Chapter 11: Making Soap

Jiang Yi and Shen Rong bought the necessary daily supplies in Hanyang City, with three strings of cash remaining in hand. After having lunch in the city, the couple hurriedly hitched up the ox cart and headed back to Funiu Village.

The villagers in Funiu had changed their attitude toward Jiang Yi, beginning to see that he was not the village’s complete failure. Jiang Yi inquired around Hanyang City and learned that the largest soap distributor in Hanzhou was Li Fu’s General Store. Soap manufacturing and sales were essentially monopolized by the Li family in Hanzhou, and Li Fu soap was renowned in several neighboring provinces as well.

“With only this little lard, we can’t make much soap. Since our soap will be sold in Hanzhou, it must be better than Li Fu soap.” Throughout history, products have always depended on brand reputation; it’s not easy for a similar new product to sell well quickly. If the selling price is lower than the established brands, it would mean a significant loss.

“Let’s make some for our own use first, then gradually build the reputation of our soap.” Shen Rong followed Jiang Yi to several shops in Hanyang City and realized that soap was indeed a profitable commodity. That day, they managed to buy a pound of lard, most of which had already been purchased by Li Fu’s store.

“If lard isn’t enough, then we’ll use soybean oil; the effect is the same.” Jiang Yi bought a few pounds of soybean oil from the grain shop. The ingredients needed for making soap included clam shells or quicklime, lard or soybean oil, wood ash, and salt. The main component in clam shells was calcium carbonate; if clam shells weren’t available, quicklime could substitute. Burning wood ash produced soda ash.

Shen Rong lit a fire and boiled water, preparing to make lye water. They placed the clam shells in the stove to calcine; once done, Jiang Yi used tongs to take them out and crushed them into powder. The couple divided their tasks, first preparing the soap ingredients. Jiang Yi crushed the clam shells with a wooden pestle—a physically demanding job. Then, the clam shell powder was mixed into the wood ash.

The water was heated, and the wood ash was boiled in the pot. They stirred it with a spoon and, after boiling, let it cool before filtering. The lye water was essential to saponify the soybean oil or lard. Shen Rong added fragrant herbs into a clay pot to infuse the soap with fragrance. After cooling, they filtered out the wood ash using gauze.

The filtered lye water was left to settle for several hours; the lard was left unheated for the time being. They cleaned a bamboo tube thoroughly and wiped it dry with a cloth. The couple worked diligently until evening, having prepared all the materials needed for soap making.

They ground the coarse salt into a fine powder, then added it to a basin containing the lard and soybean oil. They added the other ingredients and stirred continuously. Once the lard and soybean oil mixture reached a paste-like consistency, it was poured into the bamboo tubes.

“Making soap isn’t that difficult, just a bit tiring,” Shen Rong said, feeling the soreness in her arms but filled with joy at the soap they had made. “Once the soap solidifies, we’ll cut it into bars. If left to saponify for another month, it will be ready for use.” To create various patterns, they would need molds with designs.

“The soap smells wonderful. If it had beautiful patterns, it would definitely sell for a good price.” Shen Rong believed that the soap her husband made was even better than that sold by Li Fu’s store.

“If we want to sell it, it’s best to produce soap bars with consistent patterns and shapes. Selling plain soap would at best break even.” They couldn’t mass-produce yet, as manpower was limited. Soap making was time-consuming and labor-intensive, making large-scale sales impossible in the short term.

“Once the soap solidifies, should we give a few bars to Aunt Li?” Shen Rong felt grateful for the past help from Li Cuiyun and Chang Youliang and wanted to gift them some soap. Jiang Yi agreed, “Once the soap solidifies, we’ll give them some.”

“Don’t tell others how to make soap; this is our secret to getting rich. Once I have all the materials ready, I’ll recruit some people to produce it on a large scale.” By dividing the work among recruits, they could establish an assembly line for soap production and have them sign confidentiality agreements.

“Let’s make some soap for ourselves first and test the results.” Li’s family dominated soap sales in Hanzhou, so competing with them required thorough preparation. “I heard Li Fu soap has a legacy of over a hundred years and is sold in several neighboring provinces. Even high officials in Gaojing use their soap.”

Shen Rong worried that her husband’s soap might not sell well, given Li Fu’s monopoly over the market in Hanzhou and nearby provinces. “That’s the power of branding; an old and trusted name means quality is recognized by all. Just wait and see—our soap will definitely sell well in Daliang and even neighboring countries.” As long as the quality was good, sales would not be a problem.

The government did not strictly regulate soap, as it was not a strategic commodity. “We can give soap to some relatives and friends to use and have them spread the word about its quality, essentially advertising for us.” “Advertising? That sounds interesting,” Shen Rong said, unfamiliar with the term but beginning to understand.

“It means spreading the word widely. For example, if you find my soap good, you tell others. When others try it and agree, more people will come to buy it.” Once a product’s reputation is established, many will purchase it.

“I have an even better method for making soap. When we produce it, it will definitely be superior in quality to Li Fu’s soap.” The soap-making technique was not complicated, even without modern manufacturing equipment. However, production volume was limited due to the lengthy saponification time.

Jiang Yi placed five bamboo tubes under the window in the inner room, sealing one end of each tube. After the soap solidified, they would cut it into pieces and give some to those close to them.

After dinner, the couple sat by the stove making wheat bran fish bait. Jiang Yi planned to fish by the river the next day, keeping a few for themselves and selling the rest in Hanyang City.

“We still have 3,256 wen. If we’re frugal, that should last us over two months,” Shen Rong said, placing the money into a cloth bag but still worried about theft during the night.

“Since Niu Er was sent to the government authorities, I wonder what sentence he will get. I’m worried someone might try to steal our money tonight.” Shen Rong hid the money bag under her pillow and planned to find a better hiding place the next day.

“Niu Er might be sentenced to death by hanging or possibly exile.” News of Niu Er’s arrest had spread through Shuangma Township, serving as a deterrent to the idlers and troublemakers.

Jiang Yi tied a string of bells behind the door of the main room so that if anyone entered, the bells would ring. “Don’t go out unless necessary these days. Tigers from Niutou Mountain have been spotted near several villages.”

“If a tiger appears in the village, everyone would be in great danger. Hopefully, the government will send troops to hunt it,” Shen Rong said anxiously.

“You might not realize it, but mobilizing troops is a complicated matter that requires significant resources and funds,” Jiang Yi explained. The government might offer a bounty to organize villagers to hunt the tiger, which officials considered cost-effective.

Shen Rong trusted Jiang Yi’s words. “Isn’t the government and army supposed to protect the people? Don’t they want to help? We pay plenty of taxes every year; surely they care about our lives.”

“The government will issue a reward; anyone who kills the tiger and brings it to the authorities can claim the bounty.” The government wouldn’t ignore the issue; money could solve many problems. As long as the people didn’t cause trouble, local officials would be grateful.

“Let’s wait for news from the government in the next few days. If anyone dares to form a team to hunt the tiger, each person could earn several jars of money.” Despite the promise of heavy rewards attracting brave men, apart from Jiang Yi and Chang Youliang, villagers of Funiu would definitely not dare to go. They valued their lives more than money.

Jiang Yi blew out the oil lamp and gently caressed Shen Rong’s face, which felt somewhat cold and rough. Ordinary families in Daliang had little entertainment and lived by going to bed early and rising early.