Chapter 124 A Great Invention

Lin Wanrong was quite concerned about Qin Xian'er's words. Now, Xiao Qingxuan had become the person closest to him in this world, and he was unwilling to let her face any danger.

He had to figure out a solution. If all else failed, he would strike at Qin Xian'er when chaos ensued. He didn't believe that this little girl, despite her extraordinary skills, could withstand his dual golden guns. A mischievous smile graced his face.

Returning to his little nest in the Xiao family, he couldn't fall asleep for a long time. The image of Xiao Qingxuan continually lingered in his mind. It seemed that Xiao Qingxuan's family was undoubtedly wealthy or noble. To reduce the resistance between them, he needed to further strengthen his capabilities.

His martial arts skills were impressive, combined with his poisoned needles and firearms, even if he encountered the unbeatable Dongfang Bubai, he could put up a good fight. At present, the restaurant Food for Immortals managed by old Dong and Qiaoqiao was doing great, earning a fortune every day. The lingerie and perfume business of the Xiao family was also exceptionally successful, particularly the perfume business, which was incredibly profitable.

[TL: Dongfang Bubai or Invincible East is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong]

Unfortunately, due to production capacity issues, the volume of perfume production was still not up to par. There was money to be made, but he couldn't seize the opportunity, which frustrated him. Moreover, relying solely on the perfume business seemed too simplistic. He thought of diversifying into other related businesses, gradually perfecting his product line. With a wider variety of products, there would be more opportunities to earn money.

In fact, ever since the birth of the perfume, he had an idea. Since he was making perfume, why not make other daily necessities as well? With perfume, he could also make soap.

Soap, a simple product with straightforward ingredients that were taught in middle school chemistry textbooks. Lin Wanrong even conducted an experiment during class, just mix fats with caustic soda and heat them at a high temperature, the process wasn't complicated, which was conducive to mass production.

There were two types of soap, laundry soap and bathroom soap. The process of making laundry soap was crude; it could be directly extracted by mixing animal fats with caustic soda. To save costs, one could add ten to twenty percent of rosin. As for bathroom soap, the principle was the same, but the process was slightly more complex. It required vegetable oils and caustic soda, then purification, and finally, perfume was added.

The perfume wasn't an issue, as the perfume making process left a lot of floral residue, which could be effectively recycled.

With the experience of making perfume, Lin Wanrong's confidence had increased a lot. Once this soap was produced, it would become another highly profitable product like perfume. A single perfume and restaurant were enough, and with this soap industry, he would instantly possess three golden geese laying eggs, two of which were his exclusive property. It would be hard not to prosper.

With this idea, he became excited, his heart itching with anticipation. This invention was entirely his own. If this era had an Academy of Sciences, he would have been the president long ago.

He also wanted to make products like shampoo and facial cleanser, but unfortunately, he wasn't very familiar with these things. His greatest regret was that he hadn't thoroughly studied the composition of Viagra in the past. If he had the patent for Viagra, by heaven, manufacturing a few hundred of those blue little pills and exclusively selling them to emperors and ministers, he'd become obscenely rich, and it would be an injustice if he didn't.

That night, he was restless, thrilled and jubilant over his great invention, and as a result, he didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, he got up early and hurriedly left.

Walking into the center of the courtyard, he saw the Eldest Miss swaying gracefully as she entered from outside. It turned out she had stayed overnight at the Rosy Cloud Temple with the Second Miss. The sisters talked all night and she only returned this morning.

Upon seeing Lin San heading out with a joyful smile on his face, not even sparing her a glance, Xiao Yuruo stopped him, "Lin San, where are you going?"

Lin Wanrong halted, recognized the person, and smiled, "Oh, it's the Eldest Miss. I'm off to buy some lard."

Xiao Yuruo looked at him in surprise, "You're not a cook, why do you need that?"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Some things are better left a secret."

Seeing his mysterious behavior, the Eldest Miss thought, 'This guy must be up to something again.' Having witnessed the power of the perfume, she was quite curious about him, and said, "I have nothing to do this morning, so I'll go with you."

The Eldest Miss accompanying him to buy lard? That didn't sound right. Lin Wanrong made a bitter face, "Eldest Miss, please don't torment me. You're a dignitary; you shouldn't be messing around with me. How is the promotion of the perfume going?"

Xiao Yuruo nodded, "The promotion is going very well. Right, we are going to visit Jinling Poetry Society the day after tomorrow. You should come with me; it'll be a good experience for you and might be useful in the future."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanrong understood. The Eldest Miss was grooming him. She probably wanted to turn him into a white-collar backbone of the Xiao family. ‘Interesting,’ he thought.

Humbly, for once, he smiled and said, "If it's the Eldest Miss's order, I will naturally follow. But what exactly is this Jinling Poetry Society?"

The Eldest Miss nodded, thinking, 'If you had this humble attitude every day, I wouldn't always give you the cold shoulder.'

"The Jinling Poetry Society is the largest reading institution in Jinling, gathering many famous talents. If our perfume can be successfully promoted among them, it would be a huge success."

