Lin Suhe continued shaping the soap into round bars.
Jiang Wangchuan washed the pot and started making the bamboo shoot stir-fried pork that his little wife had been looking forward to.
He first peeled the bamboo shoots to get the tender centers, sliced them thinly, and blanched them in boiling water. Then he poured out the water and heated the wok again.
If bamboo shoots were not blanched first, they would taste bitter and astringent. That was why some villagers preferred picking wild vegetables instead.
There was no cooking oil at home, only a piece of pork skin. Whenever he needed oil, Jiang Wangchuan rubbed the pork skin around the hot pan to melt a little fat before adding the ingredients.
“Suhe, do you eat green onions and garlic?”
Jiang Wangchuan called from behind the stove.
Lin Suhe was shaping the soap paste into balls like rice balls. She looked up and replied,
“I do. I’m not a picky eater.”
“That’s good. You need to eat everything if you want to grow up healthy.”
He muttered to himself as he smashed two cloves of garlic with the side of his knife, chopped some green onions, and stir-fried them until fragrant. Then he added the pork slices, cooked them, added the bamboo shoots, sprinkled in a little salt, stirred everything together, and served the dish.
There were not many seasonings in the house, but the freshly picked spring bamboo shoots were naturally sweet and delicious. Their rich aroma made Lin Suhe hungry, and she kept glancing toward the stove.
Before she transmigrated, she had hardly ever cooked. She had almost never stood near a stove. However, she loved baking and knew how to make cakes and desserts.
She thought that someday she would show Jiang Wangchuan her baking skills and let him taste her homemade treats.
Jiang Wangchuan reheated the leftover mushroom soup and rice from lunch and called Lin Suhe over to eat.
Lin Suhe stuffed her cheeks full of food and looked completely satisfied.
After dinner, it was already dark. Only the moon and stars lit the sky. In ancient times, candles were expensive luxuries that only wealthy families could afford.
Jiang Wangchuan’s home had no candles, not even an oil lamp.
But the soap paste had to be shaped before it hardened overnight.
So the two of them sat in the courtyard, making soap in the moonlight.
“Brother Jiang, how much do you think we can sell these soaps for?”
Lin Suhe could not help imagining how much money they would earn. She was not someone who could live happily in poverty. The house lacked too many things. Since she would be living here from now on, she wanted to improve their lives.
Jiang Wangchuan thought for a moment.
“Most villagers wash their clothes with plant ash. They just burn the straw from their own fields, and that costs almost nothing. If we sell this in town, I think the small bars could sell for two copper coins each, and the large ones for three.”
“Only two or three coins…”
Lin Suhe pouted, unhappy with the price.
Yesterday, Jiang Wangchuan had earned 840 copper coins from selling three animal hides. After working all day, the money from the soap would not even compare to a small part of that.
They had already made more than thirty soap bars, and the remaining paste could probably make another ten.
That meant they would have over forty bars in total. If they sold them all, they could earn around one hundred copper coins.
Jiang Wangchuan gently tapped her nose and smiled.
“That’s already a lot. One day’s work earning one hundred coins—my wife is already amazing.”
Lin Suhe looked at him with her bright, watery eyes and said playfully,
“Brother Jiang, you say everything I do is amazing. You’re just teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing you!”
Jiang Wangchuan put on a serious face.
“I’m telling the truth. No one else knows that this thing growing in the mountains can be used to clean clothes, wash hair, and bathe. But you do. Isn’t that impressive?”
His praise made Lin Suhe blush.
She lowered her head and focused on shaping the soap, but the corners of her lips stayed slightly raised.
Even under the moonlight, her fair face was rosy, making her look so adorable that anyone would want to kiss her.
Jiang Wangchuan felt his heart grow warm.
He could not help reaching out and gently stroking her soft cheek. Her skin was so smooth and delicate that he found it irresistible.
Lin Suhe looked up at him in confusion, blinking her innocent eyes.
“Brother Jiang, what’s wrong?”
His palm was rough with calluses, but it was warm.
Being touched so gently made her feel protected, and it filled her heart with happiness.
Jiang Wangchuan looked into her eyes without blinking.
“Nothing. I just wanted to touch you.”
His words instantly made her face burn red.
She slapped his hand away and said shyly,
“Pervert!”
In ancient times, acting like that really was something only a shameless flirt would do.
Jiang Wangchuan was not offended at all. Instead, he grinned happily as he watched her blush with embarrassment.
“Then I’ll only be a pervert to my own wife.”
Lin Suhe glared at him as fiercely as she could.
She had thought he was a mature and dependable man, but after spending only a few days together, she discovered he was becoming more and more playful.
To Jiang Wangchuan, however, her glare looked more like a kitten acting spoiled. It only made her seem even more lovable.
Soon they finished shaping all the soap.
The bars were not very pretty in color, but they carried a light, pleasant fragrance. Tiny flower petals decorated each one, making them look nice enough. Most importantly, they worked well.
Jiang Wangchuan took off his sweat-soaked shirt and washed it with one of the soap bars.
It quickly produced plenty of white foam, and the stains came off easily.
It worked far better than plant ash.
“Once these dry tomorrow, we can take them to town and sell them. This earns money much faster than hunting.”
Lin Suhe covered the soap bars with a thin cloth to keep dust off them. Then she looked up at Jiang Wangchuan with smiling eyes.
“Tomorrow we can eat meat buns again!”
Jiang Wangchuan lovingly rubbed her head.
“From now on, you’ll have as many meat buns as you want.”
Before going to bed, Jiang Wangchuan heated some water and carried it into Lin Suhe’s room.
“Suhe, I sweated a lot today, so I’m going to rinse off. After you finish wiping yourself clean, go to bed first.”
Lin Suhe twisted the corner of her clothes nervously.
“Brother Jiang… I want to wash my hair and take a bath too.”
She had been in this world for three days without washing her hair or bathing.
Before that, the original owner had also neglected herself for a long time because of her father’s death.
Lin Suhe felt like she smelled bad.
Jiang Wangchuan paused before suggesting,
“The nights are still cold, and you get chilly easily. Tomorrow, when the sun is out, I’ll heat plenty of water for you. Your hair will dry much faster during the day.”
“Okay!”
Lin Suhe smiled brightly.
After quickly wiping herself clean, she climbed into bed.
A little later, she heard the sound of splashing water coming from the courtyard outside.
It was only the third month of spring, yet Jiang Wangchuan was already bathing with cold water.
Just hearing the water made her shiver.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
She got out of bed, opened the door a crack, and called outside,
“Brother Jiang, you can try washing yourself with soap.”
As soon as he heard her voice, the splashing stopped.
Curious, Lin Suhe peeked through the crack in the door.
In the moonlight, Jiang Wangchuan stood with his back facing her, his strong upper body completely bare as he rubbed soap over himself.
His wheat-colored skin shone softly beneath the moonlight.
His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and tall, muscular frame had not an ounce of extra fat. The muscles across his back shifted with every movement.