Chapter 068 Huang Cui'e's Little Thoughts
Xu Qingying patted the two of them on the shoulders. Qian Zhenniang's face turned slightly red with excitement, and Feng'er's gaze towards Xu Qingying had changed from admiration to fanaticism, as if she would go through fire and water as long as Xu Qingying gave the order.
Xu Qingying turned around and walked out, unable to hold back a sneeze.
She prayed in her heart that she would not catch a cold, otherwise where could she find herbs in this desolate mountainous area? Furthermore, medical facilities were backward in ancient times, and a cold could easily kill her.
After rescuing two more girls, Xu Qingying felt better. She seemed to have gradually found a sense of belonging in ancient times, as well as the tip of the iceberg of her future career.
Fang Ningmo followed her, looking at her back as she walked against the light, and felt his heart surging like a surging tide that could not recede.
Miss Xu is a person with great ambitions.
Her ambition is even higher than the sky and deeper than the sea.
She said that if women want to gain power and status, they must be more ruthless, harder-working, and more aggressive than other men, and must bear greater pressure.
She might not even realize how outrageous her words were! But it was precisely that outrageousness that made people want to follow her.
For the first time, Fang Ningmo realized that women could live such a splendid life and shine so brightly, so brightly that she couldn't even look directly at them.
It was as if the beast in her heart had suddenly awakened. She had an urge to chase after Xu Qingying. If she could walk side by side with such a person in her life, how shocking it would be!
But Miss Xu, where is your destination?
Do I dare to go forward with you?
In the evening, all the raw materials for soap making were ready, and Zhao Bantou used curtains to enclose a square corner for her. This was the most critical step in soap making, and it could not be made known to others for the time being.
Zhao Bantou sent a few more people to guard the place strictly and drove away a lot of people who were sneaking around and peeking around. Xu Qingying felt that the world was quiet and finally started to make soap.
She broke down all the steps and handed them over to others to form a simple production line, and she was responsible for the final saponification assembly.
She also asked a few girls to pick some wild flowers today. She thought that the target customers of soap were retail investors in the city who had some spare money. Although these retail investors were not very willing to spend money, they bought in large quantities and their consumption power should not be underestimated.
But if you want to make a lot of money, you can't escape luxury goods throughout history.
Why not soap?
She wanted to make a batch of high-quality soaps, so she had to improve the subtle odor in the soaps, and then improve the precision and quality, as well as the appearance and packaging. She no longer used cleaning ability as a selling point, but instead focused on cleansing and skin care, which was bound to drive the ladies crazy.
Let me ask you, which girl can escape the pit of beauty?
Thinking back to the time when she had a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, she dared to buy beauty products for La Mei. Even though she was a chemical engineering major and knew that beauty products were a waste of money, who could resist being tempted by those crystal clear little bottles?
Women's money is always the easiest to make.
If she could make glass, she would truly become rich.
Thinking about it carefully, glass doesn't seem difficult to work with. It's just that she hasn't studied materials science and basic chemistry for a long time, and she has forgotten the reaction formula of glass. She should be able to get the hang of it after some trial and error.
But now they are still on the road of exile, and it is not known whether Zhao Bantou and others can be trusted. It is better not to stand out too much, otherwise it will be a big deal because of a small loss.
Right now I can only focus on the soap.
Huang Cui'e looked at the figure behind the curtain in the distance with some uneasiness. It was getting darker and the dew was heavier. These people were tired after a day of work, and most of them had already fallen asleep in the camp with their clothes on.
But there were still some people who looked inside curiously and whispered to each other from time to time.
Huang Cui'e said anxiously, "This bunch of villains are trying to steal the soap recipe. They are like flies and can't be chased away. Tomorrow, we must ask the sixth girl to assign them more work and tire them out. I don't think they will have enough energy to jump around in the evening. No, we must tell Zhao the team leader to send more people. What if someone sees how the sixth girl makes soap?"
Xu Dechi quickly winked at Huang Cui'e, but Xu Deyuan sneered, "What does this have to do with you? You've already signed and sealed it, so are you jealous?"
Huang Cui'e thought to herself that it didn't matter at all, she had invested ten taels of silver!
This is all the money the eldest wife can come up with.
If Xu Qingying's soap cannot be sold, the whole family of Qianzhou's eldest wife will be left with nothing!
Huang Cui'e couldn't sleep last night because she was thinking about so many things. Why couldn't she sleep? Her eyes were red.
