Chapter 88

On this day, Liu Shu came, and even Yang Yue, who was buried in the fields conducting research, came as well. The other two landlords and even the Wei family members also arrived. Almost all the personnel from the Baokeng Company were present, enough to hold a school board meeting.

A few days ago, Liu Shu had briefly looked at the renovation of the Yang residence. At that time, he felt that this residence was clearly different from what it was before. Every detail exuded care, with air conditioning, refrigerators, hot water, and tap water, all similar to what he had seen in the future. Each time he saw it, he felt a significant difference. Even in the center of the courtyard, where the artificial hill used to be, the craftsmen had ingeniously created a small fountain.

What was different from this era was that the fountain had lighting effects, with colored light bulbs illuminating the gushing water, making it seem like a fairyland.

The people who came were all well-traveled, and even if Yang Yuanzhao had renovated the residence to resemble a Suzhou garden, it wouldn't have surprised them. However, the scene before them made them linger by the pool for a long time.

"Yuanzhao, can you make such a pool for me?" Wei Ming said.

"Ah!" Yang Yuanzhao hesitated. The construction of the pool wasn't difficult, but the key was solving the issues of the fountain and electricity. Now, with the modification of the steam engine, there was enough electricity, but laying wires, especially for several people from east to west, was a challenge. The two landlords lived in rural areas about six to seven kilometers away from Baotou. In this era, direct current would lose a lot of power over a kilometer, so a power plant would need to be built in each place.

Building one power plant already took up a significant amount of Yang Yuanzhao's energy, let alone more. His eyes involuntarily fell on the nearby lights, and he brightened up. "Wenju, this is a small matter. What design do you want? I'll have the workers start right away. However, to have a fountain, you'll need a water tower like mine!"

"Water tower, this is a water tower?" Wu Guangren looked at the newly decorated water tower. The metal surface, gleaming silver, was particularly bright under the surrounding lights. He thought it was a unique decoration by Yang Yuanzhao but didn't expect it to be a water tower. Standing next to the water tower, he didn't see any ladders and asked in surprise, "How do you get water up to the water tower?"

"Here!" Before Yang Yuanzhao could answer, Sun Fusheng stepped forward and said, "Mr. Wu, look here. There's a bucket. Just fill the bucket with water, then pull here to send it up!"

Several people curiously stood by the bucket. Liu Shu and Wei Ming, on a whim, even carried a few buckets of water and poured them into the bucket. After a day's use, the water tank on the water tower was relatively large and was half full. Yang Yuanzhao didn't stop them. When Wei Ming pulled the pulley, his eyes widened in disbelief. They had just added six or seven buckets of water, and he knew how much water was in each bucket. The weight of six or seven buckets would be too heavy for anyone to lift.

Seeing Wei Ming not moving, Liu Shu thought he couldn't pull it and hurriedly said, "Wenju, why can't you pull it? Let me help you!"

"No need, watch me pull it up by myself!"

With that, Wei Ming casually pulled the bucket. To Liu Shu's astonishment, he lifted the heavy bucket and pulled it up to the water tower, where it splashed into the water tank.

Liu Shu was so surprised that he couldn't speak. Wei Ming wasn't a weak scholar but wasn't a strong man either. Seven or eight buckets of water weighed at least a few hundred pounds, and even three or four strong men would struggle to lift it. Wei Ming lifted it so easily. When had he practiced?

Yang Yue, who was observant, noticed something unusual, walked over, and carefully examined the water tower. He laughed, "You're clever, Wei Wenju. This is a pulley, which saves a lot of effort. Even ten buckets wouldn't be too heavy!"

"Really?" Liu Shu was surprised, turned around, and was about to fetch more water. Sun Fusheng couldn't let him do that. With a wave of his hand, Dasha, Xiaoshu, Dahan, and Xiaohan came forward and quickly filled the bucket. Liu Shu took a deep breath, made a show of exerting effort, and pulled. The bucket rose quickly, surprising Liu Shu. The rope felt no heavier than when he had pulled water from the well, saving so much effort?

As the bucket went up, it splashed into the water tank again. Wu Guangren and the others were also paying attention. They were a bit older and couldn't try it like children.

Fortunately, Liu Shu was very steady. After one attempt, he stopped and turned to look at the tap water. Yang Yue said with a sigh, "I didn't expect Yuanzhao to solve the tap water problem so easily. With the height of the water tower, water can flow freely anywhere in the house, making it much more convenient!"

Yang Yue's words sparked everyone's interest. After trying it out, including Wu Guangren, they all hoped that Yang Yuanzhao could install tap water in their homes.

Convenient things always attract people's interest. As long as there were materials, the tap water problem was easy to solve. When Yang Yuanzhao saw the lights, he thought of his old phone. By connecting several phone batteries in parallel to form a battery pack, he could power small 5-10 watt light bulbs for a day or more, avoiding the need to lay wires. Of course, after use, the batteries would need to be recharged at Yang Yuanzhao's place, which was the only inconvenience.

Passing through the brightly lit courtyard, they entered the living room. The living room was completely different from usual, with bright and spacious aluminum windows, gilded light fixtures, and various crafts from different places, giving it a modern banquet hall feel. In the center, a hardwood table was set with neatly arranged tableware.

"Please sit down. I've prepared some wine and dishes for everyone to try," Yang Yuanzhao said.

In a hurry, Yang Yuanzhao hadn't prepared anything new, mostly local beef and mutton, and the indispensable Yellow River carp, cooked by a specially invited chef. The clean and bright living room made everyone feel different.

After the meal, Yang Yuanzhao brought out carefully prepared cold drinks. Baotou was rich in livestock, and milk and goat's milk were readily available. Using milk to make cream and adding other ingredients, the cold drinks, though crude and unattractive, received unanimous praise. It was already hot in June, and after a meal and a lot of drinking, a cup of ice cream was incredibly refreshing.

Leaning comfortably in his chair, Wei Ming praised, "Brother Yuanzhao, you are truly remarkable. Not only are you good at making money and running factories, but you also live so comfortably. If I could, I'd trade places with you!"

Yang Yuanzhao smiled but didn't respond to Wei Ming's words. The renovation of the Yang residence took half a month and a lot of effort to achieve this modern comfort, especially the air conditioning. With the hot summer approaching, the air conditioning would make his life much more comfortable. The power supply was tight, and the generator's capacity was far from what it would be in the future, even compared to the developed cities of this era in Europe and America. For now, it was impossible to provide it widely.

The meal was a pleasant affair, and during the post-meal tea, Wei Ming brought up the brick factory again. The Baokeng Company had already made a profit of 6,000 yuan before the cotton matured, with a very promising future. The newly established flour mill had been a huge success from the start, demonstrating Yang Yuanzhao's outstanding skills in machinery and business. The sales strategy for the flour, with its surprising methods and rapid market penetration, quickly dominated the market in Taiyuan and extended to Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei, always in high demand. These successes had eliminated the last doubts of Wei Ming and others, and even the distant Wei family in Taiping had repeatedly inquired about when the brick factory would be completed.

"Wenju, don't worry. I've already ordered the equipment in Shanghai. It will be here in a week. How are the people you're looking for?"

"The people are ready. As soon as the equipment arrives, I'll have them come immediately," Wei Ming said eagerly.

"Alright, Wenju, start the preparations. Lay out the location and infrastructure. Once the machinery arrives, we'll start immediately!"

Everyone was in high spirits, and as the moon set in the west, they left the Yang residence. The sky was full of stars, and everything was shrouded in darkness. The dark Baotou and the bright Yang residence contrasted sharply in the night sky.