20demayo Chapter 37 Spinning Wheel
Chapter 37 Spinning Wheel
The training ground fell silent for a moment. Zi Nu and Zhao Heng's eyes met in the air. The gaze seemed to last for a long time, yet it also seemed to be only a moment.
Immediately, Zi Nu gently shifted her gaze, and with a flick of her wrist, a section of her fair wrist peeked out from her slipped sleeve. She clapped her hands in praise:
"I originally thought that your eloquence and intelligence at the Drunken Moon Pavilion were enough to impress me. But today I realize that I was too naive. You are not only intelligent, but you are also skilled in both literature and martial arts, yet you keep it hidden."
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes swept over the distant target and then looked at the boy standing in the field with his bow.
"This arrow, so calm and collected, has truly broadened my horizons."
Zhao Heng's eyebrows twitched slightly.
He truly hadn't expected Zi Nu to visit at this hour, much less that she would witness him testing his bow.
Then she saw the old woman behind her staring wide-eyed, her gaze shifting back and forth between him and the target, her face filled with disbelief. Fu's mother was equally shocked; her hand remained in the guiding gesture, but she had forgotten to utter a sound.
Zhao Heng had a slight headache, knowing that he had acted impulsively and lost his temper, but since things had come to this, he didn't dwell on it too much.
He casually tossed the hard bow to Ji Cheng with a nonchalant expression.
The latter hurriedly caught it, then hugged it, staring blankly as Zhao Heng turned around nonchalantly, brushed the dust off his robe, and walked straight towards the moon gate.
He then abruptly turned his head to look at the target.
At the bullseye, the black arrowhead pierced almost completely through the target.
"Luan, Luan Ding..." Ji Cheng lowered his voice, his throat a little dry, "Did you see that? Fifty paces... through the target... when did Shao Jun...?"
Luan Ding was slightly calmer than him, staring intently at the feathered arrow, his voice low and reverently certain: "It must be divinely ordained. After the young lord awoke from the water, he was no longer an ordinary person. It's just that you and I are only seeing the full picture today..."
Ji Cheng's face was still shaken, but then he revealed a look of realization that "as expected" and "as should have been."
Zhao Heng pretended not to hear the suppressed whispers of the two people behind him, and walked a few steps in front of Zi Nu, calmly and politely saying, "Miss Zi Nu, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not greeting you properly. I was just a little itchy and my skills are clumsy. Please forgive me."
He raised his head slightly and saw that the purple eyes behind the purple veil were smiling at him, so he had no choice but to turn around and smile:
"After returning two days ago, I mentioned to my mother how the young lady had helped me out of that predicament. My mother also said that she hoped to have the opportunity to thank her in person. I was just thinking about how to invite her, but unexpectedly the young lady arrived today. It's really a coincidence."
Zi Nu smiled gracefully and moved slightly.
"It was my presumption to come without prior notice." Her eyes flickered as she glanced again at the distant target. "If I had known that you, sir, have such a heavy workload of studying literature and martial arts, I would have hesitated and waited quite a while before daring to come and bother you."
Zhao Heng sensed the teasing in her words, but he remained nonchalant and then turned to the side, extending his hand in invitation.
"You flatter me, young lady. Since you've come today, you are an honored guest. This is not the place to entertain guests. Please move to the front hall to have our conversation."
Zi Nu readily complied with her master's invitation. The group then set off along the side corridor towards the main hall of the mansion.
Madam Fu sent a clever maid to lead the way, while she herself lagged behind by two steps, getting closer to Zhao Heng's side.
The shock from before still lingered on her face, now replaced by a sense of shame.
"Young master," she lowered her voice and spoke quickly, "this servant truly did not know you were practicing martial arts here... This young lady Zi Nu sent a letter to visit, and this servant went to the study to look for you but could not find you. I heard from the servants that you were in the martial arts training ground, so I came here... It was this old servant's oversight."
Zhao Heng waved his hand.
"It's alright." He lowered his voice and reassured her, "Mother Fu, there's no need to worry. This Miss Zi Nu is no ordinary guest. It's alright that we saw her today; it's not a bad thing."
After taking a few steps, he paused briefly, then turned to his mother and whispered, "However, I got carried away with the archery earlier and didn't know when to stop. Please ask your mother to remind the servants present today not to spread this around."
Madam Fu's expression hardened, and without saying much, she simply nodded solemnly in agreement.
The light and shadows dappled under the eaves.
As the spring morning light grew warmer, it slanted through the pillars of the veranda. In the distant courtyard, several early-blooming peach trees displayed their pink and white blossoms, while birds hopped among the branches, chirping sweetly.
