The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 010 Essential Oil

Tang Shen and Yao San went to Blacksmith Wang's shop together.

The sound of hammering could be heard coming from the shop. Blacksmith Wang was bare-chested and holding a sledgehammer in one hand, currently in the middle of hammering. Seeing Tang Shen and Yao San, he said: "Little Tang Lang and Yao San, why do you have time to come to see me today?"

Tang Shen: "Uncle Wang, there is an object that I would like you to see if you can make it."

"Let me take a look."

Tang Shen handed over the sketch of the "essential oil distiller" he drew.

That's right, after making the crude ancient version of soap, the second business Tang Shen wanted to do was essential oils.

Blacksmith Wang had been making iron all his life and had seen many drawings of weapons and ornaments. Naturally, he was not someone Yao San could compare to. Tang Shen drew a simple version of the distiller using a modern perspective drawing. Blacksmith Wang was a little confused at first. But after studying it for a while, he pointed to two lines on the drawing and said, "What is this?"

"This is called a condensation tube. Uncle Wang, I told you before, I want to make a big jar and put a sieve plate at the bottom to separate the water and plants. The whole jar is practically sealed, and the gas inside should come out of these two tubes. I plan to put cold water in the compartments around the tubes."

Blacksmith Wang thought for a while: "Little Tang Lang, this thing can be made, but it will take some effort."

Tang Shen originally did not hold much hope, but his eyes lit up when he heard this: "How long will it take?"

"Half a month. If you want faster, you'll have to pay for processing. I'll be truthful with you. I still have a few things to make, and I promised others first. If I rush the work, you'll have to pay five strings more, and I can give it to you in three days."

"Okay!"

Blacksmith Wang kept his promise, and three days later, he delivered a black and heavy iron lump to Tang Shen's house.

Normally, the still must ensure gas tightness, but the conditions were limited, and Tang Shen couldn't care so much. He asked Aunt Yao and Tang Huang to pick some chrysanthemums, roses and osmanthus outside the city early, pick off all the petals and put them in pots. These two large pots of flower petals filled the yard with a fragrant aroma.

With the still, Tang Shen began to make essential oils.

Essential oils sound very high-end, but they were actually very easy to make. In the modern world, so long as you buy a distiller in the market, you could make essential oils at home. Tang Shen looked at his big black iron lump and thought: Although you are a bit crude, you are also a distiller, so give me some face.

Whether he could make essential oils successfully depended on whether this crude version of the distiller could work.

Among the three types of petals, Tang Shen picked out the sweet osmanthus which had the strongest fragrance, grabbed a large handful and put it into the center of the still. The distiller was divided into three parts. The bottom was a tank specially filled with water. A sieve plate was placed on the water surface with flower petals placed on it.

Tang Shen placed the still on the stove to heat it. After the water in the stove was heated, the water vapor mixed with the fragrance of flowers, and the hot steam surged upward. But the still was sealed, with only two small pipes opened.

These were two crooked small iron pipes. If they were straightened, each would be at least two meters long.

Blacksmith Wang was also curious about what Tang Shen wanted to do by making such a strange thing, so he stayed and watched in the yard. He said to Yao San and the others: "I have never seen such a weird object. What is Little Tang Lang thinking to make these pipes twist around the iron jar? After twisting them several times, the two pipes were also soaked in the water.”

Yao San was also curious: "We never understand what the little boss does. That's the business of scholars."

Blacksmith Wang was confused: "The things in this jar have not come into contact with the water, so what use could it have?"

Tang Shen: "It will be of great use, just wait and see."

Steam flowed through the two pipes. Tang Shen kept adding water to the large compartment next to the pipes. The gas passed through the condensation pipe and reached the outlet. Tang Shen quickly held a cup up to it. He held his breath, looking expectantly at what came out of the pipe. However, after waiting for a long time, the water in the still was almost boiled dry, yet only half a cup of essential oil flowed out.

As soon as the dark yellow essential oil flowed out, it emitted a peculiar aroma.

In this season, among the flowers that could be found, osmanthus was considered to be the most fragrant. Tang Huang sniffed the scent and said in surprise: "Brother, this was what you wanted to make? It smells so good!"

Tang Shen was not very satisfied.

There were so many osmanthus flowers added, but only a little essential oil came out in the end.

Essential oils were aromatic substances extracted from the roots, stems, leaves and fruits of plants. They could be said to be the most basic of spices. In the modern world, no factory would be luxurious enough to extract essential oils only from petals and stamens. This was too wasteful. But because the still was too simple, Tang Shen had no choice but to luxuriously use only flower petals, however he didn't expect that only this bit of essential oil would be extracted in the end.

If the cost was so high, it would be very difficult to mass-produce essential oils.

Blacksmith Wang suddenly said: "I understand, Little Tang Lang, you are quenching!"

Tang Shen was stunned: "Uncle Wang, what did you say, quenching?"

