It's near the end of April, and the scenery in Lin'an City is superb. This is the peak spring season in the south, and all kinds of flowers are blooming one after another, and the city is full of flowers. The trees are crazy with green shade, and the city is full of green and lush, which is beautiful.

While waiting for the award, Fang Zian was actually not idle. He was commissioned by Su Heng to draw three-dimensional drawings of all the steam engine parts, accurately marking the size, shape and curvature of the parts. Su Heng had already started making molds for the parts. , these three-dimensional drawing data are the key to making molds. So Fang Zian was very busy comparing the drawings every day, writing and drawing with a ruler and charcoal pen.

In the afternoon of that day, when Fang Zian was busy in the study, Lao Huang came to report that Mr. Liu from Wantou Village and Wan Dalongtou from Wanjia Village were here. After hearing this, Fang Zian hurried to the front hall and saw Liu The old boss and Wan Dahai were sitting in the hall drinking tea.

"Hey, what brought these two old people here? Did you two make an appointment to come together?" Fang Zian laughed and stepped forward to salute the two of them.

Mr. Liu put his head down and Wan Dahai put down the tea cup and stood up to return the courtesy. Wan Dahai said angrily: "What kind of wind? Southeast wind. I told you that we were going to sea. If you had listened to me, now we are on the way back, and we are back with a smooth sailing." "

Fang Zian was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "What's going on? Wan Dalongtou has such a bad temper. I can smell the smell of gunpowder."

Mr. Liu raised his head and smiled and said: "Mr. Fang, aren't you asking questions knowingly? Mr. Wan has been waiting for news from you for several months at home, and you haven't given me a word. Of course he is anxious. Don't you know? Going to sea is For those who are addicted, it’s okay if you didn’t invite him to go to sea before. Now that you have invited him to go to sea, you have aroused his addiction and you don’t let him go to sea. Of course he will be unhappy. He feels itchy in his heart like a cat scratching him. This No, I couldn't bear it anymore. When I arrived at my house, I forced me to come to the capital to ask you for an explanation. So we came."

Fang Zian laughed, looked at the two old people's tired appearance, and asked: "You are here by yourself, right? Didn't you ask someone to accompany you?"

Wan Dahai said angrily: "It's not like we can't walk, why do we need them to accompany us?"

Mr. Liu raised his head and said with a smile: "I haven't finished my work there yet, so naturally I can't ask anyone to accompany me. Brother Wan went to my place alone, and his son didn't accompany him. He came to see you on an impromptu basis. Today We set off at dawn early in the morning, catching a ride on an ox cart transporting grain and walking for more than ten miles. In fact, we arrived at noon, but our eyes were so dim that we couldn't remember the way we came last time, and we forgot where your house was. Is it the east of the city or the west of the city? I asked around here, and then I ended up here."

Fang Zian was shocked when he heard this. It turned out that the two old people had to walk hard and must have suffered a lot on the way. Both of these two old people had inconvenient legs and bodies, so they suffered a lot along the way.

"Oh, how wonderful this is. The two old people are coming, please send someone to let them know, and I will send a car to pick you up. How can I make you tired and walk such a long way? It really makes me feel uneasy. "Fang Zian said.

Wan Dahai said: "What is this? What does such a small distance mean? We are not stupid. In the past, it was common for me to walk sixty or seventy miles a day. Zian, don't say anything else, just tell me when to go to sea." My bones hurt because of my idle time."

Fang Zian smiled and said: "You two probably haven't eaten yet. No matter what you do, you have to eat first before talking about anything. I'll prepare the meal."

Wan Dahai was about to say something, but Mr. Liu raised his head and said: "Brother Wan, we are already here, why are you so anxious? You are not hungry.

I'm so hungry that my chest is pressed against my back. It's not too late to wait until I have eaten."

Wan Dahai had no choice but to give up. At that moment, Fang Zian ordered people to quickly prepare the meal. Chuni came out of the inner house to see the gift after hearing the news, and personally cooked a few side dishes and cooked a pot of soup for the two old men. After the meal was served, the two old men were really excited.

Feeling hungry, he ate a meal, finishing several dishes and a bowl of soup. Wan Dahai ate two large bowls of rice, even half a bowl more than Mr. Liu.

After eating and drinking, Wan Dahai seemed to be less angry. The previous anger was partly due to hunger and the fatigue of the journey. Now when he speaks, his tone is much softer.

"Mr. Fang, I know you are worried about our safety and don't want us to take risks anymore. But we are just people who go out to sea, and those things are nothing at all. We are not afraid of such dangers. Besides, let's take it like this

What's the point of just sitting around at home with the money you gave us? We are not freeloaders. We work for others with their money, otherwise we can't eat or sleep, and feel guilty. It's been months since you've been here.

I can't stand the noise anymore. If you don't plan to let us go to sea, then don't pay us wages. I'll dismiss the boatmen later. You can't just get money and eat for free, right?"

Fang Zian smiled and said: "Uncle Wan, please don't think so. I really don't want you to take that kind of risk, because I can't let you risk your life for some external things. If something happens, I will be with you for the rest of my life."

