Chapter 50 – Mining (middle part 2)
Leaving the mining place, Eiji faced toward Eve’s house.
The reason was to check how the weaver that was made the other day works.
kakon….kakon…. – once Eiji stood in front of the door, a slow sound of the wood was heard.
While thinking that it was probably the sound generated from stepping on the pedal, Eiji knocked on the front door.
Shortly after, the door opened. However, Eiji was surprised to see the person that stuck their head out.
It was Tanya, whom he had thought would be at house.
Behind her, there was Eve working on the weaver.
– Eiji-san, welcome back.
– Why are you here?
– Because I can’t do any strength-related labor, I’ve decided to help with weaving.
– Tanya-san is doing her best. She dislikes becoming a burden to her husband, so she’s is trying to weave some clothes, even if it’s just a little bit.
– Seriously, please don’t force yourself too much.
– It’s fine, trust me.
Good grief – he thought.
Nevertheless, seeing her smiling face, which was thoroughly pleased, Eiji couldn’t talk back.
Is there any problem with your body? – Eiji held himself back from expressing his anxiety that had gushed out inside of him.
Since Eve had experience in giving birth, she should probably be able to quickly deal with any problem that may occur, if there is any concern.
Considering it that way, it doesn’t seem to be half a bad choice after all.
– I wonder whether or not she is fine. Recently, she has been speaking fondly of her husband while touching her tummy.
– Speaking… fondly?
– That’s right, like that Eiji-san was in charge of making delicious meals yesterday, or that you were very gentle when paying lots of attention to her tummy, is what she said…. Indeed, you’re loved, Eiji-san.
– W-Wai– Eve-san. Why are you exposing that to him?!
– Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?
– Didn’t I ask you not to tell anyone?
– My bad, I forgot about that.
As soon as Eve displayed an unexpected look from behind, Tanya’s face flushed rapidly.
Her eyes wandered left and right, and once their sight met, Tanya opened her eyes widely while asking ‘why?’ to Eve.
Her mouth was flapping open and closed as if wanting to say something.
However, in the end, she couldn’t come up with any good word.
– Uuu～. So, embarra.s.sing! Eve-san, you idiot!
– Well, at least, shouldn’t this much be fine?
– Not at all! So embarra.s.sing.
Saying that, Tanya covered her face.
Eiji bent his body while trying to look at her face. Despite of that, she turned around and dashed inside the house.
Will she be fine running like that? – There didn’t seem to be time to worry about that for Eiji.
Once she disappeared under a cover, sounds of agony, such as Auu～、Uwa～, were heard.
Recently, I’ve got the feeling that her words and deeds have become far more matching than before. – Eiji thought.
Still, because it felt kind of cute from her, Eiji had no particular problem with it.
– Oh my, Tanya-chan is showing a nice reaction when being teased.
– Please don’t be too hard on her. I think she’s a mindful type of person.
– Ah no, I don’t think you should worry about it just because she’s bashful. What’s more, I too, want to be spoken fondly of by my husband after hearing other peoples’ stories of that. So you could say I’m satisfied?
My bad my bad – Seeing Eve scratching her head, Eiji overlooked her with suspicious eyes.
This person is indeed good natured. – He thought.
As an engineer, Eiji too was curious about Tanya’s reaction. Still, after witnessing how mischievous Eve is, he made a wry smile.
– Hey, Tanya-san, please stop hiding and come out.
– It’s fine, I’ll cool off here a little bit more.
– Hey, I’m really worried about you, you know.
– Hmm, Please reflect on your action.
Tehee – sticking out her tongue, Eve apologized. One couldn’t feel the slightest sincerity in her apology. Nevertheless, seeing her innocent smile, you couldn’t bring yourself to scold her.
Breathing out a sigh, Eiji entered inside the room after being invited by Eve.
There were 3 sets of weavers standing.
It seemed that after the completion of the first weaver, Eve continued to ma.s.s produce cloths by herself.
