The purpose of doing this is to create a vacuum within the glass tube; only when this vacuum exists inside the tube will the liquid undergo changes.
By this stage, the progress of the thermometer's production was less than fifty percent, because it lacked any scale markings.
A thermometer without scales can only be considered a small trinket; it only becomes a true scientific tool once it has scales.
Zhu Ci could only make rough markings; boiling water was at one hundred degrees, the ice-water mixture was at zero degrees.
Once the liquid column stabilized, he would mark the lines and then divide them into equal increments.
As for below zero and above one hundred, we can take it slow.
This thermometer is quite crude, but it will do.
Zhu Ci used this thermometer to test body temperature, while Xi Zhenliu sat beside him with a look of curiosity.
He was teaching Xi Zhenliu some knowledge that was common in later generations, but had not yet taken shape or been introduced in this era.
When Fu Chunsheng came over, he took a look at the strange object in Zhu Ci's hand.
Zhu Ci did not hide when making the thermometer, but he also did not allow those three people too much contact.
And this time, Fu Chunsheng and the others were all very well-behaved; they didn't probe for any more information, they didn't even approach his small kitchen again.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Can't do it? Tsk, you guys aren't very lucky. An evil kitty sitting cross-legged and gloating. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 42
Zhu Ci was somewhat suspicious that the masters behind them had already discovered that Allicin was no longer effective.
That's not right. With the example of Xia Lei, even if it were ineffective, they should have been encouraged to keep investigating to obtain a more complete formula, rather than giving up directly and becoming even more honest than before.
Did the person behind it sense something?
Zhu Ci felt a sense of regret; the more Fu Chunsheng and the others did, the more they would expose themselves, he might actually be able to follow the clues to find the person behind it all.
As a result, this person was extremely vigilant; as soon as he had revealed a tiny bit of his tail, he immediately pulled everything back upon sensing the risk of exposure.
He simply acted as if nothing had happened, continuing with his usual routine while waiting for these people's next move; he would catch them sooner or later, so there was no need to rush.
Now that the factory had been built, he had focused most of his energy on beehive coal, leaving him with no strength to contend with the other party.
Young Master." Xi Zhenliu ran and jumped into the room, saying, "The Baochang is bringing people over to pay their respects to you, Young Master.
The Baochang is bringing people? What kind of people?
It was just that Xi Zhenliu did not recognize the man, Zhu Ci did not think much of it, heading straight into the main hall.
Upon arriving at the main hall, he scanned the room and saw that, besides Xi Shan, there was also a burly man with a full beard sitting there.
The burly man was so massive that he made Xi Shan, sitting beside him, look like a tiny chick.
Upon seeing him, Xi Shan and the burly man rose together and bowed to him.
After returning the greeting, Zhu Ci glanced at the burly man and then at Xi Shan, asking, "May I ask who this brave warrior is.."
Xi Shan immediately said, "Young Master, this is Hundred-man Commander Zheng of Baoshan Post. He has come this time because he wishes to purchase beehive coal from you."
A Hundred-man Commander of Baoshan Post.. the peak of grassroots officers. Anything above that, such as a Battalion Commander or a Thousand-man Commander, would already be considered middle-level officers.
Zhu Ci felt wary in his heart, but his expression remained gentle and smiling. "So it is Hundred-man Commander Zheng. My apologies for the lack of respect. May I ask how Hundred-man Commander Zheng learned of the beehive coal?"
Zheng Baihu looked like a coarse man, but he was actually quite polite. He sat up straight and said, "I learned of it from the Water Dragon Society."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "The news spread that quickly? Since Zheng Baihu knows people from the Water Dragon Society, why not buy from them? To be honest, I have already reached an agreement with the Water Dragon Society, everything is being sold through them."
Zheng Baihu said earnestly, "To be honest with you, Young Master, this purchase of coal is for Baoshan Post and Wusongjiang Post. My connection with the Water Dragon Society is merely that I personally know one or two of them; it would be inappropriate for the Garrison to become too deeply involved with them."
Mm, one is a military organization and the other is the Canal Gang; it is indeed difficult to get too deeply involved with them.
Zhu Ci asked nonchalantly, "Do the garrisons have enough money to buy coal now?"
The Great Ming can barely even afford the soldiers' rations, yet they can afford to buy coal for them? Could this be someone testing me?
Zheng Baihu said in a low voice, "This is a favor from the superiors."
After speaking, he closed his mouth.
Zhu Ci understood him perfectly well; he didn't know if the superior he mentioned was a Colonel or a Thousand-man Commander, but he certainly loved his soldiers like his own children.
However, he also needed to be careful not to meet this person. A mid-level officer who had enough money to support his troops and buy coal for the soldiers certainly came from a good background; it would be troublesome if they ever met.
Zhu Ci thought of this and asked, "How much do you want? There might not be much in the early stages, I also need to reserve a portion for Zhu Ying; after all, I have already promised her, it wouldn't be right to break my word."
Zheng Baihu immediately said, "I will not make things difficult for Young Master Xi. How about we split the beehive coal produced, half for us and half for the Water Dragon Society?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ci realized it was no difficult task and nodded, providing a quoted price.
Hundred-man Commander Zheng immediately said, "In that case, let us sign the contract."
