Chapter 44 Chapter 44 The north wind blows.
On Xiaoxue's day, Ji Xu came back in the second half of the day and was still doing needlework with Zhuang Huiniang.
"Don't be mean to me, Auntie. I don't have any scissors at home, so I have to be so shameless as to come and sew with you so that I can borrow your scissors."
There was a wooden ruler, which was the one Chen Dabi used to measure his own. It was made of bamboo and wood, polished to a smooth surface, and had scales marked on it.
The thimble for the finger sleeve is made by sewing a thick strip of cloth myself. It is in the shape of a circle and is put on the right middle finger.
As for scissors, iron products are government-made, and such iron tools can only be found in the county iron shop. Firstly, I don’t have enough money, and secondly, it is thirty miles away, so I can’t go there without any money.
Even a needle had to be bought there. Fortunately, there was a needle used by Tian in the past at home. In order to prevent it from being lost, Ji Xu specially cut a small piece of bamboo tube to make a needle holder, which was specifically used to store the fine needles.
They also made a bamboo winnowing basket that could be used to fold and unfold the needlework items.
In the clump of bamboo on Niupi Mountain that was cut down by the Jin family, some thin bamboos have sprouted again, and there are enough to make needlework and bamboo winnowing machines.
She was holding a small winnowing basket made of bamboo strips, on which were placed cloth, a bamboo ruler, a thimble, a needle and thread, and she smiled as she entered the yard.
"Don't say such things. It's such a nice thing for us to work together and talk to each other. Shouldn't you sew the quilt cover today?" Zhuang Hui Niang smiled when she saw her coming, and waved her to sit on the mat and help cut the cloth.
According to the dimensions given by the cloth shop owner, the quilt was eight and a half feet long and seven and a half feet wide. Two pieces of cloth were cut and sewn together in three directions, leaving one section open for sewing after the quilt was put on.
For the pad, cut it half a foot longer and lock the edges on all four sides.
This was actually quick and easy to do. I also sewed a cassia seed pillow, hand towels for the three sisters, and a towel for washing buttocks. The remaining cloth from making autumn clothes was only enough to make one for each sister, and one piece of cloth was used to wipe the whole body. Now that there was extra cloth, it was necessary to separate them for better hygiene.
She also sewed small belly bands for her two younger sisters, which were worn close to the body, and two sanitary belts for her own use. These small items took quite a lot of work, so of course they couldn't be completed in one day. She would make them slowly when she had time later.
For now, I have only finished sewing the sheets and pillows and am going home. I have also wrapped up the scraps of cloth, even those as small as fingers, and hung them under the beam so that they can be used in the future.
The young man from the cloth shop delivered the finished cotton quilt as promised. It was a north wind at that time.
The young man was wrapped in an old quilted coat, his nose red from the cold. On the back of the donkey he was pulling was a linen bag with openings on both sides, one for the quilt and the other for the mattress, bulging with material.
Just then the hot water in the pottery cauldron boiled, and Ji Xu poured a bowl of it for the person to warm himself up.
She brought the thick and soft bedding and weighed it. It was the right weight. Since she often bought meat and vegetables, she had a good grasp of it. The boy brought a scale and weighed it for her. It was indeed the right weight. Then he carried it into the east room and covered it with a newly sewn sheet.
The two younger sisters were tending the vegetable patch behind the house and rushed out when they heard the noise.
"Second sister, I heard a donkey braying!" Ji Zhu said.
"But the bedding delivery man has arrived?"
"Yes! Here it comes!"
The two of them held their hands in joy, but when they saw that their hands were covered with mud, they hurried to wash them clean and followed Ji Xu closely to see him.
"Buying cotton here is different. There is a big donkey that will deliver it to your doorstep." When the young man turned around with the donkey, Ji Feng said happily, with the corners of his mouth grinning from his eyebrows.
"Quilt! Quilt! You can sleep on a quilt tonight!"
After paving the floor, Jizhu clapped her hands excitedly.
"It's so soft! It's so soft that I can't sleep at night."
Ji Feng walked along the bed, feeling around the corners, looking through everything, and was curious for a while.
