Chapter 18: A Comparison of Soap and Soapberry

“Deal!”
Xu Hui agreed without hesitation, for it cost her nothing at all.

Since childhood, Xu Hui had always called Xu Mo her cousin, but when he became addicted to gambling and squandered the family’s fortune, she stopped addressing him so. Xu Tieshu had initially intended to prevent the siblings from making a wager, but thought better of it and held his tongue. Xu Mo was so confident; perhaps what he held in his hands was truly superior to soapberry.

He decided to see how things played out.

Xu Hui turned and went inside, fetching a dirty garment. It was something Xu Ping’an wore frequently while working outside, just changed out yesterday and not yet washed.

Next, Xu Hui brought out a wooden basin, filled it with water, and retrieved a small piece of soapberry.

“Xu Mo, I usually can’t bear to use this soapberry, but today’s different…”
“Because soon, with your money, I’ll be able to buy a brand new, bigger piece!”

She was brimming with confidence, certain of victory.

Xu Mo did not argue with her, merely smiled and signaled for her to begin washing.

Without further words, Xu Hui found a hammer and started pounding the soapberry, breaking it into tiny fragments.

The method for using soapberry to wash clothes was different from washing hands. For hands, you simply rubbed out some foam, but for laundry, you had to crush the soapberry first, wrap the fragments in gauze, then immerse them in water, pressing and kneading until a good amount of foam appeared and the garment could be washed.

If this wasn’t done, soapberry bits would stick to the fabric, making cleaning laborious and time-consuming, and wasting the soapberry. Soapberry was expensive, so people used it sparingly—each time, after crushing some, they would press and wash repeatedly until no more foam could be produced before discarding it.

Xu Mo had no memory of these details; watching Xu Hui’s routine now, he realized how troublesome it was to use soapberry for laundry—preparation alone took ten minutes.

Once preparations were complete, Xu Hui was about to begin washing.

But Xu Mo stopped her, suggesting they add a few drops of oil to the garment first, to more clearly compare the stain-removing power of each.

Xu Hui, eager for Xu Mo to lose convincingly, promptly fetched cooking oil from the kitchen and dripped several drops onto the garment.

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Then Xu Hui industriously scrubbed the oil-stained area with the soapberry solution.

After roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Hui lifted the garment, satisfied, and said to Xu Mo, “Look! See? Clean as can be!”

Xu Mo stepped closer for a look, noticing that the oil stains hadn’t been completely removed; faint traces were still visible.

“Wait… you call this ‘clean’? I’m not blind—the oil stains are still right there!” Xu Mo pointed to the garment.

Xu Hui frowned. “What do you know? Getting it this clean is already impressive. If you want it spotless, you’d have to wash it three or four times at least!”

“Not so! With my soap, it’s possible!” Xu Mo declared loudly.

Xu Hui immediately scoffed, “You’re bluffing!”

“Bluffing? Fine, keep your eyes wide open and watch closely!”

With that, Xu Mo had Xu Hui fetch a basin of clean water and dripped a few drops of cooking oil onto another dry part of the garment.

Once the oil had soaked in, Xu Mo placed the stained section in the water, then wetted his bar of soap and began to rub it vigorously.

As he scrubbed, Xu Mo remarked, “Cousin, isn’t it a hassle using soapberry for laundry? You have to crush it and squeeze out the foam. Look at my soap—just use it directly, rub wherever it’s dirty. Couldn’t be more convenient!”

As he spoke, a generous amount of foam appeared—far more abundant than the modest bubbles produced by soapberry.

Xu Hui, watching from the side, was inwardly startled. How could there be so much foam? Was this soap really better than soapberry?

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Mo finished scrubbing and rinsed the garment clean in the water.

He lifted the garment for inspection, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Cousin, come take a look—now this is truly spotless!” Xu Mo said.

Xu Hui, skeptical, leaned in for a close inspection, but no matter how she searched, she could not find any trace of the oil stain.

“No way—it really came clean!” she exclaimed in amazement.

Xu Tieshu walked over, took the garment, and carefully compared the two spots that had been washed.

“Xu Mo, where did you get this soap? It’s even better than soapberry!” he asked.

With that question, the outcome was clear: soap was superior to soapberry.

Xu Mo replied, “Uncle, I made this soap myself.”

“You made it yourself?” Xu Tieshu was astonished. He had watched Xu Mo grow up, never expecting he possessed such ability.

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Xu Hui was shocked, her first reaction was disbelief. Without thinking, she shook her head and cried, “Impossible!”

But as soon as she spoke, her opinion shifted. It was simple enough to test whether Xu Mo was lying—just have him make soap before her eyes.

At this moment, Xu Mo radiated confidence from head to toe; it seemed likely the soap was indeed his own creation.

Ignoring Xu Hui’s protests, Xu Mo looked earnestly at Xu Tieshu and said, “Uncle, today I’ve come to sincerely invite your family to join me in the soap business!”

At that, Xu Tieshu’s expression grew serious.

Xu Hui reacted instantly, her face alight with joy. “Xu Mo, are you serious? Such a lucrative opportunity—you’re truly willing to let us share in it?”

Xu Mo turned to her and asked, “Cousin, you lost the bet, so why haven’t you changed how you address me?”

Xu Hui pouted, hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Fine, I’ll call you Cousin from now on. Is that good enough?”

Xu Mo smiled and nodded, “That’s better!”

“Hmph.” Xu Hui turned away in mock indignation.

At that moment, Xu Tieshu hesitated, saying, “Xu Mo, you know I’ve never been in business. I only know carpentry. I worry… I worry I’ll hold you back…”

Xu Mo replied, “Uncle, you needn’t worry at all. I invited you precisely because I value your and Ping’an’s skills as carpenters!”

He went on to explain the importance of soap molds.

Xu Tieshu listened, nodding repeatedly. Only now did he understand the purpose behind Xu Mo’s request for molds.

“Xu Mo, this is all quite sudden. Maybe… let me think it over?” Xu Tieshu remained uncertain.

Xu Hui grew anxious, sensing immediately the great business opportunity. She urged, “Dad! Xu Mo’s soap business will surely make a fortune. Don’t hesitate—just say yes!”

Xu Mo added, “Yes, Uncle. Don’t hesitate. When we make money, you can arrange a marriage for Ping’an, and find a good husband for my cousin!”

Xu Hui blushed at once. “Who… who needs a husband? I’m not getting married!”

Xu Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

Perhaps his words struck home, for Xu Tieshu finally made up his mind, nodding firmly. “Alright! We’ll do this business together!”