mage in the late qing dynasty

Chapter 1063 Treeman, you can buy it for free

The two brothers quarreled and walked out.

Yao Bing hesitated for three seconds and said, "Brother, let's go to the venue first. It won't close until midnight anyway. Let's go around and come back to watch the movie again."

That's what Benjamin Goldberg meant.

It’s not just the movies that attract people to the Nanyang Industrial Exposition.

The two of them first spent twenty copper coins to take a ride on the train and take a quick look.

After coming back, I will visit the specialized museums that interest me.

On Lion Rock opposite the Nanyang Industrial Exposition Hall, the five large characters “Nanyang Industrial Exposition” were arranged by electric lights.

Many people were amazed.

But when we arrived at the Lubinfu Collection Hall, we found seven big characters "Lubinfu Collection Hall" made up of neon lights of different colors.

"Wow, beautiful, very beautiful..."

"What is this lamp called?"

"I heard it's called Neon, and it's the electric light produced by the industry of the God of War Zhao Chuanxin."

Zhou Shuren's students walked here and stopped to watch.

Zhou Shuren saw the pamphlet placed at the door and asked, "How much silver?"

Li Tonglong held up two fingers: "Two cents."

"So expensive?"

Li Tonglong picked up a booklet with a cover made of special paper that was so shiny that you could see through it. It said: Lugang Town Journal Special Edition.

There are six photos below, all in color. One is a movie poster of the handsome but scarred Sun Yanguang, one is a movie poster of Wang Changming, one is a car photo, one is a women's fashion photo, one is a radio, and the last one is actually a Roll King M1908 lever-action rifle.

Li Tonglong flipped it roughly a few more times, and Zhou Shuren and his students were shocked.

“This pictorial is really well done.”

"What kind of paper is this? It's as bright as a mirror."

“How are color photos printed?”

Li Tonglong said cheerfully: "Two cents is a loss-making price, otherwise we really can't afford to send these hundreds of thousands of tourists."

Just as the teacher and students were hesitating, fellow student Benjamin Goldberg came over and said, "Yes, two copies. It's worth it."

Li Tonglong naturally recognized Zhao Chuanxin's two apprentices, but he was ruthless in taking their money.

Yao Bing hurriedly flipped through it and said, "Hey, Senior Brother, look how beautiful this truck is. It was made by Juanwang Technical College."

"Junior brother, look, I've seen this beautiful woman before. Her name is Liu Jiahui. It's a pity that she is much older than me, otherwise, hehe..."

"Brother, why do you always think about older women?"

Because many students were surrounding the two of them and reading the "Lugang Town Journal Special Edition", it was inevitable that they could hear their conversation.

Zhou Shuren quickly said to the students, "Let's go into the museum and visit it. Don't listen to the conversation between these two ignorant guys."

Yao Bing immediately said, "Brother, let's go in too. They have quite a few female students."

Benjamin Goldberg immediately retaliated: "Why do you always think about female students?"

Zhou Shuren almost tripped over the threshold.

As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I saw two cars parked in the venue, one was a truck and the other was a covered car. They were square in shape, full of technology and very cool in appearance.

This place attracted many foreigners to stop.

Liu Huaqiang introduced: "This is a large-scale truck with a wind and rainproof canopy, a four-cylinder engine, 23 horsepower, and a payload of up to three tons. It is an updated product of the Juanwang Jiyou truck and the Juanwang Jiyou II truck. It was developed by our Juanwang Technical College and has not yet been mass-produced. Currently, we only accept reservations..."

Zhou Shuren was shocked: "Can Chinese people make foreign cars?"

Not only can they build cars, but the paint is also exceptionally bright, and when the light shines on them, it's almost blinding.

One student shouted: "I know, I know, there have been King of Rolls cars in Hong Kong Island and Macau Island for a long time."

Someone heard that this tough and cool truck was called a Dayun truck, so he went up and hit the front of the truck with his shoulder.

Hua Liang, who was maintaining order nearby, stepped forward to stop them: "Hey, hey, why did you hit our car?"

"Don't stop us, we're trying our luck."

Hua Liang: "..."

Benjamin Goldberg squeezed in and said, "Go to the intersection, wait for the green light and stand in the middle of the road. Sooner or later you will get lucky."

Hua Liang burst out laughing.

To produce cars, many supporting products and rules are required.

Gasoline is a must, as well as qualified roads, traffic lights and traffic signs.

At the same time, handover rules came into being.

Zhao Chuanxin had a detailed knowledge of various traffic rules, and he taught them all to the Juanwang Technical College, which was then responsible for disseminating the technology and rules as they sold cars.

Traffic lights have been built in Lubinfu and Lugang Town.

Those who know the truth laugh, while those who don’t scratch their heads.

After looking at trucks, there are cars, and after cars, there are bicycles.

