"Ling-jie, is this really meant to be worn?"

As soon as Zhang said this, Old Lady Yun pursed her lips, picked up a veil to look at it, and then put it on her face, saying, "This is for wearing as a veil, isn't it?"

Yun Ruoxia was also puzzled. She touched the thickness of the panties and asked doubtfully, "Ling-jie, is this the menstrual belt you mentioned? It's not thick at all, how can it absorb anything?"

Yun Chu had already put the briefs over her head, with two little pigtails peeking out from her buttocks. "These must be for the head, they fit quite well."

Yun Ruochun picked up one and put it on her waist to compare. "Hey, you guys, didn't Sister Ling just say it was for wearing? This one clearly fits the crotch area. But what's the point of wearing this?"

Yunling gave Yun Ruochun a thumbs up before continuing, "This is called underpants. It's for protecting us women. We can wear it on ordinary days. When we have our period, we wear a convenient menstrual pad so we don't have to tie a bag and it's easier to walk around."

Underwear?

There was still some confusion on their faces. They all had the habit of wearing underwear all the time, and this one was so short. Was it really feasible?

"Oh, you really trust me? Go back inside and try it on. You'll have to tell me how it feels to wear it tomorrow."

They couldn't dissuade Yunling, so they went back to the room to try it out with some skepticism. The first feedback Yunling received came from Yun Chu. Since they were in the same room and slept in the same bed, they had no worries.

"Lingniang, this seems a little strange, a little tight, but it looks quite nice."

"It's normal for you to have this thought. Try wearing it for a couple of days and you'll feel like you're not wearing anything at all."

Yunling didn't understand why she had to wear this at first. She just thought it was a waste of her time to be restricted. But after wearing it for a while, she couldn't stand it anymore, and she even felt uncomfortable wearing it.

"oh."

Yun Chu didn't take it off either. She followed Yun Ling's example and removed her long, open-crotch underpants, wearing only her trousers, which were quite comfortable.

The others felt much the same way as Yun Chu, except for Yun's mother and Fan's mother. These two couldn't fit into the clothes and were afraid of damaging them by being too rough, so they didn't dare to try them on.

Yunling quickly discussed the size with Bingniang. Bingniang, having some experience in embroidery and sewing, measured Fan Laoniang's waist and then her hips to determine the approximate amount of fabric needed. The resulting embroidered briefs were indeed a perfect fit.

Seeing this, Yunling went to the cloth shop and bought three bolts of cotton cloth. She asked Bingniang to make three or four pairs of briefs for everyone so they could change and wash them. Meanwhile, she took the opportunity to measure out the menstrual cloth.

Based on her past experience, due to resource constraints, regardless of the quantity, everything is the same length and width. This is not good; too much can't hold it all, and too little feels stifling.

So she decided to make three types: one for daytime use, one for nighttime use, and for both types, she modified the back half to be fan-shaped to prevent side leakage and crooked fabric.

Another type is short straight fabric, used for smaller amounts of menstrual flow and for finishing up the period. However, its length needs to match the crotch area of ​​the briefs to prevent wrinkles and distortion.

All three types have relatively thick feathers, and three other types can be derived based on the thickness of the stuffing.

Yunling took a clean pair of briefs from Bingniang and quickly drew them using a small wooden stick as a reference. As for securing the wings, she used small frog buttons. The frog buttons were easy, but the cotton was a bit tricky.

She was thinking of using herbs mixed with cotton as a base, which would help with menstruation, expel stagnant blood, and remove odor. Herbs weren't difficult to obtain, but the cotton...

"Ling-jie, hurry up and get the mushroom spawn from the mushroom house so we can pack this elephant feed."

"Eh."

Yunling agreed and decided to take care of the inoculum first.

As night fell, Yun Shenghua arrived home, and Yun Ling inquired about the cotton.

Yun Shenghua said, "Cotton is an old production area in the border region, but a new production area in the Jiangnan region."

"You're not allowed to go!" Zhang said sternly. "Your aunt escaped from that wolf's den in Jiangnan. How could a little girl like you be a match for the people there? If you go to Jiangnan, you'll be devoured."

Yun Shenghua immediately lowered his eyes and focused on his heart. He was being looked at by Yun Ling's eager gaze on one hand, and by Zhang Shi's warning gaze on the other. He felt uncomfortable no matter which way he looked. Fortunately, he thought of a compromise.

"In Qingcheng, there is a workshop run by people from Jiangnan. Some of the cotton is transported here for sorting, drying, carding, spinning, and sizing."

Madam Zhang shook her head again, "Qingcheng is far away. There is no waterway, and it would take more than a month to travel there by carriage. She is also unfamiliar with the place. Moreover, who in the family has time to accompany her? Chun-jie has to go to the ancestral hall, and Mother has to deliver babies. We have to find a way to find cotton."

Yun Ruochun originally wanted to go with her, but Zhang Shi had already cut off the way. If she then said she would go, wouldn't that be slapping her sister-in-law in the face? That was unacceptable.

Old Lady Yun thought so too. It wasn't like there was a delivery every day. But Zhang's words clearly showed that she didn't want Yunling to be in danger again. Parents all over the world have the same heart. She understood that.

“Mother, Qingcheng has more than just cotton, it also has beef tendon.”

"Yes, it's at Yu Ji Shop."

Yun Shenghua chimed in, earning a glare from Zhang Shi. He immediately pursed his lips and gave Yun Ling a knowing look.

Yunling quickly grabbed Zhang Shi, saying, "Mother, these two things are a matter of life and death for my livelihood. If we lose them, all my copper coins will be gone."

“Sister-in-law, I’ll go with Ling’er.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Ruoxia, knowing it concerned life and death and even a few coins, could no longer hold back and immediately spoke up.

Zhang didn't need to put in much effort to deal with Yun Ruoxia; he just needed to strike at her weak points: "So you're not selling your mushrooms anymore? You don't want your honey and royal jelly anymore? You're not even digging for the termite mushrooms on the mountain anymore?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything. Once she did, Yun Ruoxia's heart wavered, wanting both sides, so she didn't reply.

Looking at her second aunt, Yunling felt somewhat unreliable, so she thought of another way. "Mother, I can hire a caravan to escort me back and forth. It will definitely be safe."

"Yes, I heard there's a caravan in the county that can penetrate deep into enemy territory and still retreat safely. They're more reliable than us, but you have to be willing to spend money."

"Yes, yes, that escort team was hired by the Lu family's business empire. They even traveled with us from Fujian at the time, so they are very reliable."

"That's right. The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) even calls Ling'er 'Grandma'. With that kind of kinship, he would definitely protect Ling'er's life with his life."