Li Dao Xuan thought it over carefully and said, "Alright, then we will drop the transformation, but you have to make the power system and steering system properly."
Hearing that transformation was no longer part of the plan, Cai Xin Zi finally let out a breath of relief. It seemed the mushrooms this guy had eaten were not too poisonous this time, which meant there was still hope.
Li Dao Xuan continued thinking. Back when he made the solar cart and the small train, their usage was limited and their size was tiny, so he never considered installing any weapons on them. Ships, however, were a completely different matter.
Ships could be made very large.
And once something became large enough, mounting weapons on it naturally became a reasonable idea.
"Old Cai," Li Dao Xuan said, "I also want to install some weapons on the boat models."
"That is a given," Cai Xin Zi replied without hesitation. "I can mount all kinds of naval guns, torpedoes, even missile launchers. Whatever you want, I can put it on."
Li Dao Xuan laughed. "I am not talking about decorative weapons. I want ones that can actually fire."
Cai Xin Zi nearly choked. "I thought the mushrooms you ate were not too bad, but it turns out I was wrong. Go lie down immediately. I will call an ambulance for you. Just hold on."
Li Dao Xuan could not help but laugh at that. It was true that he had not explained himself clearly.
"I mean toy-grade weapons," he clarified. "For example, a small cannon mounted at the bow that can shoot plastic pellets. That should be doable, right?"
"Oh, that is easy," Cai Xin Zi said. "I can just buy a plastic pellet launcher online and mount it onto the boat. It will not take much effort. Although I have to say, once we do this, your boat might become a little too unhinged."
"I like unhinged toys," Li Dao Xuan replied without hesitation.
Cai Xin Zi sighed. "Fine, your call. In that case, I can also install a lighter at the bow and turn it into a flame-spitting boat with a simple switch."
"That sounds good. Add it."
Cai Xin Zi let out a long, helpless sigh. "I am supposed to be a high-end toy maker, so why do I always end up making things that feel more and more childish when I work for you?"
The call ended, and Cai Xin Zi went off to build inland boats.
Meanwhile, Li Dao Xuan was already thinking ahead.
Relying solely on toy weapons he provided was clearly not enough. The tiny people had to learn to manufacture their own weapons for these ships. And in the late Ming era, the most suitable weapon for ships was naturally the red barbarian cannon.
Li Dao Xuan switched his view back to the main fortress of Gao Village Family, intending to find Gao Yiye and have her relay his instructions.
However, when he looked down, Gao Yiye was not in the watchtower.
Where had that girl run off to?
Li Dao Xuan began searching around. Only then did he realize how troublesome it actually was. His field of vision now covered a range of one thousand by six hundred meters, and within that space lay the busiest and most prosperous part of Gao Village Family. There were people everywhere, men and women moving about constantly, full of energy. Trying to locate one specific person among them was no easy task.
It seemed that even searching for someone required a bit of strategy.
If Gao Yiye was not in the watchtower, where would she usually be?
The textile shop in the commercial district.
The thought came to him instantly. He shifted his focus there, and sure enough, he found her.
Gao Yiye was inside the shop, chatting with a group of women.
Most of them were ordinary village women who rarely stepped outside their homes, the kind whose world had always been small and limited.
Just as Li Dao Xuan tuned in, one of the women laughed and said, "Saintess, and Miss Chunhong, thanks to this textile shop you set up, I have been earning quite a bit making clothes. My stubborn husband used to say I relied entirely on him and looked down on me, but now he does not dare say that anymore."
Another woman chimed in with a laugh. "Same with mine. At first he would not even let me come out, saying a woman should just stay home and serve her husband. Then one day I showed him the silver I earned from sewing, and the look on his face…"
The others burst into laughter.
"Same here."
"Me too."
"After I started earning money, his attitude toward me completely changed."
Their laughter was filled with pride, but the three women from the brothel did not join in. Although they were more capable in many ways, they lacked the confidence these village women had. Deep down, they still carried a sense of inferiority, and in this gathering that felt almost like a rising wave of women asserting themselves, they seemed unexpectedly shy.
Gao Yiye smiled warmly. "It is good that everyone thinks this way. A few days ago, when I was speaking with Dao Xuan Tianzun, He told me that women can hold up half the sky as well. We cannot all stay shut inside our homes. We should step out boldly and use our own strength. What was that phrase again… ah, I cannot quite remember."
Li Dao Xuan chuckled. "It is called 'liberating women's productive power.'"
"Ah, yes, that is it." Gao Yiye repeated it, then suddenly realized Dao Xuan Tianzun had arrived. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Ah, Tianzun, when did you start listening?"
"Just a moment ago," Li Dao Xuan replied with a smile.
Gao Yiye looked a little embarrassed. "We were all just chatting here, even complaining about men a little. That is not very proper, is it?"
"It is perfectly fine," Li Dao Xuan said. "I do not think you were speaking ill of men. What you said is simply reality. Economic foundation determines the structure above it. The status between men and women ultimately comes down to whether you can earn money. If you earn more than your husbands and can support the household, then you can stand above them just as they once stood above you."
This was the first time the women had heard such an idea, and they found it both novel and strangely convincing. When they thought about it carefully, the world did seem to work that way.
Li Dao Xuan continued, "Because of years of war, bandit uprisings, and militia battles, the number of men in each village has been steadily decreasing, while the proportion of women has been rising. Under such circumstances, overall productivity is insufficient. At a time like this, women should step forward and take on technical work that does not rely heavily on physical strength. By doing so, you not only improve your own status, but also increase the productivity of Gao Village Family as a whole."
The women were astonished. "Other than weaving and making clothes, are there really other technical jobs we can do?"
Li Dao Xuan guided them patiently. "Of course. You can make paper, produce lamps, assemble paper cartridges for gunpowder, do carving work, print books. There are many jobs you can handle, and you are no worse than men at them. You simply need confidence. Step out of your homes and sign up as apprentices in the workshops. One day, you may all be earning just as much as any man."
Women's Labor in Late Ming: Widows and wives increasingly filled skilled roles due to war-driven male population loss.
Paper Cartridges: Ming firearms used paper-wrapped powder charges—tedious, precise work ideal for careful hands.
Workshops as Power Centers: Training spaces doubled as social elevators, not just factories.
Real Equality: Historically, status shifted fastest not through ideology—but income.