Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

Early the next morning.

Yun Zhenzhen got up early to boil water, preparing to wash the wool Qin Li brought back.

A group of people held their breath and untied the hemp ropes that bound the wool, then put them into warm water and washed them over and over again with soap nuts until the mud and dust were washed away, revealing the snow-white fur.

Then continue to soak the clean wool in hot water to make the wool looser and easier to spin.

During this break, Xu Ling'er cooked two potatoes for everyone, and they ate them with the leftover soup from yesterday, and everyone enjoyed it very much.

After a quarter of an hour, the wool was taken out, the excess water was squeezed out, and then the wool was handed to the children.

"Smell it, is there still that strange smell?"

Xiao Nan stretched her head out and sniffed hard: "Mom, it seems that there is really no smell."

The other children also nodded repeatedly.

Yun Zhenzhen put the wool in a clean bamboo basket near the stove, which would dry faster over the simmering fire.

Taking advantage of the drying time, Yun Zhenzhen came to the old house.

Old man Qin was making wooden barrels in the yard, which he could take to the town to supplement his family income.

Yun Zhenzhen took out the blueprint she had drawn and handed it over. "Dad, I want to make something like this. It's called a spindle. It can be used to spin thread. I need to carve the wood into a spindle shape with a pointed top and a rounded bottom. The round side should protrude a little to form a hook to hold the thread. Is that okay?"

Old Man Qin stroked the blueprint and nodded after a while: "It works."

"I also want two knitting needles that are as long as my forearm, the kind that are pointed at both ends and thick in the middle. Can they be a little thinner?"

Old Man Qin said with a smile: "Sure, why not? Your father specializes in making this. I'll go choose the materials and make it for you in a moment."

After giving the instructions, Yun Zhenzhen went back to continue drying the wool.

If you are not in a hurry to try it, you can just let it dry naturally.

As the wool dried, it gradually became fluffy. Xiao Nan buried her face in it and said happily, "Mom, this wool is so warm and comfortable."

Yun Zhenzhen was a bit amused and said, "It's not only warm, but also very durable. With this, I won't have to worry about getting cold when sleeping in the winter."

Old man Qin is worthy of being a carpenter with decades of experience. He is very skillful with his hands. As soon as the wool here is half dry, his spindle and knitting needles are already ready and sent over.

It was polished very carefully before I brought it to me to make sure it was smooth and not prickly before I took it.

Qin Li came over with the things: "Mother, the things are ready. Shall we start spinning now?"

"No, there's still one step left. Let's start fluffing the wool first."

Yun Zhenzhen was holding the slingshot she had asked Old Man Qin to make together with her: "The wool needs to be loose enough to keep you warm."

I learned this method from my grandfather when I was a child in my previous life.

The first step in fluffing wool is to stretch the wool fibers. The fluffier and warmer it is, the wool made in this way is also less likely to break.

With the help of the children, the wool was spread flat on the large dining table, and the bowstring of the slingshot was struck with a small wooden hammer. As a crisp string sound was heard, the wool began to flutter with a small amplitude and became visibly fluffy.

Because I only made a thin layer the first time, I stopped after a while, picked up a handful of wool and put it under the sun.

"It should be fine."

She gathered the wool together, picked up one strand and pulled out a long, thin thread, gradually twisting it tight with her fingers, then took the spindle that Old Man Qin had just handed her and hung it on the side with the hook.

After hanging it, place the pointed end downwards and slowly let go.

Under the action of gravity, the spindle drives the wool to start rotating, turning it into thin threads and winding it on the spindle. Yun Zhenzhen carefully adds wool on the side.

After a while, a small piece of white wool thread was rolled out on the spindle.

Qinjia Village does not produce mulberry and hemp, and the annual tax is paid in grain. Some of the spinning tools are borrowed from other villages.

Old man Qin walked up to him in surprise and looked at the novelty he had made. The spindles used in other villages were thick at both ends and thin in the middle, and one had to twist the hemp thread by hand, which was far less convenient than this.

"Hey, this little thing is amazing! It can spin on its own. Who would have thought that this thing was made by me? The third son's wife is really smart."

Qin Li also looked at the rolled wool. It didn't look dirty at all. In his mother's hands, everything could be transformed from decay into legend.

Old Man Qin also had to knit the needles he had made, and now that he had finished rolling them up, he took them out and handed them to her.

"Third brother's wife, do you think this needle is okay?"

Yun Zhenzhen took down the wool yarn, took the knitting needle, tied a knot on it, and wound it according to her childhood memory. The two needles moved up and down continuously, and her fingers flipped back and forth.

After a while, a crooked piece of thread the size of a finger was ready.

She only knows the most basic scarf knitting method, which she learned from her deskmate in elementary school. Now she is much less accustomed to it, and there are still many holes in the thread pieces in her hands.

She put down her needle and thread with a slight embarrassment: "Well... that's probably how it's done, but I'm not very good at it, so it doesn't look good."

Xiao Nan looked at her in surprise, and her eyes seemed to say, there is something that mother doesn't know.

After spending some time together, she felt that her mother was the most powerful person in the world and that there was nothing she couldn't do. However, she didn't expect that her mother also had things she wasn't good at.

Old Lady Qin watched it all from the side and said, "Come, let me, an old woman, try it."

Yun Zhenzhen hurriedly handed over the materials in her hand as if they were a hot potato.

Old Mrs. Qin took it and deftly untied the ugly thread pieces made by Yun Zhenzhen, tied the thread buckles awkwardly, and moved the two knitting needles up and down in her hands. In a short while, her movements gradually became proficient.

After a while, a piece of thread with tight stitches appeared in front of everyone.

Old Man Qin stared at her with wide eyes and put his hand on her shoulder: "Great, my dear mother, I didn't expect you to have this skill."

Old Lady Qin pushed him away speechlessly: "There are still many things you don't know. If our village didn't produce hemp, I would definitely become a sewing master."

Yun Zhenzhen took the thread piece and looked at it. It was worthy of being an ancient craftsman. This craft was beyond her reach.

"Mom, we can make a few woolen blankets like this and put them outside the quilt in winter. They will definitely keep us warm."

It is almost winter now. It feels very cold to cover yourself with a willow catkin quilt at night. Cotton will definitely not grow this year. Making a thick woolen blanket for each person will also keep you warm.

"Okay." Old Lady Qin said with a smile, "I'll study how to make woolen clothes and make two sets for each child to keep them warm."

She had just tried the fluffy wool and it was very warm. She had never seen such a good thing in her life. She had to make good use of it so that winter would not be so unbearable.

Old man Qin walked over, grabbed the wool and rubbed it gently. The processed wool was light and soft, just like white clouds, which was comfortable to look at.

How much would such a precious item sell for after it was made? Qin Libai didn't want to give it to them. He also knew that this was something his eldest grandson had brought back from far away.

If it's not expensive, I'd like to buy a few beds for my family when I'm done, so the whole family can huddle together and keep warm.