Ji Xu saw that the north wind was blowing hard and the young man who brought the quilts was wearing quilted clothes. She took down the cloth bag on the beam of the west room and saw that she had shaken out a small lotus green padded jacket. It was the size of Ji Zhu.
"It's cold outside, put on your winter clothes and don't freeze."
"You can wear it today!"
Jizhu's eyes were bright, and it was obvious that she had been looking forward to this day.
Ji Xu smiled and said, "Of course you have to wear it when it's cold."
"Xiaozhu, take off the dirty outer garment, don't dirty your new clothes." Ji Feng said hurriedly. They were now wearing two sets of autumn clothes, the inner one was new, and the outer one was from last year, so they didn't mind if they got dirty while doing work.
After some changing, Ji Zhu was wearing a newly made ruku, a pair of small red cotton shoes, and a small bun. Her face was rosy and happy, looking very cute.
Feng and Xu also put on their newly made robes and cotton shoes.
She would wear the hand-knotted garment again when the snow fell, and still keep it in the cloth bag.
"Sister, let's go play outside!"
Ji Feng lowered his head, touched it, and looked at it, then said happily.
Wearing such nice clothes, how could I resist showing them off outside? I had just been looking forward to the arrival of the cotton quilt and bedding, and now I have someone to talk to again. It is even more unbearable, and I feel like my soul has flown away.
"Go, and come back before dark." Ji Xu smiled and waved his hand.
They held hands and went to Chen's house to find Sui'er.
On the way, I also met Wang Li who was shooting sparrows with a slingshot.
Wang Li almost didn't recognize them and asked in a loud voice:
"Where did you get such a bright robe?"
"Of course I can find it. It was made by my sister. The material is Lianqing chicken-crow cloth from Yuzhang, so of course it's bright."
Speaking of this, Ji Feng was full of energy and his face was extremely bright.
"Only my elder sister would give such fine material to make clothes for my younger sister, and it's made of cotton."
"Cotton? Let me, General Wang, take a look. I heard that cotton clothes are very warm." Wang Li said.
"Okay, take a look. Your hands are too dirty. You can't touch it." Ji Feng said nicely.
Chen Che'er and his sister were just leaving the house to play with them. When Chen Sui'er saw the clothes of the two sisters Feng and Zhu, she exclaimed, "These clothes are really beautiful."
When Lu came home from watering the vegetables, she saw the group of children and said with a smile:
"Where did this pretty girl come from?"
Cui Si saw it from a distance, ran into the house, and said to Liao, who was sewing clothes:
"Mother, my winter coat is worn out. Why bother mending it? I might as well get a piece of chicken-crowing cloth and make a new, respectable one."
"What's all the noise? This dress was made last year. It's just a broken thread. It will be as good as new after you sew it up. Why waste that money?" Liao ignored her.
"The chicken-crowing cloth is only sold in the county. I saw Feng Fuzhen also had an indigo skirt made of this material. She wore it everywhere she went. Now even Jifeng and her sisters are wearing it.
"Mother, please tear off a piece for me. I want the lotus-green one, it's bright and pretty, and I'll look better in it than any of them," Cui Siyang said.
"Are Ji Feng and her sisters wearing it?"
When Liao heard this, she put down her needlework and went outside the yard. At that time, a group of young boys and girls were lining up to ride on bamboo horses, shouting "da da jia" under the catalpa tree. The most eye-catching people at first glance were Ji Feng and Ji Zhu.
Liao spat inwardly at the little brat and sat back down on the bed. She saw the linen clothes she was sewing were all dusty and grimy, so she agreed to Cui Si's request and said in one breath:
"I'll send a message to your eldest brother someday, asking him to inquire in the county about the price of the cloth with the crowing of a rooster or a duck pattern, and if it's worth it, buy it."
Liao was always stingy, so Cui Si thought she was going to reject the offer. Upon hearing this, she said happily, "Mother, there's no need to ask. I heard Feng Fuzhen say the price was two thousand coins a piece. Mother agreed and sent a message to my eldest brother to get him two zhang of horse meat at the ironworks by the end of December. That would be enough for me."
