BDSMST -Chapter 155 Cotton Harvest, Warming the Entire Winter

After sending off an overly energetic Bai Yutang, life at the estate returned to its usual rhythm. Autumn deepened, the weather grew cooler day by day, and the fields were approaching the most anticipated moment—the cotton harvest.

The several hundred acres of hillside at the foot of Mount Woniu had transformed into a sea of white. Each half-human-high cotton plant was laden with opened bolls, revealing the soft, pure cotton inside. From a distance, the cotton fields gleamed brilliantly in the autumn sunlight, dazzlingly white, almost blinding.

The villagers had never seen anything like it. They gathered at the edges of the fields, eyes wide with curiosity and joy, marveling at the soft, fluffy white fibers.

“My goodness, is this the cotton the Lady mentioned? It’s as soft as the clouds in the sky!” An elderly peasant woman carefully plucked a small tuft of cotton from a boll, holding it in her hand to feel the delicate texture.

“Yes! The Lady said this can be spun into thread and woven into cloth. Clothes made from it will be at least ten times warmer than the rough linen we wear!”

“Really? Something so light can be warmer than a fur coat?”

The villagers murmured excitedly, their eyes filled with visions of the future. For people who had lived year after year in the northern lands, a warm winter was both their simplest and most luxurious wish. In past years, they had to rely on thick linen clothes or expensive, bulky sheepskin jackets to withstand the cold. Now, Jiang Suisui told them, a completely new material—lighter, more comfortable, and far warmer—was within reach.

Jiang Suisui, along with Leo and his students, also arrived in the fields. This was the final lesson of their practical teaching, and the most important one: harvesting and post-processing.

“Be careful when picking cotton. Don’t take yellowed leaves or the hulls—they affect the quality of the yarn later.” Jiang Suisui demonstrated personally. Her long fingers moved nimbly among the bolls, quickly filling a large basket.

Leo imitated her clumsily, plucking the cotton with awe in his eyes. Looking at the endless white, he was filled with emotion. A year ago, he could never have imagined that such “white gold” could grow from the soil. This year of study had completely overturned his understanding of agriculture. He had not only learned how to farm but had also absorbed from Jiang Suisui a deep respect for the land and a belief in improving it through wisdom.

The harvest progressed swiftly amidst the villagers’ laughter and chatter. Children helped too, treating it as a fun game—chasing each other, tossing tufts of white cotton onto one another’s heads, and eliciting bursts of laughter.

The joy of the harvest was contagious.

Once the cotton was collected, it was stacked in the newly built warehouse, forming small snow-white hills. The next step was ginning and fluffing. Jiang Suisui, recalling from memory, drew diagrams for hand-cranked cotton gins, which the estate’s carpenters and blacksmiths quickly built a dozen of. This simple machinery could separate seeds from cotton fibers rapidly, dozens of times faster than doing it by hand.

When the villagers saw a handful of cotton with seeds go into the machine at one end and come out as clean, soft cotton at the other, they gasped in amazement. Gathering around the creaking wooden machines, they felt as if these were objects made by the gods themselves.

The ginned cotton still needed to be fluffed before it could be spun into thread or made into quilts. The estate didn’t yet have large cotton beaters, so Jiang Suisui taught the women the most primitive method: using long, thin bamboo sticks to repeatedly beat and loosen the cotton.

Soon, the large open space on the east side of the estate was filled with busy figures. The men handled harvesting and ginning, while the women gathered to chat, spin yarn, and fluff cotton. All of Woniu Village was immersed in a kind of joyful, fulfilling busyness the likes of which they had never experienced before.

Even this wasn’t enough to satisfy Jiang Suisui’s vision. In her memory, those vividly colored fabrics were what truly dazzled the eyes.

She plunged into the records from the Medicine King Valley with Bai Ling’er, and also scoured Mount Woniu for plants that could be used as dyes. Within a few days, rows of large pots were set up in the estate’s courtyard, boiling liquids of every color imaginable.

Leaves from the indigo plant yielded a clear blue. Flowers from the locust tree produced bright yellow. Roots of madder created a vibrant red. And by mixing different plants, even more colors could be achieved.

When the first batch of snow-white cotton yarn was dipped into the dye vats and pulled out, it emerged in brilliant, dazzling colors. The women of the estate, seeing skeins of blue, red, yellow, and purple cotton hanging on the drying racks, stared in awe. Their whole lives, they had worn only the plain, uncolored linen of home—weaving with such vibrant hues was entirely new to them.

“Madam, this… this thread is even more beautiful than a rainbow in the sky!” a young daughter-in-law said, caressing a strand of deep blue cotton, unable to put it down.

Jiang Suisui smiled. “Wait until it’s woven into cloth and made into clothing—it will look even better. This winter, I want every person in the estate to wear warm, beautiful new cotton clothes.”

Her promise brought cheers from everyone.

Soon, the estate’s spinning wheels and looms worked day and night. The skillful women wove the colorful cotton threads into thick, soft fabric. Following Jiang Suisui’s new designs, they began sewing winter clothing for their families.

When Leo tried on the first deep-blue cotton robe tailored for him, he was completely won over by its lightness, softness, and warmth. It was far more comfortable than any of his velvet or silk garments.

He stepped forward and performed a formal bow to Jiang Suisui. “Respected Madam, please allow me to purchase a batch of such cotton cloth and clothing at the highest price. If my countrymen could wear this during the harsh winter, they would be grateful to you for life.”

Jiang Suisui helped him to his feet. “The clothes will come, but not yet. The first batch of cotton must be enough for our own people. But you can write back to your king. Next year, Woniu Village’s cotton will become one of the most sought-after goods on the ‘Golden Trade Route.’”

A bright light shone in Leo’s eyes. He realized that this golden trade route now had another product that could make the entire western continent go wild. He could already imagine countless coins rolling in along the ships of the future fleet.

A few days later, a carefully sewn women’s cotton jacket dyed sky-blue with indigo, along with several matching bolts of fabric, was rushed by Bai Yutang’s men to the capital. The recipient was the current Crown Princess—the elder sister of Bai Yutang himself.