He didn't want our medical expenses, but we can't be so heartless as to ask for them. The Lord's family kindly paid for our medicine; we can't be ungrateful and forget this kindness.
Sister-in-law Li was even happier to hear that she wouldn't have to spend any of her family's money and would only need to do some manual labor, since she also had children and needed to plan for their future.
She hurriedly said, "Mother, don't worry, leave this to us. We'll go gather herbs whenever we have time."
The rest of the Zhu family also agreed, and so the matter was settled. Whenever they had free time, they could be seen wandering around the valley, searching for medicinal herbs.
With the matter settled, the next morning, just as he got up, Lu Chuan led the men to quarry the bluestone.
The women and girls arrived at the courtyard early, having agreed to start making pear preserves today. Everyone got busy early in the morning.
The pears have been picked for a while, but because they've been kept in the cellar, they haven't spoiled and are still very juicy.
Because the valley side was not yet fully developed, the courtyard was still all muddy. Although it had been rolled with a stone roller, walking on it would still raise a layer of dust.
The hygiene of making pear preserves over there cannot be guaranteed, and the pears are stored in the cellar here, which is inconvenient to retrieve.
Hygiene is the top priority when making food, which is why we chose to start making canned goods in the backyard first.
Before making the canned goods, Xu Han specially asked someone to wrap her hair in a cloth to prevent hygiene problems from occurring during the production process.
Before Lu Chuan and the others left, Xu Han specially asked someone to help move the pears out of the cellar. Now, Sister-in-law Li is leading people to wash the pears in the backyard.
After finishing her work, Xu Han went to the backyard and saw that everyone had wrapped their hair in cloth as instructed, but few were satisfied.
But after looking around, I felt like something was missing. Then I saw Sister Li and the others chatting and realized that they were missing masks.
During the production process, it's inevitable that people will talk, and if saliva gets into the can, that won't work either.
So Xu Han called over Qi Yu, who was very good at needlework, and the two of them went to the front yard together.
Xu Han took out a piece of gauze from inside the house. It was more breathable and wouldn't feel stuffy when worn, making it perfect for making a mask.
However, using only one layer of gauze seemed a bit thin, so Xu Han folded it in half once and used two layers to make a mask.
Xu Han said, "Let's cut out masks so we can wear them when we're making canned goods, so we don't get saliva sprayed in when we talk."
Qi Yu was confused when she heard Xu Han's words, not understanding what a mask was.
Xu Han didn't offer any further explanation; she would find out once it was finished.
As she explained, she cut out the mask according to its shape, and finally sewed on two ear loops, and a simple mask was made.
"Look, it's just like this, very simple. Wearing a mask is both hygienic and clean. It's made of gauze, so it's not stuffy and very easy to use."
Qi Yu noticed the mask his wife was wearing and said with great interest, "I never imagined gauze could be used like this. Madam is truly amazing; she can come up with such a wonderful method."
Xu Han was a little embarrassed by the praise, after all, she didn't invent the mask herself.
In modern times, almost every household has face masks; they are so common that they are practically ubiquitous.
However, she couldn't say anything and could only silently accept the credit, as long as it solved the current problem.
Xu Han said, "Then let's make a few according to this design first, so that everyone can have one when we start making canned goods later. We can make more later when you have time to prepare them."
Qi Yu replied, "Okay, Madam, I understand. This is very simple and not much. The two of us can definitely finish it in a little while."
If you're careful when you make it, you can wash it again and use it again, so nothing is wasted.
"Haha, we're on the same page! Let's get started, I'll do it with you."
After Xu Han finished speaking, the two got to work. Xu Han was in charge of cutting, and Qi Yu was in charge of sewing. The two worked together quite quickly.
A moment later, Dan Niang called out, "Madam, breakfast is ready. Shall we eat?"
Everyone was working today, so we didn't cook over in the valley and ate here instead.
Xu Han glanced outside the courtyard and still couldn't see Lu Chuan and the others. Then, looking at the half-finished mask in her hand, she said, "Let's wait a bit. The master and the others haven't returned yet. We'll eat together when they come back."
"Okay, then I'll put the rice in the hot pot first, so it won't get cold later."
After Danniang finished speaking, she went back into the kitchen. After putting the food away, she turned around and went to the backyard to help wash the pears.
After Xu Han finished cutting the masks, she helped Qi Yu sew them together. When the two of them still had two masks left to sew, Lu Chuan returned with his men.
Without looking up, Xu Han continued sewing as she said, "Go wash your hands first, and tell Danniang that dinner is ready."
Lu Chuan responded, but didn't leave. He turned around and looked at what Xu Han was holding, asking, "What's this? A mask?"
Xu Han gave her a "you're so smart" look, "Congratulations on getting it right."
Xu Han had given Lu Chuan a mask before, so he was very familiar with it.
Lu Chuan quickly realized why Xu Han had done this, and thought to himself, "My wife is so thoughtful; how come I didn't even think of that!"
Little did they know that Xu Han had only just remembered it, otherwise she wouldn't be here working so hard right now.
After Danniang set out the food, everyone began to eat one after another.
Xu Han and Qi Yu finally finished making the masks before dinner.
After breakfast, Xu Han handed out a mask to everyone and explained again why masks were necessary. Everyone nodded in agreement, saying, "That's a great idea; it's clean and hygienic."
Dan Niang said, "I don't know how Madam is so smart, she can do everything."
Sister-in-law Li chimed in, "Of course, Madam's insight is beyond what we can compare to."
"Haven't we seen enough new things during this long trip? And every single one of them is so reasonable and appropriate."
The others chimed in, and Xu Han, feeling guilty, didn't want to continue the topic, so she said, "Alright, let's hurry up and continue washing the pears, and try to make all the pear preserves today. It'll be too much trouble to wash the utensils again tomorrow."
After saying that, he said to Sister-in-law Li, "Take some people and bring out all the ceramic jars and clean them. We'll need them later."
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