Seeing Xu Qingying's attitude, Huang Cui'e felt anxious and felt like she had lost 200 million. Early in the morning, she quietly approached Xu Qingying, and after another round of flattery, Xu Qingying reluctantly agreed to her investment.
Huang Cui'e hated Xu Deyuan even more, thinking that if Xu Dechi was not afraid of his younger brother and did not dare to speak up, why would she need to sneak around to Xu Qingying to buy shares?
Huang said, "That's not right. Sixth Girl had all the shackles removed from these exiled prisoners. They all remember her kindness."
Xu Deyuan said, "Look, as the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If this mountain of soap can't be sold, and these people come to collect their debts, how can they remember the kindness we've shown you today?"
Huang's heart trembled. "It's not that serious. It's just the wages owed. It's not like I won't pay..."
"Mother," Xu Deyuan said earnestly, "Twenty cents per person, plus dividends, that's more than forty cents per person. Fifty people would be hundreds of cents, and that's just one day's wages, not to mention the cost of buying the raw materials for the pig pancreas. If you calculate it this way, the second house hasn't sold a single bar of soap yet, and the debt is at least several dozen taels—"
At this point, Xu Deyuan frowned and concentrated, finally realizing something was wrong. "Wait, where did she get so much money? I remember the Zheng family only kept fifty taels, and they spent some of it later. She only has a dozen or so taels of silver at most. How come she has so much money that it seems like she has endless money?"
Huang Cui'e's body stiffened immediately, her eyes darting around guiltily, and then she suddenly looked at Huang opposite her.
No, why does my mother-in-law look so guilty?
Could it be that... the mother-in-law also secretly invested money in Xu Qingying without their knowledge?
Well, when they were exiled, they all pretended to be broke, but now that they are squeezed together, they all end up in the third room?
That damn girl is such a money-grubber. How come she is so capable that she could cheat Huang’s money?
Who was Huang Shi? She had lived a life of frugality. Back in the countryside, she'd only eat a bowl of egg custard with her chopsticks. Now, she was willing to give money to the sixth girl?
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged glances in the air without making a sound, and then they both lowered their heads and pretended to be silent in tacit understanding.
Only Xu Deyuan was still rambling on, so Zhao Zhenlan from the fourth room said, "Sixth girl is quite capable. There are many wealthy people in our camp. Who didn't take a little stash of money with them when they were exiled? Maybe someone is optimistic about the soap business and is willing to give her the capital."
Xu Deyuan's face darkened, his expression gloomy. He suddenly cursed fiercely, "These idiots are being led around by a little brat. It's ridiculous! When they lose everything they'll know how powerful I am. Don't even think of asking me for help then!"
Huang Cui'e saw Xu Deyuan suddenly furious. For some reason, she felt less afraid and instead found Xu Deyuan ridiculous.
Anyone can see that Xu Deyuan is suffering from red eye disease. Isn't it just because he is afraid that the third branch will suppress them? As for saying it in such a high-sounding way, ugh!
Fortunately, Huang Cui'e acted decisively and decided to believe Liu Yatou for once, even though Xu Deyuan boasted that the soap business would bankrupt the family.
Huang Cui'e has never been to school and doesn't know any big principles, let alone how to do business. But she is not a fool. She sees the conflict between the second and third houses clearly. The more Xu Deyuan gets angry, the more profitable the third house's business is.
Thinking of this, and looking at Xu Dechi who was eating beside her, Huang Cui'e rolled her eyes happily.
When she makes money in the future, Huang Cui'e will definitely be superior to everyone else in the family. Let's see how Xu Dechi dares to order her around!
While eating, grandmother Huang stared at the people around her for Xu Qingying with her bright eyes, like a hen protecting her chicks.
Whenever someone peeked around, she would stare at him without waiting for Zhao Bantou to say anything until he walked away embarrassedly.
Huang was quite pleased with herself. Sixth Girl was clever, but her guard was too weak. Even though most of the people in the camp were educated descendants of ex-official officials, they were tempted by money, and there was no guarantee that some would be jealous and try to get close.
She has to keep it safe for Liu Yatou.
Who knows what kind of life I will live in Qianzhou in the future will all depend on this time with Liu Yatou.
Huang Cui'e finished packing her things and saw her mother-in-law sitting at the doorstep, her eyes fixed on Xu Qingying's square curtain. Thinking of the eye contact she had with Huang during dinner just now, Huang Cui'e couldn't help but sit down next to Huang, poked her mother-in-law's elbow, and smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into a line: "Mother, tell me the truth, did you also invest money?"
