Qin Yao gave Dalang and Erlang a wink, and they understood. One of them went to fetch a basin of water and brought it in. There was a pot of water heating on the charcoal stove. He took the water down and poured it into the basin. The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
Erlang pinched his nose, brought in two pairs of unwashed socks and threw them into the basin.
Qin Yao handed him a piece of soap and reminded him, "Dip it in water and apply it on your socks, then rub it."
Erlang did as he was told and soon made bubbles. Sanlang exclaimed "Huh?" in surprise.
What’s even more amazing is that the dirty places become clean after being rinsed with water, and all kinds of stains seem to be easily absorbed into the water and taken away by the bubbles.
"Success." Qin Yao raised her eyebrows, took out the remaining eleven unused bars of soap and put them in the cupboard.
When I pick flowers in the spring, maybe I can make some scented soap and take a delicious bath.
At first, Qin Yao also thought about getting some soap to sell, but the excitement only lasted for two days before she was defeated by reality.
Lard and shellfish were two raw materials that were not available in large quantities. It was fine to make it at home, but if she wanted to sell it, she didn't know where to get so much lard.
Qin Yao picked out six bars of soap and cut two pieces of oil paper. She gave the two-bar pack to Lao Zhai and the four-bar pack to Ding Xiang personally if she had time.
I heard that Mr. Ding has not returned from Beijing yet, but he did not pass the exam.
The journey back and forth is long and it will interfere with my studies, so I simply decided not to go back and planned to stay in Beijing to continue taking the exam next year.
Qin Yao originally wanted to talk to Mr. Ding about her children enrolling in the Ding clan school, but now that he is not coming back, she can only think of another way.
Ding Xiang is a good candidate, and Qin Yao wants to give her a try and ask for her help.
After tying up two bags of soap to give away, Qin Yao turned around and saw that Dalang and his four siblings had stopped eating and were taking turns squatting beside the basin to wash Erlang's smelly socks.
Because I can make bubbles while washing, I enjoy it very much.
Erlang, a clever guy, put his work aside and sat by the stove to roast chestnuts.
This time he learned his lesson and used his teeth to bite a hole in the chestnut before putting it in to roast so that it would not explode.
Qin Yao shook her head helplessly, left the main room, went to the kitchen, lit a fire and cooked.
She doesn't have many opportunities to cook, but she will still cook when she has time.
The children at home also give her face and never complain about the food she cooks. Every time she cooks, everything is eaten up.
Today, there were delicious dishes brought by the restaurant, so Qin Yao just cooked a pot of rice and stewed a pot of pumpkin soup.
She grew these pumpkins herself. She harvested seventeen or eighteen of them and piled them in the corner of the kitchen. They are very durable and there are still three or four left after eating them now.
After dinner, Old Man Liu sent Liu Fei over to urge Qin Yao to plant wheat and not to delay.
Knowing that her farming skills were poor, Old Man Liu only informed her after he had finished planting his own crops. With their help, planting could be completed in two days.
This year there was a good harvest, and all the sons in the family were working at the waterwheel factory, so only half of the fields near the old house were planted, and the rest were left empty for cultivation, so he only had time to help Qin Yao now.
Qin Yao appreciated the old man's kindness.
But as soon as Liu Fei left, he felt bad because he remembered that he had to go to the fields again the next day.
When I fell asleep at night, I had a beautiful dream. I dreamed that I had thousands of acres of fertile land and hundreds of slaves, and I could just lie down and enjoy myself.
Unfortunately, as soon as the sun rose, we instantly returned to reality.
Qin Yao sighed at the gloomy sky, and passed by the children's room next door. She saw that the light was on in the room, and heard the sound of Erlang, the "Book King", reading aloud. She walked in, patted his shoulder with relief, and encouraged him:
"Liu Erlang, study hard and get a good degree. Whether my mother can become a landlady in the future depends on you."
After saying that, he picked up the hoe and went to the field with a reluctant look on his face.
Erlang was so frightened that he felt like crying but had no tears. A'niang was like a ghost, and she walked in without even making any sound.
He was reading seriously when suddenly a cold hand fell on his shoulder. It was a relief that he didn't scream!
......
November arrives in the busyness.
Bai Shan took away the last batch of ultra-small water mills and settled the balance.
The waterwheel factory received 120 taels of silver. After deducting the cost and workers' fees, Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu each received 22 taels and 8 cents of silver.
Although he had expected this, Carpenter Liu was so excited that he almost cried when he actually got more than twenty taels of silver in his hands.
He had never received so much silver in his entire life, more than twenty taels. He could use it to renovate his house and he wouldn't have to worry about corvée labor next year.
If he was a little bolder, he could send his young son and grandson to school.
Maybe the child is lucky enough to have a scholar in his family in the future.
Qin Yao didn't care how excited Carpenter Liu was. She calmly took her share, took the one or two taels of silver for the stone money that should be given to the clan, and went to the clan leader's house.
Who wouldn’t be happy to receive money?
Even though the money was not for himself, the old clan leader was very happy and thought about it, maybe he could repair the road out of the village.
Qin Yao took the opportunity to ask about the land and asked the clan leader to keep an eye on it for her, expressing her intention to buy good farmland.
The clan leader knew her family's situation. Originally, they had been allocated a lot of good land. After all, Liu Ji was a gangster. If you dared to deprive him of his benefits, your whole family would be in turmoil.
But within two years of getting it, it was all gone.
Sometimes they sold it to pay for labor service, sometimes they sold it to exchange for food.
Because they were afraid of paying grain taxes, they simply sold all their land. It was really infuriating to see.
After the clan leader finished his sentimental talk about the past, he tentatively asked Qin Yao: "Do you want to buy back your original land?"
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