"Do you want to pour the steamed aroma down with molten iron? Hey, I can't explain clearly, but it's a bit similar to the quenching we do when forging. Don't you have to use cold water again and again when forging to pour over the hot red iron, and then continue to heat and strike the iron? Then you can't do it like this. Just pouring cold water on it is useless. You have to improve this thing. You can't keep letting the hot air roll down, it's too fast, you have to let the hot air stop for a while, pour some cold water on it and quench slowly!"

Tang Shen thought for a while and quickly drew a sketch in his mind. "You're right!"

Blacksmith Wang took the iron lump back, adjusted it for another three or four days, and then brought it back.

This time Tang Shen got nearly a full cup of essential oil.

"This portion is enough!"

Tang Shen made a pot of soap, poured the essential oil into it, stirred it evenly, and waited for it to cool.

After everything was done, Tang Shen pressed the soap mixed with essential oil into a hard block. This was scented soap.

The next day, Tang Shen and Yao San went to Tang Manor with two pieces of ordinary soap and two pieces of scented soap.

On the way to Tang Manor, Yao San said in confusion: "Little boss, you have been making this soap for half a month. I thought you are going to sell it. Why isn't it being sold yet?"

Tang Shen smiled and said, "Brother Yao, it's been two months since we came to Gusu City. Have you calculated how much you've earned?"

Yao San hurriedly said: "Don't talk nonsense, little boss, that's your and Ah Huang's money, it has nothing to do with me."

"Don't worry, I'm not saying that you are greedy for money. I can trust Brother Yao's character. But Ah Huang is still young. You have been making the pancakes these days and it's thanks to you and Aunt Yao watching on the side, otherwise on my own I could not have taken care of a nine-year-old girl.”

Yao San breathed a sigh of relief and then said: "We made a lot of money."

"Is it enough to buy a shop on Suijin Street?"

"Of course not, that's too far off!"

"Is it enough to buy a workshop in Gusu City and make more soaps and essential oils?"

"That isn't possible either."

Gusu City was not comparable to Zhao Family Village. In Zhao Family Village, one tael of silver was enough for a family of three to live comfortably for a year. But in Gusu City, one tael of silver was of no use at all. It could only feed one person at most.

After Tang Shen came to Gusu City, he sold multi-grain pancakes very well, but he could only be said to be well-off, far from wealthy.

"If we can't buy a workshop, we can only make the soap and essential oils at home. Even if you don't make pancakes every morning, Brother Yao, you, me, Ah Huang, and Aunt Yao, the four of us combined, can only make up to fifty bars of soap a day, and one or two bottles of essential oil. But that’s not the problem. The problem is, where are we going to sell these things?”

Yao San was stumped.

Tang Shen: "Soap is not pancakes. Pancakes are gone after you eat them every day. They are cheap and anyone can afford them. Soap can be used for a long time after you buy it, not to mention essential oils. You also know how high the production cost of those things are. You can't just put it on a stall and someone will buy it. If we really try to do this, we will only end up starving to death in less than half a year."

Yao San felt ashamed and said, "I'm just a house guard. I don't understand the twists and turns here. Don't laugh at me, little boss."

Tang Shen didn't mean to laugh at him. He stopped and said, "We’re here."

This was Yao San's first visit to Tang Manor.

Perhaps Madam Tang had disciplined her servants before, so this time the housekeeper of the Tang Manor did not neglect them after leading Tang Shen in. He led Tang Shen to the side hall and ordered a maid to serve a pot of hot tea and two plates of snacks. After waiting for a while, Madam Tang arrived.

Tang Shen thought he would see Tang juren, but he didn't expect that it was Madam Tang instead. His mind whirles and he decided this was actually better. He stood up and said: "Eldest Aunt, I haven't seen you for many days, and this nephew is here to bother you again. This is my house guard, Brother Yao San. Brother Yao, this is my eldest aunt, Madam Tang."

"Hello, Madam." Yao San cupped his hands in greeting.

Madam Tang said: "Please have a seat, you two." As soon as she entered the room, Madam Tang saw the two small boxes that Tang Shen was carrying. She glanced at the two boxes calmly, then moved her eyes away and said to Tang Shen: "The last time we met, it was at Suijin Street. Now that I think about it, it seems to have been a month ago, and you seem to have lost weight again."

Tang Shen said: "Yes, that was before the Double Ninth Festival."

Madam Tang thought that Tang Shen came to give gifts because he wanted to study in the Tang family's private school. She took the initiative to give Tang Shen a ladder: "Your two brothers were talking about you a few days ago. They really want to see you, but they are afraid of being rude and making you unhappy."

In his previous life, rather than the humanities, Tang Shen was a pure sciences guy, and he was not naturally good at dealing with people. However, he spent three years as a graduate student and three years as a doctoral student. No matter how much you didn't understand how to socialize, you still end up honing it in the university environment. He might not be considered tactful and sophisticated, but he still understood what Madam Tang meant.

