Chapter 446: Better Call an Ambulance
Early that morning, Li Daoxuan dialed Cai Xinzhi's number.
"Hey, Old Cai, I've got something new I want you to custom-make."
Cai Xinzhi chuckled, "Tired of ship models already? What are you dabbling in this time?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "I want to commission something—you know, a fully articulated, lifelike human replica. One with a mouth that can open and close, eyes that can move, and limbs that articulate freely. The material should ideally be as close to human skin as possible. Oh, right, what's it called... I remember now, 'silicone material'."
Silence met him from the other end. Cai Xinzhi didn't speak for a long moment.
"Hello? What's wrong? Bad signal?" Li Daoxuan asked.
Cai Xinzhi let out a long, weary sigh. "Brother, you really need a girlfriend. Too many dolls aren't good for your health."
"Pfft!" Li Daoxuan exploded, "Where the hell did your mind go?"
Cai Xinzhi retorted, "I'm thinking about your mental and physical health. You're only thinking about how pretty and convenient it is, how it can cure your loneliness anytime, anywhere, but you haven't considered its negative effects. Brother, be careful."
Cai Xinzhi said, "I know, this can be considered a proper toy too. We shouldn't discriminate against people's needs for such things; it's certainly better than carousing outside... So, tell me, which female celebrity's head do you want to make? I'll try my best to make it realistic. Just don't tell me you want the face of our Thirty-Two Middle School's former campus belle. That wouldn't be right... She's married with two kids now. To make a fake version of her for... *ahem*... that's just immoral, and I can't help you with that, buddy."
"Stop!"
Li Daoxuan was torn between laughter and exasperation. "I want to make *my own* face."
Cai Xinzhi gasped, drawing in a sharp breath. "What? Playing with yourself? Brother, what possesses you to be so perverse? Does a prolonged lack of a girlfriend truly lead to such twisted humanity?"
There was simply no reasoning with this absurd man.
Li Daoxuan clarified, "The replica only needs to be three or four centimeters tall. It's not for the perverse purpose you're imagining."
Cai Xinzhi gasped again. "That short?"
Li Daoxuan was speechless.
Cai Xinzhi pressed on, "What's wrong, brother? Why aren't you talking?"
Li Daoxuan warned, "Wait at home. I'll be there in fifteen minutes to beat you half to death. You'd better call an ambulance in advance."
One day later!
Li Daoxuan received a doll, four centimeters tall, made of silicone.
The material indeed felt remarkably close to human skin. From a distance, it looked entirely like human skin; only by touching it could one feel a slight difference.
The four-centimeter height had an advantage: Cai Xinzhi could perform very fine work on it. For example, he had embedded a metal skeleton within the doll, with freely articulated joints.
Such a skeleton would be difficult for an ordinary person to create, but for Cai Xinzhi, who specialized in models, it was a piece of cake.
Cai Xinzhi had also sculpted the doll's face to resemble Li Daoxuan. However, while crafting a skeleton for a four-centimeter figure was relatively simple, making a detailed face was incredibly challenging. Cai Xinzhi lacked micro-sculpting skills, so the face was quite abstract, with indistinct features, and not at all attractive.
But that wasn't an issue. Li Daoxuan removed its head and gave it to Gao Yiye, instructing her to arrange for a sculptor to re-carve the face to resemble his own.
He also requested a small piece of silicone, roughly a cubic centimeter, from Cai Xinzhi. He handed this to Gao Yiye as well, asking her to arrange for a sculptor to create a life-sized statue.
Both the large and small statues began production simultaneously.
The Spring Festival of the fourth year of Chongzhen arrived.
Another new year had come!
Gao Family Village was now unrecognizable from its former self compared to the seventh year of Tianqi. Once, it had only forty-two villagers, trembling under the bandits' knives; now, with a population approaching ten thousand, it could no longer be called a village, but rather a city.
The actual center of Chengcheng County was no longer the county seat where Liang Shixian resided, but Gao Family Village, overseen by San Shier.
However, an interesting phenomenon occurred.
Gao Family Village was much quieter during the Spring Festival than usual.
The migrant workers from various villages and towns hadn't stayed in Gao Family Village to celebrate the New Year. Instead, they had packed up their year's earnings, bought New Year's goods, boarded the small train, and happily returned to their hometowns.
Their hometowns weren't far, just in the surrounding small villages. Consequently, all these neighboring villages buzzed with activity, festooned with red decorations, leaving Gao Family Village quiet in the middle.
Of course, some didn't return home.
Song Yingxing, for instance, didn't. A journey back to his hometown in Jiangxi would take several months. In a chaotic, war-torn era, traveling for months was a death sentence; he preferred to tinker with strange contraptions in Gao Family Village.
However, as he directed the remaining artisans in the Craftsman Well to repair a steam textile machine, he suddenly felt something was amiss. Why was Bai Gongzi also in the Craftsman Well?
"Young Master Bai, aren't you returning to Bai Family Fortress for the New Year?"
"No!" Bai Gongzi chuckled. "My steam miniature train is about to begin its trial run. At such a critical juncture, I don't want to waste time on social pleasantries."
Song Yingxing smiled. "I see. And hey, I'm quite interested in your train myself."
As he spoke, both their gazes drifted out the window. Outside the village, next to the Heavenly Lord's colorful miniature electric train, now stood a dark, clumsy-looking locomotive.
In terms of appearance, it was worlds apart from the Heavenly Lord's electric miniature train, and its craftsmanship was incredibly rough. But Li Daoxuan hadn't provided any direct parts for it; every single component had been hammered out by the miniature blacksmiths.
This was a true steam miniature train, operating according to physics, not "divine power"!
Tracks had already been laid beneath it, though for the trial phase, they weren't very long, less than a li of experimental rail.
Song Yingxing asked, "How much longer until your train is ready for its trial run?"
Bai Gongzi grinned. "Heh, five days at most! We're in the final inspection stage now." He then turned to a blacksmith and asked, "Can you finish the cabin door in these five days?"
The blacksmith replied, "Consider it done."
Song Yingxing broke into a sweat. "The door isn't even done yet?"
Bai Gongzi sheepishly explained, "We prioritized the core functions. We didn't get around to the door. Oh, and the smokestack isn't quite right either. Right now, the coal smoke billows out everywhere, and it's quite choking. We need to fix the smokestack."
Song Yingxing just stared.
He buried his face in his hands. *And here I was so looking forward to it. It seems five days won't be enough at all.*
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