However, if she chooses to split the patent fees equally, then Chinese factories that want to use this machine will have to pay an extra two thousand taels of silver per machine to purchase it.
Two thousand taels of silver is roughly equivalent to two million in modern purchasing power.
If a factory buys ten machines, it will have to pay an extra 20,000 taels of silver.
Shen Qing had started businesses here twice and knew that for someone determined to run a factory, earning two hundred taels of silver was quite difficult, let alone spending several thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy machinery.
Of course, wealthy businessmen don't have these worries.
What Shen Qing cherishes and places high hopes on are those ordinary people, apart from wealthy merchants, who want to make a living by making cloth!
Just like her!
With this in mind, Shen Qing said to Cheng Zhiwen decisively, "I choose this machine to exempt all factories in China from patent fees."
Cheng Ziwen looked into her eyes: "Have you thought this through?"
"I'm certain! I'm willing to trade my personal wealth and prosperity for the next few years to give all Chinese textile merchants the opportunity to use new machines!"
Cheng Zhiwen nodded: "Okay!"
He turned around and continued to finalize the cooperation details with Schmidt.
He drafted the agreement on the spot, one in German and one in English. Schmidt readily signed it, and then it was Shen Qing's turn to sign.
She could understand the English version, confirmed that the terms were correct, and immediately signed her name in a crooked manner.
Her hand was still not very good, and it was quite difficult for her to hold a pen. When she signed those two words, it pulled at her wound, causing another sharp pain.
In the end, he managed to sign his name in a crooked and messy way.
Next came a German agreement, which she couldn't understand at all, and she was stumped.
On one hand, there is the urgent need for immediate machine development; on the other hand, there is hesitation regarding protocols using unfamiliar languages.
Shen Qing glanced at Cheng Zhiwen.
The agreement was drafted by Cheng Zhiwen in her own handwriting, so there shouldn't be any problem. However, her principles and professional habits prevented her from signing any agreement that she couldn't understand.
After a moment's thought, she asked Cheng Zhiwen in a low voice, "I don't understand this agreement. Can I take it back and look it up in the dictionary before signing it?"
Seeing the surprise in Cheng Zhiwen's eyes, she explained softly, "It's not that I don't trust you, but... it's a matter of principle."
This is a matter of principle.
She believed that Cheng Zhiwen would be able to better understand her situation if she spoke in English.
Cheng Zhiwen nodded: "Okay, I understand."
She turned to Schmidt and explained that she would take the German agreement back for review.
Schmidt readily agreed.
Shen Qing returned to her room with the agreement.
Cheng Zhiwen helped her borrow a German dictionary, and she guided Su Lan to look it up. It took them an afternoon to figure out the contents of the agreement and sign her name at noon.
He then exchanged agreements with Schmidt, giving him the sketches and even providing more clues about the machines.
This time, Schmidt requested a one-month timeframe.
Shen Qing saw no need to stay in Shanghai any longer and set off back to Jiangzhou.
On the day of departure, Cheng Zhiwen did not come to see him off. Shen Qing asked Lao Xu, but Lao Xu did not know where Cheng Zhiwen had gone either.
Shen Qing was vaguely worried, feeling that the matter of shooting the Japanese was not yet over.
Returning to Jiangzhou with worries, Shen Qing's heart finally settled down three weeks later when she received a telegram from Cheng Zhiwen in Shanghai.
Once the spinning and drawing machine was finished, Schmidt asked her to take the raw slurry for a trial production.
She processed a barrel of raw pulp overnight and set off for Shanghai before dawn the next day.
This time she didn't bring Chunju and Sulan with her; she went alone.
Upon arriving at the German consulate and alighting from the carriage, Shen Qing was greeted not by Cheng Zhiwen, but by Schmidt and a German translator.
Shen Qing sensed something was wrong and quietly asked Lao Xu, but still couldn't find any trace of Cheng Zhiwen.
Escorted by Lao Xu, she took the amber liquid to the place where the machine was placed.
When the cover was lifted, there was a long machine that occupied about five or six square meters.
Shen Qing walked over and took a look around. The machine's appearance was very similar to the wet spinning machines she had seen in modern times.
Schmidt powered on the machine.
Shen Qing poured the slurry into the infusion pipe. The slurry passed through a filter and a metering pump, then entered the drawing head to be drawn into filaments, and then entered the spinning process through the tunnel.
As it was an early-generation tool, it wasn't very fast. It took more than half an hour to spin out a meter-long piece of yellowish-brown nylon fiber.
Shen Qing immediately went forward to inspect the fabric.
She pulled the fabric up to the sunlight streaming through the window to check its translucency.
It is completely opaque.
She thought to herself: It seems like this time there's a chance.
Schmidt also came over and touched the material, and was very satisfied, praising it as a truly great idea.
Translate it one by one.
Shen Qing ignored him and waited quietly for the entire bolt of fabric to be spun out. He then immediately called on Old Xu to move the fabric onto the carriage.
She was going to conduct a down-proof test on the carriage.
Schmidt must not see her take out the down, otherwise it's hard to say that down jackets will appear in Europe tomorrow.
Old Xu picked up the materials to leave, but Schmidt stopped him.
Shen Qing felt that this person was trying to make some unreasonable demands because Cheng Zhiwen was not present today.
Sure enough, his eyes were fixed on the empty bucket of raw materials in her hand, and he said a few words in German.
Translation: "Mr. Schmidt asks you—what is the slurry poured into the machine made from?"
Shen Qing immediately hid the raw material barrel behind his back and said in Chinese, "Gutter oil."
The raw amber paste is black with a yellowish tinge, and it's not much different from gutter oil.
The translator didn't understand: "What is 'gutter oil'?"
Shen Qing made up a story: "It's just the oil scraped off from the top of the kitchen swill bucket, and after settling, it becomes the raw material I'm made from."
The translator relayed the information to Schmidt one by one, but Schmidt was skeptical, her eyes darting suspiciously around her ingredient barrels.
Shen Qing quickly told Lao Xu to leave.
Back in the carriage, she immediately cut out a bag from the freshly spun fabric, stuffed it with down, and sealed it tightly on all four sides with five layers of stitches.
The velvet bag was placed at the rear of the carriage. A small piece of fabric was cut out, and the velvet was carefully tied up. A test was conducted by hand to see if the velvet could pass through.
The roots of the down are tightly stuck in the gaps between the fibers and cannot get out for the time being.
Shen Qing gained some confidence and waited for the velvet bag's result.
She sat in the carriage for an hour, but got so bored that she sat down by the door and started chatting with Old Xu.
Just as he was about to speak, a long, red jewelry box was pushed in from outside the door.
Curious, Shen Qing lifted the curtain and asked, "Old Xu, what's this? Who gave it to me?"
"Mr. Cheng's bodyguard came by just now and asked me to give this to you. It should be something Mr. Cheng wants to give you."
Shen Qing picked up the jewelry box with delight.
The fact that they still know to order reports and deliver things means they are alright.
It's good that you're alright...
Shen Qing smiled sweetly and opened the jewelry box.
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