Chapter 78: Busy until midnight at 78
When Ye Jiu brought Ye Gaosheng back to the kitchen, Ye Qingzhi was already standing there waiting, but she looked somewhat at a loss in the empty kitchen. It was not until she saw Ye Jiu return that her round eyes widened with eager anticipation.
Ye Jiu took a bowl, scooped out half a bowl of oil residue from the basin, and placed it on the chopping board, saying, “Qingzhi, just sit here and eat.”
Turning around, Ye Jiu saw that Ye Gaosheng had already begun to pinch and eat directly from the basin.
Ye Jiu glared at Ye Gaosheng with annoyance and said, “Fourth brother, don’t just think about eating, hurry up and start the fire underneath, but don’t make it too fierce, a small fire will suffice.”
As he spoke, Ye Jiu used a spoon to ladle the oil from the pan, leaving only about a bowl’s quantity inside.
Then, Ye Jiu prepared an appropriate amount of water and caustic soda for later use.
The fire under the pot slowly started, and Ye Jiu proceeded step by step based on the memory of the procedure in his mind.
After all, having never done it before and lacking a scale at home, there might have been issues with the quantity of materials or the heat control—hence several obvious failures that did not even require a wait for the soapification to see.
Fortunately, the materials didn’t need to be wasted, and the failed attempts could be used continuously to adjust and make preparations.
Ye Gaosheng, watching Ye Jiu fiddle with these things, did not understand and asked, “Little sister, isn’t this squandering? You’re adding water and caustic soda to the good lard, can we still eat this?”
“This isn’t for you to eat, it’s something I’m going to use to make money. If you don’t understand, don’t spout nonsense. Do whatever I tell you to do, that’s it,” Ye Jiu replied.
Ye Gaosheng touched his nose, “I could believe you if you said selling oil could make money, but the way you’re messing with it, you’ve wasted the lard. It’s not edible, so how are you going to make any money?”
“That’s why I said not to talk nonsense if you don’t understand,” Ye Jiu said with a smile. “Fourth brother, our family only has these few rooms. Haven’t you ever thought about where you’ll live after you get married? You can’t still live with two teenage nephews.”
Ye Gaosheng fell silent. He was aware that there weren’t enough rooms in their home, and even the silver he would use for his wedding would come from his younger sister. As for the matter of housing post-marriage, he hadn’t given it any thought—more importantly, he didn’t dare to think about it.
His mother had already said that using ten taels of silver from his little sister for his wedding was generosity enough. Taking more of his sister’s money to build a house was something he was too ashamed to even bring up.
He was a man. Before marriage, he could manage by any means necessary—as long as he had a bed cover, he could live in a rough shelter with no issue. But once married, it wouldn’t be just about him. He couldn’t bring himself to suggest that his wife live with him under the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed.
Seeing the troubled expression on his face, Ye Jiu smiled and said, “Fourth brother, as long as you listen to me, I can’t promise other things, but earning enough to pay for a room before you get married is well within our reach.”
Although Ye Jiu’s ambitions were far greater, he knew that mere words held no value until the accomplishments were realized, so it was better to speak with facts in the future.
“Little sister, are you serious?” Ye Gaosheng’s eyes lit up.
Ye Jiu did not want to entertain his foolishness any longer, saying, “Whether it’s true or not, we have to try it out. Just focus on tending the fire.”
Ye Gaosheng chuckled “heh heh” a couple of times.
At first, Ye Qingzhi was enjoying her tasty food while listening to their conversation, but as she grew sleepy, Ye Jiu told her to go back to sleep, while he and Ye Gaosheng stayed busy until midnight.