Chapter 472 - The CLOVER Family

From the explanation, Tim had given and from her knowledge that she possessed from her old world, Yvonne was sure of another aspect.

"The recipe in Earl Blaise's hands takes one week to produce soap and your new recipe takes four weeks?" She investigated as his answer would confirm her speculations.

When Tim and Joe nodded, Yvonne chuckled eerily, succeeding in making the others wonder what she might be thinking at this moment.

The cause of this chuckle was the different methods that Tim had explained.

Recalling what Yvonne had learned during her school days, soap could be made using two methods.

The hot process and the cold process both led to the same result but through different means.

While the hot process was faster with a curing period of just one week, it resulted in textured soap which gave it an uneven, rustic look.

However, it was cheaper considering how many batches of soap could be produced in quick succession.

This was the method that Earl Blaise was using to produce his soaps while selling them at high prices.

On the other hand, Tim had proposed a new recipe that seemed to follow the cold process method.

This method took longer as no heat would be used to speed up the process, resulting in a longer curing or waiting period of four weeks before they could be used or sold.

However, the advantage of this method was that as it took longer to cure, its final product would be better than soap made using the hot process.

A larger variety of soaps could also be made with this process and its appearance would most certainly be better than the ones that Earl Blaise sold.

When Yvonne realized that she had managed to strike a golden deal with the Hagens, her earlier eerie smile transformed into a radiant one.

This sudden change in her appearance made them wonder what its cause might be.

"What is it, Vonny?" Howard inquired as he was curious about her fluctuating expressions.

Yvonne took this chance and explained her findings to the rest of the group.

"Young Miss is right." Joe nodded in acceptance of what she had just said.

"The old recipe had been passed down through generations and my father never allowed us to make any changes to it." Tim chipped in and sulked as his brilliant ideas to improve had been shot down to preserve their family traditions.

In response, the little girl chuckled while shaking her head.

"Think of it in this way, if you had improved your recipe back then, wouldn't Earl Blaise be profiting from it right now?" She comforted him by reminding him that his family tradition and his ingenuity would have gone into the wrong hands if that had happened.

This brought a new perspective to Tim as he nodded his head in eager acceptance, glad that he had not made any changes to his recipe.

Also, for the last ten years, he had spent all his free time improving the recipe and was grateful that he now he could use this new recipe to make soap once again.

"Earl Blaise can sell his older version at any price he pleases but what do you think people will do when they see that someone else is selling a better soap at a much cheaper price?" She smirked while revealing what they could achieve.

The men had sparkling eyes as anyone with common sense would choose the better soap at a cheaper price.

'However, most nobles don't have that common sense.' She remained silent about this part as she had thoughts on how to deal with them as well.

Right now, her main focus was to get the product in the reach of as many commoners as possible.

'Let those nobles buy expensive soap while I supply CLOVER's soap to commoners first.' She decided who her main clientele would be.

The first case of the plague would be detected in less than a year and she needed to make sure that people had access to enough stocks before the 'Lockdown' she had proposed to the King would be implemented.

Therefore, things needed to be hurried from this moment forward.

"Mister Tim, my Uncle has already prepared your lodging and the workshop for you to begin production of soap." She revealed which shocked them.

They had just signed the contract and she was informing them that everything needed was kept ready for them.

'Did she have such confidence that we would sign her contract?' Leo wondered as only that could explain why she had begun preparations already.

The Viscount then explained that they could spend the rest of the week packing up their belongings and his men could help them move to the new place.

"Raw materials needed and anything else, you can approach Uncle and he will help you out." She added and glanced at Leo.

"Mister Leo, we might need your help with the accounts so would you like to join the CLOVER family?" She proposed with a smile on her face.

She had heard about his skills from her uncle's investigation and also noticed how he dealt with the contract until now.

'A smart man who can look over the books is what I need for this soap branch of CLOVER.' She mulled over this thought and found Leo to be a perfect match.

Leo had already been prepared to quit his job and join his family in the soap business but hearing her proposal, he was excited as his talents were not in soap making but ledgers and accounts.

Therefore, he nodded his head in acceptance and promised to do his best.

Yvonne glanced at her Uncle who nodded and assured that he would look after everything on her behalf.

Once work here had come to an end, they bid goodbye to the Hagen family who would soon be moving to the Plantation after they finished their packing.

The nobles left this place and made their trip back to the Valente estate.

This would be the last day that the St. Claire family stayed here.

Early tomorrow morning, they would begin their journey to their fief as their work here had come to an end.

In the parlor after lunch, Yvonne sat with the rest of the family as she passed a file to her Uncle Marcus.

Reading the file, he was left wide-eyed as he alternated his gaze between his niece and brother-in-law.

"You want to give me 20% profits from the soap sales?" He inquired incredulously to which they both nodded at once.

Before he could reject her proposal, Yvonne knew that she had to speak up and convince him.

"Uncle, we are using your land-" She began but he cut her off.

"That was given to you as a gift already." He reminded her which was true and the others nodded with him.

"But Uncle, CLOVER is using your fief and also your connections to get the raw materials needed." She did not back down as this was also true.

Since they were operating from the Valente fief and the Hagens used materials that were grown from this land, it was convenient for Yvonne to commission him to procure the items she needed.

"The fief is yours, the materials are mostly yours and you are also helping me set up my business. Not to forget that you are helping me look after it in my absence." She added until she saw that there were no more objections.

Looking him right in the eye, the little girl blinked her wide amethyst eyes with a cute smile appearing on her face.

"I would be happy if Uncle accepted this as a small gesture of my appreciation for everything you are doing for me and CLOVER." She concluded her attempt to convince him to accept her proposal.

Marcus felt an arrow shoot straight through his heart when he saw the cute and adorable look on his niece's face.

His wife Trisha was shooting him jealous glares which resonated with what everyone else was feeling right at this moment.

Yvonne snickered inwardly when she saw the gloating look on his face as he nodded to accept the proposal she had put forward.

Thus, for the first business of CLOVER which dealt with soap, Yvonne had two business partners with whom she would share the profits.

The Hagen family would receive 10%, the Valente family would receive 20% while the remaining 70% would go to its owner, VC.