Chapter 97 Bicycle
When Luo Shengdong came to his senses, he realized that all his one hundred and fifty taels of silver had been replaced by Schneider into small pieces of paper called "trading coupons." He immediately led the people anxiously to the warehouse at the port. It wasn't until he successfully exchanged the circulation coupons for three thousand kilograms of salt that he heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that the Haihan people were quite trustworthy, but they had no intention of using this colorful piece of paper to defraud me of my money.
Luo Shengdong planned to sell this batch of salt directly to Wenchang on the east coast of Hainan Island. The Qianhu of the Guardhouse there was an old acquaintance with his father, and Luo Shengdong had to be called "third uncle" in terms of seniority. As long as these three thousand kilograms of salt are wholesaled to the thousand-household master at a price of one hundred and twenty taels per kilogram, Luo Shengdong will receive a gross profit of more than two hundred taels. And as long as the other party sells this batch of salt, he can also make a profit of more than two hundred taels. With the benefit of a hundred taels of silver, there is no need to worry about cooperation in this transaction. If possible, help the Haihan people recruit a group of immigrants on the return trip, which can also subsidize the cost of the journey.
The only inconvenience is that Wenchang is far away from Victory Port. With the speed of Luo Shengdong's fleet, it will take at least two or three days to reach the destination. Luo Shengdong was very envious of the wide-bodied sailboats of the Haihan people. They sailed very fast on the sea. Even if they went to Wenchang, they could definitely reach it in the same day. It's just that for some reason these Haihan people have never built more sailing ships of this kind. Luo Shengdong saw at the port earlier that in the shipbuilding workshop on the west side of the sea, the keel of a ship had already been laid. It seemed that he was planning to build one. Build a blessing boat.
"There are so many big iron ships that are not being used, but we are building this small wooden ship..." Luo Shengdong looked at the giant steel ship parked at the port and couldn't help but sigh.
"Boss Luo, if you don't leave in a hurry, I'll take you to the upper reaches of the river to see some good things." Schneider appeared from beside him at some point.
Luo Shengdong actually wanted to refuse Schneider's invitation because this place really left him with too many unpleasant memories. If there was no money to be had, Luo Shengdong felt that he would never come to this place again until he died. But in the end Luo Shengdong agreed by mistake, because he was really curious about what new gadgets the Haihan people had come up with. The muskets and artillery he saw last time in Victory Port left a very deep impression on him. .
So Luo Shengdong left his men at the port to load the goods, and he followed Schneider alone. Schneider originally headed towards the mouth of the river, walked a few steps and stopped: "How about we go by car, it will be faster than taking a boat."
Luo Shengdong didn't know why, so he nodded and said, "Just follow Mr. Shi's arrangement... I wonder if it will be an ox-cart or a horse-drawn carriage?"
"Our kind of car is called a bicycle. I think you have seen it before." Schneider said with a smile.
Luo Shengdong has indeed seen bicycles, and more than once or twice. He clearly remembered that every time Ren Liang appeared at the hydropower station construction site, he was riding that strange car with two wheels, which was indeed much faster than walking. However, Luo Shengdong didn't quite understand the two wheels of that car. They were lined up one behind the other, and it looked like they were clearly unstable, but they just didn't fall to either side.
"Can I try it too?" Luo Shengdong asked in astonishment. In his opinion, the two-wheeled car is like a wide-body sailboat, a treasure that the Haihan people will not easily let outsiders touch.
"Of course." Schneider responded: "I heard that you have practiced kung fu. You must have a good sense of balance and you must learn quickly."
Luo Shengdong didn't quite understand what "sense of balance" meant, but Schneider's praise for him was obvious. He said proudly: "I started exercising with my father when I was five years old, and I haven't stopped for more than 20 years." , although he has never practiced any advanced kung fu, his skills are among the best in Yazhou Water Village.”
However, in the next half hour, Luo Ba, who claimed to have good skills, fell several times, and then he realized that this thing called a "bicycle" by the Haihan people was not as easy to tame as it seemed. It was okay if he was just riding in a straight line. After Luo Shengdong mastered the essentials, he could basically ride in a crooked way. But when it came to turning, he felt that the straight handlebars were really unruly.
"It's very difficult to control this thing, but it travels fast, so it's a good means of transportation." Luo Shengdong, who stopped to drink water, expressed his opinion breathlessly.
"It's not that difficult. In my country of Haihan, almost everyone can ride a bike, from seventy to eighty years old." Schneider hit Luo Shengdong mercilessly.
