Chapter 355: Modifying the Loom
Gu Jiayue's prediction came true. The lingering rain had been falling for half a month, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but it never stopped.
The number of daily patrols in the village has increased from twice a day to five times a day.
The village chief stood at the gate of the yard every day and looked at it again and again, sighing and feeling relieved.
The village wife was already upset, and seeing the village chief like this made her even more annoyed. "If you're really upset, go to the fields and look after the rice seedlings. You're making me feel uncomfortable sighing here!"
After hearing this, the village chief actually put on his raincoat and left home.
He wanted to go to the school to see where the life-saving food for the entire village was stored.
But the school, which used to be bustling with activity every day, was now incredibly quiet. It seemed as if no one was there.
He looked around in confusion. "Where has this person gone?"
Just as he was about to call for help, he saw a somewhat unfamiliar man leading Master Du hurriedly walking towards the back of the school. The two were still whispering to each other.
"Are you telling the truth? Are you making up an excuse to lure me out because the rain is so heavy?" Master Du adjusted his crooked handkerchief, his gray eyebrows twisted into a knot, and he held the scroll in his hand even tighter.
"Hey, Master, what are you saying?" The man stamped his feet anxiously. Raindrops dripped down his bun, but he didn't bother to wipe them off. His hands gestured like a fluttering butterfly. "That new loom is turning with a clacking sound, so fast that it leaves afterimages! I took a special look when I came here. The old loom was only weaving a piece of cloth the size of a palm, while the new one was already spreading out half an arm's width, and the threads were all neatly arranged!"
Mr. Du paused, and suddenly a little light appeared in his cloudy eyes. His green cloth shoes stepped through the puddles, splashing tiny drops of water, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
The lanterns in the corridor were swaying in the wind, making his hunched back look even more anxious.
"Master, please slow down!" The man hurriedly caught up and grabbed his sleeve. "The bluestone is slippery and the rain hasn't stopped yet. Be careful not to fall."
The village chief heard the general idea but couldn't guess what it meant, so he quickly called out, "Master Du! Where are you going?"
Master Du stopped and said, "So it's the village chief. I heard there's a lot of excitement at Jinxiu Tower, and I want to go and see it."
oh?
What kind of excitement would make a book lover like Mr. Du put down his book and take a look?
The village chief immediately became interested. "Can I go and take a look?"
"certainly!"
Jinxiu Tower is usually very lively, with the sounds of girls playing everywhere, but today is different from the past. There is no playing, only low conversations.
But the combined sounds made Jinxiu Tower so lively that they almost shook the copper bells on the eaves down.
The rain fell obliquely, wetting the bluestone road, but it couldn't stop the people who kept pouring in.
The village chief and his two companions finally reached Jinxiu Building through the water-stained ground. From a distance, they could see that the carved wooden door was surrounded by three layers of walls.
The steam was mingled with the scent of cotton and grass, and some people were standing on tiptoe to peek in, their voices surging like boiling water in a pot:
"Can you really weave a lotus flower? The last time I embroidered a handkerchief like that, it took me three days just to trace the pattern."
"I heard that three girls in Class 1 changed it. What's wrong with their brains?"
After listening to the crowd's discussions, Mr. Du became even more anxious.
"Make way, everyone, please make way!" The young man protected Master Du.
When everyone saw that it was Master Du who had arrived, they all lowered their voices and made way.
"Jiayue, Jiayue!" Master Du pushed aside the wet hair hanging in front of his forehead and shouted towards the inner room.
Gu Jiayue was contemplating the loom. Upon hearing this, she turned around, a smile spreading across her eyes and eyebrows, even the strands of hair on her temples looking particularly lively. "Master Du, you're finally here. Come and see what we little girls can do."
Mr. Du nodded repeatedly, his eyes already drawn to the new loom, and he walked quickly forward.
As for why Mr. Du was so excited, there is a story to tell.
In fact, Mr. Du's family was not rich, and could even be said to be poor.
Logically speaking, he could not afford to go to school, so he should have been born in the ground, grown up in the ground, and died in the ground like most ordinary people.
But he was lucky, his mother had a loom.
Not to mention decades ago, even now in the era of clean government and fair officials, not every household has a loom.
If anyone has a loom, they will become a celebrity in the village!
It was with the help of this loom that Mr. Du's mother sent him to school.
He was also very hardworking and passed the imperial examination at a young age, which exempted his family from taxes. Later, he became an official.
It's just that he was unlucky. Because he was too upright, he became a victim of political struggle.
That's why he was so excited when he saw this loom that could improve the speed and quality of weaving.
If his mother had such a loom back then, she would not have gone blind from overwork.
He walked around the loom again and again, tapped his fingers on the wooden frame, picked up a few warp yarns and looked at them, his brows slowly frowning again.
Apart from being taller than the other looms and having more complicated gears and pedals, there doesn't seem to be anything special about it?
The fingers that were twirling his beard stopped in mid-air, and he felt a little embarrassed to admit that he didn't see the trick.
Gu Jiayue couldn't help but smile at him. She reached out and gently pulled Li Kuihua out from behind Hua Chao. "Kuihua, quickly tell Master Du about the characteristics and structure of this loom."
Only then did Master Du notice the little girl half-protected by Hua Chao. Seeing that she was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with twin buns and a half-dried flower tied to her hair, he couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod, "Oh? A girl this young could have figured this out? Rare, rare."
Li Kuihua's face flushed bright red. Her fingers, which reached down to her chest, twisted the hem of her blue skirt. Her voice trembled, "No...it's not just my achievement. I just had a flash of inspiration and came up with the idea. Qingcao supported me and helped me polish the gears. Sister Tonghua drew the pattern for the flower plate for me..."
Everyone turned their attention to the two little girls who were called out.
Qingcao blushed immediately, twisting the ends of her braid with her fingers, but her eyes shone like falling stars as she stole a glance at the crowd. Li Tonghua, however, leaned against the loom with her arms folded, her chin slightly raised, her lips curled. Although her eyes were clearly gleaming, she forced a defiant look on her face, as if to say, "What's the big deal?"
Gu Jiayue smiled and rubbed the three little girls' heads, the warmth of her palms passing through their hair. "Master, you have all been paying attention to your thoughts and efforts. Tell us, what is so special about this machine?"
Although Qingcao was usually carefree, she really couldn't handle such a crowded occasion. She had no choice but to push Li Kuihua's back and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Kuihua, go and tell her."
Li Kuihua staggered and looked back to see her good sister's pleading eyes. She could only take a deep breath, slowly loosen her fingers that were clutching the corner of her clothes, and move forward half a step.
Her voice was a little tense at first, but as she spoke it grew clearer, like drops of water dripping from the eaves onto bluestone after rain. "In the past, to weave a three-foot-long peony brocade, you had to squat over the loom for two whole nights, not daring to blink. The slightest movement would cause the thread to bend. But with our improved loom, we can finish half a piece by noon!"
She pointed to the side of the loom, where the newly installed wooden gears still had fresh wood grain. "We installed this set of wheels under the pedals. Each step raises and lowers the three heald frames, like adding a pair of labor-saving legs to the loom. My legs used to give out after pedaling for half an hour, but now I can weave all afternoon without feeling tired."
"Hmph." Li Tonghua suddenly snorted, took a few steps to the front of the loom, and with a "rustling" sound, lifted the fine cotton cloth covering it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
