I played as an assistant in ancient times

Shen Xiaoye waved her hand, deducted the cost of the safflower and labor, and said, "It doesn't need to be so much, just give me 150 coins. And you can pay me after I finish dyeing it. If it fades too badly in the future, I will dye it again for you with other red materials for free."

"Is there such a good thing?" Liao Dujuan pushed the two strings of money over and said, "No, I can't take it back after I took it out. Besides, she charged my mother-in-law 200 and I charged her 150. It would be bad if she knew about it."

"If you don't tell her and I don't tell her, how would she know?" Shen Xiaoye refused to take the fifty cents.

Finally, Liao Dujuan left happily with fifty cents.

However, Shen Xiaoye discovered that there was a roll of white cotton cloth and a roll of dark linen cloth in the main room. "Grandma, what is this?"

"Your fourth uncle was in the threshing floor, shouting and collecting the cloth. Someone brought it over.

Look at this roll of linen, it has been there for at least three years, and I want one penny." Lin rubbed her temples, and Shen Xiaoye hurried forward to help her rub.

She closed her eyes and continued, "Fortunately, your fourth uncle didn't really give me a penny."

Shen Xiaoye: "How much did you give?"

Lin: "Fifty cents."

"Do you know who sent it?" Shen Xiaoye reached out and touched it. The new linen cloth only cost seventy to ninety cents a piece. "It doesn't seem to be damaged."

Lin: “Open it.”

Shen Xiaoye pushed it aside on the table and saw several small holes. She frowned and said, "It's worm-eaten. Who gave it to me?"

"The daughter-in-law of the Hang family in Shangtian Village next door, the sister-in-law of the young Hang." Lin snorted coldly, "The niece-in-law of the old Hang, she sent Qian Er's daughter-in-law back today, and first went to Qian Wu's house to make a fuss, and when she heard that she was collecting cloth, she immediately sent a piece.

Before leaving, he took two pieces of meat from the big basin in the threshing ground."

"Why didn't Fourth Uncle refuse to accept it?" Shen Xiaoye felt strange.

Lin inhaled and exhaled, then said smoothly, “He didn’t say at the beginning that he would only collect the good and new cloth, so someone took advantage of it.

I just came back in a hurry and wrote on a wooden board that I would only accept white cotton cloth and four-foot cloth woven last year and this year.

The price of high-quality fine cotton cloth is 1.8 coins per piece, the price of coarse cotton cloth is 1.5 coins per piece, and the price of fine linen is 85 coins. The price can be negotiated upon seeing the cloth.

There was also a price for dyeing the fabric, but I didn’t read it carefully.

Let your aunt check it for him." Lin stroked another roll of white cotton cloth and said, "This is the first one sent by the head of the village. Look how tight this cloth is. It was newly woven before the New Year.

Lian has good craftsmanship and is a capable and reserved person, which is a perfect complement to Cui. "

Shen Xiaoye thought for a moment and said, "Grandma, I want to put on a skirt and go to the threshing floor."

"You're cooking the pig-killing dish. Aren't you afraid that your skirt will get dirty with all the smoke and fire? And you don't even take a look at the paint that's being baked?" Lin looked at her meaningfully.

Shen Xiaoye didn't feel embarrassed when her thoughts were seen through. Instead, she grabbed her grandmother's hand and said, "Just walk around, it won't get stained. With you in charge, the paint won't fail to dry properly."

"You! Wash up and change. There is hot water in the yard." Lin didn't really mean to restrict her. In the countryside, it is not customary for girls to stay at home all the time.

She herself grew up in the village, and later traveled around with her husband, and did not develop what people in the county town would call a refined demeanor.

When the village is busy, many girls roll up their trousers and go to the fields. In their spare time, they gather in groups of three or five to do needlework and pick wild vegetables and fruits to supplement the family income.

On weekdays, making fire, feeding pigs, chopping wood and taking care of younger siblings are all no problem.

After getting married, I am even busier.

I've only been active for a few years now, "Go ahead, go ahead."

