Chapter 256: Old man, you're faster at casting aside the donkey once it's done with the millstone than anyone else

An Yinan let out a "pfft" and laughed, "Hey, old man, you're faster at casting aside the donkey once it's done with the millstone than anyone else."

The Captain coughed twice in embarrassment, "Then, will you continue to sit?"

An Yinan was just teasing the Captain; every time he looked all puffed up, he seemed like a pufferfish.

However, she was also afraid of making him sick with anger; what would she do if Aunt Li came looking for her to fight for her life?

"I'm off, I'm off, I still have to go back to eat." As An Yinan spoke, she waved her hand and left with a carefree air.

The Captain stood where he was; she was the one who said she wouldn't leave, and she was the one who left so carefree!

This girl, really, she is hateful!

Everyone had already finished cooking the meal; after An Yinan returned this time, no one would let her lift a finger to help with the cooking.

Even tending the fire was taken over by Xie Yuanyuan, and she could only watch them busily working in boredom.

"You're back? Wash your hands and eat." Li Xiue called out.

Over here, everyone was eating in a lively manner, while the Captain had run back home in a rush.

"Why are you running? Look at your age, and look at your legs and feet." Before Aunt Li could finish speaking, the Captain handed over a white cloth bag.

"What is this?" Aunt Li asked while opening the bag, and she saw brand-new fur; this was good stuff. "Where did it come from?"

The Captain put his Tobacco Pouch on the cabinet, "That girl gave it; the cotton shoes and hat are a share for Huzi, the share for Xiaoshitou is for you to send over, and the knee pads are for the two of us."

The Captain did not hide anything and told Aunt Li everything An Yinan had instructed.

Once Aunt Li heard this, she felt extremely comforted, "I guessed it was Nan Nan; she is thinking of us."

The Captain, however, asked with some urgency, "Is there any lard left at home?"

"What do you need lard for?" The old man never asked about matters in the kitchen; what was wrong today, why was he so abnormal?

"Is there or not?" The Captain was a bit anxious.

"Yes, yes, yes, there's a little bit left at the bottom, I was planning to use a bit of oil when we rush the autumn harvest." Aunt Li said with a frown.

Only then did the Captain set his mind at ease; as long as there was some, it was fine.

"In a while, get some wood ash; I'm going to Xie Er's house first." After the Captain finished speaking, he turned and went out.

"What do you need that thing for?" Aunt Li asked.

The Captain did not answer; his footsteps were hurried, and he even left his big Tobacco Pouch on the cabinet.

"This old man, the older he gets, why does his temper get more impatient?" Aunt Li touched the soft fur, unable to put it down, her eyes full of smiles.

The next day, everyone went to work, and An Yinan strolled over to Aunt Li's house.

Several people had already gathered at Aunt Li's house; those who knew the news had all gathered here today.

"You finally came; quickly see if this mold is okay." The Captain let An Yinan look at the item first so that if there were any problems, they could be modified immediately.

An Yinan inspected the mold; the wooden boards had been polished very smoothly, so demolding should not be difficult.

Moreover, she tested it, and the mold made by Uncle Xie Er could actually move up and down, and under each square of the mold, there was a pattern; it was evident that Uncle Xie Er had put a lot of effort into this mold.

"This is too amazing." An Yinan exclaimed.

Uncle Xie Er rubbed his sparse hair and said embarrassedly, "After the Captain introduced it, I felt that this kind of mold would be easier to demold; I don't know if it will work."

"It works, it works perfectly." An Yinan gave a thumbs up.

"This is the lard; see if it's enough?" The Captain moved the lard jar out; there was only a bottom left in the jar.

An Yinan nodded, "It's enough, let's start."

She explained while working.

She had already done this many times and was already proficient with the proportions, "We grind the ash from burning pine branches first, then use a filter to strain out the large dregs, add clear water, and stir continuously in one direction, just like I am doing now."

"In the process of stirring, you must add water so that the wood ash dissolves fully; stir until the wood ash is fully dissolved in the water."

An Yinan demonstrated while letting everyone watch.

"We use gauze to filter the wood ash water." An Yinan took out gauze from her bag; she had prepared this in advance. Cloth in the village was very precious, and she was afraid the Captain and the others wouldn't be willing to use it for experiments, so she brought her own gauze ahead of time.

"Heat the pot, get the lard hot, and pour the filtered wood ash water into the oil pot; the pot must be heated, and your hands must keep stirring." This step was very tiring, but it was the most important step.

"When it turns into a paste, add salt; I have already written the proportions clearly on the paper." After An Yinan added the salt, she stirred rapidly.

This time, as a demonstration, the Captain and Uncle Xie Er wanted to help, but she refused them.

"Look, it has become this granular texture; put it into the mold quickly." An Yinan explained while her hands moved extremely fast, using a spoon to quickly fill the mold. The five molds Uncle Xie Er made were all filled by her, and the remainder, so as not to waste it, was also put into a canned food jar.

"Tap the mold gently to remove air bubbles."

"Alright, seal the mold; by this time tomorrow, it should be ready to demold. If it were winter, the time would be even faster." An Yinan introduced.

The mold Uncle Xie Er made was very small and very exquisite; she had a premonition that after this batch of soap was produced, it would definitely be very beautiful.

Everyone didn't dare to blink; although they had seen the production method, it was one thing on paper, but seeing the demonstration was another thing entirely.

"That's it?" The Captain asked with some surprise.

An Yinan smiled and nodded, "That's it; everyone just come over tomorrow and wait to demold."

Amidst everyone's anticipation, the gathering dispersed for the day.

The Captain quietly compared the lard used with the soap that was made; if it really succeeded, their Quanshui Village would truly rise up!

The Captain didn't do anything all day; he just stared at those five small trays without even shifting his eyes, which made Aunt Li both angry and amused—why was he acting like a child in his old age?

An Yinan wasn't idle that day either; she took out the stack of newspapers the old man gave her and looked carefully at the places where he had marked key points, finally understanding why the old man was so solemn.

"What are you looking at?" Li Xiue returned from the edge of the fields; these days, she and Zhao Qiuhua took turns cooking. Some of the partners would bring things, some would provide grain, and some would directly give Work Points; in any case, they never let the two of them lose out.

An Yinan beckoned to Li Xiue, "Sister Xiue, come and look."

She pointed at the circles on the newspaper while making a little room for Li Xiue.

Li Xiue flipped through them one by one, and the more she looked, the brighter her eyes became, "It's soon, right?"

This stack of newspapers was all related to the College Entrance Examination; although the wording and phrasing were not explicit, the hints were already very obvious.

"It should be within these two years." An Yinan looked at the happy Li Xiue, and her heart was also very excited. Although she knew history, this space was different from her own era; there were many overlapping events, but there were also many that did not overlap.

Open universities are the general trend, but the timing could not be pinned down; now, seeing the newspapers organized by the old gentleman, they all knew that era was coming soon.