Chapter 917 – Optical Products

"Behold—a fifty-millimeter aperture magnifying glass, f/4." Lin Hanlong produced the instrument and passed it to Wu Nanhai. Wu Nanhai casually plucked a sheet of paper from the desk and examined it through the lens.

"Hmm. Excellent craftsmanship. Very clear." He clicked his tongue appreciatively, running his hand along the handle. "If not for this wooden grip, I'd swear it was something we brought with us."

"The finest magnifying glasses have always favored natural materials. Wood is merely one option among many."

Wu Nanhai set the glass down and nodded. "Good—no complaints here. The Agriculture Department can't get enough of these." He turned to summon a naturalized staff member. "Fetch the picking slip. Let them handle the handover procedures."

"Very good. That settles our accounts."

"Speaking of which—that refractometer I mentioned. You said it was ready?" Wu Nanhai's voice took on a note of urgency. This was the real reason he'd come.

"Ah, that." Lin Hanlong opened a drawer with studied nonchalance and produced a small box. "I did make one. Have a look."

A refractometer was a rapid-testing optical instrument designed for quickly measuring the concentration or refractive index of sugar solutions and other substances. It played a critical role in sugar production, food and beverage manufacturing, and agricultural operations. Beyond measuring sugar content, it could also gauge the concentration of products like soy sauce and tomato paste. In agriculture, it served to determine optimal harvest timing for fruits and sugar crops and to classify sweetness grades.

The underlying principle was straightforward: when light passed from one medium to another, it refracted, and the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction remained constant—this constant was the refractive index. The soluble solid content in fruit and vegetable juice was proportional to the refractive index at a given temperature and pressure. By measuring a juice's refractive index, one could determine its concentration.

The refractometer Wu Nanhai took out resembled a piece of sugarcane with one end cut at an angle. The pointed end was fitted with glass; the cylindrical end sported several adjustment knobs. Wu Nanhai lifted it to his eye, aimed the pointed end at the light, and adjusted the knobs. He turned to Lin Hanlong. "Old Lin, if you'll excuse me—I need to test it."

Lin Hanlong nodded. "Of course."

Wu Nanhai turned. "Chuqing! Bring those bottles over."

The bottles contained plain water and sugar water mixed in various proportions. Wu Nanhai first dripped a few drops of plain water onto the glass and calibrated the instrument. Lin Hanlong handed him a piece of velvet cloth; Wu Nanhai took it and wiped off the water, then applied the sugar water. He squinted at the light for a moment, wiped the glass clean, switched bottles, added a few more drops, and observed again. After repeating this process several times, he set down the refractometer and exhaled with satisfaction.

"Old Lin, you've outdone yourself! Beautifully made—the sugar readings are spot-on." Wu Nanhai was beaming now. "Excellent, excellent. I'll take as many as you can produce. I'll have someone submit a requisition immediately."

Lin Hanlong nodded. "Just sign the slip and have the Agriculture Committee stamp it later. You can take this sample now." He withdrew a wooden box from the drawer, opened it, and handed it over. "Here's the matching case."

"The lenses can be mass-produced without difficulty. But the prism is hand-ground. Mass production will have to wait for the flat-surface grinder."

"How long will that take? I want to send a batch over before the next crushing season and train the workers in advance."

"You'll have to take that up with the Navy. They want the binoculars urgently—said they plan to outfit every ship with two."

"That's a tall order! Cane sugar is a major revenue source for us; we can't neglect it!" Wu Nanhai was growing anxious. Wen Tong had been pressing him—Wen Tong was promoting sugarcane production cooperatives in Leizhou and developing improved varieties. Quality-tiered pricing was a key component of Leizhou's sugar policy. Without refractometers, the regulations Wen Tong had drafted couldn't be implemented.

"Who's arguing otherwise?" Lin Hanlong agreed offhandedly, though he made no concrete commitment.

Wu Nanhai caught on. "I'll put in a word with the Executive Committee. Optical instruments are too important—investment needs to be increased."

