Chapter 41: Cotton Fluffing

“Cotton-padded clothes? What are those?” Auntie Wang asked, looking completely bewildered.

Zhao Mengcheng paused. Searching through the original owner’s memories, he realized that cotton was not yet widespread during the Great Zhou period. To stay warm in winter, commoners either wore multiple layers of clothing or sat by a fire.

Many families didn’t even leave their houses once winter arrived. Those who could afford firewood would huddle around a fire, while those who couldn’t would huddle together under a single quilt for warmth, a practice known as “hibernating through winter.”

In the past, the Zhao family did the same. Except for Zhao Mengcheng, who had to go out, Liu Yunniang and the three children rarely ventured outside during the winter months.

Only now did Zhao Mengcheng realize why every household had been heading up the mountain to chop wood lately; they were all preparing for the winter.

Fortunately, thinking that bathing in winter would consume a lot of wood, he had filled his woodshed to the brim early on.

Zhao Mengcheng quickly explained, “The weather’s been getting colder lately, and I’ve noticed the children sneezing. I’m worried they’ll catch a chill.”

Auntie Wang understood immediately. “Look at me, how could I forget about that?”

When Liu Yunniang was still around, Auntie Wang didn’t need to worry about the Zhao family. Now that Yunniang was gone, Mengcheng was, after all, a man. It was already impressive enough that he could raise the children so well; one couldn’t expect him to be meticulous about everything.

Auntie Wang didn’t hold back her advice. “The winters here aren’t too harsh. If you have the money, buy some furs. You can either make clothes directly out of them or use them as linings. Otherwise, you can stuff Reed Fluff¹ into the clothes; that provides some warmth too.”

She sighed, looking a bit worried. “The flood this year came at a bad time and washed away all the Reed Fluff. Everyone will just have to chop more wood to avoid freezing this winter.”

“I still have some at home. I’ll bring you a bit later.”

Reed Fluff didn’t last long; it would clump up after a single winter and have to be thrown away.

As for furs, high-quality ones were very expensive. There were no large animals on the local hills, so ordinary families couldn’t afford them.

Zhao Mengcheng took note. Even ten pounds of Reed Fluff wouldn’t be very warm, but fur was worth considering.

“Where can I buy furs? Do the fabric shops have them?” Zhao Mengcheng asked.

“You want to buy some? They’re good, but they’re incredibly expensive,” Auntie Wang cautioned.

In their village, only the Village Chief’s family owned rabbit fur coats; everyone else made do with Reed Fluff.

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “The children are still small, and I’m afraid they’ll freeze. Besides, if I buy them, they’ll last for years, so it’s not really a waste.”

Seeing his resolve, Auntie Wang stopped trying to dissuade him and smiled. “The fabric shops have them, but if you want a better deal, you can go see my Wang De. His general store sells them too, and the prices are cheaper than the fabric shops.”

Having made up his mind, he headed to town the next day.

Following the address Auntie Wang had given him, he found the place. The general store where Wang De worked was at the mouth of an alley, surrounded by common folk and doing small-scale business.

Before he even stepped inside, Wang De noticed him. “Mengcheng, what brings you here?”

There wasn’t much of an age gap between them, though Zhao Mengcheng was a few years older and had married and had children earlier. “De, winter is coming, so I wanted to look at some furs for the kids.”

Wang De was taken aback. Furs were expensive; even wealthy families in the city didn’t buy them lightly.

He instinctively sized up Zhao Mengcheng. Having not seen him for a long time, he felt the man looked quite different.

His features were the same, but the temperament of this older brother from next door had changed completely. The awkwardness and restraint he used to carry had vanished, replaced by a sense of calm confidence.

Wang De quickly and warmly welcomed him. “You’ve come at just the right time. A batch of rabbit skins just arrived yesterday. Take a look; these are all from the north, much thicker than the ones around here.”

Zhao Mengcheng reached out to feel them and knew Wang De wasn’t lying. The rabbits in their region couldn’t grow such thick fur.

“The quality is good. How much?”

Wang De lowered his voice. “Brother, we’re neighbors, so I’ll give you an honest price. Two taels of silver per rabbit skin.”