"There are three types of bicycles: mountain bikes, road bikes, and everyday bikes. They are all designed and produced by our Juanwang Technical College and can be pre-ordered."

In terms of price, daily use is lower than mountain use and lower than road use.

Zhou Shuren noticed the bicycle wheel: "Your wheels are well made. What is this?"

A student from Juanwang Institute of Technology introduced: "This is called a tire. It is a rubber tire improved by our engineer Liu Yuanshan, who is also a professor of materials science at Juanwang Institute of Technology."

Zhou Shuren was surprised: "In the past few years, Zhao Tangong has come up with some great things."

The student puffed out his chest with pride: "Of course, our principal is very impressive. If you go inside, you will find many rare items."

What object?
Zhou Shuren led the students to walk in a row.

"This is a washing machine, a product of the joint laboratory of Tianshangfei and Philips. This is called a radio, a new machine developed by the famous inventor Nikola Tesla and the joint laboratory of Philips. We are building a signal tower, and in the future every household will be able to listen to the news..."

The radio looked too complicated, so Zhou Shuren ignored it for the time being.

But the washing machine got him interested.

Someone filled the washing machine with water, threw in a few pieces of clothes that were almost rotten from washing, turned the switch, and the washing machine started to rotate forwards and backwards.

Of course it is not fully automatic, but fully manual.

Adding water is manual, there is no timer, the switch is manual, and draining water is manual.

In a word: you have the final say on when to wash it clean.

However, when the students started to spin dry their clothes, a group of teachers and students widened their eyes and asked, "You don't even need to wring them?"

The staff trained by Tianshangfei introduced it familiarly: "This is called centrifugal force, which spins out the water. The two buckets here, one is a washing bucket, and the other is a drying bucket, which is extremely convenient. Only the brushless motor made by Mr. Nikola Tesla can have such strong power."

Zhou Shuren pointed at the powder that the man had just poured into the washing machine and asked, "What is this?"

"This is called soap powder. It is specially made for cleaning and is produced for washing machines. It is a matching product. It is good quality and cheap. It can be ordered like washing machines. It is a must-have for lazy people."

This phrase "a must-have for lazy people" touches the hearts of many people.

Nowadays, lazy is an absolute derogatory word. Sometimes, calling someone lazy in person may even lead to a fight.

But the amazing thing is that when businesses openly bring "laziness" to the table, customers can immediately become desensitized.

It seems that being laziness is nothing big, I am lazy and I am right, laziness represents wealth, advancement and sophistication.

Zhou Shuren was a little uncomfortable with what he heard: "Lazy? Laziness is not good."

Although the salesman had a hard-to-change northwestern accent, he was eloquent: "The world has changed because of laziness. Carving on bamboo slips is time-consuming and laborious, so lazy people invented paper. Weaving silk by hand is troublesome, so lazy people invented looms. Copying books is troublesome, so someone invented printing. Walking is laborious, so cars were invented. The civilization of this world is driven by lazy people..."

This set of heretical theories seemed to make a lot of sense at first glance, and even Zhou Shuren was fooled, not to mention the students.

So I am really lazy and I am right.

The salesperson was very proud: "Mr. Young's words are really irrefutable."

These words come from Benjamin Goldberg.

Furniture and wood products from Lubinfu, fashion from Lugang Town, military clothing and labor protection products jointly produced by Lubinfu and Lugang Town, water pumps jointly produced by Lugang Town and Hong Kong Island...

"Teacher, look, this kind of material for gloves, how come I have never seen it before?"

Zhou Shuren stepped forward and found that the materials of the easily worn parts such as the fists and palm edges were new, and the same was true for the clothes and boots next to them.

He asked the salesperson, who said: "This is the exclusive material for our Lulu outdoor equipment. It is high-tech and there is no other manufacturer in the world that can match it. The foreign army is also thinking of placing orders with us and has already signed an order for 10 yuan..."

10 yuan made the surrounding teachers and students gasp.

Zhao Chuanxin originally didn't plan to sell it because he had spent all his money on Fearless Pioneer.

He had to make new rules with the Fearless Vanguard. From now on, the brothers would settle accounts clearly, import some materials from the "Code of the Old Gods", process them and then export them, each making their own profit from the trade difference.

Zhao Chuanxin's industries were already on the right track and there was no need for him to continue investing. The gold coins earned from "Code of the Old Gods" were spent on "Code of the Old Gods".

There was also Miao Cuihua's fashion exhibit upstairs, including lace, stockings, and various hollow, short skirts, and low-necked women's clothing, which made the female students blush.

Especially when there was a hairy girl serving as a live model, the male students' eyes lit up.

“More fashionable than we are in England.”

“It seems that Paris’ design philosophy is out of date.”

Students who could understand foreign languages ​​translated what the foreigners said for the rest of the group.

