novelden Chapter 545: The Improved Loom
Chapter 545: The Improved Loom
Xiao Xue absolutely cannot marry Xu Dabao.
This is the agreement between Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu.
The two of them asked Gu Youtian and Mrs. Jia to make a decision. They didn’t want to sacrifice Gu Xiaoxue either, but there was no better option at the moment.
If they could scrape together five hundred silver, everything would be fine.
"Then let Rui Nian marry Xu Xinghua. I’m sure Xu Yong would be pleased with this marriage," suggested Aunt Gu.
Mrs. Jia said, "No way, Xinghua has pockmarks all over her face, and her temperament isn’t good either."
Aunt Gu sneered, "Do you think your Rui Nian is a treasure? Is he not a cripple? Can’t a pockmarked girl be good enough for a cripple? You look down on Xinghua, but her pockmarked face doesn’t stop her from having children. Can Rui Nian earn money to support a family? Even if he weren’t crippled, he still wouldn’t be able to make a living. Men like him should be grateful to have a wife at all."
Gu Ruinian felt deeply insulted.
"Our family’s matters do not require your concern, Uncle and Aunt," Gu Ruinian retorted, effectively issuing a guest expulsion order.
Aunt Gu rolled her eyes and said, "Do you think we want to meddle? It’s because of the trouble you caused that brought shame to the clan."
Gu Ruinian almost lost his composure and said, "I will take responsibility for the trouble I caused. Isn’t it just that you don’t want Xiaoxue to marry off? Rest assured, I, Rui Nian, will make sure Xiaoxue stays safe. Our family’s issues genuinely don’t need your interference, please leave."
Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu felt so angry their chests ached, and they left after calling him an "ungrateful brat."
Only Mr. Gu’s family remained in the courtyard.
"Rui Nian, how are you going to protect your sister?" Gu Fengnian couldn’t help but ask.
Gu Ruinian gave a faint smile and said, "No need to worry about it, brother."
Mrs. Wei rolled her eyes, thinking, "Acting cocky, even at a time like this."
Seeing everyone except Mrs. Wei, Gu Honglian, and the Yao Family looking at him with anticipation, Gu Ruinian spoke up, "I have my ways, don’t worry. When the Xu Family comes to collect in ten days, I’ll handle it."
Gu Youtian frowned, finding this son unreliable.
No matter how convincing he sounded, he planned to go to Xu Yong’s house and propose Gu Ruinian marry Xu Xinghua.
Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu saw Gu Ruinian speak with such confidence. Although they felt uneasy, they ended up believing him somewhat.
They decided to make dual preparations. If things didn’t work out, they’d have their grandson marry Xu Xinghua.
With this thought, Mrs. Gu sighed and directed everyone to tidy up the courtyard, gathering whatever was usable while those broken fences and wooden doors would be turned into firewood. Fortunately, there were still two bags of grain hidden in the cellar.
Luckily, it was hidden well and hadn’t been discovered by Xu Jin.
Gu Fengnian brought Gu Ruinian into the house, placing him on a bed with three legs chopped off.
"Honglian, go to the Clan Leader and borrow a pot," Mrs. Gu said to Gu Honglian, who was idly watching the family work.
The sun had set, and every household in the village was preparing dinner. Having traveled all day without eating, they needed a pot to cook with.
"Alright." Gu Honglian dashed off quickly.
Gu Ruinian sat on the bed, watching through the window as Gu Honglian disappeared with a fierce gleam in his eyes.
Before borrowing a pot, Gu Honglian made a detour to Tong Huaqiong’s house.
"Sister-in-law, did you know our house has been wrecked? Even the bed was smashed; now we have to sleep on the ground," Gu Honglian sat opposite Tong Huaqiong to recount the state of their old house.
"That sounds rough for you," Tong Huaqiong said with a slight smile.
Gu Honglian felt disappointed; she had hoped her sister-in-law would offer her housing.
