Yao Zhi tried to recall the thod of paper-making she had read before. After a while, she said, "The rchant said that the thod is simple."
"We just need to cut the plant when it is in the early flowering stage, around 60 to 90 days. Then, after we bind the stems, we need to subrge them in the water or slow-moving streams for 6 to 10 days."
"Afterward, we need to beat the stems against a hard surface to remove the woody core. Then, wash the extracted fiber strands and dry them."
"After we get the fiber strands, we only need to twist a bundle of the fiber clockwise until it starts to kink. Fold the twisted bundle in half to create a loop, forming 2 strands."
"Twist the top strand clockwise, then wrap it over the bottom strand, counterclockwise. Repeat this technique while adding new fiber bundles to increase the strength."
"As for making rope, take multiple strands of the handmade twine and repeat the reverse-wrap technique, using more bundles for thicker, stronger rope."
While she was explaining the thod, Fu Chen’an stared at his wife with a complicated gaze. His wife was so smart and knowledgeable. It seed that he had to increase his effort to learn words and read more books.
Not knowing that her basic modern knowledge caused her husband to feel inferior, Yao Zhi continued explaining the thod of making paper.
After talking for a long ti, she drank so water before she added, "But to make paper, we will need to custom-make the tools first."
"The rchant said that the rope made from this plant is stronger than ordinary rope and very durable in water. So, it’s ideal to be used as material to make a fishing net."
When he heard this, Fu Chen’an thought for a mont and said, "Our Kingdom is located near the Yellow River. Most of our people earn a living from catching fish. If this plant is really able to produce stronger rope, then it will benefit a lot of people."
"Well, we still have to try it first. The rchant didn’t have a lot of seeds. It’s only enough for our own land. So, let’s try planting it first before we see if the rchant’s words are credible," Yao Zhi replied.
"Okay," Fu Chen’an nodded in agreent.
After lunch, Yao Zhi returned ho. When she arrived, she was surprised to see 2 carts parked outside her house. As she entered the yard, she saw Zhou Zihong sitting on the bench under the tree.
"Brother Zhou, what brought you here? Did sothing happen?" she asked with surprise.
Zhou Zihong stood up and replied with a smile, "Miss Yao, I’m sorry for coming without prior notice. My father asked to deliver the empty jars. We already washed the jars."
Hearing this, Yao Zhi nodded and said, "Then you can place the jars in the backyard. I will go settle my donkey first."
"Okay," Zhou Zihong nodded.
After she removed the harness and led Xiao Lu to the shed, Yao Zhi brought a jar of water and several cups. The workers unloaded the jars and placed them in the area near the kitchen in less than 15 minutes.
"Everyone, please drink so water first."
"Thank you, Miss," the workers said.
While they drank so water, Zhou Zihong handed a wooden box to her and said, "Miss Yao, here is the money from selling the sauce. A total of 1,710 taels of silver."
Hearing this, Yao Zhi was surprised and asked, "All the sauce has been sold out?"
"We sold out in less than 3 hours. To ensure everyone was able to buy the sauce, my father limited their purchase. Even so, all of the sauce was sold out."
Looking into his eyes, she could see his excitent and smiled. "I never expected the sauce would be so popular."
"Miss Yao, to tell you the truth, the price of your sauce has increased drastically. We sold fish sauce for 8 taels per jin and soy sauce for 5 taels per jin. The price is soaring," Zhou Zihong said in a hushed voice.
"It has increased so much. Won’t people complain?" Yao Zhi asked in shock.
Zhou Zihong shook his head and replied, "Several families even offered to pay us 30% above the market price as long as they were allowed to buy as much as they could. But my father refused the offer."
Yao Zhi couldn’t believe that the purchasing power of people living in the town would be so strong. She didn’t expect that even with such sky-high prices, those people were still snatching the sauce as if it were free.
After a brief conversation, Zhou Zihong finally left with his workers.
Yao Zhi returned to her room and counted the money. Knowing that she liked silver, Zhou Boming didn’t give her banknotes but silver ingots instead. There were 100 pieces of 10-tael silver ingots and 34 pieces of 5-tael silver ingots.
She stored the money in her system’s storage before she went to wash the leather waist bags, bowls, plates, and waterskins. When she was done, she went to check the wasteland.
When Yang Sanlang saw her walking toward the mountain foothills, he asked, "Sister Yao, where are you going?"
Yao Zhi stopped in her tracks when she heard this. Turning to him, she replied, "I’m going to check the wasteland."
"We are almost done here. The mountain foothills are not safe. I can go with you."
"Thank you, Brother Sanlang, but it’s okay. I won’t go far," Yao Zhi refused politely.
Fearing that he would insist, she quickened her pace and left without waiting for his response.
When Yang Erlang saw his third brother staring at her, he finally noticed sothing was not right with him. "Third brother, Sister Yao is a married woman," he reminded him.
"I know. You don’t have to remind ," Yang Sanlang replied with a self-deprecating smile.
"Since you know, you shouldn’t—"
Before Yang Erlang finished his words, Yang Sanlang interrupted him. "Second brother, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I won’t disturb her life."
eting his brother’s stubborn gaze, Yang Erlang swallowed his words. Even if he said nothing, he couldn’t help but feel worried. It seed that it was ti to find a match for his brother.
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