Chapter 629 A Dream of Youth 161
The manager pointed to one of the spinning wheels and said, “In the past, we used a three-spindle foot-operated spinning wheel to spin hemp yarn, which yielded at most three or four catties a day. But now, with this new water-powered spinning wheel, we can spin more than a hundred catties a day. The female workers in our weaving workshop can spin up to two hundred catties!”
A difference of thirty or forty times—who would have dared to imagine that in the past?
Xie Ning patiently asked them what shortcomings they thought the current spinning machines had, so that she could make improvements.
Nobles could wear fine silks and satins, while commoners could only afford coarse cloth. Coarse cloth, mostly made of hemp and ramie, was not comfortable and, most importantly, had limited warmth retention.
Wearing linen clothes in the summer is a good choice, even though the surface is rough, because it is breathable and durable.
But in the dead of winter, people can freeze to death.
"Miss, it's time for your meal." It was Qingli who came to call.
Xie Ning did not stay in the manor below, but rested in the Listening to Rain Pavilion above.
Going out through the southwest corner gate of the village below, there are steps leading upwards, and the number of steps is always odd.
Because heaven is yang and earth is yin, the steps in a yang dwelling need to be built according to yang numbers; otherwise, they are not built for the living.
Tingyuxuan has only a dozen or so rooms, small and exquisite, but it has a front hall and a back courtyard. There is also a small pond in the courtyard, where some lotus flowers are planted and are in full bloom.
The lush green leaves cast deep shadows, and a waterside pavilion stands over the pond, offering a cool respite.
"Let's eat here." It's too hot inside.
Upon hearing Xie Ning's words, the servants placed the food on the small table in the waterside pavilion. Qingxu lit the small bronze incense burner to burn incense, otherwise the summer mosquitoes would be unbearable.
As soon as Xie Ning sat down, Snowball, who was sitting next to her, buried its head in its bowl and started eating noisily. It naturally loved to eat raw meat, especially mutton.
Qingli put down the soy milk in her hand. A layer of soy skin floated on the cooled soy milk. She scooped it out, placed it on a small plate, sprinkled some sugar on it, stirred it, and handed it to Xie Ning. "This soy milk was freshly ground this morning and just boiled for a while. Please try it, Miss."
"good."
Xie Ning picked up a piece of bean curd skin with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. It happened to be the piece with more sugar, and it immediately made a crunching sound. The bean curd skin was smooth and sweet, without any beany smell, and it was extremely delicious.
She usually drinks it directly, but she's never eaten it like this before, so she found it quite novel.
"tasty."
There weren't many dishes on the table: three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup. Xie Ning particularly liked the lotus seedpod fish dumplings, which were both beautiful to look at and tasted quite good.
The lotus pods outside are freshly picked. Although they are steamed and served, they are not edible. What is edible is the steamed fish inside the lotus pods. The mandarin fish is tender, and you can taste a hint of honey sweetness when you chew it slowly. The lotus fragrance is light, elegant and refreshing.
No wonder there is a poem that says, "The brocade petals and golden raincoat are woven in layers, how can the fish be allowed to live in harmony? They rush into the lotus pod, and then they can transform into dragons alone in the splendid pond."
The clear moon shone on the pond, and the new lotus leaves greeted the gentle breeze. Xie Ning had slept the whole way, so he wasn't too sleepy. He just asked Qingxu to bring some tea cakes to make tea, and then he talked to Qingli and Qianyun, who had been summoned, about the educational issues in the manor.
Medicine and weaving are both trades, and her position is not high enough yet. She can only provide them with a place to live little by little from the perspective of trade, so that they can learn skills, but also learn principles, and have a deeper understanding of themselves, their country, and the world.
Qianyun quietly observed Xie Ning. She had been here for some time, but she was still somewhat lost. She only knew how to teach the female workers arithmetic and how to do accounting, but she didn't know what else to do.
She didn't dare to ask, but Qingli did, "Miss, I... I don't quite understand. We spin and weave cloth, isn't it all for making money?"
Xie Ning was slightly taken aback. Meeting several pairs of bewildered eyes, she sighed inwardly. She had forgotten that even Qing Li and the others had only learned a few characters and read some poems and essays; they had never had a proper class.
"It's not just about making money."
Xie Ning did not think that "even if I told them, they wouldn't understand" because Qingli and the others were ignorant.
He simply placed the cotton handkerchief in his hand on the table and patiently taught them, "It can help more people get through the cold winter, and you are right to say that you can sell it for money. It can not only make us individuals rich, but also make the Great Zhou, which is struggling to make ends meet, rich and powerful."
Being rich but not powerful is a major taboo.
Cotton can be sold to other countries to earn foreign exchange, and it can also strengthen the military and the people.
After all, if the civilians can survive, there will be one more soldier, and the existing soldiers will be able to wear better winter clothing and more of them will survive.
"Is the imperial court really that poor?" Qianyun asked incredulously, as this was beyond her comprehension.
Xie Ning nodded silently. "After the war decades ago, the Great Zhou's century-long accumulation has been reduced to nothing but emptiness..."
Every choice she made took women into consideration, but it wasn't just about women.
They are also a force; they have never been weak. They serve their country, their people, themselves, and future generations—and so can they.
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