Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 47

As dawn broke, the factory crew, led by Aspur pulling the wagon, made their way down the village road. They were headed to the open space behind the alley.

“I understand you want to install the washing machine at the well, but do we have to come out this early in the morning?”

Channing asked as he guided Aspur’s reins, and the Factory Manager replied, puffing out cigarette smoke.

“Everyone will be gathered.”

“Everyone? What do you mean by that?”

The Factory Manager pointed towards the alley with his hand.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“We’re almost there, so you’ll find out soon. Channing, let’s go in.”

Tehez added to the Factory Manager’s words, and Channing guided the reins, leading the wagon into the alley. Upon seeing the scene in the open space within the alley, he burst into laughter.

“Wow. So this is what you meant by everyone being gathered.”

Channing steered the wagon into a corner.

The square was teeming with people. The men were carrying lumber and leveling the ground near the well, while the women were chatting and boiling something in a huge cauldron on one side.

Children were playing and laughing by the stream flowing on the other side.

“Is there some kind of festival going on? We’re here to install the washing machine.”

Tehez asked, observing the scene, and the Factory Manager extinguished his cigarette by grinding it against the sole of his shoe. Then, someone approached them in a wagon.

“Hey! You’re here?”

“Quite a crowd, isn’t it?”

“Almost all the members of the Cladis Street Autonomous Committee are here. Since it’s something we’ll all be using, we should all work on it together.”

Popper, who had approached in the wagon, said, helping them to stop the wagon, and Channing, Tehez, and Illia jumped down from the wagon.

“Factory Manager-nim. Why is everyone gathered here?”

“Remember the windmill we built at the inn before? We’re going to build that here.”

The Factory Manager answered Channing’s question, and Tehez opened her mouth as if she finally understood.

“Aha! You’re planning to install a pump to draw water at our alley’s well too.”

“That’s part of it, and we’ll also use the windmill as the power source for the washing machine.”

The Factory Manager responded to Tehez’s words and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it.

“Ah. Is that the blueprint?”

“Yes. Hey! Everyone gather around!”

At the Factory Manager’s call, those who were preparing for work gathered. Most were familiar faces, the artisans of the alley.

“Ah. This is what we’re building? A wooden tower.”

“Doesn’t seem too difficult. Did you bring all the nails?”

The artisans exchanged words as they looked over the blueprint, and the Factory Manager fastened a belt laden with tools around his waist, attaching an impact drill to a hook on the belt.

“If you’re done looking, let’s get started! First, let’s dig the ground and set up the pillars!”

At the Factory Manager’s shout, the artisans cheered and began digging the ground in their designated areas with their tools.

“Channing! You come and dig too! You’re young, you should be digging!”

“Yes. Yes. I’m coming.”

Channing ran over at the Factory Manager’s call, and Tehez hurriedly fastened her tool belt and followed after him.

Illia stretched, yawned, and walked towards a corner of the open space. There, the women were chatting and busy preparing various dishes.

Water was boiling in a huge cauldron, and skewers of meat were being prepared over a brazier set up next to it.

“Hello.”

“Illia, you’re here.”

Chelline, who was slicing vegetables into the cauldron, greeted Illia warmly, and the other women also welcomed her.

“It’s quite noisy with everyone gathered, isn’t it?”

“It feels like a festival.”

“It’s not often that the Autonomous Committee gathers like this.”

Chelline said as she dropped the sliced carrots into the cauldron, and another woman added meat, saying,

“I heard the wives of the Autonomous Committee were even more eager after hearing about it. They said we have to build a machine that automatically draws well water and does laundry.”

“That’s right. Imagine how convenient it would be if we had something like that. That’s why everyone closed their shops and gathered here.”

As the women started talking, Illia felt her head spinning.

It was amazing how they could maintain a conversation even though everyone was talking at the same time, Illia thought.

Meanwhile, the work continued. While the master carpenters took the lead in erecting pillars and building the tower, the Factory Manager, Channing, and Tehez assembled the windmill blades and the gears that would be connected to them.

Assembling the water tank and the washing machine was also the responsibility of the factory crew.

“Whew. It’s hot!”

Channing, who was busy tightening bolts, wiped his sweat with a towel, and Tehez fanned herself with her hand.

“It’s almost summer now.”

“I only had a quick breakfast, so I’m hungry.”

While Tehez and Channing were chatting, Chelline shouted loudly.

“Let’s take a break and eat!”

“Yay! Food!”

Channing jumped to his feet, and the Factory Manager clicked his tongue, looking at him.

“Your stomach clock is really accurate. Hey! Everyone, let’s eat and then get back to work!”

The Factory Manager shouted, taking off his gloves, and the artisans, who were each working on their tasks, gathered one by one in front of the cauldron.

“Here! Take some bread and skewers!”

“There’s plenty of soup, so eat and eat some more!”

The women shouted, handing bowls and food to the artisans, and the Factory Manager, Channing, and Tehez also lined up to receive their food.

Channing, sitting on the ground, chewed on his bread and immediately scooped up the soup with a spoon, bringing it to his mouth.

“It tastes even better eating outside.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Oppa.”

Illia, sitting next to him, chided Channing as he spoke with admiration, and Channing chuckled, nodding and taking a bite of the skewered meat.

The skewers, made from long pieces of wood and grilled over charcoal, were seasoned with a unique blend of spices.

“Wow, this is good!”

“I know, right? It’s slightly spicy. Is it lamb?”

The Factory Manager also tasted the skewered meat and expressed his admiration.

“This would be amazing with a glass of beer.”

