Chapter 40 Chapter 40 A Piece of Cotton Cloth (Two in One)…
Summer is here.
The people took off the interlayer linen clothes they wore in spring, leaving only a single layer. However, in the hot summer, after sweating, the clothes stuck to the skin, and the rough fibers rubbed against the skin, making people extremely uncomfortable.
Especially people with sensitive skin like Kang Zhuqing.
But even so, it was already very good for her to have a few sets of clothes to change into, and Kang Zhuqing did not dare to complain.
In ancient times, cloth was an expensive commodity, but it was used as currency. Even linen was not cheap, costing three hundred coins per piece. Some poorer families only had one or two pieces of clothing to wear, and it was difficult to even change them.
Yao Niang waited from spring to summer, and finally the cotton trees bloomed and bore fruit. However, it was not enough for the cotton bolls to be fully ripe, cracked, and the cotton wool to be harvested.
However, this did not prevent Yao Niang and the other two from standing in front of the blooming and fruiting cotton tree for a long time.
Shi Jin and Yu Anchun had never seen a cotton tree in bloom and fruit, so they were very curious. "This flower is really beautiful. The outer ring is light yellow, and the center looks like rouge."
The two looked at the green cotton bolls and couldn't help but reach out to poke them.
"It's amazing! When the cotton bolls mature, will they really produce white fluff?" Yu Anchun couldn't imagine what the white fluff would feel like.
Shi Jin couldn't imagine it either. She could only mutter in her heart, Cotton bell, cotton bell, please mature soon.
The news of the cotton trees blooming and bearing fruit was also reported to Lin Si. As the weather was hot, Lin Si sent people to Shizhou to buy ice, and the daily afternoon snacks were replaced with ice drinks such as Bingxue Lengyuanzi and Huanglengtuanzi.
A long-cherished wish was finally coming true. Even the usually calm and intelligent Yao Niang could not hide her enthusiasm. "In another seven or eight days, the cotton bolls will be mature and cotton wool will be produced. Then we can start making cotton cloth."
Lin Si hummed and put down the white porcelain bowl. "Then the three of you will go through the entire process from picking to weaving into cloth. Then sort out the problems and difficulties along the way and report them to me."
As soon as Yao Niang left, Mo Jinglian came.
Perfume and soap are very profitable, and Mo Jinglian's family of three is very busy, and even the ten-year-old Tang Xing has to do it without any slack.
Mo Jinglian even realized that there seemed to be something wrong with her. Although she was very tired, she couldn't help but enjoy it.
Mo Jinglian came here not only to hand in the account book, but also for other things.
Tang Xing was originally studying in Shuozhou. Although he could not take the imperial examination because he was a merchant, Mo Jinglian still hoped that he would read more books so that he could understand the truth and distinguish between good and evil.
"I wonder if the county lady would allow Ah Xing to go to the manor to study?" Mo Jinglian said after careful consideration.
Mo Jinglian knew that the children in the manor were all orphans and would all work for Lin Si in the future. But now, her whole family was no different from selling themselves to Lin Si. Tang Xing would also work for Lin Si in the future. Perfume and soap were so popular now, and Mo Jinglian was planning to open a new sales channel. The whole family had no intention of teaching Tang Xing to study.
If you ignore it like this, what will happen if it grows crooked in the future?
Lin Si understood Mo Jinglian's intention, but did not agree.
"When a school opens in Li County in the future, Tang Xing can go there to study."
Lin Si's words made Mo Jinglian feel at ease. As long as there were books to read, it was good.
"But I heard that he wants to study medicine under Zhu Shixi." Lin Si added lightly.
Mo Jinglian's eyes widened slightly. How could she not know that Ah Xing wanted to study medicine?
But she thought about it again and realized that she had rarely met her parents these days, let alone Tang Xing, and she had not had a good talk with him.
"Thank you for the reminder, County Master. I will ask him about it when I get back."
Mo Jinglian asked the common people to help repair the house. Because they paid the workers, the house was built quickly and well. Although it was not as big as the old house, it was much bigger than when they first came. The common people immediately became very friendly to the Mo family.
