Feeling the boneless touch, Han Mo's face immediately broke into a wicked smile.
However, before Zhe Yourong could get angry, he still managed to drip a few drops of the hard-won orange essential oil into it.
While the substance hadn't yet evaporated, he stirred them together again. Only when the liquid inside had thoroughly thickened did the entire process conclude.
"Now, only the final step remains. Whatever shape you desire – round, long, or square – all you need to do is find a potter to make a mold, pour this in, and wait for it to solidify. Then it'll be ready!"
"Solidify?"
Zhe Yourong was quite puzzled by the term Han Mo had invented.
"Understand it however you like. I don't really know how else to explain it to you!"
"So, what now?"
"Wait! I'll keep half for myself. You can take the rest with you. Take it back, find a cool place, and let it sit undisturbed for two days, and it'll be fine!"
"But what's the use of this?"
Hearing him say this, Zhe Yourong became even more confused.
"Of course, it's for bathing! Whether you're washing your hands, your body, or your clothes, it's absolutely much better than soap nuts! And no matter what scent you prefer, you can just replace the small bottle you have here at any time!"
As Han Mo spoke, he gestured towards the remaining half-bottle of orange peel essential oil.
"Will anyone really like this stuff? It's made from lard and it's greasy. Using it to wash hands and body, wouldn't that just make you oilier the more you wash?" Zhe Yourong asked doubtfully.
"Whether it will or it won't, I can't explain it clearly to you now. Everything will become clear in two days!"
Although they hadn't spent much time together, Han Mo had come to realize that this girl was actually quite stubborn. As long as she hadn't seen or experienced it herself, she wouldn't believe anything Han Mo said.
Zhe Yourong was quite speechless at his blunt explanation, but she complied, taking another empty jar and filling half of it with the finished product.
"Alright, now that you have your things, you can leave. Men and women should maintain distance, and I won't be keeping you here overnight today! If you happen to lose control and do something to me, how will I ever show my face again!"
"You!"
Before Han Mo could finish speaking, Zhe Yourong was already grinding her teeth in anger. This fellow always found a way to constantly push her limits.
However, Han Mo didn't give her a chance to retaliate. He turned and went back to his room, leaving a mess for Chun Tao to clean up.
"I!"
Seeing Zhe Yourong's furious expression, Chun Tao couldn't help but secretly chuckle.
Zhe Yourong hesitated several times, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to completely smash the jar in her hands.
Looking at the maids secretly snickering, she gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and huffily turned to leave.
"Third Sister, what's wrong?"
After leaving Han Mo, Zhe Yourong felt that she was not well. That brat was truly infuriating.
While it was true that he was the foremost talent in Bianliang, and his looks were passable, how could she possibly do anything to him? This fellow was clearly doing it on purpose!
"Find a cool place to store this for me, and no one is allowed to touch it!"
After giving instructions, Zhe Yourong handed over the few bottles and jars she had brought back to her maid and then angrily returned to her room.
"Brother Mo, you're too wicked. When Lady Zhe left, her nose was practically steaming with anger!" Chun Tao said with a quiet laugh in Han Mo's room.
"Why should I care about her? Just wait and see, in two days she'll still have to come looking for me obediently!" Han Mo smiled, not taking it to heart at all. Regardless, he had gained an advantage today, and his mood instantly improved. The seemingly dry Classics and Histories now seemed suddenly interesting.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Although Zhe Yourong's teeth itched with hatred whenever she thought of Han Mo, she couldn't help but be curious about the jar she had brought back.
"Third Sister, what is this? It smells faintly of orange, and it feels so smooth!" The little maid looked at Zhe Yourong with some confusion.
"This is a good thing! Whether for bathing, washing hands, or laundry, it's much better than soap nuts!" Seeing the maid's curiosity, Zhe Yourong's eyes rolled, and she directly repeated Han Mo's explanation.
"Really?"
"Why don't you try it and see?" Encouraged by Zhe Yourong, the little maid, not knowing any better, actually tried it.
It had to be said, the soap Han Mo had made was quite successful. Although it had no packaging and no decorative patterns, and its appearance was indeed rather plain, its effects were quite good. After trying it just once, the little maid immediately fell in love with the scent.
"Third Sister, this stuff smells so good! After washing my hands, there's a faint orange scent left! And my hands seem to have become even smoother, and they're so clean after washing!"
"Let me try!" As Zhe Yourong spoke, she deliberately smeared some grease from a piece of dried meat onto her hands. Normally, it would be quite difficult to wash off such stuff. However, the entire experience today was smoother than she could have imagined. In the past, it would have taken at least seven or eight rounds of scrubbing to clean them thoroughly. But today, with just a little bit of this substance, it was washed clean in just one go.
"Third Sister, what is this called?" The little maid's eyes immediately lit up, and she looked at Zhe Yourong expectantly.
"Put this away for me first, and don't tell anyone about this today!" Zhe Yourong couldn't bother with anything else. At this moment, she was already eager to see Han Mo. Once you've used this thing, you can't do without it in the future! Moreover, in the entire production process, apart from the oranges, none of the other ingredients seemed valuable. If this were to be produced on a large scale, it would probably cost less than a string of coins for a whole cartload!
"Third Sister, where are you going?" Seeing Zhe Yourong rushing out, the little maid quickly followed.
"To the Imperial Academy!" Zhe Yourong, being from a military family, didn't place much importance on etiquette in the first place. Moreover, at this time, she truly had countless questions that needed Han Mo to answer.
"I'll go with you, wait for me!" The little maid now harbored considerable resentment over Zhe Yourong's solo excursions recently. After all, the last time she was gone for several days, the old steward of the mansion almost had her thrown out and beaten to death.