Soap Factory Begins Operation

On the 22nd day of the first lunar month, the soap factory was officially completed. As for naming it, Jing Yi came up with a straightforward name: “Jing’s Soap Factory.”

In reality, Jing Yi was relatively slow in this regard. A few days ago, while dining with Huang Second Brother, he learned that their first batch of products was already being sold in the capital on the 8th day of the Lunar New Year. Their plan was to start in the capital and gradually expand to other areas, even offering some soap plated with gold.

It was said that they took Jing Yi’s advice and held a grand product launch event, which received a very enthusiastic response.

“Brother, you’re way too relaxed. Although my master promised not to interfere with the business in Anchang County, there’s no guarantee someone won’t try to resell our products. You need to speed up your production,” Huang Second Brother emphasized.

With that comment, Jing Yi suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

Indeed, he couldn’t underestimate the instincts of businessmen. He realized he couldn’t afford to be too relaxed; he needed to get into action.

Therefore, once the soap factory was completed that day, Jing Yi and Jing’s father went to the village head’s house to discuss hiring workers.

“Uncle Sheng, as you know, our family has experienced hardships. Now, I’m running a factory, which is no easy task with a large family to support. I won’t hire anyone with a bad character. Family connections are also a no-go,” Jing Yi began by explaining to the village head.

Although the village head was only a few years older than Jing’s father, due to differences in generation, he was senior in status. He also had family connections with the Jing family, which allowed Jing Yi to speak to him informally and straightforwardly.

“That’s right, even though you’ve become the village head, you can’t just prioritize the village. Later, everything dirty and smelly will be pushed to Little Yi,” added the village head’s mother, who Jing Yi had to address as Grandma. Both she and Aunt Shu, the village head’s wife, doted on Jing Yi for his handsome looks and sweet mouth.

“Mom, of course, I understand. I wouldn’t do that,” the village head said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

“You mischievous boy, you think just because you got married and opened a shop, you’ve matured, yet you’re here trying to manipulate me under the noses of your grandparents,” the village head said, now unable to maintain a serious face, scolding Jing Yi while smiling.

“Hey, Brother Sheng, this kid knows how to talk, please educate him quickly,” Jing’s father chimed in, raising his hands in agreement.

“Right! You two are all grown-ups; don’t bicker with a kid. Let’s get down to business,” the old village head also sided with Jing Yi. Having such a successful and well-off child was a great thing.

Jing Yi, now nineteen years old, the giant baby…

Subsequently, they stopped making jokes and began discussing the actual work.

For this round of hiring at the soap factory, there were three types of jobs: making lye, working with fats, and mold removal and shaping.

(T/N: Lye is a caustic chemical that reacts with fats to form soap.)

Jing Yi decided to keep the concentrated lye production and saponification for his own family, initially assigning the work to their household staff. The main reason was that he didn’t want to test the character of the village people.

If, later on, there were other people with the right skills and character, they could naturally be considered for core positions.

The first task was the production of lye. It involved taking the ashes of burned wood and weeds, adding a suitable amount of water, and stirring it. Then, it would be filtered through cloth to obtain the filtered mixture, which was lye.

The second type of work involved handling fats. Jing Yi thought of mixing lard and rapeseed oil, as this would provide the right hardness for the soap and save costs. So, this job mainly consisted of rendering lard. For now, they would continue to buy rapeseed oil.

The third job was to remove soap from the molds, and then properly shape it. This work was quite detailed, and Jing Yi suggested employing women or young gers from the village.

“The first two are easily manageable, following your plan, we need more people for lye production, about five individuals; for rendering the fats, we need fewer, around three people. Both are physically demanding tasks and require men,” the village head confirmed with Jing Yi.

“It’s this last one that’s the concern. In this village, it’s not considered proper to have the womenfolk work outside. It’s not the norm.”

As he looked at his wife and mother-in-law’s expressions, he quickly clarified, “I don’t mean to look down on anyone, I just think it’s not suitable to have our menfolk stay idle while the women go out to work.”

“What’s unsuitable about it, Xiao Yi? If no one else goes, I’ll go! Don’t mind Aunt Shu’s clumsy hands,” the village head’s wife responded, quickly expressing her willingness. She also had a personal motive. The head of the house had a challenging job as the village head, and their family had both elderly and children to support. Daily expenses added up, and she hoped to earn more.

Moreover, what’s so improper about it? It all came down to men’s pride, but in some households, they couldn’t even put food on the table. Who would care about your pride?

“All right, thanks, Aunt! You’re skillful; you’ll certainly do well!”

Jing Yi was thrilled because he had been worried about managing this group of employees. He was happy to have Aunt Shu help with this part. He had initially considered having Chuxia oversee it, but he didn’t want to keep him confined to the factory every day; he couldn’t bear to do that.

Jing Yi could tell that Chuxia was more interested in business. Currently, most of the management work at the hotpot restaurant was handled by Chuxia, and he enjoyed it. Moreover, Jing Yi spent most of his time in town, so they didn’t have to deal with a long-distance relationship.

