bookcurios Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Chapter 38
From the selection of raw materials to the construction of the furnace and the details of each step of the process, there is knowledge to be gained everywhere.
Even with guidance from experienced mentors, an ordinary layperson would likely struggle to understand such concepts. Xu Tian, however, was different from the average person of his time, possessing a solid foundation in physics and chemistry, allowing him to grasp concepts instantly.
Even if there are parts you don't understand when you first listen to the lecture, you can still ask about the key points.
Several days passed without him realizing it, until Old Yu came to him and said that the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival were in two days, and that work needed to be suspended for several days.
After asking Wang Anping, Xu Tiancai understood that the Cold Food Festival and the Qingming Festival were two important festivals in this era, and that the dates of these two festivals were very close, usually one or two days apart. The Cold Food Festival came first, and the Qingming Festival came later, so the two festivals were usually celebrated together.
The custom at this time is that fires are forbidden during the Cold Food Festival to Qingming Festival. Therefore, every household does not eat hot food, but only cold food prepared in advance. At the same time, people go out to sweep tombs and pay respects to their ancestors, and enjoy the spring outing. In short, it is an important period.
Since this festival is so important, Xu Tian and Wang Anping discussed it and decided to close the business for three days, giving everyone in the factory and shop a three-day holiday.
During the Cold Food Festival, the restaurant stopped cooking and only served cold porridge and cold dishes.
Xu Tian wasn't fond of this festival; it was a truly wicked custom that made it impossible to even get a hot meal. So it's understandable that this festival was abolished in later generations.
Since no one else was lighting a fire, he felt awkward cooking for himself and eating alone.
Since it's Qingming Festival, it seems a shame not to go out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. After some planning, I decided to go for a trip in the countryside, so I started making preparations.
On a spring outing, flying kites is a natural activity. In those days, kites weren't called kites, but paper kites, because they were mostly made of paper and usually shaped like birds. Paper kites were sold outside, but how could the ones sold outside compare to the fun of making your own?
Xu Tian bought a lot of sturdy hemp paper to make kites himself. He wanted to make big ones and kites of different shapes.
After a flurry of activity, they made three large kites: an eagle, a butterfly with a wingspan of about ten feet, and a centipede that was two feet long.
On the morning of Qingming Festival, everyone in the shop set off together, including the children, making a total of more than ten people, and walked towards the riverbank to the east.
The weather is nice today, and many people are out enjoying themselves, with many families going out together.
March is truly a beautiful time of spring, with lush grass and warbling birds, and everywhere bursting with life, presenting a thriving scene that city dwellers of later generations can never experience.
"Hey, look, a pheasant." Someone pointed it out on the road.
Sure enough, a few pheasants with beautiful feathers were scurrying around the roadside not far away. When they saw someone coming, they quickly ran away, very clever and alert.
In fact, seeing wild animals in the wild is quite normal in this era. It's not unusual at all; Xu Tianping has seen them several times already.
This scene reminded him of his childhood, when the wave of industrialization had not yet swept into the inland areas, and the countryside was still in its original state, with weeds and trees growing everywhere, and many wild animals, such as weasels and rabbits, had not yet disappeared.
But later, these scenes gradually disappeared.
March is the time for silkworm rearing, and you can see many families picking mulberry leaves. The silk and related textile industries were important industries in this era. Silk itself was a hard currency comparable to copper coins, and could be used directly as money to exchange for goods.