Chapter 1148: Married to a Useless Husband
"I understand now, I understand everything!" one of them exclaimed. "I feel like I can make this thing right away!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's try it!"
The graduate students quickly summoned the blacksmiths and had them extract the copper wire from the gigantic motor Li Daoxuan had bestowed upon them, then re-fashion it into fine copper filaments.
Next, they found magnets, and the group of graduate students meticulously wound the coils by hand.
Winding coils by hand was a painstaking and laborious process; even a minor error meant starting over from scratch. But it wasn't a major issue, as they didn't need mass production yet, only a prototype.
It didn't take long for the graduate students to hand-craft a coil roughly the size of a dog's head. Following the Heavenly Lord's design for the motor, they then attached the magnets.
Someone brought over a wire and connected it to the motor.
The switch flipped!
"Vwoom!"
But without a doubt, it was moving.
Everyone cheered in unison: "It's working! It's working!"
"Next, we need to improve the copper wire manufacturing process to make it more uniform, ensure even winding of the coils, and enhance the bearing craftsmanship..."
—
Meanwhile, at the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory.
Hou Lan was diligently working, weaving wool yarn.
Not far from her, several female workers were whispering, gossiping amongst themselves.
"Look, that one over there, Hou Lan."
"I see her. What about her?"
A middle-aged female worker murmured, "A few years ago, she married a graduate student from Gao Family Village's Thirty-Two Middle School, did you know that?"
A worker nearby replied, "Of course, I know. Isn't marrying a graduate student a good thing? They're educated people."
The middle-aged woman lowered her voice. "Her graduate student husband's family isn't wealthy; he's just the child of an ordinary worker. And what's more, he doesn't have a proper job. He just idles away his days in the research lab, surviving on a meager graduate student stipend. Right now, their entire household relies on Hou Lan's earnings from the textile factory."
At these words, the other women workers looked stunned. "Oh my, how can that be? Didn't she just marry a useless man?"
"Shush! Don't let her hear you."
"What if she hears?" the middle-aged woman countered. "Someone should advise her. A man who needs a woman to support him is too unreliable. While she's still young and beautiful, and before she has children, she should quickly divorce him and marry into a better family."
The women's whispers eventually reached Hou Lan's ears.
In truth, this wasn't the first time these particular individuals had gossiped. Hou Lan had heard many such whispers before, and some had even approached her directly about the matter. One middle-aged aunt had even offered to set her up with a new husband.
What utter nonsense.
Hou Lan smiled faintly at the group of fellow workers and shook her head. "Don't underestimate my husband, you know. He's a clever and educated man. One day, he'll invent something truly useful."
The women, of course, refused to believe her, shaking their heads dismissively.
Hou Lan didn't argue with them. She simply offered a gentle smile, finished her work, and headed home.
Leaving the Warm and Sleepy Wool Textile Factory, she returned home to an empty, cold kitchen; no one had prepared dinner. She tied on her apron and began to light the fire to cook.
Halfway through, her graduate student husband returned. Hou Lan greeted him with a smile, "Husband, dinner won't be ready for a little while. Please wait. I just got back from work and only just started cooking."
Her husband, beaming with excitement, said, "Xiao Lan, it might only be a few more days before you won't need to go to work anymore."
Hou Lan was greatly surprised. "How can I not work? Husband, you're still a graduate student, not yet graduated, and with no income. If I don't work, we won't be able to put food on the table!"
Her husband's face filled with gratitude. "Xiao Lan, it's thanks to you that this household has been supported all these years. All our income comes from your earnings. I, your husband, haven't contributed anything to this family..."
Hou Lan's face flushed slightly. "What are you talking about? This is *our* home, not just yours alone."
Her husband said, "But providing for the family should ultimately be the man's responsibility, and I've always felt I owe you. I also know that some people gossip about me behind my back, putting a lot of pressure on you. However, it won't be long now until my great invention is unveiled. When that happens, I'll surely earn a lot of money and make you a wealthy lady."
Hou Lan chuckled. "You're always spouting nonsense."
The graduate student didn't waste any more words. With a whoosh, he rushed to his desk, took out paper and pen, and began to draw...
A small motor, enclosed in a casing, with a hole for a wire to extend through, and a plug drawn at the end of the wire, meant to connect to Gao Family Village's electricity grid.
On the other side, a rod extended from the motor's main bearing, fitted with several fan blades. The inspiration for these blades came from the propellers of the celestial ship provided by the Heavenly Lord...
Finally, the design drawing was complete.
The graduate student burst out laughing and finally wrote its name: "Electric Fan!"
Hou Lan gently placed a bowl of rice beside his desk and softly asked, "Husband, the thing you said would make us a fortune, is it this?"
The graduate student chuckled. "That's right, this is it! Back then, Ji Menghan made a huge fortune by inventing the electric lamp. And next time, it will be our family making a name for ourselves with this electric fan, hahahaha. Very soon, as soon as our team completes the motor, I'll immediately bring out this electric fan design."
Hou Lan replied, "Our family is different from Ji Menghan's. When he invented the electric lamp, his father gave him money to build a factory for it. But our family is poor; we don't have the funds to start an electric fan factory. We'll only be able to sell the design, not open a factory and earn money like Ji Menghan did."
"Don't worry!" her husband said. "The Heavenly Lord, bless his venerable soul, encourages all scientific inventions and innovations. Although my invention is for civilian use and not for battle, the Heavenly Lord will surely grant me a reward. Once we receive that reward, we'll open an electric fan factory, hehehe."
Hou Lan smiled sweetly. "Then from now on, I'll be the factory manager's wife, won't I?"
Several days later...
At the official Gao Family Village laboratory, the "First-Generation Motor," developed and produced by a large group of graduate students led by Song Yingxing, officially entered mass production.
It could connect to the electricity grid to rotate, providing immense power.
However, it was merely a fundamental invention, unable to directly demonstrate its benefits to ordinary people.
But on the very evening the motor was invented, graduate student Mo Li unveiled his latest invention: the electric fan!
Using the "First-Generation Motor" as its core, connected to peculiar spiral blades, it could generate cool breezes.
While Mo Li's invention wasn't particularly complex, it was the "first application related to the motor." Upon its release, it immediately received high praise from the Heavenly Lord.
The Heavenly Lord encouraged both technical and applied innovation.
A "Special Award for Applied Scientific Invention"—a large Silver Ball—was bestowed upon Mo Li and Hou Lan, the husband and wife. Subsequently, the Gao Family Village Electric Fan Factory began construction.
On the day Hou Lan resigned from the textile factory to become the Electric Fan Factory Manager's wife and head of the finance department, all the gossiping co-workers who had slandered her behind her back were dumbfounded...
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