Crossing the Unknown Country

Grandma Su He and the others hurried home. Su He was looking at the cloth he had dyed in the yard. The color was just average, but it was okay to wear. It would be best if it could be black, so that all three pieces of cloth could be saved. It seemed that he had to go to Baima Town again to find alum stone, iron powder, and lime. There was no need to look for alkaline noodles. He could make alkaline water by boiling and filtering the ash from wood burnt. Su He started making alkaline water while talking, and took out the ashes from under the stove. It was too inconvenient without a pot and fire. The pot at home was directly placed on the stove.

Su He saw that it was crispy and called his brother to dig a pit and make a fire. It was probably to dig two pits, dig through the middle, and then you could make a fire. Take out the casserole, add water to the wood ash, and boil it for a while. Use fine cloth to filter out the light yellow water, which is lye water. Use bamboo to burn when making a fire, and you will have lye water. Boil a little lard. Mix the bamboo ash and lard lye water together, take a bamboo tube and break it in the middle, tie it with a rope, pour the mixed water in, and put a few wild flowers in the house. Let's see what it will look like tomorrow, and the ancient soap will probably be ready.

When using lard, her mother was very distressed, because the oil was precious. But Su He wanted to use it, so she had to grit her teeth and scoop a large spoonful. When she heard that she could make soapberry, she let her make it, because soapberry was precious and they couldn't afford it. Poor people usually wash their faces with clean water, wash their hands with plant ash, and beat clothes with a wooden stick. Her daughter made soapberry for her, so she had to wash her face carefully, because she heard that rich people used it to wash their faces and hands.

Su He made soap and dyed clothes today, and felt very accomplished today. He walked in the yard with small steps to look at the clothes, and then to look at the soap he made. He felt really good, and his life had reached a new level. Personal hygiene can be guaranteed, especially the brothers finally don't have to sleep with dark faces. They always just dipped their faces in water to wash, and their faces were never clean. Father also had a dark face, and never washed it clean.

The next morning, Su He got up and looked at his soap. When the rope was untied, he saw a long gray-white soap bar, which he chopped into several small pieces with a machete. He washed his hands with soap first, and then washed his face. He quickly called his brothers to wash their hands and faces. After they washed their hands with soap, they looked at their hands and touched their faces. They really looked clean. Su He put the remaining pieces in a bamboo tube and prepared to give them to his mother for safekeeping. This is very expensive now, and he has to give it to her, otherwise she will be unhappy.

The three of them looked in the water tank again, and found that their faces were really clean, while the water used to wash their faces was very dirty. The three of them were chattering in the yard about the advantages of their sister-in-law, and their parents were also woken up and got up to see what they were doing. When they came out, they saw three children standing there talking with clean faces. This must have been done by their sister-in-law.

Su He Niang asked them, "Sister-in-law is ready, are you all clean?"

Su Run smiled and said, "Mom, it's done. It works great. Look, the three of us are clean. My sister just said that the whole family should take a bath tonight and get clean."

Su Niang grimaced in distress. This was her sister-in-law's precious money. If she used it to take a bath, how much would it be wasted? But she knew her daughter liked to be clean, so she spent the money just once!

Su He's father scooped up some water and started washing his hands and face. The water turned black instantly. He scooped up another basin of water and washed his hands again. This time, they were clean. After washing his face and looking up, Su He found that none of his family members had very dark skin. They were usually covered by dust and could not be seen.

Su He called her mother to try it too, and got some water for her. She picked up the water and looked at it for a long time before she started to wash her hands and face. She washed her hands thoroughly first, then poured out the water and replaced it with clean water to wash her face. She rubbed her face slowly, and her face was full of foam, and then she washed it with water. Finally, she changed the basin of water and washed it again with clean water. This time, she wiped her face clean, came to the water tank, looked down at her face on the water, and felt so clean and refreshed.

Su Heniang touched her face excitedly. She also used the same scent used by the nobles in the city. It had a little fragrance, and it smelled like those flowers. Her daughter was a child prodigy, and she knew what it was.

Su He looked at the clean faces of her family and said with a smile, "Mom, when I have money, I will make some better things and apply facial cream on your face. This is recorded in the medical books. I promise that you will be beautiful in the future."

Su He looked at his parents. If they were alive now, they would only be a few years older than him, but they looked old. They had eaten well during this period, and their complexion had improved a little. Since he was destined to be here, he would use what he had learned to help them live a good life.