The dead general was kidnapped by his husband and taken to farm.

There were only two badgers, but luckily they were fat and had a lot of oil, so we boiled half a jar of soup.

Jiang Shian still remembered how to make soap from the book. He put the oil aside to cool, then picked up a bamboo basket and took the puppy to the river.

The main process of making soap is the saponification reaction of oil and alkali. I saw a lot of shells by the river last time. The simplest and most convenient way to make alkali is to burn the shells, grind them into powder and then add wood ash.

He looked up at the sky and estimated that by the time he finished picking up the shells and went back, Ji Yinghuai would have returned as well.

The puppy had followed him out several times and was now very familiar with the road to the river, and had already run ahead.

It rained continuously in the past two days, and a lot of crops on some embankments were flooded. In the past few days, every household in the village has been busy with crops in the fields. Moreover, weeds have grown again after the rain, so they are busy.

Because of the rain, the river water has risen a lot. In the past two days, adults in every household have warned their children not to go to the river to play. If they go there secretly, they will be beaten when they get home.

The river water level had risen a lot, which made it convenient for him. Many shells and shrimps were washed into the cracks of the rocks.

In addition to shells, Jiang Shian also picked up a lot of snails, each of which was very large. He had heard from Huang Fugui before that adults didn't know how to eat this thing, as it was hard and had little meat. They just picked it up and mashed it to feed the chickens and ducks at home. But in modern times, this is a good thing. Whether it is snail noodles or snail meat alone, many people love to eat it.

When the bamboo basket he was carrying was full, he felt that it was enough, so he stood up, looked around, and called to the puppy who was still playing happily in the distance, "Let's go, let's go home."

The puppy heard the noise and barked twice, then quickly ran towards him.

They have been busy in the town these two days, and sometimes they come back late, so the puppy hasn't seen it for a day. Today, they are accompanying it out to have fun, so the puppy is naturally happy.

When I got home, Ji Yinghuai had indeed returned. Heifeng was tied under the peach tree in the yard, and there were green grass on the ground.

"You came back so soon. Was everything going well?" Jiang Shian asked with a smile while looking at the person washing his hands by the well.

Ji Yinghuai nodded, stood up and shook off the water droplets on his hands, "It went smoothly, it was agreed before."

He walked towards the woodshed and said to Jiang Shian, "I see that there is not much firewood left at home. Do you need to hunt two more badgers? I'll go up the mountain to have a look. If I can hunt pheasants or rabbits, I can also have some meat dishes."

Watching the man open the door of the woodshed and walk in, Jiang Shian began to think that this man has been doing these things more and more smoothly recently. He used to be a rich young man who had no worries about food and clothing, but now he has to run business with him in this small place all day long, and he has to worry about this little food and drink.

He suddenly wanted to ask Ji Yinghuai if he felt that such days were boring and uninteresting?

After a while, Ji Yinghuai came out with a bamboo basket and a bow and arrow. Jiang Shian walked a few steps towards him and asked, "Ji Er, I have a question for you. Answer me honestly."

Ji Yinghuai squatted on the side to fetch water to sharpen his arrows. Hearing this, he said without even looking up, "When did we two need to be so polite? Just ask whatever you want to ask."

"We have to run around for money, and for a little food we have to go up the mountain every day. We also have to think about how to make money and worry about whether the business can make money. It's originally my business. As a free man, don't you think such a life is boring and hard?"

Ji Yinghuai paused. How hard was life like this? He didn't have to worry about food and military pay every day, nor did he have to worry about the enemy's invasion or the death of his soldiers. He was also far away from all those conspiracies and plots.

He had often heard his brothers in the barracks say about such days that when there were no more wars in the future, they would just retire and return to the countryside with their wives and children to find a place with beautiful mountains and rivers, where they would work from sunrise to sunset.

At that time, many people laughed at him and said that he had no ambition. A good man did not want to achieve success, but actually wanted to go home and farm.

His identity was sensitive, so he agreed with what the other party said and nodded. What he was thinking was that if the court no longer needed him in the future and there was someone who could replace him, he would retire to the mountains and live a leisurely and carefree life as an ordinary person.