"Sister-in-law, Xu Dabao’s mother fought with my second sister-in-law, and Xu Dabao stood up for her. He said he would marry in ten days. Uncle and Aunt came to our house and disagreed with sending Xiaoxue to the Xu Family to pay the debt. Rui Nian said he had a way to prevent Xiaoxue from being sent off, but he wouldn’t say what it was. Isn’t it ridiculous?" Gu Honglian said.
Tong Huaqiong found this amusing. Could Gu Ruinian have a solution? Not likely.
Can he gather five hundred silver, or marry in Xiaoxue’s place?
Wait, Tong Huaqiong looked at Gu Honglian, making her feel uneasy.
"Sister-in-law, what are you looking at? What’s wrong with me?" Gu Honglian asked shakily.
"Do you remember what I told you this morning?" Tong Huaqiong asked.
Gu Honglian thought for a moment. She’d almost forgotten her sister-in-law’s advice to watch out for Gu Ruinian trading her for Xiaoxue to pay Xu Dabao’s debt.
She’d been so rattled on the journey from the city back home that she forgot.
"Oh, sister-in-law, I get it. I still have to borrow a pot," Gu Honglian said, dashing away.
...
Having been busy for two months in Pingchuan, now back in Qinghe Bay, Tong Huaqiong felt a relaxing exhaustion seep through her body.
After dinner and a bath, she lay down on her familiar bed.
The summer night was serene. Moonlight poured through the window, filling the room. In this peaceful summer night, Tong Huaqiong drifted to sleep.
She slept until dawn.
Tong Huaqiong got out of bed, and the maid Xiao Xi brought her wash water, while Granny Yang set breakfast on the table.
After hastily eating, Tong Huaqiong donned a straw hat and took a basket to the cotton fields at the foot of West Mountain.
The cotton was growing splendidly, with lush green stalks and yellow flowers swaying in the breeze, the cotton bolls already as large as a baby’s fist.
Gu Dahuan and Su Chengmin were in the cotton field with hired workers, thinning out the extra bolls.
This was something Tong Huaqiong had told them: to plant scientifically and not be excited about too many cotton bolls. Too many bolls absorbed extra nutrients, affecting the cotton’s quality.
Don’t hesitate over the smaller bolls; remove them decisively.
As she envisioned the bountiful harvest of autumn, she reached the shed of Gu Daqiao at the edge of the cotton field.
Gu Daqiao was munching on a watermelon and invited Tong Huaqiong to join him with a broad smile.
"Steeped in spring water, it’s really sweet. Auntie, try it," Gu Daqiao said with a smile.
"Indeed, it’s very sweet." Tong Huaqiong took a bite of the offered watermelon, finding it both sweet and icy cold.
This watermelon was planted by Gu Daqiao at the edge of the cotton field, now ripe for harvest. A few days ago, Su Chengmin took a cartful back to Pingchuan for the clerks at Jufu Supermarket.
Tong Huaqiong realized she had forgotten to interplant watermelons in the cotton field.
If she had, alongside the cotton harvest, there would also be a watermelon harvest to sell at Jufu Supermarket, providing an extra income.
"Auntie, see here, the loom; I finished it." Gu Daqiao limped into the shed, moving aside a stack of straw to reveal a loom beneath.
Looms are costly.
A family with a loom basically had a golden egg.
No family in Qinghe Bay had a loom.
Gu Daqiao had spent months crafting a loom, secretly hiding it under the straw pile, not letting even the field workers see it, fearing someone might steal it and waste Tong Huaqiong’s investment in the loom.
Tong Huaqiong had initially bought an expensive hemp-based loom for Gu Daqiao to dismantle and study; she’d also used County Magistrate Liu’s connections to acquire cotton weaving loom blueprints from Huateng County, as well as purchased several hundred pounds of cotton thread for Gu Daqiao’s experiments.
Gu Daqiao worked diligently, spending all day in the shed at the cotton field, even eating and sleeping there, eventually creating a loom.
"Well done."
Tong Huaqiong tossed aside the watermelon rind and quickly approached the loom, running her hands over it.
It’s an improved waist loom, with a frame and pedal to greatly enhance weaving efficiency.
Immediately, she saw a vision of converting cotton into piles of silver.