Archaeological evidence for the earliest existence of cotton can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty.
In areas such as Hainan Island, Yunnan, and Xinjiang, cotton textiles have been excavated, along with traces of cultivated cotton.
However, although traces existed as early as the Western Han, its widespread dissemination began during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it was not until the Song and Yuan Dynasties that it was widely planted.
In other words, it was not that the Great Jin lacked cotton entirely, but rather that it was confined to remote border regions.
Coinciding with times of chaotic warfare and the severance of trade routes between north and south, cotton had no choice for now but to stay hidden in the borderlands.
Thinking of this, Shi Yin sighed deeply. With cotton a distant prospect, she would for now have to make do with straw and bird feathers to survive the winter.
Shi Yin selected a clean spot in the middle of the courtyard to spread out the freshly cut rice straw for drying.
The feathers she had gathered were sorted: soft down was packed away in a cloth bag, with the thought that if she accumulated enough down and had sufficient silk fabric in the future, she might well sew a warm down quilt.
The stiff tail feathers were boiled in water and dried, after which they could be sewn into a feather garment, which would offer at least some protection from wind and rain.
They could also be tied into a duster to sweep away dust.
Crucially, if these feathers were mixed into mud mortar to plaster walls, they would reinforce the walls against cracking while adding a degree of warmth and insulation.
Once the straw and feathers were placed, Shi Yin dug a pit in the corner of the courtyard, intending to use it for aging lime.
So-called lime aging involved placing water-slaked shell lime into a pit, covering it with a straw mat, and letting it sit for a period of time.
This was because freshly burned shell lime was quicklime, which would generate intense heat upon contact with water. It had to be slaked with water into slaked lime first, then placed in a pit to age before it could be used for plastering walls.
If quicklime were used to plaster walls, the plaster would soon blister and peel off.
By then, instead of guarding against mud crumbs, they would be guarding against large peeling sheets of wall plaster.
While Shi Yin was digging the pit, Chengzhou helped burn the shells, and Rong’er helped her brother bring tree branches.
After a while, Chengzhou’s oyster shells were all burned, and Shi Yin had dug out a pit of about two square meters.
She poured the burned shell lime into the pit, mixed and stirred it evenly with well water, then covered it with the old straw they had removed, weighing it down tightly with several stones around the edges. Only after giving Rong’er a stern warning did she consider the task complete.
By now, the sun showed signs of setting in the west, and the people busy at the salt drying pans were returning home one after another. Shi Yin prepared to look for the carpenter mentioned by Jiang Song.
The carpenter’s house was not hard to find—a shack with a straw roof. Unlike the others, several logs and a ground covered in wood shavings were piled in his yard.
The carpenter in the yard froze upon suddenly seeing Shi Yin standing at the gate, his mind racing to recall whether he had inadvertently offended this female demon.
“Senior, are you skilled in carpentry?” Shi Yin did not know the carpenter’s surname, so she could only inquire this way.
The carpenter relaxed: “I know a bit. Is Lady acquiring some furniture?”
Knowing she had found the right person, Shi Yin spoke directly:
“My home lacks many things. I must trouble you to make me some tables, chairs, and cabinets.”
The carpenter’s voice was somewhat cool: “Let’s make this clear first: I can make them, but you must find the timber yourself.”
Shi Yin nodded: “Naturally. There are two pine logs at home. I must ask you to take a look and see what furniture can be made, though I fear you will have to haul them back yourself.”
The carpenter hesitated and did not move.
Shi Yin continued: “I will provide the timber. As for the wages… I wonder if one liter of black beans and a handful of soybeans would suffice?”
Hearing this, the carpenter’s eyes lit up. After sizing Shi Yin up, he nodded: “Deal.”
With that, he called out to the house: “Gouwa, come out with me, we have work.”
“Coming!” A young man ran out upon hearing the call.
“Push the wheelbarrow, let’s go to Lady Shi’s place to take a look.” The carpenter recognized Shi Yin; after all, how could he miss out on watching the recent spectacle?
Gouwa recognized her as well, and being at such close range with this Lady Shi made him steal glances at her secretly.
“Push the barrow. Lady Shi has two pine logs at her place, we’ll haul them back.”
The carpenter slapped the back of Gouwa’s head as he spoke.
Gouwa rubbed the back of his head, chuckled twice, and went to push the barrow.
When the carpenter and Gouwa arrived at Shi Yin’s courtyard, the fence gate was gone.
