Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

"Wow, what is this? It didn't seem to be there just now!"

Everyone was awakened by Xiao Yuanyuan's cry. Before Li Kuan could answer, the others came up together:
"What is this thing? I don't think I've seen it before."

"When did it appear out of nowhere, Your Majesty? Did you conjure this thing up?"

Everyone was talking at once, but no conclusion could be reached for a while. Qiao'er frowned, walked up carefully, and tentatively touched the cotton loom:
"This seems a bit like my mother's loom, but the middle part seems a little different..."

After hearing her words, everyone began to take a closer look at the cotton loom, and it turned out to be true.

So many pairs of puzzled eyes looked at Li Kuan. Li Kuan smiled and took out his left hand. A bag of cotton seeds like a steamed bun lay quietly in his palm.

"Don't you want to stay warm this winter? Let me tell you, this thing in my hand is the magical seed. It can produce a material that has never existed before."

"And this machine next to it is one I have been hiding to give you a surprise. It turns this new material into a piece of cloth. With these two things, you won't be as cold in the winter as you are now!"

Although the children were a little skeptical, the one standing in front of them was after all Dayan, the famous Majesty.

Your Majesty not only drove away the foreign enemies, but also used his own wisdom to allow them to eat more food and foods they had never seen before.

So in the end, they all chose to believe Li Kuan.

For a moment, they all became happy, except for one who pouted from afar:
"Why is this seed so strange? We took turns guarding it for a long time but it didn't grow. But as soon as we fell asleep, it grew. Brother-in-law, are you lying to me?"

"No, how could I dare to lie to Sister Yuan? Without the care of Sister Yuan and your friends, this seed will definitely not grow," Li Kuan explained quickly.

"As for why it didn't grow out when our sister Yuan was protecting him, is it because our sister Yuan is so cute and this seed is just a little shy?"

"Really?" Xiao Yuanyuan asked doubtfully. Seeing Li Kuan nod solemnly, she immediately smiled and said,

"That's great. I helped my brother-in-law. But you have to remember to wake me up next time a miracle happens."

Li Kuan agreed to Xiao Yuanyuan's request, so Xiao Yuanyuan gathered around the seeds like everyone else. Seeing that no one else dared to get too close, Xiao Yuanyuan mustered up her courage and carefully opened the white bag with her little hands.

Although these children lived in Yanyun City, agriculture was the most important thing in this era. Except for the children from wealthy families, most of them had been exposed to agricultural labor when they were very young.

So Qiao'er and other friends can basically distinguish various grains and have seen many grain seeds.

But the white thing in the bag was something they had never seen before.

A child was curious and wanted to reach into the bag to feel something, but was beaten back by his companions:

"This is his majesty's stuff. He said it can keep us warm in the winter. You can't touch it. What if you break it?"

Li Kuan smiled and tied the bag back up. Qiaoer mustered up her courage and asked Li Kuan curiously:

"Your Majesty, what kind of seed is this? We have never seen it before."

"This is called cotton seed, and what grows from it is called cotton. After the cotton grows, we can use it to make warm and cheap clothes?"

"Cotton, what is that?"

After all, it was awarded by the system. Not to mention these children, even the adults on the street and even the dignitaries would not know what cotton is. Qiaoer said longingly:
"All the clothes in my house are made of linen, and we can't make a lot in a year, so every time I see people wearing fur to keep warm on the street, I envy them."

A little boy complained: "At least you have charcoal at home. We can only collect firewood to make fire. Basically, in winter, we can only sleep or stay around the firewood pit. Once the firewood is burned out, we will be cold again."

"But with your majesty's cotton, we will definitely be different in the future!!!"

Xiao Yuanyuan hit the nail on the head: "Brother-in-law, will this thing be very expensive?"

As soon as the words fell, Qiao'er and the others' eyes, which had just been alight with hope, instantly turned cold. Xiao Yuanyuan also put on an expectant look, waiting for her son-in-law's answer.