Zi Nu and Zhao Heng walked side by side, their steps light and graceful.
She was tall and slender, and although she wore a floor-length gown, the hem of the dress barely made a sound as she walked. The veil fluttered slightly with her light steps, and her purple eyes would occasionally fall on the profile of the boy beside her.
The old woman who came with her followed behind, but she kept glancing at Zhao Heng, her thoughts unknown.
In the main hall, Madam Han was already seated in the main seat, waiting.
Seeing Zhao Heng and Zi Nu enter together, she first smiled and nodded to the latter, and then waved to her son.
"What are you doing at the martial arts arena so early in the morning? You made it so hard for Miss Zi Nu to come here, and I had people looking for you everywhere but couldn't find you."
Zhao Heng smiled and stepped forward to greet Madam Han.
"Mother, please don't be offended. I just felt a bit stiff after getting up this morning, so I went to stretch my muscles. As soon as I heard that a distinguished guest had arrived, I rushed back immediately." As he spoke, he turned to look at Zi Nu, winked, chuckled, and vaguely glossed over what happened at the martial arts arena.
Zi Nu's beautiful eyes remained smiling. From the training ground to the main hall, her attention had been focused on Zhao Heng. Seeing him interacting with Madam Han like this, her interest deepened.
"Madam, please don't blame the young master. It was my abrupt arrival. I did witness your diligent morning training at the martial arts training ground earlier."
Madam Han didn't grasp the deeper meaning in her words, taking it simply as Zi Nu being polite and praising her son. She warmly took the latter's hand, leading her to sit down at the table beside her, before turning to Zhao Heng and saying:
"Heng'er, do you know that Miss Zi Nu and I are distant relatives?"
Zhao Heng sat down properly at the lower seat and, upon hearing this, adopted an expression of listening attentively.
Seeing his reaction, Madam Han continued gently, "Miss Zi Nu is from Xinzheng, and her maternal family had some kinship ties with the Han family in the past. If we were to discuss their generations in detail..."
She smiled at Zi Nu, then looked back at Zhao Heng: "You should call her 'Auntie'."
Zhao Heng first nodded in realization, then looked surprised, and finally looked at Zi Nu with some oddness, wondering if this woman had made up some seniority in front of Madam Han.
Zi Nu took in his reaction and couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head.
She raised her hand, her slender fingers resting on the edge of the veil, and gently removed it.
The light gauze slipped off.
The hall seemed to light up for a moment.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, with naturally alluring eyes and skin as white as snow. Though she wore no heavy makeup, her natural beauty was enough to enhance the elegance of the room, making it seem brighter.
Madam Han secretly praised her good looks, truly a beauty nurtured by the land and water of her homeland. Madam Fu, who had just returned to stand by the hall door, was also taken aback upon seeing this, a flash of admiration in her eyes.
"Madam Han, you are too kind." Zi Nu held her veil in her hand and glanced at Zhao Heng, who looked slightly embarrassed, with a smile. Then she said softly to Madam Han, "I am only four or five years older than you, young master. I'm afraid that such an address will make you feel uncomfortable and make you feel distant when you meet in the future."
As she spoke, she lowered her stance even further: "If Madam doesn't mind, you can simply call me 'Zi Nu.' Young Master can also address me that way; it will be more comfortable for you."
Even Zhao Heng, upon seeing Zi Nu reveal her true appearance, couldn't help but show a hint of amazement in his eyes.
But he quickly realized that the woman was probably not simply trying to show off her beauty, but rather using an open and honest attitude to subtly bridge the gap between herself and her mother, a "relative from her homeland".
Looking at Zi Nu's beautiful face and then at her son's unusually embarrassed expression, Madam Han found it amusing.
She pointed at Zhao Heng and said to Zi Nu, "It's all because of this little guy. Ever since he got sick, he's been acting like an adult all the time, so mature and old-fashioned that sometimes even I, as his mother, feel like a stranger to him. It's rare to see him show such a childlike side, so it's good to tease him a bit."
Zhao Heng chuckled and shook his head.
He then picked up the conversation and said to Zi Nu, "I see. When you said you would visit another day, I thought it was just a polite joke. I never imagined that you and my mother had such a connection."
He paused briefly, then looked at Madam Han and said slyly, "If I had known this would happen, even if my mother had found out about our trip to Zuiyue Tower that day, I would have had your 'aunt' here to plead for me, so I wouldn't have been so anxious."
Madam Han was indeed amused and couldn't help but point at him playfully.
"You're getting more and more unserious."