With not much time pa.s.sing since Eiji and the rest finished the first set, Eve alone strived to further make 2 sets of the device.[1]
Considering that she wasn’t an expert like Fernando, it was done rather fast.
Indeed, she has skillful fingers. – Eiji thought.
In front of Eiji, who was checking the weavers’ performance, Eve went toward a particular one.
– You arrived just at the right time.
– Did something happen?
– There was something I wanted to talk about. Actually, I miscalculated the interval between the teeth in each heddle that runs from the pedal. Well, since it was working, I thought that there should be no problem, and continued to weave, but after that, the threads leapt at each other into a single one. I wanted to fix it by hearing your opinion.
– Can I have you show it to me?
Eiji took a glance at the weaver.
As soon as the pedal is tread on, the heddles that separate the woof up and down will begin to move.
I see, the threads have entangled each other.
With woof pa.s.sing through, two warp threads will pa.s.s from the front side and one from the reverse side.
And once the pedal goes into the opposite direction, it will be one warp thread on the top and two from behind.
– This is….a twill weave, isn’t it?
– Twill weave?
– What you usually do is a plain weave, which is pa.s.sing the threads alternatively. On the other hand, the twill weave is a method in which the s.p.a.ce between threads is deliberately shifted. Unlike plain weave, this method offers a thicker fabric that is more resistant to wrinkling.
– Then, I didn’t fail to make it, did I?
– No, you didn’t. I wonder whether it’s better to apply this method on outer garments. I have the feeling that this would be much more suitable for making coats…
Eiji also didn’t know much of details.
However, he thought that twill weave would offer lots of benefits, since it can be used to make various types of cloths which can be applied for different purposes.
– This is nice, isn’t it? Won’t it be better to produce clothes from now on based on on this 2 methods?
– Then, should I continue like this without having to fix the device?
– I think it will be okay.
– Oh my, I’m fine with making cloths, but, when it comes to mending them, it’s much more difficult. I’m glad to have consulted Eiji-san.
Ahaha – At Eve, who was laughing, Eiji too, laughed back while being about to trip over.
It seemed that the technology had been developing little by little in quite an unexpected place.
Eve, who could make a contribution regardless of failure or success, was reliable.
– Well then, it looks like the problem has been solved. I shall go to the next place.
– Ara, that’s fast. Even though I wouldn’t mind if you took your time here.
– There are lots of places I have to visit, so that won’t do.
– Tanya-chan, Eiji-san is already leaving.
– Eeeh?! I didn’t have the slightest chance to talk with him because of me hiding, let alone having him see me working.
– I think you’re the reason for that, Tanya-chan.
– It’s your fault, Eve-san!
Tanya, who came out from the cover, sat in her post near the weaver, and began to work.
Once again, the inside of the room reverberated with the regular sound of a pedal being tread upon which made one’s heart feel at ease.
It didn’t seem like her small tummy was giving her a hard time yet.
Tanya concentrated on weaving while trying to bring his attention to her job.
Eiji silently observed her appearance for a moment.
Not much time had pa.s.sed since the completion of the weaver, despite that, her hands’ movements were highly accurate.
Treading on the pedal, pa.s.sing the weft through and pulling them back toward herself.
In front of her hands, the cloth continued to form little by little.
Certainly, Tanya-san also gives her best when I’m not watching her. – He thought.
Watching her at work, which wasn’t common for Eiji, he too had the feeling that he could understand a little more about his wife.
– Then, I’ll be going now.
– Please take care of yourself.
Tanya, who was concentrating on her work, called out to him with a composed voice.
Her appearance felt completely opposite to what she was a moment ago.
Having peace of mind, it looked as though Tanya was able to strive at her work.
Eiji’s next destination was the watermill, newly built the other day.
After he walked along the gravel road while getting closer to the watermill, a murmuring sound of the river was heard.
The river in Siena was abundant in water. What’s more, because it was the upper part of the river, its flow was fast.
It was an ideal condition for building a watermill.
