Rebirth Farmhouse

Chapter 120

As the snow fell harder and harder, Mrs. Liu cleaned up the household items in the yard, and covered the fire grass with straw thatch.There was no need to go out to hug the grass when it snowed, and Liu didn't call her daughters, so she simply heated up the kang and let them sleep for a while.

The kang was warm because Liu's family had burned it, and Xiuyao slept comfortably. When she was drowsy, she heard her aunt exclaim: "Ah, it's snowing heavily!"

Xiuyao got up quickly, put on a padded jacket and lay down on the window sill, the window had already been pasted with thick window paper, and a small window was left underneath so that she could see what was going on outside.The small window is also pasted with paper, but a half-foot-long tappet can be rolled up slowly, so that you can see the situation of the patio.

The ground has been covered with snow, the haystacks, the straw screens, and the vegetable borders are all covered with pure white snow blankets, which are fluffy, and a ball of snow velvet flies in and lands in Xiuyao's eyes. It's so cool that she can't help it shivered.

Xiuyao rubbed her hands together, "Wow, it's so cold and there's so much snow."

Xiurong smiled and said, "You don't have to hug the grass when it's snowing."

Xiuyao was not so happy, "Our sweet potatoes and dates won't dry out when it snows." But it's good to stay warm at home without going to the grass. Haha, my hands and feet are cold, and my ears feel like they are about to fall off.

Liu Xu stamped her feet and ran in from the outside, "Oh, I'm freezing to death, this is the first heavy snow in winter." As she said that, she stretched her hand under Xiurong's quilt to warm herself.

Mrs. Liu has already prepared egg flower ginger soup. Although there is only one egg in a pot of soup, the faint fishy smell of the eggs still fills the whole room.While tidying up, she said: "Get up quickly and drink a bowl of hot soup, wash up and eat quickly."

Xiuqin had already divided up bowls, and in case it would get cold, she brought them to them to drink quickly.

Xiurong said joyfully: "Mother, why do we always eat eggs, let my mother know that we will be scolded to death, so we eat eggs when we separate, haha. It's so delicious."

Mrs. Liu glanced at her, and said angrily: "You girl, we are poor, we can still afford these two eggs. You and Yaoyao have also earned hundreds of dollars, so it's not right to eat an egg."

Liu has always felt that although it is necessary to save money on food and expenses, sometimes even if you save yourself to starve to death, you may not be able to save much, and you still have to eat what you should eat.Especially when the children are growing up, how can they do without enough food and clothing.

Besides, Xiuyao and her sisters also made money selling sweet potatoes and beans, so they should be rewarded in the first place.This year is the first New Year after the separation. She hopes to give her children a different year. When the family is reunited, she will plan how to live well so that she can save money and be rich.

On a snowy day, Xiuyao was afraid that the sweet potatoes would become moldy if dried, so she spread the mat directly on the kang in the west, since her father and elder brother were not at home anyway.

After breakfast, Liu Xu urged Xiuyao to fulfill her promise and teach her the trick of knitting.

Xiuyao smiled slightly and said: "Auntie, tell me first."

Liu Xu reached out to pinch her, "You little girl, how dare you negotiate terms with my aunt."

Xiuyao hurriedly avoided with a smile, this little aunt, it was clearly her fault, she escaped marriage so confidently, she was not afraid of the unbearable consequences, she was still joking here.But she is also very happy with my aunt like this, it's better than being sad all day, dying or living.

Xiuyao said: "Auntie, let's make the tools we need." After saying that, she tightened her padded jacket and went to the courtyard to search for what she needed. She searched around, and originally wanted to find two bamboo rakes for raking grass, but To see if there is nothing too bad, we have to find another way.

Liu Xu shouted: "Yaoyao, are you alright?"

Xiurong and Xiuqin also asked her what she was looking for, Xiuyao ran in, stomped the snow on her feet, and said, "Can I use some chopsticks?"

Liu Shi glanced at her, "Is it you who don't eat, or who do you not eat with?"

