Chapter 187 Young Dean
Xu Zhenying raised his head after realizing something a little late, "Huh?"
Xu Anping laughed, "You don't know yet, but Xiao Luo admires you the most. Ever since he joined the research institute, he's been reading the textbooks over and over again every night. He learned everything in just one month while other people would take two months for the intermediate class. He even asks me every day when the textbooks for the advanced class will be released—"
Xu Anping's words made Xiao Luo feel completely embarrassed. The young man blushed, looking like a crimson jade under the light. But he still asked, "So, City Lord, when will the textbooks for the advanced class be released? This textbook is related to the future of our entire Great Zhou Dynasty. You must not forget about it because you are busy with government affairs!"
Xu Zhenying didn't expect fans to urge her to update right away. She laughed dryly and said, "I'll do it as soon as possible. As soon as possible."
"Not as soon as possible, but immediately! You have no idea how fascinating the chemistry and physics in the intermediate courses are. City Lord, is the Earth truly spherical? Does it really revolve around the sun?"
"You'll know about this when the advanced class textbook comes out." Xu Zhenying hadn't expected to be urged to update so quickly, and quickly changed the subject. "Let's get back to the cement experiment. From your experimental manuscript, I can see that the temperature is still uncontrollable, making it unsuitable for mass production. Also, the rolling efficiency is too low to meet the screening requirements."
Luo Qingzhou nodded repeatedly as he listened, his inner excitement incomparable!
Oh my God, finally someone can understand his experimental records!
Finally, there is someone with whom he can communicate without any obstacles!
The city lord is worthy of being the city lord!
"We still need a thermometer!" Xu Zhenying sighed.
Luo Qingzhou perked up instantly, his eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf. "City Lord, could it be that temperature can also be measured?"
"Of course!" Xu Zhenying pointed to the weather outside. "It's spring now, and the temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. In the summer, it's generally around 30-35 degrees Celsius, and in the winter, it's generally around 5-10 degrees Celsius. But if you want to make a thermometer, you have to make a glass tube first, and that involves sealing technology. It's like if you want to prepare a big banquet and you want braised goose, it's not just a matter of the goose and the brine, I also have to raise a goose. It's a technical barrier—"
Xu Zhenying began to grab his hair frantically.
Everyone had never seen Xu Zhenying so manic, and some were afraid to step forward. Luo Qingzhou, on the other hand, spoke cheerfully, "Then let's raise geese! Everything is difficult at the beginning. Only by taking the first step can we eat braised goose! City Lord, tell me the general idea, and I'll find a way!"
Luo Qingzhou seemed a little crazy. He took out a notebook and started to write down what Xu Zhenying said.
He didn't even have time to consider why Xu Zhenying was ahead of others and knew those conclusions that had never been verified.
All of this seemed to indicate that Xu Zhenying knew the conclusion but had never verified it. According to this logic, Xu Zhenying's knowledge, which transcended ancient and modern times, must have been learned from somewhere else.
Could it be a fairy from outer space?
"You know mercury, right? Mercury has a large coefficient of expansion. Ah, you haven't learned about the coefficient of expansion yet. I'll mention it in the advanced course in literacy class. The coefficient of expansion refers to the increase in length, area, or volume of an object when heated. The coefficient of expansion is related to temperature. Generally speaking, the larger the coefficient of expansion, the greater the degree of expansion when heated."
Luo Qingzhou took notes frantically and nodded continuously. These were all knowledge from the advanced class. He was probably the first one in the Great Zhou Dynasty to be exposed to this kind of knowledge!
He can be considered a pioneer at least!
"Mercury is very sensitive to temperature changes, so it's the best material for making thermometers. And glass, you should know about it. I mentioned it in the intermediate class!"
"Yes, you said glass is like colored glaze, only it's more brittle and transmits light better. It doesn't have bubbles inside and has a more uniform and translucent texture. If it can really be produced, it can be used to install windows. In the future, ordinary people's homes will be brighter!"
"That's right, and glass has many uses. It can not only be used for decoration, but also used as experimental equipment to precisely control the amount."
"So if we want to make a thermometer now, we have to make the glass first."
"That's the principle." Xu Zhenying talked for a long time before realizing he had strayed off topic. "Back to the cement issue, I remember I gave you a recipe before. It listed the ingredients, but not the specific ratios. I suggest you control one variable first, such as the quicklime. Start by increasing the ratio by 20%, 40%, and 60%. Keep the amounts of the other substances constant. Repeat this process with all the ingredients in turn, and slowly find the right ratio."
