140 5.29 The Karada Soap Is Ready For A Trial By Hiko Seijuro! (2/2)
Soon I felt my arms swaying like branches of a tree in a breeze and I felt at ease and felt connected to Mother Earth. After some 10 minutes had passed I went back in my pouring stance and opened up my eyes.
Hiko-sama was standing at my bedroom sliding door and beckoned me that he was ready to enter the Realm of Mind with me. I felt that my chi had been corrected and sat cross-legged and so does Hiko-sama. A few moments later, we had entered the Realm of Mind together.
”Sensei, help me to switch off the bunsen burners and turn the knob to off mode. I will settle the mixers first.”
Hiko-sama proceeded to switch the bunsen burners off and then he lifted off the layers of overlapping cloths and placed them back in their original wicker baskets. He took a whiff at the Essense collected and was pleased with its aroma.
I turned off the mixers and find that the oils had been properly churned and it looks a bit solid from the blades of the whisker. I went to fetch a measuring hug and informed Hiko-sama that once I had taken the desired amount, he should use the jug to slowly fill the glass jars that had been clearly marked for its contents.
I measured 400 millimetres of rose first and poured it inside the labelled mixer and turned it to 15 RPM. This process was repeated to all respective distillers and mixers using its own designated measuring jug into its own labelled mixture.
After all the mixtures had been properly mixed, and the liquid Essense had been properly stored according to their labels, I showed Hiko-sama how to mould a soap in the moulding set.
As he was a Potter, instead of filling each individual mould, he took a large portion and smacked in the side of the mould and rolled the soft soap into the mould and flatten it in one single stroke. The scraps of soap were scrapped and mixed back into its original contents.
I copied his technique and found that it was easier to complete the tasks rather than to fill up each individual mould one at a time. Soon we had spent close to 3 hours and had completed filling up all the 150 moulds and all were stacked together on top of one another in rows of 3's for each individual scent.
I noticed Hiko-sama can't stop sniffing at his hands as the scents were all mixed up and he seemed to be delighted.
”Kid, there's some balance here in each mixing bowl. Can we bring it back and we bathe using these?”
I looked at the contents and it was good enough to make a 100 grams bar each. I showed him to make a sort of party with it and used the paper to wrap each individual soap. Hiko-sama was smiling as he wrapped all the 5 scented soap into the wrapping paper.
”How long does the soap need to sit? You told me it was like 3 weeks?”
”Yes, Sensei. To make the soap rock solid, it needs to be aired for at least 3 weeks. Our job here is not done but we can return tomorrow morning and knocked the soap out from the mould first and then stack them up according to their scent. I will visualise a kind of blower or fan to cool these up and make it harder as it was exposed to cooling air.”
”Sure kiddo... I would be your first customer to try all these 5 soaps. Haa... Haa... Haa... I can't stop sniffing at my hands you know. The smell is very nice and I can't help to keep smelling even though the smell has already been mixed with 3 kinds of scents. Haa... Haa... Haa... You know what kid, this is even better than pottery.”
”I'm glad you like it. The soap is a bit soft now and you could mould it like how you did in pottery. Maybe you can share with me how you could dry this up without using heat from a furnace or a kiln.”
”Maybe put it in a cool dark place? Doing it in Realm of Mind is better because the time here is slowed down so in 1 week's time the soap would be ready, right?”
”Yes, Sensei. Ready to be packed and shipped.” I smiled broadly at Hiko-sama sama as I used the terms as packed and shipped in general terms for logistics.
I saw that Hiko-sama had made 5 patties of soap and had wrapped them up in their original wrapping paper. I showed my thumbs up and we logged off from our meditative state and return to our real world.
”Sensei, I'm going to prepare breakfast and prepare the shower too. Leave the soap on any cool spot and it will become hard in a few moments.”
”Take your time, kid. I'm going to experiment something with these.”
As I turned on the tap for the tub, I fired up the stone stove and placed a brimful of water in a steamer. I placed the balance 4 of the sweet corn on the bottom part of the steamer, closest to the water, and I placed another steamer basket and placed all the sweet potatoes in it and I placed the top steamer basket and placed the rest of Saba and covered everything shut and tight.