Her tone was relaxed, clearly pleased to see relatives from her homeland. Since Lord Chunping was taken hostage in Qin, she had been managing the household alone while carefully dealing with the gazes of all sides in Handan, and it had been a long time since she had been able to speak so easily with someone.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became harmonious.
Zi Nu covered her mouth and chuckled, then gestured to the old woman outside the hall to present a lacquer box she had brought.
The old woman brought in a lacquer box and bowed as she placed it on the table. Zi Nu then opened the lid herself and pushed it toward Madam Han.
"I came to Handan from Xinzheng this time, and I brought some ordinary little things from Xinzheng with me. I don't know if they will suit your taste, but I just wanted to express my gratitude."
The gift box contained several exquisite pieces of Korean lacquerware, along with a silver-inlaid bronze mirror and a box of face powder, all presented in a small celadon jar. Below were several bolts of popular Korean brocade, their colors elegant and their texture soft and light, showing the thoughtfulness of the person who prepared the gift.
Mrs. Han looked at the items and her breath hitched.
She reached out and gently stroked the pattern of the brocade. After a long silence, she said softly, "I've been away from Xinzheng for many years. Seeing this is like seeing my homeland again. Thank you, young lady... I often saw these patterns in Xinzheng when I was young. My mother once had a similar patterned robe, which she only wore on festive occasions..."
Standing behind her, Madam Fu's eyes welled up with tears. She recalled many years ago when she accompanied Madam Han on her wedding day from Xinzheng. On that day, the old lady wore a deep robe with a similar pattern.
So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Xinzheng has become an increasingly blurry shadow in my memory.
Zi Nu watched quietly without saying much, but like a junior, she handed over a plain handkerchief. Madam Han took it and gently wiped the corner of her eyes.
"Please excuse my rudeness, young lady." Madam Han calmed herself down and smiled apologetically, "As people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past."
"It is a blessing that you cherish your memories and are sentimental," Zi Nu said gently.
Zhao Heng sat quietly to the side, watching his mother and Madam Fu murmur to each other as they looked at the old objects from their homeland. It was as if they had returned to the time in Xinzheng many years ago, and he found a rare moment of peace in his heart.
After Madam Han calmed down and the tea was served again, Zhao Heng pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
"Mother, Miss Zi Nu. I've recently acquired something interesting that might interest you. Would you mind coming with me to take a look? Please wait here a moment, Mother, while we go and return shortly."
Knowing that her son had his own ideas, and that Zi Nu was also considered a "relative," Madam Han smiled and agreed, "Go ahead, don't keep the young lady waiting. Treat her well."
Zi Nu was already curious about Zhao Heng, so upon hearing this, she readily agreed.
Grandma hesitated, seemingly wanting to follow. Zi Nu shook her head slightly, indicating that she should stay and wait. Grandma could only bow and retreat to the outer corridor of the hall.
Zhao Heng and his companion exited the front hall one after the other.
The spring scenery under the eaves was beautiful. Zhao Heng walked ahead for a while and suddenly took the initiative to speak.
"Thank you for your help earlier, young lady."
Zi Nu glanced sideways: "Oh? Why should I thank you, young master?"
Zhao Heng did not stop walking, but smiled and said, "My mother has rarely been happy since my father went to Qin. Today, seeing that you brought back old things from our homeland and had a cordial conversation with her, she is truly happy. I thank you for making my mother so happy."
Upon hearing this, Zi Nu gave a meaningful smile.
"So," she said slowly, "that you, young master, would actually be moved by the feelings of others and go out of your way to express your gratitude?"
Zhao Heng paused slightly, then turned to look at her with surprise: "What do you mean by that, young lady? Filial piety towards one's mother is a child's duty; what's so special about it?"
"Young master, please don't play dumb." Zi Nu didn't stop walking; instead, she took the opportunity to briskly walk to Zhao Heng's side and walk alongside him. "I've come today for two reasons. First, to fulfill my promise to visit Madam Han and complete the formalities of the day. And secondly..."
She deliberately dragged out her words, and seeing that Zhao Heng was indeed looking at her intently, she continued, "I was asked by someone to come and ask you a question, young master."
Zhao Heng raised an eyebrow.
"The other day, the young master made a bold statement at my Drunken Moon Pavilion, saying that he wanted to hire Miss Snow Maiden as his master."
Zi Nu teased, "But several days passed without any news, not even a definite message. The poor girl has been rather listless ever since, staring blankly at the jade flute all day. Everyone in the brothel laughs at her for waiting so foolishly."
She stopped and looked at Zhao Heng with a composed expression:
"I couldn't bear to see her like this, so I came to inquire on her behalf. Who knew that you, sir, would be hiding at home diligently practicing your 'important matters,' having probably completely forgotten about her?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng couldn't help but laugh.
