Chapter 039: It's a pity we met too late
Jiang Yu has been wearing clothes from his brothers these days. He is tall, so only Su Jing, Su Mu and Su Chen's clothes can fit him. Although they are just ordinary linen clothes with patches on them, they can't hide his noble temperament when he wears them.
Now he can't get out of bed for fear of tearing the wounds on his body. The wounds have finally scabbed over. The fragrance of osmanthus wafts through the yard from time to time. I don't know what these brothers and sisters are doing.
Su Yun's mind was on building the chicken coop today. He cut the bamboo into strips of wood, then weaved them together and placed them around the outer edge of the divided chicken coop.
After working on it for a whole morning, it was finally finished. I put a small wooden basin inside and filled it with water. The chicks now had a home.
Floral soap is easy to make. After mixing it with settled wood ash water, add ground dried flowers to adjust the color and make it uniformly pink.
It’s a pity that there are no yellow flowers, otherwise the osmanthus-scented soap should be yellow.
She asked Su Mu early in the morning about plants that are good for hair. Su Mu went out after breakfast. When he came back, his backpack was full of things.
I actually picked up soapberry fruits in the back mountain, and also picked herbs such as Ligustrum lucidum and hibiscus leaves.
"Second brother, what are these?" Su Wan didn't know what they were, so he asked curiously.
Su Mu took the backpack off his back and placed it on the ground. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied:
"You asked just in time. Sapindus mukorossi are ripe and falling right now, and they're all wild in our back mountain. They're great for hair care, so I've picked some and saved them. I'll take them to the pharmacy in a few days to exchange for some money. Ligustrum lucidum and hibiscus leaves are also great for hair care. Some people in our village even boil soapberry and hibiscus leaves in water for hair care. I didn't know if you could use them, so I picked them all for you!"
Yes, the soapberry fruit can be rubbed directly into foam and added to soap, the foam produced will be thicker and more delicate.
"It's very useful. I was thinking about making a soap specifically for hair washing, but it shouldn't be the same as other soaps. Second brother, you've been a great help. Let's go pick some together this afternoon. If you pick up more, you can sell them and I can think of new products!"
Su Wan squatted down, picked up a handful of soapberries and smelled them. The taste was strange. Some modern online videos said that you can spit bubbles after eating them, but he didn't know if it was true.
"Okay, how are your other soaps going? If you haven't finished yet, let's continue. My eldest brother and I will be going back to the county in a few days, and the housework will be left to you four siblings!"
In addition to their own rice fields, every household in the village has reclaimed land on the barren hills to grow corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and some vegetables.
Usually, the eldest and second sons are in the county, and the nearly two acres of vegetable fields at home are taken care of by the third, fourth and fifth sons.
Most of them are corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes. Corn is ground into flour and can be made into corn grits and corn tortillas. It is a bit rough, but it is good at filling the stomach.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are also good things to fill your stomach, and sweet potatoes can also replenish sugar!
"Take your time. We're not in a hurry to pay off the debt right now. The boss lady and I agreed to deliver the goods in ten days. There's no rush."
Let the finished soap air dry for a while so that the alkaline property can evaporate quickly.
Everyone had a simple lunch. Su Mu brought food to Jiang Yu as usual, which was still bacon porridge and two potato pancakes.
Ever since he was out of danger, Su Wan rarely stepped into the room to see him. Jiang Yu could only hear her bickering with her fourth brother in the yard from time to time. She was full of energy and it was obvious that she was a girl who loved to laugh.
In the afternoon, the brothers and sisters went to the mountains to pick soapberries, leaving Su Jing alone at home.
He returned to his room to read, while Jiang Yu lay down with his eyes closed to rest. At first, the two of them were so quiet.
Until Su Jing broke the silence first. He was halfway through reading a book when he encountered a confusing point. He turned to look at Jiang Yu, thinking that he should also be a well-read person, so why not ask for his opinion.
As a result, just this question made the two of them unable to stop chatting. They had roughly the same views and even liked the same poets. It felt like they had met too late.
From time to time, the hearty laughter of the two men could be heard in the room.
"Brother Su, we had a great time talking today. I feel like we met too late!"
Although Jiang Yu couldn't see them for the time being, he had already imagined their images in his mind. For example, the man in front of him must be a talented man with a handsome appearance and a gentle demeanor like jade.
"I'm a few years older than you. If you don't mind, I'll just call you A-Yu!"
"Of course I don't mind. Brother Su, please feel free to do as you please. I just heard that you are interested in taking the imperial examination next year. I'm sure that with your talent and ambition, you will definitely have a place in the court!"
"Ayu, you're too kind. There are always people better than me. There are many people in this world who are better than me. The future is unpredictable. Everything depends on fate. I have already missed an opportunity. Just this once. I don't want to have any regrets!"
Su Jing still felt a little regretful when he thought back. It was his regret that he could not take part in the Spring Examination, and he must not miss it again next year.
Even if he had to go to Beijing barefoot, he was determined to complete the imperial examination.
He has already passed the examination for a scholar and passed the provincial examination. In fact, the imperial examination had already started this autumn, and he was already a scholar. Before returning home, he took the examination again in the provincial capital and had obtained a place in the metropolitan examination. Now he only needs to directly participate in next year's metropolitan examination. The top three in the metropolitan examination in each provincial capital will be eligible to go to Beijing to take the examination for Jinshi. The top thirty can enter the final palace examination, which will be supervised by the current emperor. The first place will be the champion, the second place will be the runner-up, and the third place will be the third place.
As long as he can get into the top ten, he will have a career in politics, but there are too many competitors. Students all over the world are preparing for this year. As he said, there is always someone better than you, and there may be many people who are better than him.
In the evening, the brothers and sisters rushed home one after another. They picked up several baskets of soapberries, gave a small portion to Su Wan, and washed the rest and dried them for a few days. Then Su Mu would carry them to the pharmacy.
He worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy and made friends with the master. Every autumn, the master would only buy soapberries from him.
Although it is not worth much money, it is still an income.
Su Chen also brought back a load of firewood. He also brought back some prey, two hares and a pheasant.
Su Wan was very excited. It was the first time she saw hares and pheasants with her own eyes.
The wild animals are still alive in order to sell them for a good price.
Seeing how much she liked it, Su Chen thought she was greedy, so he suggested killing the pheasant and eating the meat.
Of course Su Wan was unwilling. She was curious because she was a modern person and a child who grew up in the city. She had never seen wild chickens and rabbits, only artificially raised ones.
She knew that this was used to exchange for money, so why would she be greedy for it?
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