nycdaug Chapter 471 Sewing
Chapter 471 Sewing
It may look a bit bulky and ugly, but the people are almost freezing to death, so they don’t care whether it looks good or not. As for the rich people, they have so many ways to keep warm, so it doesn’t matter whether they have cotton or not.
As for the soldiers at the border, we can just make it thinner and let the soldiers wear it inside. It will not affect their movements and the thermal insulation effect is good.
Chief Chu directly asked someone to make a set according to what Shu Xiaoxiao said to see if the effect is good. If it works well, he would report to the emperor immediately. Although not much cotton was planted this year, a batch of clothes could be made first. They could be made into thin jackets and sent to the soldiers in the north. With these, the soldiers who were on night watch would have an easier time this year.
There is strength in numbers and it should be used at any time. After they finished discussing the matter, when they went to the fields again, several sacks of cotton had already been picked.
There are about seven or eight acres here. Although the amount is not large, with these seven or eight acres of seeds, cotton can be planted in large quantities next year.
Chief Chu and Shu Xiaoxiao have put a lot of effort into these acres of cotton, and they are growing very well. Not only are there many flowers, but they are also blooming well. One acre can yield about three to four hundred kilograms of cotton after harvesting. A cotton coat requires more than one kilogram of cotton. If these seven or eight acres of cotton are used to make cotton coats, thousands of them can be transported to the border and given to soldiers who need to stand guard or keep watch at night, which will be much better.
Chief Chu nodded. This was the most appropriate approach. The common people were suffering, but the soldiers who were guarding their homes and defending their country at the border were suffering even harder. Now that there was a shortage of cotton, it was natural that the soldiers at the border should be given priority.
They will also work hard and believe that soon the people of Daning will no longer suffer from the cold.
According to Shu Xiaoxiao's habit, they had lunch at noon and the cotton was harvested in the afternoon, and the cotton coats and trousers were also ready.
Because it was to be sent to soldiers at the border, it was mainly for convenience of movement, so it was a lightweight model, but it was also very warm to wear. Because of the concern that the cotton would slide up and down, resulting in the coat being thick in some places and thin in others, Shu Xiaoxiao asked the embroiderer to sew more lines in the middle of the coat.
In the end, it was basically the same as the modern one, and it was lighter and warmer to wear. It was much better than Shu Xiaoxiao's previous impromptu creation.
When Chu Shanchang put on his new cotton-padded jacket again, he looked at the cotton-padded jacket that was now much warmer than he knew, and the vest that Shu Xiaoxiao had made before, which was barely a piece of clothing, on the table. He could only praise it with a few words of "good!"
If this wasn't his own little apprentice, he would have criticized him for wasting cotton, but it would have been difficult for him to say anything.
Shu Xiaoxiao looked up at the sky and pretended she saw nothing.
The young couple returned to Kyoto with the cotton-padded clothes they had made, one went back to his home and the other went to the imperial palace.
Such a warm thing must naturally be presented to the emperor, especially since they want to send a batch to the border and plant a large number of them next year. All of these need to be arranged by the emperor. After all, seven or eight acres of cotton seeds are a lot.
Emperor Jingming was pleasantly surprised when he received the cotton-padded jacket: "It doesn't feel very thick, it's just two layers of cloth sewn together. Are you sure I can wear it through the harsh winter?"
Yun Qinghan said confidently: "The cotton-padded jacket is already here, Your Majesty can try it on."
Emperor Jingming looked at Yun Qinghan's determined expression and walked out of the palace with his cotton coat in hand.
It was already winter, and the temperature would slowly drop after noon. When Cong Ran walked out of the hall with a heated kang, he hadn't put on his cloak yet, and the cold wind blew towards him, bringing a biting chill.
Eunuch Fu shrank his neck and advised: "Your Majesty, please put on your cloak first!"
