Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 22: Was Soap Already Existing in Ancient Times? [Please Read More]

Xia He said, "The cook's surname is Qiu, and her given name is Sanniang, so we all call her Qiu Sanniang."

Liu Kuan asked again, "How old is Qiu Sanniang? What did she do before?"

Xia He said, "She seems to be around thirty-five or thirty-six. She must have been a cook in the past. I don't know which family she worked for."

Liu Kuan nodded, "She cooks good food."

"I will tell Qiu Sanniang later. She will definitely be happy to hear it."

Liu Kuan smiled and quickened his eating pace.

After a while, he had finished the millet porridge and two steamed buns, and only ate about half of the four dishes - although the portions were small, it was still more than he could finish by himself.

Liu Kuan didn't think it was a waste either.

Because he knew that the slaves would take care of the leftovers.

Most servants in charge of the kitchen would even deliberately cook more food for their masters and eat the leftovers.

Because in most families, the meals of the master and the servants are not cooked on the same stove, so naturally there is a big difference in what they eat.

Liu Kuan also noticed that when Dongmei was standing there before, she was staring at the fish soup on the table and secretly swallowing her saliva...
"Please rinse your mouth, sir."

When Liu Kuan was about to get up and leave the side hall, Xia He poured a bowl of tea and handed it to him.

'If she hadn't told me, I would have probably drunk it carelessly.'

Thinking of this in his heart, Liu Kuan couldn't help but lick his lips with a slight smile.

Xia He used a special porcelain container to collect his mouthwash.

Liu Kuan was quite uncomfortable, but didn't say anything.

"It seems I will fall quickly."

After sighing in his heart, Liu Kuan said, "If there is nothing else, I will go to the study. By the way, after Chunlan and Qiuyue finish their dinner, let them come to the study to continue the afternoon's work."

"Yes." Xia He responded first, then asked, "When will you take a bath, sir?"

"Before bed, I'll tell you then."

After saying that, Liu Kuan left the side hall.

"It's nice to have someone to wait on me. I don't have to wash the dishes after dinner."

Before traveling through time, Liu Kuan worked alone outside, so he must have cooked and washed dishes by himself.

If we are at home, since my eldest brother has married and moved out, it is actually my father who cooks and he washes the dishes.

As for my mother, she is responsible for washing the family's clothes, bedding, etc., and rarely goes into the kitchen.

He remembers that his mother did the daily cleaning, mopping and other housework when he was a child, but when he was in junior high school, his father, he and his brother started to do it.

Thinking of this, Liu Kuan sat down on the chair in the study and stared at the dim oil lamp in a daze.

Less than a day later, he already missed his dad and mom...

At some point, Chunlan and Qiuyue arrived outside the study and knocked on the door. "Master, this servant is here."

Liu Kuan came back to his senses and said, "The door is not locked, come in."

The two maids entered the study and bowed to Liu Kuan again.

Liu Kuan said, "Among the gifts given by the Empress today are candles, right? Go and get a couple. This will prevent the weak light from the oil lamp from hurting your eyes."

In the eyes of Chunlan and Qiuyue, the light from the computer screen was already very bright.

So Qiuyue said, "Sir, the study is bright enough. Wouldn't it be a waste to use candles?"

Candles were still relatively valuable in the early Ming Dynasty, but ordinary people were frugal with oil lamps at home and could not even afford them, let alone candles - they would only buy candles when they were absolutely necessary for sacrifices and other occasions.

Even in the imperial palace and the homes of the rich and powerful, people tried to use candles sparingly.

Liu Kuan said, "Candles are indeed valuable, but eyesight is even more valuable. I really want you to wear glasses from now on because you are helping me copy documents."

Although the two maids did not know what "glasses" were, they could tell that Liu Kuan asked them to use candles for their own good, and they were quite touched for a moment.

Then he obediently went to the storeroom to get candles.

It took a long time before the two of them brought the candles - probably because the process was not very smooth.

Liu Kuan didn't ask any more questions and lit a candle. With the addition of the original oil lamp and the light from the computer screen, the brightness finally reached a higher level.

So the three of them continued their afternoon "work".

About an hour later, when the time on the computer was almost 9 o'clock in the evening, Liu Kuan saw Chunlan dozing off uncontrollably beside him, and then he realized that it was already very late for Chunlan and Qiuyue.

At this time, most people were accustomed to going to bed early and getting up early, and the servants would only get up even earlier.

What's more, Chunlan and Qiuyue were only sent here today. In addition to being tired, they were also worried before. It was not easy for them to hold on until this late.

He stood up and said, "Let's stop here for today. Go back and get some rest."

"Yes."

The two men responded, stood up, saluted Liu Kuan, and then left the study.

Soon Xia He's voice was heard outside the door, "Sir, do you want to take a bath?"

"Well, prepare some hot water."

"Yes."

Liu Kuan turned off the computer, packed his bag, and took out a set of clean underwear from his backpack. As for his coat, it was still clean, so he didn't want to change it today.

Thinking that the computer and other items in the backpack were too important, Liu Kuan was worried even if they were locked in the study, so he sent them to the master bedroom.

As soon as I came out of the master bedroom, I saw Xia He coming.

"Sir, the hot water is ready."

Liu Kuan nodded and went to the "bathroom" with Xia He.

It is actually a wing in the main courtyard used exclusively for the owner to bathe.

When Liu Kuan went in, he found that the screens, chairs, stools and other bathing utensils given by Empress Ma had already been placed inside.

After taking a look at all the items in the bathroom, Liu Kuan's eyes were attracted by a purple object placed in a wide-mouthed porcelain jar.

So he asked Xia He who followed him in, "What is this?"

"Soap." Soap?

