novelaction Chapter 193 Warm Clothing
Chapter 193 Warm Clothing
In the past, they would only exchange large amounts of food for items with others. If they did, they would lose money, but if they didn't, some of the items were necessities for the tribe.
This time they only spent a small amount of food in exchange for a lot of fresh meat and fruit, which had never happened before.
In the square of the Stone Tribe, the tribesmen gathered together, laughing and talking happily.
"Our tribe got a lot of goodies this time!" a young tribesman shouted excitedly. "We couldn't get so many goodies before!"
The old man beside him nodded repeatedly: "Yes, thanks to the Chosen One, he has brought so much good fortune to our tribe. If you hadn't taught us those unique skills, how could the Lingyu tribe value our things so much."
"That's right, the Chosen One is the lucky star of our tribe!"
Everyone echoed, their faces filled with joy and gratitude.
Agula walked through the cheering crowd and found Nan Qiao, who was sorting things aside. He frowned and said, "Lord Chosen One, we exchanged a lot of fresh meat with the Lingyu Tribe today, but the weather is so hot that the meat will probably go bad before winter arrives."
Nan Qiao smiled slightly and said confidently, "Don't worry, Chief. I have a solution."
Nan Qiao immediately gathered the females of the tribe and started making bacon.
She first ordered people to bring a few large stone slabs and cut the fresh meat into strips of even size.
Then, she took out the refined salt and spread it evenly on each piece of meat. As she did so, she said, "This salt can effectively prevent the meat from spoiling. Everyone must spread it evenly."
Afterwards, he directed everyone to find some dry branches and herbs and build a simple rack on the ground.
Place the salted meat pieces on the rack and smoke them slowly over low heat.
Nan Qiao turned the meat over from time to time to ensure even heating. She explained, "Smoking not only preserves the meat for longer, but also adds a unique aroma."
Under Nan Qiao's leadership, the females were busy in an orderly manner, and the aroma of bacon gradually filled the air.
After two days of hard work, the bacon was finally smoked and roasted. The tribesmen worked together to carefully move the bacon into a dry stone house and carefully hang it on the beams.
To prevent small animals from stealing food, they used animal skins and branches to seal the gaps in the stone house as much as possible, leaving only a small ventilation hole.
Because of making bacon, all the salt that had been refined was used up, and all the males in the tribe joined the ranks of mining salt.
In the following days, the daily work of the Stone Tribe continued in an orderly manner.
The men continued to go to the salt mine, digging ore in the sweat, and gave the salt they brought back to Aya and the others to refine.
Nan Qiao led the females to the sweet potato fields and cotton fields.
The tribe's stores of sweet potatoes and cotton are also increasing.
Time flies, and there is only one month left until the Hundred Departments Conference.
After registering for the Hundred Tribes Conference, Agula approached Nan Qiao and asked solemnly, "Lord Chosen One, the Hundred Tribes Conference is approaching. Have you decided what you want to exchange for the method of taming the Spirit Devouring Beast?"
Nan Qiao didn't answer but asked, "Master Chief, as winter approaches, what is the tribe most lacking? What is the thing that even the Xingyao Tribe lacks?"
Agula thought for a moment and replied, "Besides food, of course, something to keep warm."
"This winter is extremely cold. Without enough warm clothing, the tribesmen will suffer greatly."
Nan Qiao nodded slightly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Chief, you are absolutely right. Although we in the Stone Tribe have animal skins, the quantity is limited and it is difficult to meet the needs of all our members."
"And recently, during my explorations, I discovered that if cotton and animal skins are cleverly combined, they can be made into warmer and lighter clothing. I want to use this cotton to make clothes or quilts. When I go to the Hundred Tribes Conference, I'm sure it will attract the interest of other tribes."
Agula looked puzzled. "Cotton? That's the soft stuff you asked the tribe to pick? Can that stuff really be made into clothes?"
Nan Qiao nodded and said, "Chief, wait for my good news." After that, she went to prepare without stopping.
Nan Qiao gathered the females in the tribe who were good at handicrafts and began to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts.
She first carefully selected the picked cotton to remove impurities and cotton seeds.
Spread the pure cotton evenly on a flat stone slab and tap it gently with a thin branch to make the cotton more fluffy and soft.
For the cotton-padded clothes, she took the cut animal skins, spread thick cotton layer by layer on the inside of the skins, used a bone needle to thread the animal tendon thread, and sewed it up tightly.
From the collar to the cuffs, from the hem to the waist, every stitch and every thread requires meticulousness and patience to leave no gaps.
She also decorated the edges of the coat with colorful stones and shells, making it not only practical but also beautiful.
When making the quilt, Nan Qiao found several large pieces of animal skins and spread the cotton evenly on the skins, making it several inches thick.
Then fold the animal skin in half, wrap the cotton tightly inside, and sew the three sides with needle and thread, leaving only one opening.
She continued to fill the quilt with cotton through the hole, adjusting the flatness and thickness of the quilt to ensure it was warm enough.
Finally, sew up the opening and a soft and comfortable quilt is ready.
However, in the process of making cotton-padded clothes and quilts, Nan Qiao and his tribesmen encountered many difficult difficulties.
The first step is to process the cotton. Removing cotton seeds is a very tedious task and can only be done manually, bit by bit. If you are not careful, the cotton fibers will be torn, affecting the quality and warmth of the cotton.
Moreover, it is not easy to spread the cotton evenly on the animal skin. The cotton easily clumps or is unevenly distributed, resulting in uneven warmth effects in the clothes and quilts made.
Problems frequently arise during the sewing process of bone needles. The animal tendon thread is not tough enough and will break with the slightest force, making the sewing progress extremely slow.
Nan Qiao missed modern needles and thread very much. It would be much easier to make things if she had those things.
For some tribesmen who participated in the production for the first time, mastering the sewing skills was even more difficult. The stitches were not uniform in density, and there were gaps in some places, requiring constant rework.
Furthermore, it is not easy to fix the colored stones and shells used for decoration. Due to the lack of suitable adhesives, they can only be fastened by punching holes in the animal skin and then tightening it, which not only tests patience but also easily damages the animal skin.
When the first batch of cotton coats and quilts were made, Agula hurried over to check.
As soon as his eyes fell on the brand new products, an unconcealable surprise and excitement flashed in his eyes.
Walking forward quickly, Agula reached out and gently touched the soft cotton and smooth animal skin on the cotton-padded jacket, and carefully examined the workmanship and material of the quilt.
Agula raised his head and said with a trembling but gratified voice, "Lord Chosen One, this is simply incredible!"
"These cotton-padded clothes and quilts look incredibly warm and comfortable. With them, our people no longer have to fear the harsh winter."