Chapter 118 Burning Charcoal
Lin Chuntao looked at it and decided to dig a little deeper. The two of them worked for a while longer before they finished digging.
When we cut down the cedar tree, we got a lot of branches, which were all piled up in the backyard. The cedar branches weren't thin, so they were perfect for making charcoal.
Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying took knives to trim the pieces, cutting them to roughly the same length, and carried them to the cave dwelling.
When Sun and Aunt Guizhi learned that Lin Chuntao was going to burn charcoal, they found it quite intriguing and went to take a look.
The cave dwellings are not small; it takes a lot of firewood to fill one.
Aunt Guizhi said to Pei Ying, "Little Pei, if you have time, go and cut down that tree in my yard. You should be able to cut down quite a few trees."
Pei Ying nodded in agreement. They also burned firewood, but there was plenty of pine and firewood on the mountain, so their needs were not as large as Lin Chuntao's and the others'.
Sun also said, "I see you two are so busy you barely have time to breathe. I'll have your uncle and the others go to the cedar forest and cut some for you."
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "No way, we can cut the branches ourselves, how can we let our uncles cut them for us? Let me fire one kiln and see. If it's successful, I'll fire more so that each family can take some back with them. It'll be more convenient to have firewood in winter, and there won't be any smoke or choking."
Sun was also an impatient person; she did what she said she would do. After resting at home for a while, she asked Lin Changzong and the others to cut down the branches of the fir trees. Aunt Guizhi's trees were in a grove in front, so she asked Lin Changzong and the others to cut them down as well.
Actually, when the branches of a cedar tree look too lush, they are usually pruned to facilitate the growth of the main trunk. Otherwise, the branches grow very thick, but the main trunk doesn't grow much.
Sun called Lin Changzong and the others to go, and Lin Cunzheng went along as well.
If they were still a little distant from Lin Chuntao and her family before, the two winter coats Lin Chuntao bought before they moved made the old couple feel completely at ease. Lin Changzong and the others also felt that Lin Chuntao and her family were capable and generous.
The main difference is that compared to the people in this village, they are already very wealthy. They have built new, large houses and have income every day, but the sisters still work diligently and get along well with the people in the village.
Lin Chuntao moved the cedar branches from last time into the cave dwelling. Before she had finished filling one cave, she sealed the door that had been left open and started a fire in the fire pit that had been opened earlier.
After a short while, thick white smoke began to billow from the chimney. Lin Duo'er was extremely curious, looking left and right. "Sister, won't all the firewood inside burn away?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, so you have to watch the color changes of the smoke."
"Do we have to take out the firewood when we run out of smoke?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head and said, "When the smoke decreases or turns into blue smoke, we'll seal the chimney, and then it will turn into charcoal."
As she spoke, Lin Chuntao summoned the system. This kiln of wood would take at least seven or eight hours to burn. Lin Chuntao said, "Set an alarm for me, wake me up every six hours."
System: "Master, it's just past 5 PM now. It will be 5 AM in six hours."
Lin Chuntao nodded, it was just the right time to get up from her nap.
After it started burning, Lin Chuntao observed the smoke from the chimney to make sure the kiln was burning. Then, she sealed the fire inlet with mud bricks, leaving a small opening, and let it burn for the time being.
The beans that were roasted at noon were half-dried. Lin Chuntao kept the stove fire burning with wood ash tonight so it wouldn't go out and would stay warm. She estimated that the beans would be almost dry by tomorrow morning.
Earlier, Lin Chuntao asked Lin Duo'er if she wanted to learn to be a tailor. Lin Duo'er thought about it and thought it was a good idea, so she went to talk to Lin Chuntao about it.
Lin Chuntao was quite happy to hear this, and said, "Then wait for me to go find you a tailor."
Meng Yun happened to overhear this and recommended Fan Liniang to Lin Chuntao.
“My lady, my sister-in-law is very good at embroidery and sewing. She is also teaching Meng Yue. If you don’t mind, you can let Duo’er learn from her.”
Lin Chuntao glanced at Lin Duo'er, who also got along well with Meng Yue. Before she could ask Lin Duo'er's opinion, Meng Yun said, "Wife, when we get home, I'll have my sister-in-law bring some of her embroidery for you to see. You can decide after you've looked at it."
Lin Chuntao smiled and agreed.
Meng Yun was very confident that Fan Liniang's embroidery skills were excellent. If Lin Chuntao liked it and let Fan Liniang teach Lin Duo'er, that would be a good thing. If Lin Chuntao was not satisfied with Fan Liniang being Lin Duo'er's teacher, that would also be fine.
When Meng Yun returned home after finishing her chores, Fan Liniang had already prepared dinner.
Meng Yue and Xiao Dujuan each took a chopstick and a bowl, and the family was about to eat when Meng Yun said to Fan Liniang, "Sister-in-law, Duo'er said she wants to learn tailoring. Madam Lin is planning to find her a tailor. I told her about you. After we finish eating, could you find me an embroidery piece so I can take it to Madam Lin to take a look?"
"Does Duo'er want to learn tailoring?" Meng Yue asked in surprise.
Meng Yun nodded and smiled, "If nothing unexpected happens, then you will be able to learn to make embroidery patterns together."
Meng Yue was very happy, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Fan Liniang smiled helplessly as she looked at her sister-in-law and daughter.
Meng Yue and Lin Duo'er loved to play together, so Fan Liniang knew Lin Duo'er fairly well. Although the two were about the same age, Lin Duo'er was very active. Doing sewing and embroidery was tedious and boring, mainly because it required sitting for half a day. Fan Liniang felt that Lin Duo'er might not be able to sit still.
But who knows, maybe Lin Duo'er really likes him.