Lin Wanrong nodded. He understood the logic; it was the star effect. The talents of this era were comparable to the posturing celebrities in his previous life. If he could find a beautiful and talented woman to say, "Cleanliness is next to healthiness," it would be difficult for it not to become a sensation throughout the Great Hua.

Lost in his thoughts, he heard the Eldest Miss continue, "The Jinling Poetry Society is a gathering place for the most influential figures in Jinling. It's not just the most talented man in Jinling, Hou Yuebai, and Yangzhou's number one talent, Yu Wenpo, but also the most talented woman in Jinling, Miss Luo Ning, and many ladies of prestigious families under her. If we can find opportunities among them, our perfume will be firmly established in Jinling."

The Eldest Miss seemed to be in a good mood today. She was uncharacteristically patient, taking the time to explain the business intricacies to him. It was clear that she was serious about grooming him to be a core member of the Xiao family.

With a dismissive smirk, Lin Wanrong realized that the Jinling Poetry Society was merely a front maintained by Luo Ning and others. However, the Eldest Miss had chosen this elite path well; it was a gathering place for literate young ladies from official families, and should indeed be the focus of their attack.

After the Eldest Miss spoke for a while and saw his relaxed expression, she wasn't sure how much he had actually taken in. With a soft snort, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

Lin Wanrong was notorious for his laziness. Buying lard was not a task that required his personal attention. He was now a senior servant in the Xiao family, favored by the Ladies of the Xiao family, and had even surpassed the two stewards in rank. Now that his status had soared, if he didn't know how to use it to his advantage, he wouldn't be the infamous Lin San in the Xiao residence.

He chose a young lad to run errands for him. The boy was the one who had earned a tael of silver as a tip when Lin Wanrong accompanied Young Master Guo to a brothel. The lad was named San De.

"Listen, San De..." Lin Wanrong began.

The lad hurriedly responded, "Brother San, please don't mock me. You are the Brother San, I wouldn't dare to use your title. From now on, I'll be known as Si De."

[TL: San in Lin San and San De means three; Si in Si De means four]

‘Ah, look at this sycophant, even knowing how to avoid potential trouble. No wonder this lad had potential.’ This feeling of borrowing the tiger's fierceness was extremely satisfying to Lin Wanrong. Nodding, Lin Wanrong ordered, "Listen, Si De, hurry to the butcher's and buy four pounds of lard. Also, get me some pure caustic soda, and call Fubo back. Tell him I need to discuss something with him."

Having a runner was liberating. Lin Wanrong was able to assign three tasks with a single breath, and Si De completed them efficiently. When Fubo returned, he saw Lin Wanrong directing Si De to stoke the fierce fire in the stove, where the white lard was boiling, filling the air with a faint smell of grease.

"Fubo, you've returned at the right time." Seeing more labor available, Lin Wanrong wasn't about to be polite. Regardless of age, if they could do work, that was enough.

He took a large piece of fine sandcloth prepared earlier and directed methodically, "Fubo, you have experience. After Si De cleans off the surface dirt, use this filter cloth to filter the grease, then clean it again."

Fubo asked curiously, "Lin San, what are you up to now?" Both Fubo and Changbo admired Lin San genuinely, despite his half-baked skills in floral arts and mechanics, his occasional creative ideas left them both impressed and amazed.

Lin Wanrong, naturally, would not divulge his plan. He chuckled and said, "Fubo, we go way back. Don't you trust me?"

Fubo snorted, thinking that this young man didn't have an ounce of respect for his elders. However, he did trust Lin Wanrong and seeing him in all seriousness, he decided to follow his instructions.

With his specially crafted pencil, Lin Wanrong was constantly writing and drawing on the paper, symbols that the other two could not understand. After a while, he put down the pencil, breathed a sigh of relief, and exclaimed, "Dear chemistry teacher, I will always love you."

Excited, he instructed Fubo to pour all the cleaned fat into the pot and boil it over high heat. As the temperature rose, Si De, following Lin Wanrong's instructions, kept stirring. Lin Wanrong then took one-third of the weight of the fat in lye and threw it into the pot.

After boiling for less than half an hour, he told Si De to pour a large amount of coarse salt into the pot and stir evenly. Those who had studied chemistry would know this process is called "salting out."

About half an hour later, Fubo and Si De were amazed to see a layer of pale yellow ointment-like substance rising to the surface of the pot, which was originally boiling with lard.

Lin Wanrong was overjoyed. This was soap! ‘I am a genius,’ he thought. "Dear chemistry teacher, be proud of me. I will always remember your teaching: study well in physics and chemistry, and fear nothing in the world."

This was, in fact, a very simple chemical experiment. Fats under high temperatures, with the presence of alkali, would hydrolyze to form higher fatty acid salts and glycerol. Fatty acid salts are what we commonly call soap, and glycerol, when mixed with nitric acid, can create nitroglycerin, an explosive. Because soap does not dissolve in concentrated saltwater and glycerol has a high solubility in saltwater, they can be separated by adding salt.

