North and South groceries

Luo Yong was very satisfied with the quality of this batch of wormwood soap. This night, he processed the soap solution and poured it into the mold. After a few days, he demolded it and obtained pieces of tan soap with patterns printed on it.

Because it is made by heat method, it does not need to go through a long period of ripening, and it can be used after two days after it is made. This lard soap is quite greasy when used for washing hands and bathing, and there is still a faint smell after washing. After using wormwood fragrance, Luo Yong felt very satisfied after trying it himself, and thought that this wormwood soap could be produced in large quantities for a long time.

Wormwood is not an expensive thing, it is very common in their local fields. At this time of spring, many villagers pick it as wild vegetables to eat. Luo Yong ate the mugwort leaves picked by Siniang and the others two days ago. Scrambled with eggs, the taste is not bad.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the mugwort has basically grown up. In summer and autumn, the mugwort leaves can be picked and returned to dry. Luo Yong plans to collect more mugwort leaves this year and store them up for slow use. If the unused mugwort leaves can be stored for another two years, it will be fine. Chen Ai.

In the days that followed, apart from caring about the saplings on his own hillside, Luo Yong devoted himself to making wormwood soap.

The Luo family's wormwood soap is about the size of a piece of ordinary soap in later generations, and the price is five yuan a piece. Don't worry about the market, and sell as much as you make every day.

On the contrary, he stopped the original colored cold-process soap. The aging speed of the cold-process soap is too slow. In order to ensure safe use and avoid accidents, we have to wait until the soap is fully matured and there are no problems. If you sell it, it will be very serious to stock up.

This soap needs to be made from lard, and the cost is too high. If you hoard it, it means that you don’t want to exchange them for money in a short time. Luo Yong is short of money right now. Think about it, let’s make wormwood first. It is more appropriate to sell soap.

In order to improve the efficiency of soap making, Luo used a pottery workshop by the Sanchuan River in the north of Lishi County to order a squat cauldron about half a person's height.

This large cauldron is divided into two layers, inside and outside, and water can be added in the middle. When Luo Yu is heating the soap liquid, in order to ensure the safety of the heating, he has always used the method of heating with water.

In addition, he found Hengzhi, Hengyu's second son, and asked him to help him build a stirring device suitable for this big cauldron.

Finally, a device the size of a millstone was made, which can be placed and fixed on the top of the clay pot with a wooden frame, and then pushed by manpower or animal power. As long as it is pushed outside, the stirring device in the pot will rotate several times, and inside There is more than one stirrer, there are several large and small ones. It is said that when these stirrers are turned, they can fully stir the soap liquid in the kettle without letting the fast-flowing soap liquid be thrown out of the tank. Adjust the height according to the amount of soap, basically there will be no situation where there is too little soap to use this tool.

Luo Yong transported these two utensils back home, and tidied up a room in his backyard, specializing in making soap.

He first cast a square and strong low stove in the middle of the room for heating and heating, and then put the big cauldron on it. This big and strong cauldron cost a lot of money, but these are all necessary invest.

In the afternoon of the same day, Luo Yong tried the soap-making equipment. He put all the waste oil and miscellaneous oil accumulated in the past few days into the kettle, and poured in the alkali aqueous solution according to the proportion. Finally, he installed the stirring device and burned it under the kettle. Reduce heat to low and stir while heating.

This mixing device is quite big. When you push it up, it is similar to pushing the big stone mill in the village, but you don’t need so much strength. You can still feel the resistance in the first two steps. You don't feel much resistance, and it's easy to push.

"Brother, you are tired, let me push it for you." The boy Wu Lang watched with relish.

"You can't push this away, come and help when you grow taller." Luo Yong smiled.Goro grows slowly, and he is nine years old this spring, but he is not as tall as Luo Yong's chest. The wooden frame is all over his face, how can he still push it with his face.

"Brother, let me push it." Goro Yang said.

"Okay, then you can push it a little bit." The child was curious about everything he saw. Just now, Si Niang's girl had come over for a fresh experience, and now it was Goro's turn. Anyway, they both knew that the shop in front was to be kept. Personally, I can't leave Liulang Qiniang and my own groceries there.

At this time in the afternoon, Peng Er wanted to go down to the slope to cook pig food. Er Niang was also in the backyard at the moment. She took it.

Seeing that the season agreed with Zhao Chen has arrived, although I don't know if the other party can keep the promise, the fermented bean curd that should be prepared must be prepared in advance.

That kid Goro used both hands and head to push the mixer around a few times, and then happily went back to the grocery store.

Recently, when he and Siniang get up early every day, they have to step on wooden stools to stir the sauce vats drying in the backyard, which saves Luo Yong and Erniang a lot of trouble. A doll in his teens is already It can support half of the labor force.