After dinner, we rested for a while. There was no sun, and it got dark quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was dusk.
Fan Liniang and Meng Yun took the embroidery over after they figured Lin Chuntao and the others had finished eating and cleaning up.
Seeing the sample that Fan Liniang brought, it was a handkerchief made of silk, very smooth, with a crane embroidered on it, lifelike. Lin Chuntao took it and touched it, the crane part was very smooth.
Lin Chuntao had learned cross-stitch and scarf knitting when she was learning handicrafts before, but she was only so-so. Making something flat and smooth was an impossible task for her.
So Fan Liniang's handkerchief was quite a pleasant surprise for her.
She looked closely and noticed that the reverse side was also very smooth. When she turned it over, it was also a crane, but there were subtle differences in color. Lin Chuntao stared wide-eyed at Fan Liniang and asked, "Madam Fan, is this double-sided embroidery?"
Fan Liniang nodded.
Although I am not very skilled, I have heard of Lin Chuntao's double-sided embroidery and admire these craftsmen for being able to make such exquisite things.
She looked at Fan Liniang. If a woman like her hadn't fallen on hard times, she probably wouldn't have ended up in this rural village.
Fan Liniang said, "My maternal grandmother was a very famous embroiderer in the capital. My mother inherited her skills. Before I could learn everything from her, my mother passed away. Although my skills are not top-notch, I believe I am capable of being a teacher to children."
Lin Chuntao nodded and smiled, "I would be very happy if Duo'er could learn this skill from her mother."
Thinking back to what Fan Liniang had just said, she remembered that some crafts were not passed down through the teacher-student relationship, but rather required apprenticeship and the proper etiquette for disciples.
Lin Chuntao thought about it and asked Fan Liniang. Fan Liniang looked at Lin Duo'er and pondered for a while before saying to Lin Chuntao, "Madam, Duo'er has never been exposed to needlework before. Why don't we give her a half-month period first? If Duo'er can persevere and is interested, she can become an apprentice then."
Lin Chuntao had no objection to Fan Liniang's suggestion. She said to Fan Liniang, "Then we will give you the tuition fee for this half month."
Fan Liniang did not refuse.
Once the matter was settled, Fan Liniang said, "There's a lot of work to do at home. It's hard to see clearly when I'm doing embroidery at dusk, and the sun is strongest from 11 PM to 3 PM, so I can't do any work in the fields. I stay home to cool off and practice for an hour and a half every day. Duo'er, come directly to my house tomorrow."
After the matter was settled, Fan Liniang and the others sat for a while before heading back.
Lin Duo'er was excited to start learning something new tomorrow. Lin Chuntao said, "I think Madam Fan's skills are quite good. Since you said so, then you should learn from Madam Fan properly. I'll go to the city tomorrow to buy some things and bring them to Madam Fan."
Seeing Lin Chuntao's serious expression, Lin Duo'er nodded in agreement, "Sister, I will study hard."
Lin Chuntao looked at them and said, "It's raining today and the weather is a bit chilly. Let's go to the county town tomorrow morning to order some winter clothes."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chunxing asked, "Sister, shall we make the shoes together?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Okay, let's do it together."
The next day, just as dawn broke, the system started calling her. Lin Chuntao woke up Pei Ying as well, and they took a bucket of water to check on the charcoal kiln. The smoke coming out of the chimney had decreased significantly. Lin Chuntao had prepared mud here yesterday. She took some straw and stuffed it into the chimney opening, quickly mixed it with mud, and sealed the chimney opening.
After finishing, Pei Yingcai asked, "How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Two or three days," Lin Chuntao said.
After they finished, they came back carrying buckets of water. Pei Ying went to wash up, while Lin Chuntao went to the backyard to check on the beans drying. The temperature of the stove fire was very low, and the beans had dried quite a bit, but they still needed to be dried a little longer.
She looked at the night sky, which was a bit blue, with no moon and only a few sparse stars, indicating that the weather was about to clear up.
She stopped lighting the fire; it's better to let the sun shine on the sunny days.
When she returned to the front yard, Lin Chunxing had also gotten up and was packing her things after washing up, while Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er were still washing up.
After finishing my work, I locked the door. I told Aunt Guizhi and the others yesterday that I would come later, and they would come back early.
When they arrived in the county town, it was just dawn and the sky was a pale blue. Lin Chuntao went to the noodle shop to get the noodles, and took out all the items from the stall and put them away. After Pei Ying and the others finished their work, Lin Chuntao asked him to watch over things while she took her sisters to get their measurements taken and make clothes.
When the manager of the cloth shop saw that it was Lin Chuntao returning, she came over to greet her with a smile.
Lin Chuntao told her about making clothes, and she asked the tailor to come and take everyone's measurements. Taking measurements was quick. After taking the measurements, Lin Chuntao selected the fabric and weighed the cotton. Although the winter in Yizhou was not cold, they had to get up early to work. At that time, there was no sun and the temperature was low, so it was definitely cold.
So Lin Chuntao also ordered cotton-padded trousers, but they weren't very nice to wear as outerwear, so she also had a skirt made. The skirt was a little longer than the trousers, and the cotton-padded trousers would be worn as thermal underwear.
The clothes and pants are arranged, but the shoes are still left.
The shop had ready-made cloth shoes, and the shopkeeper's wife brought them over for them to try on. They all fit the right size, so Lin Chuntao bought four pairs right away.
She bought this pair and the pair Aunt Guizhi gave her, so she could alternate wearing them when the weather was sunny. But when it got really cold, cloth shoes weren't very warm. Lin Chuntao thought she should go to a leather goods shop to take a look. She remembered that they made leather boots.
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