21. The dream of a scientist!

Leng Sa bid farewell to Bai Xi at the school gate, watching her as she got into the car sent by her family before turning to leave. Leng's residence wasn't far from An Lan University, so she didn't have a dedicated car waiting to pick her up. Initially, Second Madam sent Jin Lan to wait with a servant at the school gate every day, but later on, Leng Sa didn't require their presence. Not only did she have the capability to protect herself, but the area around An Lan University and Leng's residence were the safest areas in the city. Escorts were hardly required for a short walking distance of less than ten minutes.

However, today, Leng Sa didn't head directly home. Instead, she turned into an alley by the roadside.

After a few turns around the alley, she pushed open a narrow back door with a towering wall.

Inside the door was the backyard of a courtyard. However, the yard seemed unusually desolate and silent.

Leng Sa proceeded down the path with familiarity, and soon, she reached a spacious hall where two people were bent over a table, engrossed in studying a pile of blueprints.

"Ahem," Leng Sa cleared her throat, and they looked up. Upon seeing her, their expressions lit up. The older middle-aged man took a step forward in excitement, wanting to grab her arm, but she slightly moved aside. "What's going on?"

The middle-aged man was too overwhelmed to speak coherently. "M-Miss, th-the equipment…"

Leng Sa raised her eyebrows. "Done?"

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly. A younger man with messy hair and red eyes stepped forward, "A few days ago, Mr. Liao wanted to look for you, but he was afraid of causing trouble, so he abandoned the idea. But now, finally you are here."

Leng Sa handed over the food she was carrying and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work. These are the pan-fried pancakes from Shun Chengzhai. Didn't Mr. Liao mention that he wanted to eat their pancakes?"

The middle-aged man nodded and eagerly took the paper bag from the young man. He gave half of the pancakes to the young man and started eating. Watching him wolfing down the food, Leng Sa couldn't help but ask, "Did I… mistreat Mr. Liao?"

The young man laughed and took a bite before shaking his head. "No, it's just that Mr. Liao was so excited that he forgot to eat. It's not just him; I forgot to eat too. The aroma made us hungry."

Leng Sa nodded, "Remember to eat on time."

She walked to the table and picked up the blueprints on the table, examining them carefully while asking, "Is there any problem? How's the performance?"

Mr. Liao munched on his pancake while replying, "There's no significant difficulty. There are factories in the country that produce such vehicles, but they aren't widely purchased by civilians. Most of the buyers are from the military or government sectors so business isn't very good. The performance doesn't meet your requirements as far as I've tried."

"Why?" Leng Sa asked.

Mr. Liao replied, "The engine is the issue. An Xia's best engines are currently produced domestically, but even with this, they still can't meet your requirements. At most… it can reach sixty percent of what you're asking for."

Leng Sa inquired, "Can it be improved?"

Mr. Liao scoffed, "You should find someone else. We agreed that I'd help you modify this thing, and you'd fund my research. If the finished product can't meet your requirements, it's not my problem. I have no interest in researching this thing." If the hardware couldn't work, no amount of modification will help.

Leng Sa sighed and asked, "You can't make a vehicle perform optimally on the ground now. Do you think there will be no problem flying in the sky?"

Mr. Liao sternly replied, "What problems could there be? These are two entirely different matters! If it weren't for… I'd already be up in the sky now!"

Well, every scientist has a dream of reaching the skies.

"You only have theories for now," Leng Sa said.

Mr. Liao responded, "Every great invention starts with theory."

Leng Sa shrugged, unable to refute.

Unfortunately, she knew how to fly planes but didn't know how to build one. She didn't have much knowledge in this area, so she couldn't provide much help to Mr. Liao.

Mr. Liao looked at her with shining eyes. "So, you've agreed to fund me? Don't worry; whatever I make will belong to you!"

Leng Sa was curious. "Why is Mr. Liao so obsessed with airplanes?"

"Airplanes?" Mr. Liao blinked, then suddenly clapped his hands. "That's a good name! When I create it, I'll call it an 'airplane'! Oh… I made a bet with Benson Donald that I'd be the first to fly. Unfortunately, after I came back, the few wealthy people I approached all abandoned me along the way." He looked at Leng Sa with some concern. It was not easy to catch such a stupid and rich little girl. Could she be running away too?

"Well, I don't need that much money, probably… just 10,000 yuan will do," he said.

Leng Sa asked, "How many times have you said that to others?

"Five times…" Mr. Liao's expression changed, filled with frustration.

Leng Sa smiled. "So, I'm the fifth person you tricked?"

Mr. Liao sheepishly admitted, "I didn't trick anyone. You see, scientific inventions have to allow failures." He had been rather unlucky, and he had also encountered several stingy investors. He had achieved nothing for years after returning to the country. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't find anyone else, he wouldn't have approached someone like Leng Sa, a young girl with money.

"…" If you fail, you might fall to your death, and I would be left penniless.

Mr. Liao looked at Leng Sa eagerly.

Leng Sa said, "Don't worry, I didn't say I wouldn't invest. Moreover, you've helped me modify the vehicle according to my specifications, so I'll keep my word too."

Mr. Liao was overjoyed. "Then… then…"

She added, "Once I've prepared the contract, we can sign it."

"No problem, I'll find a workshop in the next few days!" Researching flying machines couldn't be done in such a small backyard.

Accompanied by Mr. Liao and the young man, the three of them went to the backyard. The young man pushed out a strange-looking two-wheeled motorcycle that closely resembled a regular motorcycle from Leng Sa's memory.

However, due to various modifications, it didn't look cool at all and was even somewhat ugly.

Leng Sa didn't mind, though. The backyard was spacious enough. She mounted the motorcycle, started it up, and with a low, roaring sound, the motorcycle smoothly began to run in the backyard. After riding for a couple of laps, she frowned. As expected, the performance was at most sixty percent of what she had hoped for, just as Mr. Liao had said.

But it was already much better than when she had purchased the vehicle.

She couldn't solve the engine problem herself, and the person who could solve it didn't want to work on it.

Leng Sa pondered for a moment, wondering whether she should visit the School of Engineering at her university or the Yong City University.

Mr. Liao and the young man standing on the side exchanged glances. It was already strange enough that this young lady had asked them to modify the vehicle, but she also seemed quite proficient at riding it.

Wasn't she supposed to be the granddaughter of the Leng family? The Emperor Teacher's granddaughter… like this?

Leng Sa stopped the motorcycle in front of the two men, got off, and cheerfully said, "I'll prepare the money and the contract when I get back. I'll have to trouble Mr. Liao to see if there's any room for further improvement these few days."

Mr. Liao naturally agreed, but he couldn't help but ask, "Miss Leng, are you… modifying this thing just for fun?" He had heard about some wealthy and reckless young heirs in the capital who liked racing, but was it also becoming a trend in Yong City?

She patted the motorcycle and smiled, "Of course not. Mr Liao's future financial sponsorship will depend on whether this thing is useful or not"

His eyes lit up. "Don't worry, Miss Leng. I think there's still room for further improvement!"

"Then I'll count on you, Mr. Liao," Leng Sa smiled. "If you can improve it by another five percent, I'll add another three thousand to your payment."

"It's a deal!" He clenched his fists enthusiastically. For his three thousand, he was willing to give it all!