Chapter 319 The Quilt is Made
"Master, Master—" the boy hurried back, pushing open the door of the guesthouse and shouting, "Master, are you there? An official has come to the cotton field. He's asking questions and I can't convince him. He's coming towards the guesthouse. Come out and meet him."
Elder Chen: "...What enemy are you fighting? Shut up and stop yelling."
The boy strode over to support him and said, "My mother said you are amazing. You know everything about astronomy and geography, and you can debate with many scholars. Old Master, you must protect the cotton for us."
Mr. Chen: ...These two women have exactly the same bad character. When they need people, they try their best to make them crazy.
An old man and a child walked out of the guesthouse. The farmer official, who had no one to greet him, saw them striding towards him.
"Uncle, my parents are not at home, and you don't want to listen to me because I'm too young. I'll ask my teacher to entertain you." The boy said loudly, "My teacher worked in the residence of the Grand Marshal in Chang'an before coming to Dunhuang. He is not an ordinary old man, so don't underestimate him."
Chen Lao coughed dryly, lowered his eyes and said, "Go play in the mud, don't bother us."
"Do you want some water?" the kid asked, pushing the door open and saying, "Uncle, please come in."
Old Chen made a gesture and the skinny agricultural official stepped in.
The cub looked up at the old man and asked quietly, "Should I go find my father and come back?"
"He's as useless as you. If he comes back, he'll only be a hindrance." Old Chen waved his hand, "Don't come in and disturb us."
Zhao Xiaozai didn't bother to argue with the old man. He snorted, closed the door, went to the kitchen, and then sat outside the guest house to guard.
A big orange cat appeared on the wall, holding a big mouse in its mouth. The man and the cat were both stunned when their eyes met.
"Meow——" the cub called.
The big cat seemed not to hear it. It jumped off the wall and walked away with a swagger.
The newly captured wild cats are not afraid of people but they are not close to people either. The five wild cats roam around in the corners where people live. In addition to catching mice, they also go to the wilderness in the north to catch voles and sparrows. They don't eat much food given by people, and naturally they don't want to pay attention to people.
The cat walked to an empty corner and teased the living mouse. When it had enough fun, it bit the mouse to death and ate it in big mouthfuls. The cub watched from afar. When the cat was full and fell asleep at the foot of the wall, he turned his gaze back to the closed wooden door.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps were heard from inside the door, and then the wooden door was opened. The kid quickly stood up and watched the door open eagerly.
"Mr. Chen, please stay. I'm leaving first." The agricultural official had a smile on his face.
The boy poked his head out and said, "Master, I'll see you off for you."
"Can."
The boy sent the farm official across the cotton field, and when he was sure that he would not come back, he turned around and ran back.
Chen Lao had expected that he would come again, and before he could ask, he said, "Tell your father not to worry, he means no harm. I have already conveyed your mother's wishes. He will come again when your mother comes back."
The boy breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could catch his breath, he immediately scooped a bowl of freshly boiled mung bean water and a plate of crispy soybeans to bring to the old man.
Old Chen glanced at the still-smoking mung bean water and asked, "When was it boiled?"
"When the agricultural official came in, I asked Yin Po to cook it."
The family was full of smart people. Old Chen waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, I don't need you to serve me here."
"Okay." The kid left happily.
That evening, Zhao Xiping returned home and learned from Xiaozai that Old Chen had persuaded the agricultural official to resign. After some thought, he asked Cuisao to slaughter two hens and stew a bowl of chicken offal for Old Chen. Old Chen didn't particularly like chicken, but he loved chicken offal. As for him, he stopped bothering him. He respected learned people, but the old man disliked those who showed him too much respect, either overtly or covertly calling him boring, old-fashioned, and inflexible. Sui Yu's critical attitude towards him, rather than flattering him, actually piqued the old man's interest in conversation.
At noon on the fourth day of September, Sui Yu and Sui Liang entered the city one after another. They were extremely hungry, so they went to the oil tea shop in the city to buy two bowls of oil tea to fill their stomachs. As soon as they sat down, they heard people talking about cotton in the north of the city.
