“This fabric is made from wool yarn?” Xiao Jingzhao thought for a moment and then realized what it was.

Even though he hadn’t seen how the sweater was knitted, he had a rough understanding of Jiang Huai’s experiments over the past few days. One glance at the fabric in Jiang Huai’s hands, and he could guess most of it. However, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t have imagined that this sweater was made directly from yarn into a garment, skipping the process of turning yarn into fabric and then cutting and sewing. Even though he noticed the material seemed peculiar, he hadn’t connected the dots.

“It’s not fabric; it’s a sweater,” Jiang Huai corrected Xiao Jingzhao’s misunderstanding.

“A sweater?” Xiao Jingzhao paused and carefully examined the piece of material in Jiang Huai’s hands.

“This part here is the waistband and hem,” Jiang Huai explained, worried Xiao Jingzhao wouldn’t understand. Hearing this, Xiao Jingzhao became somewhat convinced.

But…

“Isn’t this garment a bit too small?” Xiao Jingzhao frowned. Unless it was for a child, how could anyone fit into something with such a narrow waist?

Unless it was for Luo Yuan… Xiao Jingzhao pursed his lips involuntarily.

“No, this is a one-size-fits-all sweater, made for you,” Jiang Huai shook his head. He had used Xiao Jingzhao’s measurements when knitting this sweater. After all, Xiao Jingzhao was still wearing the same old single-layer clothing when he went out.

The winter clothes they had purchased earlier were supposed to be shared between the two, but Xiao Jingzhao insisted Jiang Huai stay warm indoors, arguing that Jiang Huai moved less and got colder more easily. He refused to wear the winter clothes, saying his current outfit was already thicker than prison garb.

Thus, when the wool was ready, Jiang Huai’s first thought was to knit a sweater for Xiao Jingzhao—it was important to keep warm.

Made for him?

Hearing Jiang Huai’s words, Xiao Jingzhao froze.

Jiang Huai waited for Xiao Jingzhao to ask further questions. After all, none of the ancient clothes he’d seen had elastic features like a sweater. But after waiting for a while, he realized Xiao Jingzhao remained silent.

Looking up, Jiang Huai saw an expression on Xiao Jingzhao’s face that was hard to describe—a mix of emotions.

It suddenly dawned on Jiang Huai that he rarely heard Xiao Jingzhao talk about his family. He had never mentioned his parents. Jiang Huai himself didn’t bring up his family much, as he was a time traveler and also because his original host’s father had passed away, and his mother had remarried. As for why Xiao Jingzhao didn’t talk about his family…

Thinking of this, Jiang Huai sighed inwardly and realized what the expression on Xiao Jingzhao’s face might mean.

He decided not to explain the elastic properties of the sweater just yet, planning to give Xiao Jingzhao a surprise.

Knitting a sweater could be tedious. If there were smartphones or computers around, Jiang Huai would’ve been bored after knitting a few stitches. But in their little courtyard with nothing much to do, Jiang Huai treated sweater knitting as entertainment.

Luo Yuan also joined in, practicing by knitting a separate piece. Since he was a beginner, Jiang Huai didn’t let him practice on the sweater meant for Xiao Jingzhao. It would’ve been troublesome to fix mistakes.

Knitting together, Jiang Huai realized how slow the wool production process really was. After some calculations, he figured that unless the wool spinning process was improved, the cost of sweaters would rise significantly.

Recalling some science videos he’d seen, Jiang Huai managed to sketch out the designs of two wool-spinning machines. One was for straightening and carding the wool into large bundles, and the other for spinning these bundles into yarn.

But there was a catch. Those science videos only focused on demonstrating the wool processing stages and didn’t show the complete machine design. Replicating such machines would take a lot of effort, time, and money.

Jiang Huai counted their remaining silver coins and decided to postpone research until they could make some money selling sweaters.

What he didn’t expect was that there was already a crafting expert by his side.

Jiang Huai was so focused on finishing Xiao Jingzhao’s sweater that he didn’t notice Xiao Jingzhao hadn’t been going out much. Instead, he stayed in another room, occasionally calling Luo Yuan over. Who knew what they were up to?

Moreover, the wool seemed to be vanishing faster than expected. Jiang Huai suspected that birds might be stealing it to build nests, but unless there were dozens of them, the consumption wouldn’t be this noticeable.

In the other room, Xiao Jingzhao stood before a machine, recalling Jiang Huai’s earlier descriptions. Enthusiastically, Jiang Huai had drawn some rough sketches in the sand and made adjustments to the design.

After ensuring the machine was properly adjusted, Xiao Jingzhao placed clean wool onto the spiked teeth of the base and moved the lever back and forth. The slanted teeth combed the wool into fluffy bundles. This method was significantly faster than manual carding.

With a sigh of relief, he moved on to test the next machine. Bit by bit, all the wool was carded into neat bundles. He called Luo Yuan over to spin the bundles into yarn.

Although Jiang Huai’s explanations about spinning weren’t too detailed, Luo Yuan’s existing skills in yarn spinning sufficed.

Looking at the neatly carded wool, Luo Yuan worked skillfully, quickly turning the bundles into yarn. However, his gaze lingered on the machine with astonishment. Although he had believed Jiang Huai when he said the machines would be faster, the real efficiency was shocking.

