Chapter Ninety-Two: My Sister and I Must Attend to Our Benefactor

There was no soap in this world.

To clean clothing, people usually wrapped pebbles in water and scrubbed them by hand.

That did immense damage to the fabric, and the results were far from satisfactory.

But if there were soap, everything would be different.

The method for making soap was quite simple.

One only needed to mix pork fat, salt, and an alkaline plant ash, then cook the mixture until it cooled and set.

Qin Zhen immediately ran to the back kitchen and began at once.

“What are you doing, benefactor?” Little Daiyu trailed after him like an inquisitive child, watching him fuss about with bright curiosity.

“I’m making something that can wash clothes clean,” Qin Zhen explained as he stirred the boiling pot with a wooden stick. “The soap I mentioned before. With this, no matter how filthy the clothes are, they can be made new again.”

“Is there really such a miraculous thing?” Little Daiyu asked in wonder.

“There wasn’t before. Now there is.” Qin Zhen was genuinely excited, all his weariness swept away.

Laundry was an essential need.

And anything tied to essential needs was, of course, a business with enormous profit.

One could easily imagine the look on the faces of the common people, tormented by clothes that were nearly impossible to wash, when they discovered soap that could truly clean garments.

What was more, this thing was not only for washing clothes; it could also cleanse the body. Combined with honey, it would be nothing less than a natural perfume.

Qin Zhen dared not guarantee anything else, but young ladies of fine upbringing like Miss Ying’er would surely go mad for it.

After staying awake through the night to tend the fire, the soap finally hardened into shape.

Seeing the yellow, brick-like bar, Little Daiyu looked full of suspicion.

“Can this really wash clothes clean?”

“Try it and you’ll know.”

Qin Zhen picked up the tattered, filthy black garment and rubbed it with the soap under hot water. Very quickly, the grime was washed away, revealing the white fabric beneath.

“Your clothes are actually white?” Qin Zhen was stunned.

That was beyond filthy.

“Wow! It really does wash clean!” Little Daiyu tried it herself. Watching the ruined garment gradually return to its original appearance, she felt excitement, and even more than that, gratitude toward Qin Zhen.

“This is only my first time making soap, so I’m still a bit clumsy. Once I study it more and figure out a mold, maybe add some honey and make it fragrant, this thing will absolutely sell like hot cakes!” Qin Zhen already seemed to see endless golden mountains pouring toward him.

“Benefactor, you truly know so much!” Little Daiyu’s eyes shone with admiration.

“What’s so special about that? I just learned it earlier than you did. Now don’t you know it too?” Qin Zhen didn’t think much of making soap himself. He was merely standing on the shoulders of giants and borrowing their light.

“Benefactor, we must never let anyone else know about this.” A mature light flashed across Little Daiyu’s youthful face; she understood all too well that possession of a treasure invites trouble.

Years of hardship had long since sharpened her mind. Though she was young, her heart had already grown mature.

“I’ll leave this matter to you.”

“Me?” Little Daiyu’s mouth fell open.

“Spend the next few days finding a way to make some samples. I’ll have Li Han help you.”

Qin Zhen, who had not slept all night, was now overwhelmed by drowsiness. Yawning, he turned around and staggered upstairs to sleep.

He left Little Daiyu alone, staring blankly at the soap.

How could Qin Zhen not understand how important soap was?

That trust left Little Daiyu both flustered and deeply honored.

She clenched her small fists and resolved herself. “Benefactor, just wait and see. I won’t let you down!”

Qin Zhen slept until afternoon.

When he woke, the inn was empty; he guessed Li Han had taken everyone out to set up their stalls.

He was just about to go to the kitchen to find something to eat when he saw a small, thin figure swaying unsteadily before a steaming pot.

He hurried over and pulled Little Daiyu upright, saying sternly, “If you’re tired, go back to sleep. Why are you standing here nodding off? Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall headfirst into the pot?”

Little Daiyu rubbed her eyes groggily, a little embarrassed.

“Go back and sleep. I’ll watch over things.” Qin Zhen waved her away.

Then he set to work himself, thinking about how to give the soap a scent and turn it into perfumed soap.

Qin Zhen was only an ordinary person, with limited knowledge. He couldn’t know everything, and he had no experience in this area.

Perhaps because he was hungry, the very idea of extracting fragrance made him instinctively think of a short video he had once seen of hotpot broth being prepared.

The broth makers would toss scallions, ginger, and other aromatics into the oil, frying and simmering them until they were crisp, then fish them out. The oil left behind would carry the scent of the aromatics.

“Maybe I should throw the spices into the pot and cook them together too?”

Qin Zhen muttered to himself, about to give it a try, when he suddenly felt like slapping himself.

“Hotpot! I can make hotpot too!”

How could he have forgotten something so profitable?

A whole street of hotpot restaurants, massage services, foot baths, and opera performances—how could that possibly fail to make money?

Of course, Qin Zhen could hardly be blamed.

He had been far too poor before. Every day it had been wild greens with chalky earth just to keep from starving, so long ago that he had nearly forgotten what meat tasted like. How could he have thought of such a thing?

Still, that would need to be considered carefully.

But in Qin Zhen’s heart, the wild flame of a business magnate had already been kindled.

At that moment, little Qingwen came over.

Compared with Daiyu, Qingwen was plainly more innocent. Her tender, fair little face held a shy sweetness, and though her voice was soft and childish, she was still just a child.

“Benefactor, my sister asked me to help you.”

Looking at the child who was not even as tall as the stove, Qin Zhen could not help but laugh.

“Go back and stay put. Don’t make trouble.”

“No, no, I can’t go back. If I do, my sister will scold me,” Qingwen pouted. “Please let me stay here, benefactor. I promise I’ll be good and not cause any trouble.”

Who could bear to refuse such a simple, adorable little girl?

“All right then. Sit farther away so the hot broth doesn’t splash you.”

Qingwen obediently dragged over a small stool and sat down, peering into the pot.

“Benefactor, what’s in the pot? It smells so good.”

“Soap.”

“What’s soap?”

The two of them chatted idly, one large and one small. Qingwen was like a little bundle of curiosity, chattering nonstop in a way that was slightly noisy, yet never enough to make Qin Zhen feel bored.

“Don’t keep calling me benefactor in the future. It sounds strange. I’m not much older than you. Just call me brother from now on,” Qin Zhen said, scratching his head.

“Brother?” Qingwen tilted her head, looking very serious as she considered it.

Then, as though she had remembered something, she quickly shook her head and said in her childish voice, “No, no. My sister said we are the benefactor’s maids. We must work like oxen and horses for the benefactor, treat the benefactor with the highest respect, and serve the benefactor for a lifetime. How could we call you brother?”