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Fei Qian closed his eyes, recalling the machinery of later generations. What could achieve both stability and adjustable frequency?
Bearings? No... Belts? Probably not either...
Ah, gears!
A simple combination of large and small gears could amplify or reduce rotational speed, and the traction force during gear rotation remained consistent. But what were gears called during the Han Dynasty?
Fei Qian wasn't sure how to explain it clearly, so he simply drew a diagram on the ground and said to Huang Chengyan, "Father-in-law, please take a look. If we modify this water hammer, replace the wooden rod and stone hammer with iron, and then add this to adjust the striking speed..."
Fei Qian drew a diagram of a large gear meshing with a small one...
"Ah! We could add a ratchet!" Huang Chengyan clapped his hands in realization.
Originally, the water hammer used a lever to slowly lift and drop a stone hammer, removing husks from crops at a leisurely pace. But by using gears to change the speed and replacing the fragile wooden rod with an iron one, it could meet the blacksmiths' need for high-speed strikes on iron.
As for ratchets—gears—they had existed since the Warring States period, but by the Han Dynasty, most people still didn't know how to utilize them properly...
Huang Chengyan was a man of action. He immediately called over a few craftsmen and got to work. When it came to inventing and innovating machinery, the Huang family seemed to have a natural inclination, as if it flowed in their blood. Even Huang Yueying was eager to join in. If not for Fei Qian's presence, she probably would have rushed over to watch the excitement...
Just then, a servant from the Huang family came to report to Fei Qian that a visitor from Yanzhou had arrived and was already at Lushan...
Yanzhou? Shanyang Commandery was part of Yanzhou—could it be a messenger from his master, Liu Hong?
Thinking of this, Fei Qian quickly explained the situation to Huang Chengyan and took his leave.
Huang Chengyan understood and urged him to hurry back. But Huang Yueying was torn—she wanted to stay and watch her father work on the device, yet she also felt she should accompany Fei Qian...
Fei Qian understood her dilemma and said, "Why don't you stay here? I'll go back alone and come pick you up tomorrow?"
Huang Yueying nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice, but then worried that her quick agreement might upset Fei Qian. After carefully studying his expression and confirming he wasn't displeased, she happily skipped over to Huang Chengyan's side.
After bidding farewell to Huang Chengyan, Fei Qian returned to Lushan.
Standing beside her father, watching the craftsmen at work, Huang Yueying suddenly felt very happy. She covered her mouth lightly, her eyes curving into crescents.
When she was little, she used to sit beside her father like this, watching the uncles and craftsmen build and assemble things, while her toys were wooden blocks of all shapes—square, round, triangular...
When she was little, she used to squat beside her father, watching the uncles use saws and axes to transform large pieces of wood into new forms, while she herself worked with a small saw specially made by her father, squeaking away—even grinding blisters into her tiny hands...
When she was little, she used to stand beside her father, watching the uncles assemble her very first invention—a sweeping device with four brooms—though it later proved completely impractical, far less effective than just sweeping by hand...
But as she grew older, she could no longer stand beside her father like this...
Instead, she had to climb onto the wooden plow he had made and perch on the courtyard wall, peeking over with just her head visible...
Thinking of this, Huang Yueying suddenly realized something. Over the years, her father had periodically replaced the old wooden plow with a new one, but the spot where he placed it never changed—it was always the same location...
And no matter how much she grew, standing on the plow always left her head just barely peeking over the courtyard wall—for years, it never varied...
"Father must have known I was there all along, watching from the wall..."
But from now on, Father wouldn't need to keep making new wooden plows, would he...
Huang Yueying looked at her father beside her, noticing the streaks of white in his hair, and suddenly felt her nose sting. Without her realizing, she had grown up, gotten married, while her father... had aged.
Huang Chengyan seemed to sense something and turned to see Huang Yueying standing beside him, her large eyes misty. Puzzled, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Yueying, what's wrong?"
"Mm... it's nothing," Huang Yueying blinked and quickly changed the subject. "Father... why did you take out the three scrolls on weapons, armor, and machinery for... for Ziyuan to see?"
Huang Chengyan smiled but didn't answer directly. Instead, he walked over to the busy craftsmen, gave them a few instructions, and then returned, gesturing for Huang Yueying to follow him back to the main hall of Hidden Courtyard.
Once they were seated, Huang Chengyan stroked the three scrolls on the table and asked, "Yueying, do you think these three scrolls are important?"
Wasn't that obvious? Of course they were important. Huang Yueying nodded.
Huang Chengyan laughed but shook his head. "Yueying, it seems you still don't fully understand..."
Instead of elaborating, he suddenly asked her another question: "Do you know why I was in such a hurry to marry you to Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan?"
"Because... Ziyuan studied under Master Pang? Because Ziyuan also likes inventing things? Or... because he once saved me?"
Huang Chengyan nodded. "Those are all part of the reason, but the most important one you haven't mentioned."
Huang Yueying blinked, her gaze gradually shifting from her father to the scrolls on the table. "Father, are you saying...?"
"Exactly." Huang Chengyan's expression turned solemn. "There are many talented young men who studied under Master Pang, but few who also share an interest in machinery. Add to that the fateful encounter between you and Ziyuan... these are all factors, but the most crucial reason isn't any of these—it's..."
"...It's about legacy!" Huang Chengyan's voice grew serious. "Since the early Han Dynasty, the Huang family has inherited the secret teachings of Master Hu Feizi, passed down through generations for over three hundred years... Now that it's in my hands, if the legacy were to be broken, I would be failing our ancestors!"
"...The Huang family has few descendants. After me, there's only you. Over the years, this thought has weighed on me like a boulder. Fortunately, Fei Qian appeared—in every aspect, he was the perfect choice. That's why I asked Master Pang to propose this marriage."
"Father... why have you never mentioned any of this to me before...?" Huang Yueying's heart ached for her father, imagining the burden he had carried behind his cheerful demeanor all these years. Her large eyes glistened with unshed tears.
*****
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