However, the family of four in this house seemed to be living like co-tenants. At first, Mo Jinglian was the only one busy, but after Mo Yu, Ye Xialan and Tang Xing learned how to simplify numbers, all four of them became busy, including Tang Xing, the child laborer.
Although we are a family, often no one is home when we go home, and everyone's schedules are different.
Mo Jinglian left work early today, thinking that he would have to wait for a while before Tang Xing came back, but he was lucky enough that Tang Xing was at home.
Because Tang Xing could read, he was often asked by Mo Yu and Ye Xialan to keep accounts and record the daily output of the workshop.
Mo Jinglian stretched out his hand and called Tang Xing over.
"I went to see the county lady today. She said that Li County will open a school in the future. I wanted you to go there, but she said you wanted to study medicine with Madam Zhu."
Tang Xing was a little flustered when Mo Jinglian told him what he was thinking. He must have been discovered when he asked the maid in the staff cafeteria about Madam Zhu that day.
"I...I." Tang Xing kept saying "I" for a long time but couldn't say anything.
Mo Jinglian said patiently: "Ah Xing, tell me what you think in your heart."
"I think Madam Zhu's medical skills are very different from those of ordinary doctors in the clinic. Fungal pneumonia, hypoglycemia, and antibiotics are all things I have never heard of. I... am very interested and want to learn. When my sister was sick, I secretly bought medical books and studied the prescriptions given to you by the doctors. Although the prescriptions were all correct, they just couldn't cure your illness." Tang Xing lowered his head.
Mo Jinglian couldn't help but feel soft in his heart, and touched Tang Xing's head, "I understand."
Mo Jing waited and waited before Mo Yu and Ye Xialan came back.
The two men looked haggard, completely different from the leisurely look they had when they first arrived. At first, they had been thinking of coming to Li County to retire.
Now, let alone retirement, I feel like my life is about to be wasted. There are too few people in Li County who can read and write, and their hands are really about to break from writing.
Mo Jinglian closed the door and sat down.
Mo Yu poured himself some cold tea and said, "Miao Miao, what's wrong with you?"
Ye Xialan seemed to have thought of something and asked hurriedly, "What's going on? Is there something wrong in the workshop? Is it the wrong raw materials? Or is it the wrong quantity of finished products?"
When Mo Yu heard that the number of finished products did not match, he became anxious and stood up immediately.
Mo Jinglian shook his head, "It's not about the workshop, it's about Ah Xing."
The couple finally breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that it's not something happening in the workshop, but what's going on with Ah Xing?"
"Ah Xing wants to study medicine with Madam Zhu." Mo Jinglian said calmly.
"Study medicine? Why have I never heard him mention it?" Mo Yu was puzzled.
"Because I was sick, he looked for medical books himself, but he couldn't cure me. Then he found out that Madam Zhu's medical skills were very special, so he wanted to learn. But we were all busy at the time, so he was embarrassed to ask."
Ye Xialan's heart ached. "This child is really... too well-behaved. If he wants to learn, then let him learn."
Mo Yu asked hesitantly, "If Ah Xing wants to learn, he has to ask Madam Zhu if she will accept him as her disciple."
Mo Jinglian: "Leave it to me, I'll go ask tomorrow."
On the second day, Mo Jinglian came to the County Lord's Mansion early in the morning, and then politely asked about the house of Zhu Shixi, the maid of the County Lord's Mansion.
The maid was polite and told her to go forward and turn left, where she would see the words "Zhu Shixi Laboratory" hanging on the small courtyard.
Mo Jinglian quietly called out twice at the gate, "Excuse me, is Madam Zhu here?"
The yard was not big, and Zhu Shixi could be heard saying from inside the house, "Come in."
As soon as Mo Jinglian stepped into the yard, he saw Zhu Shixi walking out of the house with blood on his hands.
It was the first time Mo Jinglian had seen such a scene. She stroked her chest gently and forced herself to calm down.
"I wish my lady well."
Zhu Shixi blinked her big, twinkling eyes. "It's Madam Mo. Are you feeling unwell? Or are you coughing again?"
