Xiao Yunying took a washboard and laundry detergent to the river where the villagers washed clothes. It was almost noon, and most people had finished washing their clothes and gone home to cook. There were not many people by the river.
There's no rush, there's always someone at home to cook.
Among the group of young women and wives, Luo Chen was the only boy, making him stand out.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that a young woman was helping Luo Chen with her clothes.
"Luo Chen".
Luo Chen stopped patting the clothes and looked up: "You're back from the city."
"I just got back, you go back, I'll take care of the washing."
Everyone around stopped what they were doing, thinking they had misheard. What did this woman say? She was washing?
Luo Chen didn't leave: "I'll wait for you."
Xiao Ran casually said to the young woman, "These are my clothes, thank you. I'll wash them."
She recognized the young woman; she was Fang Rou, the eldest daughter-in-law of Aunt Yang.
Despite having the character "柔" (rou, meaning gentle/soft) in her name, she is anything but gentle in personality. She is not the shrewish or unreasonable type either; she speaks and acts decisively, and her brows exude a heroic air.
Like Aunt Yang, she usually takes good care of the children. Her own clothes were dry, so she washed Luo Chen's clothes first.
Do you know how to do laundry?
His voice was somewhat cold, but unlike the others, it wasn't sarcastic or mocking.
Fang Rou wasn't deliberately mocking Xiao Yunying; she just felt that the other woman wasn't cut out for manual labor.
"I will, thank you."
Luo Chen whispered from the side, "I didn't slack off. Aunt Fang insisted on washing for me, and I couldn't refuse..."
Xiao Yunying sighed helplessly. Did she look like she was about to yell at someone?
"I didn't say anything, so there's no need to explain."
Xiao Yunying poured all the clothes onto the big rock, scooped water into a basin, soaked all the clothes, opened the bamboo tube, poured in laundry detergent, and stirred it with her hands.
Luo Chen was a little dumbfounded: "The clothes in the basin are all washed clean."
"I'll rub it again, it's okay, it'll be quick."
A fragrant aroma wafted through the air, and the women nearby smelled it, all sticking out their noses.
"What does it taste like?"
"It smells really nice and fragrant."
"It looks like it floated down from over there."
Fang Rou also smelled it: "What did you pour out?"
"Laundry detergent, specially made for washing clothes." Xiao Yunying handed over the bamboo tube: "Do you want to use it?"
Fang Rou wanted to refuse, but the smell was really tempting, so she took the bamboo tube: "How do I use this?"
It was rare to meet someone in the village who wasn't so hostile towards her, so Xiao Yunying patiently explained, "You have to fill the basin with water first."
Fang Rou imitated Xiao Yunying's actions, scooping water into a wooden basin and soaking her clothes.
Xiao Yunying held her wrist and poured the detergent into the wooden basin: "This amount is enough for these few clothes. Dissolve the detergent in water, and it's best to let the clothes soak for a while to make them cleaner. After washing, just rinse off the foam with water."
"This is called laundry detergent? It smells so good."
"This is lavender scented, and the fragrance will linger for a long time after the clothes are washed and dried."
Fang Rou asked like a curious child, "What is lavender?"
Xiao Yunying set up the washboard and began washing the clothes, answering Fang Rou's question as she spoke:
"A flower with a bluish-purple color, resembling a wheat ear, has a rich and long-lasting fragrance. It also has calming, soothing, and sleep-inducing effects, and the essential oil extracted from it has even more benefits..."
Perhaps because the gazes around her were too intense, Xiao Yunying looked up and met Luo Chen's probing eyes.
"Cough cough."
Choking on her own saliva, Xiao Yunying coughed twice, but shamelessly pretended nothing had happened and continued washing clothes.
I was careless, so careless. I wasn't paying attention and talked too much.
You can't do two things at once; getting distracted is a bad thing and can easily lead to problems.
Xiao Yunying handed the washed clothes to Luo Chen and bluntly instructed him, "Luo Chen, rinse off the foam."
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he turned to face the water. Looking down, he saw Fang Rou touching the washboard.
Xiao Yunying: ……
Fang Rou asked, "What is this?"
"A washboard is used specifically for washing clothes."
She had seen Xiao Yunying washing clothes, and that's why she was so surprised.
After just a few scrubbings on this wooden board, dirty water flowed down from both sides of the groove.
This is much better than a mallet; it saves effort and is less likely to tear your clothes.
"Did you make this yourself?"
Xiao Yunying continued washing the clothes: "I don't have that skill. This morning, I met a traveling merchant who had returned from overseas. He passed through Donglin City and had a lot of strange and unusual things. I picked out a few that I thought were useful and bought them."
That way, no matter what she takes out in the future, as long as it's not too outrageous, there's no need to ask.
The answer is that it was bought from overseas traveling merchants.
An older woman standing nearby asked, "Which street did you meet? I'd like to go into town this afternoon too."
That laundry detergent smells so good, and the washboard looks useful too.
"They didn't stay long on Liumen Street. They ate and left, saying they were in a hurry to go somewhere to sell goods. They should be out of the city by now."
The main houses on Liumen Street were all wealthy families, so the villagers didn't dare to knock on their doors and ask questions.
The woman looked regretful: "Oh? What a pity. I should have gone into town this morning."
Xiao Yunying quickened her pace while washing the clothes, thankful that there was no internet or surveillance in this world, so her words were impossible to verify.
Luo Chen, who was washing clothes by the river with his back to Xiao Yunying, lowered his eyelids. Was it the traveling merchant from overseas that he met today?
What a coincidence! Her brief stay just happened to coincide with their meeting.
What about those things in the kitchen yesterday?
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