Although Sang Ning had never tied straw before, she paid close attention when the elder demonstrated earlier, memorizing the steps in one go—she just needed practice.
After stacking the straw into countless small piles, she began tying them one by one. She pulled out a few pieces of straw, gripped both ends with her hands, positioned them at about one-third of the pile, and placed them down.
Next, she immediately stood the pile upright, circled the straw once around, and fixed both ends with her hands—one hand above and the other below. The straw pile was tightly secured, its top end tightened while the bottom end remained loose.
After tying countless small piles, Sang Ning stacked them neatly on both ends of a bamboo pole. Once the stacks reached about half an arm's height, she stepped on the straw piles, pulled the rope around the bamboo pole, and tightened the knot firmly, securing the straw tightly to the bamboo pole.