"No, I came here this time because I want to ask Madam Zhu something."
Zhu Shixi was washing his hands in the basin in the yard, wondering, "Why did Madam Mo have to come all this way in person?"
Mo Jinglian asked cautiously, "My younger brother wants to study medicine with Madam Zhu. Does Madam Zhu plan to accept a disciple?"
Zhu Shixi paused while washing his hands.
"Anyone wants to study medicine with me?"
Mo Jinglian wanted to say something good about Tang Xing, "My brother has read some medical books himself, and he thinks Madam Zhu's medical skills are very special."
When Mo Jinglian looked at Zhu Shixi again, her eyes were filled with enthusiasm. "He thinks my medical book is special? Bring him to see me first."
Mo Jing was stunned for two seconds, "Tomorrow, tomorrow is okay?"
Things went more smoothly than Mo Jinglian had imagined. She had thought Zhu Shixi would ask something else, or that he would not consider accepting a disciple.
On the second day, Mo Jing brought Tang Xing along with him, along with some small gifts required for his apprenticeship.
Mo Yu and Ye Xialai originally wanted to come, but they couldn't get away.
Zhu Shixi only asked Tang Xing a few questions.
The first one is, “Why do you want to study medicine?”
Tang Xing looked away a little embarrassedly, "I know how it feels when someone in your family is sick, so I want to cure the disease and save them."
The second one is, "Why do you think my medical skills are special?"
"Because hypoglycemia, pneumonia, and antibiotics are not recorded in medical books."
The third one, "Are you afraid of blood?"
The last question was a bit confusing, but Tang Xing still answered honestly, "I'm not afraid."
Zhu Shixi was very satisfied with all three questions.
Mo Jinglian finally let go of her worries. She presented the gift she had prepared and asked Tang Xing to kowtow to Zhu Shixi.
In Dachen, becoming a disciple is a very important matter, and kowtow is required.
Tang Xing was a very obedient child, and he kowtowed three times, making loud thuds.
After bowing his head, he officially became Zhu Shixi's disciple.
Lin Si was quite pleased with this. He believed that there would be successors to the development of modern medicine and that the medical profession would continue to grow.
But I just hope Zhu Shixi won't lead his apprentice astray. The bloodthirsty devil can't have a second generation, right?
*
It actually only takes a few days for cotton to bloom, form bolls, and then mature.
This was the first time Shi Jin saw mature cotton bolls shed their cotton wool. The originally green shells lost their vitality and turned into a brilliant yellow-orange color. The plump fruits completely cracked open, and a ball of snow-white cotton wool bloomed among the cotton bolls. The soft plant fibers swayed gently in the breeze.
Shi Jin gently stroked the soft white fluff, pulled it out gently, and then put it into the basket.
Yu Anchun had been thinking about the white fluff for months, and now she finally saw it. She pinched the white fluff she had picked with joy, "It's so soft, much more comfortable than numbness."
The three people picked cotton, and they became more and more excited as they picked, and they didn't even feel tired.
The number of seeds brought back at the beginning was not many. One cotton tree can produce about fifty bolls, and each boll contains about five seeds. However, the journey was long, and some of the seeds did not survive when they were brought back. In the end, only about one hundred plants survived.
This was the first time that cotton was planted in Li County. These cotton trees grew under the careful care of the three of them, and all three of them had the same idea.
They want to pick the first blooming fruits themselves.
The three of them were the last to pick the fruits. They were so tired that they sat on the ground to rest. Finally, they looked at each other and smiled.
Yao Niang was always quiet, but now she smiled, "There are only three of us picking over a hundred plants. How silly!"
Shi Jin also laughed, "Although it's silly, I'm very happy picking it."
Yu Anchun seconded, "Me too!"
Lin Si had told Yao Niang before that one cotton boll could produce about one and a half cents of cotton. So from about a hundred plants, they picked nearly twenty kilograms of cotton.
After picking the cotton, the three of them carried it back to the textile studio.
This studio is located in a house next to the county lord's residence. It was originally an empty room, but it was later cleaned and tidied up and a wooden sign for the textile studio was hung on it.
