The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

The two were amused by her.

Suddenly there was a crisp knocking sound outside the window.

Following the sound, I saw workers walking in groups of three or four, holding coarse porcelain bowls in their hands, talking and laughing as they walked towards the canteen.

An Lingrong explained, "This is the dinner bell. You must be hungry, right? Come on, I'll treat you to Suzhou cuisine at Deyue Tower."

Shen Meizhuang looked out the window and pointed at the neatly lined-up team and said, "Rong'er, didn't you just say that we'd add more dishes today? I'd like to try the food in our workshop."

Zhen Huan also nodded repeatedly.

An Lingrong was slightly startled, then smiled: "Okay!"

Turning around, he ordered, "Liuzhu, take your aunt and Caiyue to get some food." He added, "Remember to ask for more of Aunt Wang's specialty, pickled radish."

Soon, several people came back with food boxes.

When I lifted the lid, I saw a coarse porcelain bowl filled with brown rice, accompanied by two meat dishes and one vegetable: stir-fried spring bamboo shoots with bacon and stir-fried shredded potatoes. I had also made a last-minute dish of braised crucian carp with tofu.

There was also a small dish of amber pickled radish on the very edge.

Shen Meizhuang picked up a piece of radish and bit into it, making a crisp sound. "This pickled vegetable is refreshing and even more appetizing than the ones made in the imperial kitchen."

Zhen Huan nodded repeatedly, "These spring bamboo shoots are just the right amount of tender and fresh, and the salty aroma of the bacon has seeped through without losing its original flavor. They're truly delicious."

Seeing their endless praise, An Lingrong's eyes lit up with a smile: "Are you hungry? You can enjoy eating such a simple meal so much."

“Really delicious!”

the other side.

When Song Jiashu heard that An Lingrong had returned, he hurried to the workshop.

As he crossed the backyard, he suddenly stopped.

A familiar figure stood on the stone steps in front of the office.

Song Jiashu felt his breath hitch, and he subconsciously rubbed his eyes. Was it because he was dazzled by all the accounts he had read for days? How could that figure, who had appeared in his dreams so many times, be...

"Sir Song, long time no see."

A clear voice was heard, and Caiyue had already walked closer and bowed.

"Miss Cai...Caiyue?" Song Jiashu's voice was a little tense: "Why...why are you here?"

"Yeah!" Caiyue smiled, her eyes curved into crescents: "I came here with my wife."

Isn't Caiyue's wife...

Song Jiashu's pupils suddenly shrank, and he looked around vigilantly. He unconsciously took two steps forward and lowered his voice very low: "You mean, the Empress Dowager has arrived?"

"Yes." Caiyue also moved closer: "But the queen is visiting incognito, so please don't make it public."

Song Jiashu looked down at his dusty collar and slapped it twice in panic, "This...this is really rude. Can I go back and change my clothes before coming to see you?"

I'm used to being so casual with An Lingrong on weekdays, I never expected that there would be such a distinguished guest today.

Caiyue looked at his bewildered expression and couldn't help but chuckle, "You don't have to be so formal. This is perfectly fine. Wait a moment, I'll go and inform them."

Looking at her back, Song Jiashu realized that the corners of his mouth had curled up into a big arc without him noticing.

After listening to Song Jiashu's report, An Lingrong handed the account book to Shen Meizhuang and said, "Sister, take a look too!"

Then he looked at Song Jiashu and said, "This workshop is more profitable than I expected. Mr. Song, thank you for your hard work!"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is my humble duty. Moreover, the workshop is what it is today thanks to the rules you set. I am only following the procedures, and I truly do not deserve the word 'hard work'."

An Lingrong continued, "Sister, Sister Zhen, the workshop in Hangzhou is about to open. I'll go take a look and will be back in ten days or so. You two should take a good look around Suzhou City these few days."

After saying that, he thought for a moment and then said, "I remember my cousin said that you have a brother-in-law who is a lieutenant general in Jiangning Prefecture. Transfer him over and let him be responsible for protecting your safety!"

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang naturally agreed.

As expected, business in Hangzhou Prefecture became even more prosperous.

After finalizing matters here, An Lingrong rushed back to Suzhou without stopping.

I returned to the courtyard, but didn't see anyone.

After asking the maid, I learned that Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan went to the workshop every day.

She hurried to the workshop and asked around, only to find out that Zhen Huan was in the backyard and had found a few carpenters. She didn't know what they were busy with!

An Lingrong followed the path and looked for him.

As soon as I entered the backyard, I saw Zhen Huan bending over the spinning machine.

"Sister Zhen!"

Zhen Huan looked up at the sound, a smile suddenly forming in her eyes: "Rong'er, you're back!"

She put down the tools in her hands, walked over quickly, grabbed An Lingrong's wrist, and said with unconcealed joy: "Come and take a look at this."

An Lingrong was pulled forward a few steps by her, and when she saw the spinning machine clearly, her breathing stopped for a moment.

This spinning machine looks ordinary on the outside, but it has sixteen spindles densely packed together!

"This..." She looked at Zhen Huan in disbelief: "Sister Zhen, this..."

Zhen Huan raised her lips into a bright smile and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief from her sleeve. "I've been thinking over and over again about the spinning machine you improved these past few days, and I've discovered that the spindles could actually be even tighter."

She leaned over and pointed at the transmission part of the machine. "Look, I changed this wheel to a double-layer staggered design. This saves space and ensures that the yarns don't get tangled."

Then she pointed to another place and said, "And this shaft. I asked the carpenter to add a movable buckle, so I don't have to worry about the thread getting stuck when spinning!"

An Lingrong leaned over to take a closer look and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister Zhen, you're amazing!"

"Thanks to your earlier improvements."

An Lingrong shook her head, thinking she was merely standing on the shoulders of giants, borrowing the wisdom of their predecessors to create these machines. But Zhen Huan was different—she had never come into contact with these things, yet she was able to use her own intelligence and ingenuity to double the efficiency of the spinning machine!

The wisdom of the ancients should not be underestimated!

As soon as this thought came to her mind, An Lingrong's heartbeat suddenly quickened. She grabbed Zhen Huan's wrist and said with unconcealed excitement, "Sister Zhen, come with me!"

I went to the office and took out a drawing from the cabinet.

"Look at this!" An Lingrong spread out the drawing on the table.

Zhen Huan leaned over to take a closer look. She saw the paper was densely covered with intricate mechanical structures, with various lines crisscrossing and running. "This is..."

"Steam engine!" An Lingrong pointed to the boiler in the center of the drawing and explained, "Boil water here to generate steam, which pushes this piston..." Her fingers traced the intricate connecting rod mechanism. "Then, through this crankshaft, reciprocating motion is converted into rotational motion."

Zhen Huan's brows gradually relaxed, and a glimmer of understanding flashed in her eyes: "You mean... using steam to drive the piston and connecting rod to generate power, so that no manual labor is needed?"

"Smart!" An Lingrong couldn't help clapping her hands. She didn't expect Zhen Huan to understand the principle so quickly.

Zhen Huan swallowed unconsciously and looked at the drawings carefully again.

"I'll leave it to you now. Make it as soon as possible!" An Lingrong hugged her shoulders, her eyes full of anticipation. "I'm waiting for your good news!"

Zhen Huan stared blankly at the blueprint, then looked at An Lingrong's expectant eyes, and suddenly smiled: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

An Lingrong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had only a superficial understanding of mechanical principles and had barely sketched out a rough sketch of a steam engine from memory, but she had no idea how to actually build one. Now that she had met a genius like Zhen Huan, she could finally hand over this heavy responsibility to her.