Zhao Mengcheng had prepared himself mentally before coming, but he was still shocked to hear the price. “That expensive?”

Two taels of silver could buy an acre of land these days. No wonder only the Village Chief’s family in their village had fur coats; this was truly something ordinary people couldn’t afford.

Depending on the size, one rabbit skin would only be enough to make a lined vest for Zhao Xin; it wouldn’t be enough for the older children.

And the price of a single rabbit skin, even with grain prices rising, was enough to buy food for quite some time.

“Tell me about it. Local rabbit skins are cheaper, but they still cost one tael each, and we’ve already sold out of those,” Wang De said. He didn’t look down on Zhao Mengcheng for finding it expensive; instead, he spoke with understanding.

Zhao Mengcheng had brought ten taels of silver today, thinking it would be plenty. But now, even with careful calculation, it wouldn’t be enough to make a fur coat for each of the three little ones.

As the novelty of tofu wore off, business was declining. It was enough to keep them fed, but not enough for major purchases.

He felt a bit of a headache coming on, sighing at his recent lack of ambition.

Since there were no other customers, Wang De didn’t pressure him to buy. Instead, he started chatting. “Ordinary folks like us just stay indoors during winter. It’s not like those wealthy families who travel around even in the dead of winter. Those mink cloaks they wear cost at least sixty taels of silver each.”

“Sixty taels! I don’t even know if my entire life’s wages would add up to that much.”

Wang De sounded somewhat indignant, but in the end, he advised, “Brother, if this were any other year and you had spare cash to spend on furs, I wouldn’t stop you. But this year is different.”

He pointed outside. “The rice shops are only open for half a day now. It’s not worth buying right now; furs are too conspicuous.”

Zhao Mengcheng had been planning to grit his teeth and buy five rabbit skins, but hearing this, he realized it made sense.

He had the money to buy them, but bringing them home now would draw too much attention.

Suddenly, Zhao Mengcheng’s gaze fell on a corner. “What’s that?”

Wang De looked where he was pointing and dragged out a bag. “That’s Kapok². The shopkeeper brought it back from the west while he was traveling for business.”

“He thought it was some kind of flower and hoped to sell it for a high price, but nobody liked it. It’s been sitting here gathering dust ever since.”

Suppressing his excitement, Zhao Mengcheng walked over and felt it. It was indeed unprocessed cotton. “How much is it?”

“You want to buy this?” Wang De couldn’t understand him. “It’s not pretty, and it’s not fun to play with. What’s the use of buying it? You’d be better off with furs; at least they’ll keep you warm.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled and said, “I’ve read about this Kapok in a book and wanted to take some home to try it out.”

Hearing that it was mentioned in a book, Wang De stopped advising against it. “Well, it’s just sitting there and won’t sell anyway. I’ll give you the whole bag for just two taels of silver.”

Fearing Zhao Mengcheng would think it was too expensive, he explained, “That’s just the cost price. Any cheaper and the shopkeeper would rather throw it away.”

Zhao Mengcheng paid without a word. He hadn’t bought any furs, but he left carrying a bag of Kapok on his back.

Behind him, Wang De muttered, “Could this Kapok really have some special use?”

Just then, the shopkeeper returned, and Wang De told him about selling the Kapok.

The shopkeeper was pleased to hear it. “I thought I was stuck with it. It’s good to at least recover the cost. De, keep up the good work, and I’ll consider the matter between you and Fangfang.”

Having received this promise, Wang De immediately returned to his work with renewed energy.

Zhao Mengcheng carried the bag of Kapok, his heart filled with excitement.

He had thought he wouldn’t find any cotton and would have to settle for furs, but he hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise at the general store.

Zhao Mengcheng specifically visited several other general stores to see if he could find more, but unfortunately, no other shop had it; only Wang De’s boss had been discerning enough to stock it.

As he carried the bag home, Zhao Mengcheng began to make plans in his head.

From a distance, Zhao Mengcheng saw the three little ones playing at the village entrance, glancing toward the road every now and then.

