When Ang Lee was in Chang 'an City, he had already invented a variety of ceramic tiles. However, due to the constraints of technical conditions, the level of these ceramic tiles could not be compared with the ceramic tiles of the later generations. The area of a single tile was not big enough. The largest one was only one foot long and wide. In order to make the ceramic tiles strong enough and not be trampled by people, the thickness was relatively large. Each tile had a considerable weight.
This was because in the Tang dynasty, the floor decoration of the most high-end houses was wooden flooring. The effect was better than ceramic tiles, and it was more comfortable for people to walk on it. However, if it was in the kitchen and the dining hall, the wooden flooring was very difficult to clean once it was dirty. It even needed to be replaced. In order to prevent the floor from being dirty, they had to cover the wooden flooring with a layer of carpet. The carpet needed to be cleaned frequently, which was very troublesome.
Using ceramic tiles to replace the wooden flooring was a very good way. Ceramic tiles were very convenient to clean and were very suitable for the dining and kitchen area. Especially in the kitchen, after a period of use, many places would become greasy and difficult to clean. Therefore, half of the time, the kitchen was relatively dirty. This was also why the ancients said that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen because the kitchen was too dirty. How could a gentleman with status enter a dirty place? Of course, this was only one of the reasons. There were other reasons.
In addition to the kitchen, there was also the bathroom, which was also a good place for ceramic tiles to show off. In ancient times, bathing was generally done in a wooden barrel. Enough hot water was added in the wooden barrel, and one person soaked in it. This was considered a bath, but this way of bathing was not comfortable enough. In order to save water, the wooden barrel was not very big. When people lay in it, their bodies could not be fully stretched, let alone lying comfortably.
Therefore, Ang Lee had long proposed a public bath and started to pilot it in Chang 'an City. That was, a large group of people soaked in a pool. The pool was wide enough for one person to lie down and rest.
This kind of bathroom seemed to need more water, but because there were more people in the bath, the water consumption for one person was less. It was a very effective way.
And such a bath could not do without the help of ceramic tiles. If it was ordinary cement, it would be very troublesome to clean it, and people lying on the cement would not be comfortable enough.
In short, Ang Lee's invention of ceramic tiles was a very wise decision. It was of great help to improve the daily life of people in the Tang dynasty. It was just that because of the cost, it could not be popularized on a large scale, especially overseas. Because the cost of transporting ceramic tiles was too high, there was no sign of ceramic tiles at all.
"The decoration style is very good. After the paint on the wooden board dries, you can hang some ancient poems and paintings on it. The atmosphere will be different then."
Li An looked around for a long time and gave a constructive suggestion.
The fat merchant's face was full of joy as he hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. I have already sent people to prepare it. In the middle, we will hang the four paintings of plum blossoms, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Each painting will be inscribed with a poem.
"Good, this design is very reasonable! ... ..... I'll go have a look elsewhere. "
Ang Lee smiled happily. He stepped out of the restaurant and went to the teahouse next door.
When he stepped into the teahouse, Li An found that the teahouse had already been renovated. It was really fast. It was just that the tables and chairs were not in place yet, so it was not open for business yet. However, it would definitely be open for business soon.
Compared with the restaurant, the decoration of the teahouse was very simple and elegant. The walls were hung with simple and elegant poems and paintings, which gave people a cultural atmosphere. It was definitely a rare enjoyment to sit in such a teahouse and have a cup of tea with like-minded friends.
"Assistant Minister Li."
The owner of the teahouse was a thin middle-aged man. Seeing Ang Lee come in, he quickly ran over to greet him.
"It's a very good teahouse. When will it open?"
Ang Lee asked enthusiastically.
The owner of the teahouse smiled from ear to ear. "It's almost ready. As long as the tables and chairs are in place, we can open."
"Well, I'm just looking around. You're busy."
Ang Lee left the teahouse and visited several more in succession. His purpose was the same. He wanted to see how the businessmen decorated and what materials they used. At most, he would ask about the cost.