In a word: Zhao Chuanxin made a fortune!
At first, Zhou Shuren wanted to quietly calculate how much Zhao Chuanxin could earn, until he found that it was difficult to estimate.

The Nanyang Industrial Exposition attracted nearly 40 visitors, many of whom came from the United States, Japan, Tsarist Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other countries. They formed reference groups to visit the exhibition. Some of them were for business purposes, while others came to gather intelligence and find out the truth.

Zhao Chuanxin's place is simply a gathering place for foreigners.

A Japanese man came to the weapons exhibition hall and asked, "What kind of gun is this?"

Ning An, who had just returned from the United States, took out the Lugang M1907, skillfully ejected the magazine, and began to load bullets into it: "This is the Lugang M1907 semi-automatic pistol produced by Freddy's Arms Manufacturing Company in New York. It has a 15-round capacity, a short-recoil automatic barrel, a swing-lock latch, a double-action firing mechanism, and a hammer-rotating firing mechanism. However, the firing pin has a special two-piece structure, which crushes all pistols in the world today."

The Japanese eyelids were twitching.

Finally, Zhao Chuanxin started selling the kind of pistol he used.

Countless Japanese died from this gun, and the Japanese wanted one but couldn't get one.

There was no other way. Lugang Town and the Beishui Army were not equipped with this gun, and in the battle with Zhao Chuanxin, the losses were unilaterally suffered by Japan, so they were never captured. It was Zhao Chuanxin who seized their weapons and ammunition...

When the Japanese intelligence agency analyzed Zhao Chuanxin's combat effectiveness, weapons were a very important metric.

The Japanese asked, “How much?”

Ning An smoothed his hair, revealing a face that was no longer handsome, but more beautiful. "23 dollars, slightly more expensive than Continental."

The Continental brand is selling for $20.5 at this time.

So it’s not that expensive, after all, the bullet capacity and performance are there.

The Japanese man's eyes lit up: "Wait a minute, I'll go back and ask, maybe I need to buy a batch."

Ning An's mouth twitched. Zhao Chuanxin had expected this scene. "Then you have to hurry up. The orders have been scheduled until the second half of 1911."

An American asked about the M1908 lever-action rifle: "Can you tell me about it?"

Ning An took it off and introduced it in his already very proficient New York-accented English: "Roll King M1908 lever-action rifle, six-round capacity, firing .280 caliber pointed bullets!"

The American exclaimed, "What? Pointed bullets?"

Lever-action rifles, due to their construction, can usually only fire round-nosed bullets.

But one advantage is that it has a high bullet capacity.

Obviously, this gun sacrifices ammunition capacity by firing pointed bullets.

Ning An nodded: "In order to increase the power, it is specially designed to fire pointed bullets, because the internal structure of this gun is very special. Look here, there is a bullet capacity counter. Every time you fire a round, the counter changes, letting you know how many bullets are left in the gun."

Click.

Ning An pulled the trigger, loaded the gun and pretended to aim. It was obvious at first glance that he was a man who often shot guns.

The American's eyes lit up. He was just a gun enthusiast: "Is this the gun Zhao Chuanxin used?"

Zhao Chuanxin had expected this scene. Ning An started to brag: "Yes, Mr. Zhao likes this gun very much, and it is the standard gun of his cavalry unit, the Grey Axe Army. It is as if he has divine help when using this gun on horseback. It is also a good gun for daily hunting. Hunting bears, deer and wild boars is no problem..."

Yao Bing, who was going upstairs, heard this and his eyes lit up: "They actually sell guns here? Senior brother, I want to buy one."

Benjamin Goldberg quickly stopped him and said, "What are you buying? The boss of the company that produces this gun is your senior brother. I am giving you this as a gift for the Grain in Ear Festival."

Yao Bing was confused: "Do I have to give gifts during the Grain in Ear solar term? Then how can I return the gift?"

"Just give me a gift worth more than one hundred dollars."

Yao Bing tugged at his fingers: "Brother, I'm not good at math, but I feel like I've lost out."

"You miscalculated."

The American over there listened to the two kids' bragging and sneered, "Kids nowadays are so boastful. He even boasted that he is the boss behind the scenes."

Ning An smiled meaningfully: "That's not necessarily true."

Zhou Shuren led the students out of the Lubinfu Collection Hall and sighed, "Seeing that the foreigners in the hall were also amazed and impressed, it shows that the science and technology under Zhao Chuanxin's leadership have reached the forefront of the world! I heard that their gasoline is different from others, and the King of Rolls cars must be fueled by King of Rolls gasoline, which is really amazing."

"Teacher, is Zhao Chuanxin really that powerful?"

Zhou Shuren nodded: "When I was in Japan, some Japanese hated him to the core, but many also regarded him as an idol. Of course, this is also related to the Japanese's admiration for the strong."

"Teacher, can you tell me about Zhao Chuanxin?"

