Complex Machinery

The Female Supervisor glanced at Mrs. Lu, then said, "The principles behind this machine are pretty complicated, and honestly, I don’t fully understand them myself. You don’t need to know how the machine works—you just need to learn how to operate and maintain it. As you can see, the machine runs on its own, so your workload isn’t heavy. But you do need to be careful and patient. All right, everyone, come a little closer—but don’t put your hands inside! I’ll teach you how to use the machine now, so pay close attention. If you can’t learn how to use it, you might get let go…"

The female workers were all utterly amazed by the magical machine. Each one crowded around, eager to hear the Female Supervisor explain how to operate it, how to change the thread, and how to fix the shuttle when it jammed.

Greta squeezed into the crowd just like everyone else, but she listened even more intently than the rest.

Greta had already witnessed the machine’s wonders. She was determined to figure out exactly how it worked. With such an efficient loom, Greta thought, if she could unravel its secrets and report back to her master, she’d earn a truly spectacular reward.

The training sessions weren’t tiring at all. By evening, as their shift ended, the female workers headed to the canteen for dinner, all buzzing about that incredible machine.

As usual, Greta sat with Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zane. Mrs. Zane had already forgotten the morning’s scare and was chattering away to Mrs. Lu about the machine.

Mrs. Zane said, "Mrs. Lu, if they build a few hundred more of these machines, all the weavers in Qin—no, in Jin and even Chu—will be out of a job!"

Mrs. Lu nodded, "Exactly! This loom is just amazing. It’s fast, and the quality is fantastic. Did you see the patterns the Supervisor taught us to weave? They’re so complicated! Even the most skilled weavers used to take ages and needed to be super careful with those designs, or the pattern would turn out wrong. But look at this machine—shua, shua, shua, so fast! Incredible!"

Mrs. Zane replied, "That’s right. Right now, our factory only has three machines, but I’ve heard there are a lot more coming. Once they arrive, we’ll be able to supply cloth for all of Qin!"

Mrs. Zane and Mrs. Lu chirped excitedly about the machine’s wonders. Everyone hoped the textile factory would keep thriving, so they could hold onto such a great job.