As she was thinking, she didn't pay attention to her feet and accidentally stepped on the mud. Fortunately, the backpack in front of her supported her and prevented her from falling. The straw raincoat protected her upper body, so she was fine. However, her pants were dirty. She walked carefully all the way and it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon when she got home.
Apart from the backpack on her back, she looked a bit disheveled. She put the backpack into the bedroom, took off her raincoat, and shivered with cold.
This wouldn't do. She quickly lit a fire in the kitchen and started to boil water. If she didn't take a hot bath, she would catch a cold today. After the water finally boiled, she soaked in the hot water and felt alive again. Unfortunately, the bathtub was a bit shallow. Although there was a fire, her upper body was still a little cold with it exposed. After taking a bath, she changed her clothes and boiled a pot of water to soak her dirty clothes before starting to cook. Her new cotton shoes were very warm. She was starting to back off from doing this again tomorrow. Now she had more than ten taels of silver, which was enough for her to use for a long time after paying back the money.
I also thought that now that I have this way to make money, it would be difficult to find another way to make money after this period of time.
While she was cooking, she was arguing in her mind when she suddenly heard Zhou's voice in the yard.
"Mom, I'm cooking in the kitchen."
Soon, Zhou appeared at the door of the kitchen. "Why are you cooking now? Where were you this morning?" Zhou took off her straw raincoat and placed it on the table in the main hall. She turned around and asked, "Where did you get the straw raincoat in your room? Did you go to town?"
Chunxiao was making dumpling soup. Drinking soup would warm you up in such a cold day. "Mom, were you here this morning?"
"I haven't seen you in a while. Your dad asked me to come check on you. I thought you were at home without the spare key, so I was turned away." She saw the clothes soaking in a basin nearby. "Did you really go to town? What were you doing in the rain? Look at the mud on your pants. It's so cold outside, and you went out to freeze. What can I say about you?"
Chunxiao smiled at her and said, "Mom, you've come at the right time. I have something to talk to you about, but it has to wait until I finish my meal. I just came back and I'm cold and hungry. I took a bath to feel better, and now I'm starving."
Zhou looked at her with a distressed look on her face, "So why did you go out on such a rainy day?" She went to the main room to get a stool, sat in the kitchen and started washing clothes for Chunxiao.
"Mom, leave it there. I'll wash it myself after I finish eating. I'm afraid the water in my tank isn't enough."
"Why are you wearing these shoes?" Zhou saw her take off her muddy shoes and put them aside, then she saw the new shoes on her feet. "Did you buy shoes? You bought a raincoat and shoes, how much money do you have left?" Zhou sighed, "Just eat your own food. The water will get cold if you keep it here. I'll rub the mud off first and then fetch you some water. You really know how to enjoy it. You even use hot water to wash clothes." Zhou smiled helplessly, "I finally understand why you insist on living alone. If you lived there, someone would have said something about using hot water."
"I live my own life, and I do whatever makes me comfortable." After drinking the soup, I felt so relaxed.
"That's why mother said you would enjoy yourself, but there's nothing wrong with being nice to yourself." Zhou rubbed her clothes and put her shoes in to wash. When she was ready to wash them for the second time, the water in the tub was indeed not enough. She went to the main room, put on her straw raincoat, and went to fetch water without saying a word.
A bucket of water was brought back, and Chunxiao had finished her meal. "Mom, don't bother. I'll get it myself later."
"You're going to fetch them? You've got your shoes wet again and you're going barefoot? Just stay still, I'll be done in a few rounds. I've got straw sandals over my shoes, so it's okay." Zhou was very efficient. She first filled the basin with two buckets of water, then made four turns to fill the vat. By the time the water was full, Chunxiao's clothes and shoes were washed, so she threw them in the basin, ready to dry them over a fire later.
"What are the two mounds in your straw shed used for? They look like grave mounds. It's so unlucky to have two of these things at home." Zhou sat next to her and complained.
Chunxiao was at a loss for words. What grave? That was a treasure chest! She looked at Zhou and said, "Mom, come with me. I have something to tell you." They went to the bedroom together. Chunxiao took out the cloth, cotton, and needlework from the backpack and said, "Mom, I bought these in town today. I'm going to make cotton clothes. Two rolls of cloth. If the cotton isn't enough, I'll buy more when I go out again."
Zhou looked at her with her mouth wide open. "How much money have you spent? I left you three taels of silver. You bought a hoe, and now you've bought these. How can your money cover it? Where will the rest come from?" Zhou looked at her worriedly. "I've been busy with farm work before, and I don't know what you've been doing lately. Chunxiao, I know life is hard without money. Your father and I are already doing our best to help you. You must not go astray."
When Chunxiao heard this, she knew Zhou had misunderstood. "Mom, what are you talking about? Please listen to me until I finish." She was afraid that Zhou would be anxious, so she took her back to the utility room. "Mom, come and take a look. You won't think so after you see it."
Zhou followed her to the utility room and was stunned when she saw the charcoal piled on the ground. "Where did you get all this charcoal?" Charcoal was very expensive and they couldn't afford it.
"I burned it." Chun Xiao said proudly.
"You burned it?" Zhou looked incredulous.
"Some time ago, you asked me why I was chopping so much wood. I told you I was doing an experiment. I was trying to make charcoal. Didn't you say last time that charcoal was valuable? I remembered that I had read about charcoal making in Zhou Hongzhi's book, so I started trying it when I got home. I didn't expect that I would succeed."
"Since it's in the Zhou family's book, why don't they make charcoal? Charcoal is so valuable." Zhou didn't understand.
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