After pondering for a while, Yang Shikui asked with a wry smile: "Brother-in-law, you don't want to sell Guanzi, how can lard wash clothes?" Isn't this the more you wash, the dirtier it gets! ”

"Yes." Zhixiu nodded in agreement, "Lard laundry is really unheard of. ”

"Haha, you don't know that." Cui Wenqing smiled quite proudly, and then smiled and said solemnly, "Lard can't be washed directly, but it can be made into something called soap through a certain method, and the dirt can be cleaned up and the oil stain removed." ”

"Soap?" Zhixiu had never heard of this word at all, so she naturally frowned deeply and looked puzzled.

Cui Wenqing said with a smile: "The soap has not been made yet, when the production is completed, I will send another piece of soap to Sister Xiu, and keep it to your satisfaction." ”

Zhixiu was inconvenient to ask in detail, so she smiled happily and said, "Okay, I'll see what kind of ghost you can make." ”

When I returned to Xiuzhu Courtyard with the evening soup, the lard in the iron pot was bubbling, and the lotus leaf had already sifted through the bag of plant ash from the kitchen.

These plant ashes are fine ashes formed after the wood is fully burned, and it has a fine-grained shape and is grayish-white in color, which looks a bit like starch.

But this kind of thing is not edible, but is an important ingredient in making soap, mainly to produce alkaline water.

Cui Wenqing once saw a report in the past, specializing in the production of plant ash handmade soap, which is also an attempt by some housewives to avoid chemical contamination of clothes in order to pursue a healthy life.

According to the report, the production of alkaline water is to soak the plant ash in cold water for a week to obtain alkaline water with higher strength, but some people can directly soak it in hot water, and you can immediately get alkaline water with higher alkalinity, but the alkaline water obtained in this way is relatively turbid, and the soap produced is afraid that it is not very beautiful in color.

Cui Wenqing promised to compensate Sima Wei's skirt after three days, and it was impossible to wait for a week, so he retreated and prepared to soak the ashes directly in hot water to get alkaline water.

Just do it if you think about it, Cui Wenqing instructed the lotus leaf to boil a bucket of hot water, and just pour the ashes of the plants and trees into it and stir it thoroughly.

He had no experience in making alkaline water for the first time, and he always felt as if he had put too much ash in the plants, and the hot water after mixing it was extremely turbid.

But now there is no way to regret it, even if there are more, it can only be used.

When everything was busy and the lard was all boiled properly, Cui Wenqing thought for a while, and decided that there was no need to worry, and he was ready to let the ash water of the plants and trees precipitate for a day, and then make it tomorrow.

Early the next morning, he still went to Guozijian to study, and after lunch, he came to Chen Ningmo to continue to listen to her lectures, and his life was extremely fulfilling.

However, Sima Wei and Nan Mingli were very puzzled by Cui Wenqing's behavior.

said that he was going to buy cloth and find a tailor to make a long skirt, but he was in the country and couldn't take action.

It was strange that he had to find another way to clean his dress, and that he had not been seen to buy anything at the market.

When Nan Mingli sent the family member to Yang Mansion to inquire about the news reported Cui Wenqing's actions yesterday, Nan Mingli and Sima Wei couldn't help but be deeply surprised.

"What do you say? After Cui Wenqing went back, he borrowed a cauldron and boiled lard in the courtyard? Nan Mingli's eyes widened, shocked and surprised.

"Yes, Childe." The Ding nodded honestly and said, "The little one secretly asked a cook in the Yang Mansion, after Cui Wenqing went back yesterday, he boiled lard in the courtyard where he lived, and the entire Yang Mansion was full of the smell of lard." ”

"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Sure, that's right."

Nan Mingli nodded, thinking about it but not understanding Cui Wenqing's intentions, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Sima Wei was also puzzled, and asked in a deep voice: "By the way, do you know Cui Wenqing's identity in the Yang Mansion?" What is the relationship with Yang Wenguang? ”

Jia Ding replied: "What does it seem that the chef doesn't know very well, but everyone calls him cousin?" ”

"Cousin?"

Sima Wei was stunned, and was pondering the relationship between the two by title, Nan Mingli already shook his hand and said, "What cousin, it's not those distant relatives who can't beat with eight poles, in short, we have to figure out Cui Wenqing's intention to boil lard." ”

Sima Wei was right to think about it, and agreed with her chin: "Okay, just continue to listen to Cui Wenqing's actions, and if there is anything particularly strange, report it immediately." ”

"No." The family respectfully bowed his hand, and then turned around and hurried away.

Seeing him leave, Sima Wei sighed lightly, and then said the words hidden in her heart: "Brother Nan, I don't know why, I always have a bad premonition. ”

"Are you afraid that Cui Wenqing will be able to lose your skirt by then?" Nan Mingli asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, if that's the case, Brother Nan, you have to apologize in public."

"Don't worry, even if he Cui Wenqing has all kinds of skills, it is impossible to lose an identical skirt."

"Having said that, but ......" Sima Wei hesitated for a while, but didn't know how to say the doubts in her heart, and sighed with a smile, "I'm always a little worried." ”

Nan Mingli snorted coldly: "There's no need for this, there are still two days left, I want to see what tricks Cui Wenqing can play." ”

※※※

Returning to the Yang Mansion from Guozijian, Cui Wenqing immediately went to Xiuzhu Academy to continue to be busy.

After yesterday's precipitation, the impurities floating in the ash water of the plants and trees have been much less, and almost all the impurities have been precipitated at the bottom.

Cui Wenqing personally took the wooden scoop and scooped out the pure grass and wood ash water from the wooden barrel one by one, and put it into a clean container.

The precipitated plant ash water is the color of maltose and contains alkaline water, which is indispensable for making soap.

Cui Wenqing didn't wait much, and ordered the lotus leaf to put a small piece of lard in the iron pot, and then he added an appropriate amount of grass ash alkali water and began to boil it over slow heat.

The water and oil were mixed together, and when heated by fire, they quickly crackled, and the bursts of green smoke were also rising.

After a while, the alkaline water and lard were completely fused, and the oil surface gradually appeared like blisters, and it looked like the lines on the skin, which was very clear.

After waiting for a while, Cui Wenqing added a small amount of green salt to the iron pot and slowly began to stir.

His purpose in doing this was also to increase the hardness of the soap, so that the soap could be easily formed.

I don't know how long it has been boiled, and when he estimates that the water is almost ready, he extinguishes the firewood under the iron pot, and carefully pours the thick liquid in the iron pot into the small wooden box that has been prepared long ago, filling a total of seven wooden boxes.

After everything was busy, it was late at night, and Cui Wenqing knew that the liquid in the box was still hot and could not be formed, so he went back to his room to rest, preparing to continue tomorrow.

(End of chapter)