Although cotton, when it is not vigorously promoted and planted, the price will be higher.

However, compared to silk, which requires picking mulberry leaves, raising silkworms, peeling the silk, and transporting it in large quantities, cotton saves a lot of processes, so its price will definitely not be higher than silk.

Li Kuan and his team assured:
"Don't worry, you will definitely be able to afford this thing in the future."

Qiao'er and the others were instantly excited: "Really? This is really great, my grandfather and the others are right, your Majesty is a peerless hero."

"I'm going to go back now and tell my parents the good news. They will be very happy if they know!"

"I'll go with you so your parents won't think you're bragging."

After thanking Li Kuan, the group of children dispersed and ran back home happily.

Li Kuan squatted down and pinched Xiao Yuanyuan's face:
"How's it going? Sister Yuan, I've done what I promised, right?"

"Well, my brother-in-law is really amazing," Xiao Yuanyuan nodded, "but this time I also contributed to it! After I go back, Yuanyuan can help my brother-in-law water the plants and loosen the soil so that the cotton can grow faster."

"Well, Sister Yuan is really good, but now, we have another thing to do." Li Kuan held the cotton seeds in his left hand and the small Yuanyuan in his right hand. "First, we need to find someone to move this cotton spinning machine back."

"What about the second one?" Xiao Yuanyuan asked puzzledly.

"The second thing is to go back and make spare ribs and meatballs for Xiao Yuanyuan." Li Kuan said with a smile.

"Sister Yuan must have been ravenous these past two days."

After returning to Li's house, Li Kuan did not do anything except making a delicious meal for Yuan Yuan. After all, the environment of the dilapidated temple was much worse than that of Li's house. Li Kuan first took a hot bath, and after a good meal, he lay in a rocking chair to enjoy the cool air.

Finally, he had a good sleep in the comfortable big bed without being disturbed by mosquitoes. When he woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Given the size of the Li Mansion, it would not be difficult to find a piece of wasteland to grow cotton.

Although Yuanyuan is a little smart, he is definitely a man of his words in front of Li Kuan.

Li Kuan dug up the soil and scattered the seeds, while Xiao Yuanyuan rolled up her sleeves and carefully poured a small amount of water.

Seeing how focused she was, Li Kuan really couldn't bear to disturb her, and Li Kuan knew that it was useless to persuade Sister Yuan now.

When she felt tired, all these tasks finally fell on her alone.

"You guys have been busy together for a long time, and you don't even take a break."

Du Ruyan had once felt angry and disappointed because of Li Kuan's inaction, but after so many battles, she had completely understood Li Kuan's bravery and wisdom.

I also know that even if my husband is "digging the soil" at home, he is definitely not doing anything meaningless.

"Tell me, what delicious food are you making?"
"This isn't something delicious," Xiao Yuanyuan pouted and said in a very serious tone, "My brother-in-law and I are doing something very important."

"Oh, it's not about eating," Du Ruyan was a little surprised. After all, apart from eating, there were few things that could make Xiao Yuanyuan so active. "Then what are you doing?"

"My brother-in-law is really amazing. He got a pack of magical seeds that can grow a special material. The new clothes made from this material are warm and cheap, and can keep many people warm in winter!"

"New clothes made of special materials?"

Du Ruyan frowned. In her impression, apart from a small amount of metal used in armor for marching and fighting, the materials of clothes should be silk and linen.

She was not familiar with hemp. Could it be that her husband had discovered a new type of silkworm that could produce more and better silk? But didn’t all silkworms eat mulberry leaves?
There didn't seem to be many mulberry trees in the Li Mansion, and most importantly, when she heard others mention mulberry trees before, the growing season of mulberry trees didn't seem to be very long.
"What Xiao Yuanyuan said is indeed correct, but promoting this new material will not be achieved overnight."

As if seeing through Du Ruyan's thoughts, Li Qiu smiled and slowly said that this thing does not require raising silkworms, we just need to wait for it to mature and then climb up to pick it.

