I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 28 Principal Chen and His Child-Rearing Methods

Upon hearing the boss mention tin-plated iron sheets, Marcus, who had remained silent until then, shook his head and said in English with a German accent:

"...Sir, to be honest, James and I only managed to produce a finished tin-plated iron sheet without any pores or peeling...and its thickness is far from meeting your requirements, so it cannot be considered a success!"

James Merlin sighed, led Chen Wenbin to the lever's weight, pointed to a fifty-centimeter square iron plate reflecting a silvery light next to the tin pool, and said with a wry smile:

"We only have an 800-pound lever, so it's really too difficult to get a perfectly flat sheet of iron!"

It took William and me two days to forge this iron plate, and another half day to repair the gaps with plating solution before we finally made the finished product. But it is still far from what you requested: a tin-plated iron plate can for preserving food!

If every single can required this forging and pore-repairing process, the production cost would be extremely high!

William Marcus added, "In addition, the tin we use costs 5 shillings a pound, which is also difficult to use for disposable food storage containers. The solution you mentioned earlier, using glass jars with rust-resistant tin lids, might be a better choice."

The only problem then is how to mass-produce identical glass jars and rust-proof tin caps.

As Chen Wenbin listened to their introduction and looked at the tin-plated iron plate that was several millimeters thick, his brows furrowed, and he fell into silent contemplation.

He then shook his head, having to temporarily abandon the idea of ​​making tin cans. Without sufficient processing capabilities and materials, even with enough knowledge and a genius mind, it would be impossible to achieve a technological breakthrough in a short time... What he needed now was time, and there was no need to waste time on this kind of technology.

He sighed and said to the two of them:

"...In that case, let's put this matter on hold for now! Just archive the relevant information and give it to Chris."

Make the gun barrels as soon as possible, and teach the students how to machine. But remember, only those I approve of are allowed to enter this laboratory, and do not take the blueprints for lathes and boring machines out... For the sake of your families, don't do anything foolish!

In addition, the blast furnace by the river also needs to be constructed, and you and Hoffmann will supervise its completion together…”

Chen Wenbin did not stay in the metal laboratory for long, but went to the Providence Science School campus, which had already started classes.

The school has enrolled a total of 77 students, all of whom were personally admitted through examinations by Chen Wenbin, Pastor Jason, and Dr. Thomas Burfinch, who was expelled from Boston for practicing variolation.

However, Chen Wenbin only recruited bright and clever young men, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or gender.

The courses and knowledge they studied were also specially prepared by Chen Wenbin: practical mathematics, geography, physics, medical finance and management. His aim was to cultivate doctors, elite seamen, engineers, accountants and managers with a certain level of competence.

These are essential talent reserves for future expansion into South America and the west coast of North America!

Reverend Johnson prioritized recruiting Baptist believers, focusing on cultivating colonial elites with knowledge of philosophy, law, and politics.

As for that Dr. Thomas Burfinch... that guy was much crazier than Chen Wenbin. His purpose in recruiting students was actually to find people to be volunteers for smallpox inoculation experiments!

Because he had already verified this on himself and concluded that infection with smallpox could indeed provide immunity to smallpox (if he didn't die), he wanted to obtain more research samples to reduce the toxicity of smallpox and completely conquer this scourge... No wonder he was kicked out of Boston; after all, what normal person would be willing to risk their life for him?

Surprisingly, there were actually three young people in Providence who were willing to go crazy with him!

Chen Wenbin actually knew that vaccination with cowpox could cure smallpox, but he didn't plan to reveal it yet. So, a biological laboratory was set up for him at a distance, and isolation and disinfection procedures were established, allowing him to conduct research with three apprentices.

For Chen Wenbin, keeping smallpox wasn't entirely a bad thing. Although smallpox caused mass deaths among Native Americans, its peak had passed, and it could also slow down the pace of European colonists to some extent.

Due to time constraints, Principal Chen Wenbin only taught the students one math class in the afternoon, which covered the concept of calculus and how to use calculus to calculate the parabola of artillery shells.

This is like a foreign language to the average student who has only learned addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and trigonometric functions... Most people haven't even mastered trigonometric functions.

However, for Locke and Bode, whom Chen Wenbin focused on, the concept of calculus opened a door for them directly. They almost instantly grasped the beauty of calculus and solved Chen Wenbin's problems very easily.

Sometimes, the difference in talent between people is just that huge.

After class, Chen Wenbin called over the two boys, aged fourteen and sixteen, and said with a gentle smile, "Little Locke! And Bode, your minds are very suited for studying mathematics!"

I've placed some advanced mathematics books and workbooks on the second floor of the school library. You can go find Mr. Pierre when you have time and have him take you to the second floor to borrow them.

As soon as Chen Wenbin finished speaking, fourteen-year-old Locke Evans eagerly asked, "Headmaster, can I go now?"

"sure!"

Chen Wenbin turned to look at Bode, who was two years older but shorter, with a large head and a very thin body.

"Broad, you should go with Locke too!"

"Yes, Father, I will go!"

Bode nodded his big head, still looking somewhat shy.

Seeing this, Chen Wenbin reached out and straightened the collar of his woolen school uniform, looked into his eyes, and smiled, "Bode, you are my godson, you are my child, so you don't need to be so nervous in front of me!"

Do you have enough pocket money?

As he spoke, he pulled out six silver shillings and stuffed them directly into the other man's jacket pocket. "Here are six shillings for you. One for you and one for everyone else. If you ever run out of money in the future, don't hold back. Just go to Chris, and he'll give you the money!"

Locke, who was standing nearby, felt both sympathy and envy when he saw this scene. He felt sympathy because Locke and the other five children were all orphans who had been abandoned or had no parents. He envied them because they had been taken in by Chen Wenbin as his godsons and could receive more care.

However, Chen Wenbin certainly wouldn't overlook his genius, and subsequently gave Locke a shilling as a reward for being the first to solve the problem.

These students are the cornerstone of Mr. Chen's career, and no amount of effort he puts into them is too much.