Chapter 18

And so, he did not expose my identity as a girl.

Nor did I question his true identity.

We simply acted as temporary partners on this journey.

I redrew the plans for the loom he brought, which was only halfway improved. Although it was still some distance from a true Flying Shuttle Loom, it was enough to increase efficiency several times over.

Sure enough, a month later he delivered several bolts of finished cloth.

He was especially delighted to tell me that what used to take several weavers half a day to complete, could now be done by one person in just an hour.

If this could be widely adopted, in a few years’ time-

Perhaps everyone could truly have warm clothes to wear.

After autumn began, my Grandmother went up the mountain to worship Buddha, and the household felt a bit more relaxed.

I met with Chen Yi at the school; he gave me feedback on issues encountered during actual use, and I adjusted the blueprints accordingly.

As he came more often, I gradually became familiar with this group of students.

One classmate joked that I was far too thin and frail, and that since he’d received his wages, he really ought to buy me two pounds of big bones to help me recover.

He worked as a kitchen helper at a nearby restaurant, and would come by to listen to lectures when he had free time after work.

Caught up in his excitement, he subconsciously reached out to put his arm around my shoulder.

But Chen Yi stopped him.

He didn’t think much of it, muttered a few words, and then turned to busy himself elsewhere.

I looked back at Chen Yi, silently thanking him for helping me out of the situation.

The tips of his ears reddened a little, but he said nothing more.

He simply told me that he had hired about a hundred experienced farmers to experiment with my Hybrid Rice. If all went well, when the second crop comes in next year, we could begin preliminary selection of seeds.