“Aunt, Grandma, as for this group, you two can discuss it with my mother and help find suitable candidates.”

“Alright! Leave it to us, son!” Grandma Tai promised, patting her chest.

As hus mother and wife both showed enthusiasm, the village head didn’t feel like opposing anything. He glanced at his father, who also appeared cheerful, so he felt relieved.

Grandma Tai and Aunt Shu were both reliable, so they would manage it. It allowed him to relax. Besides, they were all relatives, and he didn’t want to strain their relationships by being too stern.

In the end, the candidates for the lye and fats groups were determined. Since the lye group’s work was a bit heavier, they would be paid six hundred wen per month, while the fats group, with lighter work, would receive five hundred wen. Everyone could take three days off per month, and they would arrange the schedules for rest accordingly.

This kind of job in the countryside was as good as it gets. They could earn money while taking care of their families.

The selected individuals were mostly from honest, hardworking, and disadvantaged households in the village. However, just to be on the safe side, they would sign confidentiality contracts with the village people in the name of the Huang family of Qingzhou Prefecture, offering substantial compensation.

The village head informed them that having the Huang family’s factory in their village was an opportunity and also an honor for Jing Yi. If anyone destroyed this good thing for their own selfish reasons, the village wouldn’t tolerate them.

This punishment was more intimidating than high compensation. Being expelled from the village meant becoming a displaced person in the Huang family’s jurisdiction, leading to a very difficult life.

These eight individuals were approached by the village head and Jing Yi, who visited each household. Faced with such demanding conditions, they all readily agreed and thanked the two. This outcome was somewhat unexpected for Jing Yi.

The village head could see what Jing Yi was thinking and explained, “In our village, very few people get to leave, and even fewer can go out and make money as you do. Most people don’t even have opportunities to work as laborers in the town. Having a good job in the village is something no one would refuse. Besides, these families barely have any land, and they go hungry most of the year. Nowadays, there’s nothing more important than putting food on the table.”

Jing Yi couldn’t help but recall the sight of several undernourished children he had seen earlier. “Xiao Yi, don’t feel pressured. The old man still wants to say thank you, we’re very grateful for your continued concern for our village people,” the village head reassured.

“Village head, please don’t say that. I also have my own selfish reasons. Many uncles and aunts helped us when our families were in need,” Jing Yi explained. He always believed in treating others as he would like to be treated.

“Good kid, that’s enough,” the village head said with pride. This was undoubtedly the kind of child that the Jing family was blessed with.

On the other side, the village head’s wife, mother, and Jing’s mother were all busy selecting suitable candidates in the village. They wanted to ensure that different households were chosen, allowing more villagers to earn a living.

The work of demolding and shaping was more intricate compared to the first two tasks and required more personnel. However, it wasn’t physically strenuous; it was detailed handwork that allowed them to earn money while sitting, so the wages were somewhat lower, around four hundred wen per month.

It was emphasized that the work and rest areas were separate from the male workers at the factory, and they even had separate outhouses. With Aunt Shu from the village head’s family there, there was no need to worry.

Next, they established the starting time and informed everyone that they would need to sign confidentiality contracts when they began working. Everything was settled smoothly.

The third day marked the official commencement of the soap factory, celebrated with some simple fireworks.

Even though the soap had not completely dried, they had to start early due to the incessant urging from Huang Second Brother. Jing Yi figured that since they would continuously need to use fire in these rooms and they had installed large windows for ventilation on all sides, they could start ahead of time without impacting anyone’s health.

When the workers began, guided by Jing’s house servants, they worked systematically, but initially, there were some errors due to their unfamiliarity with the process. There were issues with the firing and proportions, but none of these tasks were too complicated. After a couple of days, they gradually got the hang of it.

The workers responsible for demolding and shaping initially struggled to find their groove. Either they applied too much force and broke the soap while demolding or misjudged the angles while shaping, resulting in an uneven surface.

However, it was Chuxia’s quick thinking that solved the problem. After observing for a day, he divided the nine workers into two groups, forming a rudimentary assembly line.

Those who were skilled in demolding worked on that, while the more nimble individuals focused on shaping. Those with brute strength handled the boxing and packaging. This setup significantly improved work efficiency.

The core tasks were performed by Jing’s house servants, including five adult men and Gao Kun. Almost the entire household was engaged in the work, and Jing Yi spent five consecutive days in the factory, offering hands-on guidance.

The molds, custom-made by the village carpenter, were already placed in the factory. The molds for regular soap were square, coming in two sizes – one weighing about one liang (around 37.5 grams) and the other about two liang.

The other high-quality soaps, including goat milk, honey, and wax plum, were also produced, each with a unique round mold. They used colors to differentiate them, and the wax plum soap was molded into petal shapes, resulting in a crystal-clear appearance where the plum blossom petals in the soap could be clearly seen, making it quite attractive.