Luo Yong has been thinking recently whether it is time to send Wulang to study. There is a Meng Xue in Lishi County, and there is also a Meng Xue in Xiaohe Village, but they are far away from them.

If you send it to Lishi County, you will definitely not be able to continue living at home. In Lishi County, there are many merchants and businessmen coming and going every day, and there are many foreigners. His family, Goro, has a poor health, and the food outside is not as good as at home, and he is afraid that his nutrition will not keep up.

If they were sent to Xiaohe Village, they would be able to go home every day, but going back and forth every day is really hard work, and the road is very barren...

After much deliberation, he couldn't make up his mind, and the matter of Wulang's study has been delayed until now. Although Luo Yong can teach them a little on weekdays, he only spends three days fishing and two days drying the net, which is not as good as the serious teaching in the school. There is a big gap.

It's not a solution to procrastinate like this. Luo Yong was thinking about when to discuss with Wang Dang. His son Wang Shao is about the same age as Wu Lang, so I don't know what their thoughts are.

As for Si Niang, it is reasonable to say that she is at the age of school, but born in this age, girls cannot go to school.

The newly made manufacturing equipment is quite easy to use. Fully stirring and heating are carried out at the same time, and the saponification speed is greatly improved. The soap liquid in this kettle is processed and poured into sugar cake molds. Most of the shelves are placed on the wooden shelves beside the wall.

This piece of stinky soap costs five renminbi. After deducting the cost, you have to earn two or three renminbi. Today, the pot of lard is not considered a big pot, because the waste oil at home is not enough. If you go back to him, you can let go and do more.

In the evening, Luo Yong went to Wang Dang's side and talked with Wang Dang and his wife about Wang Shao's going to school.

The Wang Dangs also wanted to send their eldest son to school, and they also knew that there was a young student in Xiaohe Village. They had concerns before, worrying that their family came from other places, and the gentleman in Xiaohe Village would not accept him.

Now seeing Luo Sanlang come to talk to them about this matter, he was overjoyed and immediately agreed that if he could go with Luo Sanlang, he would naturally be in his favor.

I heard that the home of the teaching teacher in Xiaohe village also raises pigs from the Luo family. Recently, the price of pigs is good, and every household in their village has earned some money. Under such circumstances, the teacher naturally wants to give Luo Sanlang some thin noodles , accepting a foreign student is not a big deal.

Coming out of Wang Dang's yard, Luo Yong went around the village again, asking if there were any other families in the village who wanted to send their children to study, but after walking around, many people asked, and they really said yes None of them sent their children to study.

In these days, children of seven or eight years old can help the family. Teenagers are half of the labor force, and they are sent to school for nothing. Not to mention spending a lot of money on repairs, there is one less able-bodied person in the family.

Learning those words is of no use. If you learn them for two or three years, if they are useless, you will forget them after a few years.Just look at Lin Liulang in the village. He used to be a serious elementary student in the county, but now, he can't even be called a daughter-in-law.

The next day, when Wang Dang and his son came over, Luo Yong was still having breakfast. Seeing the two of them coming, he swallowed the food in a few mouthfuls. That boy Wu Lang was already ready and waiting for him. He heard that he was going to school. , he was also very happy.

"Si Niang, take a good look at the store, brother will bring you some caramel later." Luo Yong said to Si Niang before going out.

"Oh." Si Niang replied listlessly.

As soon as the four of them left the Luo's courtyard, they saw Lin Dalang rushing over from the village leading his eldest son.

"It's all because my mother-in-law took too long and almost missed the time." When he got closer, Lin Dalang looked at the things Luo Yong put in their baskets, and said with a smile, "What did you take, my family probably has the least."

"Your Ah Rong is also going to be sent to study?" Luo Yong greeted Lin Dalang with a smile. Yesterday he also said that he wanted to send his eldest son to study, but this matter still needs to be discussed with the elders in the family.

"That's right." Lin Dalang smiled, and it seemed that he had won the battle.

"Among the three families, there is naturally the least one." Wang Dang didn't like Lin Dalang's stingy attitude, and he didn't speak very politely.

"What did your family give you?" Lin Dalang was a shrewd man, he would not easily blush with others outside except for his own troubles. At this time, Wang Dang choked on him, but he didn't take it seriously, he still asked him with a smile.

After all, Wang Dang was an honest person, seeing that the other party was so friendly and enthusiastic after being choked by him, he couldn't hold back immediately, and stretched out his hand to lift the cloth towel on his basket, revealing the contents for him to see.

This is also what was agreed yesterday, Xiaohe Village is not close, and all the houses are busy in spring, so I simply brought things there today. If the gentleman is willing to accept them, he will perform a teacher's ceremony in person and offer a bundle of repairs, so as not to worry about it again. Make an extra trip.

