed door.

These clothes are different from those of the Westerners in the book; they are more suitable for a woman who grows flowers. She finds them more pleasing to the eye. Shulan's dreams are continuous; each time, she adds more patterns to the clothes, bringing all sorts of changes, from narrow sleeves to short sleeves to sleeveless, from short jackets to long coats to dresses—each one is very beautiful.

But Shulan never thought of telling anyone about the styles of these clothes—a bustling place like Shanghai must have already produced these styles long ago, and if she were to mention them as a treasure, she would probably be laughed at.

When she got back, she tried making it in the village. Since the villagers were not very knowledgeable, each one she made was unique.

"fine."

Yao Xiaoyu comforted the somewhat panicked Shulan, glanced at the crinoline skirt in the magazine, and casually flipped through a few more pages, getting a headache from a bunch of classical English words... She had forgotten all her English since starting university, and only passed the CET-4 with a score of 425 after six attempts. These words hadn't undergone historical changes, making them a bit too difficult for Yao Xiaoyu.

"If you like these dresses, you can try drawing them."

Yao Xiaoyu didn't know why she said those words, but since the words were already out, she didn't take them back. Because Shulan needed to take care of her health, she strictly controlled the types and amount of handicrafts. However, drawing things with a pencil was effortless and could also pass the time.

Shulan looked tempted, hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head.

"Notebooks and pens both cost money."

Shulan had some savings, but she gave them all to her daughter before getting on the donkey cart, telling her to save them for herself. She could simply cut out the clothes she liked in her dreams without spending a single penny.

Yao Xiaoyu glanced at Shulan for a while, then said nothing more. After leaving the hospital, she went into a bookstore that sold stationery, quickly gathered the items, put them in a small basket, and prepared to deliver them to Shulan later.

There weren't many items, only four in total: a thin notebook that cost two copper coins, a pencil that cost the same as the notebook, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, and a small basket for packing. In total, it only cost one silver coin.

Yao Xiaoyu placed the small basket next to Shulan and left the hospital without saying a word. This time, she really didn't come back. Shulan carefully opened the basket, and her eyes immediately lit up!

...

After leaving the hospital, Yao Xiaoyu's next destination was Tao Jingu's territory.

The last time the two met was before the plague outbreak. Tao Jingu seemed to be in good condition, but Yao Xiaoyu always felt that she had an air of confusion about her. And this time...

Is there any good news?

Yao Xiaoyu looked at Tao Jingu, who was exhausted but whose eyes were bright, and asked curiously.

"I'm planning to start a soap factory."

Tao Jingu, who clearly has a lot of sun exposure and has undergone artificial tanning, smiles with a bright white smile. The plague was a nightmare for many people, including her, but it also created some opportunities.

Many people were afraid of being infected with the plague and dared not go out. They would rather spend a lot of money to have things bought and delivered to their door. Wealthy families were even more generous. Some of Tao Jingu's subordinates were people who valued money over their lives, and they were all more enthusiastic than the last in their human delivery efforts.

When manufacturers with no customers actively lowered their prices, Tao Jingu made a profit; when there was a shortage of goods in the market, the prices of daily necessities rose according to supply and demand, and Tao Jingu made another profit; when people dared not come to buy things in person, delivery fees were higher during special periods, and Tao Jingu made yet another profit.

Tao Jingu only needed to follow the market; she didn't even need to make money through unethical means. Her money would just keep rolling in. When the plague started, Tao Jingu needed to raise money to build a factory. After the plague ended, she had already covered the cost of rebuilding a factory that had been completed but then exploded. This cost even included the equipment inside.

But as a certain celebrity said, Tao Jingu believes that money can never be earned enough. Compared to the wealth she has, what makes Tao Jingu even happier is that she has found her own path.

"Didn't you say we'd have to wait a while?"

Yao Xiaoyu knew about Tao Jingu's dilemma in setting up the factory, so why now...

"I suddenly figured it out."

There was no particular reason, it was just that during the plague, when she went out to earn money and came home to wash and disinfect, Tao Jingu found that soap gave her a great sense of security.

"Once my factory is built, I'll take you to visit it."

While tidying up his messy hair, Tao Jingu extended an invitation to Yao Xiaoyu. She had just gone to the factory to supervise the work and had fired several workers who had defecated or urinated indiscriminately. The new recruits were relatively obedient, and Tao Jingu sincerely hoped they could hold out for three days.

She really didn't understand the thought process of some workers. There were clearly designated toilet areas, with different sizes for different needs, and enough toilets at the same time. But these workers just wouldn't go. They insisted on secretly relieving themselves on the construction site. When they were caught, they would laugh and joke. When they were fired, they would jump and shout. Some even tried to physically assault them.

It's so pitiful that she's just a little girl, having to supervise the construction every day under the scorching sun. It must be incredibly tough for her.

Tao Jingu, who could lift a millstone, sighed sadly after kicking a worker who wasn't dressed properly in front of her into the wall that day.