Straw Shoes

"Lin Die, what are you looking at?" Yang asked, his voice slightly husky and barely audible.
Lin Die's gaze shifted away from his two large bare feet. Because he didn't wear shoes all year round, his feet were constantly rubbed, forming a thick layer of calluses.
"Let me help you make a pair of shoes," she said to Yang.
Yang was momentarily stunned, then asked with surprised joy, "Really?"
Lin Die smiled and said, "Of course it's true."
The little female wanted to make shoes for him! Shoes!
At this moment, the excitement in Yang's heart was beyond words. He could only rub the rope with even more vigor.
Lin Die planned to make shoes for herself first before making a pair for Yang. It had been a long time since she had woven straw shoes, and her hands were stiff.
The first pair would serve as practice.
The sound of rain outside fell rhythmically. Both people inside were quietly doing their own tasks, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
Yang had already twisted a large pile of rope, so Lin Die used the rope he had twisted to weave the straw shoes.
First, she braided the small twisted strands into a long plait, then prepared a long thin strand of grass and threaded it into a bone needle.
Following a specific length, she folded the plait in half, then used the bone needle to join it with the folded plait. Next, she continued to wrap the plait round and round based on the folded outline. Each time she completed a wrap, she had to use the bone needle to sew the plait and fix it in place.
After sewing about five strands, she could make the heel. She extended the plait and folded it once more. The folded part was sewn with the bone needle as before. Then, she followed the outline of the folded part to wrap the plait into circles, following the same procedure as the previous section.
After wrapping the plait for five rounds, a sole that was wide at the front and narrow at the back was completed.
To make the sole more durable, Lin Die used the bone needle threaded with grass cord to sew through the woven sole once more for reinforcement.
After finishing the sole, she just had to sew the upper part made of animal skin to the sole. On the top of the shoe, Lin Die also sewed a small grass cord; when putting on the shoe, the cord could be tied around the foot, so she wouldn't have to worry about the shoe falling off.
While Lin Die was making the shoes, Yang watched her without blinking.
At first, he didn't understand what she was doing, but once the shoe took shape, he couldn't help but praise her.
Why was Lin Die so smart? She could always create things that they couldn't even imagine!
Lin Die felt a bit embarrassed by Yang's praise. She said, "I didn't think of this myself; it was taught to me by my tribespeople." She was merely continuing to use the wisdom of the ancients.
Yang said, "Your tribe is truly powerful."
And she was certainly very impressive as well.
Looking at the newly finished shoes, Yang was even more excited than Lin Die, constantly urging her to change into them.
Lin Die had been going barefoot while active inside the house. Now she needed to try on the new shoes.
So, she used water from a bamboo tube to wash her feet clean.
This was the first time Yang had carefully observed her feet.
Her feet were white and smooth, her toes round and soft, as lovely as ginkgo nuts.
He silently compared his feet to hers, grumbling that her feet weren't even half the size of his.
Lin Die put on the shoes and took a few steps. The shoes were light and fit well; they were quite good.
After finishing her shoes, she made a pair for Yang. With the experience from the first pair, making the second pair was much faster.
When Yang received his shoes, he was overjoyed. These were his first pair of shoes! The little female had made shoes for him!
He put on the shoes and walked back and forth in the room, even reluctant to take them off when sleeping. Lin Die watched him, feeling both annoyed and amused.
This heavy rain lasted for about three days before it stopped. Fortunately, when building the house, Lin Die had told the beastmen to raise the foundation, otherwise, the water would have flooded the house.
It wasn't easy to finally be able to go out. Yang intended to take his new shoes to show off to his friends, but as soon as he opened the door, he hesitated.
It was all mud outside; what if he got his shoes dirty?
Thinking of that, he hurriedly took off the shoes and carefully tucked them away inside.
Having been cooped up in the room for three days, once the rain stopped, the beastmen hurried out to work.
The males took the opportunity to hunt, while the females went out to gather nuts, all to prepare for storing food for the winter.