Chapter 90 Installing Shock Absorption Devices on the Escort Vehicle
"Let's rest and have some water here. We'll set off in fifteen minutes," Dong Hao said.
During the break, Dong Hao asked about the price of the tools and steel nails, and Jiang Ling told him to pay whatever he wanted.
He generously gave one tael of silver.
In gratitude for his generosity, Jiang Ling, as the host, treated them to tea.
Just then, Xiao Ran and Zhao Yin returned with the delivery.
As soon as Xiao Ran got out of the car, she ran over and quickly took the iced tea and cup from Jiang Ling's hand. "Sister Jiang, are there customers in the shop?"
Jiang Ling nodded. "They are bodyguards from Changfeng Escort Agency. They came looking for tools because a part of their escort vehicle broke down. It's been resolved now. Please pour them some tea."
"Okay," Xiao Ran replied, and quickly began pouring tea.
Zhao Yin parked the car and glanced at the several strong bodyguards. He became more wary when he thought that there was only a girl and a boy in the general store.
He did not leave immediately, but stood by the oxcart observing.
Xiao Ran poured five glasses of iced tea and handed them to the bodyguards one by one.
Jiang Ling took three disposable cups from the counter and handed them to Xiao Ran.
Xiao Ran poured the water to the brim without saying a word.
Jiang Ling picked up a glass and pointed to the other two: "One is for you, and one is for your father. You can take them over."
"Thank you, Sister Jiang."
Zhao Yin accepted the tea and said to Jiang Ling, "Thank you, Miss Jiang!"
I was just thinking that staying too long might not be a good idea, but now I have a reason to stay.
Xiaolin took a sip of iced tea, and her eyes immediately lit up:
"Shopkeeper, the tea in your shop is really delicious. It's icy cold and sweet."
The other four bodyguards nodded in agreement; after a long and tiring journey, the refreshing and sweet tea was indeed a welcome relief.
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Drink as much as you like, there's plenty."
Xiaolin and Xiaoran were about the same age, and they quickly got together and started chatting.
"You're a shop assistant here..."
"You're so young, how can you be a bodyguard...?"
The two chatted back and forth, making the atmosphere much more relaxed.
After the five men finished their tea, they each found some hay to feed the horses.
Zhao Yin then struck up a conversation with Dong Hao, discussing the intricacies of horse judging.
I've rested enough.
Xiao Lin walked up to Xiao Yi, who was feeding the horse water, and said with a bitter face, "Brother Yi, can I not ride in the car? This road is too bumpy, it feels like my internal organs are being churned up. I'd rather ride in the car."
Xiao Yi didn't even look up. "You know how bumpy it is, right? We didn't send you to ride in a carriage for your enjoyment; we sent you to hold onto the cargo."
The journey was bumpy, and some of the goods were fragile, so it would be difficult to secure them with just ropes. It would be best if someone could hold them up nearby.
Xiaolin muttered, "Didn't the shopkeeper give us a lot of nails? If you nail a few more to the rope, or nail the box to the car, it won't be able to escape, right?"
He just saw that Brother Dong bought three boxes of nails from the shopkeeper.
"You've got a good idea! These steel nails are so precious, we can't waste them on this. Weren't you the one who insisted on coming along? What? You're already regretting it before we've even left Ping'an County!"
"I didn't..." Xiaolin's voice trailed off, afraid that they would really send her back.
Jiang Ling could clearly hear their conversation from beside the counter.
She looked at the heavy armored wagon and its simple wooden wheel structure.
Indeed, in those days, the roads were all mountainous, full of potholes and loose gravel. Horse-drawn carriages didn't have shock absorption, so they were bound to make people dizzy and disoriented.
Zhao Yin, who was also listening nearby, chimed in, "You'll be going to pass Laoya Mountain if you head west, right? There was a heavy rain there recently, and some loose rocks were washed down, making the road even more difficult to travel now. You'd better be careful."
Dong Hao was also somewhat worried upon hearing this: "I heard about it, which is why I put so much dry grass on the caravan."
Many of the items in this shipment are fragile and extremely valuable. Fortunately, I checked earlier and the broken wheel didn't damage anything inside.
Xiao Yi patted the horse's neck and spoke to Xiao Lin, "That's why I called you here. Just practice and ride a few more times and you'll get used to it. When you grow up and sit in the lead horse seat, you'll be able to ride at the very front by yourself."
Xiaolin pouted, resigned to her fate.
Dong Hao then instructed, "You guys, go find some more dry grass to make a thicker bed. We'll be on our way soon."
The other four responded and left.
Jiang Ling, however, walked curiously to the door and carefully examined the structure of the caravan.
The wooden wheels are rigidly connected to the axle, which is directly mounted on the vehicle body without any cushioning.
Although it's unlikely that the current vehicle's shock absorption will be effective, improving it shouldn't be a big problem.
Installing tires is impractical, but installing some springs is still feasible.
It seems there really are springs in her shop.
Seeing her staring at the caravan in a thoughtful manner, Dong Hao asked, "Miss Jiang, is there anything else you would like to say?"
Jiang Ling thought for a moment, then pointed to the connection between the wheel and the frame. "Chief Dong, have you considered installing a shock absorber on the wheel?"
What is a shock absorption device?
"It's about... mitigating the vibrations caused by impacts. Like when you put hay on a vehicle to reduce the impact on the cargo, but hay has limited effectiveness and flattens after a while. If you install a few springs at the connection between the axle and the frame..."
Before he could finish speaking, Dong Hao understood.
Although I don't know what kind of spring Ms. Jiang was talking about, I can guess that it is something elastic, similar to the function of a tendon.
Wealthy people would also find some elastic materials for their carriages, such as several layers of tanned cowhide, or thick pads made of elastic rattan or bamboo strips, to cushion a lot of bumps.
But these are all consumables. They are镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), and they spend most of the year walking on mountain roads. How can they afford such expenses?
"Wait a minute."
Considering they had never seen springs before, Jiang Ling turned around and went back to the shop, rummaging through the bottom shelf of the hardware counter.
A short while later, a small cardboard box was pulled out. Inside, a dozen or so heavy compression springs, each as thick as an adult's arm and glossy black, were neatly stacked. Each one was heavy and exuded a cold, hard industrial feel.
Jiang Ling struggled to carry the box outside. "Take a look, see if this can be used?"
Dong Hao and Xiao Yi immediately surrounded them.
Dong Hao picked up a spring; it felt unusually heavy.
He tapped the strings with his knuckles, producing a dull, metallic sound.
Press down harder, and the thick spring doesn't budge, only deforms slightly. As soon as you release it, it immediately snaps back to its original shape, full of elasticity.
"Such incredible resilience!" Dong Hao's eyes flashed with excitement, his tone filled with astonishment: "Is this the spring that Miss Jiang was talking about?"
Xiao Yi was also dumbfounded. "This steel... is even more amazing than those tools from before!"
He tried pressing down with all his might, but the spring only compressed less than a third of its length, and the rebound force made his arms go numb.
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