After joking around for a while, people still felt unsatisfied and said, "Since your family is so rich, why did you come to see your father-in-law empty-handed?"
"I didn't come empty-handed. I brought many things to pay respect to them." Da Zhuang said.
"Where are they?" the second sister-in-law asked with a smile, "I haven't seen even an egg so far."
"They are in the carriage outside."
"You also have a carriage?"
Hearing this, He Shiyou felt a little wrong.
It was normal for an out-of-town son-in-law to brag a bit in front of villagers, but one couldn't brag about a carriage because it would be easily exposed as a lie if it couldn't be taken out.
"Da Zhuang, where is your carriage?"
"Outside."
"Why did you leave it outside? Bring it in."
Da Zhuang: ...Wasn't it you who asked me to leave it outside?
But Da Zhuang obediently went to bring in the carriage, stunning everyone.
"Yo, it really is a carriage."
"There are also two sheep behind, could they be gifts for their family?"
Da Zhuang first untied the sheep and tied them to a tree in the yard, then opened the carriage door and started unloading the gifts prepared for his father-in-law one by one.
"Two pigs' feet."
"10 Roast goose."
"Two bolts of cotton cloth."
"One bolt of satin."
"One bolt of silk."
"50 jin of kapok."
"200 jin of rice."
"10 jin of rock sugar."
"20 jin of brown sugar."
...
"20 bars of soap."
"Soap?"
Hearing this, the villagers were shocked.
Soap was a rare commodity. Although it only cost 100 wen per bar now, it was often out of stock and simply unavailable to buy!
"Where did you buy the soap?"
"Our family makes it ourselves."
Villagers: ...We thought it was the premium soap from Li's Store in He Wan, but it turned out to be homemade lye soap.
"There are also 10 bars of perfumed soap."
"Wait!" Second sister-in-law's voice sounded like a choked chicken again, "What did you say, perfumed soap? 10 bars?"
"Yes."
"Don't brag about this. Do you know what perfumed soap is?"
"I know, for washing face."
"You..." Second sister-in-law was about to be angered by him, "Yes, it's for washing face, but not for ordinary people to wash face with. Only wealthy families can afford it. A single bar costs at least 3 liang of silver! Yet you said you brought 10 bars?"
"It's probably homemade lye soap with some fragrance added, fake ones."
"He absolutely cannot afford the perfumed soap from Li's Store in He Wan."
"Even if he could afford it, he absolutely couldn't buy so many!" Second sister-in-law's voice grew louder, "I've already inquired clearly. Li's Store perfumed soaps are limited. Even if the prefect's wife goes to buy them, she can only buy two bars at most each time!"
Da Zhuang didn't know the perfumed soap his family made was so sought-after.
"But I did bring 10 bars of perfumed soap."
"I don't believe it!" Second sister-in-law said firmly. "Take it out and show everyone. It must not be from Li's Store in He Wan!"
Helplessly, Da Zhuang had to obediently open the package and take out a bar of perfumed soap, unwrapping it.
In an instant, the elegant fragrance drifted around the yard.
"This...this...this..."
Second sister-in-law looked at the perfumed soap in her hand and was stunned speechless.
The soap felt extremely smooth in her hand, and the fragrance was elegant, completely different from the "lye soap with fragrance" she had imagined.
After repeatedly confirming it, she tentatively asked, "Is this really from Li's Store in He Wan?"
"Yes."
"Where did you buy so many?"
"I didn't buy them," Da Zhuang said, "Our family makes them."
Second sister-in-law: ...
Everyone: ...
No one believed it, not even He Shiyou.
That was Li's Store, not Wang's Store... Wait.
"What is your mother's maiden name?"
Da Zhuang: "My mother's surname is Li."
Surname Li?
He Shiyou was shocked.
If he remembered correctly, the place where Da Zhuang's family lived seemed to be called He Wan village.
So Li's Store in He Wan...
"Could it be that your mother is the legendary Ms. Li?"
"Yes," Da Zhuang nodded, "Many people call my mother that."
My god!
Everyone gasped.
Ms. Li from He Wan village, Da Zhuang's mother turned out to be Ms. Li from He Wan village!
This name had already become legendary in Yizhou Prefecture!
Unexpectedly, she turned out to be Da Zhuang's mother!
"Da...Da Zhuang," He Shiyou was completely stunned, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
He Shiyou: ...
He Shiyou really wanted to slap himself twice.
If his mother-in-law knew that he didn't even know her surname, how could he ever meet her again?
"Oh you boy," He Shiyou said with a big smile, "Xiao Ya too, you've been home half a day and didn't even tell me about such a big thing, letting me be so rude. Sister-in-law, hurry and tidy up the guest room to let your brother-in-law rest well!"
"Oh, I'll go right away!"
"Da Zhuang," He Shiyou said to Da Zhuang again, "Xiao Ya rarely comes back, stay a few more days this time."
"Probably not," Da Zhuang shook his head, "There are still dozens of mu of mountain land waiting for me to plow at home. We'll go back later."
"Boy, you're so rich now, why still plow land?"
...
In the end, Da Zhuang was unable to leave that day. It wasn't that he wanted to stay, but Xiao Ya was really too tired from the trip to return home the same day.
That night, He Shiyou had people make many dishes with big fish and meat laid out on the table. Da Zhuang was also invited to the head seat and sat alongside him.
Xiao Ya's two brothers didn't dare to come to the table anymore and went to eat in the kitchen themselves.
Seeing her family's sudden change in attitude towards Da Zhuang, Xiao Ya still couldn't be happy.
She felt they were cold towards Da Zhuang when they thought he had no money, not even letting him come to the main table to eat. Now knowing Da Zhuang had money, they started fawning over him.
Mother was right after all.
It's only when you have no money that you can see who truly treats you well.
So the next morning, Xiao Ya, ignoring her parents' repeated requests to stay, left with Da Zhuang pulling the carriage to hurry home.
...
In the leisure of winter.
After Xia Xian made the calipers according to Li Yao's request, Li Yao started pestering him again.
"Didn't you say you can make anything? How come when I ask you to make such a small thing you can't do it?"
Xia Xian really had no rebuttal.
He did have superb craftsmanship.
If it was making props, cookware, farm tools, or even hundred-refined steel blades used on the battlefield, he could definitely make them perfectly at the fastest speed.
But this employer wanted him to make steel wires.
Not only did they need great elasticity, they also needed sufficient strength and had to be as fine as hair...
What kind of steel could achieve such an effect?
"Master," Xia Xian said helplessly, "Can I do something else?"
"Why would I ask you to do other things?" Li Yao put down the spring picture in his hand, "It looks like we'll have to start from scratch. Let me first tell you what an alloy is."
In this world, alloys were not rare things. Bronze, brass, etc. were all alloys.
But in order to smelt special alloys such as stainless steel and spring steel, not only time was needed.