bookcurios Chapter 186 Weaving
Chapter 186 Weaving
Nanny Qian came to help her on the old lady's orders.
"The old lady said that the first lady is in poor health now. If there are some things that she can't handle, she can ask the old lady for help. Or if she needs to come in person, that's also fine."
The old lady in the upper room was rubbing her hands in anticipation, wanting to come over and help with the daily work.
Yun Xi didn't bother to be polite with her and said directly: "Then send two people who are more skilled in spinning and weaving. We will need them to work later."
A few days later, all preparations were completed and Yun Xi received the first batch of cotton - three large sacks.
Soft and springy.
The arrival of the cotton attracted everyone's attention. Mu Sheng and Mu Jinyan were waiting to "unbox". Mu Xuan also came to join in the fun. Once a sack of cotton was poured out, it immediately expanded to more than twice its size.
Yun Xi: "..."
Her father is really honest, why stuff it so tightly!
Mu Jinyan let out a small exclamation: "Wow! Mother, this is cotton, so white! It must feel very soft to the touch."
"Then you try touching it."
Mu Jinyan immediately walked forward and almost threw himself into the cotton pile, causing everyone to laugh.
Yun Xi briefly explained the steps of spinning cotton yarn, and several skilled workers quickly mastered the key points without having to wait for her further instructions.
With the joint efforts of several people, the first batch of finished cotton thread was produced that evening.
"It's late now, let's weave tomorrow." Yun Xi said, and wanted everyone to go back and rest.
The one spinning the yarn is not tired, but she, the spectator, is tired of watching.
Mu Xuan said, "Sister-in-law, you should go back and have a rest. We are not tired and want to weave the cloth in one go."
This stuff looks obviously more comfortable than linen. I wonder how it compares to silk.
He can't wait!
Mu Sheng and Mu Jinyan both nodded in agreement and urged her to go back and rest quickly. "I'll show you the cloth first when it's finished."
Yun Xi said: "You are talking without any pain in your waist. Of course you are not tired, but the people who are working are tired."
As soon as she finished speaking, the excited voices of the workers rang out: "We are not tired, ma'am, you go and rest, we will hurry up and work."
Yun Xi: "...Okay. Then you guys continue."
Mu Sheng sent her back to her room, and Yun Xi said to him, "Let Ah Yan go back to sleep too, it's too late."
"Okay. You take a good rest. I'll be there for him."
Mu Sheng waited for her to lie down, covered her with the quilt, and then went out to watch the weaving.
Mu Jinyan also refused to go back to rest. He was so sleepy that he could not even open his eyes and his little head was nodding, but he was very stubborn and refused to go back.
That night, after Yun Xi fell asleep, the whole yard was still brightly lit.
The old general and the old lady were so curious that they finally couldn't help but rush over to check what was going on. What on earth was this incredible thing that kept everyone awake at night?
Then, when I arrived, I waited with everyone else.
By the middle of the night, the first piece of cotton cloth was finished. The maids who were working on it were very excited. This cloth felt soft to the touch, but not slippery like silk. It felt like it should be very comfortable to wear.
Chunyu handed the white cotton cloth to the old general. The old general took it in his hand and touched it. It felt good. Then he passed it to the old lady, Mu Sheng, and Mu Xuan. Everyone touched it.
The old lady knew a little more about fabrics, so she said, "If this material is made into clothes, it will definitely be very comfortable to wear. It will also be more sweat-absorbent and will definitely be much warmer than linen."
The ladies present nodded.
Everyone was yawning, but their spirits were very excited.
Finally, it was the old lady who spoke: "Everyone go back and rest, we'll talk tomorrow."
When Yun Xi got up in the morning, work in the yard had already started again.
Mu Sheng was still lying on the bed, and he had woken up.
"They didn't stay up all night, did they?"
"No. I went to sleep for a while in the middle of the night and got up again very early."
Yun Xi: "..."
