Chapter 17: The Birth of Soap

“Achoo!”
As soon as Xu Mo stepped into his own courtyard, he suddenly sneezed.
Hearing the sound, Chen Miaoyi immediately came out from the main room, delightedly saying, “Husband, you’ve come back at just the right time—the soap is ready! Come have a look.”
Xu Mo hurried inside to inspect the soap that had solidified in the pot.
“It looks pretty good. Let’s give it a try.”
As he spoke, Xu Mo found a knife and dug out a small piece of soap from the pot.
“Miaoyi, help me fetch a basin of water,” he said.
Obedient as ever, Chen Miaoyi ran to the kitchen and brought back a basin of clear water.
Then, the two began to wash their hands with the soap.
In the blink of an eye, both Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi’s hands became spotlessly clean.
When they brought their hands close for a sniff, a fresh scent of soap lingered on their skin.
“Hmm, not bad!” Xu Mo was very satisfied with the soap’s cleansing effect, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Chen Miaoyi felt the same—looking at her fair, clean hands, she happily said, “Husband, this is much better than soap pods. There’s no trace of grease left, and it smells so wonderful.”
She brought her hands to her nose and inhaled the fragrance again.
Xu Mo laughed, “Miaoyi, you call this wonderful? If I added spices or flower petals, your whole body would be fragrant after washing—how would you describe that?”
From the very beginning of making soap, Xu Mo had thought about scented soap, though now was not the time to launch it.
“Husband, you can add spices and flower petals inside?” Chen Miaoyi asked in surprise.
Xu Mo nodded, “Of course. Soap with added fragrance is called scented soap; without it, it’s just soap. Scented soap is used for bathing and washing hands, regular soap for laundry, each has its own purpose, and their prices will differ.”
Speaking of price, Chen Miaoyi couldn’t help but ask, “Husband, how much do you plan to sell each bar for?”
Xu Mo hadn’t yet decided on the price for soap, so he asked, “Miaoyi, how are soap pods usually sold in the market?”
After thinking for a moment, Chen Miaoyi replied seriously, “If it’s the month when soap pods are ripe, there are many in the market, so the price is a bit cheaper—about ninety coins a pound...
If it’s not the ripe month, soap pods are much more expensive, like now: shops are selling them for a hundred and fifty or sixty coins a pound!”
Xu Mo nodded slowly after hearing this, gaining a better sense of the market.
“Miaoyi, I’ll think more about the price for soap. For now, please fetch me two strings of coins—I need to visit Uncle’s house.”
Chen Miaoyi had already prepared two strings of coins and immediately handed them to Xu Mo.
Xu Mo wrapped a fist-sized piece of soap in cloth, then strode out the door.

On the way to Uncle’s house, Xu Mo took the opportunity to inquire about the price of soap pods.
It was currently March, more than half a year away from the soap pod harvest.
Good quality soap pods in the market were selling for a hundred and sixty coins a pound; those of lesser quality still cost a hundred and forty coins. For ordinary people, this was quite expensive.
Xu Mo calculated the cost of soap as he walked, pondering how to price it.
Before he knew it, he arrived at Uncle’s house in Sweetwater Lane.
He knocked on the door a few times, and Xu Hui came to open it.
“Father, Xu Mo is here.”
Xu Hui didn’t greet Xu Mo; she simply turned and called into the house, then went back to her own tasks.
Xu Mo entered the courtyard, closing the gate behind him, and asked, “Cousin, are you really that displeased with me?”
Without even looking at him, Xu Hui replied irritably, “It’s not hard for me to be pleased with you—just pay back the money! Once you do, not only will I welcome you with a smile, I’ll even make you tea!”
“Are you serious?” Xu Mo asked for confirmation.
“Of course I am!” she replied.
Xu Mo immediately lifted the large bundle of coins and patted it, saying, “Cousin, hurry and make that tea then!”
He handed the coins to Xu Hui.
Xu Hui was taken aback, quickly opening the bundle to find it filled with coins.
“How... how do you have so much money?” she was stunned.
Xu Mo smiled, “Cousin, don’t worry about how I got it. I’m thirsty and want tea—go on, make it!”
Just as he finished speaking, Uncle Xu Tieshu came out of the house.
“What’s going on?” Xu Tieshu hadn’t noticed what had happened.
Xu Hui ran up to him with the coins, “Father, look! All this money was brought by Xu Mo—how does he have so much?”
Xu Tieshu was equally shocked by the large bundle of coins and quickly asked, “Xu Mo, what’s the meaning of this money?”
Xu Mo bowed respectfully to Xu Tieshu, his expression and tone earnest, “Uncle, thank you for repaying my debts in the past and taking care of me as family. This money is to repay you!”
Xu Tieshu’s face darkened slightly. “Xu Mo, how did you come by this money? If you can’t explain its origins, I won’t accept it!”
Xu Mo explained how he’d provided advice to the Zhenxiu Restaurant and that this was part of the reward from Ning Yongqiang.
Xu Tieshu and Xu Hui shook their heads in disbelief, recalling that Xu Mo used to be a bookworm, stubborn and rigid, not someone a restaurant would consult for advice.
Left with no choice, Xu Mo resorted to swearing and oath-making, which finally made uncle and cousin reluctantly believe him.

“This isn’t just one string—you’ve brought extra!” said Xu Tieshu.
Xu Mo replied, “Uncle, it’s two strings. I said before I’d repay you double.”
But Xu Tieshu refused to take more, “No need, no need. It’s hard enough for you to earn money; one string is enough!”
He instructed Xu Hui to count out one string and return it to Xu Mo.
Xu Mo stopped her, then said, “Uncle, I didn’t just come to repay you today. There’s something else!”
“Don’t worry, those three hundred molds are already finished—wait a moment...”
Xu Tieshu assumed Xu Mo meant the molds and turned to fetch them from the backyard.
Xu Mo hurriedly called him back, “Uncle, I’m not talking about the molds...”
Hearing this, Xu Tieshu returned, curious.
At that moment, Xu Mo took out a cloth-wrapped object from his chest, roughly the size of a fist, neither round nor square.
“Uncle, cousin, try this first.”
Xu Mo smiled as he presented the soap.
“What’s this?” Xu Hui asked, intrigued.
Xu Mo explained, “Cousin, this is called soap. It’s a cleaning product that can completely replace soap pods—whether for bathing, washing hands, washing hair, or laundering clothes, it works wonders!”
Xu Hui scrutinized the soap carefully, then shook her head, “I don’t believe it! This yellowish lump can’t possibly be better than soap pods.”
“Xu Mo, let’s not talk about this now—Uncle will take you to see those three hundred molds in the backyard,” said Xu Tieshu, clearly unconvinced that Xu Mo’s creation could replace soap pods, thus changing the subject.
Seeing their disbelief, Xu Mo grew anxious and quickly said, “Cousin, if you don’t believe me, shall we make a wager?”
“What kind of wager?” Xu Hui frowned slightly.
Xu Mo replied, “Find a dirty garment now and wash it with this soap. If it doesn’t clean as well as soap pods, I’ll call you ‘grand aunt’ and give you five hundred coins!”
“Deal!” The mention of five hundred coins made Xu Hui immediately agree. “Xu Mo, don’t regret this!”
“Never!” Xu Mo declared firmly, then asked, “But if it cleans better than soap pods, what then?”
Xu Hui paused, then said, “I don’t have any money.”
Xu Mo smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, I don’t want your money. I have only one request: if soap proves better than soap pods, from now on you must call me cousin brother!”