When Hou Fu saw the ship model, his breathing became heavy. This was the most beautiful ship he had ever seen. The long and sharp curved scissors bow was suitable for racing. It could cut through the waves to reduce wave resistance. The bow also extended the length of the ship. Extending a slash along the bow column allowed more lateen sails to be hung at the bow, which was beneficial to expanding the capacity of the sail. The hollow bow made it easy for the ship to raise its head in the waves, which improved its sailing stability in the waves. The back of the ship gradually became thinner, with the outer water line perfectly coordinating the transition to the narrow round tail, blending harmoniously with the beautiful bow. The two tall main masts were 3/4 the height of the captain. On the top mast sail were moon sails and stay sails. Sometimes on both sides of the ship were extended sail yards, called wing sail bars, which could be used to hang wing sails. This increased the horizontal extension area of the sail, so that the ship could better use the power of the sea breeze to sail.
Perfection-this was Hou Fu's best compliment for this ship. Hou Fu's heart raced when he thought of being able to steer such a ship through the vast sea.
"Young Master, how long will it take to build this ship?”Hou Fu asked hoarsely.
"You have ten days at most, and then you only have five days to figure out how to control this ship. Can you do it?" Yang Sichen asked.
Hou Fu gritted his teeth and said resolutely,"Yes! Young Master!"
Yang Sichen chatted with Hou Fu for two hours before instructing Yanhong to arrange for Hou Fu to stay in the Jade Wave Courtyard. He also went to rest.
The next day, Yang Sichen began to explain the sail structure and usage of the Clipper Sailboat to Hou Fu. At first, Hou Fu was a little reserved and did not dare to ask more. Later on, he realized that Yang Sichen did not put on airs and had a good temper. In addition, the two of them were of similar age. Thus, he gradually revealed his true nature and began to ask this and that, joking around with a smile. Yang Sichen would joke around from time to time…and just like that, the two of them got to know each other.
Three days later, Hou Fuli wanted to drive the Yang Residence back to the shipyard. Yang Sichen sent him to the Yang Residence's main entrance before turning around to go back.
After sending Hou Fu off, Yang Sichen sat down on the bed and knocked on the edge of the bed with both hands. However, he realized that the bed box under the bed was empty. Yang Sichen curiously rolled the mattress to the side and realized that the bed board could be opened. After opening the bed board, there was a four-foot square and one-foot deep grid. There was a two-foot square stone sliding door at the bottom of the grid. There was a bolt on it, and a one-inch thick iron rod passed through the hole in the middle and was attached to the groove in the grid. Yang Sichen took out his iron rod and wanted to move the valve away. However, the stone valve was very heavy and he couldn't move it at all. Yang Sichen simply stood in the grid and pulled the bolt with both hands before moving the stone valve away. Yang Sichen looked down the valve and vaguely saw a soft ladder. He quickly lit an oil lamp and stepped down the ladder.
After Yang Sichen reached the bottom, he realized that this was a secret room. It was about two feet long, twenty feet wide, and seven feet high. The floor and the surroundings were all made of strips of bluestone, and the top was made of stone slabs. There were four ventilation holes made of bluestone at the top and a drain at the bottom. In the entire room, other than a few iron chains attached to the wall and an iron chair fixed to the floor, there was nothing else. However, there was no sense of dampness or heaviness.
Yang Sichen thought to himself,'This is really a good place to lock people up. Tie them to a chair, pull out the rope ladder, close the stone valve above, and tie the iron rod. The people below won't be able to come out. Moreover, it won't matter how much noise they make.'
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"Fast, this ship is really too fast. It's almost like flying!”At the bow of the ship, Hou Lu, the sailor, repeated this sentence countless times along the way. Yang Sichen's ears were about to get calluses.
When Yang Sichen heard his name, he knew that Hou Lu was Hou Fu's brother. The two of them looked similar and had similar figures, but he was not as mischievous as his brother. Instead, he kept a straight face and put on a serious expression.
After all, becoming a boatswain at the age of nineteen would be difficult to convince the public if he wasn't serious.
When Yang Sichen first saw him, he couldn't believe it either. He was a skinny boy, and it felt like he could lift him up with one hand. How could he make so many older and more experienced men angry?
