Chapter 122: Geniuses
Rong Wu remained expressionless as he spoke, "The prince orders you to fully cooperate with Master Xie."
The man nodded and looked at Xie Shuangbai and introduced himself, "My humble name is Lin He, and I am the manager of this manor. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask, and I will do my best to meet them."
Xie Shuangbai nodded. "Manager Lin, you're too polite. I came here today to ask how the cement recipe I sent last time is going. Is there anyone in the village who can make firecrackers?"
Lin He was a little excited when he heard Xie Shuangbai's words:
"So it turns out that cement was researched by you, young master. We just made a sample yesterday according to your recipe, but we still don't know how to maximize its effectiveness."
Xie Shuangbai was delighted: "It's healed already! Manager Lao Lin, please take me to see it!"
"Sir, please follow me!"
Manager Lin took him to a small courtyard.
Lin He took Xie Shuangbai around several corners.
Xie Shuangbai observed silently. This place was really a different world. One courtyard was inside another, and everyone had their own independent research community.
Lin He looked around as he entered the yard.
"Old Zhang, come here quickly!"
The man called Lao Zhang was squatting in the corner, working with cement.
He ran over with messy hair and hands full of cement powder.
Seeing him like this, Lin He said, "Go wash your hands first. How can you meet Mr. Xie, the man you've been dreaming of developing cement, when you're so dirty?"
Xie Shuangbai didn't know what expression to make when listening to Lin He's prefix.
Old Zhang looked at Xie Shuangbai next to him and was shocked: "Cement was actually invented by such a young man!"
Lin He laughed and said, "The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves ahead. You are not allowed to have people who are more powerful than you!"
Old Zhang snorted and ran to the basin beside him to wash his hands. After washing, he rubbed his hands on his body. When he saw that his hands were clean, he grabbed Xie Shuangbai and walked towards the wall.
"Boy, look, this is the cement made according to your method, right?"
Xie Shuangbai was shocked by the old man's strength.
He looked at the pile of mixed cement and saw that the color was correct, but he would have to try it again to know for sure.
"I came here today to test the effect. Come with me and take a look."
Old Zhang was very happy and shouted towards the house: "Ji Ran, Ji Ran, come here quickly!"
A young man wearing a green robe, with messy hair and a lot of cement on his clothes ran out of the house.
He looks about the same age as Xie Shuangbai.
"Master, you called me?"
Old Zhang pulled him aside and pointed at Xie Shuangbai: "This is Mr. Xie. Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to meet the person who invented cement?"
Ji Ran looked at Xie Shuangbai blankly and asked, "Master Xie, since this is called cement, is it the same as the mud in the ground?"
Xie Shuangbai saw that he looked like a bookworm and replied, "There is still a difference."
Xie Shuangbai added sand and gravel to the cement that Old Zhang had just mixed to make concrete.
After he mixed the concrete, he asked Rong Wu to level the ground next to it.
He looked at the paved ground and said, "It's slow to dry in the winter. We can just wait and see tomorrow."
Old Zhang understood it and decided to test it tomorrow to see how effective this cement was.
Lin He glanced at the sky and said, "Master Xie, it's getting late. Why don't we have dinner at the manor today?"
Xie Shuangbai had been bumpy all the way and had just walked around in a big circle, so he was a little hungry.
"Okay, let's try the chef's cooking."
Lin He smiled: "It can't compare to the exquisiteness of the palace, just don't despise it, my lord!"
Lin He wanted to prepare a special meal for Xie Shuangbai, but he refused because he wanted to see what everyone had for lunch.
It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the joy of a big cafeteria.
The chef here cooks quite a lot.
There was rice, steamed buns with two-grain flour, steamed sweet potatoes, broth, stir-fried pork with cabbage, stir-fried potato slices, stir-fried mustard greens, stir-fried meat with mushrooms, and pickled mustard greens.
It was a very homely dish, but everyone was very satisfied with it.
These dishes, which are very common in modern times, are indeed very rare here.
Ordinary families in the Dayin Dynasty mostly steamed and cooked, but iron pots were expensive and cooking consumed a lot of oil, so people were reluctant to use them.
Xie Shuangbai ordered a little of each dish. He didn't eat much. Seeing how little he had served, Lin He asked, "Sir, is the food not to your liking?"
Xie Shuangbai explained with a smile: "I injured my stomach when I was young, and I feel uncomfortable if I eat too much, so I can only eat small amounts each time."
Lin He said with concern: "Then you still need to take care of it carefully to avoid any root cause of the disease!"
Xie Shuangbai: "Yes, so I can only eat less and take care of myself slowly."
The food tasted pretty good, and Xie Shuangbai liked the mushroom dish the best.
The mushrooms were soft and chewy, and the cabbage was fried until crispy. He ate a lot of it.
He really couldn't drink the broth; it was too greasy.
I ate half a steamed bun and felt full.
When he turned around, he saw Old Zhang next to him eating with great relish. He especially loved meat and had eaten up all the meat on the plate.
His apprentice was very polite when eating.
He saw that everyone had a very good appetite, and even Rong Wu ate a lot.
After dinner, they went to the same yard again. The cement that was laid in the morning had dried a little.
Xie Shuangbai pointed at the land and explained:
"By tomorrow, it will be completely dry and solid. From now on, this patch of land won't be as slippery as muddy ground after it rains. Every time you step on it, it'll be muddy."
Ji Ran was overjoyed: "Really? Then I'm going to give it a try tomorrow!"
He couldn't stand the feeling of stepping into mud after the rain. If there was cement, it would really save him.
Xie Shuangbai understood very well. He didn't like that feeling either. Fortunately, there was less rain in the north, otherwise he would have gone crazy.
"Manager Lin, does Zhuangzi have a master who can make firecrackers?"
Manager Lin smiled and pointed at Old Zhang: "The person you are looking for is right before your eyes."
Xie Shuangbai was quite surprised. "That's great. I'm planning to make something, but it's risky. I'm afraid..."
Old Zhang got excited after hearing what he said: "What are you afraid of? Are you going to make some powerful explosives?"
Xie Shuangbai was shocked by his sharpness. He didn't say anything, just said he wanted to make firecrackers. Old Zhang immediately guessed what he was going to make.
"Master Zhang is amazing, it's just as you said."
Xie Shuangbai didn't hesitate and handed over the prescription.
Xie Shuangbai had been thinking these days about whether he should create something ahead of its time, and in the end he decided to do it.
Just like nuclear weapons, we can do without them, but we cannot live without them.
Old Man Zhang carefully examined the formula and muttered to himself, "So the ratio of sulfur to saltpeter needs to be this high?"
He looked at the old man in front of him and couldn't help but remind him: "You must be careful when operating."
Old Zhang waved his hand nonchalantly: "Don't worry, young man!"
After saying that, he ignored Xie Shuangbai and left with his apprentice Ji Ran.
Xie Shuangbai looked at their backs and was touched by Old Zhang's cuteness.
Lin He explained, "Young Master, don't confront Old Zhang. He's just like that. Once he sees a new recipe, he can't help but want to try it!"
"Manager Lin, I understand. A genius like Master Zhang shouldn't be constrained by conventional rules."
Lin He nodded in agreement.
He asked, "Could Steward Lin take me around the farm?"
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