When they saw him appear, the three little ones ran over happily, though one of them let out a sneeze before even reaching him.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home? The wind is strong here at the village entrance; be careful not to catch a cold,” Zhao Mengcheng said helplessly.

Zhao Chun wiped his nose nonchalantly. “I’m not cold at all.”

The three little ones truly didn’t feel cold. Each of them was wearing five layers of clothing; that was how they had spent every winter in the past.

“Dad, what’s this?” Zhao Mao asked curiously.

He knew his father had gone to buy furs today, but this large bag didn’t look like fur at all.

“Let’s go. We’ll look at it once we’re back,” Zhao Mengcheng urged, seeing the children’s cheeks flushed red from the wind.

Once they were home and the door was closed, the wind died down, and the courtyard felt much warmer.

Zhao Mengcheng opened the bag and poured all the Kapok onto the ground. It had been packed tightly, so it took up much more space once it was out.

“It’s flowers!” Zhao Xin cried out in delight, picking one up and trying to tuck it into her hair.

Zhao Mao stopped his sister. “Don’t wear it; it’s white.”

Zhao Xin gave an “oh” but kept playing with it in her hands. “Dad, are there still flowers in winter?”

“These aren’t flowers; they’re fruit.”

Zhao Mengcheng picked up a piece of cotton and toyed with it, explaining with a smile, “This is called Kapok. What we’re seeing now are its fruit, the cotton bolls. If you pull them open, you’ll find the seeds inside.”

He pulled apart the white fibers of a boll, and sure enough, black seeds were revealed. Zhao Mengcheng was overjoyed.

“This is a fruit?” Zhao Chun’s eyes darted around, and he grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, only to screw up his face in the next moment.

Zhao Mengcheng tapped him on the forehead. “You never learn, do you? This is for making clothes, not for eating.”

Zhao Chun hurriedly spat it out, his face flushing with embarrassment.

“Dad, how do you make clothes with this? Do you just stuff it directly into the garment?” Zhao Mao asked curiously.

Zhao Mengcheng pulled at a tuft of cotton. “Look, doesn’t it look a lot like silk when you see it like this?”

He rolled it between his fingers, unable to wait another moment. “Just you wait. I’ll make a tool for cotton fluffing first. Once it’s fluffed, the cotton batting can be used to make cotton-padded clothes. It’s many times warmer than reed fluff.”

The three little ones widened their eyes in curiosity.

Zhao Mengcheng quickly brought over some tools and instructed the children, “Look, this is how you dig out the cotton seeds. You guys work on this, while Dad makes a tool.”

The three little ones nodded obediently, pulling over small stools to begin deseed the cotton.

Zhao Mengcheng began crafting the large wooden bow essential for cotton fluffing. He was now very skilled at carpentry, and the four-foot-long wooden bow quickly took shape.

However, ox tendon was hard to find. Fortunately, Zhao Mengcheng had considered this before returning and had bought some at the general store.

After stringing the large wooden bow, Zhao Mengcheng efficiently finished the wooden bed, mallet, shovel head, and grinding disc used for cotton fluffing.

“All right, let me give it a try first.”

Zhao Mengcheng poured the cotton the children had cleaned onto the wooden bed. With the large wooden bow on his back, the mallet came down.

With a loud bang, the mallet struck the bowstring, vibrating against the cotton.

As the mallet struck repeatedly, the cotton on the wooden bed quickly became fluffy. Zhao Mengcheng’s hands seemed to possess magic, making the cotton expand several times its original size.

The three little ones watched, dumbstruck.

Zhao Chun hopped around and shouted, “Dad, let me try! Just let me try once, please!”

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow and stepped aside.

Zhao Chun started with great enthusiasm, but his first strike almost sent the string snapping back into himself.

Zhao Mao and Zhao Xin showed no sibling affection at all, laughing out loud at him.

Zhao Chun set his face in a serious expression and tried again. This time, he actually looked like he knew what he was doing.

Cotton fluffing looked easy, but it was actually heavy physical labor. After a short while, the boy was covered in sweat and looked like he couldn’t handle much more, yet he gritted his teeth and persisted.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled and held him back. “That’s enough. Leave the rest to Dad.”

