Zhang Su brought the Governor-General and Gao Tianqi to the lakeside. Before they had even drawn near, the steel-hulled boat speeding across the lake made a turn and headed toward the shore.
As the little boat reached the bank, its true appearance was revealed. It was no ordinary boat. There were no oars, nor any hand-cranked or foot-pedaled paddle wheels. Instead, at the bow was something resembling an automobile steering wheel, while at the stern sat two side-by-side engines driving propeller blades. Most of the engines were exposed at the rear, covered by sleek white metal casings that made them look rather elegant. There was no boiler, no chimney, and they were far smaller than steam engines. This was not steam power, but Torch Oil engines. The steel-hulled vessel had a sleek, graceful shape, more than ten meters long and painted white. It was no longer a small boat, but a speedboat. It was many times faster than a steam-powered launch; racing over the water, it felt as though it were flying...
As the speedboat approached the lakeside pier, its speed immediately slowed. Zhang Tie, who had been at the helm, was the first to leap ashore. Two others followed him onto the bank, and only after them came Zhang Tie's whole brood of children.
A dozen or so people had filled the speedboat to the brim.
"Go on, find your mothers and have some fruit. Daddy has guests. I'll take you out to play again tomorrow!" Smiling, Zhang Tie rubbed the heads of several little ones beside him and pointed toward the pavilion. The children who had come ashore were sensible enough; chattering noisily, they raced toward the pavilion in high spirits.
By the pavilion were Lady Olina, Aurora, Shabalina, Linda, Beverly, Ai Mei, Ai Xue, and the others.