In the corners of the room, the branches and dead grass were covered with bulging snow-white cocoons, like dwarf trees full of white fruits.

Mu Xiu and Mrs. Chen sat there on a small bench, with the bamboo basket at their feet, holding a handful of dead grass or branches, and picking off the cocoons one by one and putting them into the bamboo basket.

The silkworm cocoon is put into the cloth bag, several cloth bags are filled, a large pot of hot water is boiled on the stove, the cloth bag full of silkworm cocoons is put in, and three bowls of white alkali are put in at the same time, and the cloth bag is pressed vigorously with a wooden stick, so that the white alkali is fully integrated into the cocoon in the cloth bag.

It's just that the smell of the silkworm cocoon is too bad when it is cooked, and Mu Xiu suddenly smelled it, and almost retched.

"It's stinky when it's cooked, but the silkworm chrysalis inside is fragrant when fried out, but if you eat silkworm chrysalis, this silk can't be extracted, the kitchen smells bad, you wait outside." When Aunt Chen saw Mu Xiu's appearance, she said with a smile.

Mu Xiu hurriedly walked out of the kitchen and took a few deep breaths outside, it was really stinky.

When the cocoons were cooked, Mrs. Chen came out with a basin, rinsed them with water several times, sat down, and began to peel the cocoons.

Mrs. Chen took out an embroidered round shed, fixed it with two legs, put a basin full of water under her body, picked out a boiled silkworm cocoon with her hands, pulled it left and right, peeled off the silkworm that had become black inside, and threw it away.

Mu Xiu watched it a few times, and after trying it a few times, he did it well, although it was not as fast as Aunt Chen, but the movements were getting smoother and smoother.

After peeling off all the cocoons, wring out the dried silk into the cloth bag again, boiling it again, washing it with water, and then following the steps just now, layer by layer on top of the embroidery shed into four layers, wring it out and putting it in the basin.

After all this was done, it was already dark, Mu Xiu and Mrs. Chen hung up the wrung silk, and when it was dried, it became the size of a small square scarf.

After drying the next day, Mu Xiu brought Mu Xiaoshu and Chen Xuhui over, stood at the table, spread a clean sheet, and the four of them had a corner, one of them grabbed a corner, and pulled it apart at the same time.

Two palm-sized small square scarves, opened in the southeast and northwest, can be pulled into a thin and translucent layer of quilts with a length and width of more than one meter, just like that, layer by layer, paved, four people were busy for a day, and the thin silk was layered into a quilt embryo.

"All that's left is to put it on the inside, and put a quilt cover on the outside, you guys go back first, and it will be done in two days." After all, Aunt Chen is old, and she is tired after a busy day.

"Okay, I'll come back to you in two days." Mu Xiu is also tired enough, which is more tiring than working in the field for a day.

When Mu Xiu came again, the silk quilt was ready, and Mu Xiu touched the soft quilt and couldn't put it down.

"This silkworm can spin silk into a cocoon in more than 50 days, and I raised the second batch of silkworms again, this time all of them are drawn into silk, and I will spin some silk for you." After more than half a year of recuperation, Aunt Chen's whole person has changed a lot, and her spirit looks good.

"Aunt Chen, the weather is also getting warmer, are you still going to look for your nephew?" Mu Xiu suddenly asked.

Aunt Chen's heart tightened, and then she said a little nervously: "Is the owner driving us away?" ”

"No, no, Aunt Chen, you misunderstood, I'm afraid of delaying your affairs, I can't ask for it if you want to stay." Mu Xiu knew that Aunt Chen had misunderstood what she meant, and hurriedly explained.

"I've discussed it with my old man, and as long as the owner doesn't drive us away, we'll be cheeky and stay." Aunt Chen was relieved when she heard that Mu Xiu was not driving them away.

"You and Uncle Chen will live here steadily, and no one will let you go, unless you ask to leave."

"We are two old people, we can still have such a good place to live at this age, if the owner is willing to keep us, then we will not go anywhere." Aunt Chen is very satisfied with her current life, and she has not had the comfortable life of most of her life.

After this period of contact, Mu Xiu also understands the character of this old couple very well, they are all simple people at heart, even if they occasionally show sophistication and tactfulness, it is also a natural reaction to live to this age, it can't be a person in his fifties, and he doesn't have a brain at all.

"Aunt Chen, don't spin silk first, make a few more silk quilts, I will be useful." Mu Xiu touched the silk quilt and thought of making two beds for Lu Niandong and his wife, as well as ...... Lu Yuan.

"This silk quilt is the most wasteful of silk, and the silkworm chrysalis are also wasted, which is also the owner's understanding, this silk quilt is more comfortable than a cotton quilt on the body, and the owner is such a delicate little girl, the most suitable for this, but when it is done, I have to call you to come over and help do it." Aunt Chen said with a smile, she is also an idle person.

Mu Xiu returned home with the silk quilt, thought about it again and again, found a piece of dark blue cotton cloth, called Zhou Shuilian, and made a quilt cover together, and after the set, put it in the closet, and wait for the next time he went to the county seat, he would mail the silk quilt to Lu Yuan first.

In the blink of an eye, it is about to be the Dragon Boat Festival, Mu Xiu, Chen Xuhui and Mu Xiaoshu went to the irrigation ditch to pick a lot of reed leaves, and took them home, after the reed leaves were washed first, and then boiled with boiling water for a period of time, and after making it soft, wash it with water several times, put it in the yard to dry, and then soak it in water and then take it out when you use it.

Then make the filling of the zongzi, wash the glutinous rice and soak it for 5 hours, prepare the peanuts and dates, and then you can wrap the zongzi.

Mu Xiu's favorite thing to eat in his previous life was egg yolk meat dumplings, and when he saw the dumpling stuffing prepared by Zhou Shuilian, he suddenly lost his appetite.

"Mother, let's wrap some salty zongzi and eat." Mu Xiu proposed.

"Salted rice dumplings? Like that salty rice ball, wrapped meat? "Zhou Shuilian is really a little bit clear.

"Mother, you're getting better and better, and you guessed right all of a sudden." Mu Xiu patted Zhou Shuilian a little fart, and then said: "I'll adjust the filling, you finish wrapping the sweet zongzi, and I'm almost good here." ”

"As long as you have a lot of ideas, I'll go and soak more glutinous rice, and pack more and sell it in the county." Zhou Shuilian is becoming more and more business-minded.

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