Chapter 67 Upon hearing this, Wen Lingzheng leaned closer curiously…

Hearing this, Wen Lingzheng leaned closer and asked curiously, "What's so special about it?"

Qin Ren glanced at him indifferently, "I don't know either. I need to take some people and try it out to find out."

Wen Lingzheng: "Okay, I happen to be free, so I can try it with you guys."

Qin Ren nodded. He first went to check on the progress of the house's construction, and then took two servants to start working on the cement.

With nothing else to do, Wen Lingzheng followed behind Qin Ren and watched them busy themselves.

Qin Ren does things slowly and methodically, as if he's never in a hurry no matter what he's doing.

In contrast to him, Wen Lingzheng was a bit impatient.

He watched Qin Ren and his men working for a long time, but he didn't know what they were doing, so he couldn't help but come up to Qin Ren and ask, "What are you doing?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren continued working while explaining to him, "I mentioned before that this thing is very malleable, so I wanted to see if I could make it into a stool?"

"A stool? Are you sure a stool made from this kind of thing is convenient to use?"

In Wen Lingzheng's eyes, the cement Qin Ren was making was just a strange kind of soil.

Even if a stool made of clay doesn't have the weight of a real stone, it still has a certain weight.

Stools are for people to sit on, and Qin Ren felt that making such a clay stool was really inconvenient.

Qin Ren: "This kind of stool is indeed very heavy and not very suitable for moving around. However, its unsuitability for moving is both a disadvantage and an advantage. If it were made into an outdoor stool and connected to the ground, no one would be able to move it. It could be placed at inns or by the roadside for people to rest."

Don't underestimate this simple earthen stool; because people's character varies, it can be stolen or damaged if left out in public.

However, if they can't move it, can't take it away, and have no way to destroy it, such a stool is still somewhat useful.

Of course, Qin Ren's elaborate efforts weren't really about building a cement bench; they were paving the way for other things.

After listening, Wen Lingzheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This Qin Ren looks like a big, burly guy, but I never expected him to be such a thoughtful person."

His ideas are quite different from those of ordinary people; he always comes up with unexpected insights.

Wen Lingzheng looked at the cement and asked, "Connect? This kind of soil is completely different from ordinary soil. Are you sure they're really connected together?"

"I'm not sure either. We can only find out by trying. Also, if it can't be connected to ordinary ground, we can make the ordinary ground the same material."

In this way, Qin Ren was able to build the cement road in a logical and reasonable manner.

Qin Ren: "If Young Marquis has nothing else to do, why don't you join us?"

Wen Lingzheng thought for a moment and then nodded.

He grew up in the military and wasn't a delicate person.

In addition, he was very curious about what Qin Ren could do, so he simply rolled up his sleeves and got involved.

Seeing this, Wen Lingzheng's two guards dared not let their master work so hard. They exchanged a glance and could only helplessly join in.

After that, Qin Ren, along with two of his men and Wen Lingzheng, got busy.

At first, they just wanted to make cement into all sorts of things because of its plasticity.

Later, Qin Ren wanted to connect them to the ground so that they could be moved like ordinary buildings.

Then they applied cement to the ground, gradually opening up a completely new and unknown world.

Looking at the exceptionally smooth pavement she had painted, Wen Lingzheng couldn't help but say to Qin Ren beside her, "This stuff changes when it gets wet. Won't it be washed away again if it rains later?"

Qin Ren looked at him with a somewhat inscrutable expression. "I've tried it before. Once this kind of soil is completely dry, it becomes exceptionally firm, and it can't be washed away even with water."

Wen Lingzheng was a little confused as to why she could stir, spread, and even shape the mixture after adding water. Why did it become so strong once it dried, and not crumble when water was added again?

Qin Ren could see that he didn't understand, but he couldn't explain it to him in a very clear way.

Now, he was someone who had just started working with cement, and he didn't want to appear too knowledgeable about it. So even though he noticed Wen Lingzheng's confusion, Qin Ren didn't intend to explain it to him.

