Fang Er thought for a moment.
He then retrieved clay from the shelf.
After grinding it into powder, he mixed it with graphite powder to create lead cores.
Once done, he lit the blacksmith's furnace, which belonged to Yuchi Jingde, in the workshop.
He cast the lead cores into it for firing.
With the addition of clay, after firing,
The hardness of the lead cores significantly increased.
They also became less prone to breaking.
After cooling, he fashioned wooden casings for them.
He brushed a layer of glue onto two half-wooden casings, inserted the lead core, and joined them.
A hexagonal pencil was thus made.
Once the glue had dried, Fang Er, carrying the freshly made pencil, found Niu Liang in the carpentry workshop.
He explained the manufacturing process to him.
He also asked him to try making colored pencils of different hues.
As for the raw materials for the cores, he suggested experimenting with different minerals or other substances.
Upon returning to the sewing room, Wang Erniang was already attempting to cut fabric.
Fang Er stood by, watching quietly.
It was no wonder Hua Niang had praised Wang Erniang's craftsmanship.
She held scissors in her right hand and fabric in her left, swiftly cutting along the chalk lines.
Pieces of fabric that Fang Er didn't recognize were cut and set aside.
Once all the fabric marked with chalk was cut,
Wang Erniang picked up the pieces and sat down at the sewing machine.
She began to stitch.
As her foot pressed the pedal, the needle on the sewing machine worked with a whirring sound.
With fine stitches, the two pieces of fabric were sewn together.
Half an hour later.
Wang Erniang presented the finished garment to Fang Er.
After curtsying, she said,
"Marquis, it is done. Please inspect it."
Fang Er took the front garment.
He first examined the top.
It was largely as he had imagined.
A light yellow fine linen military uniform with a Zhongshan collar.
It had four pockets, only lacking buttons.
Next, he looked at the trousers, holding them up against himself to gauge the fit; the size seemed correct.
"You've done well. Hua Niang will record this for you. You'll receive an additional half tael of silver reward at the end of the month."
Wang Erniang, who had been worried about whether the Marquis would approve of her work, immediately showed a look of great delight.
"Your servant thanks the Marquis for the reward."
Fang Er waved his hand.
"Practice more with this sewing machine. In a few days, I have a big task for you to undertake."
With that, he left the workshop.
Carrying the clothes, he returned to the Fang Residence.
As soon as he arrived home, he heard someone screaming inside.
"Ah~! My backside! "
He listened closely.
It was Dali!
Wasn't this fellow supposed to be at the restaurant? Why was he back?
And why all the shouting in broad daylight?
Following the sound to the side courtyard, he saw Sun Simiao emerging from a room.
His hands were still stained with blood.
Fang Er instantly grew tense.
Had something happened?
Without bothering to speak to Sun Simiao, he rushed inside.
And then.
He saw Dali lying prone on the bed, his backside exposed upwards, with a bloody bandage covering it.
Hearing footsteps, Dali cried out.
"Venerable Sun, from which hole will my waste emerge in the future?"
"Venerable Sun, you must cure me!"
"Wuwuwuwu, I have no face to see anyone!"
As he spoke, he even began to cry.
Hearing Dali's robust voice, Fang Er surmised he wasn't in critical condition.
Fang Er leaned in and patted Dali.
"What happened to you?"
Dali looked up and saw Fang Er.
His face instantly became filled with an unbearable grievance.
"Young Master, I, I, I was poked by that bicycle you made!"
"I hadn't ridden it far when the seat cracked in two!"
"Wuwuwu~~~~!"
"Damn it!"
So that's what happened?
But he, Chai Yue, and Xiao Qing had all ridden the bicycle without issue.
Why did it cause a problem for Dali?
And resulted in a "shattered chrysanthemum"?
Fang Er shivered.
Fortunately, it was only Dali who got hurt.
If it had been him.
Ugh~!
He couldn't bear to imagine.
After offering some comfort, Fang Er returned to the inner court.
Sun Simiao was fiddling with the microscope again.
There were streaks of red on the slide.
Fang Er asked curiously.
"Venerable Sun, what are you looking at?"
Sun Simiao didn't look up.
"A blood droplet taken from your servant's backside."
After observing for a while, Sun Simiao sat back in his chair.
"This old Taoist has discovered something interesting.
I wonder if the Marquis of Liaodong can enlighten me."
Fang Er nodded, poured him a cup of water, and pushed it over.
"Please, Daoist Sun, tell me."
Sun Simiao raised his left hand, revealing a visible wound on his index finger.
"This old Taoist examined my blood this morning and then examined the blood of your servant.
The blood of the two of us is entirely different.
Does the Marquis know the reason?"
Fang Er was stunned.
In just one day, less than twelve hours.
This old Taoist had discovered different blood types and their different manifestations under a microscope?
Fang Er organized his thoughts and then said.
"Daoist, from what I understand, human blood types can be the same or different.
Identical blood types can save patients who have lost excessive blood.
And the difference you saw is likely because your blood type and Dali's are different."
Upon hearing Fang Er's words, Sun Simiao became agitated.
"You mean, one person's blood can be transfused into another's body?
As long as the blood types are the same?"
Fang Er nodded.
"It should be so. Although there are certain risks, if the recipient's physical condition is good, they can completely pull through."
After receiving Fang Er's confirmation, Sun Simiao looked at him and said.
"Please have someone fetch the Duke of Hu.
The old Taoist examined him a couple of years ago, and his qi and blood were greatly depleted. He wouldn't live for ten years.
For ordinary people, blood-tonifying prescriptions would suffice, but his vital energy was damaged, rendering blood-tonifying remedies ineffective.
If this method can work on him, it will surely extend his lifespan."
Fang Er recalled.
He had indeed noticed Qin Qiong's pale complexion and unhealthy appearance when they last met.
So it was due to excessive blood loss, damaging his vital energy?
He quickly nodded to Sun Simiao.
He called for Sima Yi and Huang Sheng.
"Huang Sheng, go to the Duke of Hu's manor with my token. Invite the Duke of Hu to come tomorrow.
Sima Yi, enter Chang'an and invite the merchants who deal in textiles. Tell them this Marquis has a big business for them."
Seeing Fang Er issuing instructions as he wished, he spoke again.
"Marquis of Liaodong, your servant, his anal passage was injured, and it is feared that if it deteriorates, his life will be in danger.
Do you still have any of those pills you produced last time?"
Fang Er nodded.
"I shall retrieve them immediately."
He returned to his room, took out a strip of Cefixime, popped them all out, and put them into a small porcelain bottle, which he then handed to Sun Simiao.
"One dose per day of this item."