In the yard of the textile studio were placed a foot-operated cotton gin, a four-foot bamboo bow for fluffing cotton, a wooden hammer for striking the bowstring, a three-spindle foot-operated spinning wheel, and a flying shuttle loom.
Over the past few months, the three of them have become so familiar with these things that they just need to demonstrate them in person.
The three of them poured the cotton into a large bamboo basket and spread it flat. The cotton gin brought a stool and sat in front of the cotton gin. She filled the cotton into the gaps between the wooden sticks with one hand and stepped on it with one foot. The roller drooped due to the gravity of the stepping, crushing the cotton. The cotton seeds were squeezed out and fell into the bottom of the container, and the cotton was rolled forward, thus separating the cotton from the cotton seeds.
Even though they had demonstrated it countless times and had used reed fluff for experiments, Shi Jin and Yu Anchun still couldn't help but marvel when the cotton and cotton seeds were actually separated.
It's amazing.
It would take a while for Yao Niang to use the cotton gin alone to gin about 20 kilograms of cotton.
But Shi Jin thought it didn't matter. If he opened a textile workshop, he would have many cotton gins, which would reduce the time.
After the cotton seeds are separated, the next step is to fluff the cotton.
This step does not require any skills. You just need to take out a large bamboo bow and use a wooden hammer to hit the strings to vibrate them, making the cotton fibers fluffy.
After finishing the cotton, it was already late, so the next step of rolling the cotton strips could only be done tomorrow.
Several people carried the fluffed cotton into the house to avoid it getting wet, and came back the next day.
Today was a day of picking and fluffing cotton, which should have been very tiring, but the three of them seemed to have endless energy.
Shi Jin returned home and before going to bed he was thinking about getting up early the next day and finishing the rest of his work.
But excessive excitement affected his sleep. When Shi Jin thought that he might be able to spin cotton cloth tomorrow, his eyes widened like copper bells.
After enduring a difficult night, the three met in the studio early the next morning and continued working.
The third step is to roll the cotton strips using thin bamboo sticks to facilitate traction during spinning. The three people's hands are sore from rubbing, but no one complains. They just want to go faster and faster. After this step is completed, they are getting closer and closer to weaving the cotton cloth.
The rolled cotton strips are spun into yarn using a three-spindle bicycle spinning wheel. Yu Anchun has always felt that this three-spindle spinning wheel is magical. It is much more convenient than the single-spindle spinning wheel for spinning linen yarn and can spin three yarns at the same time.
Finally, it is woven into cotton cloth using a flying shuttle loom.
The whole process took about seven days, and they wove the first piece of cotton cloth in this time and space.
Yao Niang always thought of herself as a quiet person. She felt that her tears had dried up when her parents sold her to the pawnshop. At that time, she felt that there was nothing in the world worth her tears anymore.
Unexpectedly, the moment she saw the cotton cloth being woven, she still cried unconsciously, but this time the tears were different from those of the past.
These are tears of joy, tears of harvest.
The three people looked at the woven cotton cloth and smiled, just like when they picked cotton seven days ago.
Since the cotton cloth was successful, Lin Si naturally wanted to see it.
Zuo You, Liang Nian, Mo Jinglian, and Zhu Shixi were all called by Lin Si to watch, and Zhu Shixi also brought Tang Xing.
This is a piece of the most ordinary cotton cloth, without any color or pattern, just a simple white.
Lin Si pointed at the cloth on the table and said, "This is cotton cloth. Feel it and see how it feels."
Liang Nian and Zuo You were the first to touch it. They felt that it was indeed soft and many times more comfortable than linen. It would definitely be very comfortable to wear.
The most surprised person in the whole room was Mo Jinglian. She had no idea that Lin Si was secretly improving the cloth.
Oh my God, how much is there in Li County that she doesn’t know?
Mo Jinglian thought excitedly that she wanted to sell all these things!
Lin Si had previously told Zhu Shixi that the cloth that could be used to stop bleeding was cotton cloth.
Therefore, Zhu Shixi was also excited.
