A Good Country Wife
Chapter 545 - 539_1

Chapter 545: Chapter 539_1

Lin Yue knew very well that essential oils could be added to the making of Fragrant Soap, but she hadn’t suggested it due to its impracticality, for there was nowhere to buy such oils in Dazhou. The few bottles with different fragrances that she had were all brought back from the western countries by Zhao Erhu, and they were not cheap, costing even more than the Fragrant Soap itself. If they were used as raw materials for soap production, the cost would be too high, and besides, there would be nowhere to purchase more once they were used up.

"Your idea is good, and indeed feasible, I actually knew this method too, just never mentioned it. Do you know why?"

"Your servant does not understand. If madam knows of this method, and the soaps made by this method are indeed better, then why?... Your servant understands now, madam has abandoned this method because these essential oils are rare, and speaking of which, the bottle of essential oil that your servant has was a reward from you, madam. I had never seen such a thing before, I heard that master bought it from the western countries for you, madam. A bottle of essential oil mustn’t be cheap, right?"

The reason Lin Yue had chosen Liao Ruyan to manage the Soap Making Room was not only that Liao Ruyan had knowledge of making fragrances, which could help better develop new products, but also for her keen insight—she could grasp things quickly without Lin Yue needing to worry or exert herself. Ever since Liao Ruyan took over the Soap Making Room, she had managed it even better than Lin Yue herself. Following the patterns and designs provided by Lin Yue, as well as the insights on soap-making, she had developed various new soap products, demonstrating a true workaholic nature.

Upon hearing Liao Ruyan mention the price of essential oils, Lin Yue started to grumble, showing the stinginess and the nature of her love for money only in front of Liao Ruyan, "Not just expensive—it’s very expensive! This bottle of essential oil may be not too small in volume, yet it costs thirty taels of silver, thirty taels, you know. Is this selling or robbery? I know that Zhao Erhu spent three hundred taels of silver on those essential oils he bought, my heart is bleeding! Aren’t these also made from spices? Priced even higher than gold!"

The more Lin Yue talked, the more dramatic she became. Seeing Lin Yue lament with such passion, a hand pressed against her chest in a gesture of grief, Liao Ruyan found it hilarious and couldn’t help but chuckle aloud. Her mistress was more approachable and interesting than she had imagined. Since coming to the Zhao Family, though she had become busier than before, she lived more happily and contentedly, with more smiles gracing her face instead of always keeping a cold, stern expression that made others afraid to approach her.

"Madam, please don’t be like this. I really want to laugh when you do. I came here to discuss serious matters, please stop making jokes," said Liao Ruyan, who was, after all, a workaholic and thought differently from others. Besides, her relationship with Lin Yue, although technically that of master and servant, was more like friends, and so she said with a suppressed smile.

Lin Yue gave Liao Ruyan, the woman who only knew to busy herself with official matters, a white glance for not understanding the hint, "Now you know why I didn’t tell you about this method, don’t you? If we use essential oils instead of ordinary spices, consider how high the cost will be. Our Fragrant Soaps are already selling at a very high price."

"Madam’s words are reasonable, but if we could produce essential oils ourselves, then the cost would not be high. And we could also sell the essential oils, killing two birds with one stone. Your servant has pondered for a long time and has figured out some methods, and has even made some essential oils, though not as good as this one, still somewhat similar—at least better than ordinary spices, just not as effective as this one. So, your servant came here to ask madam for another bottle of essential oil. The one you gave to your servant has already been used up by me," Liao Ruyan said, smiling ingratiatingly at Lin Yue.

It turned out she was here to ask for more essential oils. Lin Yue thought that, given Liao Ruyan’s nature, since she had already figured out some of the essential methods, not staying in the Soap Making Room to continue her research but rather coming to see her, there must be a good reason.

Lin Yue naturally wouldn’t be unwilling to provide it, for if Liao Ruyan could really figure out how to do it, that would be a huge profit. Although that’s what she thought, Lin Yue’s face showed reluctance, deliberately teasing Liao Ruyan. Lin Yue had developed this habit because initially, she found Liao Ruyan’s personality to be too reserved, her demeanor ice-cold, indifferent to everything. Wanting to see some different expressions on Liao Ruyan’s face, Lin Yue then said,

"You want the essential oils, do you? The master only bought so many bottles for me, and just giving them away as gifts has already cost me three or four bottles. I’ll give you a bottle because you’ve been working well, but I want to keep the rest for myself. That stuff is worth thirty taels of silver per bottle, it’d be too wasteful to let you mess around and use it all up."

Liao Ruyan could clearly see that Lin Yue was doing it on purpose, "Madam, please give it to me. What’s a few bottles of essential oils? Once I figure out how to produce them, you can have as much as you want, and most importantly, our Soap Making Room’s income will grow exponentially. Any way you look at it, it’s a good deal."

Unmoved, Lin Yue replied, "That’s if you figure it out. If you don’t, that silver will just go down the drain."

"Madam, enough already. How about this—I’ll pay for those bottles of essential oils, okay?" Liao Ruyan was halfway through her experimentation and, although she hadn’t yet produced real essential oils, she had a direction to work towards. All she needed now was to get the essential oils from Lin Yue and continue her research in the Soap Making Room. At this point, she was quite impatient with Lin Yue’s pointless stalling.

When it came to paying, Liao Ruyan definitely had the means. Although she was penniless when she was initially sold to the Zhao Family, ever since she became the manager of the Soap Making Room, with her monthly salary and profit-sharing, she had saved up a few hundred taels of silver. In the countryside, that would make her a small wealthy woman.

This was a rule that Lin Yue had set at the beginning of the year. Whether it was the Soap Making Room, the embroidery room, the greenhouses, or any other venture that might be developed in the future, provided they met certain criteria, ten percent of the monthly profits would be taken. Half would go to the manager in charge of each activity, and the other half was to be given as a reward to the workers, giving everyone more motivation and making sure their hard work was fruitful.

"Oh my! Manager Liao is now so wealthy she doesn’t even care about this small amount of silver. Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Look at you, so anxious; it’s not going to make a difference in just this little bit of time. I still have five and a half bottles of essential oil left, all of different fragrances. I’ll keep the half bottle that has been used, and you can take the remaining five bottles," Lin Yue said, and then called for Xixi.

"Xixi, the essential oils are in your keeping. Go fetch them for me, and hand them all over to Manager Liu, so she won’t have to keep pining for them."

"Alright, I’ll get them now." Xixi, knowing how these two often bickered, cheerfully agreed and brought over the essential oils in their boxes.