The temperature in Ganzhou had dropped sharply at the end of October, and the scent of winter could be smelled in the northwest wind that was slowly beginning to rage in the air. The leaves in the ash forest on the mountain behind the manufacturing bureau had all fallen off. Looking around, the entire mountain was bare, with only upright ash wood barrels standing like sentinels.
The temperature is getting colder, but the manufacturing office is bustling with activity...
In the blink of an eye, Yan Liqiang had been at the Manufacturing Bureau for eight days.
During these eight days, he did not go anywhere but stayed in the manufacturing bureau. Every day, he either discussed the craftsmanship and design of the carriage with the craftsmen of the manufacturing bureau, or patrolled the various workshops or courtyards, checking and supervising the work of the craftsmen in the manufacturing bureau. Although Yan Liqiang was called a supervisor, in fact, if people who entered the manufacturing bureau were not told about Yan Liqiang's identity, they would often mistake Yan Liqiang, who was dressed in craftsman's clothes, which were often covered with carbon ash or sawdust, and occasionally had a little glue and paint on his hair, for an apprentice in the manufacturing bureau.
For example, the two village heads of Shugang Village and Pingba Village, who were invited to the Manufacturing Bureau for the first time a few days ago to discuss things, did not even look at Yan Liqiang when they saw him walking past them. Instead, they were preparing to meet Qian Su with trepidation and excitement.
In Huanglong County, Qian Yingjian's reputation was on the same level as the county magistrate. In the eyes of the village chiefs of the two villages, they were both big shots.
To the two village chiefs, Qian Su's proposal seemed like pie in the sky for the first time. They could never have imagined that such a good thing would happen to them - the master craftsmen of the manufacturing bureau would teach the villagers in their village the craft, and then they would come to the craftsmen camp to get some raw materials on credit and prepare some things themselves. Finally, when they made the products, as long as the quality was up to standard, the manufacturing bureau would even pay for them to be recycled. Everything was signed in a contract, in black and white, with real money. The manufacturing bureau was simply giving them money. If Qian Su did not look like a fool no matter how they looked at him, they would almost suspect that Qian Su was crazy or had met a scammer.
Needless to say, the two village chiefs went back with great joy the next day. They sent sedan chairs and carriages to pick up the craftsmen from the craftsman camp to teach them their skills in their village. They also beat gongs and drums along the way, making a huge noise, just like marrying a new bride. It made people wonder whether to laugh or cry...
While several craftsmen from the Artisan Camp went to Shugang Village and Pingba Village to teach their skills, in the various workshops and yards in the Artisan Camp, from the carpenter's yard to the blacksmith's yard, the lacquerer's workshop, and even the leatherworker's workshop, the loud roar of Yan Liqiang could be heard on a daily basis in recent days. All the craftsmen in the Artisan Camp, from the head craftsman to the ordinary craftsmen, all experienced the power of the Lion's Roar of the seemingly good-tempered Yan Liqiang.
…
"As for the wood used to make the carriage, we should use the best wood as long as it is visible to our eyes. Use the most expensive wood. Don't save money for me... Qiyun Mountain's Seven-Star Sandalwood is the most expensive. Okay, then we'll use Qiyun Mountain's Seven-Star Sandalwood... The carriages we're making now are for rich people to sit in. Just think about what kind of materials rich people like. I'll say it again, this is not a military device. Don't use that as a military device. What? You don't know what kind of materials rich people like. Then please look at my mouth shape and remember the pronunciation of this word. Expensive, brother means expensive. Do you understand..."
…
"Precision, I want precision, understand? Redo everything for me. As long as the precision of the metal bushing on the steering wheel under the car is more than two hairs, it will be considered unqualified. No matter how much effort you put in, all will be sent back to the furnace and destroyed. Make this a rule for the future production of this part, and don't ask me questions like this again..."
…
"What do you mean by three coats of paint? If I say the glossiness is not enough, then it is not enough. You, the painter's workshop, should not treat this as something for a carriage, but as a lacquerware. If three coats of paint are not enough, then paint five. If five coats of paint are not enough, then paint ten. Remember, there must be gloss. When your black paint surface can reflect a person's image as clearly as a mirror after grinding, polishing and waxing, then it will be qualified..."
…
"Brother, this is the silver handle for the car door. I want it to be elegant and exquisite. Why did you make something like an executioner's axe handle? What? You don't know what elegance and exquisiteness mean? Well, I'll draw a picture, okay? You make it according to my drawing... If you can't make it, you can eat what you made... Don't eat it, this is silver. If you eat it, it will cost you money and life. If you can't make it, you can run around our manufacturing bureau three times with your bare bottom..."
…
"Parquet, you don't know what parquet is. It's that you make small windows in the middle of the wood, and then in those grids... you don't use paper. Why use paper? You think it's your windows. This is a luxury carriage. How can you use paper for the carriage windows? What else can you use if not paper? I tell you, use glass pieces, those red, blue, green, blue glass pieces, polish them, and inlay them one by one in the grids of your window to piece together a beautiful pattern. That's called parquet, do you understand..."
…
All the workshops and yards were busy with work. In the blacksmith workshop where Yan Liqiang personally participated, according to the plan provided by Yan Liqiang, after a group of craftsmen conducted thousands of experiments and adjustments day and night, on the sixth day after Yan Liqiang came to the blacksmith workshop, the coil spring in Yan Liqiang's mind was finally manufactured. As a by-product of manufacturing coil springs, spring steel was also produced in the blacksmith workshop.
There were no flowers, no applause. All of this was kept secret. Only Yan Liqiang, Qian Su, and several craftsmen who participated in the spring experiment knew about it. After the craftsmen who participated in the spring manufacturing were rewarded with 50 taels of silver each, the small courtyard where the blacksmith workshop for spring manufacturing was located naturally became the place with the highest confidentiality level in the entire manufacturing bureau. Those craftsmen also received a "military order" that they must not disclose the secret of spring manufacturing at any time.
On the morning of the eighth day after Yan Liqiang came to the Manufacturing Bureau, Yan Liqiang finished his morning lessons, practiced the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing, and had breakfast in his yard. Then Qian Su came to Yan Liqiang with a smile on his face.
"Uncle Qian, good morning. Have you had breakfast?" Yan Liqiang greeted Qian Su.
"I've eaten!" Qian Su smiled mysteriously, "Come on, I'll take you to see something good!"
"Oh, what is it?"
"You'll know when you go there!"
Yan Liqiang didn't think much about it, and followed Qian Su out of the yard where he lived, and then went directly to a small square in the manufacturing bureau.
When Yan Liqiang arrived, he discovered that the small square was crowded with people. All the people from the entire manufacturing bureau had come. All of them were standing silently around the small square. He was actually the last person to arrive.
A black four-wheeled carriage was quietly placed in the middle of the small square, shining with an invisible and compelling brilliance.
When Yan Liqiang saw the black four-wheeled carriage, he was in a trance for a moment, as if he was traveling through time and space, because the four-wheeled carriage was exactly the same as the four-wheeled carriages used by European courts and nobles that Yan Liqiang had seen in movies and TV dramas in his previous life. For the first time, what he drew on paper became a real object and appeared before his eyes.
At this moment, Yan Liqiang had the illusion that he was Ma Liang, the master of the magic brush...
"Look, everyone is waiting for you to be the first to try it..." Qian Su said softly beside him.
(End of this chapter)