"Shopkeeper Yu?" A skinny man walked across the long table and asked, "Is this Shopkeeper Yu? My last name is Wang, and I'm the local agricultural supervisor."
Sui Yu understood. She looked at the oil tea in the bowl and said, "Wait a moment. We can go to my guest house to chat later."
"It's okay. I've been waiting for you at the city gate for five days. I don't need any more time. Take your time." Wang Nongjian walked out of the oil tea shop and stood outside waiting.
Sui Yu and Sui Liang finished their oil tea in a few bites, paid the bill, and walked out.
Wang Nongjian was leading a donkey, and in order to take into account the donkey's slow pace, Sui Yu and Sui Liang led the camel and the horse while walking.
Walk out of the city and head north, pass through wheat fields and millet fields, and you can see cotton fields in the distance.
Before the sun came out in the morning, the maids came to pick cotton. After half a day of sun exposure, only a few cotton bolls in the field had cracked open, and the snow-white fluff was very conspicuous among the branches and leaves.
The agricultural supervisor looked at it with a fiery gaze and asked, "Can this thing really be used to weave cloth?"
"Yes, the cotton yarn has been spun out and we will be able to weave cloth in a few days. I have also bought a loom." Sui Yu replied, "Once I have woven the cotton cloth and made the quilt, you can prepare a petition to the court and donate the cotton seeds, cloth and quilt to the court."
"Can you make two quilts and two feet of cotton cloth within ten days? I plan to personally bring the quilts, cotton cloth, and cotton seeds to the capital before the snow starts." The Agricultural Supervisor was worried about problems with the quilt delivery and planned to go personally. "I have teachers and friends in Chang'an who can deliver the cotton cloth, quilts, and cotton seeds directly to the Minister of Agriculture's desk."
Sui Yu thought about it. Leaving Dunhuang in mid-September, the roads were difficult in winter, and reaching Beijing might not be until the twelfth lunar month. If she were delayed any further, the cotton seed information might not reach the emperor until the beginning of the next year. The snow-capped mountains of Hongchiling blocked the way, so the earliest the imperial envoys could arrive in Dunhuang was mid-March, by which time she had already planted her cotton seeds.
"Okay." She agreed immediately. "It's cold on the road. I'll prepare a cotton coat for the agricultural supervisor."
The agricultural supervisor thanked him and said, "If you need any help here, just let me know. I'll find it for you."
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite. I don't have many weavers here. Now that the cotton thread is woven, you can take it and ask the weaving workshop in the city to take care of it. The weaving workshop is more skilled in dyeing and weaving."
The agricultural inspector agreed immediately.
As they were talking, the three of them arrived at the guesthouse. The cotton picked this morning was drying on the open space in front of the guesthouse, and Dazhuang was sitting under a tree watching.
The two big black dogs were sound asleep and only woke up when people approached. Their legs were still numb from sleeping, and they limped when they stood up to greet their owner. Sui Liang was so scared that he thought someone had hit them.
The maids were reeling cotton thread in the warehouse of the second guest house. All five looms were in use. As soon as you walked into the guest house, you could hear the creaking sound of the looms.
Sui Yu knocked on the door and went in and said, "Why are you twisting wires in the warehouse? The light in the warehouse is poor and it hurts my eyes."
"The barn is cool," the maid said. "Have you just returned?"
"Yes, how much thread is twisted?"
"They are all in the warehouse next door. The key is in your hands."
Sui Yu went out again and gave instructions before leaving: "I'll have someone open the door of the teahouse. You can move the loom into the teahouse and do the reeling of cotton seeds and thread in the teahouse. If it gets dim, light an oil lamp."
Zhao Xiping had already come out when he heard the noise. He saw the agricultural supervisor and Sui Yu coming out of the second guest house. He went into the room, took the key and opened the door.
"With 100 jin (weight in Han Dynasty) of cotton thread, I should be able to weave a piece of cloth," he said.
