Ordinary clear day

Chapter 32 Winter
However, since Zhou Yinlan made the exquisite and gorgeous embroidered sachet, the ladies who learned to pick stones that day have followed suit. Apricot instigated and made a pair of ribbons embroidered with small flowers.But recently, she has been doing a bit of nonsense in needlework. Tong Shi has already spoken about her, and she also admits that she has been a lot distracted recently, and promises to put her focus back on "normal" needlework.

The weather is getting colder. As usual, gloves and socks are a must. This year, Shu Ning also came up with the idea of ​​making indoor slippers with cotton cloth and cotton cores. She made a pair for her family. It is very convenient to wear and play in her own room. At the same time, as employee benefits, at the request of his father, he made a pair for Mr. Su Wanda's master and servant, which made them feel very fresh.

In the afternoon of this day, the sky was overcast, Shu Ning was sitting in front of the window making her own pair of slippers.Chun Xing finished tidying up the kitchen, walked into the room, and sat by the side watching, watching, and took out her own sewing basket to start working.

Shu Ning asked her, "Sister Qiu Ju, what's the matter? Did she use the medicine I sent last time?" Chun Xing nodded, "Yes, I saw her use it. In fact, she wasn't seriously injured. Grandma's The beatings with a few sticks are not too severe. When I was not here before, the beatings I received were much more severe. Now she is lying on the bed and cannot get out of bed, most of the time she is depressed. When I delivered her medicine that day, She also thanked the girl and me for coming, I think she is not in good spirits, but her voice is still loud."

Shuning nodded.In fact, she wasn't very guilty about breaking the mirror. The responsibility was basically on Qiu Ju, but she was not used to beating and scolding servants at will.Moreover, she really felt that Qiu Ju's current state was too disappointing. She didn't recognize the situation at the beginning of the matter, and after she was sent, she looked down on others. It can be seen that she was even more arrogant in the Earl's Mansion when she was first favored, and cousin Qingning After getting married, she was listless. She didn't know if she really fell in love with the young master, or if she felt that it would be difficult for her to be a concubine after the marriage was established.I'm afraid there is a little truth, but it's a pity that the man didn't really fall in love with her in the first place.

Forget it, anyway, she still has to stay at home for a long time now. Seeing her disobedience, Mrs. Tong beat her up hard to get rid of her arrogance.But as long as the possibility of her becoming Qingning's concubine is not ruled out for a day, it's not easy to make her miserable.Shu Ning stood up to be a good person by herself, gave her medicine to comfort her, and asked her to confess her feelings. Even if she didn't end up well in the future, she wouldn't suffer any disadvantages. I will hate Tong too much.

After working for a while, Shu Ning felt that the sky was getting colder and darker, so she put down her work and said to Chun Xing: "It's getting dark, I'm afraid I might hurt my eyes doing needlework at this time, let's stop here. Why don't we prepare dinner for tonight?"

Chun Xing also put down the things in her hand after hearing the words: "That's right, what do you want to eat tonight? Why don't you make noodles? It's still early, and there is still time to start kneading the noodles right away. I still have the meatballs I made yesterday, let's make a big pot of soup How about putting a lot of ginger and chopped green onion on it? There’s also the kind of sun poached eggs that the girl mentioned last time, let’s make one for each of us, shall we?”

Shu Ning thought for a while, then shook her head: "Eggs are not easy to buy nowadays, right? One for each person is too much, it's better to put two in the dough, and the noodles will taste better. If you want side dishes, go to the corner to cut them." Two catties of stewed beef, right? Didn't Ama say that the stewed beef is delicious last time?" Chun Xing also liked to eat that meat, and nodded happily, "Yes, I'll go buy it right away." But Shuning stopped her He said: "Let's go make noodles. Brother Huzi and Ah Song are very free, so tell them to go buy it." Chun Xing smiled and went out to call for someone.

Shu Ning was packing up her sewing basket when she heard a scream from Chun Xing outside the door: "Girl, come and see, it's snowing!" She hurried out, and sure enough, she saw that the north wind was sweeping the snow with flakes of snowflakes. Throughout the yard, a snowflake fell in front of her. She reached out to touch it, but saw it melted into water in her hand.

Chun Xing looked at the snowflakes and said: "The wind is very cold this year, and I thought it would snow in the next two days, and it did, but the newly made cotton padded clothes have not yet arrived from the tailor." Shu Ning pulled her directly Walking up the room: "Emiang's place must be busy, let's go and see what we can do to help."

When he came to the upper room, Mrs. Tong was calling everyone to give orders.Changfu needs to take out all the big quilts and put them down. The kang has already started burning the day before yesterday, and the charcoal basins have to be distributed to each room. Be ready.Ermo wanted to take out all the big woolen clothes and padded jackets as spares, and urged Aunt Yang to bring the new clothes as soon as possible.Mrs. Tong also asked Ma San'er to send Zhang Bao's fur cloak and hand stove to the yamen first, and at the same time bring one to Mr. Su. On the way back, he stopped by to buy firewood and charcoal.

Everyone got busy after hearing the order. Tong turned around and saw Chun Xing, and said, "You came just in time. Today, I'm going to cook a big pot of ginger soup for those who come back from the snow. Everyone in the family I want to drink some more and burn some more. Later, you go to the mutton shop and tell them to send half a sheep over."