Wang Dang's basket contained eggs and bacon, as well as more than half of the basket of red dates, and several pieces of smelly soap tied up with colored twine.

After looking at Wang Dang's basket, Lin Dalang went to look at Luo's basket, and saw that there were several jars in the basket, occupying most of the basket, and the other half of the basket was filled with wormwood soap.

"No, I have too little, I have to add some more." Lin Dalang shook his head and said.

Luo Yong looked at what he was carrying, and it was indeed a little less. The two jars in the basket were about vinegar, and there was a small bag of corn. There was a piece of meat on top of the rice bag, which was not too big. Carrying a few little chickens, with their Lin family's wealth, it is indeed rare to come up with such a teacher's apprenticeship ceremony.

Luo Yong didn't know, but Mrs. Lin grabbed those little chickens this morning. Lin's mother said that the gentleman in Xiaohe village could not compare with the gentleman in the county. Get something out.

At this time, Lin Dalang came out with his eldest son, and the family didn't know if there was a commotion. Mrs. Lin was suffocating in her heart, and the old lady was also a little unhappy because she just caught chickens. will rise.

Lin Dalang exchanged those little chickens to Luo Yong at a discount, and then made up some copper coins himself, and bought ten pieces of wormwood soap from Luo Yong.

Putting the ten pieces of wormwood soap into the basket, his family's Shuxiu looked like a lot, and he was not a poor family at first, so it was too shabby because of the ceremony of apprenticeship.

The six of them went out of the village together. Luo Yong pushed a Yan'erfei here, and Lin Dalang pushed a Yan'erfei there. Two cars were not enough for the six of them, so they had to go to Xu's guesthouse to borrow them. Among the disciples, several people bought Yan Erfei's.

"Why did you come here? I made another box of jujube bean cakes. Take them with you."

At Xu's guest house, Aunt Luo handed a box of jujube bean cakes to Luo Yong, and led them to the backyard to push Yan Erfei, urging them to leave early.When Luo Yong was studying in the past, the Luo family all treated this teacher apprenticeship ceremony as a big matter, so it's not like they are procrastinating like they are now.

Most of the children in Xipo Village can ride Yanerfei, and the Luo family has a Yanerfei, and all the children in the village ride on his family's bike.

After Luo Yong replaced the previous one with a spinning wheel, Hengyu soon asked his grandson to send over another one. No matter how tight the order was, his master couldn't let his master run out of the spinning wheel.

Luo Yong was a little worried about Wang being a father and son at first, but he didn't expect that the two of them would ride steadily after getting on Yan Erfei.

From Xipo Village to Xiaohe Village, it takes about [-] miles of dirt road, and it takes about half a day to walk, but it takes less than an hour to get there by riding Yanerfei.

The terrain of Xiaohe Village is flat and open, with many fertile fields and rivers passing by. This place is far from Lishi County. The village has a market several times a month, and many nearby villagers come here to catch the market.

Because of the relatively developed commerce, there are not only oil mills in the village, but also villagers who can make caramel.

As early as decades ago, the villagers also raised funds to build a group of connecting machines by the small river. The scenery was unparalleled for a time. The tall and large connecting machines were a symbol of prosperity. They came from other villages. The villagers who went to the market were very envious when they saw it, and even the parents were willing to let their daughters marry to Xiaohe Village.

It's a pity that a big flood later not only washed away the Lianjidao, but also washed away the crops in the field. After that, there were years of wars. It was not until the last few years that Xiaohe Village gradually became stable and prosperous again.

The elementary school in Xiaohe Village was set up in Mr. Qian's house, and Mrs. Qian was also an unassuming person. He heard that Luo Sanlang and others brought their children to study, and he personally greeted them outside the courtyard and led them to his hall.

After listening to several people explaining their intentions, Master Qian readily agreed to accept the three children to study here, and didn't say much about Wang Shao's status as a foreigner.

Luo Yong saw that he was easy to talk, so he casually mentioned about Si Niang, but in the end he heard Mrs. Qian tell him a lot of differences between men and women at seven years old. The Qian Family Yard escaped.

"Sanlang, I'll go back later, they don't finish school until noon." Lin Dalang said to Luo Yong after leaving Qian's courtyard.

"On the first day, do you want to wait for them to go back after school?" As a time traveler, in Luo Yong's opinion, it is very normal to pick up and drop off the children at home.

"You teenage gentleman, why are you more worried than women? It's only a short distance from here to Xipo Village. There's nothing to worry about when the three of you are together." Wang Dang joked.

"..." Luo used his belly to slander, you don't like to worry about it, your son has sold himself out once, you are quite relieved.