HCB Chapter 205 Cement and Concrete
Chapter 205 Cement and Concrete
Seeing her parents busy with the disaster, Zhou Sisi wanted to help, too. But as a weak woman, how could she help? She pondered in her study for a long time, but couldn't come up with a good idea.
Finally, she managed to come up with a good idea. She could use Little Red Riding Hood's name to cheer for the disaster area in Angger's tabloid and call on more readers to do their bit! As the saying goes, unity is strength. Working together, all difficulties and obstacles can be overcome!
"YES!"
"YES what?" Chen Xiuying, who pushed the door open, just heard this.
"Nothing. I also want to do something for the disaster area. I just figured out what I should do."
"So what have you decided to do?"
"Well! I've thought about it. I'm going to submit an article to the tabloid in the name of Little Red Riding Hood, calling on more people to contribute to the disaster area!" Zhou Sisi raised her chin high, and the words "praise me" were almost written on her face.
Chen Xiuying looked at her daughter and nodded in agreement. "Your idea is good. Come on, daughter."
After saying that, he ignored Zhou Sisi and started to look through the "Donghua Encyclopedia" that his daughter had bought earlier.
Seeing this, Zhou Sisi asked her curiously, "Mom, why are you flipping through it?"
Chen Xiuying replied while flipping through the catalog: "Isn't your father going to repair the dam? I want to see what materials Donghua Kingdom is using to build the dam."
"Is there any need to see this? Why not just ask Dad?"
"He hasn't come back yet, I'll look for it first. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can get some cement out."
"Mom, you are so amazing! You understand all this!" If cement could really be made, it would be a magical tool for building houses and paving roads!
"Well, I told you to study hard. My teacher mentioned it when I was in school, and later, I saw it in a novel, so I watched some videos about it when I had nothing to do."
"That's pretty impressive. Unlike me, I'm either into comics, costumes, funny videos, or large-scale performances."
"I've almost forgotten it. If I want to do it, I have to try more." She looked at this purely out of interest. If the teacher hadn't mentioned it at the beginning, she would not have thought of studying it.
Chen Xiuying flipped through the entire book but couldn't find a single word about Donghua Country's dike-building materials. She could only ask Zhou Dajiang about it when he returned that night.
Zhou Dajiang put it succinctly: "Earth, stone, wood, bamboo, and grass are all used. Wooden piles are used as the foundation, and stone strips are used as the main structure. The stone strips are usually connected with stone or iron ingots, and the joints are grouted with lime, glutinous rice, tung oil, etc."
Chen Xiuying looked at him and asked, "Then have you ever thought about getting the cement out?"
Zhou Dajiang scratched his head. "My major isn't architecture, so I've never noticed this." Then he realized, "You know it?"
"No!" Chen Xiuying answered simply, "I've studied it before, but I've never done it myself. I'll write down the ingredients and proportions for you. You can try it yourself."
Zhou Dajiang, no matter what, you are so lucky to have a wife who is a top student!
So, the next day, Zhou Dajiang put all the work on hand aside and told Mr. Cui directly that he wanted to research a new adhesive before leaving.
Minister Cui naturally agreed to this. This was a major issue related to the subsequent repair of the dam. If it could be figured out, it would not only benefit their Ministry of Works, but also the people of the entire country.
Not only did Old Cui not object, he even assigned Zhou Dajiang an assistant, his son Little Cui. With such a ready-made learning opportunity, he had to show some favoritism and let his son learn more.
So, when the article about Little Red Riding Hood was published in the tabloids, Datong Trading Company and Chen Xiuying's names appeared on the donation list, and the first team led by King Chen was ready to set off, Zhou Dajiang and Xiao Cui were grinding limestone and clay over and over again in their Ministry of Industry's special experimental site.
These two are the raw materials for making cement. They are ground into powder and calcined to become clinker. Then they are mixed with iron powder in proportion and the initial cement is ready.
But that wasn't the end of the story. To make the dam strong, they had to develop concrete. The ratio of cement, sand, and gravel was crucial, a step Chen Xiuying hadn't written about. The two of them tried again and again, and after several attempts, they finally found the perfect ratio.
When the two men, their faces covered in dust, appeared before the Ministry of Works, holding the sun-dried test blocks, everyone gathered around them. They marveled at the strength of this new material, and many experienced craftsmen marveled.
Lord Cui was so happy that he burst into tears. The problem that had plagued Donghua Country for many years finally made a major breakthrough during his tenure.
Mr. Cui no longer cared about his image. He held the test block with one hand, not caring that his hat was tilted, and ran outside with Zhou Dajiang in his other hand.
He didn't even hear Zhou Dajiang's words to wait and wipe his face first. He dragged the person and rushed to the imperial study.
Eunuch Shi was shocked when he saw the two men's appearance. "Master Cui, what's wrong with you? Could it be that Master Zhou has made you angry?"
At this time, Mr. Cui had tears on his face, his official hat was askew, he had a stone in one hand, and the other hand was holding Zhou Dajiang. Zhou Dajiang was not much better, his hair was messy, his face was covered with dust, and he looked helpless.
The two of them looked like this, and Eunuch Shi could only think of one word: fighting. Furthermore, it was typical that Old Cui was furious, so he grabbed Master Zhou and came to the Emperor to make a decision for him!
It's no wonder Eunuch Shi thought this way; even the guards on duty nearby thought the same. There was also a guard who had a good relationship with Song Tingye and knew that Song Tingye was engaged to the daughter of Lord Zhou. He ran to the guard's lounge and told Song Tingye, "Tingye, Tingye, bad news! Your father-in-law is fighting with someone!"
When Song Tingye hurriedly ran to the door of the imperial study, he heard Emperor Jiayou's hearty laughter coming from inside.
"Hahahaha! With this treasure, our Donghua Kingdom will surely achieve greater glory!"
Song Tingye heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. It looked like it was just a misunderstanding. He was no longer worried and quietly retreated to the lounge. He was on night duty today and needed to catch up on some sleep.
In the Imperial Study, after praising Minister Cui and Zhou Dajiang, Emperor Jiayou was asking about the material ratio of this new adhesive called cement, as well as what materials were used in the prepared concrete.
The emperor's uncle, Prince Chen, had already set out, followed by Zhou Dajiang and his men. It was clearly too late to dispatch the materials to the capital and then produce them. It would be better to immediately dispatch the formula to the disaster area, and have kilns and factories nearby mobilize the materials and manpower. By the time the second group arrived, they would be able to produce some.
Emperor Jiayou was bold and decisive. Even though he had only seen a test piece, he dared to order production. He believed that with Zhou Dajiang's ability, the product he produced would surely achieve the same effect.