The bright candlelight illuminated the scene.
Fang Er carefully placed the microscope.
He picked up the water kettle from the table and gently dripped a single drop of water onto the slide.
First, he tried looking through it himself.
Then, he made way.
"Sun Zhenren, please."
"Just align your eyes with this cylinder and look through."
Sun Simiao leaned in and peered through the eyepiece.
In the candlelight, the water droplet appeared yellowish.
Within it, several strange masses could be clearly seen.
One of them was still wriggling!
The old man was shocked.
He had personally seen Fang Er draw that drop of water from the kettle.
It was the very same kettle they used for drinking water!
And it contained such things.
"This, this is what you call a fine worm?"
Fang Er nodded.
"The water we usually drink at home is boiled, so although there are fine worms, there are very few. If it were raw water, there would be many more."
Sun Simiao felt as if he had grasped something profound.
He swayed and sat down heavily on the chair.
He remained silent, his eyes fixed on the microscope on the table.
Seeing his reaction, Fang Er waved his hand and left with Chai Yue and Xiao Qing.
He instructed Huang Sheng to guard the door, just to ensure the candles didn't burn down the room.
After dinner, Chai Yue glanced at Sun Simiao, who was still in the room.
"Master, Sun Zhenren is still in there. Where will you sleep?"
Fang Er looked at Chai Yue and Xiao Qing.
"Let Xiao Qing sleep with Xiao Huan, and I'll sleep in her place."
Chai Yue said nothing and pulled Xiao Qing aside.
The two whispered something to each other.
After a while, Chai Yue smiled at Fang Er.
"Master, Yue'er will go to sleep now."
Fang Er nodded.
When he lay down on Xiao Qing's bed, he found that Xiao Qing had also followed him in.
She stood by the bedside, her small face flushed.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Qing clasped her little braids with both hands.
"The young madam said that master must be very tired these days, and asked Qing'er to massage your back to help you relax."
Fang Er was stunned.
After a moment, he pulled Xiao Qing into his arms.
"Have I made you suffer these days?"
Xiao Qing shyly shook her head.
"Qing'er doesn't suffer. The young madam treats Qing'er very well, like a sister. Master, please treat the young madam better in the future. Come, master, lie down, Qing'er will massage you."
With that, she broke free from Fang Er's embrace.
Fang Er turned over and lay on the bed, enjoying the kneading of his back by small hands.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
He was indeed tired.
Not just physically, but his mind was tired, and his heart even more so.
So many things, one after another, were too complicated.
Unknowingly, he fell asleep.
When he woke up in the morning, he felt a sense of lightness in his body.
He glanced at Xiao Qing, who was still sleeping beside him.
Fang Er quietly got out of bed, put on his clothes, and went out.
Chai Yue was not in the courtyard, nor was Xiao Huan.
Stepping out of the Fang residence, he saw two people riding bicycles on the cement road outside.
Returning to his own room.
Old Sun was still sitting there, staring blankly at the microscope.
Huang Sheng at the door had been replaced by Sima Yi.
Fang Er retreated.
"Did Sun Zhenren sit there all night?"
Sima Yi nodded.
"Your Lordship, the candles were changed several times. Sun Zhenren has been sitting like this and hasn't spoken."
Fang Er was shocked!
"Does this old Taoist want to achieve enlightenment and ascend?"
"Guard here well, and if there's anything, send someone to the workshop to find me."
He went out and headed directly to the workshop.
By the time he reached the sewing workshop, five sewing machines had already been added.
Hua Niang and the women were using scrap cloth to familiarize themselves with the performance of the sewing machines.
Seeing Fang Er enter, they quickly came forward to bow.
"Your Lordship."
Fang Er nodded.
"Among these people, are there any with better tailoring skills?"
Hua Niang thought for a moment and pulled out one of the women.
"Your Lordship, her name is Wang Erniang. She is excellent at taking measurements and tailoring."
Wang Erniang bowed to Fang Er.
"This servant is Wang Erniang, greetings to Your Lordship."
Fang Er took out several sheets of paper from his embrace and spread them on the table.
There were three blueprints in total.
They were military uniform designs drawn by Fang Er.
The existing short-fit martial attire of the Great Tang.
The mandarin duck battle robe of the Ming Dynasty.
The Zhongshan military uniform of the Anti-Japanese War period.
"Take a look at these three, which one is more time-saving and material-saving to make?"
The blueprints were drawn very meticulously.
The figures on them were lifelike and imposing.
Hua Niang only glanced at them and exclaimed.
"The people depicted by Your Lordship are so handsome!"
The other women also gathered around to watch.
After a while, Wang Erniang pointed to the blueprint of the Zhongshan military uniform and said.
"Your Lordship, this set is definitely the most fabric-saving, but it might not be as fast to make as the other two."
Fang Er pondered slightly.
"Come, make a set according to my measurements."
There was fabric in the workshop. Although not much, it was enough to make a set according to Fang Er's size.
Wang Erniang, who looked to be in her early twenties, shyly measured Fang Er with her hands, her face flushed.
Then she went aside.
She spread out the fabric and, comparing it with the blueprint, began to outline on the cloth with a white chalk block.
If she made a mistake, she would simply wipe it off with another damp cloth.
Fang Er looked at the chalk block in her hand and thought of something.
"Hua Niang, you all continue working. I have something to attend to."
With that, he turned and left the workshop.
He went to the blacksmith's shop and called out Zhao Gang.
"Do you know where there is graphite ore?"
Zhao Gang thought for a moment, then slapped his head and replied.
"Your Lordship, about two hundred li west of Chang'an, in Fengzhou, there is graphite ore! I was envious of your crucibles before and specifically asked someone to inquire. A merchant from that region brought some over, and I asked them to buy it for me. It should be on the material rack in your studio. Since I didn't use it all, I put it there. I've placed some of all the materials available in the workshop in your area."
Fang Er was overjoyed and patted Zhao Gang on the shoulder.
"Find that merchant. I want all the graphite ore you can find. And not just graphite, but other mineral resources too! As long as the price is right, don't be afraid to spend money. You never know when it might be useful in the future!"
Zhao Gang nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Your Lordship."
He asked Zhao Gang to go back to work.
Fang Er walked into his own studio.
He scanned the area and, sure enough, pieces of graphite of varying sizes were placed on the shelves.
He casually picked up a piece and then chose a piece of wood.
He put the graphite in a small mortar and ground it into powder.
Then he made a mold for the lead core using steel.
After putting the graphite powder into the mold, he pressed it with a stamping machine.
However, when he opened the mold, the powder had indeed been pressed into a smooth lead core.
But when Fang Er drew it on paper, he was disappointed.
Without even applying much pressure, the lead core broke.