novelden Chapter 158 Soapberry
Chapter 158 Soapberry
Xu Wenyan opened the cloth bag given by Xiaoman.
Orange-yellow fruits come into view, but with a slight smell.
This is the soapberry, also known as the devil's sorrow. The flesh contains soap liquid, and small bubbles can be produced just by washing it. Its core can be made into handicrafts.
Each soapberry kernel is black and round, and most of them are made into bracelets. In addition, the oil can be extracted from them to make lubricating oil.
However, the extraction technology was too troublesome, so Xu Wenyan gave up.
Whether you use its pulp to wash your hands or your hair, its cleaning ability is much better than bamboo charcoal, and it is not as damaging to your hair as wood ash.
Xu Wenyan planned to use it to make soap. Generally speaking, caustic soda should be added into it, but caustic soda is troublesome to make. Xu Wenyan wanted to try to use baking soda directly to see if it would work. They are both alkaline, so it should work.
"Come on, little ones."
Xu Wenyan called Chen Dong, Rongrong and Xiaohua, and came to the river with a cloth bag. The big bag given by Xiaoman was enough for a long time. I don’t know where he picked it. I must ask him next time I come.
If the soap I make is successful, it will be a huge business opportunity.
The kids squatted around Xu Wenyan, and saw him rubbing some fruits in his hands. Gradually, Xu Wenyan's hands were filled with dense bubbles: "Look, my uncle knows magic."
"Wow! Little uncle, they are so awesome!" Chen Dong looked at the bubbles in Xu Wenyan's hand curiously, his eyes full of envy.
The two girls also exclaimed.
"Do you want your uncle to teach you some magic?"
"Hmm."
The three children all opened their eyes wide and looked at Xu Wenyan expectantly.
Xu Wenyan put the foam in his hand into the hands of several little ones. Feeling the small bubbles in their hands, the three children were very happy and carefully protected the bubbles in their hands.
The only time we can go out and play during the day is at noon because the weather will be warmer.
These bubbles emit colorful light through the sunlight, which is simply beautiful.
"The bubble spell will help you clean the dirt on your hands. From now on, you can ask your uncle for the bubble spell when you take a bath, wash your hands or wash your hair." Seeing that the children were looking at him with great admiration, Xu Wenyan knew that his coaxing for a while was not in vain.
Each of them was given two soapberries and allowed to play with them. Xu Wenyan had to go do the experiment.
First, separate the pulp of the soapberry and put it into the pot to cook.
During this time, Xu Wenyan put a large lump of lard and a large spoonful of baking soda into the wooden basin.
After the soapberries are cooked, filter them out and let them sit.
Seeing him being so aggressive, other people have become accustomed to it. Xu Wenyan must have his reasons for doing this.
After cooling down, pour the viscous liquid into lard. In order to enhance the flavor, Xu Wenyan boiled mugwort and added the juice. If this recipe is successful, it can also be used to make honey.
Then put the baking soda in and stir it back and forth continuously. It takes at least half an hour. Xu Wenyan and Chen Sanlin took turns stirring for a long time. It was also a physical job.
Taking advantage of this time, Xu Wenyan made a square mold with bamboo strips, stirred it and let it sit for two hours to ferment.
Then put it into the mold and continue to ferment for one day.
After taking it out of the mold the next day, it still has to be left to sit for a month. It is a bit troublesome, but when thinking about using the soap in the future, Xu Wenyan feels that this little trouble is nothing.
Everything was done, and Xu Wenyan felt annoyed when he saw Chen Sanlin's fuzzy head.
"Brother Chen, come here."
Xu Wenyan brought a small stool and asked Chen Sanlin to sit down. Then he boiled some hot water and untied Chen Sanlin's hair, which was almost tied into a ball.
Rub the soapberry in the palm of your hand and apply a lot of foam on Chen Sanlin's hair.
Chen Sanlin now feels extremely happy. Apart from his mother who washed his hair twice when he was a child, his wife is the second person to wash his hair. No other woman in the village has ever washed her husband's hair.
The more Chen Sanlin thought about it, the happier he became. Moreover, his wife's movements were very gentle and her hands were soft.
After washing, my scalp felt refreshed like never before.
"Okay, just go away and let it dry."
Xu Wenyan was just about to wash herself when she saw a line behind her. After Chen Dong came Chen Xiaohua, then Rongrong, Rong Xiaoliu, and even Xiaohu was at the end.
"Hey, Huzi, you've gone too far." Xu Wenyan cleared his hands and poured out the water in the basin.
"Brother Xu~ You are the best. Please help your helpless little brother."
Xu Wenyan was flattered again by the compliments. He was the kind of person who usually responded to soft words rather than hard ones. He shook his head helplessly: "I really can't do anything about you."
It took almost half an hour to wash these ancestors clean. Xu Wenyan was so tired that his back and waist ached. Today, thanks to the soapberry, the whole family washed themselves clean.
After washing it clean, they didn't want to do any work anymore. The whole family sat by the stove and continued to listen to Xu Wenyan telling the story of "Journey to the West".
The more I listened, the more fascinated I became. After finishing one chapter, I wanted to listen to the next one.
Even Zhou Rong, who joined in temporarily, listened with great interest and deeply regretted not listening from the beginning.
A light snow fell from the night sky.
Fireworks were blooming in the cottage deep in the forest.
The whole family gathered together like this, having a really great time.