I stoked more firewood this time and soon I heard the gurgling of the water that had been boiled and a stream of steady steam emits from the top portion of the basket. I gauged that once I had smelt the steamed bananas, I would stop stoking the firewood and let it burn out.
The rest would be just fine, especially the sweet corn. If that was done well, it would be soft yet chewy to bite through and the juices would be stored in the cob that could be chewed through. Hmm... Just the thought of these sweet corn entices me to rush over to the 24-hour supermarket and grab a few cobs and steamed them at home.
I watched Hiko-sama what he was doing as he placed the 5 bars of soap in front of him. Then he closes his eyes and picked one and Iip read him as he mouthed the scent as he raised it to his nose.
He repeated this every time and he would perform a victory pull in punch for every correct guess he made. Looking at him behaving like this was like watching a child who achieves at everything he did.
”Sensei, which soap you wanted to use first? I would put a small bowl in the bathroom to put the soap. Don't put water in it or it would turn gooey and soft.”
”Oh...I was thinking of trying this green tea first. The rest I would let Izumi and Riko try washing their faces in this. It should be named Kao instead of Karada.”
”Cannot use the word Kao, Sensei. It's already been taken up in the future. One more thing, if you wash your face, don't let the soap suds get in your eyes because it will sting due to the lye mixture and makes your eyes red. The lye is the one that makes the soap hard. If it gets in your eyes just wash it with water.”
”Ah... OK... OK... I got it, kid. If it gets into the eyes it will sting and burn and wash it away with water. So faster use, I put it in the bowl so that it could be reused again, right? I think I won't need the whole piece of soap right now. How about I cut into 3 parts?”
”Good idea, Sensei... At least we ourselves can use more of it. Go ahead and shower first, the bath water is ready.”
”Alright... Yeah... We are the first to use such soap on our bodies... Hee... Hee... Hee... I cannot wait to see how the effect.”
With that, Hiko-sama carried his yakata into the bathroom and soon I heard splashing sound of water and then some humming.
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click visiting.
”Woooehhh... This soap is slippery! But it lathers up pretty well on my skin. The scent is very nice, kid. It's as if I'm bathing in green tea! Hoo... Hoo...Hoo... Whooooooaaa....”
Omagai... Hope the neighbours don't ask around what Hiko-sama was talking about since the product would be ready in a week's time.
”Yes, Sensei... It is usual for it to be slippery, the same goes to the laundry soap. Enjoy your bath, breakfast is ready too!” I exclaimed as he was busy humming and singing and I was wondering how long he would be spending in the shower and hope he doesn't exist like a wrinkled prune!
I poured myself a green tea and sat in the terrace. I looked up at the sky and saw that it still had a multitude of stars above. The rooster hadn't crow yet, maybe it choked on a seed of corn and died. The morning breeze blew slightly and I shivered through the thin gi that I was wearing.
It had been slightly over a week since I had met Hiko-sama and within that period of time, there had been a lot of forks on the road for both of us. Also, it had affected the first other two lives that Hiko-sama had chanced at the marketplace.
I looked up at the sky and was wondering that even Japan had slaves among their own people. I thought slavery only exists in America where most African American were turned into slaves and labourers.
As I was daydreaming, I heard Hiko-sama opening the bathroom door, and fetched the stack of steamer baskets and place it before me before he went and returns with a kettle of green tea and a cup for himself.
I can't help noticing the waft of the green tea scent that emits from Hiko-sama as he walks past me.
”You smelled great, Sensei! Nice green tea scent.” I praised Hiko-sama as the smell of the green tea was quite strong and was very refreshing. ”You really is a wonder, kid. You energised the essence before you measured oil and poured into the soap right? Fuuuhhh... I feel very energised again and the scent that stays on my skin is also very fresh and refreshing.”
”I am glad you liked it, Sensei. Come, let's have breakfast together. After this, you set about your task and so do I. Leave the plates here first, Sensei, and settle it before lunchtime.”
Hiko-sama simply nodded as he took the sweet corn and twisted the ears back and used the ears as a handle as he blew and bite into the sweet corn.