"If there is no need to raise silkworms, then are you growing a new kind of hemp?" Du Ruyan was even more confused. Because she had to fight everywhere, her knowledge and vision were much richer than those of ordinary rich girls.

"But do we need to climb up to pick hemp?"

"What I'm going to plant this time is neither silk nor flax, but cotton. And because it grows in clumps, a bit like a blooming flower, we, no, so I also call it cotton."

Li Kuan smiled and said, "Cotton is much warmer than hemp. As long as it is there, the winter in Yanyun City will not be so difficult for many people."

"Oh, cotton, I've never seen or heard of this thing before," Du Ruyan was surprised, "I wonder where you got this thing from?"

"Ah, this..." Li Kuan thought for a while and then started to make up stories.

"I got this information from the prisoners of war when I was conquering the north. I tried their cotton-padded clothes and felt that they were really good. I originally planned to start planting as soon as I returned to Chang'an."

"It's just that I put it aside for a while because I had too many things to do. Fortunately, Xiao Yuanyuan inspired me recently and I finally remembered it."

"I told you, I can definitely help my brother-in-law." Xiao Yuanyuan shook Li Kuan's hand with a proud look on her face.

"So that's how it is," Du Ruyan said in surprise. Although she still didn't know exactly what cotton was, the emperor in front of her, her husband, was someone she could trust and rely on enough!
"If this is true, then many poor families in Yanyun City can have a good winter."

"So my brother-in-law and I are doing a great thing, and Yuanyuan also has a big contribution." Little Yuanyuan quickly jumped out and emphasized.

"Okay, okay, our little Yuanyuan is the best," Du Ruyan smiled helplessly, then she frowned.

"But it's already late autumn, and the cotton will probably have to wait until next year to grow. It looks like this winter will be a bit difficult to endure."

"Before winter comes, the first cotton-padded jacket will definitely be made," Li Kuan dripped a drop of culture medium into the soil where the seeds were buried.

"Then the people of Da Yan will have warm cotton clothes to wear in the cold winter."

Compared with other crops, cotton has a particularly long growth period.

With the addition of the culture solution in Li Kuan's hand, the growth rate of cotton will be greatly improved.

Xiao Yuanyuan thought she was anxious enough, but the tree cotton grew faster than she could handle.

Before the weather got colder, Yuanyuan opened the door and hopped over to the field like a rabbit to check on the cotton's growth. A ball of white stuff came into view.
"Wow, sister and brother-in-law, come and see," Xiao Yuanyuan made her hands into a trumpet shape, put them to her mouth and shouted.
"Cotton, cotton is growing!"

When Li Kuan and Du Ruyan arrived, they were no less surprised than Xiao Yuanyuan. The seeds that the system gave Li Qiu were tree cotton. Looking up from below, it felt like a bunch of white clouds stuck in the middle of the tree.

"Wow," Xiao Yuanyuan was curious by nature. She found the lowest branch and pulled the cotton off it.
"This cotton is so special, it's white, bigger than other flowers, and doesn't seem to have any fragrance."

Xiao Yuanyuan turned around and asked Li Kuan: "Brother-in-law, can this thing be made into very warm clothes?"

"Of course," Li Kuan walked over with a smile and patted Xiao Yuanyuan's head. "If Xiao Yuanyuan wants one, brother-in-law will give you one."

"Okay, but the first one made must be given to Xiao Yuanyuan. Xiao Yuanyuan wants to be the first person to wear a cotton-padded jacket." Xiao Yuanyuan said while shaking Li Kuan's hand.

Du Ruyan also wanted to pick one.

Li Kuan quickly stopped her. Picking cotton is not an easy task. If you are not careful, you may even hurt your hands. The reason why Xiao Guoyuan was able to pick it easily was because the flower she picked was relatively small.
"I'll pick the biggest one for you." (End of this chapter)