In the end, Hou Lu spat on his palm twice and dashed toward the front mast in the middle of the ship. He hugged his arms and kicked his legs, climbing to the top of the mast in a few seconds. He was even nimbler than a wild monkey climbing a tree!
Later on, Yang Sichen found out that his older brother, Hou Fu, was nicknamed the "frisky monkey" while his younger brother, Hou Lu, was nicknamed the "sky-drilling monkey".
…………
The first flying scissors sailboat was launched on the 18th of December. In order to sail in the windless zone of the equator, this ship had ten pairs of large oars on both sides. Each pair of oars required two people to swing at the same time. In order to make the ship sail more stably, Yang Sichen added two pairs of anti-rolling fins that were three and a half feet long and one foot wide on the outer side of the hull. Three days before entering the water, Hou Fu brought the sailors on board to help the workers outfitting the ship and familiarize themselves with the structure of the ship. Wang Dahai didn't object.
On the 20th of December, the ship began its first voyage--from Liujiagang in Songjiang to Beilun Port in Ningbo, a voyage of 600 miles.
Yang Sichen was worried and insisted on going out to sea with the boat.
Originally, it would take a day and night for a boat to sail to Beilun Port, but this flying scissors sailboat took less than 12 hours. No wonder Hou Lu kept saying that the boat was fast! Through the operation of the ship, Yang Sichen could tell that the Hou Brothers had an excellent understanding of ships. After all, Yang Sichen had only made a model before. He only had a rough idea of which sail should be hung and how to adjust the angle. The specific details were left to the Hou brothers to figure out. It didn't take long for the two brothers to figure it out. The two of them cooperated well and controlled the boat very well.
When they arrived at Beilun Harbor, Yang Sichen and the Hou brothers disembarked and went to the nearby market to buy some things. They then went to a restaurant for a meal before returning to the ship. The ship returned to Liujia Harbor overnight.
On the afternoon of the 21st of December, the ship carried Yang Sichen safely back to Liujiagang. At the same time, Yang Sichen received news that the second flying scissors sailboat was ready to be launched in three days.
It was already sunset when Yang Sichen returned to the Yang Residence. Yang Sichen did not dare to delay any longer. After entering the Yang Residence, he walked towards the direction of the Blue Sea Hall, ready to report the test results to Old Master Yang.
As soon as he entered the courtyard of the Blue Sea Hall, he met Xia Zhong, who was preparing to go out. Xia Zhong was surprised to see Yang Sichen and asked,""Young Master, you're back so soon? I was just about to pick you up!"
Yang Sichen nodded with a smile and asked,""I'm here to see Grandfather. I wonder if it's convenient for Grandfather to see me?”
Without waiting for Xia Zhong to reply, Old Master Yang's voice came from the room,""Yo! Little Chenzi is back! Come in quickly! Come in quickly! Did you bring anything for me?”
Yang Sichen rushed in and greeted Old Master Yang. He took out a small dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Old Master Yang."Grandfather, I bought this in Beilun. I don't know what it is, so if I bought it wrongly, I hope Grandfather won't mind.”
Old Master Yang took the small dagger, pulled it out and looked at it carefully before saying,"That's right. This is a Wolf Fang dagger that only Beilun has. It seems that your Flying Clipper Sailboat is indeed as you said. It runs much faster than the Fortune Boat. This 100,000 taels of silver was well spent!”
" Grandfather," said Yang Sichen," those two flying scissors sailing ships don't have names yet. I want you to name them. Grandfather, what do you think…"
Old Master Yang thought for a while before saying,"These two ships are going to scout the way. How about this? One is called Qixin, and the other is called Antai.”
Yang Sichen nodded with a smile and replied,""Good! New, opening the door to new opportunities; Antai, I hope you can return safely. The two ships will be called 'Qixin' and 'Antais'. I think it's very suitable!”
The grandfather and grandson chatted for a while more before Old Master Yang let Yang Sichen return to the Jade Wave Courtyard.
When Yang Sichen returned to the Emerald Wave Courtyard, it was already early in the morning. Granny Zhao had already prepared hot water and was waiting for Yang Sichen to come back to take a bath. Yanhong and Liu Lan were boiling turtle soup in the small kitchen of Jade Wave Yard. Zi Juan went to the Yang Manor's kitchen to get food.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。