"What do you know?"

If it weren't for Yun Ling's father standing between her and Yun Ling, Old Lady Yun would have definitely punched this guy on the back of the head.

"If I just say it's not good, she'll definitely think I'm envious and jealous that she has something to eat, so I made up that it's not good. But if I can actually hold the sausage and say it's not good, that's different. That would be truly bad."

"Moreover, that Xia family sister-in-law only went to Bianjing once before, and she bragged about it all over the village. You're going to discuss business this time, which is enough for me to brag about to the next village."

Grandma Yun picked up a lettuce leaf with her mouth and ate it with a crunching sound, her body shaking as she did so, looking quite smug and proud.

This amused everyone.

Old Man Yun looked at Old Man Yun, and Yun Ling looked at Old Man Yun and Old Man Yun. Just when she thought Old Man Yun was going to advise Old Man Yun not to be so smug, Old Man Yun turned around, looked at Yun Ling, and his eyes were shining.

In no time, a piece of tofu appeared in the bowl.

“Ling’er, since you bought sausages for your grandmother, you must buy a knife for your grandfather.”

"What is the purpose of Aweng buying a knife?"

"These days, Uncle Weng, who works with A-Weng, is just like Sister-in-law Xia, and he likes to nag. His daughter married into a small town near Bianjing, so he considers himself a Bianjing native."

"They said that every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year, they would bring him some new gadgets. The one they talked about the most was a knife. They said that the knives from Bianjing were very good. The blades were light, they could cut through iron like mud, and they looked impressive when wielded."

Yunling originally wanted to say that if we're talking about the best knives, then Yuecheng has to be the best. Yuecheng knives are very particular about their forging process. The back of the blade is thick but the edge is thin. They are not only sharp but also easy to sharpen. They feel good in the hand but are not heavy. These are all things that she heard the locals say to her when she passed through Yuecheng.

Furthermore, this dynasty values ​​commerce, and many caravans purchase goods from Yuecheng and sell them in Bianjing at higher prices. Isn't their royal jelly a prime example of this?

However, she should keep these words to herself. Since they didn't spoil her trip to Bianjing, why should she say anything discouraging?

“Alright, I will definitely find a fine knife for Grandpa that can cut through iron like mud, so that Grandpa can show off in front of them.”

Others, caught up in the excitement, joined in as well. Yun Ruoxia wanted a cotton-padded coat, Yun Chu wanted a unique medical book, Zhang wanted to know what special dishes were available in the capital, and Yun Shenghua wanted to know how much housing prices were in the capital...

The family chatted and laughed, and everything on the table was cleared into the copper pot. The contents of the copper pot were then cleared into each person's bowl, leaving only the sounds of burps and the autumn wind that rose in the night.

**

Zhang and Yun Shenghua cleaned up the dishes and started a fire in the stove to boil water.

Yunling paced back and forth in the courtyard. After her fullness subsided, she took half of the hot water from the stove in a wooden bucket, carried it to the outhouse, scooped two spoonfuls of cold water from the water vat outside the outhouse to dilute it, and then closed the door to wash up.

She had to wash off all the mud today, lest she find it difficult to find hot water to wash up on that boat that couldn't be lit.

After she finished washing up, Zhang had already washed the bowls, chopsticks and pots clean. She took off her apron and went to their room to pack Yunling's belongings.

Yun Chu helped pull a box out from under the bed. Inside were all the men's clothes Yun Ling had worn on her previous trips to Qi Min and Qing Cheng. There were clothes for all four seasons, and she would probably need clothes for all four seasons on this trip to Bianjing.

Zhang then prepared two or three pieces of each style, including two extra thick coats.

Yunling came in from outside and saw Zhang packing her clothes. She checked the socks and bedding and stuffed everything she saw in the trunk into her bundle. She also took the handkerchiefs that Zhang had sewed for her.

"Ling-jie, are you going to bring two quilts this time? You mentioned that Tang Ling is going with you, so you should at least prepare one for her."

“Mother, I’ll be sharing a bed with her, and I’m thinking of preparing a thick quilt so I won’t get cold at night.”

Of course, Zhang would agree. At first, she wanted Yunling to take everything that could keep her warm from the house, but since Yunling was imitating her mother's ways, saying that she had enough copper coins to buy anything, she let her have her way.

Hearing Yunling so readily offer to have thick quilts, she felt incredibly comforted. She quickly ran back to her room, moving things around until she brought out two thick quilts.

“I’m telling you, if you want to stay warm, the best thing to do is to put one blanket on the bed and use the other as a cover-up. That way you’ll be comfortable.”

As Zhang spread the bedding out on the bed, comparing which one to use for bedding and which one to use for covering herself, an idea suddenly popped into her mind: to turn all the cotton inside out and beat it again with a cotton gin, which would surely make it warmer.

After learning of Zhang's idea, Yunling looked at the sky outside. It was dark and cold, and not easy to move around or do anything, so she decided not to make a fuss.

But Zhang didn't see it as a hassle. She simply took it apart, hit it a few times, and sewed it back together. With just a few simple steps, she could get a new, warm quilt. Why not?

Zhang ignored Yunling's advice and took a needle and thread to shave open the seal. Seeing that there was no other way, Yunling had to go outside to light candles and prepare a cotton slingshot.

Yun Chu helped Zhang move the quilt to the yard, then pulled the cotton out of the quilt cover and spread it on the table.

Hearing the commotion outside, Old Lady Yun sat up abruptly, glanced out the window, quickly threw on an outer robe, and went out the door.

"Why aren't you asleep so late? Did you eat too much and are having a stomachache that keeps you from sleeping? Are you looking for something to play with?"

A smile played on Zhang's face as she softly said:

“Mother, it’s getting cold, and Ling’er has to go on a boat trip. I’d like to prepare two thick quilts for her and re-warm the cotton inside so that she doesn’t catch a cold at night and get sick.”

"I knew this rascal was lucky."

Old Lady Yun straightened herself up and put on her outer robe properly. Then, she helped Zhang Shi untie the ropes binding the four corners of the gauze, and then, following the seams, lifted up the gauze netting, pulling up some cotton threads.

“Hey, Chunniang, I think we should add some cotton. We have cotton at home, so adding more will naturally make it warmer.”

Zhang's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in surprise:

"Yes, Mother is right, I'll grab some cotton right now."

Yunling was surprised.

"No, no, those cotton plants have already been processed and dyed with herbal juice. They can't be mixed in with this cotton."

Old Lady Yun said happily:

"You don't understand, do you? Even mice know how to store half a year's worth of food, so why can't I store cotton?"