"Find the latest chapters of the novel 'Humans Shrunk 100 Tis'!" Tang Jing explained, "The Huangli (Chinese almanac) has always had various versions, and there has been constant disagreent about which version is correct. With the advent of computers, it has beco easier to compile the Huangli."
"Why do you claim your version is authentic then?" Chen Mu asked.
"In truth, it's not about right or wrong," Tang Jing chuckled, "During the Qing Dynasty, there were multiple versions of the almanac, often contradicting one another. Emperor Qianlong ordered a unification, resulting in the book 'Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu' (A Book Refuting Calendar Errors)."
"Alright," Chen Mu still didn't fully grasp it and inquired, "So, are we really going to follow this almanac for our future actions?"
"Such mystical things are just for fun, it's not sothing to be completely believed," Tang Jing smiled.
"Then why do you spend so much ti writing it?" Chen Mu was speechless.
"What else can we do?" Tang Jing shrugged, "Now that we have paper and pens, we might as well write sothing. I'm currently transcribing 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and you guys will have ti to read it. Besides, history books record the past, while almanacs provide glimpses of the future. They complent each other, isn't that great?"
This reason was quite compelling, leaving Chen Mu at a loss for words.
...
But that's not all.
With these two "books," everyone's intellectual life beca much richer.
After a busy day, everyone gathered around the towel and participated in composing the history of the day together.
It felt like everyone was writing a diary together.
At this mont, everyone was most relaxed, lying or sitting randomly on the pristine towels.
Above them was a street lamp rising from the ground and curving downward.
Chen Mu crafted the lamp post, and Dong Junwei naturally contributed the light bulb, a masterpiece.
The lighting wasn't very bright, and to avoid exposure, they only lit it for a while each day when the sky was half dark.
However, the atmosphere was extrely pleasant.
Everyone chatted and helped Tang Jing gradually perfect today's diary, recording and reminiscing about the day's events.
With about twenty people, there were always so interesting anecdotes every day.
For example, today, when Wei Dalei and Zhao Xiaoyan were moving things together, Old Wei accidentally carried the goods with Zhao Xiaoyan still holding onto them.
And then, Du Jiajia would secretly bring back a few strands of cat fur every ti she t with Xiao Huang. Dong Junwei collected all these fur strands, saying she could use them to weave so sweaters in the future.
...
The construction of the lookout tower's elevator was underway with great urgency.
The most challenging part was the steel columns used as tracks.
One elevator required four tracks, and the 80-centiter height ant these tracks couldn't be too thin; otherwise, they would bend.
Unlike the steel pipes used as sliders, human weight could be almost negligible on these tracks, but it was different for the elevator. If the tracks had even the slightest bend, the lifting platform would get stuck and couldn't function properly.
In the end, these four tracks were made to be about the thickness of a person, and if viewed from an old perspective, they would be similar to knitting needles for making sweaters. They were made entirely of stainless steel, so their hardness wasn't a problem.
As for the material of the lifting platform, a lighter plastic was chosen to make it easier to control the friction between it and the tal tracks.
Regarding the cables, they initially intended to use cotton threads, but the lifespan of such material was too short. It would likely break after just a few days of friction with the pulleys.
However, if they used tal or plastic, the flexibility wouldn't be sufficient, considering that the function of this thing was that of a rope.
In the end, Chen Mu made up his mind to create a real chain.
It would be the kind of iron chain ford by countless oval-shaped iron rings linked together.
The height of the elevator was 80 centiters, but the length of the chain needed to be much longer.
Thinking about making such a chain manually, it seed unreliable, but at the mont, there didn't seem to be any other options.
Luckily, the structure was simple, and for Chen Mu, mass-producing such items wasn't too difficult. Once he beca skilled, he could work at a decent speed.
Tang Jing remained the chief engineer.
She calculated all the required structural components and parts, and then provided Chen Mu with the dinsions. After all the components were manufactured, they assembled them one by one.
It took about a week.
Finally, both elevators were completed.
Du Jiajia excitedly went up first to experience it.
Since the elevators relied solely on changing the counterweight to achieve vertical movent with a constant acceleration, the initial speed couldn't be too fast; otherwise, people might be thrown out at the end.
Of course, there was a manual braking device on the lifting platform to slow down or stop the elevators in case they were moving too fast.
Though this project didn't have the significant importance of the water diversion system, its construction difficulty and complexity were still considerable.
However, the number of people involved in the entire construction process wasn't many—only six in total.
Tang Jing was the chief engineer;
Chen Mu was the materials and process supplier;
Wei Dalei was the transporter and installer;
Lu Liangliang and Lu Shanshan provided material processing services;
He Ying was the supervisor, responsible for overseeing and inspecting the entire project, mainly testing the lifting platform from top to bottom to ensure it t the required standards.
In just a week, the six of them successfully completed this large-scale project. From the current perspective, this elevator system was equivalent to a towering building 80 ters high, which was unimaginable in the past.
Tang Jing suggested that the six of them could establish a company called "Qiming Architectural Design Co., Ltd.," with Chen Mu as the legal representative and herself as the chief designer.
The purpose of this company's establishnt was to provide various architectural equipnt needed for Qiming.
According to Tang Jing, Qiming Architectural Design Co., Ltd. was an architectural company with general contracting qualifications, capable of offering comprehensive services such as design, construction, and decoration.
Their next project would be the construction of bathrooms and the renovation of toilets.
Tang Jing had long-term plans and even thought about expanding the business in the future, perhaps constructing residential buildings for Qingbei or even building a monunt for them when human society beca stable.
Chen Mu found this joke quite amusing and didn't decline the position of the legal representative. He encouraged the other five in a boss-like manner, saying that if the company perford well by the end of the year, he would give them a substantial year-end bonus.
Of course, the company hadn't generated any profit yet as they currently didn't have any inco-generating projects. As a result, Chen Mu didn't need to worry about paying the employees.
However, during the regular Qiming assembly that occurred every seven days, Dong Junwei, acting as the Chief Decision Officer, approved the establishnt of Qiming Architectural Design Co., Ltd., appointed Chen Mu as the legal representative, and issued the business license prepared by Tang Jing.
Inspired by this event, Tang Jing proposed the idea of creating a set of corporate laws to regulate the procedures and requirents for establishing, operating, and dissolving companies.
The others were almost caught off guard and nearly burst into laughter.
With only seventeen people in total, the idea of formulating corporate laws seed quite excessive. After all, each person would have their own company, making it a total of just seventeen companies.
If soone else had said this, they would have probably been laughed to death. But since it was Tang Jing, they didn't take it too seriously.
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued mber of my Patreon community.
As a cherished mber of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For just $5, you'll receive:
Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (check all the novels I'm translating from HERE, all the novels have 100s of exclusive early access chapters and so are complete.)Your na prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".The power to vote on which novel I should translate next.
If you decide to pledge $10, you'll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:
You get to suggest a Novel (Chinese or Korean) for to translate, It may take so ti for to do it but it will be done as soon as possible.Your na prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
And if you're feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you'll unlock all the perks from the $5 tier and $10 tier, plus:
You get to recomnd a Novel (Chinese or Korean) and I will imdiately start translating it.You get to recomnd an abandoned Novel (Chinese or Korean) and I will imdiately start translating it.Your na featured at the top of the "Wall of Gratitude".
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
Reviews
All reviews (0)