The door opened, and Sui Yu and the agricultural supervisor entered together. Cotton thread was coiled into reels and placed on a rack. She took down a spool of thread and found the end, pulling it apart. To her, the thread was a bit thick, but to the agricultural supervisor, it was amazing. It was thicker than silk, thinner than hemp rope, and yet resistant to breaking. It also felt soft and not prickly to the touch.
"Okay." He said excitedly.
"Take these," Sui Yu said. "If the weaving is ruined, the responsibility will be on you."
The agricultural supervisor was not afraid. He packed 100 kilograms of cotton thread in a sack and took the load away on a donkey.
"Have you eaten?" Zhao Xiping asked.
Sui Yu shook his head. "He caught me at the oil tea shop. I quickly drank a bowl of oil tea and came back."
"A caravan is leaving tomorrow. Sister Cui is busy steaming buns. Go have some. I'll have two chickens slaughtered tonight and make a pot of soup." Zhao Xiping said, "The agricultural official met with Mr. Chen before. I don't know what they talked about. If you want to know, go ask Mr. Chen."
Sui Yu shook his head, "Now that the result is out, I'm not curious about the process anymore."
"Sister, these sauerkraut and egg buns are freshly out of the pot, come and have some." Sui Liang had already started eating.
After Sui Yu had eaten and drunk her fill, she took a bath, washed her hair, changed into clean clothes, and fell into bed, sleeping until dark.
After getting enough rest, Sui Yu started busy again the next morning. She invited a carpenter to make a wooden frame six feet wide and seven feet long with polished wooden boards. She then drilled holes according to the scale and stuffed the holes with smooth wooden strips. The final shape looked like four wooden rakes embedded together.
Making this thing is not complicated, but the process is troublesome, especially the precision she required. It took two days to make the wooden frame.
During this period, the five maids spun out another ten pounds of cotton thread. Sui Yu took the cotton thread and began to make a cotton thread net by wrapping it around the wooden plugs inserted in the wooden frame.
In her previous life, when she was in junior high school, her grandmother's health was failing. Before she died, the old lady thought of preparing eight new quilts for her dowry. During the summer vacation of her second year of junior high school, she followed the old lady to the market, carrying cotton on her back, to fluff it. It was at that time that she roughly understood how quilts were made.
Cotton threads are wound into a warp net, first arranged horizontally, then vertically, and finally wound diagonally. A pound of cotton thread is used, and the woven cloth will not drop dust when used to sift soil.
Twelve pounds of cotton with the seeds squeezed out was spread on the net bed. Sui Yu took a large bow made by a carpenter and asked Erhei to carry it to fluff the cotton.
"Stick cotton on the cowhide string, and use this wooden hammer to scrape the leather string. Yes, that's it, and pluck the cotton into fluff." Sui Yu was satisfied.
The maids who had been watching for many days began to weave a cotton net with another wooden frame. When the cotton net was finished, Erhei also finished fluffing the cotton.
Sui Yu took the cotton thread and continued to wrap it around the fluffy cotton to make a warp net. Then he pressed the cotton again and again with a smooth wooden cake. When he turned it upside down from the wooden frame, a quilt weighing 13.6 jin was made.
The other quilt weighed exactly fourteen pounds.
Because the quilt was to be presented to a noble, Sui Yu used satin brocade to make the quilt cover. When handing it over to the Agricultural Supervisor, she asked him to use cotton or linen for the quilt cover, which would be most comfortable to cover himself with.
The agricultural supervisor took out a piece of woven yellow cotton cloth and said, "Use this to make a quilt cover. When you present it, you can use it as a comparison."
Sui Yu did as she was told. After sending the agricultural inspector away, she started making quilts and cotton clothes for her family. After a year of hard work, it was her turn to enjoy herself.
"Shopkeeper Yu, are you selling your quilts? Just name the price, and we'll buy it at any price." Merchants who had noticed this movement came to the door.
"If you don't want to sell me quilts, you can sell me 200 kilograms of cotton." Another merchant said.
"Just sell me a hundred pounds, that's all. I'm not greedy."
The others all stared at him. How could this damn caravan still not collapse? Is there really a way to do business like this?
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