Chapter 580: Farm Woman 8
Chen Xi pressed her lips together. "Mom, I’ll be very careful. I won’t get burned."
Tan You replied, "Alright, I’m in the kitchen too. I’ll make the moxa floss, and you and An Wen can be in charge of rendering the lard."
’I have to admit,’ Tan You thought, ’even though I have to raise kids, make money, and do everything with my own hands here, it’s also because of these little ones that my burden, honestly, isn’t that heavy.’
’Perhaps it’s because I’m capable and have a broader perspective.’
Chen Xi and An Wen handled the lard, while Chen Yue and Chen Xing helped Tan You pound the moxa floss. The group squeezed into the small kitchen, not finding the task at hand the least bit tedious.
By the time the lard was rendered, Tan You had finished pounding the moxa floss. Chen Yue and Chen Xing were helping her mix the various ingredients into a dough, their four little hands stirring away in the basin. Tan You let them be, sitting down to the side to catch her breath and rest.
After pouring the rendered lard into a pottery jar and washing her hands, Chen Xi went over to help Chen Yue and Chen Xing knead the dough evenly. Tan You was happy to have someone take over, content to simply give directions from the side.
’She lived by a simple principle: doing everything yourself will only lead to you working yourself to death. Letting these little ones help, on the other hand, gives them a great sense of accomplishment.’
’They were contributing to the family, and that would teach them what responsibility means.’
"That’s about right. Now, roll it into a sheet of even thickness." Tan You sighed. "I’ll take over for this part."
’If this were the modern world, machines would make it perfectly uniform. Not like this.’
After rolling the dough into a flat sheet, Tan You cut it into thin strips for the mosquito coils.
Chen Xi stood by her side. "Mom, what do we do next?"
Tan You coiled one of the strips. "See how it’s done? Just coil them like this and let them dry."
This was a task the children could handle. The four little ones squatted in front of a wooden board, concentrating on coiling the mosquito coils. But with their different personalities, the coils they made came out in different shapes.
An Wen and Chen Xi seemed to have a touch of OCD; the coils they made had to be perfectly neat and tidy. Chen Yue had a less refined personality and lacked the patience for such detailed work, so her coils were big and small and came in all sorts of shapes.
The youngest, Chen Xing, was simply playing.
With help, the work went quickly. In less than half an hour, all the mosquito coils were ready. The kids then gathered around Tan You like little puppies. "Mom, what do we do now?"
Hearing that chorus of "Mom," Tan You felt a headache coming on. ’I’ve clearly done my best to put them to work, so how are they still acting like such mama’s girls?’
After instructing the children on how to make mint and wormwood soap, Tan You finally sat down in the courtyard. The children didn’t seem to mind the heat and all crowded around her.
They were all holding small bowls of lard cracklings, their little mouths glistening with oil as they ate.
"Mom, the cracklings are so good! This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten," Chen Yue said suddenly after taking a bite.
Tan You chuckled. "If I remember correctly, you said the same thing about the fish soup yesterday."
Chen Yue was all about spreading the love. "They’re both delicious! Mom, you have some too!"
The moment she finished speaking, four small bowls were held out in front of her. Tan You waved her hand. "I really don’t like these. You all can have them."
Seeing the children pouting, Tan You smiled. "I’m not the type of mother who selflessly sacrifices for her children. When I say I don’t like something, I really mean it. You can just eat them yourselves."
"Don’t eat too many, though. Too much of this rich food isn’t good for you."
An Wen held up her small bowl. "Aunt, are you going to sell these scented soaps for money?"
"Mhm, I do have that in mind," Tan You said, not hiding anything from them. "We can’t just sit around and eat through our savings; we have to find a way to make money. I plan to price the regular soap at ten wen per bar. The scented soap will be more expensive, maybe fifteen or eighteen wen."
An Wen said, "Aunt, I don’t understand."
Tan You explained, "They’re consumables—things everyone uses regularly. One bar of soap, if you’re frugal, can last for about a month. What we need to do is make sure everyone can afford our soap, so there’s no need to set the price too high."
As she spoke, she looked toward the village. "Besides, we need to build a good relationship with the clan right now. With the clan’s protection, we won’t get bullied. You’re all too young and can’t protect yourselves yet."
An Wen clenched her fist. "Aunt, if only I were a little older."
Tan You shook her head with a laugh. "One person’s strength is ultimately insignificant. We have to unite whatever forces we can around us."
"Besides, everyone here has a hard life. If they could all have a source of income in the future, wouldn’t seeing that make you a little happier?"
Chen Xi thought for a moment. "I guess so, but wouldn’t we be losing out that way?"
"Whether you’re losing out or not depends on the timing." Tan You gazed at the clouds in the distance. "We’re weak and alone. Even if we wanted to monopolize this soap business, we’d be targeted by others. We can’t protect a formula like this on our own."
"Think about it. I’m the only adult in our family. The oldest of you is seven, the youngest is three. Possessing a valuable treasure when you’re weak is like a child carrying gold through a bustling market. The gold will just be snatched away, and the child might be killed."
Chen Xi understood. "So, Mother, you want to bring everyone in on this together."
"Right," Tan You said without hesitation. "When we are still weak, we need to borrow the strength of others. So, at a time like this, we have to consider: what forces can offer us protection?"
"The first choice, naturally, is the clan. The clan is our root. Only when the roots are planted firmly will our interests be better protected."
"You can’t count on friendship or loyalty. Those things aren’t realistic. The only thing that can bind people together firmly is, and always will be, mutual interest."
Tan You’s words were brutally realistic. Both An Wen and Chen Xi fell into deep thought. Chen Yue seemed to only half-understand, but she committed the words to memory. Only Chen Xing understood nothing at all.
"So it might seem like we’re losing a lot, but in reality, if we run into trouble later, the clan will have to protect us," Chen Xi said after a long silence. At that moment, the little girl learned for the first time about the power of offering incentives and the unwritten rules of navigating society.
"Correct. We need the clan’s protection," Tan You stated firmly. "In this world, it’s very difficult for anyone to survive without the shelter of a clan."
"I understand, Mother. What do you plan to do?" Now that Chen Xi understood, she was no longer conflicted.
Tan You replied, "There’s nothing we can do right now. The only thing for us to do is wait."
"Wait for the soap to finish saponifying. In the meantime, we should make more. Soap is a consumable, so we should use this time to build up a stock and avoid a market shortage."