The two pine logs lay on the ground, half covered in dirt and dust.
The carpenter sized them up; the two pine logs were as thick as an adult’s waist and very long, nearly ten feet in length.
He squatted down, peeled back the old bark, nodded, and looked up to ask: “What pieces does Lady want made?”
Shi Yin replied immediately: “One square table, two long benches, four square stools, one writing desk, one armchair, plus one wardrobe and one cupboard.”
The carpenter’s eyes widened in shock: “With just these two logs, you ask for far too much! Originally, Sun Da only intended to make a bed and a table. You open your mouth asking for seven or eight large items—how could there be enough timber?”
“You don’t need to make them overly refined for me; use all the leftover scraps. The tables and chairs don’t need to be shaved perfectly straight—having some natural curve to the wood is fine. As long as you cut economically, it should be enough.”
The carpenter continued to shake his head repeatedly: “Even so, it cannot be done. A single pine log for the wardrobe wouldn’t leave much material behind, yet you want to add a cupboard—how am I supposed to conjure it up for you?”
Shi Yin narrowed her eyes as she looked at the carpenter. Whether this timber was actually sufficient was something she could not say for sure.
However, seeing the carpenter instinctively twirl his beard with a guilty expression, she knew he harbored other calculations in his mind.
The carpenter had long eyebrows, and his gaze drifted through his brow hair to glance at the silent Shi Yin. Recalling her decisive, merciless killing at the fire scene that day, a sudden chill rose in his heart.
His eyes darted about, and his tone softened slightly: “I happen to have some leftover scraps on my end that I could make up the difference with, but…”
The carpenter stopped twirling his beard and held up his index finger: “The soybeans must be made one liter.”
Shi Yin shook her head: “I will add half a handful of soybeans for you, not a grain more!”
The carpenter raised his eyelids: “I get to scoop that one and a half handfuls of soybeans myself!”
Shi Yin looked at the carpenter’s palm and shook her head:
“No, it must be counted by my palm’s scoop.”
Shi Yin stepped forward half a pace instinctively, and the carpenter also stiffened his neck to step forward, their eyes locking in mutual refusal to yield.
A moment later, the carpenter narrowed his eyes: “I’ll scoop that half handful!”
Shi Yin thought for a moment and nodded: “Deal! When is the earliest you can finish them?”
“During the day, I still have to work at the salt drying pans. I’m only free in the evening, so it will take until next month at least.”
Shi Yin shook her head: “Get up early in the morning and do a stretch of work before going to the salt pans. Ten days will suffice.”
“I have a set of old bones; I need to balance work and rest!”
Hearing Shi Yin push for such a harsh rushed deadline, practically treating him like a beast of burden, the carpenter immediately blew his whiskers and glared.
“If you deliver the goods in ten days, I will give you half a handful of soybeans right now as a deposit.”
“Deal!”
The carpenter spoke with crisp promptness this time.
“Gouwa, lift the timber.”
While the master and apprentice worked together to lift and move the pine logs, Shi Yin retrieved a clay basin and personally scooped out a handful of soybeans to place inside.
After lifting the logs onto the barrow, the carpenter clapped his hands and said with a pout: “Let me scoop directly from the grain bag—how else can we count what’s more or less?”
Shi Yin thought for a moment and shook her head: “No, I am taking one full scoop, so you can only scoop from this clay basin.”
The carpenter could only accept it, reaching out to scoop from the clay basin.
Who would have guessed that while his hands hadn’t looked large when twirling his beard earlier, when opened wide now, they were broad like a pair of cattail-leaf fans.
With one sweeping scoop, all five finger gaps were packed full of soybeans; what appeared to be merely a shallow half-handful left not a single grain behind in the clay basin.
The carpenter weighed his palm, speaking with righteous confidence: “Lady Shi, this of mine is a genuine half-handful—I haven’t taken advantage of you in the slightest, not even filling a single palmful. Doing business requires honesty, does it not?”
Shi Yin glared at this carpenter with gritted teeth for a long while before clenching her fist and saying: “Deliver the furniture to me in ten days. If I find you’ve cut corners, I’ll smash your shack!”
“My craftsmanship—rest assured, there’s no one better within ten miles!”
With that, he stuffed the soybeans into his bosom and left in a hurry.
Gouwa pushed the wheelbarrow loaded with timber, chasing behind: “Master, wait for me!”