Liu Xu smiled and said: "My brother-in-law and the others are not at home, let's use theirs first." Then she went to grab a few chopsticks for Xiuyao.

Xiuyao glanced at Mrs. Liu, who couldn't help but smiled, and couldn't hold back her face, and said, "What else do you want?"

Xiuyao immediately leaned over, "Mother cut a few wooden needles with a knife." She gestured for the thickness, and asked for smoothness without burrs.

Liu Shi pondered for a while, "I'll fix it for you. What should you do?"

When it snows, you don’t need to go out to gather grass, but you still have to do the work at home, such as spinning, twisting hemp rope, picking up neat straw, etc. Even if you are free, you can do some needlework.In the past, the Qin family borrowed other people's spinning carts for use. Later, Li Shi gave them a pedal three-spindle spinning cart improved by Xiuyao and Liuxu, which can spin three threads at the same time. Now Xiuqin is very proficient in using it.

Liu Xu said: "Sister, you really don't embroider that insole anymore?" This season is actually just right for embroidering insoles. There is nothing to do in winter, and embroidering insoles can also pass the time, and she can also help with it.

Mrs. Liu hummed, split the chopsticks with a kitchen knife, then slowly rounded them, and then slowly ground them with a few pieces of gravel.

Over there, Xiuyao did other preparations, and asked Xiuqin to spin the existing cotton thread at home into several strands, after all, one thread is too thin.

Now Xiuyao asks Xiuqin to help her spin five tassels into one, so that the five strands will be thicker than before, which is not bad for weaving.

"Auntie, this is what I think is fun. If you use this to weave things to wear, it's wasteful and not strong, and it's not worth it." Xiuyao reminded Liu Xu in advance, don't rely on her when the time comes.

After all, knitted fabrics cost a lot of cotton thread, and the cotton thread is not that strong, so it won’t take long to wear it for work. Not only that, but it’s not so fast to knit socks and gloves.

So relying on this to make money is unrealistic, Xiuyao kicked this idea out a long time ago.

Liu's movements were light and quick, and the four chopstick needles were polished according to Xiuyao's requirements. Although there were still some small flaws, they were already slippery enough not to grind your hands, enough for playing.

Xiuyao saw that the elder sister had already spun a small spindle, she stepped forward and said, "Elder sister is done."

Upon hearing this, Xiuqin bit off a few strands of thread, and then gave the new fringe of thread to Xiuyao, who took it, compared it, and started stitching.She is not good at knitting sweaters, but she just found a way to find something for her to do on a whim when she saw that her aunt was having a hard time.

She glanced at her aunt, "Should we knit socks or gloves first?"

Liu Xu smiled and said, "Gloves, I'll knit a pair for you, so that your hands won't freeze when you wear them to cuddle grass."

Xiuyao was so moved, she wanted to treat her aunt more and more, and taught her slowly, Xiuqin and Xiurong also came to watch.

Xiuyao waited for them to understand how to start a stitch, then swished a row, and then started knitting, explaining to them while knitting, this is a straight stitch, this is a back stitch, and she stopped while knitting to show them the effect.

Mrs. Liu was also curious, so she stopped what she was doing and came over to have a look.

Xiuyao can only knit straight and back stitches, and the most important thing is to knit ingot stitches. I don’t remember any other patterns. After all, I learned from my mother for a few days when I was young. Later, I felt dizzy and impatient even watching my mother weave. .

While knitting, the needle buttons are evenly distributed on the three needles. The catkins are all ingenious, and they learn things quickly, and they can basically remember them after reading them.Xiuyao wove another round, and then showed them the effect, "The inside of the weave is different from the outside, the outside is like a braid, and the inside is like waves."

Liu Xu smiled and said, "That's true. Come and let me try." She didn't think she was stupid, and it didn't take her long to learn how to weave. She basically understood Xiuyao's gestures. She put the thread on the little finger of her right hand, and then tried knitting a few stitches with the needles in both hands. Xiuyao knits smoothly.

Xiuyao looked at her sweatingly, "Auntie, you are the one who came through time travel!" ?

