Chapter 87: Supplementary Update One
Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing were chattering happily, and didn’t even notice when the cart stopped.
“Miss Wan Jing, we’ve arrived.”
Shi Gun’s shout startled Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing, who were leaning their heads together, engrossed in gossip.
Li Xiaonan was closer to the cart door and turned to rush out.
“I’ll get out first!” Wan Jing grabbed Li Xiaonan, smoothed her skirt, put on a serious face, took a breath, and got out of the cart. She lifted the curtain, lowered her eyes and head, and waited for Li Xiaonan to get out.
Li Xiaonan stepped down onto the footboard, met Gu Yan’s sidelong glance, wanted to laugh, but quickly suppressed it.
Gu Yan looked from Li Xiaonan, whose eyes were full of smiles, to the prim and proper Wan Jing, then back to Li Xiaonan. He put his hands behind his back and turned to walk forward.
The officials and clerks of the Weaving Bureau lined up in two rows, bowing and with hands clasped, waiting at the main gate.
Li Xiaonan, pressed close to Wan Jing, whispered, “Is this weaving workshop your family’s?”
“No. Don’t talk!” Wan Jing tried her best to move her lips as little as possible.
Steward Zhou, the chief steward of the Pingjiang Weaving Bureau, hurried forward.
Gu Yan’s footsteps didn’t stop. He raised his folding fan, signaling Steward Zhou not to stand on ceremony. “I was just passing by, so I thought I’d take a look. Don’t disturb anyone, just accompany me. You can let the others go back to their duties.”
“Yes.” Steward Zhou bowed respectfully, agreed, turned to instruct everyone to return to their duties, and then followed Gu Yan slightly behind and to the side.
“How many people are there in the Pingjiang Weaving Workshop in total? How many weavers?” Gu Yan swayed his folding fan, looking here and there, with an air of bored idleness.
“A total of over forty-five thousand eight hundred people, with over thirty-four thousand three hundred weavers. Among them…”
“Over forty thousand people, and only thirty thousand weavers! Who are the remaining ten thousand-plus people? Do you have so many officials like yourselves?” Gu Yan stopped in surprise.
“No, no!”
Steward Zhou was made both nervous and amused by Gu Yan’s question, and quickly explained.
“For thirty-four thousand weavers, there must be over thirty-four thousand looms. These looms need to be repaired and maintained, requiring many craftsmen such as carpenters and blacksmiths. The loom rooms need to be cleaned and scrubbed, and the weavers need to eat two meals in the workshop. There are seventeen kitchens in total, requiring a workforce of…”
“So that’s how it is.” Gu Yan interrupted Steward Zhou again and pointed to the weaving workshop in front of them. “Let’s go in and take a look.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Steward Zhou hurried into the weaving workshop and pulled aside the thick cotton curtain.
Li Xiaonan’s eyes widened as she looked at the weaving workshop before her.
This weaving workshop was very similar to a factory in later generations, five or six zhang long and three or four zhang wide, taller than a two-story building. The walls had windows over a zhang high, and the window frames were inlaid with a slightly yellowish translucent material that reflected light, like pieces of inferior yellow glass.
“That, that!” Li Xiaonan was extremely surprised and kept patting Wan Jing.
“That’s translucent paper! Don’t talk!” Wan Jing glared at Li Xiaonan.
“Paper?” Li Xiaonan was a little confused.
Wasn’t paper something placed on the roof?
“After melting cattle horns and sheep horns, they are pressed thin into sheets, called translucent paper sheets. Haven’t you seen them?” Gu Yan stopped and glanced sideways at Li Xiaonan.
“Oh, so it’s like a cattle horn lamp.” Li Xiaonan was a little disappointed.
It wasn’t glass!
Steward Zhou kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, listening intently and not looking around.
Everyone in Pingjiang City knew that this Young Lord had become infatuated with that little girl from the Li family, who ran the Yueyang Preserved Egg Business.
For the entire Spring Festival this year, this was the only hot topic in Pingjiang City.
Well, it was just as Prefect Liu had said. The Young Lord wasn’t infatuated with her beauty; he found the little girl amusing because she was so silly and ignorant.
He also found the little girl both amusing and likable. Her eyes sparkled, and she had a face full of good fortune. Yes, her Xiucai brother also had a face full of good fortune.
Headmaster Dong of the Prefectural School praised her Xiucai brother highly.
Headmaster Dong said that ever since he heard that the Young Lord liked this little girl, he felt he had to give Li Xuedong an outstanding commendation.
