Chapter 58: Exchanging Grain
The two catties of cloth from the previous day had already been washed out by Taoya and Xing. Once ironed flat, they discovered that the fabric was thick and substantial; the two catties of cloth measured a full five feet wide and one and a half chang long.
It was more than enough to make two outfits for an adult.
However, they never expected that Lin Sanniang would bring back even more fabric today—a full eight catties!
Little Brother Shu bent his fingers to calculate. “Two catties of cloth can make two outfits. Our family has ten catties of cloth… Does that mean we can make ten outfits?”
Taoya and Xing were absolutely overjoyed.
Lin Sanniang stroked Brother Shu’s head, her heart filled with joy, but she still needed to explain things to the children.
“We will use this cloth to make a summer outfit for Brother Shu, using the style Xing described, and then we’ll make a pair of shoes for Xing.”
“Taoya, you are only about half a head shorter than Mother. Mother wants to make an outfit according to the style of the young mistress’s clothes. When I return to the estate to work a second time, I will wear that outfit, alright?”
Taoya agreed instantly, “Alright!”
She absolutely loved the Proprietress Sister’s clothes; the colors of the fabric were vibrant, and the style was beautiful. It was completely different from what they wore in the Daliang Dynasty. At first glance, it had seemed a bit strange, but the longer she looked at it, the more she liked it.
“If we make it according to the Proprietress Sister’s style, there will still be plenty of fabric left over from this outfit.”
“Yes,” Lin Sanniang smiled. “The young mistress’s clothes really save on fabric. Taoya, Mother is going out this afternoon to exchange some rice. When I return tonight, Mother will teach you how to cut the fabric.”
Taoya was thrilled.
Xing and Brother Shu also pestered her to learn. “Mother, we want to learn how to cut clothes too.”
Lin Sanniang’s heart swelled with happiness. “Alright, Mother will teach you all.”
Lin Sanniang had a plan in mind.
She would first rush out the outfit she and Taoya would share, and then Brother Shu’s summer clothes and Xing’s shoes would be handed over to them to practice their handiwork. She and Taoya would then use the newly brought-back fabric to sew more clothes.
She had thought it through. Even though the young mistress had said this fabric was the most unremarkable coarse cloth at her place and was used as wiping rags, Lin Sanniang had taken on so many mending jobs in her life yet had rarely encountered fabric this dense, dense, and soft.
Even the looms of the finest textile shops in the city could hardly weave cloth so flat, soft, and thick.
Hemp and kudzu linen went without saying; they were inherently coarse, and the cloth woven from them was rough. Fortunately, they were durable, making them perfectly suited for ordinary folk to wear while working.
But when it came to cotton cloth, if one wanted it to be soft, the cotton threads used in weaving had to be split much finer. While it felt soft to the touch, it couldn’t be this thick, nor was it particularly sturdy. Consequently, only wealthy and noble households could afford to wear cotton.
If it was woven thickly for warmth, in order to prevent gaps between the thick threads, it had to be tightened to make it sturdy. The trade-off was that it became coarse and stiff.
Yet the fabric given by the young mistress was thick, dense, and soft all at once.
Lin Sanniang could hardly fathom what kind of loom could possibly weave such cloth. It didn’t look like coarse cloth or fine cloth; instead, it looked as though two layers of fine cloth had been woven together.
Presumably, a small city like theirs didn’t possess such a loom; perhaps only the nobility in Jiangnan or the capital had them.
Therefore, Lin Sanniang decided to make a few undergarments first.
First of all, this fabric was soft enough to be made into undergarments that would win the favor of noble ladies. Secondly, once made into undergarments, they wouldn’t be easily shown to others, meaning fewer people would have questions about the fabric. For her, it was an extra layer of safety.
In the afternoon, Lin Sanniang set out with the rice and flour.
This time, she didn’t go anywhere else but straight to the Zhang Estate.
Over the past two visits, she had only exchanged a little over a catty of refined rice with Manager Zhang, which was certainly not enough to feed the dozen or so masters of the Zhang Estate.
With Manager Zhang, half a catty of refined rice could be traded for four catties of old rice. If she went to other estates, she would have to listen to plenty of gossip and would only get two or three catties in return.
Since it would be at least two months before the fields yielded anything to keep them from starving, Lin Sanniang decided to exchange a bit more. Although she thought of it as a lot, it was actually just one catty of rice and one catty of flour.
