The family members didn't have much to do, but when they heard that Grandma was going to teach Lu Yuan how to turn silkworm cocoons into silk and then process it into silk fabric, they all became interested.
So the whole family moved their little stools and sat in the empty room, listening to Grandma begin her introduction.
"Raising silkworms is not easy. There are many different kinds of silkworms. Different silkworms require different feeding methods. The cocoons Xiaoyuan is raising are from northern silkworms, which are generally coarser than those from the south..."
At this point, Grandma casually picked up a silkworm cocoon and placed it in her palm, about to continue speaking but then stopped.
Xiao Shan's mother, Lu's mother, and Xiao Shan sat to the side listening attentively. At this moment, Grandma suddenly stopped, so everyone curiously gathered around to ask her.
"What's wrong with the old lady? Is she feeling unwell? Or..."
Grandma took out her reading glasses from her pocket, put them on, looked at the silkworm cocoons in her hand, and exclaimed in surprise again.
"No, this silkworm cocoon is not right."
Hearing his grandmother's words, Lu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. Of course, this was different; this was a silkworm that had grown up in a dimensional space. However, he didn't say anything.
"This cocoon seems quite different from the ones I usually see. The silk is finer than usual, and you see, the cocoon is wrapped very neatly in circles. At the opening, it doesn't seem like most of the silk in these cocoons is damaged; it's just that some of the silk at the opening is bitten off."
Grandma's words left everyone confused. She carefully picked up a few more cocoons and examined them. She then discovered that each cocoon was basically the same size, and they were much whiter and cleaner than the previous ones, without a trace of contamination.
"Xiao Yuan, where did you get these silkworm cocoons? They're so clean and so well-formed."
Lu Yuan had already prepared his words, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke.
"Perhaps these silkworms mutated after being exposed to the catalyst, but I don't really know the specifics."
Everyone then nodded in realization.
"No wonder! I was wondering why these cocoons didn't look quite like the ones I used to know. Although I haven't touched them for decades, I still remember them quite clearly from my childhood. The cocoons back then didn't look as nice and neat as they do now. It'll be much easier to extract the silk from them now."
Grandpa, listening from the side, was also completely confused, but he wasn't interested in these things. What he cared more about was when he would receive the order to make the machine.
"Old woman, what's the use of all this talk? Just tell me how to make the machine so I can get started."
"Why are you in such a hurry, old man? You can only understand how silkworm cocoons are processed into silk after I finish explaining."
Grandma glared at Grandpa with annoyance, and he could only sullenly hide to the side, smoking his pipe in a bad mood.
Then Grandma explained in detail how to turn silkworm cocoons into silk, and then how to turn silk into satin, so that Lu Yuan had a slight understanding.
To turn silkworm cocoons into silk, the process basically involves the following steps. The first step is silk reeling, which is the most primitive method and still an essential practice in traditional handicrafts. This method preserves the integrity of the silk and makes the silk appear smoother without any knots.
Silk reeling is a crucial step in the entire production process, requiring a silk reeling machine. Due to the scarcity of electric reeling machines, Lu Yuan can only use the oldest method—manual production—which greatly reduces their work efficiency.
The basic principle of a silk reeling machine is to lay dozens of silkworm cocoons on a roller, and then manually pull the silk threads out of the cocoons bit by bit. The material is then combined into one thread on the roller. This is the common silk reeling process, and this silk thread can greatly improve the durability of clothing.
After the silk reeling machine is completed, another tool is used, which is placed on the loom for weaving. The traditional loom is divided into two lines, and an even more ancient tool is needed, namely the shuttle, also known as the flying shuttle.
Lu Yuan had seen this kind of loom in some documentaries. The new looms nowadays also use this method, except that machines replace manual labor, which greatly increases the speed. Lu Yuan is also very familiar with this. However, it would be quite troublesome to make his own loom. Fortunately, their machine factory has this kind of loom.
As for the next dyeing and printing process, some dyes are needed, but Lu Yuan thinks this step can be omitted, since they are mainly focused on buying clothes now and don't care much about appearance and aesthetics.
Grandpa was the happiest of all, because after obtaining the manufacturing method of the entire machine, he immediately had a general idea in his mind. After discussing it with Grandma and confirming the manufacturing process, the old man hid in the small room and began to make it.
Lu Yuan wanted to see how his grandfather did it, but the old man refused.
"You little brat, didn't you look down on my handicrafts? This time I'll show you what a real handicraft worker is."
Lu Yuan was speechless for a moment, and could only let the old man figure it out on his own.
The next morning, the old man excitedly rushed to Lu Yuan's door.
"Xiao Yuan, are you up yet? The silk reeling machine is ready, come out and take a look."
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