Chapter 446 - 243 Who is He_1
Qian Yixiu saw that her beloved mother was still engrossed in her private world with her father, a world to which the thick letter in her hand had not yet been introduced. Left with no choice, she apologized on behalf of her dear father to her aunt, "Auntie, please don’t be angry anymore. My father was negligent this time. Let granny write him a letter to scold him. Let my father write a longer letter to you next time, and he’ll buy you a floral headscarf, too."
Stubbornly, Qian Manxia added, "Brother also said he would take me to Capital City for a visit, to see the grand gates of the Palace."
Before Qian Yixiu could speak, Wan Dazhong interjected, "Such matters should be handled by your husband, me. Why set your sights on your uncle doing it? Uncle is now fully intent on taking his wife and children to Capital City for a visit. You and Fangfang can be taken care of by me..."
The words of Wan Dazhong tickled Qian Manxia into laughter, and the group then inquired about Qian Manjiang’s recent situation.
Hua Qiang answered every question, saying General Qian, save for missing home, was doing well in all aspects and had not yet been sent to the front lines. He also mentioned that Fan Erhei was killed by enemy archers in his first battle, and they hadn’t heard news from anyone else yet—no news was considered good news for now.
Afterward, Qian Sangui told Hua Qiang to go home to rest and to come to Guiyuan early the next morning for an important task. Now that Huang Hua was no longer needed to deliver letters, Hua Qiang would take the completed blueprint directly to the border once it was ready. It would be best for him to see the actual cannon and to fully understand its structure.
Before leaving, Cheng Yue seemed to finally come back to her senses. She held her young aunt’s hand, urging her not to be angry, apologized on behalf of Brother Jiang, and promised to make a summer dress for Fangfang herself.
After repeated disassembly and scrutiny by the artisans and the father-son team of Wan Dazhong, the blueprints for the cannon’s plan and structure were finally completed on May 14th. Wan Erniu drew them himself with incredible precision—every part was marked with measurements, and special notes were made regarding the materials. The cannonballs’ plan and materials were also drawn out and annotated thoroughly.
Even Qian Yixiu, who had been studying for sixteen years, admitted she couldn’t match that level of drawing and praised Wan Erniu, "Grandpa Wan, you’re truly skilled."
Wan Erniu humbly replied, "When I served as a Protector, I learned drafting from my master." He had learned how to draw maps when he followed Prince Ning into battle.
Qian Yixiu paid the artisans fifty taels of silver each for their work, then asked them to return home for now, saying they would be contacted again if needed in the future.