It’s uneasy. Naturally, I will continue to pay you the salary, because I don’t want you to go to sea. When I feel that you can go to sea, I will naturally allow you to go to sea for trade. Wan Dalongtou, to tell you the truth, you will go to sea in the future.

The frequency will become more frequent, and it is unknown whether we will go out to sea for trade three or four times a year. So, don’t be anxious, okay?”

"Three or four times? That's not how you coax people. How is it possible for three or four times? How can it be done?" Wan Dahai said.

Fang Zian thought for a while and said: "Well, since the two old men are here, don't leave tonight. I will drink a few glasses of wine with you two tonight. You have a good time in the capital these two days. I will let Chun go back later.

Ni will buy you some snacks and snacks from Beijing and take them back when you go back."

Mr. Liu said: "Mr. Fang, we are not here for fun. We are here to do business. Not only the business of going to sea, my two ships are about to be repaired, and the apprentices also need to rest. There is no work to do.

Are you freeloading too?"

Wan Dahai said: "Master Fang, if you have something to say, just say it. Why don't you give me a happy message?"

Fang Zian smiled bitterly and said, "I'll take you two to a place later. When we get there, I'll explain it to you in detail. Just drink tea and rest for a while."

Half an hour later, Fang Zian led the two old men to the bustling backyard of Su Heng's house. Mr. Liu and Wan Dahai gaped at the towering blast furnace with black smoke, and the bustling ten people working shirtless.

Several craftsmen were stunned by the scene.

Fang Zian led them not far from the gourd-shaped blast furnace, just in time to see a furnace of smelted molten steel being poured out. The iron chain clicked, and the crucible filled with hot and white molten iron was poured out. The blast furnace was dragged to the place where the mold was poured, and sparks flew when it was dumped. The harsh roar and the sound of boiling molten iron were shocking. Although the two old men had seen a lot, they were also shocked by the scene before them.

"Master Fang, what are you casting?" Mr. Liu asked, raising his head.

Fang Zian smiled and said: "The old boss still remembers what I told you, hoping to replace wind power and manpower with a machine.

What? That's what I'm doing right now. I'm working with Master Su Hengsu to turn my dream into a reality. Once this thing is successful, it can greatly reduce the dependence on wind power. When installed on a ship, it will provide With huge power, not only will the ship sail faster, but it can also sail without wind. Moreover, it has more choices when encountering a storm, either using more flexible control to deal with the storm, or it can actively sail to avoid the storm. This makes This is the reason why I have never let Wan Dalongtou go to sea. The first purpose of making this thing is to put it on a big ship and go to sea. Then I can rest assured and let Wan Dalongtou take his boatmen to go to sea. And , the speed of sailing will be greatly accelerated. The voyage that used to take three months will probably be reduced to two months. It doesn't matter whether there is wind or not, headwind or tailwind. There is no need to borrow wind, which will greatly shorten the voyage. You can go wherever you want to go. .This is not only for the sake of safety, but also to speed up the efficiency. This is called sharpening the knife before chopping wood. When the things are finished, the efficiency and speed of going to sea will be far beyond the previous ones."

Mr. Liu looked at Fang Zian in a daze with his head blankly. He had indeed heard Fang Zian talk about this before, but he thought it was just Fang Zian's wishful thinking. Who could have imagined that he was actually doing this? .

"This...can you really build that thing? I thought you were joking. This really makes me feel incredible." Mr. Liu said with his head blankly.

Wan Dahai was also in a sluggish state. He also understood what Fang Zian meant. Fang Zian was building a machine that could be installed on the ship to help the ship sail. This matter was a bit ridiculous, but Fang Zian actually did it with great fanfare. It's both surprising and a bit ridiculous that so many people come here to create something.

"Here, Mr. Fang, are you out of your mind? How can there be such a thing in the world? Are you busy with this? Do you really think this thing can be made?" Wan Dahai murmured.

Fang Zian smiled and said: "I don't know if it can be built, but how will I know if I don't try? As for whether I am dizzy with this thing, I can guarantee that I am not dizzy. This thing is absolutely feasible. If it fails, then It’s the fault of the machine itself, not the fault of the machine I want to build.”

"Then what if... it can't be made? What should we do?" Mr. Liu said with his head.

Wan Dahai also looked at Fang Zian and said, "Yes, what if it doesn't work?"

Fang Zian smiled and said: "It will definitely work. If it doesn't work, keep building it until it is done. In short, if this thing doesn't succeed, I won't let you take the risk. Uncle Wan, don't shake your head. Believe me, wait a little longer. Maybe two or three months, maybe half a year, maybe a year. One day, you will be surprised. I believe it won’t be long before you, Mr. Wan, can drive this unique car in the world without using the wind. Then you can sail the big ship out to sea. By then, you will discover what real sailing is. Mr. Liu, don’t be idle. Those two ships are about to be completed, right? I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to put their sterns back together. The cabin part needs to be modified. You must reserve a space to install this thing. The stern also needs to be modified, because it will be equipped with propellers propelled by screws. Let's talk to you in detail while we drink tonight."

The two old men looked at each other in astonishment and were speechless. With a clang, a huge fine iron part was knocked out of the mold. It was a black, gear-shaped, strange-looking disc. A craftsman carried a bucket and poured water on it.
Chapter completed!