Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

After a period of testing by the family, the first batch of rubber-coated shoe soles proved to be more durable and sturdy than cloth soles. Even the boys, like Ji Yongning, who wear out shoes very quickly, had their big toes showing through the uppers of their shoes, but the soles were still in good condition.

This gave Ji Yongling a lot of confidence, so the second batch of tannin-coated shoe soles was immediately arranged, and of course, the news of collecting tannin bark had already been released long ago.

Recently, several groups of people from the village have come to see Grandpa Ji, asking him if the news about buying oak bark is reliable and if it's a long-term business.

Of course, Old Master Ji told the truth, guaranteeing with his personal integrity that he would collect it this year, next year, and every year.

Therefore, a craze for planting Castanopsis trees has swept through several villages in Ningping County, as well as several villages in surrounding counties that border Ningping County.

The people in the river valley where oak trees already grew were overjoyed, as if they had found money for free. Because they had trees, they could exchange them for money this year. The people in the river valley where oak trees did not grow were running around digging up oak saplings.

As a result, several people from different villages fought each other a few times.

The reason is that the people in the valleys where there are Castanopsis trees are very vigilant, fearing that their bark will be stolen. The people in the valleys where there are no Castanopsis trees want to buy saplings, but they have no relatives in the valleys where there are Castanopsis trees, so they can't buy saplings. In desperation, they can only steal them in the middle of the night.

So a fight broke out.

Of course, there are also cases where chestnut trees grow on the border between two villages in the valley. People from both villages claim that the trees belong to their village, which can only lead to armed conflict, with the winner getting to decide who gets to claim them.

The second batch of roasted tree bark was soaked not long after the first batch of tannin-coated shoe soles was made, and the glue has now been released.

Ji Yongling planned to make a pair of shoes for Shi Jingxiu and Huo Zhijun first, hoping to open up the sales channels for rubber soles through Shi Jingxiu's shop.

The soles are easy to make, but the uppers require an awl and are more laborious to work on.

These days, shoemaking is mostly a woman's job; making a pair of shoes like this is too much work for the hands. Actually, this kind of work is more suitable for men, but the men in Niujiazhuang probably don't have the time, because autumn is coming soon, and her family's oil mill will also be opening, which will definitely require a lot of manpower to work.

She didn't want to produce shoes; she only wanted to sell shoe soles.

She wanted to hand over the business of making rubber shoe soles to Grandpa Ji, so that he could help the elderly in the village earn some money for their retirement.

People, no matter when, always want to feel valued, and the elderly especially so!

Many elderly people say they are old and useless, which actually means they feel they have no value. In reality, the elderly need a sense of accomplishment and worth even more than young people.

Nowadays, when women make shoes, they first take the preserved shoe sole pattern, trace it onto cloth, then cut it, layering paste and cloth to form a thick sole, and then stitching it together with needles and hemp rope.

It takes a lot of effort.

However, making these one-time molded rubber soles is much easier and saves a lot of time. Just pour in the rubber and wood chips according to the mold, and a pair of soles can be produced quickly.

That day, Ji Yongling and Grandpa Ji were making shoe sole models in the old courtyard.

She designed different shoe sizes based on the shoe sizes of later generations. When the time comes, Grandpa Ji can mass-produce shoe soles according to these models. It's simple and convenient, and the production of different shoe sizes can be adjusted according to market conditions.

Suddenly, a young, unfamiliar male voice came from outside the door.

"Grandpa, Grandma, are you inside?"

Grandpa Ji didn't recognize who it was either. He looked up and called out towards the courtyard gate, "Who is it?"

"Grandpa, it's me, Xiaokun!" the man at the door replied.

As Grandpa Ji walked out with his back bent, he said, "Xiaokun, come in! What are you doing standing outside the door?"

Xiao Kun? Tian Xiao Kun? Ji Shuihua's son?

Ji Yongling had never met this cousin before, so she followed Grandpa Ji toward the courtyard gate.

Tian Xiaokun continued, "Grandpa, I won't go in. I have something to say, and I'll leave after I'm done."

Grandpa Ji had already arrived at the courtyard gate. He looked at his unfamiliar grandson and said, "What's the matter? Come in and talk! What kind of behavior is it to stand outside the gate? Your great-uncle knows about this and says I don't greet you."

Tian Xiaokun knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times, saying, "Grandpa, my grandma has passed away. I've come to deliver the news."

"What? Your grandma... your grandma is dead?" Grandpa Ji hesitated for a moment, then quickly helped Tian Xiaokun up with both hands.

He knew that Old Lady Tian had been bedridden for a long time. But people who are always sickly seem to live quite long, so how could Old Lady Tian have suddenly passed away?

And to die in such hot weather, this person... just couldn't be put down!

Tian Xiaokun wiped away his tears, stood up along Grandpa Ji's arm, and said, "Yes, my grandma always said that she was waiting to hold her great-grandson after my wife gave birth to the baby. But... she still didn't get to hold him."

Grandpa Ji sighed, patted Tian Xiaokun, and said, "Don't be too sad. Everyone's lifespan is predetermined. Sometimes, it's a blessing to leave early when you're old. I know about this. Go and inform the other relatives of the death. When is your grandmother's burial?"

Tian Xiaokun choked up and said, "We haven't had time to ask the geomancer to choose an auspicious date yet. My uncle... my great-uncle said that people are usually buried three days after death, but the weather is still hot now, so we have to bury them earlier."

“Today is one day, tomorrow is another, and the day after tomorrow is the third day.” Grandpa Ji counted on his fingers, nodded, and said, “I know, your grandma can’t be buried until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. Your eldest and second uncles work in the county and can’t leave easily. I’ll ask your third and fourth uncles to go over tomorrow. You should hurry and inform the other relatives of the death. I’ll tell your two uncles.”

Tian Xiaokun knelt down and kowtowed again before turning and leaving.

As Ji Yongling watched Tian Xiaokun's retreating figure, she realized for the first time what her cousin looked like.

Tian Xiaokun seems to have inherited the best features of both Ji Shuihua and his biological father; he is indeed handsome and tall.

It's a pity that this cousin isn't close to Ji Shuihua, and now he's inheriting from both families. With Granny Tian gone, he'll probably be considered Granny Tian's son from now on.

Grandma Tian is gone, and Ji Yongling can't quite describe her feelings.

The death of Old Lady Tian was closely related to her, and she was deeply troubled, but she did not regret it!

She thought of the little life she had delivered, and she hoped that from then on, that little one could grow up safely and healthily, even without a father's company, and be happy!

Because the deceased was Ji Shuihua's mother-in-law, this kinship relationship was neither close nor distant for the Ji family. However, the Ji family was only Tian Xiaokun's maternal uncle's family, not the maternal uncle's family of Tian Laoda and Tian Laoer, so there was no need for so many people to attend the funeral, and as a peer, Old Master Ji was even less required to go.

After informing Ji Manchuan and Ji Manqing about the matter, and instructing them on the etiquette and matters to be mindful of when they went to Ji Shuihua's house, Old Master Ji stopped interfering and continued working on his model of rubber shoe soles.