Luo Qingzhou immediately felt like Alexander.
Just a few simple words require so many experiments and so much waste of raw materials.
"That iron pot, didn't I ask the blacksmith to make a big one last time? It definitely won't be enough for mass production in the future. You need to contact colleagues from other departments in the institute to see if they can improve it."
"City Lord, there's the final grinding process. Manual labor is too slow and doesn't require enough strength. I've previously tried using a donkey-drawn stone mill to grind and sift the grains, and the results were pretty good. But it suffers from the same problem: it's impossible to put it into mass production."
"Yes, everything is difficult at the beginning. You should try to find a solution first. Since we want to get involved in the industrial sector, we can't just rely on the current backward methods of manual labor and animal husbandry. By the way, how are your physics skills?"
Luo Qingzhou nodded his head and smiled shyly, "Is it okay?"
Xu Anping smiled and said, "City Lord, don't listen to his modesty. He's already thoroughly mastered that physics book. He even led a few enthusiastic researchers to recreate many of the physics experiments in the book, such as two iron balls falling to the ground at the same time, and the force-saving lever. He even hired a carpenter to make fixed and movable pulleys himself to study how to lift very heavy objects."
Xu Zhenying couldn't help but exclaim, could it be that she met the legendary science genius?
The two of them talked late into the night, and Xu Zhenying was even more excited than Luo Qingzhou, because she found that Luo Qingzhou was really a very smart person. She talked about those obscure mathematical knowledge points, such as ternary equations, arithmetic progressions, etc., and he could understand them at once and quickly apply them to other situations!
Is this the learning ability of a genius?
The people from the Xu family who came with them could no longer stand them talking about such professional things.
Xu Huijia sat on the chair, fell asleep on her back, and even made a steady and soft snoring sound.
Qian Zhenniang also kept nodding and dozing off.
Although Xu Yinxi tried her best to keep up, by the end of their conversation, she could no longer understand anything and yawned several times.
The only one who could barely keep up was Xu Anping. She seemed to always maintain an extremely high level of enthusiasm for knowledge she had never encountered before. Although she didn't say a word, she was writing furiously in her notebook, and her excitement was clearly hard to conceal.
There were three people, one talking, one asking, and one listening, until the candle was almost burned out and the intermittent crowing of cocks came from outside.
Xu Yinxi yawned and finally couldn't help but remind him, "City Lord, it's almost dawn."
The three of them then looked outside in shock. Sure enough, there was a faint hint of pale sky in the sky. Xu Zhenying patted his head, and seeing everyone's tired expressions, he smiled with some annoyance and said, "Sorry, sorry. I was so engrossed in the conversation that I forgot you were still here."
Xu Yinxi was helpless: "You really are working day and night!"
Xu Zhenying had been sitting for a long time and her legs felt numb when she stood up. Xu Yinxi and Qian Zhenniang subconsciously reached out to pull her.
When Luo Qingzhou saw this scene, his eye twitched.
What did he see?
Xu Yinxi and Qian Zhenniang were actually holding hands with the city lord?
So...is it true as the rumors say that the city lord is a woman?
At this moment, under Luo Qingzhou's silent appearance, he seemed to be giving a passionate speech inside.
It's just that he was a bit dull by nature, so he couldn't see any excitement in his heart.
Xu Zhenying looked at him with a smile: "Luo Qingzhou, are you interested in becoming the director of the research institute? The monthly salary is ten taels of silver, and housing and medical care are provided."
Luo Qingzhou asked in a daze, "What does the dean do?"
"Manage all personnel and finances of the institute, improve its standards, and, in accordance with my instructions, expedite research on cement, glass, and thermometers. When necessary, you will also collaborate with businesses, asking them to invest in sustaining research, and find mutually beneficial partnerships to make the entire institute run more efficiently and promote the continuous development of human society—"
Xu Yinxi and Qian Zhenniang looked at each other.
Here she comes, she comes again.
She came with the promise of "striving for human progress all her life".
It has to be said that when they first heard it, their blood boiled, and they vaguely had the illusion that they were the chosen one, and they just wanted to sacrifice their lives for her immediately.
But after hearing it more often, they realized that this wasn't human progress at all; it was clearly just Xu Zhenying painting empty promises every day!