“When I grow up, I’ll take over all this work. Dad will only have to sit nearby and rest,” Zhao Chun said, rubbing his shoulder, looking somewhat dissatisfied with his current strength.

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “Alright, Dad will be waiting for that day.”

The thwacking sounds rang out again, and the cotton grew fluffier and fluffier.

“Mengcheng, are you home?” It was Uncle Wang’s voice.

Zhao Chun ran over quickly. “Grandpa Wang, my dad is doing cotton fluffing.”

“Fluffing what cotton?”

Uncle Wang walked through the door, completely confused. When he saw Zhao Mengcheng’s strange movements, he clicked his tongue in wonder. “What on earth is this? It looks a bit like silk floss.”

“I heard a thwacking sound coming from your house just now, and I was wondering what it was.”

Zhao Mengcheng knew he was worried something might have happened, so he had come to check. “Uncle, reach out and feel it. See if it’s warm.”

Uncle Wang saw that the cotton was as white as clouds. He specifically went to wash his hands before coming back. When he reached in, he was astonished. “This… it really is quite warm.”

“What is this exactly? I’ve never seen it before.”

Zhao Mengcheng had to explain. “I’ve only read about it in books before. I happened to see it in A-De’s shop today, so I bought some to try. I didn’t expect it to actually work.”

A look of envy appeared in Uncle Wang’s eyes. “It really pays to be a scholar. Even if a treasure like this were placed right in front of me, I wouldn’t know how to use it.”

He touched the cotton affectionately and said with a smile, “How warm would it be if this were stuffed into clothes and quilts? It looks good, too, much more substantial than reeds.”

“Reed flowers aren’t warm and don’t last long. When cotton gets old after a year, you can fluff it and sun it the next year to make it fluffy again. It can last for many years,” Zhao Mengcheng explained.

Uncle Wang was even more envious. “This is good stuff. If two taels of silver can last a lifetime, it’s well worth it. It’s just a pity there’s so little of it.”

Using it for a lifetime was a bit of an exaggeration, but using it for several years was no problem.

Zhao Mengcheng also felt it was too little, but he could no longer find any more in Shanghe Town.

“Uncle, you see, I don’t know how to sew. Could I trouble Auntie to help make three jackets for the children first?”

Uncle Wang didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately. “That’s nothing! I’ll go call her right now.”

After a short while, Auntie Wang followed him in, calling out, “What kind of cotton is so good? Let me see!”

When she saw the cloud-like cotton on the wooden bed, Auntie Wang reached out to touch it in surprise. “It really is warm. It looks so light, yet it’s this warm. This truly is a good thing.”

“I always say reading is useful. If you hadn’t studied, how would you know about such good things?”

This was something her own son had sold, after all. It had been sitting there for over a year without anyone knowing what it was for, yet Zhao Mengcheng knew the moment he saw it.

Auntie Wang sighed in admiration and directly took out her sewing kit. “I’ll start right now. Children’s jackets are simple to make.”

With this setup, Zhao Mengcheng couldn’t really help, so he simply cleared the space for Auntie Wang to work her magic.

The fabric was already available, as Zhao Mengcheng had bought it earlier. She just had to stuff the cotton inside and sew it up to make a cotton-padded jacket.

Fearing the cotton would shift around, Auntie Wang specifically sewed dense quilted squares to fix the cotton in place.

In just about two hours, Auntie Wang shook out the garment. “Chun, come and try this on.”

Zhao Chun ran over quickly, even taking off his outer tunic to avoid getting the new clothes dirty.

Auntie Wang smiled as she helped him put it on. The sleeves and hem of the cotton-padded clothes were a bit long, so Auntie Wang bit her thread and sewed them up for him.

“It fits just right like this. Next year, when the child grows taller, we can let it down a bit. This way, the clothes can be worn for a few more years.”

Zhao Mengcheng was grateful for her thoughtfulness. “Auntie really has thought of everything.”

“It’s nothing at all,” Auntie Wang chuckled. Thinking about how this family didn’t have a mistress to look after them, she sighed inwardly again.

“Chun, spin around and let me see,” Zhao Mengcheng called out.

