"Master, Master, as per your instructions, the telegraph machine has been successfully developed!"
"Really? Come, take Wenjing to her mother. Sixth Brother, tell me all about it."
"Master, the telegraph machine is complete — it's already been tested!"
"Just now, Elder Brother sent a telegram from the Xinguang District. Have a look."
"Let me see."
It was a handwritten letter, the characters graceful and delicate — clearly written by a young woman's hand.
Since telegraphs transmitted messages through electrical signals of varying frequencies, they naturally could not produce written characters on their own. A telegraph operator was needed to transcribe the signals into words.
The telegram from Mingcheng was brief — just a few dozen characters saying that all was well and there was no need to worry.
"This makes sending messages so much more convenient. We can be in contact with everyone several times a day. It's only a pity that Mingjing and the others are so far away."
"Since it works, let's speed up production of the telegraph machines and start training operators."
"We should get telegraph communication up and running with Mingxin in the northern capital as soon as possible."
"Yes, Master. The moment Elder Brother's telegram came in, I had already set things in motion."
"Ha! You really are sharp, Sixth Brother — you never miss a beat!"
Mingqiao beamed with delight, entirely missing the jab buried in the Master's words.
"Master, there are also two other items that will be hitting the market soon."
"Bicycles, and electric loudspeakers."
Zhao Baihui was equally pleased. Both were tremendously important inventions.
Bicycles would effectively shrink distances and allow people to carry more. Automobiles could make a tremendous difference for key personnel, but their production couldn't keep up in the short term. Bicycles, on the other hand, could become an everyday person's best companion — greatly boosting efficiency across the board, and the vast majority of people in the world were everyday people.
Loudspeakers, too, would be enormously useful: news could spread faster, and they would serve as a vehicle for cultural and ideological development.
"Oh, and Master, the paper mill should be ready before long as well. They expect to bring costs down even further soon, and after that, the newspaper you mentioned should be ready to roll out."
"Good news, all of it — nothing but good news! Well done, Sixth Brother."
"From now on, you're to report to me regularly. You're practically a herald of good fortune, Sixth Brother!"
Mingqiao scratched his head. "Master, I'm not exactly a child anymore — you can't really call me a 'boy herald.'"
"Oh, so you *do* know that, do you? You damn well know your own age, and yet you still spend your days doing nothing useful? You had the nerve to string along three girlfriends at once? Have you been taking lessons from Mingxin? I'll beat you to death, you damn Sixth Brother!"
It was no wonder Zhao Baihui was furious. The nearly one hundred young ladies he had invited were indeed intended for the young men under his roof — but the understanding had been one apiece. For this one to go and court three at the same time was outrageous. What about the others left without a match? And when the day came and he married one of them, what would become of the other two? Leave them for his younger brothers?
Fortunately, the report had said it was merely courtship, with no indication that any boundaries had been crossed — otherwise Zhao Baihui would have been beside himself.
"Master, Master, please stop hitting me — I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"What's that? The Master is beating Sixth Brother? Ha! Quick, quick — I have to see this."
Before the words had fully left her mouth, Jinyuan had already shoved the door open and come charging in.
"Oh my, Master, hitting him with your bare hand must hurt something awful! Hold on — let me find you a good stick."
Fearing for his life if he lingered, Mingqiao clutched his head and bolted out the door.
Zhao Baihui took two chasing steps after him and called out, "Don't go ruining any young lady's reputation! And pick one — just one — and marry her, do you hear me!"
"Master, Master, calm yourself — don't go damaging your health over this. Though, that said, Sixth Brother really is something else. He's been sneaking around for who knows how long and hasn't managed to bed a single one of them. Truly pathetic. He absolutely deserved that thrashing!"
"Jinyuan, you — someone come here! Bring me a stick!"
…
The talk of the town these days was the bicycle.
One bicycle: two hundred and forty yuan. They came in large and small sizes, suitable for both men and women, with adjustable seat heights to accommodate anyone.
Promoting them was simple enough: all government staff and employees of the family's own enterprises at Grade 5 or above were entitled to claim one free of charge. People leapt at the opportunity.
Within a few days, once everyone had learned to ride, the streets around the municipal offices were filled morning and evening with people cycling to and from work.
The Zhao family had automobiles, but most others did not. And for distances that weren't too great, cycling was actually more convenient — so even some of the Zhao household had taken to riding. Other senior staff likewise took to the bicycle with enthusiasm.
With such prominent role models leading the way, the bicycles sold themselves. And beyond the novelty, they were genuinely useful.
Two hundred and forty yuan — barely two months' wages for an ordinary first-grade civil servant. Not expensive at all.
The people of Longcheng earned well, and nearly everyone had developed a habit of saving. Even an ordinary laborer earning two or three yuan a day could set aside enough in half a year to a year. So within less than a month, bicycles were everywhere on the streets.
A great tide of cyclists had arrived.
And before long, the wave would spread to every corner of Longcheng's territories.
On Qingxiu Street, Number 18, Li Chengqian — trim and handsome in his uniform — rode out on his bicycle with Cui Yingying perched behind him.
"Husband, this bicycle really is wonderfully convenient."
"It is, isn't it? Carrying you feels easier than walking by myself, and we go so much faster. From now on I can drop you off at work first and then head to the station."
The two had been married just a few days earlier. It could not compare to Mingcheng's wedding, of course, but it had been held at the Taoyuan Hotel all the same, with a great many guests and several members of the Zhao family in attendance to offer their congratulations — quite an honor, all things considered.
Li Chengqian had since moved to Qingxiu Street. Once married, one was expected to cover one's own living expenses, and the household stipend came to an end.
But Cui Yingying was the eldest daughter of the Cui family — would a little money ever be an issue for her?
Jinyi had made it clear: since the young ladies had been invited here, their welfare would be seen to in full. If any of them remained without a good match, the terms of their stay would remain unchanged for as long as they lived. Longcheng would look after these women for the rest of their days if need be.
Not that the young ladies who had come here were ever short of money themselves, of course.
Li Chengqian had been promoted again recently. He was now a brigade commander, ranked Grade 4. Even so, he had not been entitled to a free bicycle — he had bought this one with his own money.
Or rather, with Cui Yingying's.