Chapter 521 - 519 Wooden Track
Many excellent craftsmen are just deficient in imagination, lacking that one opportunity. Sometimes, a simple suggestion can spark their latent ideas.
Although threads have been used for a long time, their widespread use probably began after the Industrial Revolution when smelting technology for steel developed.
Without widespread use of steel, the development and application of threads were limited. Wooden tenon-and-mortise structures could solve many problems, so craftsmen never thought to put much effort into threads.
Ye Xinyan casually mentioned a few uses of threads, which greatly spurred the imagination of Zhang Mian and Wang Huan. The two were eager to try and wanted to thoroughly study the things Miss Ye had talked about and how they could be applied in practice. This was pioneering work, not just following rules and conventions, and if successful, they would become craftsmen of the Great Grandmaster level.
After arranging what needed to be done, Wong Qiao continued to lead several craftsmen skilled in mechanical devices and discussed the structure of the hoisting machine with Ye Xinyan. After Ye Xinyan explained the external structure and operating principles she knew to Wong Qiao and the others, she left the matter to them and extricated herself to consider the construction of the Peach Grove.
The original plan was, in addition to expanding the cattle farms at Qingyuan County and the southern part of Yuyuan Prefecture, for Ye Xinyan to select a location in the northeast at Guanyuan Prefecture for another cattle farm and corresponding dairy product workshop. A trip to enjoy the peach blossoms and fresh air had completely disrupted the plan.
Expanding cattle farms to another province was definite, but with the mechanical workshop now underway and things so busy, she could not leave.
The other best candidates were Fan Zhengyuan and Xie Chun. They had already overseen an expansion in Clear Water Village, and the cattle farm in the southern part of Yuyuan Prefecture was also started under their supervision, with sufficient experience to oversee the construction of another cattle farm and subsequent workshops in Guanyuan Prefecture.