"So, you've come today to demand an explanation for Miss Xue Nu. Please rest assured, Miss, how could I possibly forget what's agreed upon? It's just that my studies need to be rearranged recently, and I also have some trivial matters at home, which is why I've been delayed. Once everything is settled, I will send someone to formally inform you."
He paused briefly before shaking his head: "Besides... if I really forgot, wouldn't I be incurring a huge debt of ten thousand coins for nothing? Heng can't afford that."
Zi Nu looked at him, her smile deepening, but she didn't say anything more.
As they spoke, they arrived at the small courtyard where Zhao Heng lived.
The residence of Lord Chunping was already quite large in the royal city, and Zhao Heng was the only son and the grandson of King Zhao, so his residence was naturally quite spacious.
The main building has three rooms, used for sleeping and receiving guests. There is also a relatively quiet wing room on the east side, which is connected to the main building by a corridor, forming its own separate layout.
Zhao Heng pushed open the door to the east wing and stepped aside to let Zi Nu go first.
"This is the place, please, miss."
Zi Nu nodded slightly and stepped gracefully into the room.
She gazed intently, scanning the room, and then paused slightly in surprise.
The room was spacious, but its furnishings were quite different from what she had envisioned as a study or quiet room; in fact, they appeared somewhat cluttered.
Wood shavings and sawdust were scattered on the ground, and besides the tool rack against the wall, the most eye-catching thing in the room was three spinning wheels of different shapes.
The machine was completely disassembled, with parts scattered all over the ground. Tenons, wooden pins, spinning wheels, and spindles were neatly arranged, and there were charcoal pencils and bamboo slips recording dimensions and structure next to it. It had obviously been studied and analyzed in great detail.
The other one was half dismantled, the main structure was still there, but some rough wooden accessories were added, several connecting rods of different lengths, a foot pedal that was not yet connected, and several newly chiseled mortises, as if it was trying to make some kind of modification.
There was another relatively intact one, standing quietly in the corner, but next to it were piles of bamboo strips, wooden strips, and hemp rope, and a wooden board was hanging on the wall, covered with lines and structural sketches drawn in charcoal.
Zi Nu was even more intrigued and walked to the half-modified spinning wheel, bending down to examine the reassembled parts closely, her fingers lightly brushing against the edge of the wooden frame.
However, she did not touch it, but carefully examined the way the mortise and tenon joints were joined, as well as the ropes and gears that were trying to connect.
"Young master, what is the purpose of having so many spinning wheels at home?" She straightened up and turned to look at Zhao Heng standing by the door. "Could it be that you, young master, are also interested in needlework and weaving?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng smiled slightly, but instead of answering directly, he walked to a few inconspicuous old wooden boxes in the corner and took out a piece of plain silk cloth from them.
He held the silk cloth in his hands, turned to look at Zi Nu, his eyes clear and bright: "Does the young lady still remember what Heng said that day, that he would return the 'engagement' gift to you himself?"
"Oh?" Zi Nu raised an eyebrow, not at all disappointed. Instead, she followed his lead with interest, asking, "Of course I remember, you were so confident that day, young master. Could this 'return gift' be related to this piece of silk?"
Zhao Heng chuckled and shook his head. He walked back to the half-modified spinning wheel, slowly unfolded the plain silk, and laid it flat on the spinning wheel frame that was not yet fully installed.
"Does Miss Zi Nu know how long it would take a skilled seamstress to spin the raw silk needed to produce this much cloth?"
Zi Nu looked at him with a smile, but did not answer immediately.
Zhao Heng was not in a hurry and was about to reveal the answer himself when Zi Nu suddenly spoke up and answered:
"According to the standard silk production system in the Zhao state, a bolt of silk is 2 feet 2 inches wide and 40 feet long, requiring about 30 ounces of raw silk. A skilled female worker can only reel and spin a maximum of 2 ounces of silk per day. Not counting weaving, just spinning the yarn into thread takes 15 days. This does not include the time spent on the many subsequent processes such as reeling, winding, warping, threading, and weaving. If all of these are included, it is common for a bolt of silk to take at least a month, and sometimes two or three months, from silkworm cocoon to finished cloth."
Zhao Heng was slightly surprised: "You seem to know this very well, young lady."
Zi Nu smiled: "In the Drunken Moon Pavilion, the courtesans' dresses, the guests' gifts, and daily necessities all require the purchase of cloth. As the person in charge, I naturally need to know the market prices, understand the costs and quality of materials. Otherwise, how can the business be managed?"