When the little maidservant at the side gate of the Zhang Estate saw Lin Sanniang, she very sharply invited her inside to wait within the gatehouse.
“Second Manager Zhang explicitly instructed that if we see Madame Lin arrive, we are to invite her in.”
Lin Sanniang was also afraid of drawing eyes outside, so she stepped inside as bid. Nowadays, the famine had driven people mad with hunger, and everyone kept their eyes locked onto these wealthy households; Lin Sanniang didn’t dare expose too much.
Fortunately, Manager Zhang arrived very quickly.
The moment she saw Lin Sanniang, Manager Zhang asked point-blank, “Give me a straight answer: exactly how much refined rice and refined flour do you still have left? Stop bringing it half a catty at a time day after day; it’s a slow drip and never ends cleanly.”
The first time, she had won immense favor, and the master praised her for her efficiency. The second time, she had eagerly presented it, only for the people in the side courtyard to catch wind of it, accusing her of being a snob who only knew how to serve the main courtyard while treating the masters of the side courtyard as nonentities.
And that wasn’t all.
Once the masters tasted the refined rice twice, they found the old rice completely tasteless. Although the masters frequently had banquets and social engagements, they always had to accompany the Old Madame for at least one meal a day. The tiny bit of rice Lin Sanniang brought was barely enough for the Old Madame and the Eldest Master; even the Eldest Madame didn’t get a taste.
It was only because she was the only one who managed to procure good rice twice while no one else could that she had been able to hold her head high. Otherwise, the Eldest Madame and the second and third branches in the side courtyard would have scolded her to death.
Lin Sanniang quickly offered a placating smile, “There is more this time.”
Manager Zhang perked up at first, but when she saw it was only one catty of rice and one catty of flour, she nearly lost her breath again.
“Can’t you bring a bit more? Have I shortchanged you or what? Are you afraid I can’t afford the exchange?” Manager Zhang was dizzy with exasperation.
Lin Sanniang hurriedly explained, “No, no. It’s mainly because this rice doesn’t belong to me either. My brother-in-law only gets rewarded with a bit of rice and flour whenever he completes a good shipment.”
Manager Zhang recalled that the rice and flour from the two times were indeed different, so she figured it was indeed difficult to procure new rice during this season. It might very well have been transported from far away by the security convoy.
Manager Zhang wanted to scold her but lacked the energy—what could a widow like Lin Sanniang have on her own, except for relying on the relief of her relatives?
For one catty of rice and one catty of flour, Manager Zhang took it upon herself to give her ten catties of old rice in exchange. She also wrapped half a plate of side dishes that the masters had barely touched at lunch in a dried lotus leaf and gave it to Lin Sanniang as well.
Lin Sanniang poured out thousands of thanks.
Manager Zhang only looked at her askance. “If you get any more good stuff, don’t be so stingy and small-minded; just bring it right over.”
Lin Sanniang agreed, but she didn’t state when she would come next. Instead, she asked a question, “Do the young masters and young ladies of the estate require soft undergarments?”
Manager Zhang frowned, “What, you have fabric?”
“Mhm,” Lin Sanniang, with her years of experience as a hired hand, was no simpleton and naturally had a cover story ready. “My brother-in-law works as a convoy guard. This past year, the employer’s goods haven’t been selling well, so there hasn’t been much silver coin. However, the merchant was willing to give out some leftover cutoffs from their stock as reward money instead.”
The words were perfectly seamless, and Manager Zhang harbored no doubts. Working in the Zhang Estate herself, she knew that while cash rewards were ideal, the masters would usually reward servants with old items or things they disliked.
Manager Zhang figured that since rice and flour had been exchanged three times already, Lin Sanniang likely had no more left. Turning to peddle fabric instead was entirely logical.
Manager Zhang said, “The needlework and the bedchambers aren’t under my purview, but if you have the goods, you can bring them over and I’ll go make inquiries.”
Lin Sanniang hurriedly thanked her. Although Manager Zhang’s words were unpleasant to hear, she was reliable when handling matters. She hadn’t casually said she would ask for Lin Sanniang; rather, by telling Lin Sanniang to bring the goods over, she would most likely help with this favor.
Lin Sanniang felt deeply indebted to Manager Zhang.
After completing the exchange, Lin Sanniang waited by the side gate for a moment until the street outside was clear before walking away briskly. She first headed home to drop off the lotus leaf parcel and the majority of the rice, and only then, carrying two catties of rice and two pieces of cloth, did she make her way to Lin Daniang’s house.
