Chapter 352: Knitted Wool Clothes
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ding Wan listened to her niece’s words seriously. She remembered them so she could make the egg fried rice next time. She said happily, “That’s a good idea, Binglan. Whenever I steam rice, I’m constantly worried that it won’t be enough for Fengzhang and Wenxian if I make too little, so I always want to steam more.
“Still, we’ll keep the leftovers if we have too much. Since that’s the case, we reheat the rice in the pot for a second meal. However, the rice won’t taste as fresh as when I first made it.
“It’s good that we know how precious food is. White rice is valuable, and we won’t waste it. It just lacks taste. The leftover rice will be fragrant and delicious if I use it like this.”
Ding Wan could already tell how delicious the egg fried rice would be before eating it.
Su Binglan heard her aunt’s words and smiled. “You won’t have to worry about making too much rice in the future since you can use the leftovers to make egg fried rice later on.”
“You’re the best, Binglan.” Ding Wan looked at her niece and wished she was her daughter. “Right. Are we starting the fire now?
“Yes, Aunt Ding. You start the fire, and I’ll start cooking.”
“Alright, I’ll get some firewood.” Ding Wan nodded and went to the courtyard
before bringing back some wood. “Your Uncle Fengzhang got up early in the morning and split the firewood.
“Then he went to your grandparents’ place with Wenxian after breakfast. Your uncle has been caring for me all these years and couldn’t spend time with your grandparents to fulfill his filial duties.
“But I’ve recovered, so Fengzhang and Wenxian have been staying at your grandparents’ for a few days. Fengzhang wants to be with his parents and do things for them.”
Ding Wan would not say these things to anyone else, but she was honest and genuine whenever she was with Su Binglan. That was because Ding Wan trusted her niece and felt she could tell Su Binglan anything.
Ding Wan treated Su Binglan as her daughter.
Ding Wan started the fire as they spoke while Su Binglan added oil to the pot. When the oil was at the right temperature, Su Binglan put in the radishes, scallions, and minced meat.
Then she added the rice with eggs and stir-fried them. After that, she added salt and seasoning. After stir-frying and seasoning the mixture, he added some sesame oil and stir-fried them again.
She removed the fried rice from the pot when she finished cooking it. It was simple and saved time and effort.
Ding Wan was amazed. “You’re done so quickly?”
She looked at the golden yellow egg fried rice on the plate and felt it was fragrant.
Su Binglan nodded. “Yeah, it’s that easy to make. Try it and see how it tastes, Aunt Ding.” She passed a spoon and a plate of egg fried rice to Ding Wan as she spoke.
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” Ding Wan said, “I just handled the firewood and haven’t washed my hands yet. I’ll go wash them first.”
With that, Ding Wan quickly went to wash her hands. Then she and Su Binglan sat at the table and ate the egg fried rice. Ding Wan took a spoonful and put it in her mouth, chewing and eating. “Binglan, it’s delicious! It’s also very fragrant and flavorful.”
She did not expect something so simple to be so delicious.
Su Binglan laughed. “You can cook it for Uncle Fengzhang and Cousin Wenxian when they return.”
“Right. It looks like I learned another thing from you, Binglan. Hahaha.” Ding Wan was so happy that she laughed aloud.
After lunch, Su Binglan and Ding Wan continued discussing the embroidery shop. Su Binglan removed a ball of yarn from her bag before teaching her aunt how to knit. “Aunt Ding, this is a ball of yarn.”
Ding Wan took a look and was stunned. “Why is the thread so thick?”
She had never seen such a thick thread before. She knew it would take work to do anything with such a thick thread and that she could not use it to make clothes.
However, Ding Wan had witnessed her niece’s abilities and felt this would be useful.
“Yes, it’s a ball of yarn made of wool. You can use it to make scarves, sweaters, hats, and gloves.”
Ding Wan needed clarification. “But the clothes made from thick wool must have holes for air to blow through.”
She could not even imagine what clothes made from a ball of yarn would look like. Although she knew her niece would have a way to do it, Ding Wan still felt doubtful.
She could not imagine what kind of clothes and hats she could make from a ball of yarn.
Su Binglan then removed four needles from her bag. “Aunt Ding, you can knit with two needles. These two are for you. Follow me, and I’ll teach you to knit. Although this is thicker than thread) it’s made of sheep wool. The clothes you make with wool will keep you warm.
“It’ll feel much warmer than ordinary clothes. If you wear two sweaters during the winter, you might feel as warm as if you were wearing a cotton-padded jacket.”
The winter here was colder, and people in better conditions would wear cotton-padded jackets. They wore thick clothes made of cotton and looked bloated.
Even so, not everyone could afford to wear cotton-padded jackets. Many families used old cotton to make jackets and wore them every winter. Then they would just need to remove the outer layer of cloth and wash it.
When the weather was warmer, they would dry the cotton inside. The jackets were relatively simple and crude.
However, those who could not afford cotton would not dare go out during
winter because they could quickly freeze to death if they did not wear cotton-filled jackets.
Su Binglan knew sheep wool could keep one warm. Also, wearing a tight sweater on the inside and autumn clothes on the outside felt light and warm.
Ding Wan took the knitting needles curiously.
“Aunt Ding, hold the needle like this, then tie the yarn like this,” Su Binglan said to her aunt.
Su Binglan demonstrated it to Ding Wan, but Ding Wan always felt her hands were clumsy and that she needed to learn how to use the two needles. She looked at Su Binglan and thought it was simple, but she soon realized she did not know how to do it when she started.
She felt her hands were more stable when embroidering. “Binglan, please be patient with me. I will learn it in due time.”
She was afraid her niece would think she was a fool. After all, Ding Wan had to help Su Binglan manage the embroidery shop, so she needed to learn how to knit.
She had to learn everything Su Binglan taught her. Only then could she teach others. Ding Wan was severe in this aspect and knew what she must do.
Su Binglan was very patient and took her time teaching Ding Wan. After learning for a while, Ding Wan held the two needles before her and found it very interesting. “It feels like I’m playing with the yarn, Binglan.”
Su Binglan said, “You can make something just by weaving the yarn like this.”
Ding Wan looked at the long scarf she knitted with the needle and sighed. “It’s incredible. I used to think wool was useless, and everyone threw it away. I didn’t expect to be able to make clothes like this. I genuinely admire you, Binglan. It feels warm in my hands.”
She could imagine how cold it would be during the winter if she wore something made of cloth. However, she could feel how warm it would be when she touched something made of wool..
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