Zhao Heng nodded admiringly: "What you say is absolutely right, just as the book says, to succeed in any endeavor, one must understand the details and know the fundamentals."
He walked up to the half-modified spinning wheel and patted the rough wooden frame: "However, it is precisely because I know that this process is time-consuming and costly that I realize the obvious drawbacks and inefficiency of the spinning wheel currently in use."
He sat down in front of the spinning wheel, placing his hands lightly on the wooden frame. Because the spinning wheel had not yet been modified and the pedals and transmission mechanism were not yet connected, he could only lightly step on the pedals as a gesture.
"Young lady, please look. Nowadays, most spinning wheels are hand-cranked single spindles."
Zhao Heng mimicked the movements with both hands, his left hand making a shaking motion and his right hand making a silk-drawing gesture with his fingers: "Women workers use one hand to turn the spinning wheel and the other hand to arrange and draw the silk. In this way, they are multitasking, and they cannot do one thing well enough. The silk thread is easy to break, and the waste rate is quite high. After a day of work, the women's arms and wrists ache, but their output is low."
He stopped what he was doing, looked up at Zi Nu, and saw that she was smiling at him. He didn't mind, and continued, "But if we change the spinning wheel from a hand-cranked single spindle to a foot-operated multi-spindle one—"
He lightly stomped his feet, making alternating stepping rhythms: "My feet stomp on the pedals, driving the large wheel. The large wheel drives the small wheel, which can simultaneously drive three to five spindles to rotate."
As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to demonstrate the trajectory of the linkage transmission, and then simulated the actions of guiding and pulling the yarn with his hands.
This time, Zhao Heng used both hands, making the movements much smoother: "In this way, the female workers' hands are freed up, and they can focus on sorting the silk, drawing the yarn, and splicing it. This not only greatly reduces the intensity of labor, but also avoids the problem of neglecting one thing while cranking by hand, significantly reducing broken ends and waste silk."
Upon hearing this, Zi Nu's smile quietly faded.
Zhao Heng had already gotten up, patted the few wood shavings on his hands, and walked to the piece of plain silk.
"According to my estimation, the improved foot-operated multi-spindle spinning wheel can increase the daily yarn production from two ounces to six ounces, or even eight ounces, not to mention skilled female workers, but also ordinary women and even girls with a little training."
He looked at Zi Nu: "This means that the basic yarn needed to spin the same piece of silk cloth, which used to take fifteen days, may now only take five days, or even less."
The room fell silent.
The jest in Zi Nu's eyes had vanished. She walked to the spinning wheel and this time actually touched the modified parts. The wood was rough, and there were splinters at the mortise and tenon joints; it was clearly just a prototype.
She pondered for a moment.
But Zhao Heng still didn't stop.
He walked to the wall, picked up a charcoal pencil, and quickly sketched on the wooden board.
The lines are simple, but you can barely make out that it is a schematic diagram of a loom with multiple pedals and a complex heddle-lifting device.
"Not only spinning, but weaving can also be innovated." He said while drawing: "Nowadays, most of the fabrics produced by weaving workshops are plain or simple patterned fabrics such as plain weave and twill weave. Even the brocade used by nobles, with its complex patterns, requires weavers to hand-stitch the patterns, relying on memory and experience. The patterns are relatively simple, and it takes a very long time and is very expensive."
He put down his charcoal pencil and pointed to the hastily drawn loom diagram.
"I have an idea for a 'jacquard machine'," he said. "It can use a similar foot-operated transmission, with multiple pedals controlling the raising and lowering of different heddles. In this way, the weaver's hands can be freed up to focus on feeding the shuttle and beating the weft."
Then, his finger moved to the pattern of woven yarn.
"More importantly, the 'flower book' can be preset."
Zi Nu took two steps closer, leaned slightly forward, and examined it carefully: "A flower book?"
"Using thread and string, weave a set of 'programs' according to a preset pattern."
Zhao Heng gestured with his hands to illustrate the weaving motion, explaining, "During weaving, the weaver or assistant pulls the pattern sheet in sequence, and the loom automatically lifts the corresponding heddles to form the shed. The weaver only needs to follow the pattern and insert the shuttle; there is no need to manually select the pattern."
He paused, then added, "In this way, complex and symmetrical continuous patterns can be woven. And once the pattern is woven, it can be reused repeatedly, making the weaving speed far superior to that of hand weaving."
He put down the charcoal and patted the black ash off his hands: "As for the silk reeling and dyeing processes, I also have some ideas. We can try to improve the equipment or processes to reduce waste and improve the quality of the silk and the color fastness."