Luo Shengdong said angrily: "Why did Mr. Shi lie to me? How can a coward old man control this bicycle..." As he spoke, Luo Shengdong's voice dropped because he saw two teenagers riding a bicycle from a distance. Speeding over on an identical bicycle. What made him even more speechless was that these two teenagers clearly knew that they were not from Haihan. One had a bun on his head, while the other had long hair shawl and a red flower headband on his forehead. They were clearly from Haihan. Ming people and Li people.
These two teenagers are Yu Xiaobao and Fu Li, the local guides. They hang out with the traveling crowd every day. They have long learned the skill of cycling and soon became obsessed with this sport. Now they usually ride bicycles. Traveling between the two bases. The two of them stopped riding when they were close, and greeted Schneider: "Hello, Mr. Shi!"
Schneider greeted them with a smile, and then shrugged at Luo Shengdong. Although Luo Shengdong didn't understand what Schneider's funny shrug meant, the sarcastic look on his face was so obvious that even a fool could see it. Luo Shengdong felt a little embarrassed and quickly changed the topic: "Why do I hear other people calling Mr. Shi 'Mr. Shi'? Someone also seemed to call Chief Tao 'Mr. Tao' before. What does this mean?"
"This is a respectful title for senior leaders." Schneider explained patiently
"I see." Luo Shengdong nodded, wondering whether he should ask his subordinates to change their titles in the future. "Mr. Luo" seemed to sound much more imposing than "Master Luo".
"Let's set off, it will be dark soon if we don't leave." Schneider looked at the sky and realized that there was really no time for Luo Shengdong to continue practicing slowly, so he might as well practice while walking.
The two of them rode slowly and leisurely for a full hour on the more than ten miles from Victory Port to Base No. 2. When we arrived at the gate of Base No. 2, the sky had begun to darken, and it was just in time for dinner. Many people who traveled through time saw Schneider and Luo Shengdong riding a bicycle, and they all stopped to watch this spectacle. De Luo Shengdong was so nervous that he forgot to brake and almost rushed directly into the defensive trench outside the No. 2 base.
Schneider took Luo Shengdong into the cafeteria, ready to solve the dinner problem first. Luo Shengdong discovered that not all Haihan people were here, there were many Ming people waiting in line to get food, and his appearance here was not as unexpected as expected.
Luo Shengdong asked Schneider in a low voice: "Do you remember that people in Ming Dynasty used to eat on the construction site, but now they can enter the canteen?"
Schneider nodded and said: "These Mingren are all people who work in the factories we have opened, and they are considered one of us. It is natural to eat together."
During the meal, Luo Shengdong also met many acquaintances, but no one seemed to be particularly concerned about his appearance. Even Tao Donglai and Yan Chujie just said hello and went about their own business.
"Do you feel that you have no sense of existence?" Schneider seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.
Luo Shengdong did not deny Schneider's speculation: "I used to be stared at anytime and anywhere here, and points would be deducted if I was not careful. Now no one seems to treat me as an outsider, which is really weird."
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"That's because everyone regards you as one of their own." Schneider patiently enlightened him: "First of all, you have been here for a long time and you know very well what our style of doing things is and you can understand how we do things. . Secondly, you have a business cooperation with us, which is a partnership of interests. In our opinion, there is no need to guard against you.”
If he hadn't seen Schneider's talking skills several times, Luo Shengdong might really be moved by these words, but now his thoughts are more practical - the only reason why the Haihan people will not continue to guard against him , in fact, it should be because he saw through that he did not threaten their ability.
Of course, Luo Shengdong would only keep such slander in his heart. As he interacted with the Haihan people more and more, he gradually discovered some characteristics of the Haihan people. For example, all the Haihan people have a sharp mouth, wishing they could talk the living into death and the dead into life. Moreover, when they deal with themselves, although there is no deception in their words, they are not telling the truth. The content often has a strong purpose. If you don't pay attention to distinguish them, you will easily be deceived by these Haihan people.
After dinner, Luo Shengdong headed to the factory area to the east under the leadership of Schneider. It was already dark at this time, but from a distance you could see that the factory buildings were still brightly lit, and from time to time there was the sound of ping-ping-pong-pong-pong-pong.
Luo Shengdong followed Schneider into the factory. The first thing he saw was a huge cylindrical iron can, about three feet in diameter and as tall as a person. The most peculiar thing was that Luo Shengdong found that the big iron can seemed to be sealed at both ends, with only two egg-thick iron pipes protruding from the middle of the can. He didn't know what use it could be used for.
Luo Shengdong saw that this thing was actually a sample of a hot water boiler that the Cliff Office sent a telegram requesting to build. The Cliff Office is just a word, but the metallurgical workshop here is already extremely busy because of it. Zhang Guang is not wrong. The process of manufacturing this hot water boiler is not difficult, but that is only for future generations. At present, the biggest problem in building boilers is welding.
(End of chapter)