Somehow Became a Sixth-Class Lord
Li Mo: "Let's go, let's see if it works."
The group arrived at the power room.
Li Mo and Sarah spent ten minutes modifying the machine.
Modification complete, ready for immediate testing.
Twenty pounds of bituminous coal were poured into the furnace.
After fifteen minutes, the gold-medal timekeeper Wayne immediately reported, "Time's up!"
The stoker opened the furnace door and took a look.
The group looked surprised.
The stoker glanced at the tachometer beside him, then turned to Li En and reported, "Sir, there's still a little over half the coal left in the furnace... At this rate, twenty pounds of coal will last eight minutes longer than usual."
Just as Li Mo said, when calculated, the coal consumption for the same amount of work done has been reduced by more than 40%.
This is a truly money-saving gadget.
Father Li En exclaimed in amazement, "So amazing!"
The stokers also applauded, smiling and praising Li Mo's excellence.
Most of the people present were only thinking about saving costs...
Estelle, however, clearly considered more factors.
After a moment of deep thought, she glanced at Caroline.
Caroline immediately understood and stepped forward, saying, "Mr. Li En, Mr. Li Mo, this steam engine improvement technology is of great significance to the kingdom at present."
Li En quickly bowed slightly. "Thank you for your recognition, Your Excellency."
Caroline opened her small bag and took out a blank official document from the Special Envoy's Office, stamped with a double-moon seal.
She immediately wrote a few lines on it and said seriously:
"On behalf of the Royal Special Envoy Office, I hereby grant Mr. Li Mo a second special grant: This steam engine improvement plan shall be listed as a Class A military industrial patent of the Kingdom, to be jointly procured by the Admiralty and the Railway Committee. For every steam engine modified during the power conversion of all railway locomotives and steam-powered ironclad warships nationwide, a corresponding patent royalty shall be paid to Mr. Li Mo."
"Furthermore, in view of the two major technologies that Li En Workshop has developed in succession, the Special Envoy's Office has decided to exempt all commercial and industrial taxes and wartime special taxes under Mr. Li En's name for the next three years; at the same time, 10,000 gold pounds will be directly allocated from the Special Envoy's Office's Office's wartime special funds as a subsidy for Mr. Li Mo's subsequent research and development. Mr. Li En himself is appointed as a special advisor to the Mondel Municipal Chamber of Commerce, effective immediately, and enjoys the same treatment as a sixth-class lord."
The envoy's string of rewards left Li En completely bewildered.
Having run a cotton textile business for twenty years, all I've earned is hard-earned money.
Now, things are really different. He's exempt from taxes for three years, received a direct cash handout of 10,000 gold pounds, and even has to pay his own way to the national railways and warships. He's even somehow managed to become a sixth-class lord.
Is this what it means to have a government job? Making money this fast!
Two big words popped into Li En's mind:
Loyalty!
Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Crawford exchanged a glance and immediately launched into a new round of fawning.
"Oh dear, I was wondering why the magpies were chirping so loudly on the branches when I left home today. Turns out, there's some great news at Advisor Li En's house! Come over for tea when you're done with your work!"
"Advisor Li En, my Old Crawford just approved a 5,000 gold pound interest-free wartime support grant a couple of days ago. It was originally intended for... well, we hadn't decided who to give it to yet. But now it seems that, besides the Li En family, who else in the entire Mondel Town is worthy of this sum? I'll have Old Crawford revise the contract tonight and send it to you tomorrow!"
Li En sighed inwardly. He had invited them for tea today and tried his best to find topics to make them laugh, but to little avail.
Now, without me even saying a word, they're already beaming with joy.
In the adult world, emotional value is often the least valuable thing; genuine smiles only bloom for those who seek personal gain.
He said, "Then I'll trouble you two ladies to take care of it. I'll be at the factory from nine to ten tomorrow morning. Just send the contract over then. I have other things to do after ten."
"Alright! I'll be there before nine o'clock! I definitely won't delay Advisor Li En's work!"
The two ladies nodded repeatedly, not finding Li En arrogant at all; on the contrary, they felt that this was the proper demeanor of a sixth-rank lord.
Li En glanced at Matthew standing by the door.
Matthew had his back to everyone, looking deep in thought.
Their hands were already clasped together, out of sight.
He had just heard his father, Isaac, mention the amount of support Mrs. Crawford had just mentioned last night at home.
Now, right in front of him, they handed the money over to Li En.
He thought angrily to himself:
--The wheel of fortune turns faster than the tide at the dock. Don't underestimate a poor kid; who knows who will be on the next wave!
In Chinese, it means. "Thirty years west of the river, thirty years east of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential!"
While the adults were exchanging pleasantries, Helen was standing behind Anna, intently observing the steam engine.
She tiptoed up and down several times, trying to reach out and touch it, but quickly withdrew her hand and lowered her head.
Li Mo noticed her movements.
He picked up a spare set of clean, oil-free double slide valves and handed them to Helen: "Here, this is for you."
Helen paused for a moment, looked up at Li Mo, and whispered, "Th-thank you, Li Mo."
He took the double slide valve and looked down at it for two seconds.
I gently pushed the adjusting screw on the back with my thumb.
The upper slider slides along the guide groove, blocking the two air inlets of the lower slider.
Helen became somewhat engrossed in watching, suddenly forgetting that there were other people in the room around her, and softly said:
"Li Mo, I feel... if we break this thing down into two independently moving sliders, could we seal off the intake manifold separately when the piston has only completed one-third of its stroke?"
Li Mo was taken aback, then said, "That's right."
Helen added, "And this iron ring, with its Z-shaped overlapping steps cut at the joint, is it so that after it's installed in the cylinder, the elasticity of the cast iron itself will push it open against the outer wall?"
"Ouch?"
Li Mo was genuinely surprised.
I never knew Helen had this kind of talent.
Moreover, when she talked about these devices, she spoke fluently and confidently, showing no signs of social anxiety, which was quite a contrast.
Li Mo smiled and explained, "Yes, you're absolutely right, that's exactly what I mean."
Helen pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case... if we add a set of bevel gears to the end of the screw, could we further improve the thermal efficiency of the steam engine?"
They can also apply what they've learned to other situations!
Sarah, who was standing nearby, became curious and asked, "Xiao Li, is this really Mr. Green's daughter? Or is she some engineer from some kingdom in disguise?"
Upon hearing the word "disguise, "Estelle glanced in their direction.
Li Mo was also somewhat surprised and asked, "Helen, you've studied these things before?"
Helen then realized that she had said too much.
She shrank back and whispered, "I... I haven't formally studied it... I just secretly read a little bit at home."
"Are you very interested in these things?" Li Mo asked.
Helen nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I... I think the steam engine is so beautiful, but my father always says that a lady should learn piano and embroidery, so he forces me to study... If I could choose for myself, I would definitely study mechanical engineering."
Not good!
Upon hearing this, Li Mo immediately sensed something was wrong.
Sure enough, Sarah next to him immediately flew into a rage!