When Liao heard this, she was speechless for a long time, then she held up the old clothes in her hand and said:
"My dear daughter, I think this dress is very good and can still be worn. It looks like new after sewing. It is not a waste of money. The woman who bought this cloth got up early every day to make cakes and biscuits. She has damaged her brain. We will not learn from her."
Cui Si pouted, turned away angrily, and went to find Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan was also begging Jin for this matter. Across the courtyard wall, she saw Ji Xu coming in and out. Her black hair was combed into a bun and pinned with a bamboo hairpin. The lotus-green material she was wearing made her skin look even whiter and more beautiful, almost outshining her.
Jin gritted her teeth and said:
"Well! I'll ask you to pull half a meter of it back someday. But I won't make clothes for you right now.
It's to add to your dowry, so you can marry into the county in style and not worry about having enough clothes to wear."
She asked Ji Fu to find a family for her daughter in the county town. The wealthy family that Ji Fu drove to had many wealthy contacts. Ji Fu actually found a family that had a house in the county and was quite wealthy. However, because they were businessmen from the city, their status was lower than that of farmers like them. But it didn't matter. Only with money could one live a good life.
When Ji Yuan heard that he was being asked to buy cloth but was not being given any clothes to make, he could not help but say in a sad voice:
"I talk about getting married every day. I really want to marry into a good family and live a good life, but Grandpa has never given me any definite news. Has it finally come true?"
"Almost there, almost there."
Jin's Road,
"My daughter's marriage is guaranteed to be better than her daughter's. She turned down the Cui family's marriage proposal and is just waiting for her to waste her life and become a resentful woman! She'll end up marrying an old widower in the future!"
Ji Zhi bolted the door and counted money in the room. She also wanted to make new clothes, so she took out forty coins.
But she didn't dare to give it to Jin Shi to make clothes for her, because she would have to peel off the skin, so she still wore Ji Yuan's old winter clothes.
But having money in hand makes her feel more comfortable. Every now and then she would buy some fried dough sticks and rice cakes, and eat them out before coming back. Her life was better than working in the dust at home in the past.
But he just hated himself for not being as good as Ji Xu and not being able to marry into the Gan family. Otherwise, all the chicken-crowing cloth and cotton would be his, and he could take them back openly.
"What? The Gan family gave it to her?"
Cui Si came to find Ji Yuan to relieve his boredom, and the two of them went to Feng's house to talk.
When Feng Fuzhen heard this, her voice became shrill and she asked.
Even Feng Fuzhen was annoyed, but Ji Yuan felt better and said:
"My sister is doing business in Shengchang. I saw it with my own eyes. Wang Dianji accompanied her out, holding a piece of chicken-crowing cloth and ten kilograms of cotton. How could it be fake?
Otherwise, that little girl could wear those nice clothes. I heard that she helped the Gan family.
Feng Fuzhen could not help but clench her fists. If she asked her mother a little more about the precious chicken-crowing cloth and cotton, she could get a skirt made of chicken-crowing cloth. But it was the Gan family that made her feel anxious and asked:
"What can she do to help the Gan family?"
Cui Si said, "It's all about the kitchen."
Speaking of Ji Feng, she brought Ji Zhu home. Before she showed up, she entered the kitchen with a loud voice:
"Wang Li pointed at two trees and wanted to see who could climb higher. I said I didn't want to get my nice clothes snagged, so I didn't want to play such a game. I left them and ran back with Xiaozhu."
She wore an old autumn jacket over her double-layered jacket. Then she sat down to light the fire for Ji Xu, swallowed her saliva, and asked:
"Sister, would you like some water-soaked dumplings for dinner?"
She remembered that on the day when the thatched house leaked, her sister also used the rolling pin to roll out the dough in the same way.
Ji Xu nodded and said, "It's made with preserved egg and lean meat filling."
The preserved egg is not too finely ground, leaving some granularity, while the minced meat is very fine and is beaten to be chewy.
Pour the dough into a ceramic bowl, pick it up at two places with chopsticks, spread it on the thin skin, and shape it into a steamed bun, which is very flexible.
