vrcanaries Chapter 80 Making an Hourglass and Picking Apricots
Chapter 80 Making an Hourglass and Picking Apricots
Song Jiaojiao looked at the gardenia in front of her. Its leaves were thick and glossy, and the slightly open buds emitted a fragrant aroma that filled the whole room. Her gaze fell on Wang Hefan, who looked a little embarrassed. His tense muscles told a story of his nervousness.
Song Jiaojiao smiled slightly, "Thank you, He Fan. Mother likes it very much. This flower smells so good." Song Jiaojiao took the flower and smelled it closely.
Wang Hefan was visibly relaxed, and he patted his head, saying, "As long as Mother is happy."
Looking at her eldest son, Song Jiaojiao continued, "He Fan, I'll give you that money tomorrow. Next time you go on a delivery mission to other places, if you see any flowers, food, fruits, or anything else that we don't have here, you can bring them back for me. Things don't keep for long, so you can buy seeds to bring back."
Although Wang Hefan didn't know what use Song Jiaojiao was, he still nodded in agreement. Because of his good performance and quick learning, the team leader said that he would take him to other places next time, and maybe even to the prefectural government.
Because of Wang Hefan's return, the dinner was exceptionally plentiful. Everyone who received the gifts was very happy, and the family ended the dinner chatting and laughing.
The next morning, Song Jiaojiao had Xu Da send Wang Hefan away. She didn't know when she would see him again, but the county wasn't far, so if she really missed him, she could go to the county to see him.
Song Jiaojiao didn't dwell on the matter too much and focused on making the hourglass. Finally, after breaking four bamboo cages, she finally managed to glue the oilcloth onto the fifth one. The previous ones were either not glued properly or had too many wrinkles, but thankfully this one was a success.
The next step is to determine how much sand is needed for the experiment. Xu Da's hourglass is twice the size of the one from the previous generation. Covering it with tarpaulin will slightly obstruct the view, but it's still clear enough to see clearly.
When Song Jiaojiao lit the incense, she also poured some sand into it. She didn't know how much sand she poured in at first, but it all leaked out in no time. The incense didn't react. Then she poured in several times more sand. This time it lasted for quite a while. The incense had burned halfway. Song Jiaojiao poured in a little more sand than before, but this time she overdid it. The incense burned out, but the sand still hadn't leaked out.
It's okay if you lack experience the first time, there's still plenty of time. And so, by the third cigarette, Song Jiaojiao finally got the hang of the amount of sand.
One incense stick's time is about half an hour, while steaming something takes about six hours, so it's best to make an hourglass.
Song Jiaojiao poured the sand out of the hourglass and weighed it. When it reached twice the amount, she would stand guard beside it, even eating dinner there. When she saw one incense stick burn out, she would immediately light a second one.
When the second sand stick burned out, the sand in the hourglass had just run out. Seeing that there was no problem, Song Jiaojiao sealed the top of the hourglass and decided to try it again the next day.
Mu Xue saw the object in Song Jiaojiao's hand and asked curiously, "Mother, what is this? What is it used for? Why do we need to burn incense for it?"
Looking at the curious child in front of her, Song Jiaojiao patiently explained, "What Mommy made is called an hourglass. It's used to keep track of time. Like when we steam buns, we need to steam them for a certain amount of time, right? This thing starts timing when the buns are placed on the pot. The one Mommy is making now is a 'shichen' (one hour), which we'll need later when steaming medicine."
Mu Xue still didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from praising Song Jiaojiao, "Mom, you're amazing."
Looking at Mu Xue's pretentious act of knowing what she didn't, Song Jiaojiao sighed and thought, "Never mind, these things are still too profound for her."
"Alright, go to sleep now." Song Jiaojiao took the hourglass, put it inside, and led Mu Xue back to her room.
The next morning, Song Jiaojiao made several more half-hour and two-quarter-hour hourglasses. While not 100% accurate, they were pretty close.
Time flies like an arrow, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. The apricots on the mountain have ripened.
Song Jiaojiao led Xu Da and Meng An to the apricot grove. The branches were laden with bright yellow apricots, and many of the early-ripening apricots had fallen to the ground.
When Meng An saw this large apricot grove, he wondered how Song Jiaojiao had found it. However, apricots should not be eaten in large quantities, especially by pregnant women, as they can cause miscarriage.
Everyone worked together, and once their baskets were full, Xu Da and Meng An carried them back, while Song Jiaojiao and Meng Qi continued picking. Xu Da brought them lunch, and they picked non-stop all day long. Finally, they had picked most of the ripe fruit, leaving only green fruit on the branches.
When they carried the last basket back, the sun hadn't set yet. Villagers pulling weeds in the fields saw that Song Jiaojiao had picked a lot of yellow fruit, having worked almost all day, and asked her curiously...
"Jiaojiao, where did you pick so many yellow fruits? I see your farmhands going back and forth all the time, they hardly ever get a break."
Song Jiaojiao was tired from carrying the basket, so she put it down, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and replied, "It was on Qingshui Mountain. I found it by chance."
"Why are you picking so many? These fruits don't keep well; they'll spoil in two days," the older woman asked, looking at Song Jiaojiao's flushed cheeks.
"Oh, the research department needs this fruit for a new dish. If you know where to find more, you can pick some and sell them to me. It's two catties for one coin. I don't want unripe fruit, only soft ones." Song Jiaojiao took off her straw hat and fanned herself as she spoke.
"Really? You're buying these yellow fruits too?" The woman was quite shocked, not expecting to get this information from a casual conversation.
"Yes, auntie, the amount of food I'm making will be much smaller, less than three ounces per pound, so the price won't be too high. Do you know where I can find any leftovers?" Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
"This price isn't high. These are all animals that nobody wants on the mountain. In previous years, they were cheap for those hairy animals. If you buy them this year, everyone will be overjoyed."
After saying that, the aunt suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "Oh, Jiaojiao, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going back to pick fruit right now. The fruit on the tree won't wait for anyone."
Before Song Jiaojiao could speak, the aunt had already walked away. Seeing the half-weeded patch of grass on the aunt's land, which was usually used to feed the chickens, Song Jiaojiao realized that the grass was now all alone and would be gone for the night. She wondered what it would be like the next time she saw it.
Just as Song Jiaojiao had rested enough and was about to carry her basket home, Meng An came looking for her. Perfect timing! Song Jiaojiao could go to the village chief's house and tell the villagers about this. The apricots would basically be gone in a few days; after a rain, they would all be gone.
She also mentioned that they needed ten women to help tomorrow. After picking the apricots from that grove, Song Jiaojiao estimated that there would be over 700 jin (350 kg). The apricots couldn't be stored, and the soft ones had to be picked out. With only a few people at home, they simply couldn't keep up.
Song Jiaojiao arrived at the village chief's house. The village chief was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air. It was almost late afternoon (around 17 PM), and it wasn't so hot anymore. The temperature in the courtyard was just right.