Chapter 183: Gathering from All Directions

Never had they expected these British fellows to be so despicable. After agreeing on four hundred US dollars, they suddenly demanded a price hike. This utterly infuriated Yang Hui and Xie Lianfa. Before Yang could even speak, Xie took the initiative to fire the first shot.

"What is the meaning of this? We agreed on four hundred dollars, and now you go back on your word! Are all British workers like this? You are bringing utter shame to yourselves."

Xie Lianfa's barrage against the self-important British workers enraged the two gentlemen immensely. How could they, proud first-class workers of the mighty British Empire, allow themselves to be questioned by a couple of yellow-skinned monkeys?

Disregarding everything else, they assumed aggressive postures and started hurling insults right back at Xie.

"The workers of the British Empire are the finest workers in the entire world! The Industrial Revolution was nurtured right in the hands of British workers! What right do you inferior yellow-skinned monkeys have to question British workers?"

The British Empire was no longer what it used to be, yet the glory of bygone days remained a source of immense pride for the British people—this held true at all times. For the working class at the bottom of society, this sentiment was even stronger. They yearned for that past glory more than anyone else, simply because they were British workers.

Yang Hui and Xie Lianfa cared little for what these Englishmen were thinking. The crux of the matter was that these British fellows had resorted to personal attacks, which demanded a stern and uncompromising rebuttal.

"In your eyes, yellow skin resembles the skin of monkeys, an unfinished evolution. But allow me to say this: in our Eastern perspective, there is only one animal that represents white skin, and that is: the pig."

Hearing the arrogant white race compared to pigs—an insult long-standing in East Asia—still sounded grating to the ears. It was evident that these two needed to be taught a harsh lesson.

"Lower-class people will always be lower-class people. That is not only the consensus of the Western world, but within your East Asian circle, you are equally considered lower-class."

With that, one of the 'gentlemen' suddenly spat out in broken Mandarin: "Sick men of East Asia."

At this point, Yang Hui felt it was pointless to bicker any further with these two British louts. The only thing left to do was to prove a point with actions, to deliver a resounding, tangible slap to their faces.

Stopping Xie Lianfa, whose anger had reached its boiling point, Yang said to the two men: "You will soon see what the sick men of East Asia are truly capable of. There is no need for you to assemble these aircraft models. I will show you how the sick men of East Asia assemble them with their own hands."

Hearing that these two scrawny, so-called sick men of East Asia intended to assemble the massive aircraft model all by themselves, the Englishmen acted as if they had just heard the greatest joke in the world and retorted with utter disdain.

"If the two of you manage to assemble this cargo, the both of us will apologize to you immediately, and from this day forth, we will never work at the Farnborough Airshow again."

Just how heavy was the airframe of this model? These British gentlemen naturally had a rough estimate. To move it inside with just two people? That was utterly impossible unless heavy machinery was used. However, all the machinery on-site belonged to the British workers, and dreaming of using their equipment for the assembly was nothing short of sheer fantasy.

Since these fellows didn't even reach their shoulders, yet foolishly thought they could rely on sheer human labor, they could go eat dirt. With that thought, they abandoned any intention of continuing to work and simply stood back to watch how the pair would pull this off.

As for how to handle the situation, Yang Hui naturally had his own methods. This 1:1 full-scale mock-up had been personally supervised by Yang back at the base; he knew its weight and internal structure inside and out.

Xie Lianfa knew nothing about this model, but that did not diminish his trust in Yang Hui. Since Yang said there was a way, they would simply follow his plan.

"Keep your eyes open. Today, we'll show you the 'speed of the Republic.' I hope you keep your word."

With that, Yang Hui opened the toolbox that had arrived with the shipment. It contained all the tools necessary for the airshow, ensuring they were fully prepared for any eventuality.

Pulling the model assembly blueprints from his briefcase—this was the very source of Yang's confidence in transporting the 1:1 model to the exhibition booth with just two people. During its manufacture, this model had been designed to be assembled from smaller modules. A model, after all, was not a real aircraft and did not face the same strict structural and weight requirements.

To the utter astonishment of the Englishmen, Yang Hui began dismantling the airframe according to the blueprints. Only then did they realize that the airframe was not a single, solid piece after all. With this realization, the possibility of dismantling the airframe, transporting it into the exhibition hall, and reassembling it suddenly seemed entirely feasible.

The model airframe looked seamless, making disassembly appear extremely difficult—all the more so after the skin had been applied. Yet Yang Hui did not think so; he picked up his tools and went straight to work. What if the skin was secured with rivets? They would simply take them apart. The British airshow's after-sales maintenance department had plenty of spare skin panels and rivets on hand.

And so, right under the watchful eyes of the self-important British gentlemen, Yang Hui and Xie Lianfa dismantled the airframe once more, breaking it down into eight large sections.

The model was relatively lightweight to begin with, and once separated into segments, Yang and Xie tested the weight and felt confident.

"Watch closely. Today, we will show you how the sick men of East Asia carry this model in and assemble it properly. Not everyone's head is filled solely with muscle."

Carrying the dismantled cabin sections on their shoulders, Yang and Xie walked step by step toward the exhibition hall. Although the sections remained quite heavy, carrying them together presented no real problem at all.

Bearing a massive cabin section, they marched step by step past the exhibition booths of the British companies, drawing gasps of astonishment as they successfully moved all the components into their assigned space entirely through human labor.

When the final component was carried into the booth, the British gentlemen finally surrendered their skepticism and acknowledged the capability of these men. With dark expressions, they had no choice but to admit their error.

"We were wrong. You are not the sick men of East Asia. I am leaving now."

Slinking away in defeat, Yang Hui didn't care whether these fellows would show up again. Presumably, even if they left, it merely meant the departure of two gentlemen, only to be replaced by another two in a few days. British working-class snobs were simply cut from the same cloth.

Other companies exhibiting in the hall had witnessed the entire spectacle and sighed with a mixture of admiration and disbelief. The behavior of the British workers was indefensible.

However, what left the deepest impression was the ingenuity of Yang Hui and Xie Lianfa. Being able to transport the model into the hall entirely on their own required not only perseverance, but far more importantly, exceptional design philosophy.

If transportability had not been factored into the model's design from the outset, no amount of struggling afterward would avail them anything—they would simply be left staring in frustration. Although this was merely the design of a model, it offered a clear glimpse into their attitude toward designing actual aircraft.

"This company from the Eastern Republic is quite fascinating. Their design is exceptionally brilliant. To incorporate such thinking even into the design of a model suggests they will likely spring some astonishing surprises at this airshow."

"Indeed. Who knows whether their participation in this airshow is a blessing or a curse? I hear they've brought several new aircraft models this time. Heaven knows whose market share they might disrupt. Is it a blessing or a curse, I wonder..."

Shaking their heads to dismiss these thoughts, they returned to their respective company booths, realizing that attending properly to their own displays was the only sensible priority.

Yang Hui reassembled the aircraft components and repainted the skin. Once fully assembled, the aircraft looked quite impressive resting upon the exhibition platform. Tossing the protective curtain back over it, the largest of their tasks was officially completed.

Leaving the exhibition hall, Yang walked along paths flanked by the nearly completed displays of major global corporations. With the grand opening only three days away, the prospect of competing on the same stage with these international giants filled him with a surge of anticipation.

Returning to the small guesthouse, Yang Hui prepared to welcome the delegation from home. Having already received the roster of personnel attending the airshow, the thought of this massive delegation only heightened his eager anticipation.