363 Braincells Unite!
Ordinary people would not be able to get their hands on saltpeter. It could be said that people without special connections would be unable to get it.
Jiang Yue and Xue Yan looked at each other.
“That’s good. Xue Yan, you can stay at home tomorrow and let the others install the grain and the stone mill.” Xue Sifu said. “If the saltpeter really arrives the day after tomorrow, you’ll be busy making ice. You won’t have the time to care about the workshop.”
“Okay.”
The next day, in just two hours, the roof of the workshop was complete. Then, half of Li Qingshu’s men started building the walls of the workshop, while the other half, Xue Dafu, Xue Erfu, and Xue Sanfu started assembling the rotating wheels and other wooden objects that Xue Yifu had made under Xue Yan’s command. They connected them together, and finally, they connected the grains and stone mills.
The other end of the water wheel was connected to the water current. As long as the wooden clip on the big water wheel was removed, the water current would immediately drive the big water wheel to turn. This big water wheel that looked like a windmill would then drive the wheel that was connected to it to turn. This wheel would then drive the next wheel to turn until it finally drove the grain and the stone mill to turn.
The branch of the wooden wheel that was grinding the stone could be moved. They fixed it on the wheel on the main branch. As long as the main branch’s wheel was turning, it would turn along with it. Then, it would drive the other wheels to turn until the stone mill kept turning.
“If you only use one part of the wheel, you can pull this level so that the grinding stone isn’t fixed to the wheel of the main lever will not move. This way, the grinding stone will not turn.
“If you only want the stone mill to turn, by the same logic, you can pull this lever and separate it from the cogwheel on the main branch. Then, this wheel will not turn.”
Xue Yan had designed the functions of the wheel to move very ingeniously. He only needed to pull the handle that looked like a wooden stick.
“If you don’t want to use the grain mill and the stone mill, you can use a wooden clip to secure the large wheel so that it won’t turn while borrowing the force of the water.”
He pulled the two handles at the same time and separated the wheels and the stone mill from the wheel stopped turning.
“This could also be achieved.”
Li Qingshu and the others were dumbfounded. Even if they merged every single brain they had in the group to think, they wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
Sure enough, some people were just gifted with a wondrous mind.
While Xue Yan was busy with this workshop on the mountain, Jiang Yue was at home with Li Hehua figuring out the ice popsicles.
Since Xue Yifu had turned the large bamboo into a thin stick, Jiang Yue took out the sawed bamboo tubes and was about to go to the river to wash them clean.
The popsicle sticks and bamboo that were made had to be eaten and had to be washed very clean.
Li Hehua knew that the little girl wanted to wash these two things, so she took her to the river behind the house. However, she didn’t allow Jiang Yue to be too close to the river. Instead, she asked her to sit and wait under the shade of the tree by the river.
Jiang Yue’s small body sat under the shade of the tree. She looked up at the bright sun in the sky, and then at Li Hehua, who was squatting in front of the river and insisting on helping her wash the bamboo tubes and thin sticks.
Li Hehua’s back view still looked as thin as a bamboo pole, but her face had gained some weight and was flushed red. Li Hehua was starting to gain weight.
Everyone was very happy about this. After all, it was one step closer to getting a healthy body.
After the bamboo tube and the thin stick were washed clean, Jiang Yue was led home by Li Hehua.