Chapter 107: Primal Cement

Early the next morning, Xiao Ding once again sent Zhao Hu and the others to harvest several baskets of greens. They also went to the small hill to catch two pheasants and two wild rabbits, carefully placing them in baskets covered with lids. Then, he had Zhao Laixi harness the newly purchased horse-drawn carriage from the previous day and loaded the baskets into the carriage, wrapping everything in quilts as before. After giving a few cautious instructions to Fan Sanpang and the Oushi siblings, warning them to be vigilant and watch out for the black-clad men’s possible return, he and Zhao Laixi set off once more toward Luoxia County.

Upon delivering the vegetables to the Xiangman Pavilion, they received thirty taels of silver. Zhao Laixi was so delighted he could barely contain his smile. He hadn’t expected that his seemingly foolish brother-in-law would come up with such a lucrative plan. Between the two wooden boxes in the greenhouse at home, they were cultivating nearly six acres of vegetables altogether. Following Xiao Ding’s instructions, the greens were planted in phases; since their growth cycle was short—usually ready for harvest within fifteen to twenty days—they could be picked almost daily throughout the winter. Just imagine how much silver they could earn this winter!

After selling the vegetables, Xiao Ding and Zhao Laixi drove to the north side of the city, finding a forge named “Mo Brothers Blacksmith Shop.” Chatting with the shop owner, they learned that the shop was run by the three Mo brothers, full siblings, who had inherited their blacksmithing skills from their father. The forge had already gained some renown in Luoxia County under their forebears.

Xiao Ding presented the drawings of a repeating crossbow to Mo Dalang and explained his purpose.

“Although the crossbow components are quite intricate, they won’t pose a problem for us brothers,” Mo Dalang said after reviewing the plans.

Hearing this, Xiao Ding finally felt relieved. His greatest concern had been whether a blacksmith of this era could manufacture the precise parts depicted in his designs.

“In that case, I’ll leave it in your capable hands,” Xiao Ding said with a smile.

“That’s our duty,” Mo Dalang replied humbly. “Meeting our customers’ needs is what we strive for.”

“Please make ten sets of the crossbow parts at the specified dimensions on the plans,” Xiao Ding instructed, “and also scale down the same design to two-thirds its size—ten sets as well. For the arrows, make one hundred each for both sizes. Be sure to use high-quality steel. Rest assured, you will be generously rewarded upon completion.”

Mo Dalang and his brothers, Mo Erlang and Mo Sanlang, nodded eagerly. “Don’t worry, sir. We will follow your instructions to the letter and ensure the crossbows and arrows are of the highest quality.”

“There’s one more thing,” Xiao Ding added cautiously. “Please do not share the manufacturing method of this crossbow with anyone else. Understand?”

He feared that if others learned how to make such weapons, they might turn against him.

“Understood, sir. Without your permission, we won’t disclose a word,” the three brothers assured him.

“How long will it take you to complete this order?” Xiao Ding asked.

“At least half a month. Some parts are quite delicate and time-consuming,” Mo Dalang replied.

“Half a month is quite long,” Xiao Ding muttered. He was anxious, not knowing when those black-clad men might return. “Could you speed things up? I really need them urgently. Perhaps work overtime?”

“The fastest we can do is ten days,” Mo Dalang said, not fully grasping the concept of overtime but sensing Xiao Ding’s urgency.

“I’m willing to pay double. You could hire some apprentices to help,” Xiao Ding offered.

“Even with extra help, it would still take seven days at minimum,” Mo Dalang replied. Hearing about the double pay, he was naturally pleased. Hiring apprentices was inexpensive—some came to learn blacksmithing from him and even paid fees for their training.

“Alright then, seven days it is. I’ll come to collect the order then,” Xiao Ding agreed, knowing that without modern machinery, forging iron in this era was all manual labor and quite demanding.

After leaving the Mo Brothers Blacksmith Shop, they ate a simple meal and bought some grains and fresh meat from the street before driving back to Luoxia Village.

Everything at home was peaceful; the black-clad men had not appeared again today.

Due to recent security concerns, Xiao Ding decided to prioritize building a courtyard wall with the workers at the construction site. He planned to enclose the more than thirty acres of farmland and the small hill behind it, ensuring no outsiders could easily enter his property.

The construction near the small hill was nearing completion, except for one problem at the reservoir halfway up the hill. Although the workers had dug a sizable pond, when the spring water was diverted into it, the water failed to accumulate—it simply seeped into the ground.

Unlike the rocky ground at the hill’s base, which could hold water, the soil halfway up the hill was rich and loose earth, making it impossible to retain water.

Uncle Niu Er had considered lining the bottom of the pond with stones, but the gaps between them still allowed water to drain away.

Hearing the report, Xiao Ding furrowed his brows. He knew that in the future, this problem would be trivial thanks to cement, which could seal the gaps between stones.

It was time to study how to make cement.

Before traveling to this era, Xiao Ding had seen primitive cement recipes online, composed mainly of four ingredients: lime, clay, iron slag, and gypsum. However, he did not know the precise proportions. He believed the first three materials were easy to obtain, but gypsum’s source was uncertain.

He guessed gypsum was added to accelerate cement setting and planned to try mixing the first three ingredients alone. Without gypsum, the setting time would simply be longer.

Lime could be sourced by finding limestone on nearby hills, which would be burned and ground into powder. Clay was abundant; the clay used to build his house had been dug from the foot of the hill behind the village. Iron slag could be collected from blacksmith shops.

Xiao Ding accompanied Uncle Niu Er to the hillside and saw that the reservoir was indeed spacious, roughly five to six zhang (about 16 to 20 meters) in diameter—large enough to raise fish.

The pond’s bottom and edges had been covered with stones, but the spring water still seeped through the gaps into the soil. Clearly, developing cement was an urgent matter.

He immediately instructed Uncle Niu Er to organize workers: some to dig clay, others to search for limestone on nearby hills.

As expected, their efforts paid off. On a small mountain range south of the village, Xiao Ding and the workers discovered limestone deposits. They quarried the stone and transported it home via wheelbarrows.

Shortly after, the clay-digging team sent unexpected news—they had found a kind of black stone...