Chapter 381: The Women on the Xiaocang, Part I

“It’s alright. The boat materials were all processed at the lumber mill by my father and uncles. We just assembled it, caulked the seams, and installed the equipment,” Qian Duoduo said casually. “It’s not like before, when we had to do everything ourselves—now there are many things that are ready-made.”

“Actually, we can make the paint ourselves…” a voice came from behind the boat. A young girl came out from behind the boat. It was Dr. Zhong’s adopted daughter, Xiao Ying.

To avoid suspicion and prevent people from saying he was running a “Pygmalion project,” Zhong Lishi had formally adopted Zhong Xiao Ying through the General Office.

After the adoption, Zhong Xiao Ying was theoretically entitled to study at the learning institute as a “child of a Senator.” However, Dr. Zhong felt that the knowledge she had already acquired was too disorganized and unsystematic, and she would not adapt well to the learning institute. Moreover, he needed a capable assistant by his side, so he simply kept her with him and educated her himself.

However, he was still very cautious and registered Zhong Xiao Ying at the learning institute, although she did not attend classes there. Although she did not study there, as a “child of a Senator,” her identity as a “Senator’s daughter” would be greatly diminished without this past academic record, and she would also have fewer powerful alumni. Although Dr. Zhong did not intend to pass on his seat to his adopted daughter, he also hoped that she would at least occupy a favorable position in the future empire.

Lin Ziqi had seen Zhong Xiao Ying a few times before and knew that she was Zhong Lishi’s adopted daughter.

She didn’t know what other skills this adopted daughter had, but she was very knowledgeable. She could talk about anything with great authority. She, a genuine 21st-century girl, was far inferior to her in many areas of knowledge, which made Lin Ziqi a little uncomfortable.

Zhong Xiao Ying had a neat short haircut and wore a sailor shirt of the same style as Qian Duoduo’s, with canvas shorts. Her exposed skin was tanned, and her body was fit. She did not look like a 17th-century girl at all.

The most crucial thing was her Mandarin. It was clear and standard, although with a slight Cantonese accent, it was much more standard than some of the Cantonese-speaking Senators.

No wonder Dad said that the environment changes a person the most. There was no trace of her past life on this Zhong Xiao Ying. Dr. Zhong was worthy of being a “doctor,” even the woman he trained was different.

People like Dad and Uncle Zhang are just losers wherever they go…

Lin Ziqi sighed with a complex mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

“Let’s hear it, how are you going to make white paint?” Qian Duoduo had been brooding over the lack of white paint, not only because she couldn’t use it on the small boat she had made herself, but also because the white paint on the Feiyun itself had peeled off a lot over the years, leaving it mottled and unsightly. The three families had been thinking about whether they could get some paint to repaint the boat completely.

Lingao’s chemical industry had made great progress, but the people in the chemical industry were not very concerned about paint. Basically, as long as it was usable, it was fine. The main types used were raw lacquer, tung oil, and coal tar, mainly in their natural colors and black. A small amount of colored paint was produced, but white paint, which was mainly for decorative purposes, was almost not produced at all.

“Dr. Zhong said—” Zhong Xiao Ying often began her sentences with this phrase. She was not yet used to calling Dr. Zhong “Dad.” “Australian white paint is mainly colored with titanium dioxide. We don’t have titanium dioxide here, but we can use zinc white or lead white as pigments. It’s just that the color is not white enough, not as beautiful and bright as the white on the Feiyun.”

“White is good enough. We can’t be too demanding,” Qian Duoduo said.

“The key is that the paint also needs a solvent. Dad said that our current industrial level is not incapable of making it, it’s just a bit troublesome. He said that if we want to keep it simple, we can just use tung oil mixed with lead white or zinc white powder—it’s just that the color is not white enough.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier…” Qian Duoduo said with dissatisfaction.

“I just told Dr. Zhong. Besides, if the factory doesn’t produce it, you can’t mix it yourself,” Zhong Xiao Ying said.

“That’s true. And lead white is poisonous. I remember some Senator said that the face powder used in the Ming Dynasty was made from lead powder. That’s too scary. If you apply it directly to your face, you’ll get lead poisoning, right? I wonder where they make zinc white powder? Can you just grind a piece of zinc?”

“It seems to be made by calcining ore. I don’t know the details very well. But its scientific name is zinc oxide. According to general chemical reactions, I think you can also get zinc white by burning zinc directly,” Zhong Xiao Ying said very seriously.

Lin Ziqi turned her head away boredly. She was not interested in this topic at all.

“…If we have zinc white, we can make it more exquisite,” Zhong Xiao Ying seemed to be very interested in this topic. “We can use refined boiled linseed oil to mix it, and use turpentine or camphor oil as a solvent—I saw them refining camphor oil in Taiwan—and then add natural paraffin wax. If you want it to look better, you can add mica powder for a pearlescent effect…”

“Taiwan? Do you mean the island of Formosa?”

