Chapter 356 Scholar
More than a hundred thin wires hanging on the machine beam were immediately exposed, trembling slightly with the pedals like willow branches sprouting in early spring. The ends of the wires were tied to a bamboo board full of grooves, and the edges of the bamboo board were polished smooth and shiny.
"We disassembled the jacquard machine's harness and transformed it into a sliding 'flower board'." Her voice was crisper than Li Kuihua's, with a hint of pride, and she attracted everyone's attention as soon as she opened her mouth.
Her fingertips traced the interlaced patterns on the bamboo planks. She glanced at Li Kuihua, who had already stepped aside, and continued, "Before, changing the pattern required retying all the threads, and the twisting would make my fingers numb. Now, I can just remove the old planks and insert new ones, and in half an hour, I can change from a cloud pattern to a lotus pattern without making a single mistake. It saves both time and effort."
While he was speaking, Qingcao had already nimbly sat down on the cotton mat in front of the new loom.
The cotton pad was made from refurbished old cotton wool, and it was soft enough to cushion her lower back. The height of the seat was also just right, so she could bend her knees naturally when stepping on the pedals, instead of having to stand on tiptoe like before.
As her feet rose and fell, the wooden shuttle whizzed through the warp yarns, so fast that only a shadow was left.
The onlookers held their breath. Even Master Du moved forward, his eyes following the wooden shuttle, and he didn't even notice the scroll in his hand drop to the ground.
Someone subconsciously clenched his fist, as if this would make the shuttle run more steadily.
It was so fast! It was nearly twice as fast as an ordinary loom, and even the sound of the shuttle was sharp and powerful.
In just three sticks of incense, layered shadows of crabapple blossoms appeared on the cloth scroll.
The silver threads on the edges of the petals are woven evenly and cleanly, shimmering softly as if soaked in morning dew, and even the finest lines on the calyx are clearly visible.
In the past, the weaver had to stare at the spool of thread and count each stitch to weave it. The effort required was much greater than it is today. How many weavers have gone blind at a young age?
"You all saw it just now. The newly improved loom doesn't require you to bend your waist like before." Qingcao stopped what she was doing, rubbed her wrists, and with a relaxed smile on her face, pointed to the cotton pad and adjustable stool next to the loom base. "Sister Tonghua measured our height when we sit and weave, and drew three drawings before finalizing the dimensions. Even the wooden pole for the shuttle was shortened by half a foot. We don't have to stretch our wrists forward anymore, and they won't feel sore after weaving for a long time."
Li Tonghua had originally stiffened his neck, but upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, then quickly flattened, and he suddenly turned around and grabbed a piece of old cloth next to him.
The edges of the old cloth were a little wrinkled, and the corners were crooked. "You see, the edges of brocade woven on an old loom are always a little crooked, like ungrown seedlings."
She put the old cloth next to the newly woven Begonia brocade, and the contrast was particularly obvious. "The new loom is equipped with a copper warp-fixing device, and the warp yarns are pulled straight, more accurate than if measured with a ruler. Even the most picky embroidery shop owner Zhang can't find any mistakes."
She paused, catching a glimpse of Li Kuihua's sparkling eyes from the corner of her eye. She lowered her voice, but still loud enough for those around her to hear, "It was Kuihua who first thought of making the lever of the slant loom more flexible."
Humph, although she always felt that Li Kuihua was too soft-hearted and that it was a bit foolish for her parents to deceive her. But this time, it was indeed the other party who drew the sketch first.
She, Li Tonghua, was not interested in taking credit for anything.
She has her own abilities, and if she wants to be praised and honored, she should do it herself! People are not blind, and there will always be discerning people who will see her efforts and achievements.
For example, when she improved the loom this time, the teacher in charge of blacksmithing in the school praised her for polishing the gears and saying that they rotated the smoothest.
Gu Jiayue called a few teachers to look at the brocade on the loom. Her fingertips gently brushed across the surface of the cloth, which felt as delicate as flowing water.