The most luxurious and warm decoration was naturally the Spring Fragrance House. It was the favorite place of men and they were willing to spend money. Therefore, the decoration was as luxurious as possible. The floor was made of wood, and it was a relatively good wood. After the walls were decorated with wood, they were covered with exquisite brocade. It looked very magnificent and gave people a feeling of nobility.
Since the brothel keeper had given the magpie and white fox to Li An, Li An also wanted to express his gratitude. Therefore, he straightforwardly waived half a year's rent for the brothel keeper. Although the rent in Anzhu City wasn't expensive, waiving half a year's rent was still not a small amount. This made the brothel keeper very happy.
As for the rent, the temporary price was relatively low. As for the future price, it should be discussed by the local officials, but it would certainly not be very high. The businessmen would not be unable to make money.
In addition, in order to relieve the worries of the businessmen, the rental agreement stipulated that as long as the businessmen could pay the rent on time, the court of the Tang dynasty would not drive the businessmen away for any reason. Otherwise, the businessmen would suffer a great loss if they spent a lot of money to decorate.
The location of the First Street was undoubtedly the best location. Therefore, many businessmen came to Anzhu City before it was fully developed in order to seize the commanding position of the business. As long as they occupied the commanding position, even if they could not make much money in the early stage, they would definitely gain huge benefits in the later stage. With the rental agreement, as long as they did not make big mistakes, they would not be driven away.
Finally, Ang Lee came to a house that had not yet been renovated. This room had already been rented by businessmen. Because most of the craftsmen and resources in Anzhu City had been recruited by the court of the Tang dynasty, many businessmen had to wait patiently until they found craftsmen to decorate.
Ang Lee glanced at the room and nodded with satisfaction.
"Get some plasterers here." Ang Lee looked at his subordinates behind him and said, "By the way, bring a bucket of imitation porcelain paint that this official has just developed. In addition, bring some sand and cement. Go quickly."
"Yes, this subordinate understands."
The subordinate responded and hurriedly went to prepare.
Soon, all kinds of materials and personnel arrived. Ang Lee personally told several craftsmen to do according to his requirements. As for the businessmen who rented the room, naturally, they did not have any objections. Ang Lee took a fancy to their rented room for an experiment.
The brick wall was uneven, so the imitation porcelain paint could not be applied directly on it. The wall had to be smoothed with cement first. After the cement dried, the imitation porcelain paint could be applied on it. Moreover, it had to be applied evenly, layer by layer, to achieve the best effect.
This project would take about one or two days. Ang Lee could not wait here all the time. He still had a lot of things to do. After explaining clearly, he left.
All the craftsmen were busy, and all the workshops were producing day and night. The output of the sand quarry was steadily increasing. After the introduction of several machines, the efficiency of the quarry greatly improved. After the craftsmen of the brick factory became skilled, the output of bricks also increased a lot. The lime factory had already started mining before the road was repaired, and the cement factory would be put into production in a few days.
The roads in the north were being built at full speed. All kinds of sand, cement, gravel, and other materials were being transported over. Moreover, temporary mixing stations were being set up in several different places. They were using machines to mix the concrete and make it extremely uniform so that it could meet the requirements of laying cement roads.
However, because the foundation was not completely solid, the concrete could not be mixed for the time being. They had to wait for the foundation to be completed before they could mix the concrete.
Sand and gravel were all piled up randomly. When needed, they would naturally be taken. As for the cement, because it could not come into contact with water, it was all piled up neatly. Moreover, there was a shed built on top of it, a shed that could block the rain.
The mixing machine was very simple. It was an empty iron cylinder that could be turned over at will. It was similar to the mixers of the later generations. However, it was still a little inferior. It was enough to use. There was no need to pursue too high.
Because of the construction of the road, there was more and more dust, so after Li An walked to the North Gate, he just casually took a look and stopped. Anyway, the lime mine and cement factory were already taken care of, so there was no need for him to personally watch over them.
