On the way back, Lin Yan asked Mao Mu, "You made the crossbow arrows. How much do you plan to sell them for?"
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet. Kurotsuchi is right, giving it to the military is for better development, so I'm happy to give it to them for free."
"I didn't expect that you would still have the consciousness to give it to the military?"
Maomu nodded, "Yes."
"You are the person in charge of the weapons research laboratory, and the crossbows are the results of your research. You can do whatever you want with them. But the budget of the laboratory has been allocated to you. What can you tell me about it? You can't just invest in it." Let’s increase the output, if this continues, our laboratory will soon be unable to sustain it.”
"So serious?" Mao Mu was stunned, "But our laboratory has always been like this in the past few years. We haven't sold out much technology, so it's not bad."
"That's just an appearance. You haven't understood the essence, so of course you don't know. Let me explain it to you."
Mao looked obedient.
"In the past few years, when looms and textile machines were developed, the technology was sold to garment factories. The technology in smelters and wood factories were all obtained from laboratories. You think they are all in vain. There is a problem. As for the accounting, at that time the Finance Department was responsible for the accounting.”
"It's different now. The Finance Department is busy. Each department has to manage its own accounts. The laboratory's accounts have to be handled separately. Each transformation of research results has to pay corresponding fees. This is the first time you are responsible for research alone. I don't know. I also understand that in the future, you must remember that this is a process that must be followed.”
Mao Mu listened to Lin Yan blaring a lot and said, "So that's it. I haven't heard of it before. I will know how to do it in the future. How much do you think the crossbow arrows should cost to sell to the military?"
"It can't be too expensive, and it can't be too cheap. The price should be around 6 yuan."
"So expensive?" Mao Mu was surprised, "We are only responsible for technical guidance and do not provide materials or labor. It is not good to charge such a high price."
Lin Yan looked at Mao Mu helplessly, "Is it expensive? The technology we produce is the invisible result of labor. It requires the use of brains and relies on our ingenuity to make it. It is very valuable. I think the price is very reasonable."
Mao Mu is still a little worried. 6 yuan is a huge sum of money to him. He can't make 5 yuan a year. This is despite him wearing multiple hats.
Lin Yan said angrily: "Ask how much Shi Zhi sold the cart's technology to his family. Then you will know the pricing of the laboratory technology. I want to tell you solemnly that technology is very valuable. If you work hard in the future, a portion of the money from the sale will be given to you personally."
Only when Maomu learned that Shi Zhi's trolley was sold for 5 yuan did he believe what Lin Yan said.
Shi Zhi's trolley is still sold at a friendly price, just like the crossbow arrows, they are sold at a cheap price. Just last year, the wheel technology of the frame truck was transferred to the smelting plant at a price of 15 yuan.
Mao Mu now really believed that technology was really valuable.
Mao Mu went to confirm the crossbow issue with the army. Lin Yan paid no attention to it. She simply drew a picture of what she saw and heard during her three days out.
The most obvious reference is the Sun River. Considering the situation upstream, she called the river before the branch Yang River. The large lake they saw was named Pinghu, and the surrounding large flat land was called Fengyuan, due to its rich resources. The continuous mountain range before entering Pinghu is named Hengshan.
Lin Yun was drawing with his head down when Shi Zhi came in. He stood aside and watched for a while. After Lin Yan finished drawing, he said, "Is this the place where you take the boat?"
"Yes. I have marked the mountains and rivers I saw along the way and gave them names to facilitate location. This area is Pinghu and Fengyuan, where the terrain is flat, water sources are abundant, and species are more diverse."
Shi Zhi nodded, "When will you go out next time?"
"I just came back and have no plans to go out again." Lin Yan looked at him in surprise, "You want to follow?"
"Yes. Seeing you all running out, I also want to go out and broaden my horizons. You are right, only when you have seen the vastness of the world can you move forward bravely. I have not left this place since I was born. It is time to go out and take a look. ”
"Can you let go of the research you are doing?" Lin Yan didn't believe it. Shi Zhi was a research madman. He was obsessed with the laboratory all day long. He had never walked through Sun City.
Shi Zhi was silent for a moment, "I can do experiments on the ship."
"Okay, just think about it. I'll get a spot for you next time you go out. However, there are still too few boats, and I don't always feel safe when there are fewer people going."
"The wood factory is already rushing to produce. We should be able to make two ships this year, and a fleet of four ships can travel far away."
After sending Shi Zhi away, Lin Yan continued to draw the map. Combining Pang Bao's records, he tried to make the terrain and distance on the map more accurate.
In early March, Bai Chen asked Lin Yan to go to the papermaking workshop to see the progress of printing.
The first printing achieved initial success. Bai Chen carved twenty character molds out of wood and made tools for card character molds.
Lin Yan carefully observed the fonts printed on the paper. They were clear and neat, and the ink did not smudge. It looked neater and more beautiful than those copied by hand.
"Yes, we found the right method, that's it. Once more fonts are made, we can print the book. You can ask Hua Min for help, select the common words in the dictionary, and make fonts of the commonly used characters first."
Bai Chen nodded, "Hua Min has already sorted it out. Making the calligraphy is time-consuming, and we have to find talented people, so the progress is very slow."
"It's quite slow. But that's all we can do now. You have to work harder and select some people who can use it. From now on, you will be responsible for paper making and printing."
Lin Yan left after looking at the newly made yellow paper. The quality was relatively stable and could be produced in large quantities.
A few days later, the stand truck that the family had ordered was ready in advance. Huahong and Jinzai were so happy that they pulled the cart around the street before going home.
These days, there are very few people who can own a stand-up car, so you can imagine how envious everyone is.
When Lin Yan returned home, there were still some people watching, clamoring for a bonus treat. Buying a bicycle was a great event and worthy of celebration.
But Hua Hong said: "The money has been used to buy a car, so why treat guests? Wait until you have money to treat us. It's time for dinner. Let's go back quickly."
Lin Yan was happy when he heard this. The bonus was because he felt sorry for himself, and he didn't want to spend money to entertain guests.
After everyone left, Huahong said: "Did you see their envious eyes? It feels really good."
"Aniang enjoys other people's compliments. Tomorrow it will be spread all over the city."
"I just want everyone to know that our family owns a car."
Jin Zai smiled naively, "That's not good. It's too public and can easily arouse others' jealousy."
Lin Yan nodded in agreement, "Dad, I understand."
"Auntie, our family has a car. If someone else comes to borrow it from now on, will you give it to me?"
The smile on Huahong's face froze, she hadn't thought of that much yet.
(End of chapter)