Zhao Chun immediately spun around nimbly and asked triumphantly, “Dad, do I look good?”

“You look great,” Zhao Mengcheng gave him a thumbs up.

The outer layer of the cotton-padded clothes was made of the most common thick hemp cloth. The color wasn’t particularly nice, and after being filled with cotton, it looked bulging. At first glance, the child looked a whole size larger.

Zhao Chun also thought he looked good. He jumped in front of his younger siblings to show off. “Look, my new clothes!”

Zhao Mao ignored him, knowing he would definitely have one too.

Zhao Xin, however, bit her finger and stomped her feet. “Daddy, I want one too.”

“Let Auntie Wang rest for a few days. She’ll make one for you tomorrow,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile.

But Auntie Wang said, “Rest for what? Now that I’ve made one, I have experience. It’ll only take a moment.”

As she spoke, she began working on the second and third pieces. Her hands and feet were indeed becoming more and more agile; the second piece took only an hour to complete.

Zhao Mao also put his on happily, leaving only Zhao Xin waiting with longing eyes.

“Auntie, use this red cloth for Xin’er. It’ll look good,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile, taking out another piece of fabric.

The price of red cloth was twice that of coarse hemp. Auntie Wang took it and praised, “There’s no one in the village who dotes on their daughter more than you. Actually, what does such a small child know about beauty or ugliness? As long as it’s warm, it’s fine.”

Despite her words, her hands didn’t stop moving.

Knowing she would have red clothes to wear, Zhao Xin was no longer anxious. She leaned against Zhao Mengcheng’s side to watch.

Auntie Wang had a smile on her face as she worked and said, “Wearing these thick cotton-padded clothes, none of you will feel cold all winter. You’ll finally be able to enjoy some comfort this year.”

Zhao Chun was reluctant to take his off, but he was also afraid of getting it dirty, so he pulled his old tunic over the outside.

But the tunic wasn’t big enough. It was now stretched tight and stuck halfway. He had to ask his brother for help to struggle out of it.

Auntie Wang laughed at the sight. “I’ll alter it for you later. That tunic was made by your mother when she was still alive. I didn’t expect it to be too small after only a year.”

Uncle Wang coughed lightly, fearing the children would be sad. He said with a smile, “That’s because the children have grown. Growing up is a good thing.”

Zhao Mengcheng rubbed the heads of the three children. “It does seem like they’ve grown taller.”

“Come here and compare,” he called the three children over to a pillar.

The three little ones all ran over. With this comparison, Zhao Chun’s height was a full half-head taller than his second brother. Now, anyone who didn’t know them would never guess they were twins from the same womb.

Zhao Mengcheng used a knife to carve a notch. “This is for this year. We’ll measure once every year from now on, so you can know how much you’ve grown.”

“This is mine! I’m the eldest brother, so I’m the tallest!” Zhao Chun said proudly.

Zhao Mao looked at his own mark, which was clearly a notch lower, and felt quite unhappy. He secretly vowed to eat and move more from now on so he could surpass his silly older brother.

Zhao Xin didn’t mind at all. Her mind was entirely on her new clothes. After being measured, she ran back to Auntie Wang.

As Auntie Wang worked, she realized the cotton was almost gone. She felt a bit troubled for a moment. “Mengcheng, this cotton looks like a lot, but it doesn’t go very far.”

Zhao Mengcheng went over to look and felt that finishing Zhao Xin’s piece would be no problem. “Use it all up.”

“Then what about yourself?” Auntie Wang asked hesitantly.

In her heart, if there was anything good in the house, it should first be given to the head of the household who did the work. How could it be right for the three children to wear warm new clothes while the father was still freezing?

The three children clearly thought of this too, and their previous excitement faded as they lowered their heads.

Zhao Xin twisted her fingers even more. “I don’t want new clothes anymore. Make them for Daddy.”

Zhao Mengcheng chuckled and rubbed the little girl’s hair. “I’ve made it through past years without cotton-padded clothes. We’ll make yours first.”

Before the children could say anything else, Zhao Mengcheng added, “I remember seeing this kind of Kapok flower on the hilltop before. I’ll go up the mountain to look for it later.”