It's the same kind that's been left over from the previous night! They haven't changed the recipe at all! They just heat up the same pancake and feed it to the next person!
It was obvious that Xu Zhenying was only interested in the other person's labor!
Xu Yinxi and Qian Zhenniang looked at Luo Qingzhou with some sympathy.
Oh, what good leeks are, they are about to be harvested.
I’m afraid we won’t have such relaxing days again.
Luo Qingzhou, however, rarely managed to maintain his composure. "City Lord, I'm only seventeen. There are many people in the research institute who are older than me and have more experience than me. I'm afraid... I don't have enough qualifications..."
Xu Anping smiled and said, "Xiao Luo, there's no need to underestimate yourself. You have the best academic performance and the highest research enthusiasm in the institute. This wave of research is rare to come by in a century. If you don't take advantage of the opportunity given by the City Lord and work hard, wouldn't you be letting the City Lord down as well as yourself?"
Luo Qingzhou wanted to refuse, but he was really moved.
His ancestors were criminals and were exiled. Although they could take the imperial examinations three generations later and the whole family's hopes were on him, he really couldn't concentrate on his studies.
He did not understand those obscure and difficult words, nor did he want to understand the sage teachings in the book. In his view, weren't those teachings just tools to teach the people how to behave themselves and maintain the rule of the dynasty?
Of course, he didn't dare tell this to anyone.
It wasn't until the chaos in Lan County and Xu Zhenying's arrival in the city that he discovered how fascinating learning could be. He felt as free as a fish leaping into the ocean, eager to absorb nutrients and discover the laws of nature.
He even felt that he could transcend nature and become the man standing on the shoulders of giants!
What's more, Xu Zhenying didn't know how long he could stay in Lan County. If he didn't take advantage of this time to come up with a groundbreaking invention, he would never have such an opportunity again!
Thinking of this, Luo Qingzhou almost trembled all over and said, "I do!"
"City Lord, I will work hard and research what you want as soon as possible! But I also hope that you, hey, I hope you can come to the research institute more often. I still have many questions to ask you."
He is frank and straightforward, and doesn't know how to be roundabout at all. Xu Zhenying actually likes this kind of person. When doing scientific research, one has to be pure and not have so many tricks!
"Okay, feel free to come to me if you have any questions about research!" Xu Zhenying smiled and patted his shoulder. Luo Qingzhou suddenly remembered that the city lord was a girl, and his cheeks felt hot, and he felt a slight numbness in the places where she patted him.
Xu Anping looked at this student who was once the most diligent and studious and always stumped her with questions in class. Her eyes were full of satisfaction and a sense of pride arose in her heart.
By training a dean of a research institute, Xu Anping has made a contribution to Lan County and the city lord!
If the things that the city lord said, such as cement, glass, etc. that can change the world, appear, then wouldn’t she, Xu Anping, be famous in history?
Thinking of this, Xu Anping couldn't contain his excitement.
However, after Xu Yinxi left the courtyard of the research institute, she frowned and said, "The city lord is too bold in employing such a person. I see that Luo Qingzhou is only seventeen years old. Although his academic performance is impeccable, he is still a bit naive. He doesn't know how to manage or control people. I'm afraid he can't keep up with the other experienced people in the research institute."
"Old fox" is Xu Zhenying's catchphrase.
Refers to officials who have certain qualifications but are slippery.
Xu Yinxi thought the lyrics were exquisite when she heard them for the first time.
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "We should always give young people a chance. He has such a strong learning ability, so management is no problem for him. If he really can't do it, we can assign him an assistant. One to manage technology, and one to manage logistics."
"That being said, he is too young."
Xu Anping laughed, "Fourth sister, actually Luo Qingzhou is older than you and me."
Xu Yinxi was stunned for a moment, and also found herself a little amused. "Yeah, I forgot that I'm also a little girl in the eyes of others."
"It's rare to see a seventeen-year-old director of a research institute, and even rarer still to see a seventeen-year-old county magistrate." Xu Zhenying smiled and patted Xu Yinxi's shoulder. "Secretary Xu, pack up and go to Ye County to take up your new post."
Xu Yinxi was stunned.
The others in the car were also stunned.
It was Qian Zhenniang who reacted first. She excitedly tugged at Xu Yinxi and said, "Sister Xu, congratulations!"
Xu Yinxi seemed to have just come to her senses and asked uncertainly, "Ye County Magistrate, me?"
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