Now it has been achieved ahead of schedule, and being with the person I love, I will not feel bored or tired no matter what I do.

After thinking about it, he shook his head and said honestly, "No, I used to think that once I settled down, I would find a beautiful place with clear water and mountains to build a wooden house. I would go hunting in the mountains in my spare time, and plant a small piece of land during the busy farming season. I would just be able to support myself."

He chuckled and looked around the yard. "This is the life I expected before. I have someone to accompany me, three meals a day, I have hunting skills and can support a family with my strength, and that person only needs to remember that I am there for him. Having said that, I have to thank you, Shi An."

Ji Yinghuai's eyes fell on him, and those eyes that were cold at first but now full of smiles stared at him steadily, as if they wanted to see into his heart.

Jiang Shian felt happy after hearing the first two sentences, but felt embarrassed after hearing the last two sentences. He always felt that there was another meaning behind the other party's words.

The person who is accompanying him, there are only two of them in this home now. The man he is talking about is not him, but he is a man.

Damn, that’s not right. His identity in this era is a young man. How could he forget it again?

So Ji Yinghuai...

Jiang Shian shook his head quickly, restraining himself from thinking any further. He was barely making enough money right now, so how could he have the time to fall in love?

Let's put this aside for now, we'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later...

He avoided looking at Ji Yinghuai and said, "Then be careful when you go up the mountain. I'm going to make soap later. If it works, I'll make more and sell it in the shops in town."

"Okay, all up to you." Ji Yinghuai responded. He was a little disappointed that the subject was changed, but he had said it so clearly. If the boy was unwilling or annoyed, he could just refuse directly.

Does this also mean that I am still somewhat different in his heart?

He didn't push too hard and instead asked Jiang Shian how the soap was made.

Jiang Shian gave a brief explanation.

There was a clay stove at home, so he took it out from the woodshed, added the charcoal fire that was not completely extinguished on the stove into the stove, and put in a few more pieces of firewood.

After a while, the stove started to burn and a column of black smoke floated in the yard.

Ji Yinghuai had also sharpened his tools and was ready to go out. Jiang Shian went back to the kitchen and brought him two steamed buns, so that he could have some food in case he got delayed in the mountains and came back late.

The puppy was still young, and we didn’t take it to the mountain after just a few days at home.

After Ji Yinghuai left, Jiang Shian looked at his back and suddenly reached out and patted his face.

After coming back to his senses, he began to work on his soap plan.

All that needs to be burned in the stove is the red charcoal fire, and then the cleaned shells are put in to burn. When the shells are almost burned, take them out and crush them into powder with a stone pestle.

Corn stalks can be used directly as wood ash. There is none at home, but there is a pile of corn stalks outside the eaves of the Huang family. It wouldn't take much to burn some ash, so he went to get some. He just needs to tell the royal family about it next time he sends something.

Fill a clay pot with water, then pour in the burnt wood ash, boil and stir until the water completely changes color, then filter it with cloth, discarding any excess ash and impurities.

The sun was still quite strong today. Jiang Shian lifted his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face, then poured the filtered alkaline water into the shell powder and stirred it evenly.

It was a bit hot, so he moved it back into the house and continued working.

This is not enough. After stirring evenly, you need to filter it again with cloth.

After it settles, the alkaline water that needs to be used will be obtained. It is estimated that it will take an entire night to settle.

The weather has been hot recently and the oil in the jar has not solidified yet, so it is still in time to do it tomorrow morning.

How is the result? We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if it can be used.

Now that he had finished the task at hand, he went to get his backpack and sickle and planned to go to the riverside to cut some grass. The chickens, ducks, rabbits and Heifeng at home all needed fresh grass to eat.

-

The alkaline water that has been settling overnight becomes clear on the surface, and the alkaline water that has settled at the bottom is no longer needed.

Mix the lye water and pour it directly into the badger oil.

Pound the coarse salt into fine powder and mix it in, then start stirring until it becomes a thick paste and put it into a bamboo tube.

This way, a total of more than ten bamboo tubes were packed.

Jiang Shian put it in a sieve and carefully placed it in the sun to dry. It would take two or three days to set. Only then could he take it out to see how it turned out.