The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 86: The Two Fools
Li Daoxuan took the modified version of the solar car and sat down in front of the scenic box.
It was still early in the morning, and the little people in the box had just gotten up.
By now, Li Daoxuan didn’t need to bring his phone in to play the “Seventh Set of Radio Calisthenics” anymore, because the children had memorized the whole set of movements and were reciting it together aloud: “Section one, stretching exercise… 1, 2, 3, 4…”
Just as the children started their morning exercises, the labor offenders had finished breakfast and began working.
After several days of labor by these labor offenders, many rooms in the village had wooden doors and windows.
The doors were properly built, but the windows weren’t covered with window paper, because Gaojia Village still lacked the ability to make paper, so the windows had only frames.
Li Daoxuan searched around the village for a while before finding Gao Yiye. Today, she wasn’t wearing that dignified-looking white robe; instead, she wore ordinary cotton clothes. Smiling at anyone she saw, she said, “Look, I spun and sewed this cotton outfit myself. Isn’t it nice? My tailoring is almost as good as Gao San Niang’s.”
The crowd shook their heads, half-amused and half-aghast. “Saint Lady, you doing this… what about the Deity…”
Gao Yiye pouted her small mouth and said, “The Deity personally gave a decree allowing me to do this.”
The crowd: “…”
Li Daoxuan was in a good mood and called out softly, “Yiye, Yiye!”
Gao Yiye suddenly looked up. “Ah, Deity, you are here. What is your command?”
As soon as she spoke, the villagers beside immediately stood with hands at their sides, gazing devoutly at the sky.
Li Daoxuan said, “I have a vehicle here that requires two brave, tough, durable, and fearless people to drive it.”
Once he said this, the choices were beyond doubt.
The crowd shouted loudly together, “Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu! The Deity summons you both to meet him.”
The two fools hurriedly set down their tasks and rushed over eagerly to Gao Yiye’s side, looking up and asking, “What does the Deity want us to do?”
Li Daoxuan said, “Leave the village and stand on the flat ground outside.”
Everyone quickly obeyed, rushing to the open space outside the village. Thirty-Two also joined in to see the excitement, along with many male and female villagers. Except for the children at school, the whole population of Gaojia Village was present. Even the labor offenders on the hillside couldn’t resist stopping their work and turning to look from afar.
Only then did Li Daoxuan slowly lower the solar car from his hand.
The villagers looked up and saw a strange thing descending from the sky. Just by the sight of its four wheels, they could guess it was a vehicle, but it was too bizarre—completely different in shape from a carriage, with an odd cloth canopy on top.
And it was huge, about 6 meters long, nearly 5 meters wide, and 3 meters high.
Li Daoxuan asked gravely, “Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, have either of you ever driven a vehicle before?”
Both shook their heads.
“Then you’ve held a plow before?”
Both nodded.
“That’s enough then. At the very least, you should have some basic concept of turning left and right.”
Li Daoxuan pointed at the thing in front of the solar car that resembled the handlebar of a walk-behind tractor and said, “Think of that thing as a plow. Turning left and right, can you understand how it works?”
Gao Chuwu grinned broadly. “I understood just by looking, haha. I’m so clever.”
The crowd drew a sharp breath of cold air: They seemed to doubt the sincerity of his words.
Li Daoxuan said, “Good. You’ll be in charge of steering soon. Zheng Daniu, do you see that strange cloth on the vehicle?”
Zheng Daniu: “I see it!”
Li Daoxuan: “Later, when you pull open this sunshade, the car will move forward. Pulling it back makes the car stop.”
Zheng Daniu: “Open to move, close to stop. I get it, hahaha! Guess I’m no idiot either.”
The crowd collectively drew a sharp breath: Do you honestly think that makes you clever?
Li Daoxuan: “Alright, get aboard. You two work together and try making this car run.”
Under everyone’s gaze, the two clumsy companions climbed onto the solar car.
The vehicle itself stood ten feet high (translating to 1.5cm in real life, equivalent to Great Ming’s 3 meters). Clambering up from the tire rim was strenuous for the pair; someone with poorer physical coordination genuinely couldn’t have scaled such a height.
Li Daoxuan thought silently: Seems I overlooked this. Need to add a ladder for easy access. Cai Xinzi will probably assume I’ve been eating hallucinogenic mushrooms again.
No sooner had they climbed aboard, Gao Chuwu, who was supposed to steer, hadn’t even reached his position when Zheng Daniu approached the sunshade. Grinning broadly, he reached out and yanked it open completely.
The solar panels kicked into full power.
The car instantly sprang to life, rumbling loudly as it surged forward.
Though it crawled at a mere ten-plus centimeters per second at full solar power in the real world, scaled up 200 times in the late Ming era, it soared close to 100 kilometers per hour.
Completely unprepared, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu were hurled off their feet by the extreme acceleration. Ordinary reflexes stood no chance. Both inepts tumbled simultaneously as the car shot straight toward the “colorful wall” built by the labor offenders.
“Wah! So fast, so fast!” Zheng Daniu roared. “Chuwu, steer! Steer quick, we’re gonna crash!”
Gao Chuwu, clinging to the car, didn’t dare move: “Wah, I can’t get up! I can’t get over there now! You pull the sunshade shut!”
Zheng Daniu was also flattened against the car: “I fell down! Can’t get up! Can’t close the sunshade now!”
Gao Chuwu: “Waaah! We’re gonna hit!”
Zheng Daniu: “Aaaaah! We’re gonna die!”
The villagers all covered their ears.
Just as the solar car was about to crash onto the Lego bricks, Li Daoxuan reached in, plucked the car up, lifting all four wheels off the ground.
The vehicle hovered suspended in mid-air, its wheels still spinning crazily.
Finally, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu could scramble to their feet.
They first thanked the Deity for saving them. Then, Zheng Daniu pulled the sunshade shut, and the wheels stopped spinning.
Gao Chuwu glared wide-eyed: “Daniu, you idiot! You only open the sunshade after I’ve reached the steering plow!”
Zheng Daniu: “How was I supposed to know you’d be so slow, you oaf?”
Gao Chuwu: “Anyway, you’re the idiot!”
Zheng Daniu: “You’re the idiot!”
“Enough, stop squabbling.”
Li Daoxuan set the car gently back on the ground: “Zheng Daniu, when you pull the sunshade open, do it slowly. Don’t yank it completely open in one go. Open it gradually for a slow acceleration; that way you can keep control. This car is ruled by light. More light makes it run faster. No light makes it stop. Understand?”
Zheng Daniu nodded: “I understand.”
“Good. Try again.”
Li Daoxuan withdrew his hand.
Gao Chuwu gripped the “steering plow” firmly with both hands. Zheng Daniu slowly, gradually, pulled the sunshade open just a little…
The car rumbled to life once more, this time accelerating to a controlled speed of roughly 60 kilometers per hour.
Gao Chuwu burst out laughing: “Watch me turn left!”
He wrenched the steering plow violently to the left. It was far too abrupt. The tiny car screeched into a spectacular rollover. Both simpletons wailed: “Aaaaah! We’re gonna die!”
Nearby spectators swiftly covered their eyes.
Li Daoxuan had no choice but to reach in again, supporting the tumbling car with a hand. He couldn’t help but chuckle and scold aloud: “Utter fools!”
Gao Yiye: “Decree of the Deity: Utter fools!”
The entire village shouted in unison: “Utter fools!”
Then they burst into simultaneous laughter.
Chapter 86: The Two Fools
Comments