Ever since she prepared to sell soap, Su Qiruo had been busy.
She would leave early every morning and not return until very late at night.
Because people had never seen this item before, it was somewhat difficult to sell. Most of the time, she would sell it at half-price or give it away, asking people to take it home to try first and come back to buy more if it worked well.
Su Qiruo found a street corner with heavy foot traffic and had Lu Ziping bring a basin of water to place on the ground.
Taking out a piece of extremely tattered and filthy clothing—which even had some bloodstains on it—Su Qiruo cleared her throat several times and began to shout to the crowd.
"Come and take a look, everyone! This is the soap that the nobles in the capital are using. It cleans clothes well and leaves them smelling fragrant. I’m selling it cheap, selling it cheap! Only ten wen a piece. First come, first served; if you come late, you’ll miss out..."
In truth, Su Qiruo didn't make much profit selling a piece of soap for ten wen, but she urgently needed to open up the market, so she had no choice but to set the price low.
Once there was demand in the market, she would reprice it. This could also be considered a discount for the customers who supported her first.
Seeing a few curious onlookers gathering around, Lu Dasheng and Lu Qimei, who were pretending to be passersby, stepped in.
"You say this soap is what the nobles in the capital are using?"
Lu Dasheng squinted at Su Qiruo, feigning a worldly air, and deliberately raised her voice so that everyone around could hear.
Commoners in cloth garments admired the nobility most; once this gimmick was used, many would surely follow the trend.
"That’s right, big sister. This soap of mine is truly powerful. With soap, you no longer need to use soap locust pods to wash clothes; it cleans much better than soap pods."
As Su Qiruo spoke, she took out a white object the size of a small inkstone, and the people around her looked at her curiously.
"Talk is cheap. Why don't you wash that piece of clothing in your hand?"
Lu Qimei chimed in from the side, her demeanor quite like the shills hired by salesmen in her past life who sold water dispensers and gave away washbasins and eggs to the elderly.
"That’s easy enough. Watch closely, look at these oil stains, look at these bloodstains—I guarantee it will be washed spotlessly clean..."
Su Qiruo had been waiting for this demonstration. She responded, rolled up her sleeves, soaked the garment in the basin, and began to scrub vigorously with the soap.
"If you buy this piece of soap, it will last you a long time. It’s truly a bargain."
Lu Ziping also added, "We are only selling it for ten wen now. Once this batch is sold out, the price of this soap will go up. There isn't much left, so first come, first served!"
While they were talking, the clothing in Su Qiruo's hands had become clean at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"It really has become much cleaner!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed, and others followed suit.
However, there were also many skeptical people among them who still had doubts.
"This clothing was brought by you yourselves. Who knows what you smeared on it? If you really want to prove your soap works, you should use our clothes to wash."
Su Qiruo stood up with a smile, shook the water off her hands, and cupped her fists toward the crowd.
"Then let's see which sister is willing to take off her outer garment for me to try. I am willing to gift a piece of soap as a token of my gratitude."
This was exactly what Su Qiruo was waiting for. Only by proving it on the spot could she make people believe her.
But the crowd looked at one another, and no one was willing to take off their clothes.
What would it look like to strip in the middle of the street? Besides, who would carry a dirty piece of clothing when they went out?
Just then, Zhang Dafu, who sold pork not far away, walked over carrying a garment covered in meat juices and grease.
She still remembered Su Qiruo; this person had bought half a pig from her a few days ago, and she was so handsome that it was hard not to remember her.
"If you don't mind, little sister, you can use this garment of mine."
For some reason, Zhang Dafu inexplicably trusted Su Qiruo. Perhaps it was the way she treated her husband that day that made Zhang Dafu feel this woman was not a bad person.
"Isn't that Zhang Dafu who sells meat?"
"If you can wash Zhang Dafu's clothes clean, we'll believe you."
"That's right! That's right..."
The crowd began to clamor again. Su Qiruo smiled helplessly and said bluntly without avoiding the issue: "Although this soap can wash cleaner than soap pods, it is not a miracle cure. It can wash away fresh oil stains, but it is somewhat powerless against old, stubborn grime."
Usually, no one would wear clothes as dirty as Zhang Dafu's. Although Su Qiruo wanted to sell soap, she wouldn't exaggerate too much.
Zhang Dafu hurriedly said, "The little sister is right. Not everyone is a butcher. If the fresh oil on this garment can be washed away, then there's no need to mention the clothes of ordinary families."
Su Qiruo's honesty made Zhang Dafu feel even more that she hadn't misjudged her, and she wanted to help her even more.
Su Qiruo took the grayish coarse cloth garment from Zhang Dafu, soaked it in the basin, rubbed soap onto the oil spots, and began to scrub.
In an instant, the clear water in the basin became incredibly dirty, and the crowd couldn't help but gasp.
It seemed this soap was truly powerful. Although they didn't know Su Qiruo, they definitely trusted Zhang Dafu; after all, the Zhang family had been selling pork in the town for generations and was quite well-known.
"Ziping, go get another basin of clean water."
Su Qiruo wrung out the washed garment and had Lu Ziping fetch a fresh basin of water.
After rinsing, the dark gray garment had actually turned blue-white.
Zhang Dafu scratched her head shyly. If it hadn't been for washing it with this soap today, she would have almost forgotten the original color of the garment.
But this was enough to prove that the soap worked.
"It really is clean!"
Someone exclaimed, and others stepped forward to touch the washed garment, which even carried a faint scent of green wood.
"Little sister, I want two pieces of soap first."
Zhang Dafu took the garment Su Qiruo handed her, took twenty wen from the purse at her waist, handed it over, and said with a smile.
"I’ve troubled you with this garment today, so consider these two pieces of soap a gift from me."
Su Qiruo generously took two pieces of soap from the wooden box behind her and instructed Zhang Dafu, "This soap is afraid of heat. Don't leave it in the sun, and don't put it near the stove. Just find a wooden box to keep it in."
Zhang Dafu nodded while stuffing the twenty copper coins into Su Qiruo's hand; she wasn't short on money at all.
"It's all a small business. You take the money. If this soap works well, I’ve already gotten a great bargain."
After saying this, Zhang Dafu didn't wait for Su Qiruo to be polite with her again; she waved the soap in her hand and walked away carrying the wet garment.
With Zhang Dafu setting a good example, all fifty-plus pieces of soap Su Qiruo brought today were sold out.
Although she had spent the whole day working and only earned enough for a lunch, Su Qiruo still felt very satisfied.
(End of chapter)