Liu Kuan showed a surprised look, thinking he had misheard, and asked, "What is it?"

"Soap." Xia He thought Liu Kuan didn't understand, so she repeated it in a slower Nanjing Mandarin. Then she wondered if there was no soap in Liu Kuan's hometown, and then explained, "It's used to remove dirt when bathing."

Liu Kuan picked up the soap with a complicated expression.

I found that not only the name of this thing is the same as that of later generations, but also its shape is made to be large at both ends and narrow in the middle, like the slender waist of a beauty.

If the material was not obviously different from that of later times, Liu Kuan would have suspected whether a time traveler had been to this time and space.

Liu Kuan knew that soap-like cleaning products had existed in ancient China for a long time, but he never expected that "soap" would exist in the early Ming Dynasty.

It's funny when I think about the scenes in many online novels where the protagonist goes back to ancient times and makes soap, and the people are shocked as if they have never seen anything like it before.

He then asked, "Do you know what this soap is made of?"

Xia He said, "I heard from someone that there is a tree called soapberry in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. Its fruit is more oily than ordinary soapberries."

"Some people use the soap fruit to make something similar to bath beans or soap, calling it fat beads, but some people just call it soap."

"Some merchants and wealthy families add spices when making soap to make it fragrant and pleasant, and they call it perfumed soap."

It is indeed a pure natural soap.

In the future, just because of the gimmick of being purely natural, it might be more popular than chemical soap.

But Liu Kuan feels that this does not mean that the soap-making method of adding animal oil and wood ash was useless in ancient times - this method has a higher output and lower cost, and can produce high-quality and low-cost soap, which would be more popular with the ancient people.

Then, Liu Kuan asked Xia He to introduce some bathing utensils available at the time so that he would not be confused when he needed them.

After Xia He finished her introduction, Liu Kuan said, "Alright, you can go out now."

Xia He was slightly surprised and asked, "Sir, do you need me to help you bathe?"

After hearing this, and looking at Xia He's face, which was not absolutely beautiful but could be considered pretty, Liu Kuan was a little distracted for a moment.

But thinking that he was a newcomer, he finally held back and said, "I'm used to bathing by myself, so I don't need you to wait for me. You just need to wait outside."

Xia He did not insist any further, replied "yes", and walked out with a slightly strange look on her face.

Liu Kuan took a shower very quickly and was finished in less than a quarter of an hour and was out of the bathroom.

Xia He followed him all the way to the master bedroom, then stopped and asked, "Sir, who would you like to be on duty tonight?"

Night duty?

Liu Kuan stood in the master bedroom, looking confused.

Xia He pointed to a small bed outside the master bedroom and said, "According to the rules, one of the four of us should sleep in the outer room. If the young master needs to call for help at night, we will hear and go forward to serve."

Although Liu Kuan had some knowledge of ancient things, he never expected to receive such "treatment".

When he saw a small bed outside the master bedroom, he thought it was put in the master bedroom because there was no place else to put it, and he didn't think much about it.

Who knew it was where the maid slept.

Although there was a partition and a curtain between the inside and the outside, Liu Kuan, as a young man in his twenties, still felt uncomfortable with this matter - not that he didn't want to, but he felt that this might make him distracted at night and unable to fall asleep.

"Does anyone have to sleep here?" he asked.

Xia He said affirmatively, "For the safety of the young master and for his convenience, it would be best if someone sleeps in the outer room."

Liu Kuan remembered that there were two servants among the servants, actually boys in their early teens, so he said, "Is it okay to let one of those two servants sleep here?"

Xia He said, "Xiao Hu and Xiao Rong have never received this kind of training, and they are at an age where they are prone to sleepiness. I'm afraid they won't be competent for the job."

After hearing what Xia He said, Liu Kuan also worried that if there was a fire or assassination at night, the servant outside would not be able to wake him up.

In addition, he was a normal young man after all, and he always had some proper thoughts in his mind, so he said: "Well, you sleep in the outer room tonight."

Hearing this, Xia He couldn't help but smile slightly.

Then she walked into the bedroom and said, "Please undress me, young master."

After saying that, he moved closer.

Liu Kuan quickly took a step back and said, "No need! You may not be able to take off my clothes. I can do it myself."

"Yes."

Xia He was still very obedient. She didn't insist, but stepped aside, as if she was going to watch Liu Kuan take off his clothes.

Fortunately, the master bedroom is divided into two rooms, and Liu Kuan went directly into the inner room and pulled the curtain.

"Xia He, if you want to take a bath or something, go ahead and do it quickly. Don't be busy late and disturb my rest."

"While the young master was working in the study, I had already bathed."

As these words were heard, there was a rustling sound outside. After a while, Xia He said again: "Sir, I am going to turn off the lights."

Liu Kuan was already lying on the bed, his eyes wide open. Hearing this, he said inexplicably, "Turn off the lights."

Lights went out.

Liu Kuan still had his eyes wide open.

At first, I always listened to the noise outside unconsciously.

When only the faint, imperceptible sound of breathing remained outside, his attention was diverted and he recalled what had happened that day.

I just felt like I was in a dream.

"Have I really traveled to the Ming Dynasty?"

This question popped up inexplicably, and he pinched his thigh.

pain!
It hurts!

　Because he had just moved into the mansion, these chapters describe daily life in detail, which can be regarded as a way for Liu Kuan to integrate into life in the early Ming Dynasty.

　　Friends who like dry stuff may find it watery, but a novel certainly cannot be all dry stuff. It needs to be diluted when needed to make it more moist, right?

　　The pace of this novel will not be that fast, but the later part will not describe the protagonist's daily life in such detail, so don't worry.

　　【Please collect, read and vote. 】

　　
　
(End of this chapter)