Zhou Shuren said: "What I know is hearsay. But last year, I almost had an encounter with him. Lubin Prefecture invited me to be a teacher, but I refused because it was too cold outside the Great Wall..."

When Zhou Shuren took his students to the Jiangxi Pavilion, he met a fellow villager named Xu Jilong.

Xu Jilong entertained them warmly and gave each of the teachers and students a fine porcelain teacup with the words "In commemoration of the Nanyang Industrial Exposition, gift from Xu Jilong" engraved on it.

Everyone couldn’t put it down.

Arrived at the Three Northeastern Provinces Pavilion.

"Everyone, come quickly. There is actually a fortune teller over there. As long as your name matches your birth date, he will make a painting or carve a piece of wood or stone as a gift on the spot."

Zhou Shuren's attention was also drawn to the place and he followed the students.

Not to mention anything else, the man and woman in front of the stall alone are very attractive.

First look at the woman. She has a high nose, deep eyes, and skin whiter than snow. Under her cowboy hat are long, shiny braids. I wonder how much effort it took to braid them.

A loose long skirt with a thin patchwork denim shirt with lace cutouts on it, which is cool and faintly reveals the delicate white skin of the shoulders and collarbones.

She was wearing a pair of half-high cloth shoes, revealing a part of her snow-white calves.

Compared with the dark-faced hairy girls in the Lubinfu collection hall, this is another style.

Lu Xun was worried that his students might think he was staring at her because he was lustful, so he quickly explained: "This is not a foreigner, but a woman from our frontier area, with a high nose and deep eyes, but this woman is exceptionally beautiful."

Look at the man next to them, they are wearing the same couple's cowboy hat, sunglasses under the hat, their thin cheeks are covered with thick short beard, white T-shirt, big shorts, and the same couple's half-high cloth shoes.

You say he is handsome, but he doesn't seem to be that handsome.

You say he is not handsome, but his angular face with thick beard looks particularly attractive.

In addition, he is tall, with broad shoulders, and his arm muscles make the cuffs of his white T-shirt bulge out.

There are some paintings on display in their exhibition hall, including pencil drawings, pen drawings, woodcuts, and copperplate engravings.

The painting style is unique, and the signature is Zhao Xin.

When Zhou Shuren and his friends approached, they heard the man talking to someone at the stall next to him.

"You actually ignored such a beautiful girl from Northwest China and still painted her. What a pity."

The tall man bared his white teeth that were so neat and dense that it was unbelievable and said, "Since I knew that no matter how beautiful a woman is, she still has to poop and wipe her butt, I no longer believe in Blue Lotus."

Zhou Shuren staggered and almost fell, fortunately a student supported him.

I don’t know why, I always fall down today.

It really spoils the scenery and pollutes the ears.

As they approached, the man said without looking up, "Get some paper, write your name and date of birth and put it in the box."

A student asked: "What does this mean?"

The beautiful frontier woman smiled and explained: "I will help you calculate."

"Measure what?"

"Calculate whether you can buy it for free or spend a lot of money to buy the art here."

“What does zero dollar purchase mean?”

“It’s free.”

"Ah? It's free?"

A boy of about fourteen or fifteen said, "Yes, my name is Shen Dehong, and I got a painting made by this gentleman for free."

As he said this, he happily took it out to show off.

This is a pen drawing with complex, rich lines, distinct layers and a strong texture.

This painting technique of using density and sparseness of lines to sensitively express objects was mostly unheard of by those present.

The painting shows viaducts, cars densely packed on the bridges, trains shuttling through the air, tall buildings standing in rows, and airplanes in the sky...

This painting is nominated for Mao Dun.

A student muttered: "The characters are all wrong. It's Mao Dun, not Mao Dun."

Zhou Shuren exclaimed, "This is the technique of French printmaker Doré. But the content of this painting is incredible..."

The students hurriedly asked who Dore was.

Gustave Doré, this man's paintings have influenced generations of people, and many later films have borrowed from his sense of picture.

But I don’t know much about Zhou Shuren, I just like his illustrations very much.

The students began to write and put them into the wooden box.

“Can I buy it for free?”

"Sorry, no."

It's like a lottery.

But this lottery is too mysterious. You don’t even have to look at it, you just put it in a wooden box?

Zhou Shuren also wrote something and put it into it.

The man suddenly looked up: "Zhou Shuren? Name Yucai? From Shaoxing, Zhejiang?"

Zhou Shuren stood in front of the table and asked in bewilderment, "Sir, do you recognize me? How do you know what I wrote?"

"I can tell the future." Zhao Chuanxin grinned, "Very good, Shu Ren, you can buy it for free."

After that, he picked up his brush and started painting.

The teachers and students around him first whispered with envy and jealousy, and then exclaimed: "This painting is too fast..."

(End of this chapter)