Chapter 532: Chapter 532: Tooth Powder
The six people saw Gu Jinli and immediately approached, calling out: "Little Xiao Yu."
Their attitude was very respectful and even somewhat ill at ease, fearful that Gu Jinli might reject them.
They had heard that this maiden of the Gu Family was ruthless; she wouldn’t care how pitiful you are or how poor your family is. If you uttered a wrong word, made an inappropriate gesture, or even gave an improper glance, she could refuse you without a second thought.
If you dared to cause trouble, oh, she had plenty of ways to deal with you. Even the village chief had to be mindful of her mood, and they were indeed frightened of her.
Gu Jinli scanned the six individuals, four of them women and two girls, all belonging to the He family, and she recognized them.
She said: "Sister-in-law Huaizi, Chunyue has told you the rules, now repeat them."
"What should we say?" Sister-in-law Huaizi and the others were too nervous, and for a moment did not understand Gu Jinli’s intent.
Mo Chunyue said: "Just repeat the workshop rules I’ve told you."
"Oh oh, those rules." Sister-in-law Huaizi and the others immediately recited the rules like reading from a book: "You can’t exploit the Gu’s Workshop name for personal gain after joining; there is no wandering between the different workshops without permission; you can’t bring family members into the workshop; no fighting or cursing in the workshop..."
Sister-in-law Huaizi and the others recited all the rules that Mo Chunyue had mentioned.
Gu Jinli, satisfied upon hearing this, told them: "You are hired for odd jobs, paid a monthly salary. Initially, it’s 800 copper coins a month, and if you work well, your wages can be increased. But if you don’t perform well, the workshop can dismiss you at any time. The tasks of frying tofu and baking dried tofu are women’s work. If you have any issues, seek out Mo Chunyue. If she cannot handle the situation, she will turn to Third Grandma, my mother, or I will resolve it."
She had divided the workshop into various production areas precisely for better management and in ancient times, strict separation of men and women was observed. The courtyard for baking dried tofu and frying tofu was filled with women, therefore it was natural for a woman to be in charge.
Sister-in-law Huaizi and the others, upon hearing this, were delighted: 800 copper coins a month with the possibility of a raise was indeed a rare good job, comparable to the men working in the shops in the county.
He Jinseng had already prepared the contract, read it out to them, and at last had them press their fingerprints.
After the contracts were signed, Gu Jinli collected them. Village Chief He approached and asked: "Little Xiao Yu, the Mingya Grass I planted is somewhat withered, what’s the matter?"
Although Mingya Grass was not very valuable, as it required no special land to grow, Village Chief He still valued it and did not want it to die in vain.
Gu Jinli said: "I heard your family fertilized the Mingya Grass, and used heavy manure. There’s no need for such strong fertilization. If you are worried about the fertility of barren land, take a basket of plant ashes, mix with water, and douse the Mingya Grass with it once. Now, your family has spread all the plant ashes from your cooking fires over the Mingya Grass at the entrance of your courtyard; you’re practically trying to burn them to death."
"Ah, we can’t use heavy manure? The crops in the fields prefer thicker manure," Village Chief He exclaimed in shock, as the Mingya Grass seemed too easy to cultivate. He then asked, "What should we do now? The Mingya Grass in front of my courtyard is all covered with plant ashes; if it burns, the planting will have been for nothing."
Gu Jinli said: "Mingya Grass is not that delicate; it’s quite resilient. Just go home and sweep away the excess plant ashes, then rinse it a few times with buckets of water to dilute the nutrients, they won’t die."
"Eh, eh, I’ll go home and do that right now." Village Chief He immediately went home with He Jinseng to take care of the Mingya Grass.
After instructing Mo Chunyue to teach Sister-in-law Huaizi and the others how to bake dried tofu and fry tofu, Gu Jinli proceeded to the pharmaceutical workshop, entered her own pharmacy, and began to carefully stir and mix the prepared herbal ingredients in a small copper pot in their correct proportions.
Once the medicinal properties of the herbs were fully activated, she immediately extinguished the fire, and the tooth powder was ready.
After the tooth powder cooled down, she opened the door of the pharmacy and called: "Jingzi, come here."
"Coming." Ye Jingzi hurried out from another pharmacy and, upon exiting, turned to close the door behind him. This had become a habit for her, and was also a requirement from Gu Jinli, intended to prevent forgetting to close the door which could allow someone to sneak in and tamper with anything.
Gu Jinli poured the prepared tooth powder into a small wine cup, then took out two toothbrushes and handed them to Ye Jingzi: "The tooth powder is ready. Let’s give it a try and see how effective it is?"
Ye Jingzi knew that the Young Master wanted to make tooth powder. The Young Master said that this kind of tooth powder was better than salt. It could not only whiten teeth when used for brushing but also treat some dental diseases and reduce the presence of tartar.
However...
Ye Jingzi glanced at the toothbrush in her hand and said, "Is this the toothbrush? How do we use this? We could use our fingers or willow twigs."
Use fingers?
No thanks, she couldn’t accept that.
Gu Jinli said, "Willow twigs don’t clean thoroughly. Using a toothbrush can clean your teeth much better."
The toothbrush was made by Gu Dashan, a master craftsman in woodworking. She explained the concept to him in detail several times and showed him drawings. After a few attempts, he actually managed to create the toothbrush.
Making a toothbrush was actually quite simple, with only drilling holes and tying pig bristle being the more troublesome tasks. However, Gu Dashan was skilled with his hands, and after making over a dozen toothbrushes, he had become quite proficient.
Gu Jinli first dipped the toothbrush in a bit of water, then dabbed it into the tooth powder, and said to Ye Jingzi, "Watch me do it, and then you can try it yourself later."
Saying so, she put the toothbrush into her mouth and began to brush briskly.
Ye Jingzi watched in a daze, but as she watched, she realized the benefits of the toothbrush and excitedly said, "This toothbrush is better to use than the hand or willow twigs."
After Gu Jinli finished brushing her teeth, Ye Jingzi was even more delighted: "Young Master, there’s a refreshing fragrance after brushing with the tooth powder."
Gu Jinli smiled and said, "Exactly, the fragrance is what will make the ladies from wealthy families spend their silver."
Ye Jingzi, attracted by the fragrance, quickly copied Gu Jinli’s way of brushing teeth with the tooth powder.
A short while later, she finished brushing and exhaled a few breaths: "Delightful, fresh, and the aroma makes one feel revitalized."
Ye Jingzi was very curious about what herbs the Young Master had used to make the tooth powder, but she knew the rules; these formulas had to be kept in the hands of the Young Master, and they could not ask.
She had spent many years preparing medicines with Doctor Wu and knew that this novelty, tooth powder, was sure to sell much better than mosquito coils. And unlike mosquito coils, which can’t be sold when there are no mosquitoes come October, tooth powder would be needed every day.
Ye Jingzi became excited: "I have to hurry and tell my brother this great news."
She then asked Gu Jinli, "Young Master, could you give me some tooth powder to let my brother and Uncle Mu Tong try out?"
"Sure." Gu Jinli took out another cup, poured some tooth powder, and gave it to Ye Jingzi.
Ye Jingzi left with the tooth powder.
minutes later, Mu Tong, Han Liu, Ye Dakou, Mai Dong, and others rushed into the courtyard, excitedly asking Gu Jinli, "Young Master, this tooth powder is truly a fine product. How much do you have left? Please give it to me quickly; I will take it to Xuanhu Fang to show my master, so he can arrange for someone to send the tooth powder to Yuanzi Pharmacy."