MCUS Chapter 116

Yan Ge and his group hurried all the way, heading straight to Bazhou. The closer they got to Bazhou, the more refugees they encountered on the road. They were dragging their families along, and walking with weary steps, looking visibly exhausted.

Upon arriving in Bazhou, the group found a restaurant to have a meal. The restaurant was deserted, and the prices for food were exorbitant.

The waiter guessed their thoughts and explained, “Honored guests, you might not be aware, but Bazhou and several nearby towns have experienced severe drought this year. Most of the rice and vegetables are brought in from other places, hence the higher prices. However, our restaurant has a top-notch chef, and I guarantee that you won’t regret your meal.”

Deng Mande gave the waiter some money and sent him away.

After finishing their meal, they found an inn. Huangfu Yuchen instructed everyone to disperse and gather information, while he and Yan Ge personally went out to explore.

The two of them rode their horses out of the city and casually followed the road until they reached a village. The vast fields along the road were dry and barren, and the vegetables in the gardens had yellowing leaves, struggling to survive. The ponds of about three meters deep had long dried up, leaving only shallow muddy water in the small depressions at the bottom. All the water plants had withered, and a single step would cause the dry and brittle leaves to shatter.

At the village’s exit, several farmers gathered under the shade of a tree, their faces filled with hardship and helplessness. They still had some stored food to last them for a while, hoping that before their provisions ran out, the government would provide them with assistance or that a miracle would occur, and a heavy rain would bring them hope.

Yan Ge gestured for Huangfu Yuchen to stay in place while he walked over, wearing an elegant and graceful smile. “Uncles, we are passing through this place. I wonder if I could trouble you for a bowl of water?”

One of the men stood up. “Wait here.”

Before long, he came back with a large bowl of water.

Yan Ge took the bowl and drank a big mouthful of water, smiling gratefully. “Thank you, uncle. I heard that this area has been suffering from drought, and I thought I would surely die of thirst on this journey.”

The man nodded. “Indeed, the drought is severe. Fortunately, the village’s wells still have water, which meets our basic needs. But as for the fields… sigh, I’m afraid there’s no hope. In our village, there were over seventy households, but now there are only a little over forty remaining.”

Yan Ge felt somewhat relieved upon hearing that drinking water wasn’t in short supply.

“Not to conceal anything, I have a friend with some connections in the government. I wonder if you could guide us around the village so that I can inform him of the situation here. Perhaps he can help you find a solution.”

“Is that so?” The man was skeptical and glanced at the other villagers.

The other villagers also wore expressions of disbelief.

Yan Ge said, “Just show us around. Trying might still bring some hope. If we don’t even try, there will be no hope at all.”

The man nodded. “you’re right. Fine, I’ll show you around.”

Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen followed the man into the village, with several curious villagers trailing behind. Huangfu Yuchen observed the houses and fields, while Yan Ge kept his gaze fixed on a tree with numerous fruit resembling hanging broad beans. Along the way, he had already seen seven or eight of these trees, with two particularly large ones that would need two people to be able to fully embrace them.

Yan Ge was so engrossed that he almost bumped into the tree in front of him. Huangfu Yuchen reached out his long arm and hooked Yan Ge’s waist. “If you tilt your head any higher, your neck might snap.”

“Uncle, what kind of tree is this?” Yan Ge was completely absorbed and asked the man leading the way.

There was no need for the man to answer, Huangfu Yuchen responded disapprovingly, “This is a soapberry tree. There is one in our family’s garden.”

The uncle also chimed in, “It’s a soapberry tree indeed. Its fruits can be used for washing clothes, nothing remarkable. We pick a lot of them every year and store them for later use.”

Yan Ge shook his head, suppressed his thoughts for a moment, and asked again, “Are there many trees like this in the village? What about other nearby villages?”

Another uncle couldn’t help but interject, “Plenty of them. You can find this type of tree everywhere around here.”

Yan Ge sighed and noticed a piece of wood lying on the ground not far away. He pulled Huangfu Yuchen towards it and sat down, shaking his head. “You people, you don’t realize the treasure you have.”

The villagers exchanged confused glances. What does he mean?

Yan Ge pondered for a moment and said, “Here’s the thing. Do you have mature soapberries in your homes? We would like to buy some.”

The uncle generously replied, ”Those things are not worth much. If you want them, I’ll give you some.”

Yan Ge smiled and shook his head, “We’ll pay for them. Around ten catties should be enough. Once I transform them into something, you won’t think they are worthless anymore. Zirui, I’ve found another business opportunity.” He gestured to Huangfu Yuchen.

Huangfu Yuchen generously took out a one-thousand silver note.

Yan Ge grinned with satisfaction. He would slowly make back his 200,000 taels.