The watermill was filled with various sounds.
The sound of the creaking from the watermill’s shaft, the sound of something hitting, and even people’s voices were heard.
And then, the presence of many people could be felt.
As soon as Eiji entered inside, there were the familiar faces of the hunting couple, Mike and Jane, as well as the women’s camp that helped with the watermill’s construction.
– Oh, isn’t that Eiji? Why are you here today? Could be that teaching those unpleasant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds didn’t go well?
– I entrusted that job to Pietro.
– You shouldn’t take them lightly.
– I guess that’s because I’m their master, right? I’ll make sure to teach them properly.
– If that’s the case, fine. Then, why did you come here?
– I thought about checking the condition of the watermill.
– Oh, you mean this guy? It’s really nice. Our jobs have been so pleasant that we even forget about what we are supposed to do.
The amount of power will change depending on the water receiving spot in the watermill. If it’s a bottom-level type of watermill that absorbs the water from the bottom, it will only be able to generate some 1-2 horsepower. In case of a mid-level type, it can produce 15 horsepower, and for a top-level type, even around 60 horsepower is possible.
Still, a large amount of time is needed to build a facility that can generate this much power.
Because n.o.body in this village was able to understand the convenience of a watermill, Eiji couldn’t receive much cooperation at the beginning. Therefore, he was only able to make a mid-type watermill that produces a little less than 5 horsepower.
Despite that, the watermill was still far more efficient in doing the labor than the people.
As for Mike, he used it for extracting tannin liquid for tanning procedures.
Besides that, it was used for grinding barks from oak, fir, and chestnut trees, as well as leaves from a lacquer tree.
A large wooden hammer matches the movement of the watermill as it rises up, and descends naturally, at the same time, knocking against the surface gently.
From the mortar, a characteristic, thick smell of plants rose into the air.
The watermill’s job now was to squeeze out the remaining barks and leaves, which had already become unusually soft, to the end as a compressor.
The lumber was provided by Philip.
Their cores were used by Fernando as a construction material, whereas, their barks and leaves were converted into an agent for tanning by Mike, as well as used for making leaf mold and compost by farmers.
And yet, their branches were burnt into charcoals for each household and Eiji’s purpose.
Not wasting any part, a tree was thoroughly utilized.
Next to the hammer, Jane was striking the already tanned leather while gently changing its shape.
– Jane-san, what’s your impression?
– Yes, it was of great help for a frail woman like me.
– Just whom do you mean by frail?
– You wanted say something?
Jane raised her fist and glared at Mike.
Nevertheless, Mike denied his previous statement while shaking his head sideways.
However one would look at her arm, it was thicker and stronger than Mike’s.
Was Eiji to speak his mind, he would definitely be scolded. Still, he agreed with Mike on that matter.
It seems that even blacksmiths often had their wives take the charge of Aizuchis.[2]
Because their job didn’t require power but a skillful application of rhythm and recoil, it’s said that there were unexpectedly lots of people who could properly do this job.
– I think it’s natural to say, but this guy won’t get tired, right? What’s more, even if I age or decline in strength, it will probably continue to help me with my labor? Thinking that way, I am truly grateful.
– I guess it might be so, but…
– What?
– I think that you’re still very young.
– W-What are you saying!?
Jane, whose face turned red, slapped Mike and hid in embarra.s.sment.
Despite being slapped, Mike wouldn’t cease talking, making Jane turn obedient and shy.
….Ah, I see.
Becoming happy like this, is this is what it means to be spoken fondly of?
Eiji could now understand a bit Eve’s feeling.
And at the same time, he felt content.
Next to him, the women’s camp that had helped him with the construction worked diligently on threshing without turning away their eyes.
Indeed, there’s a need for watching and learning – Eiji thought deep inside his heart.
Translator and reference notes:
[1]: I checked this part several times, but it seems that she’s capable of doing so…
[2]: In case you don’t remember, they are blacksmiths’ a.s.sistants who help with hammering.