Emperor Jingming waved his hands and put on his cotton coat when he felt the chill. As soon as he put the light cotton coat on, it immediately blocked the cold wind outside and even quickly generated warmth.
Emperor Jingming laughed as he touched the light cotton coat on his body: "Good, this cotton coat can not only block the cold wind, but also quickly provide warmth to the body. Good, with this, even in winter, we can get through it easily."
The kang is indoors and the cotton-padded clothes are outdoors. With the kang and cotton-padded clothes, no one will freeze to death in Daning anymore.
"Qinghan, please tell me how much cotton is produced, what are the planting conditions, how much cotton can be produced per acre, how many cotton clothes can be made from one acre of cotton, and how long it will take so that every citizen in Daning can afford cotton clothes?"
Emperor Jingming returned to the palace and touched the cotton-padded jacket in his hand and couldn't let it go. This was another treasure that would benefit the country and the people. It was a treasure. His prosperous days of Da Ning were just around the corner.
Yun Qinghan bowed and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Mianhua is now in the back mountain of the academy............"
"The headmaster has considered it very carefully. This batch is so small that it is just a drop in the bucket for the common people. Only by sending them to the border can they play the greatest role."
"There is also cotton planting. Next year, all the land in the imperial farm will be used to plant cotton, and we will try our best to popularize cotton among the people."
Emperor Jingming had an excited look on his face. He once again confirmed Shu Xiaoxiao's lucky star status, and was even more confident in his previous decision to allow his nephew to marry Shu Xiaoxiao.
Fortunately, he was willing to give up his nephew at that time. If he was like those old guys in the court who were conservative and unwilling to change, how could he have obtained such a treasure to revitalize Daning!
For the sake of Daning's lucky star, Daning's future prosperity is just a happy occasion and is not worth mentioning at all.
"Where is Lord Ye? No, it's your wife. Why didn't she come to the palace? Since you have presented such a treasure, I will reward you handsomely!"
"Your Majesty, my wife has entered the palace too many times due to her current status and has attracted too much attention. She even told me that the cotton was originally given to relieve your Majesty's worries. Now she knows that you specially granted her marriage when she was unconscious. She is very grateful. This cotton is her special thank-you gift to you. She doesn't need any reward!" Yun Qinghan said.
Now that Lord Ye has left Kyoto, it is not convenient for him to claim the reward. And if my wife wants to keep her identity secret, the reward for these things cannot fall on her.
"Okay, Lord Ye has always been a man of great integrity and dedicated to the country and the people. Even if this is a thank-you gift, I will remember her for her great achievement. Tell her that if she wants anything in the future, she can always come to me for fulfillment. I will not let her down for her contribution to the country of Daning."
Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes will be punished. This is the key to governing affairs, and even women are no exception.
"Yes, I thank the emperor on behalf of Xiaoxiao. But there is one more thing about cotton. Xiaoxiao said she wants to solve it in advance."
"Oh, which aspect? Is it the lack of manpower or the lack of land?" Emperor Jingming was not nervous at all. Basically, everything Shu Xiaoxiao proposed was good news that benefited the country and the people.
Since the emergence of high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, almost all the people in Daning can have enough food to eat. Not only can they have enough food, but they can also have a lot of surplus food. Also, because these crops do not require much land, many people think that they have too little land and voluntarily go to reclaim wasteland.
In just a few years, thanks to the efforts of the people, Daning's land has increased by one third, and the population is also gradually increasing. Emperor Jingming is so lucky to have Shu Xiaoxiao, that he would laugh in his dreams at night.
At this moment, no matter how difficult the problem is, the whole country will work together to solve it.
"Your Majesty is the cotton seed. The cotton seed is inside the cotton. Whether it is for seed preservation or for making cotton clothes in the future, the cotton seeds inside must be removed. Xiaoxiao means that the quantity is small now and it can be removed manually, but next year when there is more cotton, it will be a waste of time. I hope the Ministry of Industry can make a cotton seed removal machine as soon as possible."