As dusk fell, Xiao'e once again enjoyed the bowl of rice she had been longing for.
The little girl devoured a large bowl in one go, not to mention the meat broth. If Jin Feng hadn't been worried about her overeating, she might have managed another half bowl.
"Darling, I'm sorry for the inconvenience..."
Guan Xiaorou saw Jin Feng off at the workshop door, her face filled with guilt: "Since I married you, I've brought trouble from my family..."
There was only one bed at home, and it certainly couldn't accommodate three people.
Although the east wing had been tidied up, there was no bed, and it wouldn't be suitable for Xiao'e to sleep on a plank. So, Jin Feng had to sleep in the workshop these past few days.
"Silly girl, what are you talking about? We're family. There's no such thing as trouble."
Jin Feng ruffled Guan Xiaorou's hair: "Besides, Xiao'e is so sensible."
In these times, there are too many pitiful souls. Jin Feng couldn't help everyone, but Guan Xiaorou was his wife. He couldn't just stand by and watch her sister starve.
Sleeping in the workshop wasn't a long-term solution. There were no carpenters in Xihe Village, so Jin Feng had to call on Zhang Liang and Mancang to go to town with him. They bought half a cart of wooden planks and a set of carpenter's tools to make a bed himself.
With Jin Feng's handiness, it only took him a day to build a small bed.
Then he started making a spinning wheel for Guan Xiaorou.
This was a delicate job, and with the primitive tools, progress was slow.
"Jin Feng hasn't gone hunting for several days, has he?"
"No, I've seen him tinkering with those woods at home."
"A few days ago, I thought he had changed, but now that he has a bit of money, he's back to being lazy."
"Wasn't his money stolen by Xie Guang?"
"Most of it was stolen, but he still had a few strings of copper coins on him."
"That's still quite a bit."
"How long can a few strings of copper coins last? If he keeps lazing around, I wonder what he'll eat in a few days?"
...
The village women were still hoping Jin Feng would accompany them to the back hills for courage, but after waiting for several days without seeing him, they came over to find him hiding at home doing carpentry. Naturally, they started gossiping again.
Even Lin Yunfang couldn't stand it anymore. After a few more days, seeing Jin Feng still hadn't stepped out, she couldn't help but come over to persuade Guan Xiaorou.
"Xiaorou, the village is starting to gossip. Talk to your husband, don't let him idle at home..."
"Cousin, my husband isn't idling at home. He made me a spinning wheel, and it's so efficient. I can spin more in a day than I used to in five."
Guan Xiaorou said excitedly.
At this time, there were no factories, and besides farming, the only source of income for rural families was spinning by women during the agricultural off-season.
Hearing that the spinning wheel Jin Feng made could do five days' work in one, Lin Yunfang immediately followed Guan Xiaorou into the east room.
The spinning wheels in Dakang were usually very old-fashioned hand-cranked ones with only one spindle. Working required one hand to turn the wheel and the other to spin the thread, which was not only troublesome but also very slow.
The spinning wheel Jin Feng made was foot-pedal driven, freeing both hands and increasing the number of spindles to four. The spinning speed shot up, and the work became much easier.
Lin Yunfang watched Guan Xiaorou spin a large ball of thread in a short time, her eyes almost glowing.
She completely forgot the purpose of her visit and exclaimed in admiration: "Xiaorou, this spinning is too fast. Your husband is really smart. How did he think of this?"
If she had such a spinning wheel, she wouldn't need to dig for wild vegetables. The women in her family could take turns spinning, and it would be enough to feed the whole family.
From that day on, Jin Feng's house became lively again.
All the women came to see Guan Xiaorou's new spinning wheel.
When they found out that the new spinning wheel was indeed several times faster than the old one, the women went crazy, each begging Jin Feng to make one for them.
Unfortunately, Jin Feng refused all of them.
What a joke, it took several days to make a spinning wheel, and his hands were covered with blisters from making just one. How could he have time to make one for every woman in the village?
Since Jin Feng was unwilling, the women had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, bringing their own thread to try it out when Guan Xiaorou wasn't using it.
Guan Xiaorou suddenly became the most popular person in the village.
Even Xiao'e became the object of flattery, with every woman praising her as lovely.
One would give a handful of wild vegetables, another a handful of wild fruits.
Xiao'e was overjoyed.
The news soon spread to Guanjia Bay, attracting Guan Xiaorou's best friend Tang Dongdong.
After watching Guan Xiaorou's demonstration, Tang Dongdong was so excited she almost jumped: "Xiaorou, this is a treasure! How can you let people look at it so casually?"
"They're neighbors, what's wrong with letting them look?"
"What's wrong? This is a family heirloom, do you understand?"
Tang Dongdong couldn't maintain her composure anymore, slapping her thigh and asking: "Where's your husband?"
"He's busy over there."
Guan Xiaorou pointed to the blacksmith's shop.
Without a second thought, Tang Dongdong grabbed Guan Xiaorou and ran over.
"That... that spinning wheel, did you come up with it?"
Tang Dongdong originally wanted to call Jin Feng brother-in-law, but then thought better of it.
"Yes, why?"
Jin Feng put down the iron piece in his hand and smiled in response.
"Have you told anyone else about it?"
Tang Dongdong continued to ask.
"No?"
"So, there's only one such spinning wheel in the world?"
"Probably." Jin Feng asked: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I want to say, would you sell that spinning wheel to me?"
Tang Dongdong said: "I'll give you ten taels of silver, no, fifty taels! On the condition that you forget about this spinning wheel and never make another for anyone else."
"Do you have that much money?"
Jin Feng asked curiously.
Fifty taels of silver was no small sum. Didn't Guan Xiaorou say this girl was almost reduced to joining a matchmaking team?
"I don't have that much money now, but if you lend me this spinning wheel, I'll definitely bring the silver in a month."
Tang Dongdong said confidently: "I can write you an IOU."
"Do you plan to take this spinning wheel to the city to borrow money, or to find a partner to start a textile workshop?"
With Tang Dongdong's explanation, Jin Feng suddenly understood.
Isn't this just like modern-day financing?
First, create a product, then sell it or find investors to produce it.
This concept is common in modern times, but the fact that Tang Dongdong could think of it surprised Jin Feng and piqued his curiosity.
It seems this isn't an ordinary city girl.
Actually, when he was making the spinning wheel, Jin Feng had also thought about starting a textile factory. But doing so could potentially disrupt the entire industry and involve too many complications. After careful consideration, Jin Feng felt the timing wasn't right and temporarily abandoned the idea.
"You thought of it too?"
Tang Dongdong was also surprised to find that Jin Feng had guessed her thoughts: "Since you know the spinning wheel can fetch a high price in the city, why do you let people look at it so casually? What if someone copies it and it loses its value?"
"If they copy it, so be it. I can always improve it."
Jin Feng said indifferently.
The current spinning wheel was just a basic improvement to keep Guan Xiaorou entertained. Compared to modern spinning machines, its speed was as slow as a snail.
If Jin Feng wanted, with a few modifications, the efficiency could be increased dozens of times.
"This spinning wheel can still be improved?"
Tang Dongdong's eyes widened in surprise.