"With your backing, that's worth three of anyone else's."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Wu Nanhai gave several dry laughs, then raised a finger. Chuqing quickly opened the straw bag she was carrying and produced a wooden box.

"New cigars from the farm. Give them a try."

"No need, no need—I still haven't finished the limited edition you gave me last time..." Lin Hanlong demurred politely.

"Try something new. These are the Li Quan Limited Edition." Wu Nanhai smiled. "The tobacco leaves were obtained through Jesuit connections from Macao—rolled with genuine Caribbean wrapper."

Lin Hanlong thought for a long moment before remembering who Li Quan was. He smiled and accepted the box. It was crafted from some fine wood, giving off a faint woody fragrance. According to Wu Nanhai, the wood was also imported from Southeast Asia. On the pale, polished lid, black characters had been branded into the surface—even some foreign script he didn't recognize. The box also bore a green tax-exempt sticker from the Finance Superintendent Department's Monopoly Bureau. It looked quite imposing.

By comparison, the previous limited edition had come in a mere cardboard wrapper. Which was more high-end was obvious at a glance. Lin Hanlong noticed the Li Quan Limited Edition packaging indicated "3 per pack," and silently cursed Wu Nanhai for growing ever more miserly.

"Not bad, not bad." He laughed along. Wu Nanhai then pulled two glass bottles from his pocket.

"Blueberry fruit wine that Xue Ziliang grew and fermented at my place. Low alcohol content—drink it as a beverage. It's hot enough in here anyway."

"This is too much—you keep bringing things..." Lin Hanlong felt a twinge of embarrassment. Over the past few months, Wu Nanhai had been sending over various items in dribs and drabs.

"Don't worry about it. You're working around the clock, pulling night shifts every day—you need better nutrition." Wu Nanhai waved it off. "The farm exists to serve transmigrators, after all."

Still chatting, Wu Nanhai ambled toward the exit, clutching the refractometer case. His naturalized subordinates filed out after him. Just as he was about to leave the workshop, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He turned, let out a startled exclamation, and shot toward a corner of the workshop.

"Old Lin!!!!"

Lin Hanlong hurried out, only to be met by the eerie green glow in Wu Nanhai's eyes. He groaned inwardly: Oh no.

Fatty Wu's hand trembled as he pointed at a row of curved cast-iron workpieces, his voice quavering: "Mi... micro... microscopes... Why didn't you tell me?" He was pointing at a row of microscope stands, identical to those used in later eras.

Lin Hanlong smiled wryly. "You didn't ask. These are ordered by the Health Department—also urgently needed."

Fatty Wu leapt up. "I didn't ask because I assumed they were impossible to make! Didn't people say they couldn't be mass-produced until the nineteenth century?"

"I used Leeuwenhoek's method—making non-spherical lenses using surface tension. It's actually quite easy." Lin Hanlong spoke as if it were nothing. "Of course, I've made some improvements. We can now produce several specifications with precision within one percent."

Wu Nanhai stared at Lin Hanlong for a moment, then let out a low chuckle. "Old Lin! When it comes to optics, you're number one among all five hundred of us! You can do what no one else can!"

"Well, there are others—"

Wu Nanhai's hand landed heavily on Lin Hanlong's shoulder.

"Old Lin! You've made a tremendous contribution to our Agriculture Department! I, Wu Nanhai, understand that very well!" Fatty Wu thumped his chest. "Enough talk. From now on, the Agriculture Department will give full support to the Optical Plant. Something this important deserves priority development. The Executive Committee—leave it to me!"

The two laughed heartily together.

Wu Nanhai suddenly thought of something. "Old Lin, knowing your habits, you must have made a few prototypes before mass production, right?" As he spoke, his eyes were already glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire workshop.

Apart from looking somewhat crude, the homemade microscope Lin Hanlong produced appeared at first glance no different from products of later eras. He pointed at the objective lens. "Three magnification levels: 50x, 150x, 300x. But the positioning mechanism isn't great—be careful when rotating it. You'll need to make slight adjustments to keep the optical path aligned." He pointed at the eyepiece. "The eyepiece isn't lacquered—wipe it clean promptly after use, or sweat will corrode it."

