Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

In the cold winter, the biting north wind sweeps across like a long sword, and the continuous mountains are all covered with white brocade robes. The lush and colorful beauty of the past is completely buried by the endless frost and snow.

On top of the peaks, icicles hang down like sharp swords hanging in the sky, reflecting a cold light in the weak sunlight.

However, in the cave on one side of the valley, it was a completely different world. A blazing bonfire was burning in the cave, and the jumping flames dispelled the coldness in the cave.

The cave walls were illuminated by the firelight, glowing warm orange, giving this small world a layer of golden gauze, and the whole family gathered here.

Zhou Xiufang was wearing a long coat made of bear skin. The bear skin had long and thick fur. The fluffy hair clustered at the collar and cuffs, like a natural scarf and hand guards, protecting against the cold.

The hem of the long coat drags to the ankles, swaying slightly as she walks, giving off a sense of simplicity and heaviness.

Among the several types of fur obtained earlier, bear skin was the warmest. Cheng Yuntao made a long coat out of the bear skin and gave it to her grandmother.

"Grandma, what do you think? Try to lift your arms and see if the clothes fit you?" Cheng Yuntao circled around Zhou Xiufang while touching the smooth fur.

Zhou Xiufang looked at the long coat she was wearing from left to right, from top to bottom, and was extremely satisfied. As soon as she put the clothes on, she felt warm all over.

In the past winters, because people did not have enough money to buy warm clothes, they could only fill the interlayer of coarse linen clothes with cheaper materials such as reed catkins and willow catkins.

However, these materials had no real warmth-retaining properties and were no match for the cold weather. Furthermore, without any decent meat to eat, he became incredibly skinny, without even a sliver of fat.

Not to mention that the old house they live in is extremely dilapidated, with poor sealing and thermal insulation. The cold wind in winter can easily penetrate into the house through the gaps, and the indoor temperature is extremely low.

Winter is the most difficult season for the poor. Countless people freeze to death every year, and those who can survive have escaped death.

Zhou Xiufang touched her warm coat and was overjoyed: "Yuntao, thanks to you, our family's life is finally getting better."

"In the past, I never would have imagined that an old peasant woman like me could wear such a nice winter coat!"

Seeing her grandmother happy, Cheng Yuntao was also very happy.

"As long as grandma likes it, life is getting better day by day. When Yuntao comes down from the mountain and makes money, I will buy more good things for grandma."

"When the time comes, I'll arrange everything for you, old lady, whether it's what the old ladies in the city wear, eat, or play. Okay?"

Zhou Xiufang naturally understood Cheng Yuntao's filial piety, and immediately smiled with her eyes curved: "Okay, okay, that's great, grandma will follow Yuntao and enjoy happiness in the future."

"Sister, sister, come and look at me. Am I cute dressed like this?"

Cheng Yueli trotted over, put her arms around Cheng Yuntao's waist, raised her head, and looked at her with shining eyes. Cheng Jingzhu followed closely behind.

"Special! Cute!"

Cheng Yuntao freed her hands and rubbed Cheng Yuntao's little face, and the two sisters hugged each other happily.

Cheng Jingzhu and Cheng Yueli were both wearing outer coats made of wolfskin. Wolfskin was tough and a little rough, but its warmth retention was second only to bearskin.

In order to keep warmer, Cheng Yuntao also processed some rabbit skins and made soft little scarves. She gave one to each of her younger brothers and sisters, who wore them around their necks, making their faces look whiter.

There are relatively more wolf skins, and Cheng Yuntao did not skimp on the quantity, and deliberately made room for them. Even if Cheng Jingzhu and Cheng Yueli grow up, as long as their bodies are not too exaggerated, they can still wear them.

After such a period of nourishment, everyone has gained some weight, especially the two children. The changes are the most obvious, and they look more adorable.

Maybe because he was about to turn a year older, Cheng Jingzhu understood more clearly his identity as a little man and knew that he could no longer be so close to his sisters. He stood by and felt hesitant and awkward.

Cheng Yuntao saw what he was thinking at a glance, and reached out to pull him in, touching his head and praising him.

"Xiaozhu is also very cute. Not only is he cute, he's also very handsome."

Xiao Zhu felt a little embarrassed after receiving the praise. Even though two blushes appeared on her little face, she still turned her head away with a little pride and muttered softly.

"I've grown up, so naturally... I'll be more handsome, hehe."

Cheng Yuntao saw through it but didn't say anything. She smiled at Cheng Yueli in her arms.

As for Cheng Yuntao herself, she made a small fox fur jacket of a more exquisite style. The fox fur was bright in color, and under the reflection of the fire, it glowed with a faint golden-red glow.

The jacket was tailored to fit her body tightly, and a deerskin belt was tied around her waist, outlining her slender waist.

The fox fur hat was playfully worn on her head, and two furry fox ears hung on both sides of her cheeks, making her face even more bright and charming.

The thermal insulation performance of this fox fur is lower, mainly because the diameter of the fox fur hair is thinner and the length is relatively short, making the thermal insulation layer it forms not as good as bear fur and wolf fur in resisting the cold.

The shoes and boots worn on the feet are all made of suede, but there are slight differences in style.

Grandma Zhou Xiufang's suede boots have a shaft that reaches the calf. The thick suede is soft and tough after tanning, and the boot surface has a fine texture.

The soles of the boots are made of multiple layers of animal skins, which increases the wear resistance and anti-slip properties of the soles, ensuring that it is not easy to slip and fall when walking.

The shoes and boots of the others were relatively simple, but still very light and convenient for walking.

In order to make the fur soft, durable and easy to shape, it needs to be tanned. Tanning cannot be completed in a short time, but requires a lot of time and effort.

In order to put on these warm equipment smoothly before the wind and snow come, you need to prepare in advance.

There are two commonly used tanning methods: vegetable tanning and mineral tanning. Vegetable tanning uses ingredients such as tannins in plants to react with proteins in fur, making the fur soft and less prone to rot. The bark or fruits of oak, willow, lacquer tree, etc. can be used for tanning.

Mineral tanning uses minerals such as alum and chromium salts to tan fur. The fur tanned by this method is lighter in color and has better waterproof properties.

Under the current conditions, it is indeed difficult to obtain minerals, so it is natural to choose vegetable tanning which is easier to use.

Cheng Yuntao chose willow bark as the raw material for tanning. Willow trees can grow in many areas, often along streams, river banks or across plains, and are not difficult to find in valleys.