Zhang Weixian kept lighting the fire with the zippo contentedly, as happy as a naughty boy.
Next to him, Zhang Shize stood with a pained expression on his face.
"You said that this lighter and this lantern use a kind of oil called kerosene. This kind of oil is not available in the Ming Dynasty. It was refined by you and Yang Fan yourself."
Zhang Shize quickly said: "Grandpa, that's right. It's made with Menghuo oil. This is a big business. Think about it. From the emperor to the common people, no one is allowed to light lamps in their home."
"Well, that's a good thing. The real money-making business is the things that everyone uses in ordinary people's homes. Luxury goods are only consumed by a small number of people and cannot be made big." Zhang Weixian said, stroking his beard.
"You want me to contact various noble families and join forces to do this business, right?"
"Grandpa, of course everyone makes money when they are rich. My grandson never eats alone."
Zhang Weixian scolded: "You two can't eat alone. It's not because you two are messing around and offending both civil servants and nobles. You two are eager to appease them."
Zhang Shize was also very embarrassed after being exposed. His face also turned red and white for a while. He stood there coquettishly and said nothing.
"It's not like there was no lamp oil in the Ming Dynasty. Both the palace and the palace used tall tallow candles. All the officials used beeswax candles and white wax candles." Zhang Weixian said. "How much is your kerosene worth? If it is too expensive, not many people can afford it. This business is not worth hiring so many people to do."
Beeswax is the beeswax from the hive after taking the honey. Because of its yellow color, it is called yellow wax.
The other is white wax, derived from the secretions of waxworms. Waxworms can be farmed.
Both candles are very expensive because the materials are not easily available.
An ordinary candle costs more than 200 copper coins. A good one costs more than 250 yuan. People simply can't afford it. These days, using candles is a way to show off your wealth. Didn't you see that Kou Zhun of the Northern Song Dynasty was impeached by the censor because he used a lot of candles to show off his wealth?
Officials, businessmen, and ordinary people in the middle and lower classes all use oil lamps. That is, put rapeseed oil and cotton thread in a lamp and light it.
The price of rapeseed oil is 120 copper coins per pound. Worth one penny and two cents of silver. very expensive. This is also the reason why the people of the Ming Dynasty do not have enough to eat. Oil is too expensive and food is not enough.
Zhang Shize stretched out two fingers and said: "If we mine our own oil and refine it ourselves, the cost of kerosene is only twenty cents. If we sell it for sixty-five cents, it will definitely be very popular. This stuff is much brighter than vegetable oil, and it's also There’s no black smoke and no pungent smell.”
Zhang Weixian was shocked, stood up and said, "What did you say? How much does it cost per pound?"
"Grandpa, you heard it right, twenty cents a pound."
Zhang Weixian didn't expect that this diesel would be so easy to use and cost so low.
His expression changed several times for a while, from cloud to cloud.
He clearly knows how big the lighting market is. There were 20 million people in the Ming Dynasty, and everyone needed a lamp for lighting at night. Some workers especially need lighting at night to work.
This is a big business. If my family partners with Yang Fan, I don't know how much money they will make.
However, he soon gave up the idea.
Yang Fan was right. In order to ease the conflict, some compensation should indeed be given to the nobles.
"Tell me in detail what Yang Fan thinks." Zhang Weixian said.
Zhang Shize and Zhang Weixian were plotting how to do this business, and when they brought the nobles in, Yang Fan was showing off several other pieces of machinery.
"Master, isn't this a propeller for a ship?" Lin Yueru said strangely.
There was a fan in front of Yang Fan. Note that it was either an electric fan or a fan.
Because it is not driven by electricity. This fan is a floor fan with a height of 1.6 meters. It is powered by a Stirling engine.
At first glance, the name Stirling engine seems to be high-tech in the 21st century. In fact, this thing was invented a long time ago. The original fan was invented in 1850. It is completely possible to manufacture it with Yang Fan's current technology.
The heat engine based on Stirling's principle was first used to open temple doors in Greece in 200 BC. Used to shock believers. Two hundred years ago, this thing was used to make ice. Nothing new.
