Chapter 453 – Handmade Expert (Part 2)
Li Yun was puzzling over what the big deal could be when he heard that this was about helping the common people get through winter—now that was serious business.
His heart warmed, and he immediately agreed.
Seeing his expression, no one doubted that if asked to sign a military document, he might just do it!
【So Many Experts】: Holy cow! Trash Host!!
【Spare Us】: First you had Li Yun farming, now you want him knitting sweaters? Enough already!
【Let Me Pay Off My Debts】: Trash Host +1, let that guy go, let me take over!
【Hehehe】: Trash Host +2, if you’re so brave, why don’t you challenge me on the rooftop after work? Picking on the pure-hearted Li Yun, doesn’t your conscience hurt? Making him, who can wield a gun with both hands, knit sweaters with needles—where did you come up with that idea?
Jiang Pengji remained unfazed by the onslaught and even had the audacity to send a comment.
【Host V】: What I’m doing is putting capable people to work; I’m not bullying him!
Then, a wave of “Peh!” flooded the comments, clearly expressing their disdain for Jiang Pengji.
It turned out that Li Yun’s practical skills were indeed far superior to Jiang Pengji’s.
He carefully examined the most basic knitting patterns, then spent half a day studying the yarn ball. At first, his knitting was a bit clumsy, but soon he became proficient and produced a neat little section, about the length of a pinky finger.
“This is fascinating; who knew it could be done like this…”
Li Yun stared at the crisscrossing wool, his interest piqued. He eagerly sought to tackle other slightly more complicated patterns, “If I weave these together, it’ll be soft and thick—feels warmer than ten layers of linen!”
Now it was Jiang Pengji’s turn to be speechless.
Feng Jin and the others curiously approached, poking at it; it was indeed very soft and thick, just unsure about its warmth.
However—
“At this rate, I wonder how long it’ll take to make a garment.”
The efficiency was too slow; Feng Jin felt a bit disappointed.
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and took out a piece of bamboo paper with simple clothing designs sketched on it.
In front of everyone, she unfolded it and said solemnly, “Do you really think you need to knit a full outfit like the one you’re wearing? Not to mention, just the sleeves would be so heavy—how would you wear it? This is for making a fitted garment, like this.”
She chose a design that the audience would find more acceptable rather than a modern sweater, switching the wide sleeves to narrow ones, slightly modifying the collar, and opting for long trousers instead of a tunic.
Overall, it didn’t exceed what everyone could accept; it just changed the material to wool.
“Master truly has a gifted hand,” Li Yun genuinely praised.
He initially thought every lord did nothing but sit high above, untouched by the world… After meeting Jiang Pengji, he realized that a lord like her wasn’t bad at all—approachable, caring for the common people, always thinking about them.
This might be what his master often referred to as a wise ruler.
Where could he find such a good lord?
“I think so too; just do your best.”
Jiang Pengji patted Li Yun on the shoulder, and he boldly accepted.
A couple of days later, Li Yun had knitted a small outfit for Changsheng at Feng Jin’s house.
Feng Jin: “…”
Li Yun’s sweater-making skills shot up just like his farming abilities—within just one or two days, he managed to knit a small outfit for Changsheng using several simple patterns, and the young girl was so happy that she crawled around with glee.
But this outfit was too warm; she soon wanted to take it off.
“It really is warm,” Feng Jin said, feeling the inner temperature of the outfit. “Quick, put some clothes on Changsheng, don’t let her catch a cold.”
Li Yun said a bit dejectedly, “Too bad the clothing-making speed isn’t fast.”
Feng Jin shook his head in denial, “You’re mistaken; this speed is actually quite impressive. Han Mei, do you know how clothing is made? From silkworms spinning threads to weaving fabrics, then stitching them into outfits—do you have any idea how many processes that takes and how much labor it consumes? Even ordinary linen worn by common people is similarly labor-intensive. This woolen outfit is remarkably quick to make.”
Li Yun understood Feng Jin’s point, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
They could raise sheep that grow wool quickly, turn the sheared wool into yarn, and then into sweaters—all of this took much less time than making fabric.
Even though these thick outfits could only be worn in cold weather, wasn’t it exactly what the common people lacked—a way to keep warm?
Ordinary linen wasn’t warm at all, and the northern weather in Dongqing was exceedingly frigid, with many common people perishing from the cold.
If this type of wool outfit could be promoted, how many lives could be saved over the winter?
The more he thought about it, the more excited Li Yun became!
“Master is truly a great person!”
He worked hard to suppress his excited expression, fists tightly clenched.
Feng Jin chuckled internally; he didn’t deny Jiang Pengji’s talents but calling her a “great person” was a bit much?
Heh, that description was subject to interpretation.
This Li Yun was quite the character; even being put through the wringer by their Master, he could still find pleasure in it.
A classic case—sold out, yet still happily counting the money for others.
After Feng Jin’s “guidance,” Li Yun became even more motivated, studying deep into the night.
Every day, he mastered one or two patterns, then passed them on to the female workers, who were quick learners.
Knitted garments had another benefit—they could be made in several parts.
As long as he controlled the stitches correctly, he could knit the pieces and then stitch them together, creating a complete sweater.
Gu Xin had stayed in Xiangyang for over half a month, with three full garments in front of him that felt incredibly warm to the touch.
If they dyed the wool in colors, he could create even more patterns.
As a businessman, Gu Xin quickly grasped the key points.
But this business couldn’t be promoted outside of Xiangyang just yet, especially not up north.
“Don’t worry, little boss, I’ll find a way to acquire more sheep’s wool and send people to deliver it.”
In the northern region, sheep farming was popular, and every household had mountains of wool they didn’t know how to deal with—some even used sheep skins as fuel. Bulk purchases wouldn’t cost much.
Left in the north, it was waste; brought to Xiangyang, it could be turned into various woolen winter products that could save countless people. Gu Xin’s impression of Jiang Pengji rose several levels after realizing this.
“Then it’s up to you, Uncle Gu.” Jiang Pengji didn’t hold back either.
After surviving this winter, she planned to mobilize against Fengyi County after spring plowing.
She had long been displeased with the Green Garment Army over there; it was time to expand her territory.
“By the way, Uncle Gu, when you head back, could you do me a favor and take something to my father?”
Jiang Pengji handed the wool-knitting task to Li Yun while also finishing up some development work on siege equipment.
With the remaining time idle, she decided to heed the audience’s suggestions and started working on winter food.
In the dead of winter, eating roasted meat and hotpot—what a delight!
