I am a Primitive Man

Chapter 373: "In Chang'an, under the moonlit sky, the sound of clothes being beaten resounds from ten thousand households."

Han Cheng's ability to work with his hands was not strong enough to create the Jenny machine that opened the door to the industrial era and the era of human cannibalism.

He only knew the names of things like the shuttle but had no idea what they looked like.

These seemingly sophisticated things and even the old-fashioned looms used by the older generation were beyond his capabilities.

When he was a child, Han Cheng heard from his family that there was an old object in Da Niang's miscellaneous pile, but he had only heard of it and had never seen it.

Now, thinking about it, Han Cheng regretted not digging it out and took a closer look back.

If he had done that, the first-generation looms in the tribe would not have been so rudimentary.

As the saying goes, you never know the value of something until you need it. Various life skills were also realized to be precious only after crossing over.

If only he had known...

Han Cheng shook his head and smiled bitterly. Where would there be so many "if only"?

If he had known he would cross over to this place, his great-grandson wouldn't have gone to find that suicidal foreign friend, nor would he have been tempted to touch those weird rock paintings...

Weaving was not a great job, especially for men who disliked repetitive and meticulous work. Spinning yarn and weaving cloth were enough to give anyone a headache, including Han Cheng.

These fine linen threads were a headache to deal with.

Han Cheng would have given up long ago and wouldn't have waited until now if it weren't for his strong desire to have clothes.

Han Cheng stood up, and Bai Xue now occupied the place where he had just been sitting.

After a long period of teaching and instilling perversion like "raising silkworms to spin silk and weave underwear" or "retting hemp to spin yarn and weave underwear," Bai Xue Mei's obsession with cloth was deeper than Han Cheng's.

Since Han Cheng started trying to manipulate the "loom," she had been watching attentively, taking everything seriously and memorizing it meticulously.

People with dreams and hopes always have so much enthusiasm. The little child bride did everything by herself without much instruction from Han Cheng.

Before Han Cheng could weave much, Bai Xue carefully asked him if she could try.

Han Cheng, who was already impatient with weaving, naturally agreed.

Bai Xue sat where Han Cheng had been, looking a little cautious and unfamiliar as she imitated Han Cheng's actions, pulling the rope with one hand and holding the shuttle with the other, shuttling back and forth.

Before long, she became proficient, and her woven cloth, each strand tightly woven, far surpassed what Han Cheng had produced.

Watching the earnest weaving of the little child bride, Han Cheng couldn't help but sniffle. Why did the gap between people have to be so big?

It seemed that talent was indeed something inherent. For example, Bai Xue, whose "hidden talent" was stimulated by the loom...

Clang, clang, the sound echoed now and then as the fine linen thread was continuously woven.

The fine threads were individually inconspicuous, but after a long period of repetitive actions, they formed half a meter wide, temporarily undetermined linen cloth.

Han Cheng didn't plan to bother with the loom anymore. He could just get the ball rolling. Subsequent improvements in spinning technology and loom modification were the responsibility of people who regularly engaged in weaving.

Practice makes perfect. After a long period of contact, someone will always discover the shortcomings and make improvements.

With enough time for accumulation, advancement will naturally occur.

Just like Hei Wa discovered, using a potter's wheel could produce pottery of better quality.

No matter how hard they tried, the cloth they initially spun always bore the rough marks of primitiveness.

For example, the hemp thread was too coarse, and the distance between the warp threads was too large.

However, no matter what, the cloth that Han Cheng had longed for so much finally appeared, solidifying his desire.

Looking at this somewhat stiff linen cloth, with numerous small holes visible even without holding it up to the light, Han Cheng was all smiles.

As Bai Xue came down from weaving, she looked at the cloth, then at the delighted Han Cheng, feeling joyful.

Shaman took the cloth and examined it carefully.

Without the softness of tanned fur or the thickness of hides, Shaman looked somewhat puzzled and scratched his head with a hint of disappointment.

Was this the highly anticipated cloth from the Divine Child?

Was this something that required so much effort to produce?

Wouldn't clothes made from such cloth be ineffective?

Imagining what it would be like to wear clothes made from such hole-ridden cloth, Shaman couldn't help but shiver.

Of course, it wasn't because he thought clothes resembling see-through outfits couldn't be worn outside, but rather because they would be too cold to wear.

How could clothes made from such fabric compare to those made from fur regarding warmth and comfort?

Similar doubts arose in others who saw the cloth.

After understanding their thoughts, Han Cheng held the cloth in his hand, smiling.

Compared to fur, the advantages of linen were ventilation and thinness.

While these advantages might seem like drawbacks in the current season, people would truly appreciate them when the weather warmed up.

Especially during the late spring, early summer, and mid-autumn, wearing fur coats made people sweat, and going without clothes made them cold.

After Han Cheng explained the advantages of linen clothes and the seasons for wearing them, the hesitant crowd felt enlightened.

Yes, why had they only considered wearing them in winter?

Linen clothes would be comfortable in hot weather, wouldn't they?

After being awakened by Han Cheng's words, Shaman and the others looked at the linen cloth, which had previously seemed light, with changed attitudes.

Indeed, linen was a good thing.

Of course, there were a few who disagreed. In their opinion, who would wear clothes in the scorching summer? At most, they would wrap a piece of fur or a leaf around their waist. Making clothes from linen seemed unnecessary.

Han Cheng didn't know their thoughts; even if he did, he would smile faintly.

There would always be different opinions about the same thing—some liked it, some hated it. Controversy was inevitable, especially for something new like linen cloth.

To have nearly unanimous agreement among all members was already quite rare.

Han Cheng rubbed the linen cloth against his body; it was somewhat rough, and the lint was a bit prickly.

It wasn't a good material for making close-fitting garments.

When it came to comfort, pure cotton cloth was the best for close-fitting clothes—it was not only soft but also far superior in sweat absorption and breathability compared to other fabrics.

However, until now, there was no sign of cotton. The matter of cotton cloth would have to wait.

Putting this newly made linen cloth over the fire to quickly burn off the small, prickly lint and then beating it well with a wooden mallet would suffice. At the very least, it would be more comfortable than hides.

The wooden mallet was the "Chang'an has a moon, with ten thousand households pounding clothes" mentioned earlier.

Han Cheng no longer had the time or inclination to research with Bai Xue how to make comfortable, close-fitting garments from linen cloth.

Because Tie Tou hurried over to tell him that the deer herd had not returned yet!

And now, it was already getting dark!

Translator’s notes:

Spinning Jenny

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_jenny