Chapter 170: 170. Chapter 170: Widow Xu Who Is About to Be Sold to a Brothel

170. Chapter 170: Widow Xu Who Is About to Be Sold to a Brothel

Everyone couldn't help but marvel.

This soap workshop not only looks sturdy, but it even has high walls built outside, and people outside can't see what the people inside are doing.

This level of secrecy is not ordinary.

For the five cement bungalows, Jiang Wei had already planned the layout and use.

The first room is used for burning and filtering plant ash.

The second room is used for boiling lard.

The third room is where the filtered plant ash and lard are transported to be mixed and stirred.

The fourth room is for molding, injecting the fully reacted soap liquid into molds to solidify and form. During this period, various flower petals and spices can also be added to make scented soap.

The fifth room is used as a warehouse to store the finished soap.

Jiang Wei divided these thirty people into five groups, exactly six people per group, with six people arranged in each workshop.

Those careful and sharp-eyed wives were arranged in the first room, specifically responsible for filtering plant ash.

The strong men were responsible for stirring the soap liquid to make it fully undergo saponification. This is physical labor, and it is most suitable for men to do.

On the first day of work, the mother and daughter were responsible for supervision in each room.

In addition, Jiang Wei also had to secretly pour some alcohol into the lard when adding lye, behind the backs of these workers.

This step is essential for making soap.

It is also a precaution Jiang Wei kept.

Fats and oils are insoluble in lye, and only by adding alcohol can the fats and oils be fully dissolved in the alcohol.

However, alcohol requires distillation technology to be produced, and there is no such technology in this era.

Therefore, even if someone violates the contract and secretly reveals the steps of making soap, without alcohol, they can't make soap.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was supervising in the first workshop, where there were some wives and old women responsible for burning and filtering plant ash.

Several women gathered together and couldn't help but chat about some gossip.

"... Hey, have you heard? Zhao Wulai's mother is going to sell Widow Xu to a brothel!"

"What! When did this happen?"

As soon as this topic came out, everyone was interested.

Even Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was supervising on the side, couldn't help but quietly prick up her ears.

Several wives and old women seemed to have forgotten that Jiang Xiaoxiao was a child and spoke unscrupulously.

"... Just two days ago, I heard it from Lao Li family's second daughter-in-law with my own ears!"

"Is that Zhu Shi?" Someone immediately shook her head and questioned, "That woman's words are the least credible, how can you believe what she says?"

Exactly.

Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was eavesdropping on the side, silently agreed.

She knew Zhu Shi's character best.

"She really didn't lie this time." The woman then recounted the ins and outs of the matter, "A few days ago, didn't Xiaoxiao's house hold a banquet? Li Family Old Woman had diarrhea for several days after eating it, and it didn't get better..."

Speaking of this, the woman finally remembered that Jiang Xiaoxiao was standing on the side, and hurriedly glanced at her, but seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't care, she continued:

"Later, the Lao Li family went to invite Doctor Zhou to take a look, but Doctor Zheng wasn't there, and he happened to be invited away by Zhao Wulai's mother..."

"What did Zhao Wulai's mother invite Doctor Zheng for?" Someone asked at the right time.

"Didn't Widow Xu get pregnant during the days she was fooling around with Zhao Wulai? Now Zhao Wulai's mother wants to sell Widow Xu to a brothel to raise money, so she found Doctor Zhou to prescribe medicine to abort her fetus..."

Several people listened and gasped in unison.

Zhao Wulai's mother is too heartless!

This is her own grandson, and she is willing to abort it.

In this era, the more children and grandchildren, the better the fortune of the elderly at home. Unless it is a last resort, no family is willing to abort a fetus. It can be seen that this high tax has forced Zhao Wulai's family into a dead end.

"This Widow Xu is also miserable, how could she end up with someone like Zhao Wulai..." Someone let out a long sigh, feeling some sympathy for Widow Xu.

"Pah! This is all Widow Xu's own doing!"

Some people didn't sympathize with Widow Xu at all, "If she hadn't privately fooled around with Zhao Wulai behind Chunmiao's mother's back, how could she end up in this state? This is all her own fault!"

"Sigh, fortunately Chunmiao's mother divorced Zhao Wulai, that scoundrel, early on, otherwise who knows how much torture she would have suffered..."

Just as everyone was discussing enthusiastically, a burst of cursing suddenly sounded outside.

"Jiang Shi, you thousand-knife-killing woman, get out here!"

"You harmed my son and made him like this, today I want you to pay with blood!"

As soon as Jiang Xiaoxiao heard this voice, she ran out immediately.

Outside the courtyard, it was already surrounded by a circle of people.

Zhao Wulai's mother, Zhao Wang Shi, stood outside the courtyard cursing, and beside her stood a gray-faced Widow Xu.

Isn't this person rumored to be sold into a brothel? Why is she still following Zhao Wulai's mother to make trouble at her house?

Unaccountably, when Jiang Xiaoxiao saw Widow Xu, she had a bad feeling in her heart.

Jiang Wei also walked out of the soap workshop upon hearing the sound.

As soon as Zhao Wulai's mother saw Jiang Wei come out, she cursed even more vigorously:

"You black-hearted murderer, my son was harmed by you like this! Poor son of mine, a perfectly good person, now turned into a cripple, can't do anything, can only lie in bed every day, even eating, drinking, and pooping need me to serve him... All of this was harmed by you, this vicious cheap woman! Pay for my son's life!"

Even the villagers on the side couldn't listen to this anymore and said: "Zhao Old Woman, don't talk nonsense. Your son was clearly chased by a pack of wolves and fell off the cliff. How does it concern the Jiang family?"

"Hmph, don't think my son is paralyzed now and can't speak, I have a witness!" Saying that, Zhao Wang Shi pulled Widow Xu over, "Widow Xu can testify, the night my son had the accident, he didn't go to the mountain at all, but went to your house!"

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this: "What, what do you mean?"

Hearing this, the mother and daughter exchanged a tacit look.

Both of them knew clearly what Zhao Wulai came to do that night. Besides Zhao Wulai knowing, only the two of them knew.

Since Widow Xu knows what Zhao Wulai came to do that night, it can only mean...

Originally thought Zhao Wulai was scared dumb and this matter was over, but didn't expect that the real mastermind was Widow Xu.

Jiang Wei curled her lips, and her gaze fell on Widow Xu.

Widow Xu, who was tightly gripped by Zhao Wang Shi, unaccountably shivered. As soon as she raised her head, she met Jiang Wei's bottomless eyes.

"Since you, Widow Xu, say Zhao Wulai didn't go to the mountain that night, then you tell me, what did he come to my house for?" Jiang Wei's voice sounded slowly, without a trace of emotion.

Widow Xu's face turned white instantly. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 171 =====