Headmaster Dong said that at first, he was worried for a few days, fearing that Li Xuedong would travel around to write essays and earn money, missing too many classes. Then, his outstanding commendation would be questioned. He never expected that Li Xuedong wouldn’t miss a single class, always arriving at the Prefectural School the earliest. His diligence alone was enough for an outstanding commendation!
Headmaster Dong was so pleased that whenever he mentioned Li Xuedong, he would always add that he was polite and sensible.
Since this little girl had this connection with the Young Lord, from now on, unless Prince Rui’s Mansion fell, no one would have any reason to offend this family.
Prince Rui’s Mansion would prosper with the nation. If Prince Rui’s Mansion were to fall, it would only be if the dynasty changed…
Steward Zhou, known for his quick wit, had, in the blink of an eye, gone from the Young Lord and beauty to the change of dynasties.
Li Xiaonan entered the weaving workshop, looked at the scene before her, and let out a long sigh.
In a corner of the weaving workshop, there was a huge loom, about a zhang high and a zhang wide, and over two zhang long. A nimble woman sat at the loom, singing a folk song. With her hands and feet working in unison, the waterfall-like colorful silk threads rose and fell. The woman sitting below the loom rapidly moved her feet on the pedals, throwing the shuttle back and forth.
Next to the huge loom, dozens of patterned jacquard looms were neatly arranged, the sound of their pedals rapid, the shuttles flying.
Li Xiaonan didn’t look at the patterned jacquard looms. Her eyes were fixed on the flower-drawing worker and the weaver on the huge loom, leaving her dumbfounded.
The last time she was shocked by exquisite and magical craftsmanship was at the Silk Museum, watching a demonstrator embroiderer split a single fine silk thread into two, four, eight strands… until it was split into one hundred and twenty strands.
The shock from that time was like a pearl’s glow compared to the bright moon when compared to what she saw before her!
“Is this tribute fabric?” Gu Yan asked casually, swaying his folding fan.
“This is cargo from the Maritime Tax Bureau. The tribute fabric is in the eighth and ninth weaving workshops,” Steward Zhou replied with a bow.
Gu Yan hummed and looked at Li Xiaonan, who was staring blankly, dumbfounded. He took two steps forward, stood beside Li Xiaonan, and tapped her shoulder with his folding fan. “What are they singing?”
“Hmm? I don’t know,” Li Xiaonan replied casually.
Gu Yan looked sideways at Li Xiaonan and tapped her again with his folding fan. “Aren’t they singing in the Wu dialect? You can’t understand the Wu dialect anymore?”
“What are they singing?” Li Xiaonan turned to ask Wan Jing.
“It’s called the ‘Flower-Drawing Song.’ They composed it themselves. As long as the two of them understand it, that’s fine,” Wan Jing replied properly, standing respectfully.
“Flower-Drawing Song.” Li Xiaonan glanced at Gu Yan and replied.
Gu Yan looked up at the flower-drawing worker whose fingers were flying and ignored Li Xiaonan.
“Have you been up there to see?” Li Xiaonan moved a step closer to Wan Jing and asked.
Wan Jing glared at Li Xiaonan forcefully and ignored her.
“Do you want to go up and take a look? How about we try weaving a section too? It doesn’t look that difficult,” Gu Yan said enthusiastically.
Steward Zhou was startled.
This piece of brocade was more than half woven. If he went up and messed with it, this piece of brocade would be ruined!
“The loom in workshop number two just had its threads strung. I mean, workshop number two is more interesting than this one,” Steward Zhou quickly interjected with a smile.
Li Xiaonan looked at Steward Zhou, then at Gu Yan. Gu Yan met her gaze and nodded towards Steward Zhou. “He’s afraid we’ll ruin his brocade.”
“No, no…” Steward Zhou was sweating profusely.
“Is there any way we can go up and see without disturbing them?” Li Xiaonan asked Wan Jing.
“Isn’t there a ladder there!” Wan Jing gritted her teeth and replied in a low voice.
Can’t she just not talk to her!
“Yes, yes, yes! If Miss Li wants to see, there’s a ladder. I’ll go get the ladder for Miss Li!” Steward Zhou grabbed the front of his robe, tucked it into his belt, and rushed over to get the ladder.
Li Xiaonan tilted her head slightly, looking at Steward Zhou who was struggling to move the ladder, and then at Gu Yan who was swaying his folding fan.
She had a feeling that she was following a dissolute second-generation rich kid who bullied the weak and oppressed the good.
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The flower-drawing workers and weavers operating the heddle looms require extremely high coordination. The flower-drawing worker controls the rhythm and directs the movements. The flower-drawing song can be compared to boatmen’s chants; it is not for entertainment but for coordinating rhythm and directing.