He is avant-garde and open-minded, bold and strong, and can learn things so quickly.

Xiurong was eager to try it too, snatched it from Liu Xu, "I'll do it, I'll do it." As she said that, she started knitting, but the work was easier said than done, and Xiurong inserted the wrong stitch at the first stitch. When she opened the hole, Liu Xu quickly corrected her.

Xiurong smiled and said: "My eyes are blurred, it's so dense." She said to correct it, but the direction of winding was wrong, Xiuqin saw it and quickly corrected her.

Xiurong said awkwardly, "I want to see what this looks like." As he spoke, he dropped a needle, "Oh, what should I do?"

Xiuyao said: "Pick it up quickly." She took it, and then showed them how to pick up the dropped needle, and then handed it to Xiurong, "Third sister, finish this circle."

Xiu Rong was a bit embarrassed, but she was a strong one, she refused to admit defeat, she knits as soon as she knits, and the next step is better, although she is slow, there are no missing stitches or wrong stitches, but the knitting is getting tighter and tighter, and the needles can hardly be pulled out.

Xiuqin had already gone to spin again, and Liu Xu went to look for chopsticks to sharpen needles, trying to get a pair of them.

As Xiurong was weaving, Liu reminded: "Xiurong, you are weaving the wrong way." She pointed her finger, "This is how the rim is made, you are doing it the wrong way."

Xiurong looked at it, "Mother, that's right, it's like this." As she said she was still weaving, Liu asked Xiuyao to take a look.

Xiuyao looked at it and laughed, everyone was facing outwards, and then weaved from right to left in circles, but the third sister actually started from the inside out, but the thread ends were limited, so it was still woven from right to left.

But, this is not a circle anymore!

Xiuyao quickly pointed out the crux of the problem, and Xiurong laughed at herself: "Oh, it's so difficult to weave, much harder than lighting a fire."

Liu Shi smiled and said, "You know it's difficult? I can't do everything, can I?"

Xiurong hurriedly handed it to Liu Shi, "Mother, you should come."

Mrs. Liu saw that Xiuyao could knit once, but after taking it over and knitting twice, she loosened the tangled yarn that Xiurong had made, and then wove it quickly and well, with the tightness and fit, making her look beautiful. Yao praised it straight away, it was almost the same as her mother's knitting in the previous life.

But my mother has only learned it for a while, who said the ancients were stupid?It's simply too clever, Xiuyao cried out in her heart.

After knitting a few times, Liu gave it to Xiurong to continue, and she went to help Liuxu sharpen the chopsticks and needles.Xiurong took it, and even though the weaving was not very good, she continued, and asked Xiuyao to watch it for her.She is unyielding, Xiuyao can do it, how can she not.Moreover, among these few people, she was the slowest learner and the worst at weaving.

She seemed to have forgotten that she was also the youngest besides Xiuyao.

When Liu Xu got another pair of needles out, Xiurong could knit quickly and well, Xiuyao felt a little inferior, except that she taught them, they all knit better than her.

Xiuyao saw that Mrs. Liu was still grinding the needles, so she thought that she wouldn't knit sweaters anyway, and she would just knit a pair of socks and gloves for her own home. There was no need for too long needles, and chopsticks were enough.

A few people were so busy with their work, and time passed quickly. It was snowing heavily outside, but the room was full of laughter and laughter.Winter evening came early, and soon the room was too dark to see clearly. Xiuyao went to light an oil lamp and put it on the kang table.

Now it's not at Mammy's house, if you want to light a lamp, you can light it, and you have to pick a bright wick.

Mrs. Liu boiled a pot of pumpkin porridge, everyone drank it warmly, washed it up, and then gathered around the kang to learn how to knit gloves.

Mrs. Liu has sharpened four sets of needles in total, she, Liu Xu, and Xiuqin each have a set, and Xiuyao and Xiurong each have a set, ready to knit and play.It took about ten chopsticks to make these knitting needles, and the direct consequence was that shifts were implemented when eating porridge at night-there were not enough chopsticks.

