Chapter 253 is available in limited quantities, first come, first served.
After washing the three pieces of clothing, they were all shaken out and displayed to everyone watching.
Everyone was immediately stunned.
They originally thought the bath beans were already very effective, but that pale yellow, square thing cleaned even better than the bath beans. Most importantly, it not only cleaned the clothes, but also seemed to restore their original color, making them very bright.
"What is this thing? How come it's even more powerful than bath beans?"
"It's square and neat, I've never seen anything like it before."
"We can't even afford bath soap, let alone this stuff."
"The bath powder is just a small clump, and you have to scrub off most of it after washing clothes, but this stuff, it seems like only a thin layer was used, is very practical. I estimate a small piece can last for half a year. If it's about the same price as the bath powder, we can still afford it..."
Cheng Wanwan smiled, pursing her lips.
That's exactly the effect she wanted: to instill in everyone the idea that soap is more effective at cleaning than bath beans.
However, soap is not only for washing clothes.
She smiled and looked at everyone: "So no one guessed correctly in this round, but don't worry, we have one last round."
Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang quickly cleaned up the table.
Immediately afterwards, the two of them brought over a basin of leftover oil, and smeared their faces and hands with the filthy oil.
Cheng Wanwan asked loudly, "Which cleans better, using bath soap or regular soap to wash your face and hands?"
In the previous two rounds, the crowd almost unhesitatingly chose the bath bean, but this time, there was a disagreement.
"That soap, I always feel it's more powerful than bath beans, I'm on the soap's side!"
"Bath beans are meant for bathing and cleansing the face, so they're not as good for washing clothes. This round is for washing your face, so I choose bath beans."
"I'll choose bath beans too. They're expensive for a reason. They really clean you up after a bath, and they even smell nice."
"I... I'll just close my eyes and choose randomly..."
The crowd quickly split into two groups, with two-thirds standing on bath beans and one-third on soap.
Cheng Wanwan made a gesture, and Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang began to wash their hands and faces.
Bath beans are used up quickly. A little rubbing in your hands reduces a ball the size of a baby's fist to half its original size. Rubbing it on your face again shrinks it to the size of a bean. By the time you're done washing, a bath bean is gone.
Zhao Dawang washed himself thoroughly with bath soap.
Zhao Ergou's side was also washed very clean.
The soap in his hand, apart from being a little wet, showed no change in size.
"Even if this round ends in a draw, everyone will receive ten coins!"
Cheng Wanwan's words caused the entire audience to erupt in cheers.
Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang distributed money to everyone, and the large basin of copper coins gradually emptied.
“One bath pill costs one tael of silver, and it’s gone after one bath. Ordinary people like us can’t afford this,” Cheng Wanwan said to the crowd queuing to receive money. “This square thing in my hand is called soap. It can be used to wash clothes and also to take a bath. Use it once a day. This big bar can last for about three months.”
Those watching knew that this was no exaggeration.
This thing is big and durable. It cleans clothes, hands and body very well.
Compared to bath beans, everyone thinks this thing must be expensive.
Unconsciously, people have elevated soap to the same level as bath beans.
"How much do you all think a bar of soap should cost?" Cheng Wanwan laughed. "It's better than bath soap and lasts longer, so how about two taels of silver? Three taels of silver? Five taels of silver? No, no, no, it doesn't need to be that expensive! A bar of soap without added fragrance only costs three hundred copper coins!"
"What? Only three hundred coins? That's the price of two soap balls!"
"But this thing is so much better than soap balls, and it lasts for three months. You only need to buy four a year!"
"If it really is three hundred coins a piece, I'll take one!"
"Everyone, don't rush, I haven't finished speaking yet!" Cheng Wanwan continued, "It's fate that we've all met here. Anyone here can buy anything for only two hundred coins!"
Her original price was two hundred coins, and even after carrying it all the way to Nanyang with great effort, it was still two hundred coins. These people really made a profit.
"The soap for washing clothes is two hundred coins a piece, and there are only one hundred pieces available!" she announced loudly. "There is also soap for bathing, which is far superior to bath beans. The original price is one tael of silver, but the price is limited to eight hundred coins, and only fifty pieces can be sold! Quantities are limited, first come, first served! One piece per person!"
“Boom boom boom!”
Zhao Ergou was in charge of banging the gong to create a lively atmosphere.
Everyone in the audience was excited.
The price was indeed much lower than they had imagined.
One hundred and fifty bars of soap were sold out in less than fifteen minutes.
Many people who missed out were stamping their feet in regret, frantically asking where they could buy soap.
Cheng Wanwan couldn't say for sure either. How could she possibly know in advance which merchant would purchase the goods and where they would be sold?
She could only smile mysteriously, then packed up her things and headed home.
Zhao Ergou did the math and found that he had given out more than 30,000 copper coins, which was equivalent to more than 30 taels of silver. He felt bad that he had given them out for free.
"I think it's not enough that we've only given out 30,000 soaps," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "For just ten coins, you can let one person know the wonders of soap. It's such a good deal! And once that person gets the money for free, they'll definitely brag about it to their friends and family. One person can tell at least seven or eight people. If you calculate it that way, in less than three days, no one in the entire Nanyang City will be unaware of soap."
The advertising fee is only thirty taels of silver, it's such a good deal!
The money you earn in the future will be a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, or even a hundred thousand or a million times that thirty taels of silver.
Just as Cheng Wanwan had expected, in less than half a day, the word "soap" had spread to every corner of Nanyang City.
This matter reached Zhuomuzhai.
Ershuanzi ran in from the doorway, tripped on the threshold, and fell hard to the ground. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he quickly got up and cried out, "Boss, something terrible has happened!"
Manager Zhai said coldly, "You've been too impetuous and rude to the customer. You'll be in big trouble!"
"Shopkeeper, how can you still sit there! Several shopkeepers next door have gone to Yunshui Inn, we have to hurry up and go too!" Ershuanzi said, panting heavily. "There was someone selling soap on the street today, and that stuff is even better than bath beans, everyone in town saw it with their own eyes! The most important thing is that it's cheaper than bath beans. If we can get some and sell it in our shop, it will definitely attract more people!"
Manager Zhai put down the ledger and walked out.
Sure enough, I saw that the shops next door were all closed. The shops next to each other all sold cleaning supplies, and their business was about the same.
Something that would make these shopkeepers abandon their business to look at it must be something extraordinary.
Manager Zhai made a quick decision: "Let's go to Yunshui Inn."
The Yunshui Inn is quite lively.
It's easy to find out with a little inquiry that the person in charge of today's events lives at the Yunshui Inn.
Many people in the city wanted to come and find out more about the soap—everyone said it was even better than bath beans and cheaper. Tsk tsk, if it were put on the market, ordinary people could afford it, and it could also be sold to nobles at a higher price. They could probably make a fortune!
The people who came here included shopkeepers who sold soap balls and bath beans, merchants who did all kinds of business, and out-of-town merchants who came to Nanyang City to look for business opportunities... In just a short while, more than twenty people had arrived and were sitting in the lobby of the Yunshui Inn.
A bunch of people were waiting below, but Cheng Wanwan was leisurely drinking tea in her room.
When it was almost time, she finally spoke up: "Ergou, ask the innkeeper to book the largest private room and lead everyone into the room."
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