After his moment of joy, Lin Wanrong instructed Si De to scrape the pale yellow paste into a large wooden box. Once it cooled down, it would turn into a large chunk of soap.

As for the byproduct glycerol, Lin Wanrong was tempted to create a few bombs for fun. However, he was also well aware of its danger. Nitroglycerin was extremely unstable and could explode with just a slight shock. After some hesitation, he decided to abandon this idea for the time being. It was too dangerous, and his own life was more important.

Looking at the large chunk of soap, Lin Wanrong was calculating in his mind. What would be the cost of making soap from this animal fat?

The four pounds of lard probably cost about eight taels of silver. The soap made from it could be cut into thirty to forty small fist-sized pieces. Each piece of soap should sell for at least eight taels of silver. That would be a profit of thirty to forty taels of silver. The profit was considerable. Furthermore, this lard was just a test product with high cost, and it was possible to further reduce the cost by using other animal or vegetable oils.

After an hour, the soap finally cooled down. Lin Wanrong instructed Si De to bring a basin of clean water and soak their soiled clothes of the past few days in it. He scraped off a small piece of soap and gently rubbed it onto the clothes. After a rinse with clear water, the stains disappeared without a trace.

Fubo was dumbfounded. "Lin San, what is this? It's miraculous!"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Fubo, you're in for a treat today. This is called soap, and I invented it myself."

[TL: This guy has no shame, smh]

Fubo exclaimed, "Lin San, with this invention, the lives of all the young women will be so much easier. They will have to thank you for this."

Lin Wanrong burst into laughter. "Fubo, you give me too much credit. My mission has always been to benefit countless women and set a new trend in society. But I feel guilty whenever I think that this goal is still far from being achieved."

Fubo chose to ignore his words. He carefully touched the newly formed soap, which felt smooth and fine. He couldn't help but marvel at how miraculous this invention was.

The soap they made was the most basic type of laundry soap. The process for making scented soap was the same, but it required replacing the animal fat with vegetable oils such as coconut oil or tung oil, purifying it a few more times, and adding some color and fragrance. The leftover flower scraps from making perfume, which Lin Wanrong always thought were a waste, could finally be put to good use.

He followed this method and conducted another experiment, this time using tung oil and adding more pressed flower scraps. Lin Wanrong took the creation of this scented soap even more seriously. He did not let Si De help, but did it himself, pouring the paste into another box.

As the scented soap slowly cooled, Fubo and Si De were left in awe. The soap was a beautiful shade of light pink with a hint of yellow, and the air was filled with a light, floral fragrance. One whiff and they were captivated.

‘Success!’ Lin Wanrong was ecstatic. He couldn't help but let out a roar of laughter. ‘Beautiful women of the world, await the use of my great invention! I will make you all more beautiful, fragrant, and attractive.’

The two experiments took two full days, but they were much easier and simpler than the perfume-making process. Fubo and Si De both witnessed the birth of this miracle.

If the perfume was a happy accident, the soap was a deliberate invention. Benefiting the people? Lin Wanrong didn't have such lofty ideals. Making a hefty profit, that was his real motivation.

Soap was a new product, and naturally, its initial pricing would cater to the higher end of the market, ensuring profits no less than that of perfume. With these inventions—undergarments, perfume, and soap—especially the latter two, he would monopolize the market. The money would surely come rolling in. In the future, he planned to produce medicinal soap and establish an all-inclusive chemical industry. At that moment, he felt on top of the world, as if he had achieved great success.

It was already time to light the lamps. Fubo had his eyes opened over the past two days. After a long sigh, he finally spoke, "Lin San, do you think we should show this to the Eldest Miss?"

Lin Wanrong had also been pondering this. Handing over the perfume business to the Xiao family was partly due to Xiao Yushuang's influence and partly because the Xiao family had a comprehensive marketing network. Although Lin Wanrong had the skills and products, he was severely lacking in marketing. If he were to build it from scratch, he didn't have enough money or energy. Letting the Xiao family handle the exclusive distribution was a viable approach, a business model he'd seen plenty of in his previous life.

After some consideration, he said to Fubo, "We can let the Eldest Miss take a look. Alas, I am such a failure. I always end up being exploited by her."

The Eldest Miss's arrival was much swifter than Lin Wanrong had anticipated. Perhaps in her eyes, Fubo was an honest man who wouldn't lie, so she readily believed what Fubo had seen with his own eyes. If Lin San were to report it, she would probably only believe one out of ten things he said.

When Xiao Yuruo entered the room and saw Lin Wanrong grinning at her, she blushed and said, "Are you always so frivolous?"

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "Eldest Miss, I have never been serious."

She shot him a glance and snorted, her attention quickly shifting to the objects behind him.

So, this was the thing called soap? Xiao Yuruo curiously looked at the two large pieces of soap in front of her. They weren't finely crafted and still retained a roughness, yet they felt smooth and slick to the touch. Especially the scented soap, with its light pink hue and a faint, pleasant fragrance, it instantly captured her interest.

"Lin San, did you really make all of this?" The Eldest Miss's excited voice quivered slightly.