There are some important points to consider when drying cement.

If the temperature is too high, the cement will dry very quickly, usually within two or three hours, and it will take one to two days to fully solidify.

If the cement dries too quickly at this stage, it won't harden as much as it would have done over time, often resulting in strength loss and cracking.

If the temperature is between ten and twenty degrees Celsius, the drying speed of cement will be significantly slower, generally requiring several hours to dry and four or five days to fully solidify.

In low-temperature environments, the drying process will be even slower, sometimes taking up to twenty days.

Cement solidification can be divided into two types: one is preliminary solidification, which is surface drying. At this stage, the cement surface can bear a slight load.

Secondly, it solidifies completely, the cement loses its plasticity, and its strength begins to take shape, making it capable of bearing heavy loads.

To make the cement more durable, it is best to allow it to cure for a period of time after it has completely hardened.

Prolonged curing allows cement to fully harden, increasing its strength.

The weather in Qin Ren's fiefdom is hot, and even though it is now early autumn, it is still very hot.

Logically, in such hot weather, cement should dry very quickly.

However, due to the high humidity here, the high temperature and high humidity cancel each other out.

The cement, which should have dried completely in one day, took two days to fully dry.

Actually, at this point, the cement has not yet fully developed its strength.

To ensure the cement has higher strength and is less prone to damage and cracking in the future, it is best to allow it to cure for another ten days to half a month.

However, Qin Ren is still pretending to be a novice, so he hasn't made any special effort to maintain his skills.

Even so, cement has already begun to show its extraordinary qualities.

Wen Lingzheng didn't realize the benefits of cement at first, until a craftsman next to him remarked something that made him realize it.

The craftsman said, "The floor made from this material is not only smooth and flat, but also very sturdy, even more seamless than a floor paved with stone slabs."

After hearing his words, Wen Lingzheng's mouth moved, and she suddenly walked up to Qin Ren and asked, "Do you make a lot of this kind of soil?"

Qin Ren did not answer; it was his attendant who answered him.

The attendant said, "There's quite a bit of this soil. It was accidentally unearthed by the Marquis when he was building his house. Our Marquis wants to test its hardness. If it's hard and malleable, it might be useful for building the mansion."

Wen Lingzheng: "It can also be used to build roads, city walls, and even bridges."

Wooden bridges are prone to rot, stone bridges are prone to collapse, and suspension bridges are not suitable for horse-drawn carriages...

If cement can be combined with other materials to build bridges, can we build bridges that are both long and wide?

It could be done not only by people and horse-drawn carriages, but also by the army...

Wen Lingzheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Hahaha, your Marquis is truly an extraordinary person. I never expected that he could produce such wonderful things while repairing a house."

To be honest, Wen Lingzheng didn't think much of Qin Ren before. At first, he only thought Qin Ren was a cunning businessman.

Upon meeting him again, he discovered that Qin Ren possessed many valuable items, and only then did he begin to take Qin Ren more seriously.

At this time, he didn't particularly like Qin Ren. It was mainly because Qin Ren gave him a very sharp feeling, which made him feel very uncomfortable and unwilling to be around him.

But after what happened next—Qin Ren offering sweet potatoes, medicine, and saving the prince—his feelings towards Qin Ren gradually changed a lot.

This time, he personally helped make the earthen stools and unexpectedly discovered the wonderful uses of the soil. Wen Lingzheng finally began to truly admire him.

Qin Ren shook his head upon hearing this, "This wasn't made by me, it was made by the craftsmen under my command."

Wen Lingzheng didn't pay attention to Qin Ren's words. There are so many people building houses in the world, why didn't they create this kind of soil when they were building? Why was it only Qin Ren who created it?

Wen Lingzheng felt that there were differences between people. Some people were born to be emperors, like his childhood friend, who was now His Majesty. Some people were born extraordinary, like Qin Ren in front of him. He could turn a small matter into something extraordinary in his hands.