Chapter 022: Making Goat Milk Soap
There was still one or two taels of silver left from selling mushrooms yesterday. Su Wan took out the silver and divided it among his brothers.
"Wanwan, why are you giving us money?" Su Chen asked puzzledly as he looked at the copper coins in his hand.
"I need a few brothers to help me buy some ingredients!" Su Wan explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the brothers looked at each other, not really understanding what she meant.
"What exactly are you going to do?" Su Mu asked with a frown.
"Don't ask me, second brother. You'll know once I make it. Third brother, please help me buy five pounds of lard from the county. I remember there's a family raising sheep in our village. Second brother, please help me get a can of goat milk. Fourth brother, please take a handful of straw and help me burn it into ash!"
She asked about pork lard yesterday. It is more expensive than pork belly, nine cents per pound. This is because after pork lard is refined into lard, it can be eaten for a long time and is oily and heavy.
Five pounds of pork fat cost forty-five cents, and she gave Su Chen fifty cents.
She didn't know how goat milk was sold. That day she saw the boy herding sheep in the village. There were many lambs in the flock, and the ewe's breasts were full, so she concluded that there was goat milk.
Giving Su Mu thirty cents should be enough, right?
The autumn harvest has just ended and there is straw everywhere. It is very simple to get some wood ash to make alkaline water.
Su Wan kept it a secret and couldn't get to the bottom of it. She wanted these things but didn't know what they were for.
But it doesn't matter. She earned the money herself, so she can spend it however she wants.
"I'd like to see what you're up to, you ash, right? Wait!"
Su Yun had been with her for a few days and was no longer so resistant to her. Instead, he felt that she was mysterious and knew a lot.
While her three brothers went to help her get things, she took an axe and went to the bamboo forest behind to cut down a few relatively large bamboo tubes.
The wood ash was quickly prepared, and Su Wan asked him to find some lime powder. He added water to the wood ash and filtered it several times. After the alkaline water was precipitated, he added limestone.
She had discovered before that there was no soap in this dynasty, and only soapberry rice could be used to wash clothes. Alkaline water and lard could produce a natural reaction to create fine foam, and the alkaline property could remove grease. Goat milk was good for the skin, so it could be made into goat milk soap and used to wash the face.
This goat milk soap is sure to be very popular.
After the alkaline water was filtered, Su Chen and Su Mu had also returned.
Su Mu only spent ten cents to buy goat milk, and returned the remaining twenty cents to Su Wan.
"Goat milk tastes really good, but it's not as expensive as you think!"
Fresh goat milk does have a strong smell, but it will no longer have that smell once you cook it.
Su Chen went to the county to buy lard and was the last one to come back, so the alkaline water and goat milk had already been processed and he was just waiting to make lard.
The lard is cut into small pieces and then refined into lard. The oil residue can be used for cooking. Five pounds of lard can produce several bowls of lard. Before it solidifies, take out a bowl and skim off the foam on it.
Keep the remaining two bowls for your family to eat. Experiment with them first, then take them to the market to see if they sell well. If they sell at a good price, continue making them.
Su Wan guarantees that this product will definitely sell well and you won’t lose money. It is a must-have trick for time travel.
Pour the hot goat milk into the lard and stir evenly to mix it completely, then pour in the alkaline water according to the proportion.
At this time, constant stirring requires a lot of arm strength, so she can only ask Su Chen for help, because he is a martial artist and has good arm strength.
Su Chen obediently did as she said. Su Mu and Su Yun watched the whole process, not knowing what she was going to do.
"Su Wan, you've ruined a bowl of lard like this. Is it still edible?"
This really hurts the brothers. They have been frugal since childhood, and it is heartbreaking to see her waste things like this!
"Who said I was going to be edible?"
Su Wan smiled meaningfully, and only stopped after Su Chen had stirred the oil into a creamy consistency.
She poured the semi-finished goat milk soap into a bamboo tube and put it in a cool and ventilated place to let it sit for a few days. After it was saponified and the alkalinity became less, she could take it out and use it.
"Is that all? What on earth are you going to do?"
Su Yun was confused. After working for a whole day, this was the result. How could this make money?
"Don't tell me you make money from this?"
"That's right, Fourth Brother. We'll see the outcome in three days!"
It’s not very convincing to just talk about it. Only when you show them the finished product on the spot and let them see the effect, will it be useful!
"Why are you being so secretive? Let's see what you're up to!"
Su Yun curled his lips and went to study his own things. He had been thinking about it all night yesterday. He kept thinking about the seasonings and sauces that Su Wan mentioned, so he wanted to think about it and start from this direction to make a unique, fresh and delicious dish.
In the afternoon, Su Jing and Su Yi came back from the mountain after picking mushrooms. There were many people picking mushrooms recently, so it was difficult to pick them. After picking for a whole day, they only picked two baskets.
Su Wan took him to see the goat milk soap she made, and she only told him her idea.
"Brother, we usually wash clothes with wooden sticks, but it doesn't get them clean. We have to spend money to buy soap nuts, and they may not get them clean. So I thought of a way to make this goat milk soap, which can be used to wash clothes, wash your face, and take a bath. Three days later, when we go to the county to deliver mushrooms, we can take the goat milk soap with us, okay?"
Now in this family, Su Jing is the only one closest to her, so subconsciously, if there is anything, she only tells him because he will not criticize her.
Indeed, Su Jing listened to her idea and thought it was very good.
"Is this goat milk soap really that good? I'd really like to see it for myself. If it works, it'll definitely sell for a good price!"
"Yes, and it's very simple to make. If it's popular, we can definitely pay back the thirty taels in a month, and maybe even make some extra money!"
Su Wan still has great confidence in his goat milk soap. This is something used by ordinary people. It is affordable, fresh, and easy to use, so it will sell well.
Seeing her so confident, Su Jing couldn't help but smile. His sister was actually very nice!
He is very smart, has his own ideas, is hardworking, and has a pure and clear look in his eyes.
…
Three days later, they had picked a load of mushrooms, and this time Su Jing took Su Wan to the county.
Su Wan removes the mold from the goat milk soap and then cuts it into round blocks of uniform thickness. In order to be economical, Su Wan cuts the blocks thicker.
The light yellow goat milk soap has a strong milky smell when you smell it, which is quite pleasant.
I used some leftover materials, rubbed them with water, and dense bubbles appeared. They were easy to rinse off, and after washing, my hands had a light smell of milk, which was very pleasant.
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