Lin Hanlong found a cloth to wrap the microscope. "There's no case. You'll have to make do. This is a prototype with plenty of minor issues. Be careful when you use it, and let me know if there are problems."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Wu Nanhai walked out, thoroughly satisfied, clutching the refractometer in his left hand and gripping the microscope tightly in his right.

After sending off Wu Nanhai—who looked like a Japanese officer strutting away from a raided village—Lin Hanlong had his apprentice bring another towel for him to wipe his face, then hurried off to begin his second patrol of the workshop. The workers' skill levels were uniformly low; even the experienced ones were only half-trained. Half-trained was the most dangerous—incidents kept happening, and they were practically impossible to prevent.

By the time Lin Hanlong was halfway through inspecting the grinding-machine section, carefully listening to the sounds of the machines, someone came to report that a Chief Qian was at the door looking for him.

This Chief Qian was solidly built, with well-defined muscles. He wore the standard transmigrator outfit—T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses—with a holster strapped to his thigh, the blocky grip of a pistol visible. Though it was standard attire, on closer inspection his ensemble was quite different from others'. His sunglasses were the Top Gun Tom Cruise style; his solid-colored collared T-shirt somehow managed to look fitted; the shorts were obviously 5.11-type military gear; even his shoes weren't the ordinary sneakers you'd see around.

The visitor pushed up his sunglasses, revealing a pair of keen, bright eyes. It was Qian Shuiting—current Speaker and leader of the Otaku Faction.

"Old Qian! What wind blew you here?" Lin Hanlong greeted him with a laugh.

"I happened to be at the Machinery Factory for an inspection. Finished up and thought I'd drop by. How about it—have you eaten?"

Lin Hanlong shook his head. "Where would I find the time? I'll have the cafeteria send something over later."

Qian Shuiting produced a large box from the straw bag over his shoulder. "I brought some things—care to join me?"

Inside the box, packed in ice, were two large food containers. Lin Hanlong peered inside. "Sushi! Where'd you get that?"

Within were rice balls wrapped with nori and various toppings—red and white fish and other ingredients—the Japanese sushi known the world over in later times.

Lin Hanlong invited Qian Shuiting into his office. The desk was too cluttered to clear, so he had someone set up a folding table. A quick wipe and it became a dining table. The two sat facing each other. Lin Hanlong had his apprentice bring a few bottles of kvass—during working hours, proper drinking wasn't appropriate.

Qian Shuiting explained that back when he'd worked in California, he'd been employed at a Japanese restaurant and could make sushi without difficulty. Unfortunately, proper sushi rice wasn't available locally, so the texture was merely passable. There was no sushi vinegar either, though Tianchu did produce white vinegar as a substitute. The Feiyun went out fishing regularly, and they had arrangements with several fishermen to supply choice catches, so the seafood was fresh.

"Tianchu does have Japanese soy sauce—after all, everyone eats sashimi." Qian Shuiting opened a food container. "This is fresh wasabi I got from Wu Nanhai—ground it myself. Not wasabi paste."

"Speaking of Wu Nanhai, he just left." Lin Hanlong had always subscribed to the view that joy shared was joy doubled. He picked up the Li Quan Limited Edition cigars from the table. "How about one later?"

"No, you keep them for yourself." Qian Shuiting declined. "I'm holding myself to strict standards now."

At first, Lin Hanlong thought Qian Shuiting was referring to his health. Then he understood. "You mean you can't accept gifts from others?"

"Exactly."

"It's just a box of cigars..." Lin Hanlong was dismissive. This kind of private gift-giving to cultivate relationships—almost every transmigrator did it.

Qian Shuiting shook his head. "We're not short of circulation vouchers. Better to just buy things directly—saves it from becoming a scandal when the moment comes. Old Wu's a good man, but there are others who might..." Feeling the words were unwise, he stopped.