How is that different from not sleeping?
"My parents came over to take a look last night. They were very curious about this new fabric. What are you going to do with it?"
"It can be used to make clothes, bed sheets, and quilts. Cotton can also be used to fill quilts. We are currently using silk, which is very comfortable but most people cannot afford it. Ordinary people may use catkins, poplar flowers, or animal feathers to fill them, but cotton is much better than these things."
Yun Xi sat up as she spoke, and when it came to animal feathers, she simply brought up the issue of down.
"In fact, duck down, goose down and cashmere can all be used to make clothes. Duck down and goose down are mainly used for filling, but cashmere can be spun into yarn and made into clothes directly, and wool can also be spun into yarn. So you can see how to promote and utilize these things."
Mu Sheng asked for some more details before saying, "Leave these matters to me. The most important thing for Xixi now is to take good care of herself."
Yun Xi nodded and said casually that the promotion was done by others.
Mu Sheng kissed her, and helped her put on her clothes and shoes, serving her very smoothly.
As soon as the couple went out, they met Mu Xuan.
"Good morning, brother and sister-in-law."
Mu Sheng, Yun Xi: "...Morning."
Mu Sheng: "Aren't you going to the government office today?"
"Go, I'll be there in a minute. I'll just come and have a meal first."
By the way, let’s listen to what my sister-in-law has to say.
Yun Xi was very accepting of Mu Xuan's free meals. She had also discovered over the past year that at first she thought Mu Xuan was a gentle and polite young man from an aristocratic family, a bit old-fashioned, but later she discovered that he was not bound by any rules and regulations, had a free and easy personality, was a bit easy-going, and had no airs or baggage.
They get along pretty well.
She asked Mu Sheng: "Did you finish weaving the cloth yesterday?"
"Weave a part." Mu Xuan answered before Mu Sheng could say anything. "Sister-in-law, this kind of fabric looks soft and comfortable now. Does it have any other characteristics?"
“I don’t know. Let’s try.”
“How to try?”
"You can tell it's soft and comfortable just by touching it. We can also test its warmth retention, durability, water absorption and so on."
“Absorbent?”
"Yes, I plan to make diapers for my baby, so they need to be absorbent."
Mu Xuan: "...So you grow cotton to make diapers for your baby?"
"Not really. I didn't even know I had a baby when I was growing cotton. But you can't deny that silk and linen are not suitable for making diapers. Now that I have a new one, of course I have to try it."
Mu Sheng, Mu Xuan: "..."
As two grown men, they really had never thought about the issue of baby diapers.
Yun Xi never asked what the previous children used, but it was definitely not an easy life.
According to her, in some places, diapers for babies were made from earthen cloth bags, which means clean sand and soil were sewn into the cloth bags. When the baby peed or defecated, the soil was directly poured out and replaced with new ones. Don't say it, it really has some of the concept of diapers in it.
She herself can't quite accept this, so she'd better use cotton cloth and prepare more.
Mu Sheng: "Have breakfast first. We'll talk later."
The maids who helped weave were very enthusiastic and soon used up all the cotton. Yun Xi asked them to put away the tools as they would be needed later.
"This is the first batch of cotton. There will be a lot more later. We will give some to everyone when the time comes. We can use it to fill quilts, which will keep us warm in winter."
"Sister-in-law, what are you going to do with these cloths? You can't just make them into diapers, right?"
"...Of course not. It can be used to make clothes. If it is used to make outerwear, it needs to be dyed, and white cotton cloth will not look good when worn directly. But it is fine to make underwear. It is a good opportunity to test its comfort."
Yun Xi said, "There's not enough cloth to go around. Wait a few days for the cotton to arrive and give it away after it's woven. Give some to your parents, some to my dad, make clothes for your brother and Ah Yan, and make clothes and diapers for the baby."
Mu Sheng was very happy to hear this, but Mu Xuan was depressed. His sister-in-law had forgotten him alone. It was okay. He would go to his parents' house to get some.