Lin Si observed Tang Xing to see if this good boy had been turned into the second bloodthirsty demon by Zhu Shixi. However, he was still learning theoretical knowledge and had not yet reached the stage of dissection.
But Lin Si still didn’t understand how Zhu Shixi turned into an evil silver-colored cat. Was there something wrong with the way he raised it?
Mo Jinglian’s mind was full of selling things.
Li County is really great. In Shuozhou, I could only sell paper, and I was maliciously suppressed by my peers. Now in Li County, I can sell all kinds of novel things.
So she asked, "May I ask, my lady, what is this made of? Does it cost more or less than silk or gauze? What kind of silk is used?"
Lin Si pointed at Yao Niang who was standing beside him and said, "Yao Niang, go tell Madam Mo."
Liang Nian and Zuo You saw that Yao Niang had become thinner and darker, but her eyes were much brighter than before.
"Madam Mo, this is made from plants just like linen, and the process is simpler than linen, as you don't need to wash the linen."
It’s actually made of plants!
That means the cost is low.
Lin Si held down Mo Jinglian's hands, which were about to move. "Madam Mo, this item will be sold in Li County first. The subsequent price will not be too high. It will be the same price as linen. If it is sold far away, it will be very uneconomical. Therefore, I only plan to sell it in Xihe Road."
But Mo Jinglian's mind worked quickly, "Even if it's the same price as linen, 300 coins per piece, there's still profit."
Linen is rough, but other cloths are too expensive, so Lin Si didn't intend to set a high price for cotton cloth from the beginning.
Lin Si just wanted ordinary people to wear something more comfortable, that's all.
The cotton cloth was a great success, and the next step was to open a workshop.
The weaving lady in the textile workshop was in charge, while Shi Jin and Yu Anchun were the foremen.
In an unnoticed corner, Mo Jinglian breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she was not asked to be the manager, otherwise she would really explode.
The once smart and cautious Mo Jinglian has gone with the wind. Now there is only a Mo Jinglian who is obsessed with selling things to make money and is exhausted by work.
Liang Nian and Yao Niang walked out side by side. Liang Nian smiled and said, "Yao Niang, I feel that you are very happy now."
Yao Niang raised her head and said, "I feel like I've finally found something I want to do and something I can fight for my whole life."
*
There are many preliminary preparations for a textile workshop, the most important of which is the textile equipment. Without the equipment, everything will be in vain.
After Sun Chang and Fan Li made the first prototype, they distributed the various parts to carpenters in Zhou and other places, just like the waterwheel before. The parts made by each carpenter were different, so there was no possibility of discovering the principle of the machine.
Despite this, the master and disciple still had to work hard.
Fan Li was so lost in thought that he suddenly asked Sun Chang, "Master, do I really have to be a carpenter?"
Sun Chang panicked all of a sudden, "Ali, didn't the master say he would pay you and not let you work for nothing? You mustn't think like that."
Sun Chang was really afraid that Fan Li would quit, as he would die if he worked alone.
Moreover, the county lady had so many orders that he felt embarrassed to continue using the excuse of being a master to make Fan Li work for free.
This is really treating people like cattle.
Sun Chang's wife Deng Nan secretly asked Shi Jin and learned that he wanted to open a textile workshop. In addition to helping to pass things, she also asked the master and apprentice to do a good job.
"I also want to go to that textile workshop." said Deng Nan.
During the last round of the perfume and soap workshop, Deng Nan had bad luck as he happened to be sick during those two days.
Many of the girls she knew well had found jobs in workshops, such as Kang Zhuqing, her close friend since childhood.
Deng Nan had nothing to do at home, but his close friend worked every day and even received a bonus of 100 cents a few days ago. This made Deng Nan feel indescribable.
It wasn't jealousy; she felt like she and her best friends had nothing to talk about anymore. They were all busy all day, talking about topics Deng Nan couldn't understand, like finished products and raw materials. Sun Chang was also busy, and his daughter was married, so no one talked to her.
After much thought, Deng Nan decided that he should go to the workshop to work as well. It would be too lonely to do nothing alone.
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