Chapter 604: The Young Genius, Young Master Bai
Amidst the drizzling rain, Wang Zheng's carriage finally arrived at Gao Family Village.
It was already noon on the second day.
The rain had eased slightly, a cold drizzle drifting through the air.
Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng had transferred to the electric mini-train in Chengcheng County, so their party disembarked directly from the train station, finding themselves immediately in the most bustling area next to Gao Family Village.
The electric mini-train, of course, had also astonished and impressed Wang Zheng. However, he considered it a product of "half divine art, half physics"—something beyond human comprehension to replicate, and thus not a subject for his study.
Wang Zheng stretched, then glanced at Gao Family Village, bustling like a dream. He couldn't help but gasp: "This place is unlike anywhere I have ever seen before."
Song Yingxing smiled. "Come, let's go to the school. You'll see even more remarkable things there."
"Hm!"
Wang Zheng took a step forward, about to continue walking, when he suddenly heard a "woo" sound—a whistle—from the road ahead. It was somewhat like a train's whistle, but much softer.
Song Yingxing also paused, then suddenly realized, chuckling, "It seems Young Master Bai's research has made progress."
Wang Zheng asked, "Oh? Is that the young genius, Young Master Bai, the one you mentioned who can solve the problem of the solar-powered divine carriage not being able to run on rainy days?"
Song Yingxing confirmed, "Precisely!"
Even as they spoke, a strange vehicle appeared on the road ahead.
It was a three-wheeled contraption built from a wooden frame, resembling an ancient, worthless, dilapidated pushcart. Yet, its front section housed a massive boiler... inside which water was still boiling.
The "woo" whistle sound they'd just heard had come from it.
It sped toward Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng, a young man in dazzling white robes at its helm. He was so impossibly handsome, with white sashes fluttering behind him in the wind, that he seemed to float like an immortal.
Song Yingxing said, "This is Young Master Bai."
Before he could finish his sentence, Young Master Bai, vehicle and all, careened past them...
Young Master Bai yelled from the vehicle, "Oh no, I forgot to put brakes on it!"
Song Yingxing gasped.
Bystanders on both sides of the road gasped in unison.
Young Master Bai shouted, "Everyone in front, get out of the way! The experimental car has no brakes, I can't steer around you!"
People on the road scattered like startled birds.
Young Master Bai, vehicle and all, continued to hurtle forward, faster and faster, until, with no brakes, he inevitably plunged into the fields ahead.
The vehicle overturned, and Young Master Bai tumbled several times. His pristine white robes turned muddy and dark. He picked himself up from the field, brushing off the dirt and grinning. "It worked! I succeeded! Hahahaha!"
By now, Wang Zheng understood. "This vehicle is powered by the same kind of engine as the textile machine."
Young Master Bai, covered in grime, burst into laughter. "That's right! It's a vehicle powered by a steam engine. I've named it—the 'automobile'."
Wang Zheng looked at the automobile, overturned in the field yet with its wheels still spinning, and felt an involuntary admiration. "What an impressive device! As long as there's boiling water, it can keep moving on the road."
But Song Yingxing frowned. "Bai, I've looked at your vehicle, and I think it has some significant flaws."
Young Master Bai exclaimed, "Oh, Song, did you notice it too?"
Song Yingxing nodded. "The small boiler on board is simply too tiny. It can only provide very weak power, which is why you had to build the body from wood and didn't dare use heavy iron materials."
Young Master Bai nodded. "Yes, I was afraid the small boiler wouldn't be able to move it if it were made of iron."
Song Yingxing continued, "Since its power isn't strong and its load capacity isn't great, it can't carry much coal. In other words, it will run out of fuel quickly."
Young Master Bai spread his hands. "That is indeed a problem. Its cruising range is very poor; it would stall as soon as it leaves the village."
As the two spoke, a large group of people rushed down the distant road—Young Master Bai's "graduate students," who were both assisting him with his research and completing their own studies. Upon graduation, they would become top-tier technical engineers in Gao Family Village, with the opportunity to earn an extraordinarily high monthly wage of fifty taels of silver.
These graduate students were incredibly dedicated. A swarm of them rushed over, lifted the "automobile" from the field, righted it back onto the road, while others brought a large sack of coal to refuel the boiler.
Young Master Bai, with a swift movement, leaped back onto the vehicle. "Continue testing!"
The graduate students called out, "Be careful, Teacher Bai!"
Young Master Bai roared with laughter, waving to Song Yingxing. "Song, help me think of ways to optimize this automobile—to give it more power, better load capacity! Help me brainstorm, I'm bound to overlook things on my own... Oh no... it's speeding off again..."
The automobile, with Young Master Bai clinging to it, suddenly shot forward once more.
Young Master Bai cried out, "Damn it, I forgot to install the brakes again! Everyone up ahead, clear the way! I can't stop!"
The automobile, carrying Young Master Bai, lurched abruptly towards the school again, and at a distant bend in the road, it crashed with a splash, overturning into the fields once more.
A large group of graduate students chased after it again. "Teacher Bai, are you alright?"
Young Master Bai, covered in dust and mud, scrambled to his feet. "I'm fine, but... my automobile is wrecked! Aaaah, it's wrecked!"
The automobile, being built from a wooden frame, couldn't withstand repeated rollovers and had splintered into a pile of scrap.
Young Master Bai was so heartbroken he could barely breathe! He wailed loudly from below the field embankment.
A group of graduate students desperately tried to comfort him. "Teacher Bai, don't be sad. We'll just find a carpenter and build another one."
Young Master Bai declared, "A wooden body won't do. It's not sturdy enough. We need to quickly research lighter, stronger materials!"
The graduate students spoke over each other. "How about aluminum? It's very light!"
"But aluminum isn't strong enough."
"Let's try mixing aluminum and iron."
"Won't it explode?"
"It shouldn't! Neither aluminum nor iron can explode; it's not magnesium."
"Then let's try it."
"Hey, it really won't explode, right?"
"No, it won't. Don't worry."
Young Master Bai groaned, "My back... I think I hurt it in that fall..."
The graduate students gasped in alarm, quickly lifting Young Master Bai. "Quick, quick, take him to a doctor!"
The group scrambled in a flurry, heading towards the hospital in the Merchant Village commercial district.
Wang Zheng watched the scene, his mouth agape in astonishment. "Your village is truly a place bursting with vitality."
Song Yingxing smiled. "This is what we call an academic atmosphere, and we are working hard to build it."
Wang Zheng remarked, "Your village is truly far ahead."
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