She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 517 - 515 Orbit?

Chapter 517: Chapter 515 Orbit?

Wong Qiao looked quite fond of Du Dazhong, and with a smile on his face, he said, "Master Du should not belittle himself. As the saying goes, ’Many hands make light work.’ With everyone working together and your help, things can be done faster and better."

Ye Xinyan also followed Wong Qiao’s words and said, "Wong Qiao is right. The Chain Inversion Device is a complex mechanism. In just over two months, we have already created a prototype. The speed is undeniably fast, and this is the result of everyone’s collective wisdom and effort. Although Wong Qiao is leading this project, it wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s participation."

It’s true that the masters have also joined the production of the Chain Inversion Device by a happy coincidence, but everyone has contributed to its creation, and their merits cannot be erased. As long as everyone works diligently and treats the Mechanical Workshop as their own business, not engaging in actions that harm the workshop, the Qi family and the Mechanical Workshop will not mistreat any one of you."

Master Du responded first, "My family has been craftsmen for generations, and the Qi family is the best master my father, grandfather, and I have ever had. In the two years I have worked here, I have learned many new skills and, of course, would do nothing to harm the workshop. We all will not betray the Qi Family Workshop. Don’t you agree?" Not only did Du Dazhong make the promise himself, but he also rallied the others.

"Of course, we see the Mechanical Workshop as our own business."

"How could we possibly harm the workshop? If we lose the Mechanical Workshop and the Qi Family Construction Business, where else could we find such a profitable living?"

"We won’t; from now on, we shall work here."

"..."

Wong Qiao and Zhou Biyao looked at the crowd, feeling extremely joyful. Jiang Yifan felt proud that Ye Xinyan, a woman, could also inspire people.

Ye Xinyan smiled as she watched everyone make their pledges, but inwardly, she was weighing how many could resist a high enough temptation and not do anything to harm the Mechanical Workshop. Not to mention anything else, just revealing the components of the devices made by the workshop in advance could save the plagiarists the time and cost of development and trials, bringing them closer to success.

Although Jiang Yifan was not invited by Ye Xinyan, he still took the initiative to stay and participate in the celebration banquet that evening. The scene was lively, to say the least; the crowd was excited.

Such a civilian event not only had the presence of the Magistrate Sir, who painted big pictures for everyone, but also had Wong Qiao continuously encouraging them as they envisioned the tools created by their Mechanical Workshop being used in various industries throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. Furthermore, those like Du Dazhong who loved lively events, helped to hype things up. An exceptionally rich meal had everyone feasting joyfully and did not end until nearly the Zi Hour.

That night, Jiang Yifan hadn’t even made it back to the county government office but stayed overnight at the Qi family’s place.

The next morning, before heading back to the city, Jiang Yifan sent someone early to the back yard to pass a message to Ye Xinyan, having matters to instruct.

Ye Xinyan, who had just freshened up, heard a message from the front yard that Jiang Yifan had something to discuss with her face to face. Coincidentally, she also had something to say. The event the previous day was too lively, and she, held up by Madam Yin, hadn’t attended the celebration banquet and had been waiting for an opportunity to speak.

Accompanied by Bi Ning, Ye Xinyan met with Jiang Yifan, who was already holding his horse, ready to rush back to the city, in the front yard.

Ye Xinyan hastily paid her respects to Jiang Yifan and asked, "Does Lord Jiang have instructions? Is it about the Mechanical Workshop?"

Jiang Yifan didn’t make much small talk and went straight to the point, "You all have started working on the Chain Inversion Device in earnest. Although this apparatus is ingenious, if someone manages to understand its parts and structure fully, there’s a chance it could be replicated by others.

Although the craftsmen here seem decent enough for now, there’s no guarantee that one of them doesn’t harbor ulterior motives, perhaps copying a part or diagram to sell to another house. You should think of some countermeasures just in case."

Ye Xinyan nodded, "I’ve thought about this, and I plan to have the Chain Inversion Device components produced in separate groups, ensuring that each person only makes one or two parts, with no one having the opportunity to see the full picture of the device. This approach not only aids in keeping it secret but can also help the craftsmen become familiar with making the parts quicker, thus shipping them out faster and with better quality."

The experience summarized from the Industrial Revolution over the course of hundreds of years is that the finer the division of labor, the higher the work efficiency. Plus, someone wanting to steal the technology would have to bribe dozens of craftsmen working on the Chain Inversion Device components, right? That would be far too risky, a leak being probable, and the success rate would be very low."

Upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s method, Jiang Yifan felt immediately relieved. He had thought about various methods all night yesterday, even considering the signing of contracts with harsh conditions, but none were reliable or as simple and effective as Ah Yan’s idea.

"Ah Yan, your idea is good; now I can rest easy. There are still matters to attend to at the Yamen, so I’ll be heading back. I’ll come to check on the progress in a few days," Jiang Yifan said as he took hold of his horse and started to leave.

"Wait a moment," Ye Xinyan quickly interjected, "I forgot to ask yesterday, can you still contact the people who worked on road construction last year?"

Jiang Yifan stopped, puzzled, "Yes, I suppose. Even if we can’t, we can simply find someone else. What do you need road builders for? Aren’t all the roads here already fixed?"

"What about Peach Grove? After the dairy farm at Peach Grove is built, we’ll need to transport the cow’s milk back here every day. If the roads aren’t repaired, too much time will be wasted on travel. If it’s just once or twice, it might be fine, but it will be too laborious to make the round trip every day, and it will also waste manpower and vehicles."

Jiang Yifan frowned, "That long a distance and not an official road, if it’s well-built, there’s a risk of government use during that time, or civilian land reclamation. Road damages aside, it could delay the dairy farm’s operations." Cow’s milk needs to be produced every day; if the journey is obstructed, and there’s a delay of a day or two, the milk might spoil.

With Jiang Yifan’s reminder, Ye Xinyan also became worried, "How about buying the land for road construction?" If it’s their own land, could that avoid a lot of issues? But where would the silver for purchasing the road come from?

"There doesn’t seem to be a precedent for that," Jiang Yifan shook his head. "Let’s do this, you carry on with your work, and I’ll handle this. I’ll have someone contact the road workers first, then look into whether such a narrow strip of land could be bought. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible."

As Ye Xinyan watched Jiang Yifan lead his horse out of the gate and was suddenly struck with an idea, she hurriedly caught up a few steps and proposed, "Lord Jiang, if we purchase this narrow strip of land, could we build a rail track on it?"

"A rail track?" Jiang Yifan thought for a moment, then inquired, "There’s already a rail track in the capital. If it’s properly recorded at the Yamen, it should be feasible. The question is, do you plan to build tracks of wood or iron?"

Ye Xinyan immediately grasped Jiang Yifan’s implication, "Then... I’ll need to work out the costs again."

That’s right, this era isn’t like a thousand years later, where industry and various types of mining are developed, and steel is available in whatever quantity needed. To build iron rails in this time, just the cost of materials alone, how much silver would that be?