vrcanaries Chapter 230: Gift of Soap and Essential Oil
Chapter 230: Gift of Soap and Essential Oil
"Well, okay, my daughter is still the one who speaks nicely. Dad will definitely be rewarded by the emperor, right, Wan Ning?" Lin Dashan turned around and asked her again.
Shen Wanning smiled and said, "Of course, this is a major event that benefits the country and the people. The emperor will certainly reward us."
Lin Dashan hummed a song proudly, as if he had already seen the scene of himself being rewarded.
The next morning, Shen Wanning went to the county town with four boxes of soap and four boxes of essential oil.
It was a holiday, so County Magistrate He was not in the government office, but at home.
The person who opened the door last time had seen Shen Wanning before. As soon as she arrived, the gatekeeper recognized her. After welcoming her in, he went in to report to County Magistrate He.
When County Magistrate He saw her, he greeted her with a smile.
"Is Wan Ning here this time because of the waterwheel issue?" County Magistrate He guessed.
"Brother He is smart. He guessed the reason why I came here immediately." Shen Wanning replied with a smile.
"I told you last time that it would take about a month to make the waterwheel. I figured it would be ready in about a month."
Shen Wanning nodded. "Indeed, the waterwheel was brought to the stream yesterday. If Brother He goes there today, he'll be able to see it in action."
"Okay, I'll go back to Daqing Village with you later. I want to see what this waterwheel looks like. By the way, you came late today, and it will be afternoon when you get back. Why don't you just have dinner at my house before we set off again?"
County Magistrate He was very excited and wanted to see the waterwheel immediately, but he suppressed his curiosity.
"Obedience is worse than respect. We were supposed to come a long time ago, but yesterday, in addition to putting the waterwheel into the creek, the villagers went to the mountain to cut a lot of bamboo and built bamboo troughs. So before coming this morning, I went to check it out. The bamboo troughs had been built, and now water can flow along the bamboo troughs to the fields of each household." Shen Wanning explained.
In fact, she did this on purpose. She came late today because she wanted to stay at the He family for lunch. This way, she would have a chance to give away her soaps and essential oils.
The He family should know many noble ladies. If Mrs. He and He Zhenzhen take the lead in using them, others will definitely ask about the source of the soap and essential oil.
"That's good. When I go there in the afternoon, I can see the waterwheel irrigating the farmland!" As he said this, County Magistrate He began to look forward to the scene of using the waterwheel to irrigate the farmland.
"Yes! With the waterwheel, people no longer have to work so hard to carry water for irrigation." Shen Wanning agreed.
After talking about the waterwheel, County Magistrate He prepared to take Shen Wanning to the back hall.
"Brother He, please wait a moment. I brought gifts for my sister-in-law and Zhenzhen." Shen Wanning said.
"Oh? Why is Wan Ning so polite? You're here, so why bring any gifts?" County Magistrate He said with a hint of disapproval in his tone.
Shen Wanning smiled and said, "It's not something expensive, I made it myself. My family members all said it was good after using it, so I brought it here especially for my sister-in-law and Zhenzhen to try."
County Magistrate He was now also interested, wondering what new and novel thing she had made, so he asked curiously, "This thing can only be used by women, can't it be used by men?"
Shen Wanning thought for a while, "Logically speaking, men can use it, but most men don't like to use these things."
"Now that Wan Ning said that, I'm even more curious. I want to see what it is." County Magistrate He followed her to where the carriage was parked.
Shen Wanning took four small wooden boxes of soap from the carriage, along with four small bottles of osmanthus essential oil.
"Why are there boxes and bottles here?" County Magistrate He asked, pointing at the soap and essential oil.
Before, when the two were not familiar with each other, County Magistrate He could resist asking questions, but once they became familiar with each other, he became like a curious baby, curious about everything.
"Brother He will know in a while." Shen Wanning said mysteriously.
Finally meeting Mrs. He, Shen Wanning placed the gift on the table and said, "Sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time. You look as good as ever."
Madam He stood up and took her hand affectionately, "Wan Ning is here! No matter how good my complexion is, it can't compare to Wan Ning's natural beauty, a beauty of heaven!"
"Sister-in-law, you are too kind. Today I brought gifts for you and Zhenzhen. I made them myself and they are not expensive. I hope you and Zhenzhen don't dislike them." Shen Wanning said modestly.
"What's most important is that you have this heart. Besides, the things you make with your own hands are the most valuable. How can they be measured by money? But now that you mention it, I'm curious, what good things have you made?"
He Zhenzhen also came over, "Really? Sister Shen brought me a gift too?"
"Of course, how can there be no gift for Zhenzhen?" Shen Wanning said, touching He Zhenzhen's head.
Lord He interjected at the right moment, "How about Madam open it and take a look? I'm very curious too."
Madam He looked at Shen Wanning with hesitation, "This..."
Shen Wanning smiled and said, "It's okay, sister-in-law. We are all family, there is no need to be so polite. Besides, I also want to talk to you about how to use these two things."
"Then I'm sorry." As she said that, Mrs. He opened a wooden box and saw a piece of gray-green soap lying inside.
"What is this?" Mrs. He asked curiously.
Shen Wanning stepped forward and explained, "This thing is called soap. It can be used to wash your face or hands. Using soap is much cleaner than using water."
Mrs. He had oily skin, which Shen Wanning had noticed when they first met. Mrs. He usually carried several handkerchiefs with her when she went out, and she often used them to wipe the oil off her face to maintain her appearance.
Mrs. He was skeptical, "Can this thing really be so useful?"
"Of course, Mrs. He can try washing her face with this soap," Shen Wanning suggested.
There were only four of them here now, plus a maid serving them, so Shen Wanning didn't say any polite words.
"Okay, since it was you, Wan Ning, who did it, I believe you. I'll try it now." After saying that, Mrs. He gave an order and asked the maid to go down and fetch a basin of water.
The maid brought over water, and Mrs. He took the soap from the wooden box. According to Shen Wanning's instructions, she first wet her face with clean water, then wiped her face with soap, and finally washed it with clean water.
After washing, a maid immediately handed her a folded towel and Mrs. He wiped her face.
After washing, she touched her face with her hands, but there was no oil on them at all. She looked incredulous, "This... this is too magical, right? There's not even a hint of oil on my hands? And my face feels different than usual, too."
He Zhenzhen came over and pointed at Mrs. He's face and said, "Mom, your face is much paler than before."