"You think this is America..." Lin Hanlong felt that ever since Old Qian organized the Otaku Faction and became Speaker, his conduct had become quite different from before—paranoid, even. Politics really wasn't for ordinary people.

"Precisely because it's not America, we need to be careful. If this really were America, it would actually be simpler." Qian Shuiting poured him a cup of kvass. "Come on, have a drink first."

After a few pieces of sushi, Qian Shuiting studied Lin Hanlong. "Old Lin, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you've lost weight since last month."

"Have I? I hadn't noticed." Lin Hanlong had a good appetite. The weather was hot, and cold food like sushi suited him perfectly.

Qian Shuiting gestured with his chopsticks. "You're turning day and night upside down—working all night, attending meetings in the morning, handling business at the Machinery Factory. Noon is the hottest part of the day—how can you sleep well?" He picked up a piece of sushi and placed it in Lin Hanlong's bowl. "This has flying fish roe—very good. Eat more. If you can't sleep well, can't eat well, and you're exhausted on top of that—of course you'll lose weight. Do you even care about your health anymore?"

"It's the early stage of our enterprise. Some hardship is unavoidable."

"We're all in the early stage. You're working harder than most."

"Once the Optical Plant has its own power source in the fall, we won't need night shifts anymore. Things will ease up then."

"That's what I wanted to discuss. The Machinery Factory is sending out steam engines one after another—yet your Optical Plant is right next door and still has to wait until fall?"

This touched Lin Hanlong's sore point.

"You know there are people on the Executive Committee saying optics can wait until the Second or Third Five-Year Plan to develop. What do you think?"

Lin Hanlong shook his head. "What do they know? I've got people lining up, demanding this and that—I can barely keep up."

"Exactly! Everyone only looks at their own plot—who's really any wiser? It's only been a few years, and already they're not listening to what the frontline transmigrators have to say."

"There's no one on the Executive Committee who's ever done research—not even a research assistant. They have no firsthand feel for R&D."

"At this rate, they'll be deciding how we climb the tech tree? Isn't that the laymen leading the experts?"

Lin Hanlong waved his hand. "Never mind. Let's eat." He was genuinely hungry. A large box of sushi quickly went half-eaten. A bottle of kvass was nearly drained.

Qian Shuiting watched Lin Hanlong set down his bottle. "I think there needs to be a voice speaking up for the frontline technical transmigrators."

Lin Hanlong looked at Qian Shuiting without speaking.

"Take your Optical Plant, for example—many people think our stockpile is still plenty, no need to rush. In my view, no matter how much we brought, the range of products is limited, the quantity is finite."

Lin Hanlong nodded in agreement. "All sorts of people are asking me for all kinds of things—many I'd never even heard of before."

"Old Lin, you're run off your feet, working day and night—it's not easy for you to speak up. As Speaker, that's my job. I feel I should speak up for the broad mass of technical transmigrators." Qian Shuiting looked at Lin Hanlong with earnest sincerity.

"As for the importance of optics—I understand. But what exactly can we achieve at this stage? Can you give me the real picture?"

Lin Hanlong nodded again. "I appreciate your help." He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"In terms of theory and design, optics was mature technology in our timeline." He pointed at himself. "I'm formally trained in optics; my work was optical work. Design and such—I can handle it. As for manufacturing processes—it's not especially difficult. Many hobbyists can grind their own lenses. Being formally trained, I won't do worse. Frankly, optical work is essentially a kind of precision machining—just with smaller tolerances and relatively straightforward methods for making precise measurements." He paused, meeting Qian Shuiting's gaze. "I'll say this: given enough resources, in a few years I could reach pre-twentieth-century levels."

Qian Shuiting made a show of excitement. "Old Lin, with that kind of capability here! This is wonderful!"

Lin Hanlong nodded. "Seeing is believing. You mentioned last time you wanted to see my workshop—do you have time now? I'm about to make my rounds."