That bag of Kapok had only been enough to make three cotton-padded jackets. There were many other places in the house that needed cotton. Zhao Mengcheng also wanted to have a Cotton-padded Quilt and padded mats so they could have a warm and comfortable winter.

Hearing this, Uncle Wang asked excitedly, “Really? Where did you see it? Isn’t this supposed to have come from the west?”

If there was such a good thing, he would have to go pick some too, but he had never seen it before.

“I can’t remember clearly, but it should be somewhere in the mountains. I’ll go look for it later,” Zhao Mengcheng could only say. He couldn’t very well say that it wasn’t on the mountain yet, but would be soon.

Hearing this, Uncle Wang thought he was just saying it to coax the children. He sighed and didn’t speak further.

Auntie Wang clearly thought the same. She quickly finished Zhao Xin’s red cotton-padded jacket. “Xin’er, come try it on.”

Only then did Zhao Xin happily put it on, twirling in front of them with delight. “Does it look good?”

Zhao Mengcheng was never stingy with praise. “It looks wonderful. My Xin’er is the prettiest girl in the village.”

Auntie Wang joined in the praise. “Not just in our village, you won’t find anyone as striking as Xin’er in all the surrounding towns.”

She meant it sincerely. Neither Zhao Mengcheng nor his wife were bad-looking, and the three children had inherited their best features. Zhao Chun was sturdy and spirited, Zhao Mao was refined and scholarly, and Zhao Xin was as lovely as a porcelain doll. Each was more adorable than the last.

Whenever the villagers saw these three children, they couldn’t help but praise them.

“Auntie, I’ve troubled you.”

Zhao Mengcheng brought out ten eggs. Because of this help, Auntie Wang had spent the entire afternoon working at his house.

Auntie Wang pushed them away, refusing. “It was just a few stitches, no need for payment. Besides, there’s nothing to do at the end of the year. I’d just be idling at home anyway. This helped me pass the time.”

Uncle Wang also refused to accept them. “Keep the eggs for the children to eat. If you feel bad about it, just share some with my family when you find that Kapok. I’ll make a cotton-padded jacket for A-Ming to wear too.”

He thought there was no Kapok on the mountain and said this on purpose so Zhao Mengcheng wouldn’t give them the eggs.

To his surprise, Zhao Mengcheng took it to heart and said with a smile, “Alright, I’ll call for you once I find it.”

Uncle Wang waved his hand, clearly not taking the words seriously, and the couple went home together.

While Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin were still reveling in their new clothes, Zhao Mao walked to his father’s side. “Dad, is there really Kapok on the mountain?”

Zhao Mengcheng pinched the tip of his nose. “What, you don’t trust your dad?”

Zhao Mao smiled but said, “But no one has ever found any before.”

“Others might not find it, but your dad can. Just you wait and see,” Zhao Mengcheng laughed.

Zhao Mao believed him. In the little boy’s heart, his father was capable of anything.

When it was time to sleep that night, the three little ones were reluctant to take off their clothes. Zhao Mengcheng suggested they take them off and lay them over their blankets. This way, it was much warmer than just using the blankets alone.

Seeing how comfortable they looked, Zhao Mengcheng secretly blamed himself for being careless.

Because of his ability, his body was always at its peak, and he was extremely adaptable to heat and cold. He didn’t feel cold even wearing a single layer in winter.

But the three children couldn’t handle it. They must have been shivering at night recently, yet none of them had complained.

Just tonight, Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao insisted that sharing one cotton-padded jacket was enough for the two of them, and they stuffed Zhao Mao’s into Zhao Mengcheng’s room. Zhao Mengcheng sent it back, but a moment later, the children brought it back again.

He had no choice but to keep it, otherwise those two children were so stubborn they might catch a cold running back and forth in the dead of winter.

Since he had promised his son, Zhao Mengcheng took the matter to heart.

That night, Zhao Mengcheng suddenly snapped his eyes open. He went out, took the Kapok seeds the three little ones had peeled, and headed up the mountain under the cover of night.

Translator’s Notes