Seiun wo Kakeru Chapter 50

Chapter 50 – Mining (middle part 2)

Leaving the mining place, Eiji faced toward Eve’s house.

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.

It was Tanya, whom he had thought would be at house.
Behind her, there was Eve working on the weaver.

– Eiji-san, welcome back.

– Because I can’t do any strength-related labor, I’ve decided to help with weaving.

– Seriously, please don’t force yourself too much.
– It’s fine, trust me.

Good grief – he thought.

Is there any problem with your body? – Eiji held himself back from expressing his anxiety that had gushed out inside of him.

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.

– 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.

– Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?

– 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, embarrassing! Eve-san, you idiot!

– Not at all! So embarrassing.

Saying that, Tanya covered her face.

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.

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.

– 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.

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.

– 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 mass produce cloths by herself.

Considering that she wasn’t an expert like Fernando, it was done rather fast.

In front of Eiji, who was checking the weavers’ performance, Eve went toward a particular one.

– You arrived just at the right time.

– 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.

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?

– What you usually do is a plain weave, which is passing the threads alternatively. On the other hand, the twill weave is a method in which the space between threads is deliberately shifted. Unlike plain weave, this method offers a thicker fabric that is more resistant to wrinkling.

– 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?

– 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.

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.

– There are lots of places I have to visit, so that won’t do.

– Eeeh?! I didn’t have the slightest chance to talk with him because of me hiding, let alone having him see me working.

– 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.

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 passed since the completion of the weaver, despite that, her hands’ movements were highly accurate.

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.

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.

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.

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 bastards didn’t go well?

– You shouldn’t take them lightly.

– If that’s the case, fine. Then, why did you come here?

– 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 nobody 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.

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.

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.

And yet, their branches were burnt into charcoals for each household and Eiji’s purpose.

Next to the hammer, Jane was striking the already tanned leather while gently changing its shape.

– Jane-san, what’s your impression?

– Just whom do you mean by frail?
– You wanted say something?

Jane raised her fist and glared at Mike.

However one would look at her arm, it was thicker and stronger than Mike’s.

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.

– What?

– W-What are you saying!?

Jane, whose face turned red, slapped Mike and hid in embarrassment.

….Ah, I see.

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’ assistants who help with hammering.

Chapter end