Xiao Niangpi leaned down and observed the artifact carefully.
At the top is a fan that can swing its head and adjust the wind speed. These are not difficult, just simple mechanical structures.
In the center is a kerosene lamp with a glass shade. The four corners of the oil lamp are made of angle steel, and there are four pieces of glass in the middle. Inside is a thick wick. The size of the flame can be adjusted with the knob on the outside.
Above the flame are six Stirling engine heating tubes. The kerosene lamp burns, and while lighting, it can also heat the heating tube. There is a piston above the heating tube, which performs telescopic movement and drives a small flywheel and crankshaft to provide power. Eventually, the fan will be driven to rotate.
Underneath the oil lamp is a vertical cylindrical oil storage tank, about ten centimeters in diameter and one meter high. At the bottom is a disc-shaped base. There is an air pumping device on the outside of the oil storage tank, which is the same as a kerosene stove and a gasoline stove. It pressurizes the air.
Overall, the design of this vertical fan is very beautiful. Not too bulky either.
In summer, it can both illuminate and drive the fan. One can of oil is enough to burn overnight.
If you are sleeping, you can insert metal plates on the outside of the four glass sides of the lamp to block the light. In this way, sleep will not be affected.
Xiao Niangpi said happily: "The design of this thing is so exquisite. Those rich people will definitely buy it. It can illuminate and blow a fan to keep cool. It is so comfortable. I want to put one in my study." "
Lin Yueru said with some regret: "It's a pity that winter is coming soon. The fan can only be used in summer and will only be available on the market next year. It would be great if there is equipment for winter use. It will be available on the market soon."
Yang Fan snapped his fingers and said: "This can be done, arrange it."
The soldiers came over pushing the kerosene stove hot oil oven that they had worked on last night.
"Hey, sir, what is this?" Xiao Niangpi asked, scratching her head.
This thing is a set of radiators, but they are not cast iron, but cast bronze, polished with a grinding wheel to make them shine.
Below the twelve single-page radiators, there are twelve small kerosene stoves installed horizontally and enclosed. At the bottom are the fuel tank, base and four copper universal wheels.
"The buildings in our community can be equipped with heaters for heating in winter. But many people who have not bought our houses also have heating needs. This gas stove thermal oil heater is tailor-made for them."
"Look, there are four small universal wheels below, which can be easily pushed around. You can easily push it in any room you want to put it in. When using it, the operation is also very simple. Just light the kerosene stove below. .”
Xiao Niangpi asked: "Hot Oil Ting, isn't it filled with water? Could it be oil?"
Yang Fan said: "Yes, it is filled with a kind of oil. The boiling point of oil is much higher than that of water, and it can be burned to more than 200 degrees. Although it only has one set of radiators, it has enough heat."
"The twelve small kerosene stoves below can be used for heating. You can choose to light a few of them according to your actual heating needs. This will prevent overheating and save fuel."
Lin Yueru praised: "This thing is so practical. Master, this is simply a magic heating device. It will definitely sell well this winter."
Yang Fan said: "After we built the refinery, the gasoline we produced was reserved for military use. The diesel was also stored for later use when the diesel engine was developed. Kerosene can be introduced to the market. We need to design more kerosene-based engines. equipment, so that the sales of kerosene will increase."
Xiao Niangpi asked: "Master, these are all good things, and they will definitely make a lot of money. Should we make them ourselves, or put them in the refinery and make them together with other shareholders."
Yang Fan said: "I am planning to separate. There are also several types of equipment such as kerosene stoves, gasoline stoves and other outdoor cooking utensils that I want to set up separate factories. The exchange will open soon, and I plan to form a workshop for individual products of these equipments, and then Issuing stocks and listing them. The exchange also needs to have enough companies to support it."
Xiao Niangpi calculated with her fingers: "In this case, the exchange now has several companies that can be prepared. Oil extraction workshop, oil refining workshop, fan workshop, hot tin workshop, oil furnace workshop, There are six oil lamp workshops.”
Yang Fan said: "Including Guano Trading Co., Ltd. and Rail Transit, there are a total of eight stocks. They will be listed together at that time. Let's call them Laobagu.
No more today