Come to think of it, the three sisters have never eaten preserved eggs together.
They had their own dining table, and Wei Xi had some extra money after finishing his business today, so he bought one too.
Reeds are easy to obtain, and woven mats made from them are the most economical. Twenty coins can buy one. Although it is not as soft as a cattail mat, it is sufficient for padding the ground. Stones are picked up at the four corners to weigh it down so that the edges will not curl up.
Now I can take off my shoes and kneel down to eat at the table without getting my clothes dirty.
Ji Zhu ate with her cheeks puffed up, "Sister, this is so delicious."
Ji Xu smiled and wiped the corner of her mouth, "Slow down."
Ji Feng also scooped some into his mouth.
The flavors of preserved eggs and lean meat blend together, and paired with the soup, it's so delicious that it's jaw-dropping.
Thinking back to the time when they lived in a thatched hut and ate only coarse food, they didn't know if they could survive the winter. Now they were living in a tiled house, eating steamed buns made of water, and wearing thick cotton jackets. They felt at ease. As they ate, they suddenly said to Ji Xu:
"Sister, you are so awesome."
"What are you thinking about? You're praising me all of a sudden." Ji Xu pinched her nose.
When it was time to go to bed, the north wind was blowing outside, making a whistling sound. Ji Feng got into bed and sighed:
"My aunt...is she sleeping in the clouds?"
"It's so soft, the quilt is so soft." Ji Zhu couldn't help rolling over.
They were only used to sleeping on quilts made of reed fluff. The bed that their grandparents gave them when they divided the family property was an old one that the older generation had slept on. The cloth quilt and the core were both made of solid iron, and it was freezing cold to sleep in. After a night of sleep, their feet were cold. In the hot summer, she carried it to the market to exchange for food, but she only got a bushel of grain.
This quilt is different. It is soft and heavy, and keeps you warm all over.
"Sister, no wonder this cotton is so expensive. I'm afraid it's made from some kind of ladder to heaven, picked clouds and mixed in with them?" Ji Feng pondered for a moment and muttered seriously.
Ji Xu laughed so hard that he trembled. "My sister, cotton is made by silkworm farmers spinning silk from cocoons!"
I slept comfortably that night. When I got up to play dice, the north wind was blowing like a knife. Fortunately, I had a cotton-padded jacket, so I put it on, kicked off my shoes, and rubbed my face with my hands to warm it up.
It will be warmer when you collect some firewood under the eaves, close the door and light a fire under the stove.
"Sister, Xiaozhu and I can go and collect some firewood. You got up early, so stay home and catch up on some sleep."
In the second half of the day, Ji Feng said that the quilt she wore last night was so comfortable that she fell asleep in the morning and her sister didn't call her. When she woke up, her sister had already chopped the stuffing, kneaded the dough and rolled out the dough. She had wrapped hundreds of dim sum by herself, and she then started the fire.
Ji Xu was seen carrying a hatchet and planning to go up Niupi Mountain with them.
"It's okay. It's getting late now. Let's go to bed early today.
I'll go with you. If there are any dead trees of suitable thickness, we can chop them down. We don't have enough firewood at home to last us through the winter. If the mountains are closed due to heavy snow, it will be difficult to collect firewood. So, while it's still snowing, we should chop down more and bring back some. We should at least stack them up to the height of the windows, so that we have enough."
Nowadays, the firewood piled under the eaves is not even as high as the calf, and is not even full in a row. How can it be enough to burn in winter?
The higher the pile of firewood for household use, the better.
Ji Feng stopped trying to stop her after hearing this, thinking that she must get up early tomorrow to help her sister and not sleep in anymore.
The north wind blew all night last night, and the mountains must have been covered with dead branches and pine needles. Zhuang Huiniang had just returned from doing business, so she asked Ji Xu to go to the mountains to collect firewood together.
Now he was waiting for her on the edge of the field, holding a bundle of straw ropes and a wooden rake. Behind him were Chen Gou'er and his sister, who, like Feng and Zhu, were also carrying baskets on their backs and waving at them.
"Sister Xu, Sister Feng, Xiaozhu!"
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