The uncle brought out a large bag. “There are more than ten catties in here. Just give me a few coins.”

Yan Ge thought for a moment and decided decided not to give too much. He only gave the uncle one hundred coins. It wasn’t wise to arouse jealousy among the other villagers during these special times.

Huangfu Yuchen tied the bag to the horse’s back, Yan Ge thanked the uncle, and they left together.

“Baby, what exactly are you planning?” Huangfu Yuchen asked. “Do you want the people of Bazhou to make money from soapberries?”

“Yes,” Yan Ge replied. “Soapberry trees are excellent. They withstand drought and cold weather, which makes them perfect for Bazhou. The villagers only know how to use soapberries directly for washing clothes, but they are unaware of the possibilities for processing and improving them. If successful, we can sell them in other regions and make a lot of money! Even if their crops fail this year, they should be able to sustain their livelihoods by selling this valuable commodity.”

Huangfu Yuchen chuckled, “Do you know how to process them?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll show you a sample once I make it.” Yan Ge replied confidently. Even if he didn’t know, he could always check the system’s store for recipes.

Indeed, there were recipes available, although they were not cheap, costing five hundred taels. After arriving in the city, Yan Ge instructed Huangfu Yuchen to buy various spices, soybeans, and dried pig pancreas.

Back at the inn, while the others hadn’t returned yet, Yan Ge asked an attendant to cook and mash the soapberries. With all the preparations in place, he chased Huangfu Yuchen out of the room, not allowing him to see what he was doing, creating an air of mystery.

Huangfu Yuchen had no choice but to take a book and lie down on the soft couch in the hall, faintly catching a whiff of fragrance emanating from the room.

After nearly half an hour, Yan Ge emerged with a smile on his face, holding a cup of tea in both hands, and handed it to Huangfu Yuchen.

“Zirui, have some tea.”

“Thank you, baby.” Huangfu Yuchen sat up, took the teacup, and opened the lid to take a sip. However, he found that the purple liquid inside the cup didn’t move at all; it was actually solid, exuding the scent of osmanthus flowers. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yan Ge.

“Hahaha…” Yan Ge burst into laughter, leaning against Huangfu Yuchen’s shoulder.

Huangfu Yuchen bit him playfully, then laughed for a while before stopping.

“I couldn’t find anything suitable as a mold, so I had to use a teacup instead.”

“This is your improved result?” Huangfu Yuchen turned the teacup upside down in his palm, and the solid substance fell into his hand, emitting a pleasant fragrance and feeling smooth.

“Yes,” Yan Ge said. “This thing is called ‘soap.’ It can be used for washing the face, bathing, and even for laundry. I made this one with the scent of osmanthus, but it can be made in many other flavors, such as rose, mint, and purple grass. In addition to working on the fragrance, we can also experiment with colors and shapes. It’s bound to be popular among women. The cost of making one soap is at most two or three coins, but if sold, even if it’s priced at fifty coins, it won’t be considered expensive.”

“Baby, you’ve worked hard,” Huangfu Yuchen embraced him, letting him sit on his lap. “even if you want teach them the soap-making process, you can also make soap in the capital and it won’t affect them”

Yan Ge nodded, “I intend to do that. However, I’ll make more refined ones, trying not to compete with them for profits.”

“Leave that to me. We must keep the first soap you made as a memento.” Huangfu Yuchen said and was about to put the soap into his own bag.

Yan Ge’s face flushed, and he reached out his hand, “Give that one to others as a sample, this one is for you.”

Huangfu Yuchen looked at the heart-shaped soap in Yan Ge’s hand with surprise. It was polished smooth, with a purple-red color, resembling a real heart, and emitted the fragrance of roses.

He took the soap, a gentle smile on his lips, and gazed lovingly into Yan Ge’s eyes, “Can I eat it?”

Yan Ge quickly shook his head, “No!”

“Then I’ll eat you.” Huangfu Yuchen chuckled softly and kissed him deeply.

Lunchtime had passed, and Jiang Gan and the others began to return one by one.

“Why are you so slow?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.

When they didn’t see Yan Ge, everyone tactfully refrained from asking.

Jiang Gan’s mood was quite sour, considering what they had encountered and heard today. “Young Master, Dr. Zhang and I pretended to be villagers from Sanshui Village and sought the magistrate’s help regarding the drought situation. The magistrate was not in his office, but we eventually found him at a restaurant. It turns out he was being specially entertained by a wealthy merchant from the city. After the banquet ended, we informed him of the real situation and requested that he open the granaries to aid the people in distress. He bluntly refused, saying that the grain in the granaries was meant to be used only in dire emergencies. When I asked him to find a solution for the affected people, he completely ignored us and hurriedly left in his sedan chair.”