“You’re right. It’s the perfect snack.”

Channing agreed with the Factory Manager, and Illia shook her head.

“Do you really like alcohol that much?”

Channing and the Factory Manager nodded simultaneously, and Illia sighed.

“Men are all the same.”

Richel, who had approached them unnoticed, said, handing glasses to the Factory Manager and Channing.

“Wow! What great service!”

The Factory Manager exclaimed upon seeing the liquid inside the glass. It was beer.

“Everyone would be disappointed if there wasn’t any beer while working under the scorching sun.”

“Cheers! Richel! Thank you!”

As Channing raised his glass in delight, Richel burst into laughter and looked at Tehez.

“Tehez, would you like some too?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Then give Tehez’s share to me!”

Channing stretched out his hand and said, but Richel lightly slapped his hand, raising the basket.

“No. Come and drink at our pub after you’re done working. The Autonomous Committee has rented it out for today.”

“Aw. Just one glass isn’t enough…”

Channing whined, but Richel immediately went to the other artisans and handed them glasses. The Factory Manager smiled, drained the remaining beer, and bit into the skewer.

“Alright, let’s eat quickly and get back to work. We still have a lot to do.”

Channing nodded at the Factory Manager’s words and bit into his bread, and the Factory Manager also finished the remaining soup.

***

On one side of the street, in a small open space in the back alley, there was a well. Most of the people living on that street drew well water from there for their daily lives.

A small waterway passing near the well was a laundry area where the women of the alley gathered to wash their clothes.

And in that open space stood a huge tower, something they hadn’t seen before.

Atop the wooden tower, which soared higher than the surrounding buildings, a sheet metal windmill spun in the wind, and next to it, a large wooden barrel sat on a human-sized frame.

It was a pump to draw water from the well and a water tank to store the water.

The women were chatting as they filled their wooden buckets with water from the faucet attached to the barrel.

“This is really convenient.”

“I know, right? I don’t know how we managed before.”

Next to the women who were drawing water while chatting, stood another large wooden barrel.

A steel pipe protruding from the back of the barrel was connected to a gear, which was linked to another gear by a metal chain. The shaft connected to the gear was linked to the shaft of the huge windmill.

It was a system where the rotation of the windmill turned the steel pipe. It was the washing machine that the Factory Manager had built.

“Ah! Grandma Herbeta! Hello.”

“Oh, Mrs. Karwutz. Are you here to drop off laundry?”

“Yes. I’m going to wash the blanket.”

The middle-aged woman, who had spoken to Grandma Herbeta sitting on a wooden chair next to the washing machine, put down a wooden basket. Inside was a large blanket.

“Please wait a moment. It’s in the spin cycle right now.”

Grandma Herbeta got up from her chair and checked the valve under the washing machine.

“Since no water is coming out, it seems like the spin cycle is finished.”

“Hee. Is that how you know?”

Mrs. Karwutz asked at Grandma Herbeta’s words.

“Yes, that’s right. Then if you pull this handle…”

Grandma Herbeta closed the valve, went behind the washing machine, and pulled the handle. As she did so, the gear connected to the rotating shaft detached, and the washing machine began to slow down.

Once the washing machine stopped moving, Grandma Herbeta went to the front and opened the top lid, then slightly rotated the metal drum inside and opened the bottom lid as well.

Finally, Grandma Herbeta brought a wooden basket and used a slightly curved wooden stick to pull out all the clothes inside the drum.

“Here. Bring it over. Put it in here carefully.”

“Okay.”

Grandma Herbeta said, pushing a wheeled basket to the side, and Mrs. Karwutz picked up the basket, went over to it, and put the blanket and clothes inside the lid.

Grandma Herbeta scooped up an opaque solution from a wooden barrel next to her with a ladle and poured it into the washing machine before closing the lid. It was lye used for washing clothes.

“Can I start it now?”

“No, no. We need to add water. How can we wash clothes without water?”

Grandma Herbeta explained to Mrs. Karwutz, then walked to the side and opened the valve connected to a plastic hose.

The sound of water flowing from the plastic hose connected to the large wooden water tank could be heard.

Once enough water had filled the machine, Grandma Herbeta closed the valve and pushed the handle up. The gear engaged with the rotating shaft, and the washing machine started to spin.

“Now, just wait about 30 minutes, and the laundry will be done.”

“Wow, the washing time has been significantly reduced.”

“That’s right. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do laundry anymore because my back, knees, and finger joints all ached, but that black-haired gentleman made something wonderful.”

“Everyone in the Autonomous Committee gathered to build it last time. Grandma Herbeta receives a weekly wage through the Autonomous Committee.”

“That was also thanks to the black-haired gentleman. He’s a lifesaver, a true lifesaver. Really… My husband and son all died in the war, and I’ve been living alone, just waiting for the day I die. But now that I’m old, I’m being taken care of like this, so I’m so grateful…”

“Don’t say that. Who else could wash clothes as meticulously as you do? Ah! But we should hang the laundry we washed earlier quickly. Let me help you.”

As Grandma Herbeta dabbed at her eyes, Mrs. Karwutz spoke in a deliberately cheerful voice, pulling the wheeled basket towards the clothesline.

“Wow, this is convenient too. It’s not heavy at all.”

“That was also made by the black-haired gentleman. I’ve never seen anyone so skilled in my entire life.”

“My husband praises him a lot too. Many of the things we use in our shop were made by him.”

Chatting like this, Grandma Herbeta and Mrs. Karwutz began hanging the laundry. Beside them, the washing machine was chugging along, making a rattling sound.