Chapter 628 A Dream of Youth (160 words)
The carriages and horses leisurely passed through the bustling city, and only when dusk fell could one see the distant lights.
"Miss, we've arrived."
Xie Ning yawned, her face still bearing the red marks from the mat. Just as she regained consciousness, Xueqiu nuzzled over...
"Stop fooling around."
Xie Ning turned Xueqiu's face to the other side, then had Qingxu comb her loose hair and put her hairpins in before getting out of the carriage.
"Has the young lady had dinner?"
The manager of the weaving workshop stepped forward and took Xie Ning's hand, followed by several maids and servants who were in charge of managing the workshop.
"I haven't eaten yet. Let's make some. First, go and see the newly made loom, and bring me the comparison records as well."
Xie Ning followed the others through the passageway. By this time, the weavers had finished their work and were eating dinner in twos and threes before heading to Xinxue Courtyard for their lessons.
They weren't stupid; they naturally knew that reading and writing would benefit them, so they were all very enthusiastic, initially aiming for the rewards, but later doing it for themselves.
Xie Ning stood outside and glanced at the scene. He nodded slightly to Qing Li, who was looking over, and then took the account book handed to him by the stewardess to look at the loom.
The courtyard where the weavers worked was surrounded on three sides by rows of neat houses. Inside, there were no other things but all kinds of looms. The room directly in front of the door was the largest, so it contained a large loom with double warp beams and ten heddles.
The loom is about 16 feet long. The tall part is the loom, the middle part is the reed tray, and the bottom part is the reed foot. The end of the loom uses a lever to wind the silk. In the middle are two stacked wooden supports, which vertically connect two wooden sticks about four feet long. The tips of the wooden sticks are inserted into the two ends of the reed.
At this time, there were two weavers inside. The one above was the embroiderer, and the one below was the weaver. The weaver who was in charge of the pattern was sitting on the wooden frame of the flower tower.
As they wove, they hummed songs, which were rhymes composed according to the pattern. At the same time, they lifted the heddles of the flower bouquet with their hands, while the weavers sitting below coordinated their movements, working together in rhythm to draw the shuttle back and forth and beat the weft, creating complex patterns of birds, animals, figures, flowers and other motifs.
Knitting is the most difficult technique to master in jacquard weaving. There is a woman in her forties in the village who does knitting, Yan Niangzi, who was specially recruited by Chen Wan Niang from elsewhere. Her wages are very high, second only to the manager's wife.
The most ingenious craftsmen are those who create intricate designs.
Xie Ning stood and watched for a while, then asked someone to bring paper and pen. She had modified the spinning wheel but had not yet started to modify the loom. Now she carefully drew the loom to make improvements.
Whether it's textile machinery or anything else, development comes step by step. It will improve gradually, rather than overnight, because society needs a period of adaptation.
The stewardess stood quietly to the side watching Xie Ning paint. She thought Xie Ning just wanted to paint the scene of the weavers weaving cloth, but she didn't expect that Xie Ning would disassemble the large and small jacquard looms and other looms on the paper after only turning around a few times.
After Xie Ning put the sketch away for Qingxu, the stewardess kept craning her neck to look at it. While she was shocked, she had no doubt that the spinning wheel in the next yard was designed by Xie Ning.
It turns out their daughter is so amazing!
"Go and look at the spinning wheels. Do you notice anything wrong with them?"
The manager, regaining her composure, quickly replied, "Yes, miss. We tried using cotton, but found it difficult to shape, and the speed and quality were not as good as our ordinary spinning wheel."
Seeing that Xie Ning wasn't angry, the head housekeeper boldly continued, "Then a weaver tried it with hemp and silk, and the results were unexpectedly good..."
However, hemp is the most suitable.
As they were talking, the group walked to the courtyard where the spinning wheels were kept.
Because the spinning wheel requires water power, and since the village happens to be half-walled against a mountainside with water flowing down, craftsmen were hired to make several water-drawing devices. Now, there are four spinning wheels in the courtyard.
Although it was already late, there were still female workers spinning yarn. After all, the extra amount spun each day was considered performance pay and would earn them extra rewards. So even if the employer didn't urge them, everyone was eager to work overtime.
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