The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 456: Chapter 447: I Am the Vicious Eldest Sister-in-Law 34

Anning brought out the soap she had made with Xu Minruo.

Xu Zhiqin took it and looked it over: ”What is this?”

Xu Zhiyong also looked towards Anning.

Anning took a piece of dirty clothing and placed it into the water, first trying to wash it with the ash commonly used by people, but it wouldn’t come clean even after a long time.

Then she changed to a basin of clean water, took another equally dirty piece of clothing, soaked it in the water for a moment and then washed it with the soap. In just a moment, the dirt was washed away cleanly.

”This, this...”

Xu Zhiqin’s eyes shone with amazement.

Through this small piece of soap, he had already seen countless coins flying towards him.

Xu Zhiyong didn’t have that sharp wit and, after thinking for a long time, still didn’t know what else this thing was good for besides washing clothes.

Xu Zhiqin gave him a nudge: ”Second brother, we can make this to sell. As long as the price isn’t too expensive, not just the wealthy households, but also the ordinary people will need it.”

Anning then smiled: ”We can make even better ones, add dried grass and essential oils to it. Not only can it wash clothes, but it can also be used to wash faces and hands. This can be sold to the young masters and ladies of the wealthy families; definitely for a higher price. Then make some ordinary ones, in larger quantities, to sell to the common people. In this way, we cover all bases.”

Xu Zhiqin continued: ”Those young masters and ladies from wealthy families won’t feel like they’re degrading themselves by using the same product as the common people, and the common folk can afford it. It’s truly a great deed.”

Xu Zhiyong realized belatedly; only now did he understand this business could be done this way.

At this point, he also thought about how selling this soap would certainly make a fortune, and he became spirited.

At this time, Old Madam coughed: ”This is a recipe specially figured out by your sister-in-law for you guys. Today, I only asked for you two to come and not for the rest of your families, because this recipe must remain in our Xu Family hands. You must keep it from your wives. Understand?”

Xu Zhiyong immediately nodded: ”Understood.”

He actually didn’t have much feeling for Mrs. Feng now.

Not just because Mrs. Feng took money to her parental home, but also because after he broke his leg, the way she treated him was really unlike before.

When he just broke his leg, in pain and unable to sleep night after night, Mrs. Feng didn’t bother with him at all, and it was his eldest daughter who tended to him and helped him through those tough times.

After that incident, Xu Zhiyong saw through the coldness in Mrs. Feng’s bones.

He had long since lost trust in Mrs. Feng. Now, he was just getting by, for the children’s sake.

Xu Zhiyong didn’t want to find a stepmother for the children and thus tolerated Mrs. Feng to some extent.

However, while he could tolerate minor things, for such major matters concerning the family’s livelihood, he was definitely wary of Mrs. Feng.

Xu Zhiqin also nodded incessantly.

His relationship with Mrs. Li was good.

The Li family wasn’t extreme like the Feng Family, but Mrs. Li also always kept her parental family in mind.

On such an important recipe, Xu Zhiqin also had to be cautious with Mrs. Li.

Otherwise, if Mrs. Li takes the recipe to the Li family, he would become the criminal of the Xu Family.

The two brothers stood up to thank Anning, who then meticulously explained the soap recipe to them, including a step-by-step detailed description of the soap-making process.

After they had taken notes, Anning said, ”From tomorrow on, you will come here to learn soap-making. I will have Dad supervise the process for you until you have mastered it without any errors. Only then will you be considered adept.”

Xu Zhiqin and Xu Zhiyong thanked her profusely upon hearing this.

In the following days, indeed, Xu Zhiyong and Xu Zhiqin came to report daily.

When Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Li asked them about it, they brushed them off, saying it was not women’s place to concern themselves with outside affairs, essentially not telling either woman anything.

And so, after ten or fifteen days, Xu Zhiyong and Xu Zhiqin truly understood the soap-making process and became quite skilled at it.

Later on, the old master took the two brothers to see the village chief, bought a piece of land by the river in the village, and built a few small houses for the brothers. Xu Zhiyong and Xu Zhiqin no longer sought outside work, and after purchasing the necessary supplies for soap-making, they began to work diligently.

Anning observed them for a few days and saw that the brothers were tight-lipped and acted deliberately and thoughtfully, so she knew they were aware of what was important and wouldn’t make big mistakes, leading her to feel relieved.

Afterwards, Anning had the old master find the village chief and other respected elders of Xiao Guan Village to discuss building a tofu shop and a soy sauce workshop.

It was the Old Madam’s idea to have a tofu shop.

Once, Anning had mentioned making tofu. Although she did not make it herself, she instructed Liu Bao’s family to make some, resulting in silky and tender tofu that didn’t fall apart when stewed, and it was particularly tasty. After tasting it, the Old Madam claimed it was the best tofu within miles.

Later, when Anning brought up the idea of helping everyone become prosperous, the Old Madam suggested building a tofu shop.

Anning thought it was feasible and discussed it with the old master.

During this discussion with the village chief and the elders, the old master also relayed Anning’s words: ”The tofu shop is a surefire business. If the tofu is too soft, we can sell tofu pudding. If it doesn’t sell, we can make dried tofu. Even if it spoils, we can make fermented tofu. There are many soy products that we can make, so we definitely won’t have to worry about not being able to sell them.”

At that time, everyone only knew about tofu, but had no idea about tofu pudding, soy milk, fermented tofu, dried tofu, etc. Hearing the old master’s explanation, the village chief quickly inquired further.

The old master described it in detail, making several of the elders salivate.

After discussing for several days, they chose a location and spoke with each family’s head about how much money to invest or how many workers to provide. By the end of the year, both the tofu and soy sauce workshops were built.

By the time of the Chinese New Year, Xiao Guan Village’s tofu had already sold to villages miles around, and various other soy products had made their way to Prefecture City and the Capital.

The soy products from Xiao Guan Village were especially tasty and had a long shelf-life, with the dried tofu being the most delicious.

Xiao Guan Village produced various flavors of dried tofu, such as spicy, numbing spicy, charred flavor, five-spice—it was a hit with both adults and children.

Plus, with snacks being scarce in the winter, dried tofu could fill you up, be used as a dish, or eaten as a snack. Almost any family that could afford it would buy some to keep at home for the children to nibble on.

Anning was pleased to see that by the holiday season, every household in Xiao Guan Village had some extra cash, the children were better dressed and fed, and their spirits were uplifted.

With matters in Xiao Guan Village temporarily settled, Anning’s thoughts turned to the Wen Family.

Although she did not get along with her stepmother Mrs. Yu, Scholar Wen, her father, had truly treated Anning well, and she felt obligated to take the Wen Family into consideration.

After wrapping up her current tasks, she declared she would not take on any more work until after the New Year. Then, after informing the Old Madam, she took her two children to stay with her maternal family for a few days.

As the New Year approached, it was customary for Anning to visit her maternal family, so naturally, the Old Madam did not object.

Moreover, the Old Madam was grateful for Anning’s contributions to the family and quickly packed many gifts for Anning to take back, reminding her, ”Spend more time with your father. I’m here to take care of the family, don’t worry about us.”