Bamboo sticks were spread all over the bamboo bed. With a long pole that had a small ring on top, cotton threads were densely threaded onto the bamboo sticks. Then 8 catties of cotton were evenly laid on top, ready for carding.
With one hand controlling the bow, and the other holding a wooden mallet, she gently tapped the cow tendon bowstring.
The rhythmic sound suddenly rang through the quiet village. The clumps of cotton were soon carded into a fluffy texture.
When Wang Xue Shi and Wang Jia Gui came, Li Yao was carding with gusto, her hair covered in cotton fluff.
Wang Jia Gui was holding a wooden patty that Li Yao had asked him to help make. Seeing Li Yao carding cotton, Wang Jia Gui's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
"Carding cotton," Li Yao said, "to fluff it up for making cotton mattresses."
Shouldn't making cotton mattresses require putting cotton between cloth, then sewing it up with needles?
Wang Jia Gui didn't understand what was going on, but the rhythmic tapping made him feel strangely itchy.
"Can I try?"
"What mess are you trying to make?" Wang Xue Shi doubted her husband's dexterity, "Go pick tea seeds quickly!"
"Dad wants to try, just let him try."
Li Yao took down the bow and gave it to Wang Jia Gui.
Sure enough, men were naturally better suited for this task. After getting used to it for a while, Wang Jia Gui was carding skillfully. By the time all the cotton was fluffed up, Li Yao taught him how to even it out.
"Make it thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, so the mattress will be more usable."
After finishing, Li Yao taught him to sew cotton threads across, then press with the wooden patty. A comfortable cotton mattress was completed.
Looking at the neat and cozy cotton mattress, Wang Jia Gui and his wife sang praises.
"How did you come up with this method?"
"I heard it from the cotton shop owner," Li Yao said.
Wang Jia Gui carded a mattress and felt unsatisfied, so he asked, "Shall we card some more?"
Although Wang Xue Shi didn't say anything, her eyes also showed some anticipation.
The mattresses made this way were very neat and tight, clearly less prone to clumping. They had never seen such nice mattresses before. If they could learn this skill, the old man might be able to earn some money with it.
Of course Li Yao wouldn't go become a cotton carder, so it didn't matter.
If father-in-law could learn this skill and earn money, it would be his capability.
"Then you can card some more."
Wang Jia Gui happily picked up the bow again.
That whole afternoon, he indulged in a rhythmic melody, feeling like this thing was addictive. If Wang Xue Shi hadn't pulled his ear to make him stop when it was getting late, he probably could have carded until dawn.
"Sister-in-law, we've come to sell tea seeds!"
Shen Shi led three children in, carrying heavy baskets of tea seeds into the yard.
There were quite a lot of tea seeds in the mountains. Today she brought a son and two daughters to pick nearly two baskets full. If she wasn't worried they might pick too much for Li Yao to buy it all, she wouldn't have come back this early.
"Da Zhuang, go weigh this for your auntie."
Da Zhuang poured the three baskets of tea seeds into a flat basket and weighed them, turns out it was a whopping 103 catties.
"Auntie, this is 206 wen."
"Wow, I can earn 200 wen a day now!" Shen Shi happily took the money, her face instantly blooming into a flower.
"What did you earn?" Wang Xue Shi scoffed, "Did those kids do nothing?"
"How much could they pick..."
But Shen Shi quickly snapped back and reluctantly handed the money she just got to Wang Xue Shi. She kept staring longingly at the money.
"Look at you, so shameless!" Wang Xue Shi took out 50 wen and gave back to her, "Keep it yourself."
"Oh!" Shen Shi couldn't help rejoicing as she got 50 wen, a little gold reserve for the third house.
Soon, other villagers also gradually returned, everyone's baskets full of tea seeds.
In the end, a total of 1300 catties of tea seeds were collected today.
Almost every family that worked hard picking seeds had an income of over 100 wen, which gave everyone motivation.
"Da Zhuang's wife, do you still need more tomorrow?"
"The tea seeds are enough for now," Li Yao said, "but we still need a lot of herbs."
"Then what's the price?"
Li Yao thought about it: "Same as the medicine shop in town."
She didn't dare underestimate the villagers' speed.
In just one day, they had brought 1300 catties of tea seeds. If she offered a higher price for herbs, these people could probably dig the whole mountain empty.
But the town's price was still very good. Plus medicine shops didn't buy all kinds of herbs, and deducted heavily. Selling to Li Yao directly saved them a trip into town.
After everyone left, Li Yao realized Wang San'er and Wang Xiao Si still hadn't come back.
"I'll go look for them." Da Zhuang said.
"I'll go, you prepare the braised food at home."
Li Yao took a bamboo stick and headed towards the back mountain before it got dark. She didn't go far before seeing two small figures sitting on a rock resting.
"Mom!"
"Look, we picked so many tea seeds!"
Indeed quite a lot, nearly a whole basket full, at least 70-80 catties. Too heavy to carry, and Wang San'er had to hold the piglet, so they were delayed until now.
"Why didn't you lead the piglet on a leash?"
Wang San'er scratched his head: "Mom, you said to carry it out and back every day."
Li Yao: ...
Nevermind, let's just go home.
Taking the heavy basket, Li Yao led the two late children back home, and weighed it herself.
"78 catties."
Upon hearing so much, the brothers eagerly asked, "Mom, how much money is that?"
"Calculate it yourself," Li Yao said, "Only if you calculate correctly will you get the money, calculate wrongly and you get nothing. No asking others for help."
Wang San and Wang Xiao Si were stumped.
Such big numbers, they didn't know how!
Finally it was clever Wang Xiao Si who grabbed a handful of seeds and laid them out on the ground.
"Two seeds represent two wen, so we place 78 pairs, then count them!"
Although the method was a bit silly, it was pretty good thinking.
In the end, the brothers successfully got 156 wen.
"Mom, we want to go again tomorrow."
"You can," Li Yao said, "But tomorrow you have to calculate by yourself, and can't use today's method."
The brothers started scratching their heads again.
"Then what if we don't know how?"
"You can learn."
"Oh right!" The brothers ran to find Wang Er, "Second bro, hurry and teach us to calculate!"
...
That night Li Yao personally cooked dinner.
Today at the market she bought two big hens, cleaned them thoroughly, then briefly rinsed in boiling water to shrink the skin, so when cooked the skin would be crispy and tender.
Salt baked chicken didn't need spices, just colored with salt and perilla leaves. Then tightly wrapped in big fig leaves and buried in salt, slow cooked over low heat until the tempting salt baked chicken was done.
The golden skin, tender and juicy chicken meat, the salty and fresh taste made everyone drool. They almost wanted to swallow the bones too.
After dinner, Li Yao washed up and changed into comfortable underwear, then laid out the cotton mattresses and quilts she made today, and cozily lied down.
Thick cotton mattresses were just so comfortable to lie on, sweeping away all the fatigue of the day. Covered with a soft cotton quilt, her whole body felt like melting.
After coming here for so long, this was the first time Li Yao slept so well.