What Ang Lee had to do was to wait and deal with some important matters that had to be handled personally. When he was free, he would take White Fox, Magpie, and Yun 'er to play with the beauties. Four young girls were enough to make him very comfortable.
Because the infrastructure of the port was really bad, every time Ang Lee took the girls to play, he would go to the boat. The conditions there were better and could meet the needs of Ang Lee to play.
However, if he always played on the boat for a long time, he would get tired of it. Ang Lee also wanted to play something new, such as lying on the boat and drifting with the waves. This feeling would be very comfortable.
The waves of the harbor were very small. The effect was similar to that of a lake. It was most suitable for boating on it. Moreover, the waves were surging towards the shore. Therefore, no matter where the boat was placed, the final outcome would be to be washed to the shore. Therefore, there was no need to worry about being washed into the deep sea by the waves.
For the most basic safety, Ang Lee chose a relatively large lifeboat. In fact, it was an enlarged version of the small fishing boat of the later generations. It was about three times larger than the average small fishing boat. There was a small shed in the middle with more than a dozen wooden paddles. If the big ship had an accident, such a lifeboat could save thirty to fifty soldiers.
In order to have fun, Ang Lee did not plan to bring any guards. He only let the four beauties accompany him. Moreover, there would be no danger in the calm harbor.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is too dangerous. It's better to be cautious."
When the guards heard that Ang Lee did not want their guards and was leading the four women to play in the harbor alone, they were a little worried and stopped him.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said, "The harbor is very safe. What danger can there be? This official will not leave the harbor, so you don't have to worry. If you are really worried, then send two boats to guard me. However, you are not allowed to come close to this official. You have to keep a distance of at least a hundred steps.
Do you understand? "" Yes, this subordinate understands. "
The guards replied.
Ang Lee had prepared enough drinks and fruits in advance and placed them in the cabin. This way, when he was hungry or thirsty, he could satisfy himself at any time.
After boarding the boat, Ang Lee began to distribute the wooden oars. He let White Fox, Magpie, Yun'er, and the beauty each take a carpenter. He also let them row in two groups on the two sides of the wooden boat.
These four girls had never rowed a boat before. At most, they had only seen others rowing a boat. Therefore, it was too difficult for them to be responsible for rowing the boat.
"Why does this boat always run to the shore! I can't row it!
"White Fox did not know how to row the boat at all. She took the wooden oar and directly smashed it into the sea. After gently pulling it out of the water, she smashed it down again. It looked very funny.
"Oh no, why is this boat turning in circles!"
Magpie's movements were a little more standard, but she also did not understand the main point. On the other side, Yun'er and the beauty were not much better.
In short, under the efforts of the four beauties, not only did the boat not move out, but it also spun in place. Moreover, it was floating towards the shore.
The guards and many soldiers on the shore laughed when they saw this scene. Ang Lee did not want their help. Now that he had made a fool of himself, they felt that he deserved it.
Ang Lee was speechless. These four fools were too weak. They did not even know how to row a boat.
"White Fox, I'll teach you first." Ang Lee walked to White Fox's side and held her hands. He very patiently taught White Fox how to row a boat.
"Is that so?" White Fox was held in Ang Lee's arms. Her body was a little numb and her eyes were a little blurry. How could she still be in the mood to learn how to row a boat?
How could Ang Lee not see White Fox's state? The corner of his mouth curled into a smile and said, "Your heart is overflowing with love. Do you still want to learn how to row a boat?"
"Hmph, you're so annoying." The white fox smiled faintly and shifted her attention back to her studies.
Rowing a boat was not a difficult sport. In fact, it was very simple. As long as one put in a little effort, they could learn it.
After teaching White Fox, Ang Lee continued to teach the remaining Magpie, Yun'er and the beauty to ensure that the four girls could row the boat smoothly.
The waves moved towards the shore, but the boat needed to row in the opposite direction. One could imagine the strength required.
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