Tang Shen smiled and said, "I also want to see my two brothers."

Madam Tang was about to bring up letting Tang Shen study when she heard Tang Shen say: "Eldest Aunt, I'm here to bother you today because when this nephew first came to Gusu City, the two boxes of things that Eldest Aunt sent saved me. I have always kept this kindness in mind. I happened to have made something at home, so I wanted to bring it to Eldest Aunt to have a look."

"Oh, did you make something at home?"

Tang Shen said: "Yes, I made it myself."

Madam Tang: "You know how to cook?"

When Madam Tang asked this, she did not mean to be disdainful.

There was a sentence in the first chapter of "Mencius" "King Hui of Liang: Part One": A gentleman stays clear of the kitchen. A thousand years later, this sentence was misinterpreted by later generations as "a gentleman with high moral character would not enter the kitchen, let alone cook." In fact, the original text of this sentence was "When it comes to animals, if the gentleman has seen them while alive, he cannot stand to watch them die. If he hears their screams, he cannot stand to eat their meat. Therefore he stays away from the kitchen."

In other words, a gentleman didn’t go into the kitchen, not because he thought cooking was a menial and lowly thing, but because he was kind-hearted.

The ancients did not derive so much meaning from this sentence. On the contrary, they did not attach much importance to the so-called "a gentleman stays far away from the kitchen".

What was more, everyone needed to eat. Even the sage Confucius once said, "For three months he did not know the taste of meat", so he said "I never imagined that music could reach such heights as this." Thus, how could Mencius say that a gentleman could not go into the kitchen?

Of course, Tang Shen explained: "It's not food."

Madam Tang asked: "What is it?"

“Eldest Aunt will know it at a glance."

The two chatted for a while, and Tang Shen asked Yao San to give a box to Madam Tang. The two left Tang Manor and went to Liang Manor.

That's right, Tang Shen brought two boxes today, with a piece of regular soap and a piece of scented soap in each box to give to Madam Tang and Liang daru respectively.

After Tang Shen left, Madam Tang asked the housekeeper to bring the box over.

This box was not a valuable item, but the workmanship was very novel and very detailed. When she thought about it, she knew that even if it was a box, Tang Shen had also carefully selected it.

"This nephew of mine may be young and looks handsome and simple, but he is not a simple person."

The housekeeper said, "Madam, what is in this box?"

Madam Tang opened the lid of the box and saw a light yellow thing placed on the first layer of the box. It was smooth and a little greasy to the touch. She opened the second layer and saw an identical yellow object. It also felt a little greasy, but it had a sweet scent of osmanthus.

There was something Tang Shen didn't know. There was an osmanthus tree planted in front of Madam Tang's old residence back in her natal family home. Smelling this familiar scent, Madam Tang's mood became very good, as if she had returned to her childhood home.

These two things were very peculiar. Madam Tang found a letter written by Tang Shen in the box.

Madam Tang smiled and said: "This handwriting is average, and does not appear as smart as my nephew is. He won't be able to get ahead in the county examination with this handwriting." How could she know that Tang Shen had never written with a calligraphy brush in his previous life? He owed his current writing skills to the original owner, who had been writing with a brush for two years.

After opening the letter, Madam Tang read it. The further she read, the brighter her eyes became.

"Haitang, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of oil and a basin of water."

The maid nodded in agreement and quickly got a bowl of rapeseed oil and a basin of water. Madam Tang said, "Take a handful of this oil and try it." After saying that, she felt something was wrong, "Forget it, I'll do it myself." After saying that, Madam Tang did it herself, and her hands were covered with oil. Then she rubbed the yellow soap and put her hands in the basin to wash her hands.

Madam Tang was surprised: "The effect is so good?"

Then, she tried the second piece of "soap."

"A curious thing, this is truly a curious thing indeed!"

The housekeeper asked curiously: "Madam, what is this?"

Madam Tang said: "You should try it too and use these two things to wash the rapeseed oil."

The housekeeper responded and after washing his hands, he repeatedly exclaimed: "What is this? It's much better than the soap we use!"

Madam Tang said: "My nephew wrote in the letter that the first piece with a peculiar smell is called soap, and the second piece with the smell of osmanthus is called scented soap." As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Tang's nose twitched, and her eyes lit up. She put the letter written by Tang Shen in front of her nose and smelled it.

When Madam Tang read the letter at first, she didn't notice the scent on the paper. When it was a distance away, she only felt a faint fragrance. But when she got closer, it was no longer simply not faint. The strong scent of osmanthus surged into her nose with every inhale.

Madam Tang was stunned for a moment. She read the letter carefully for a long time, and suddenly asked in surprise: "Could it be that this fragrance could be put on any object at will?"

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The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 011 Double Ninth Festival

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The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 009 Wang Zifeng