"That's true!" Tian Tian admitted this. Although her current conditions are not so good, Tian Tian still lives a very contented and happy life because her family loves her very much.
Tian Tian spread out the straw mat, lay on it and tried it out, it was very soft.
Unlike lying on a springy mattress, lying on a grass mat will give you a feeling of warmth surrounding you, and you can even smell a faint grass scent. Tian Tian felt a little sleepy when she smelled this scent.
When Yu Fang came back from washing clothes, she saw that Tian Tian's mattress was thicker than the others'. She asked curiously, "Did you put a few more layers of mattress on top?"
"No!" Tian Tian folded all the quilts and put them away, then climbed out of bed. "My dad made a mat for me out of Ula grass. He was worried that I would be cold in the dormitory in winter. Wouldn't it be warmer to put a straw mat there?"
"A mat made of Ula grass?" Yu Fang returned the basin to Che Lihong and asked in confusion.
There is only a piece of wood on her bed now, and nothing else. But I did bring back some potatoes this time, so she doesn't have to worry about having no food to eat.
Tian Tian was also very surprised when she heard Yu Fang's doubts. "Don't you use Ula grass in your family? We use Ula grass to weave mats, twist hemp ropes, and make pillows. Our kang mats are all woven with Ula grass."
Ula grass is very common in their area. Every autumn they would go up the mountain to pick a lot of it, dry it and weave insoles into shoes, or simply soften the hay and stuff it into shoes. It is extremely soft and warm, and people rarely get frostbite if they wear it as insoles.
Every household prepares doula grass every year.
"We also use Ula grass, but we rarely use it to weave mats." Yu Fang looked at Tian Tian's straw mat in a daze. Their family used Ula grass more to weave hemp ropes, because hemp ropes can be sold for money. They were thinking about how to better turn these things into money, rather than thinking about how to make these things make his life enjoyable.
They never thought that weaving Ula grass into mats to sleep on in winter might make them warmer, but since they all slept on kangs in winter, they really didn't need the mats.
"You can also ask your family to weave a mat for you, otherwise it will be cold and hard to sleep on the bed in winter," Tian Tian suggested.
There was still no mattress on Yu Fang's bed, and she had been sleeping on her clothes these days. Tian Tian felt that laying a straw mat was much better than sleeping on the wall, and it wouldn't be so cold in winter.
"It just so happens that everyone is delivering food to the grain station recently. You can go and see if your father has come with the main force and tell him." Tian Tian said
"Maybe after a while. My dad will be very busy after the autumn harvest." Yu Fang seemed to be thinking about something.
"This kind of thing should be done as soon as possible. It's already November and the nights are already cold. We'll have to wear cotton-padded jackets in a few days. Although our dormitory has heating, it's not very warm. There's nothing on your bed. Do you want to freeze to death in our dormitory?" Liang Rong said.
She also didn't understand why Yu Fang hesitated. If she didn't buy the quilt, it was because she had no money, no cotton coupons, and no cloth coupons.
Because even though Liang Rong's family was a cadre, her mother was very careful with the cloth and cotton coupons and would not easily buy new clothes for the family.
Things like Ula grass don't cost you money, and they don't require a ticket. It only takes some time to weave a mat, and it's a mat for a single bed. There's no need to be so hesitant, but Li Fang still couldn't make a decision.
Tian Tian looked at Yu Fang who was still struggling, but didn't say anything. For Tian Tian, the reminder was enough. She couldn't ask her father to weave a mat for Yu Fang.
This mat may look insignificant, but only the weaver knows how much effort it takes. Sometimes people don't appreciate what you have worked hard on, which is really unnecessary. Tian Tian has said what she should say, and as for how they want to do it, that is their business.
Tian Tian packed up all the cotton-padded jackets, sweaters and trousers that Old Lady Tian brought her, leaving her with only one set of clothes, as they had few changes of clothes in winter.
He distributed the remaining chestnuts and hazelnuts to other people in the dormitory.
There is no stove in their school these days, but they will start lighting the stove in a few days when the classroom gets cold. Then they can put all the chestnuts next to the stove to roast, and put freshly harvested sweet potatoes on top. Both roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes will be soft and sweet.
Although Yu Fang looked fine on the surface, she still trotted out to the grain station to find her father.
A week after Tian Lisong delivered food to Tian Tian, he came to see Tian Tian carrying a large bag.
At this time, everyone had already put on sweaters and trousers, and Tian Tian also put on a thicker cotton shirt on the outside.
"Do you want me to deliver these foods to the canteen for you?" Tian Lisong asked.
"No need!" Tian Tian weighed the food. It was more than 30 kilograms, quite heavy.
"The new sweet potatoes this year are soft and sweet and especially delicious. I thought you like sweet potatoes, so I took some for you to roast at school. I don't know if it's convenient for you. If it's not convenient, I'll take the sweet potatoes back." Tian Lisong said.
"No need! I'm just thinking about eating sweet potatoes, so just bring them to me. The stove in our classroom is very warm. When the second class is over, put the sweet potatoes on the stove and roast them. They will be ready to eat at noon." Tian Tian happily opened the food bag and looked at the sweet potatoes inside.
The sweet potatoes that Tian Lisong brought for Tian Tian were all specially selected by him. They were neither too big nor too small, and had no scratches on the surface. Tian Tian could be full after eating two in one meal.
Tian Lisong was also very happy to hear this, "Your grandma has been drying sweet potatoes these days. If you want to eat some, I'll bring you some next time!"
"Okay!" Tian Tian also agreed happily.
"Then I'll go back first. You should take care of yourself at school." Tian Lisong said, and prepared to turn around and leave.
"By the way, Dad! We will need to burn firewood in a while. Next time you send me food, can you also bring me firewood as well?" Tian Tian stopped Tian Lisong and said.
The heating in their school is also paid for by the students. You can pay the coal ticket directly, or bring coal briquettes. If your family is not well off, you have to bring firewood directly to school, but the amount of firewood will be more than the number of coal briquettes, because firewood cannot be as many as coal briquettes.
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