Novels online

Chapter 345: Gao Yiye's Idea

The ship's hold served as the battery compartment, where batteries were stored to power the entire model ship.

Solar panels were installed atop the ship's superstructure, connected by a "constant current, constant voltage charging control circuit" hidden within its walls. Wiring led from there to the batteries in the hold, allowing them to be charged.

Naturally, the solar charging efficiency was quite low, making the process very slow.

It would lose charge while sailing; only when it lay still could the battery level increase.

Despite this, it was still remarkably useful.

Cai Xinzi pointed to the "helm" at the ship's bow and smiled, "Try turning this."

Li Daoxuan gently flicked the "helm" with his finger, watching as the stern rudder rotated in response.

"See?" she said. "The steering is perfect too."

Cai Xinzi chuckled, "For a toy of this size, achieving this is incredibly easy, hahaha."

Li Daoxuan couldn't help but marvel. This ship, a full fifteen centimeters long, was large enough for Cai Xinzi to truly showcase her craftsmanship. The earlier solar cars, by contrast, had been too small to allow for such intricate detail.

"This ship is really well-made," Li Daoxuan said, patting Cai Xinzi's shoulder. "Heh heh, Old Cai, I'll take ten more ships of this caliber."

Cai Xinzi replied, "For collecting, one is surely enough. What do you need ten for?"

Li Daoxuan explained, "You see, my villa's garden has a small pond. I want to arrange these ships in a huge formation there to play naval battle games."

Cai Xinzi scoffed, "How old are you, still playing make-believe like a child? I finally understand why you don't have a girlfriend; you simply haven't grown up yet. You should learn from me: abandon these childish pursuits and wholeheartedly embrace love. Love is the true catalyst for a man's maturity."

Li Daoxuan retorted, "This is called staying forever young, which is great. Yours is called entering the grave of marriage, already over and done with."

The two exchanged a few light jabs, but Li Daoxuan suddenly felt something was off. *Damn it,* he thought. *The way Cai Xinzi and I bicker... isn't it eerily similar to Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu's endless squabbles?*

He quickly opened his high school alumni chat group and posted, "Everyone, I've had a question on my mind for over a decade: what nicknames did you all give Cai Xinzi and me back in high school?"

Class Monitor: "Big Dummy, Little Dummy."

Li Daoxuan flopped to the ground with a thud, utterly defeated.

With Cai Xinzi gone, Li Daoxuan, left hand cradling his now-cold instant stir-fry noodles and right hand holding the ship model, returned to the box on the second floor.

Sitting by the box, he mused, *The ship is ready, but all the cannons on it are fake. That won't do. I need to quickly get my little people to manufacture their own cannons and replace all these dummy ones with true firepower.*

He should check on the progress of Gao Family Village's "Hongyi cannons."

Time to find Gao Yiye!

The watchtower? Not there!

The fabric manor? Not there either!

After searching around, he surprisingly found Gao Yiye inside the "brothel" within Gao Family Village's commercial district. She was with Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, the three of them strolling together through the establishment.

This startled Li Daoxuan. "Yiye, what are you doing strolling around in a brothel?"

"Oh! The Heavenly Lord is here!" Gao Yiye looked up, her small face alight with smiles. "We're studying this brothel," she explained. "It should be useful for something else."

Li Daoxuan commented, "This building should have been scrapped a long time ago."

Gao Yiye replied, "Qiu Ju and Dong Xue also said it should be torn down. But I think this building is just an inanimate object, a simple house. It's like a knife: if it's used to cut vegetables, it's a good knife. If it's used to kill people, it's a bad knife. The knife itself isn't wrong; the fault lies with the person wielding it."

Li Daoxuan chuckled, "Oh, the little girl understands philosophy now."

Gao Yiye's small face flushed slightly. "The Heavenly Lord is teasing me," she murmured.

Li Daoxuan laughed aloud. "Alright," he said. "What good things do you plan to do with it?"

Gao Yiye answered, "Teach women skills."

Li Daoxuan was greatly surprised. "Don't we already have schools?"

Gao Yiye clarified, "I'm not talking about the kind of skills learned by studying language, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I mean practical skills like weaving, embroidery, tailoring, and cooking... that sort of thing."

Li Daoxuan understood then: the little girl was talking about a vocational school.

Gao Yiye continued, "Many women in our village have earned money through skills, but there are still many who don't know anything. They're getting quite anxious now. Quite a few have come to me, saying they want to learn practical skills, but those particular trades aren't taught in the 'Craftsmen Well'."

Li Daoxuan realized.

The women of Gao Family Village were indeed beginning to emancipate their minds. They had realized that acquiring specific skills could earn them money and improve their household status, and now they yearned to learn. However, the Craftsmen Well was dominated by men, and the trades taught there were primarily blacksmithing, carpentry, and similar pursuits.

Departments for women's skills like weaving, embroidery, and tailoring simply didn't exist in the Craftsmen Well.

If they wanted to learn these skills, they had to seek out neighbors or sisters for instruction, which was far too inconvenient. That's why Gao Yiye had conceived the idea of converting the brothel into a women's vocational school.

Li Daoxuan said, "Yiye, your idea is excellent. However, there's no need to use the brothel for it. That building carries undesirable connotations which might dampen their enthusiasm for learning. So... let's construct a proper women's vocational school from scratch."

Gao Yiye gasped, "Huh? A technical school built exclusively for women? This... are we really that important?"

The two brothel girls were also somewhat stunned. They had long known the Heavenly Lord was very caring towards women, even ransoming them and saving them from their plight. But they had never expected His benevolence to extend to this degree, specifically granting a large women's school. This was truly elevating women to the same status as men.

In truth, Li Daoxuan had originally intended to build a co-educational vocational school, not only incorporating skills suitable for women but also introducing trades typically for men, like blacksmithing and carpentry, to create a comprehensive, super-large institution.

However, considering how difficult it was for women of this era to leave their homes, establishing a mixed vocational school from the outset might face resistance. So, it was better to simply start with a women's technical institute. If the entire school was composed of women, it would easily dispel their concerns and encourage them to bravely pursue their studies.

Once they completed their studies and emerged, they would be reborn with new vitality.

Li Daoxuan said, "I'll handle the vocational school. As for you, don't linger around the brothel anymore. Go take a look around the Craftsmen Well. I want to see how our village's Hongyi cannons are progressing."

Gao Yiye obediently acknowledged him and headed towards the Craftsmen Well, with Qiu Ju and Dong Xue following behind.

Before long, they arrived at the Craftsmen Well.

The moment Gao Yiye arrived at the Craftsmen Well, it signaled that the Heavenly Lord was about to inquire. The artisans inside instantly snapped into "the leader is here to inspect" mode.

They all straightened their postures, and even those who had been slacking off now became diligent.