Chun Xing agreed, and said: "Just now I discussed with the girl what to eat in the evening. It's better to make noodles. It's comfortable to eat hot. Then cook a pot of meatball soup and add more green onion and ginger." Tong Shi nodded: "Yes, let's send the noodles with the meatball soup, and make some mutton, but the ginger soup needs to be cooked more. When I go back to buy the meat, I will put a few catties of good wine and put it away. I am afraid that the men will also drink some." Chun Xing agreed. went.

Mrs. Tong said to Shuning: "Didn't you make a lot of socks, gloves, cotton shoes and the like? Did you send them to Mr. Su?" Shuning nodded: "I have already sent them, so don't worry about it, Er Niang. Ermo and Xiaomei will not be negligent." Tong smiled: "You still call Xiaomei by name? Now it should be called Ma San'er's family, or Ma Sansao." Shu Ning also laughed: "They all called this After many years, I can't change my mouth, so you can let your daughter call it that." The mother and daughter chatted a little, and Shuning went to the kitchen to help make the dough.

In the evening Zhang Bao and Mr. Su came back.Zhang Bao took off his cloak as soon as he entered the door, and stretched his hands close to the charcoal basin to keep warm: "It's snowing so much, I thought it was just a trivial matter at first, but I didn't expect it to get bigger and bigger as it got late. I'm afraid it will be half a foot thick when I get up tomorrow morning. I am I came back first, and some of you are still staying in the Yamen to arrange the resettlement of the people in the city."

Tong asked him: "Are you hungry? There is hot broth, let's drink a bowl to warm up first, and dinner will be served soon." Then he asked someone to scoop up the soup, and then waited for Zhang Bao to take off his boots.Zhang Bao smiled: "Fortunately, I saw it was cold, so I went there wearing leather boots. Mr. Su only wore his usual shoes, but it was so cold that when he got home, his whole shoes were wet, so he asked someone to boil him hot water." Go burn your feet."

Tong Shi said: "I asked someone to deliver it earlier, and the dinner was delivered while it was hot. I will take care of these things myself, so you don't have to worry." She turned to Shuning and said: "This shoe is good. It is warm to wear at home, but it is a pity that I can't wear it outside. Why don't you find a way to make a pair of cotton shoes for Ama that can be worn outside?" Shuning nodded: "Okay, If I put leather on the outside of the shoes, I won’t be afraid of snow, can you make it?” Zhang Bao laughed.

It snowed all night, and when I got up the next day, it had stopped, and it was half a foot thick.Zhang Bao went back to the yamen early in the morning to help arrange various affairs in the city. Mrs. Tong asked someone to push the snow in the yard and in front of the gate to the side to sweep out a way for people to leave.Every household in the street did this, and many people climbed onto the roofs to shake off the snow that had accumulated on them.

Chunxing has been busy since yesterday afternoon, busy cooking ginger soup, mutton soup, and buying grain for the winter.Shu Ning specially went to help in the kitchen, by the way, she would like to express her condolences to her who had made great contributions, and asked her if there was anything she wanted.

Finally she smiled: "Thank you girl for remembering, I'm fine and not too tired, but if girl wants to reward me with something, why don't you make me a kaleidoscope from that day, can you make it?" The kaleidoscope has been around for a long time, Shu Ning said with a smile: "Of course, there are still broken lenses. It's just that it's cold today, and the paint and glue can't be melted. I'll make it for you when the spring is warm and the flowers bloom." Although some It's late, but Chun Xing is already very satisfied: "Okay, I'll thank you girl first."

Xiaomei came in from the door and said to Shuning: "Girl, did you ask the shoe shop to send you a pair of cowhide boots? Their people just delivered them to the house." "Huh? Have they already been delivered? I Let's go and see." Shuning washed her hands and followed her out.

The boots delivered were a bit big, half bigger than Zhang Bao's feet. Xiaomei was a little surprised: "Who are these big boots for? Could it be the third master?"

Shuning nodded: "It's for Ama."

"But it's bigger than the third master's feet, isn't it?" "I want to make cotton boots, so I found bigger ones." Shuning explained, "I don't know how to make boots, so I have to buy a pair of bigger ones, and I'll make them later. A thick quilted sock or something like that, stuff it into the boots and sew it up, isn’t it just a pair of cotton boots? And the cowhide is not afraid of water.”

Then Xiaomei suddenly realized, and said: "So that's how it is. It's more convenient. I'll make a pair for our lady later on. It's just right for running outside in snowy weather."

What a huge improvement!Xiaomei, who used to say that a man would blush, can now say "our one" openly.

Zhang Bao liked the "cotton boots" made by his daughter very much, and asked Tong to make a few more pairs according to this method, and gave one pair to Zhou Fucheng, and another pair to Mr. Su. Some officials learned this method, and some shoe shops changed their ways. He made many different styles of "cowhide cotton boots", which were very popular in the city for a while.The only flaw of this kind of boots is probably that once the thick cotton socks absorb sweat or get wet from rain and snow, it will be difficult to dry. If you put them on the edge of the brazier, you must be careful that they will burn. Those who are rich in their families will make a few more pairs for spare.

(End of this chapter)