She said she would wait until there was enough cloth to distribute before sending it, but in fact, while waiting, Yun Xi had already started making clothes for Yun Zhen, A Yan and the baby. Anyway, she was already very good at needlework and sewing, and she had nothing to do, so she might as well practice first.
While waiting for the cotton, Mu Sheng asked the housekeeper to find an empty yard in the mansion and specially arranged a few maids and old women to do the work of spinning and weaving. They should not do it in their small yard to avoid disturbing Xixi's rest.
Yun Xi nodded after knowing this. She was just curious at first and wanted to see the process of turning cotton into cloth, so she asked everyone to work in her yard. She had planned to find a special yard to do it later. Now Mu Sheng has solved this problem, which is good.
When the cotton planting area increases in the future, Yun Xi is considering whether to open a workshop specializing in weaving and selling cloth.
When the second batch of cloth was woven, Yundie, Mu Sheng and Ayan had already put on cotton underwear, and the three of them said that it was more comfortable than silk underwear. After all, although silk is smooth, it really doesn't absorb sweat. Once you sweat a little, it sticks to your body, which is very uncomfortable.
Dad Yun was particularly happy. He used to wear linen in his early years, and recently changed to silk. He felt uncomfortable no matter how he wore it. Cotton was just right for him.
The newly woven cloth was also sent to the old general and the old lady. Mu Sheng even pulled Mu Jinyan over to show him his new clothes for everyone's reference.
Yun Xi gave extra wages to the maids who participated in the weaving work, and also gave them cotton and cloth.
After she had enough cotton and cloth, Yun Xi reminded her father: "Leave enough for your own use, and then you can go to the palace to present it to the emperor."
Of course, Yun Dad also remembered to present the new species, but the problem was that he was too busy in recent days to get away. In addition to harvesting cotton, he also started digging sweet potatoes. Although he didn't have to work, he was always worried if he didn't keep an eye on it.
It was not until the end of October that Father Yun brought cotton and sweet potatoes into the palace.
As soon as the emperor saw him, he had the urge to stretch his neck to see what he had brought.
But the emperor remained calm.
Just as Father Yun was about to perform the salute, he was excused by the Emperor.
Now His Majesty the Emperor's attitude towards Marquis Yimin is truly amiable and very kind.
"What did you bring this time?"
"Your Majesty, these are two new crops. One is edible and has a high yield. The other can be used to spin yarn and weave cloth, and can also be used to fill quilts and cotton clothes."
"Bring it up quickly."
The emperor couldn't wait any longer.
The eunuch hurriedly brought the things in. The emperor looked at the sweet potatoes and white cloth, waiting for Yimin Hou to explain.
"This white cloth is made of cotton. It can also be dyed into various colors. Sweet potatoes can be roasted or boiled, or cut into slices, dried, and ground into powder for consumption."
The emperor nodded: "How is the output?"
"One mu of cotton yields about 200 kilograms, and about 15 kilograms of seed-removed cotton can produce a piece of cloth. Sweet potatoes have a high yield, with an output of more than 3000 kilograms per mu. And they are not picky about the planting environment, and can be planted in any corner or any piece of land."
"really?"
The emperor was shocked. Another high-yield grain had appeared. As long as it was promoted, the people would no longer be hungry. Moreover, the more high-yield grains there were, the more choices the people would have, the more food varieties on the table, and the happier the people would live.
The emperor was so happy that he forgot about the concerns of "he had just been conferred a title, so it was not appropriate to promote him in a short time", and he immediately issued an order to promote Yun Dad to a higher rank. Of course, he was still Yimin Marquis, but he changed from a second-rank marquis to a first-rank marquis.
As for Yun Dad, he always felt that the burden on his shoulders seemed to be heavier. He didn't really want this promotion. But it was impossible to refuse, so he knelt down to thank the emperor and then left.