The patterns are complex but not disordered at all, and even the density of the weft threads is surprisingly uniform, as if they were not woven but grown naturally.
"Not bad, not bad, the changes are indeed very good!" Gu Jiayue's voice was full of praise.
Although in Gu Jiayue's eyes, this loom still has many shortcomings that need to be improved, but as a teacher, she cannot and will not say hurtful words at such a time.
Only those who have actually put it into practice know that this process from nothing to something is not as simple as a sentence or an idea.
This is something three girls created based on books and their own thinking. It’s amazing that they were able to achieve this.
"You did a great job, so I decided to reward you!" Gu Jiayue looked at the three little girls and was about to tell them the reward she had thought of a long time ago, but she felt her sleeve being gently pulled.
When she turned around, she saw Hua Chao winking at her.
I didn't understand it, but I roughly understood what it meant.
Gu Jiayue pretended nothing had happened and smiled naturally: "As for the reward, I haven't thought about it yet. I will discuss the most appropriate rules with other teachers and give you a surprise."
"Thank you, Master!" The three little girls hugged each other excitedly.
"Master, don't worry. We will continue to study and improve this loom. My goal is to let every household in Taohua Village own a loom!" Li Kuihua raised her face, with some cotton wool on the tip of her nose, but her eyes were as bright as tempered steel needles.
As the creator, he naturally knew that this loom still had some shortcomings.
The most fatal point is that it is too large and too expensive to manufacture, making it impossible to popularize.
Li Tonghua also nodded vigorously, chin slightly raised: "Next time the master comes, we will ask it to weave a pattern of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix!"
Gu Jiayue smiled and said many encouraging words. Looking at the light in their eyes, she felt that the rainy day had become warm.
She turned to face the gathered students and raised her voice a little, loud enough for every corner to hear. "From today on, the school will establish an 'Innovation Scholarship.' Whether it's improving a tool or coming up with a new method, as long as there are practical inventions or creations, the school will provide targeted rewards."
As soon as the words fell, the students who were originally discussing in low voices suddenly exploded, and the cheers almost blew off the roof.
"Can we try out the water-saving water truck I've been conceiving for half a year?" A young man in a blue shirt flushed with excitement in his eyes that could not be contained.
"Master! I have a way to make the ink dry quickly. Would you like to listen to it first?" The little girl with two buns held up her inkstone and squeezed forward.
"Listen to me first!" A taller boy pushed through the crowd. "I have a great idea for a shared stool. If we can make it, we'll definitely make money!"
"Master, I made a brush that can hold an ink sac, so you don't have to dip it in ink all the time! Would you like to take a look?"
"Master, Master, I have a wooden mechanism that can automatically close the windows. This way, I don't have to run to close the windows when it rains!"
Like a newly opened treasure chest, the children poured out their long-buried ideas. Some were truly practical, like the ink cartridge brush, which still had the small hole drilled crookedly during the trial run. Others, though simple, were ingenious.
For example, the "automatic book-turning machine" made of bamboo strips can only turn thin books, but it can be seen that a lot of thought has been put into it.
Jiang Luli was protecting Gu Jiayue, afraid that she would be bumped into by these young children. When he heard this, his eyes lit up and he grabbed the boy who said "shared mat". "Tell me more about your shared mat?"
"What are you going to do with your stool? Where will you put it after it's finished? What if someone takes it and doesn't return it? Or how do you make sure people pay before they can sit on it?"
The child was completely bewildered by Jiang Luli's string of questions. Originally very excited, he left Jinxiu Tower with a look of despair on his face.
On the way, I met the uncle of the Gu family who came to look for someone. "Hey kid, have you seen your Gu Shanchanghe Gu Fuzi?"
Now Gu Yuchuan is also a teacher in the school, so everyone calls him Master Gu.
The child weakly pointed at Jinxiu Tower.
"Okay, kid, you should pay attention to where you're walking. How can you close your eyes? What if you fall down?"
The child was even more sad.
"Woo woo woo, my eyes are just small, they're not closed!"
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