Before Zhong Xiao Ying could finish her sentence, a strange-sounding Mandarin voice suddenly rang out, startling Lin Ziqi. Who is this!

Hearing the strange tone, it must be a foreigner. But even Miss Mendoza, who couldn’t speak a word of Chinese at first, didn’t have such an awkward Mandarin accent now.

“Sonia, don’t be so sudden, okay?” Qian Duoduo clutched her chest. “You scared me to death!”

“Sorry, sorry, I heard someone say Formosa, no, Taiwan, and I couldn’t help it.” The speaker was indeed a white girl, with a head of golden curly hair, a straw hat decorated with a silk ribbon worn at an angle, sea-blue eyes, a petite figure, and wearing a blue dress with white lace trim on the collar. She looked like a doll.

Although she had never seen her before, Lin Ziqi knew that this blonde girl must be the Portuguese girl who had caused a stir at the auction, attracting bids from several Senators, and was finally bought by Lin Hanlong—this had already become an urban legend in the Senate.

“Let me introduce everyone. This is Sonia Lili Chapelle.”

“A naturalist from Lisbon,” the girl quickly added before Qian Duoduo could finish.

“Don’t worry about your title,” Qian Duoduo said. “These two are the daughters of Senators. Ah, no, Ziqi herself is a Senator, just like me—a minor.”

Sonia curtsied deeply, holding her skirt. “Ladies.”

Lin Ziqi quickly extended her hand. “My name is Lin Ziqi. You can just call me Ziqi.”

Zhong Xiao Ying was even more uncomfortable, not knowing where to put her hands. “Um, don’t… my name is Zhong Xiao Ying. I’m not a lady…”

“Don’t be so polite, everyone. Come on, let’s have some drinks first.”

Although Qian Duoduo was young, she was very generous and outgoing. She immediately invited everyone to rest under the shade of the shed next to the boat rack. A bucket was already filled with chilled kvass. Although the four of them had different statuses, they were of similar age and had similar living environments in Lingao, so they easily started chatting.

Compared to Lin Ziqi and Zhong Xiao Ying, Sonia was more interested in this small boat. Portugal was a maritime nation, and she had often gone to sea for expeditions, so she was very familiar with navigation and ships. Qian Duoduo’s small boat reminded her of some of the small boats on the Atlantic coast, which were quite similar.

“This boat is so beautiful,” she said sincerely. “This is not a junk, it looks like a European-style boat! I guess its sailing performance must be very good.”

“Of course,” Qian Duoduo said proudly. “We’re launching it today. I plan to sail along the coast here.”

Lin Ziqi was skeptical. “This boat is so small. Can it really go into the sea? A big wave would capsize it.”

“No problem,” Sonia said with certainty. “The seaworthiness of a small boat is very good. If it’s equipped with enough water and dry food, I can sail it to Batavia, and even across the sea to New Spain without any problem.” As she spoke, her face glowed with enthusiasm.

Lin Ziqi was skeptical, but she was not familiar with or interested in this. She just kept looking to see why Zhang Yunmi hadn’t arrived yet. Was she fighting with that secretary at home? Or…

As she was lost in thought, she heard Qian Duoduo laugh. “If you sail to Batavia, Uncle Lin will definitely come after me.”

At her words, Sonia’s smile faded. “Yes, I am a slave.”

Qian Duoduo realized she had misspoken and fell silent. The atmosphere under the shed became a little awkward for a moment. Zhong Xiao Ying quickly said, “I was also a slave when I came to Lingao. My indenture was even a permanent one—meaning I was a slave who could never be free.”

“Not everyone is as lucky as you,” Sonia sighed. “To be honest, my luck is not bad. I didn’t end up in a terrible harem. This place is more tolerant than I imagined, and even very free. My master is also a learned man. He has taught me many things I have never heard of, and there are many mysterious books…” At the mention of these mysterious books, her eyes lit up. Then, she sighed again and said with some regret, “If only I weren’t a slave…”

“If you weren’t a slave, you wouldn’t be able to see these books at all,” Lin Ziqi interjected. “Hmph, you should be content. The Senator’s black… knowledge is not something that just anyone can learn!”

Sonia was stunned for a moment, then smiled faintly. “You are right.”

Qian Duoduo, however, felt that Lin Ziqi’s words were a bit too harsh and deliberately changed the subject. “Sonia, you were so excited to hear about Taiwan. Do you want to go?” Qian Duoduo asked.

“Yes, ever since I knew I was in China, I have wanted to explore this large island,” Sonia nodded. “I have seen some pamphlets written by the Dutch. This island is completely undeveloped and should have many things worth seeing.”