Huang squinted her eyes and scolded, "Mind your own business."
"How can that be considered a private matter? Mom, how much did you invest? Tell me the bottom line."
Huang said unhappily, "That's all my hidden money. Since you asked me how much I invested, why don't you tell me how much you invested first?"
Huang Cui'e laughed and said, "Not much. You know, the eldest wife is not rich. Besides, Xu Dechi is not optimistic about this soap business and repeatedly told me not to touch it. I just invested a little."
Huang sneered, understanding. "A little? I'm afraid you threw all the Fang family's money you found in the prison that day into it?"
Huang Cui'e was exposed and smiled innocently while touching her head. "Mom, you don't think the Sixth Girl is a good person either, so why are you investing money behind Second Uncle's back?"
Huang was furious and glared at Huang Cui'e, saying, "I'm not dead yet, it's not your turn to discipline me. Wait until I'm dead, then you can ask me how much money I invested!"
Huang Cui'e curled her lips. Her mother-in-law was really something. She wouldn't even let her ask questions. She pretended to be united with the second wife against the enemy, but in private she was also playing tricks.
However, since her mother-in-law has voted, if the truth really comes out in the future, at least her mother-in-law can help her take the blame, right?
Thinking of this, Huang Cui'e felt even happier.
She also imitated Huang's behavior, with a sullen face, glaring at anyone who tried to get within ten feet of Xu Qingying. Then, she saw a familiar figure. She looked obviously panicked for a moment and shouted, "Fourth girl, what are you doing!"
Xu Yinxi was frightened by Huang Cui'e's yell and almost threw the basin in her hand away.
"Aunt, I'll go get some water for Sixth Sister. She always sweats profusely after making soap. I'll get her some hot water to wipe herself."
Huang Cui'e cursed, "You're so kind, have you forgotten what your father said? The soap business belongs to the third wife. No matter how much you ask, the sixth girl won't take you with her!"
Xu Yinxi blushed slightly, looking embarrassed. "What are you talking about, Auntie? Sisters should help each other. It's just a basin of hot water, why did you bring up business?"
"Anyway, your father said you're not allowed to have anything to do with the second wife's soap business. Go back now, and don't try to curry favor with the Sixth Girl to get her recipe! If you don't leave, do you believe I'll tell your father?!"
Xu Yinxi felt a little aggrieved. She didn't know what happened today. Her aunt was so angry, as if she had taken some wrong medicine.
She was a little angry at being scolded, but she could only bear it. She didn't want to argue with her elders, so she turned around in frustration.
Huang Cui'e stared at Xu Yinxi as she returned to Lian's side. She then breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Huang Yazi, who was following closely behind her. "Sir, is there anything going on so late?"
Huang Yazi laughed dryly. Because of the soap incident, the escorts had changed their attitude towards the Xu family and became respectful instead. "Nothing, just patrolling around."
Then, the man left in a panic.
Huang Cui'e stared at the man's back, wishing she could spit at him.
Who dares to set his sights on the eldest daughter of the second wife?
These toads nowadays really dare to think and act.
After three days of rush work, Xu Qingying and the others completed the task of making 5,000 soaps in excess, and now they are just waiting for them to solidify and be demolded.
Nearly six thousand bars of soap were like a small mountain, towering and unreachable, and a carriage was filled to the brim.
The soap carriage was guarded by escorts in front and behind, and Liu Jieshi and Zhao Bantou were sent far away, even feeling slightly isolated from the escort team. Full of hope, everyone hurried their pace, hurrying towards Henan Prefecture.
As Henan Prefecture is a grain-producing area, the people are naturally wealthy. The official road is getting wider and wider, the scenery on both sides is becoming brighter and brighter, the autumn wind is blowing, and the ground is covered with yellow. It is a beautiful autumn weather.
Xu Qingying was already planning on buying winter clothing and food after selling this batch of soap. Beyond Henan Prefecture, there were few wealthy cities left. She had to discuss with Zhao Bantou about increasing production lines and output, seizing the opportunity to make some quick money.
Whenever they arrived at a town, the exiled prisoners were not allowed to enter, so the escorts would split into two groups, one to go into the city to handle the customs procedures, and the other to escort the prisoners around the city.
But this time it's a little different.
Most people still walked around the city, but Xu Qingying selected a few capable people, such as Xu Huiming, Miao, Qian Zhenniang and several escorts, to take the cart of soap and follow the main force to gather at the designated location.
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