Chapter 973: Chapter 971: A Simple Model
Qi Younian knew that Ye Xinyan had a hard time running and even expanding Guangsha Construction without a competent assistant. However, he did not think Ye Xinyan was unfamiliar with construction.
The old man laughed and said, "It’s truly hard on Ye Zi. But who says you’re not familiar with construction affairs? I, this old man, would be the first to disagree with belittling our Ye Zi. In just over two months, not only has the Construction Industry expanded, but the staff has also increased significantly, even more than before.
Not only have we secured this year’s projects, but next year’s projects have also been booked in advance. Don’t say that you, a girl who has only been in the construction industry for a few years, even someone like me and your Grandfather Cheung, who have been craftsmen for decades, couldn’t have done better than you."
Everyone chuckled in agreement; their approval and admiration came from the heart. If what the great madam has done isn’t considered proficient in construction, then no one present would dare claim proficiency.
Qi Younian was genuinely satisfied with Ye Xinyan’s handling of affairs during this period, "Alright. Starting tomorrow, you can rest as you wish. Whenever you’re fully rested, then you can resume work. If you never tire, then keep resting, and watch as Grandpa earns silver for you, you just have to stay at home and wait to collect the accounts."
Laughter erupted among everyone.
Jiang Yifan chuckled, "That won’t do; she just wants to be lazy. Grandpa, with all your travel and toil, you should indeed rest for a few days. How could you return and immediately start working, letting us juniors enjoy the fruits of your labor at home?"
Ye Xinyan promptly responded, "Yes, yes, Grandpa, you should rest for a few days. When you’re well rested, then I’ll rest." It’s certainly about being lazy; it’s fine to start a few days later.
Yuan Shang, who had chatted with Qi Younian the previous day and knew a bit more than Ye Xinyan, also smiled and said, "It’s good for the great madam to rest first. When our Great Aunt Biyao returns, the great madam can work with her. Then, the great madam will have company in her work."
"Oh? Is Biyao coming back?" Ye Xinyan was indeed unaware of this.
Qi Younian said with a smile, "I didn’t have a chance to tell you yesterday, the abbot of a temple we’re constructing set a lot of requirements for the structure of a hall and wouldn’t allow the use of iron nails. So I asked Ah Qiao to join in discussing the mortise and tenon structure.
Ah Qiao said that the machine he and Shi Yin made is already movable when fueled with charcoal. He brought back blueprints for you. If the structure works, he and Master Shi will return to the capital together with the relocating Mechanical Workshop next spring. You can take a look at those blueprints later; it’s quite complicated. I struggled a lot with it, and still didn’t understand what it was."
"Hmm? A steam engine? That fast?" Ye Xinyan’s eyes widened instantly, filled with excitement.
Yuan Shang chimed in, "I was also surprised to hear it yesterday. Just burning charcoal can make iron things move; it sounds very mysterious. Listening to it made me eager to see what it is, can’t wait for the spring of next year."
......
At noon, everyone gathered for a grand feast. Even the impatient Guan He joined in, helping to devour the endless stream of dishes being served.
Qi Younian, Guan He, Jiang Yifan, and others also enjoyed a few drinks.
In the afternoon, after everyone dispersed, Ye Xinyan and Jiang Yifan stayed behind to chat with Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, keeping Qi Younian company.
The Qi family had been lively these couple of days, and Ye Yuan was staying in the courtyard with Zi Ning and Guan He.
Zi Ning was already seven months pregnant and loved children, not finding it tiring to supervise them, but rather wishing he’d stay a few more days.
Ye Yuan frequented the Qi family and was familiar with Qi Younian, often calling him Grandpa like Qi Jiaer, forming a close bond between the two.
Having not seen Qi Younian for over two months, he was so delighted to see him again that even Ye Xinyan took a back seat, sitting on Qi Younian’s lap for a long time, listening to everyone talk. Not until he was yawning repeatedly was he coaxed back for a nap by Zi Ning.
In the evening, the family dined together, only then did Ye Xinyan, carrying the blueprints Qi Younian brought back, return to her own home.
Wong Qiao’s drawing was only a simple model of a steam engine, similar to those assigned to students in professional schools.
Even so, for an ancient person to transform thermal energy into mechanical energy was already a milestone achievement.
With this foundational piece, absent any official obstruction, it’s bound to propel developments in smelting, forging, and other technologies. Utilizing better steel, increasing steam pressure and power, and gradually improving sealing and wear resistance, steam engines could be applied in all sorts of fields.
This model, although akin to a student experiment project from a professional school, was not at all simple, and could even be considered quite complex. For someone uninitiated, understanding its structure and principle was tough.
Jiang Yifan, now working for the Ministry of Works, held a strong interest in such machinery and tools.
The two changed clothes upon returning, lit a few candles, spread the blueprints out, and examined them intently side by side on the desk.
Ye Xinyan, having a background in science and engineering, and having continued working with such things, naturally understood it.
Wong Qiao and Shi Yin’s steam engine model, judging from the blueprints, had a completely correct structure and principle and was essentially successful. Only during use does it need detail improvement.
As she examined it, she pointed to various parts of the blueprint, explaining each point to Jiang Yifan.
Ye Xinyan thought she had explained it quite simply, yet Jiang Yifan still couldn’t grasp it. Without manpower, without anything, relying simply on burning charcoal to boil water could actuate metal machinery—how could that be possible?
With no other option, Ye Xinyan found glue and thick paper, fashioned a few simple paper tubes, circular paper pieces, and then affixed them with toothpicks to replace connecting rods and transmission components, gesturing slowly with the rising steam from boiling water for Jiang Yifan to see.
After a few attempts, Jiang Yifan gradually began to grasp the concept. Once understood, he could hardly hide his shock, "You mentioned that this sort of thing can generate great force, how great can its maximum force be?"
"There really is no maximum." Ye Xinyan laughed; she hadn’t had the chance to engage with aerospace-level maximum thrust, so she could only say, "As long as the materials used to make the steam engine are strong enough, the power it can generate is limitless."
"The earliest evaluation of such a thing’s power was in horsepower; you could think of it as the power of a horse. Later, steam engine-like things became so common for civilian use that a single machine could easily produce tens of thousands of horsepower. Imagine a not-so-large room housing one or several machines, each with several hundred or thousand horsepower, roaring as they operate."
Tens of thousands of horsepower? Jiang Yifan, a bit excited, fixed his gaze back on the blueprints, scrutinizing them closely.
Comparing with Ye Xinyan’s paper model, he seemed to understand a bit more, and somewhat expectantly asked, "Ah Yan, could this kind of thing also be used commonly by us here?"
Ye Xinyan didn’t give him hope, straightforwardly shaking her head, saying, "Such machines require varied craftsmen and investment. It demands constant tweak and perfection over years and years. While identifying shortcomings, there will need to be continuous improvement and development in other related industries including materials and application industries. Progress isn’t possible without consistent effort over decades, even centuries."
She saw Jiang Yifan’s somewhat disappointed expression and continued, "As for widespread civilian use, that might take a hundred years. It requires a much longer time and perseverance to continuously make improvements."
This was also the aspect of which Ye Xinyan was the most unsure.
"Non-stop?" Jiang Yifan pondered upon it. Non-stop, for decades, or even centuries. Involving the subsequent throne and even dynastic changes, simply on the matter concerning craftsmen, could this be achieved without interruption?