The machines were much quicker than manual work and required far less effort.

“When will you show these to the gong zi?” Luo Yuan asked, knowing Xiao Jingzhao had been keeping this secret.

“After dinner,” Xiao Jingzhao replied. Initially, he hadn’t told Jiang Huai because he didn’t want to disappoint him if the machines didn’t work. But now, he wanted to surprise him.

What he didn’t know was that Jiang Huai was also preparing a surprise—Xiao Jingzhao’s sweater was nearly finished.

At dinner, the meal was unusually quiet, and Jiang Huai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Although they usually didn’t talk much during meals, the atmosphere was typically light. Tonight, the air felt tense.

Jiang Huai glanced at Xiao Jingzhao and Luo Yuan. Their expressions didn’t give anything away, but Jiang Huai couldn’t shake the feeling they were hiding something. Was it just his imagination?

After dinner, Jiang Huai quickly retrieved the sweater from his room, carefully folding it. Although he couldn’t do elaborate gift wrapping, he wanted the gesture to have some sense of ceremony.

Satisfied with his work, he carried the sweater on a wooden board as if presenting a treasure and walked out.

“Ta-da!” He spotted Xiao Jingzhao and Luo Yuan standing side by side in the courtyard. With a self-made soundtrack playing in his head, Jiang Huai approached Xiao Jingzhao with the sweater.

“Please accept this gift, Wei gong zi,” Jiang Huai said with a playful smile.

If their voices weren’t different, Xiao Jingzhao might’ve thought he was hearing himself.

“This is the sweater you were knitting earlier?” Xiao Jingzhao immediately recognized the neatly folded garment. He remembered Jiang Huai saying knitting wasn’t quick, yet it was already done.

“I knitted extra during the day. The weather’s getting colder—try it on and see if it’s warm enough,” Jiang Huai urged.

Taking the sweater, Xiao Jingzhao didn’t put it on immediately. Instead, he said, “I have a gift for you too.”

“A gift? Where?” Jiang Huai’s eyes scanned Xiao Jingzhao’s hands. Aside from the sweater, there was nothing else. Was it hidden?

Xiao Jingzhao stepped aside, and Luo Yuan followed, revealing two machines behind them.

“What’s this?” Jiang Huai felt the machines looked familiar but wasn’t sure.

Xiao Jingzhao grabbed some wool, demonstrating the carding and spinning processes with practiced ease. Luo Yuan took over to spin the carded wool into yarn. Their seamless coordination showed this wasn’t their first attempt.

“So, this is what you’ve been working on these past few days?” Jiang Huai suddenly understood, growing excited.

Uncomfortable with Jiang Huai’s sparkling eyes, Xiao Jingzhao tilted his head slightly and nodded.

What a genius!

Jiang Huai was stunned. Despite his vague explanations and messy sketches, Xiao Jingzhao had managed to build two functional machines. His skills were astonishing.

However, noticing the injuries on Xiao Jingzhao’s hands, Jiang Huai felt a pang of guilt. The tiny cuts and scrapes were everywhere.

Jiang Huai wanted to suggest hiring a craftsman but realized it wasn’t feasible. They couldn’t afford it, and secrecy was crucial. Perhaps in the future, when the wool business grew, they could hire loyal craftsmen. For now, doing it themselves was their only option.

“I’ll buy some ointment tomorrow. You shouldn’t do any heavy work for the next few days—let your hands heal. I’ll handle the cooking,” Jiang Huai said firmly. Seeing those injuries made his heart ache.

Jiang Huai suddenly felt like a scumbag, dragging a talented genius into a life of hardship.

“It’s just a few scratches, nothing serious. No need for ointment—they’ll heal on their own,” Xiao Jingzhao replied. He was more unsettled by Jiang Huai’s concern than by the injuries. Instinctively, he tried to pull his hand away, but Jiang Huai held it firmly.

Seeing Jiang Huai fussing over Xiao Jingzhao, Luo Yuan couldn’t help feeling envious. He missed his mother and wondered if she was doing well.

“You wanted me to try the sweater, right? Let me put it on now,” Xiao Jingzhao said, eager to change the subject.

“But your hands…” Jiang Huai hesitated, then decided, “I’ll help you. Don’t move your hands.”

Carefully, Jiang Huai rolled up the sweater sleeves to avoid irritating the wounds. After some effort, the sweater was finally on.

At first, the sweater felt snug, almost restrictive. But the elastic material made it comfortable, and the warmth quickly spread through Xiao Jingzhao’s body.

“This fits perfectly?” Xiao Jingzhao was surprised.

“That’s the idea! The yarn’s thickness makes it a bit airy, so it has to be snug for better insulation. Wool is elastic, after all,” Jiang Huai explained while helping him put on an outer layer.

The initial awkwardness faded as Xiao Jingzhao adjusted to the sweater. Despite wearing only a thin shirt underneath, the sweater’s warmth was undeniable. The cold of Anyuan Prefecture’s winter seemed less biting now.

Remembering the wool coats they had examined before, Xiao Jingzhao realized this sweater was superior in both comfort and cost.

Hearing Xiao Jingzhao’s praise, Jiang Huai smirked. “Of course! If this sweater weren’t better than wool coats, how could we make money selling it?”