Oh wow, this buyer is even more enthusiastic than the seller.
After the contract was signed, Zheng Baihu said casually, "On my journey here, I noticed that the road from Xialiang to the Garrison is in poor condition. To avoid any inconvenience during transport, I will dispatch soldiers to repair the road. I wonder if the roads in the village also need renovation? If so, we can repair them all at once."
Zhu Ci fell silent for a moment before saying, "The village roads do indeed need renovation, but as for the wages.."
“Ha, what need there is for wages? It's all something I can do easily anyway.” Zheng Baihu finished speaking, but after observing Zhu Ci's somewhat strange expression, he said nonchalantly, "It's just that the materials must be provided by the village itself; I am only providing the labor."
If someone was willing to provide both manpower and effort, he was naturally willing as well.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zheng Baihu finally left the ancestral residence, accompanied by Xi Shan.
After leaving the gates of the ancestral residence, Hundred-man Commander Zheng breathed a secret sigh of relief.
The Marquis said he would send anything useful, but this road.. never mind? It doesn't matter if he doesn't, anyway, once we've established a connection, I can just send more gifts in the future.
How strange, what exactly is the background of this Young Master Xi that makes the Marquis treat him with such extreme caution?
As for his public identity.. he didn't believe it.
And Zhu Ci felt quite strange at this moment; it was his first time encountering such a buyer.
Not bargaining, not taking the opportunity to demand extra benefits, even paying out of his own pocket for transportation—does such a divine buyer actually exist in this world?
Standing under the corridor, Zhu Ci happened to see Fu Qiulu drying clothes. Remembering how Fu Chunsheng and Xia Lei had been acting out of character these past two days, acting as if they wanted to walk all the way around the small kitchen, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Although there was no evidence to link them, he always felt that this seemed like the work of someone behind the scenes.
Otherwise, why would someone proactively come to his door offering to help with road construction right after his formula was stolen by those ungrateful wretches?
And there was the Beehive coal; that was a ten-year contract, clearly stating that half of the production would be purchased.
What does this mean? It means that even if Zhu Ying cannot sell them, he will still make money.
Most importantly, the agreed price was slightly higher than what was sold to Zhu Ying. At the time, Zhu Ci had tentatively quoted a slightly higher price, the other party agreed without a second thought.
There was no trickery involved; he would take the head of a foolish ruler and kick it around like a ball.
This person was actually quite respectful of the rules, but the grudges that deserved to be held still had to be held.
After all, these were all just his guesses. What if the person sending him money and Fu Qiulu's master weren't the same person?
Zhu Ci turned and returned to the study.
It must be said that this contract did significantly reduce his pressure.
Zhu Ying's side wasn't exactly reliable; if business went poorly, she might stop taking stock.
However, since he had previously asked Zhu Ying to build the road, he only needed to have the road leading to the county seat repaired.
However, there had been no word from Zhu Ying's side, whereas Zheng Baihu was extremely proactive, sending people over to begin road construction the very next day.
Zhu Ci hadn't originally intended to make a big fuss; he had only hoped to make the ground a bit smoother and fewer potholes, but he never expected these people would actually build a bluestone road!
There were indeed bluestone roads during the Ming Dynasty, but such roads only existed on core thoroughfares and at important junctions; ordinary official roads generally only required a rammed earth foundation with a layer of crushed stone on top.
Because he had never even considered paving a bluestone road, he hadn't prepared any materials.
Thus, the bluestone road was also provided by the Garrison.
Xi Ping looked at the road construction site and asked cautiously, "Young Master Xi, is this.. is this appropriate?"
The roads in the village were even better than the roads in the county, which made him somewhat uneasy. Would the Magistrate be displeased?
Zhu Ci gave a light laugh. "What is improper about someone being willing to spend money?"
Not only did he pay to repair the road, but he also sent even more lavish gifts on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month than Zhu Ying and Magistrate Zhang did; the only difference was that the gifts he sent were all practical necessities for daily life.
Fine, I'll just consider it a fee for helping to raise the kids.
Although the road was built with the help of the Garrison, the villagers were actually grateful to Zhu Ci.
After all, without this Young Master, no one had bothered to build roads for them in all those previous years.
Just as a short section of the road had been completed, news arrived from Zhu Ying's people saying that the factory building was nearly finished.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: You're not even pretending anymore, are you? Do you think I'm stupid? Evil kitty makes another note in the little notebook. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 43
After hearing that the workshop was nearly completed, Zhu Ci directly ordered someone to deliver the message and send the materials to Zhu Ying.
He was not afraid of Zhu Ying knowing what he wanted, because the things he wanted were extremely complex and included materials for firearms.
Aside from everything else, the sheer amount of bamboo and wood alone would be enough to mislead anyone.
The workshops of the Coal Production Factory were nearly completed; when the Furnace Production Factory was being built, Zhu Ci directly ordered the craftsmen to build an extra small-scale factory as well.
The area occupied was not even half the size of the Coal Production Factory. He did not explain what this factory was used for, the craftsmen did not care.
They were more than happy to have a longer construction period and higher wages, the benefits here were better as well.
The employer would set their working hours every day, essentially working from sunrise to sunset, they would be given two days of rest every five days. Besides that, because of the cold weather, he would also occasionally provide them with some hot soup to drink.