Shen Xiaoye gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Grandma is the best."

Lin watched her jumping and skipping to fetch water, wiped her face and thought, how nice it would be if she could find her daughter and son-in-law, so that the whole family would be together.

Then I thought, why hasn’t the old man sent me a letter yet?

Little did she know that Shen Shanyou and her eldest son were stranded outside the Cangzhou Customs and could not move an inch because the shipping lane was occupied by supply ships.

……

The threshing ground is the absolute protagonist. Today, more people are coming in and out with bowls and basins. The aroma of meat fills the air, and it brings joy to the villagers for two days in a row. Is there anything more fragrant than eating meat for free?

Shen Xiaoye changed her usual short brown outfit and tied her hair into a simple bun and a peach pink ribbon. She wore a light pink cotton jacket with narrow sleeves and a double-breasted thin linen half-sleeve top to cover her waist.

She wore thin cotton trousers of the same color on the lower body, a high-waisted pink horse-faced skirt on the outside, and a pair of embroidered shoes with the same color on her feet.

When she was still a dozen steps away from the threshing floor, the little girls in the village came rushing to watch her. Some were too embarrassed to come forward, and one little girl just looked at her a few times and then ran away.

Although Jiuli Village is not rich, the villagers are very hardworking. In addition to farming, they also make a living by raising chickens, geese and sheep. In the slack season, they either do odd jobs or go hunting in the mountains. Unless they are too lazy to move, everyone can have clothes to wear and food to eat. The only difference is whether the food is good or not.

Those who have surplus at home and love their children are willing to buy them new clothes every year.

"Sister Xiaoye, the skirt is so beautiful."

"Xiaoye, did you buy it in the county town?"

“The headband looks nice, too.”

"I want too."

"I didn't buy it. I made it from coarse cotton cloth at home. The top is fine cotton. My aunt embroidered a few flowers and leaves on it, and I dyed the skirt." Shen Xiaoye showed it generously by turning around twice. The flowers and birds on the hem of her skirt danced in the wind. She successfully earned a cold glance from her aunt who was inspecting the cloth in the distance.

She was not worried at all because her uncle, who was surrounded by a group of men exchanging meat on the other side, secretly gave her an encouraging look.

Shen Xiaoye led everyone to move slightly to the straw stack that blocked the view of the threshing ground. She gently pinched the folds of the skirts of the little girls and said, "Everything my family wears is dyed by ourselves."

"Xiao Ye, the material you made doesn't look like coarse cloth, but more like a skirt made of silk." A little girl stared at the flowers and birds on the skirt, and counted the five pleats on the skirt, thinking that it could save two inches of cloth compared to seven pleats.

Qian Jin's sister Qian Nier said, "Uncle Changsui said he can help us dye our clothes. Is red, yellow, or pink all OK?"

As soon as Shen Xiaoye nodded, several women came over to watch. They were not as reserved as the young girls and one of them even tried to pull her sleeves and touch her.

"Mrs. He, you just took the bone." Liao Dujuan was also among them, and she quickly blocked the woman who was pulling her sleeve.

Mrs. He was scolded and said with dissatisfaction: "Why are you pushing me? I didn't really touch the oil.

It's just a coarse cloth jacket, don't you think anyone can't afford it?" After saying that, he walked away.

The little girls screamed and jumped away quickly. It was really He Sansao who threw out the water droplets.

Shen Xiaoye danced the fastest. She didn't want to wash her skirt with wood ash, otherwise it would return to its original color.

"This guy..." Liao Dujuan pretended to catch up and argue, but Shen Xiaoye immediately held her back.

Others also advised: "It's not a big deal."

Someone else quickly changed the subject, "Xiaoye, can linen be dyed to make something like this?"

Shen Xiaoye nodded: "Sure, it's a dyed blue with small flowers, it looks good in spring and autumn.

But a piece of cloth will shrink a little after being dyed."

After saying this, she observed everyone's reactions, hoping that no one would say anything strange. After all, it was not easy for villagers in the countryside to save up some cloth.