Liu Xu smiled and said: "Sister, it's time for the market in a few days, let's go buy a pair of chopsticks, don't wait for my brother-in-law to come back, and find that we have lost our family and have lost all our chopsticks." Everyone laughed.

Liu-shi clapped her hands, seeing the catkins weaving so fast, she also wanted to try it, but Xiuqin over there was not spinning so fast, so she had to wait a while.

Xiuqin asked, "Mother, do we have enough cotton?"

Mrs. Liu thought for a while, "That's enough. In addition to paying the rent, we kept a lot of cotton this year." All farmers here who rent official land must grow cotton, and they have certain tasks. Cotton cloth is required to be handed over, and in some areas, sun-dried cotton can be handed over directly.In Taoyuan Village, cotton can be handed in directly instead of weaving.

The remaining cotton is dried by the Liu family and stored in hemp bags. When needed, the cotton is ginned and plucked, and then the lint can be used directly. Can be used to feed livestock or as fertilizer.

Xiuqin said: "Then I'll get some more to rub my eyes, there's not enough here."

Mrs. Liu glanced at it and said, "Let's rub it again tomorrow, and we'll just spin the tassels that are ready-made." Then she asked Xiuyao to fill two pieces of wood into the stove pit, so that the kang would stay warm for a long time. a little.

Liu Xu's small glove over there has already knitted more than half of it. Before dinner, Xiuyao explained to her how to add stitches, subtract stitches, and narrow stitches. Finally, she taught her the methods of the one with fingers on top of the head or the one with fingers exposed.Now she has finished adding stitches and split ends, and is knitting there where the thumb will be.As soon as Xiuyao said it, Liu Xu could understand it, and then taught her the key weaving method, and she could basically weave it.

Looking at the catkins knitting wool with her fingers, Xiuyao can't help but have a question, why didn't knitted clothing become popular in ancient times?Gloves, socks, and sweaters are close-fitting and warm, why not?

She didn't believe that the ancients couldn't invent it, after all, it wasn't something high-tech.Since he can weave cloth and fishnets, knitting sweaters is not difficult.There must be some reason why they did not popularize this simple and easy-to-use technology.

She has no responsibility to guess, maybe it is a problem with the style of ancient clothing?The ancients liked loose clothes, not too close-fitting clothes, and knitted sweaters and trousers can't reflect the elegant style of the ancients?
Or the material is not suitable, cotton and linen have poor elasticity, if there is no spandex, the knitting is not strong enough and it is easy to break.

Thinking of Concubine Yang wearing a lazy bun, pointing flower dimples, drawing crescent eyebrows, and then wearing a sweater and wool trousers, her demeanor...is simply magical.

Xiuyao couldn't help laughing, causing everyone to look at her, she quickly waved her hands and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just want to knit it and wear it on my body, at least it's a little tighter, so it doesn't sound too loud."

Liu Xu laughed and scolded: "Don't talk nonsense, this thing is so tight, what does it look like wearing it?" Xiuqin's cheeks were already red.

When she was sleeping, Liu Xu had already finished knitting the glove, because it was for Xiuyao, who has small hands, so she didn't waste cotton thread, and the knitting was fast.Xiuyao tried it on and it was just right!
"Auntie, you are so skillful!" Xiuyao praised without hesitation.

Liu Xu said: "What's the problem? If I can't do these things, then why am I staying at home all day?"

It was getting late, and Liu Shi hurriedly went to bed.

Although Xiuxian is not at home, the house is small and the kang is not very spacious, and it is a bit crowded for five people.But Xiuyao felt that it was warm like this, anyway, the two of them had to share a bed, it was crowded and warm, not cold at all.

Xiuyao shared the bed with Liu Xu, and she didn't forget to ask her aunt to fulfill her promise, and asked her in a low voice what happened to her divorce.

Liu Xu told her in a low voice, Xiuyao was startled, "Impossible."

Liu Xu pinched her lightly, telling her not to be so loud, Liu Shi asked them what they were doing, Xiuyao hurriedly said it was fine and went to sleep.

(End of this chapter)