CHAPTER 14 #6
Hedy gently taught Daoreno some basic knowledge and instructed him not to worry about farm work. Instead, he only needed to buy some fruit or fresh flowers for her each day.
"Okay... okay," the little boy replied, lifting his head. "Thank you!"
Strictly speaking, Leonardo hadn't established a private workshop.
He still lived in the side courtyard, working as a painter employed by the Medici.
In this era of apprenticeship, even he had grown up helping out in his teacher's workshop, only with the advantage of having attended school, knowing how to read and write.
Daoreno gradually became more lively and cheerful. He would actively hand him paintbrushes and scrapers and lean in to watch him paint.
Sometimes, when Leonardo looked at him, he would think back to his own childhood.
At that time, even in front of his grandparents, he would not be hugged or praised.
The only person who gave him warmth was his uncle—who played and taught him, being kind and affectionate.
Now, encountering this little boy, the happy feelings he once had with his uncle seemed to be returning.
Leonardo had never understood why Hedy was so gentle and equal with Atalante, not scolding him harshly when he broke a glass jar.
But as he started treating Daoreno in the same way, he felt a sense of peace and healing within himself.
Daoreno, now over four years old, learned things quickly.
Hedy tried teaching him how to read and write, just as she had with Atalante, but the little boy's attention was always scattered, his eyes fixed on her quill pen instead.
She didn't insist too much and instead turned her attention to other things.
With no orders to fulfill for the time being, Leonardo found that he had more free time.
He would accompany her to the antique market, picking out gold pens inlaid with rubies and filigree designs.
He would also casually pick a bunch of wild daisies by the roadside, making her a flower crown that fit just right.
Now that their financial situation had stabilized, with just enough penicillin for their needs, Hedy gradually found time for other pleasures.
The first thing she thought of was the marvelous designs in Leonardo's sketches.
"Leonardo—would you still be willing to show me your sketches?"
The young man paused for a moment, then quickly retrieved some and brought them over.
Hedy sat beside him and began to focus on flipping through the illustrations and explanations inside.
Leonardo watched her dark hair fall and the long lashes that fluttered with each glance, his breathing becoming a little lighter.
Hedy came across many fascinating things—bridges, guns, thermometers, strange creatures resembling robots, and flying machines.
"This..." she pointed at a design resembling a bicycle path with bat-like wings, "Is this meant for flying?"
Leonardo's attention quickly shifted to the illustration, and he nodded seriously. "I was thinking that if you pedal to make the wings flap up and down, a person could fly up into the sky."
Hedy chuckled and shook her head. "That probably wouldn't work."
The human body weight would be the greatest resistance, and besides, the wings couldn't possibly be made of common linen.
"But," she turned to look at him, smiling as she winked, "I could make something similar for you to see."
One of her past acquaintances had been an airplane designer.
He had tried to improve the performance of airplanes but always believed the wings should be split into an elliptical shape, since old design sketches were always like that.
"No..." she had replied at the time. "Do you think birds' wings are placed like that?"
Whether seagulls or robins, their wings are both curved and angled backward.
At that time, people had no understanding of aerodynamics, and their knowledge of many things was still in the early stages.
But in the end, her viewpoint was proven correct—
The wings, based on her insight, were redesigned into a "∧" shape, and this resulted in a significant improvement in speed and fuel efficiency.
Hedy took out a piece of paper, ready to explain the specific principles behind it.
"Ah... where’s my pen?"
She had a habit of organizing everything neatly, and she was quite methodical in her system of categorization and tidying up.
The red ruby pen they had bought at the antique market should have been in this wooden box.
However, the box held several other pens, but the one he had given her was nowhere to be found.
Hedy instinctively fiddled with the other pens in the box, then began flipping through the small newspapers and books on the table, searching. The pen seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if it had evaporated into thin air.
"Could you have taken it out last time?" Leonardo stood up to help her search in corners and under the cabinets, looking puzzled. "I saw it just yesterday."
"No, I don't take it out casually."
It was worth forty gold coins, after all.
Hedy sighed, thinking that she might have just forgotten due to being busy, and waved her hand dismissively. "Maybe when Dechio organizes the room in a couple of days, it'll turn up. It’s not important."
She picked up another pen and began to show him the design for the glider and the small airplane's structure.
The word "plane" in Old Latin meant "to make... smooth," and also referred to a planer.
Hedy forcefully connected it to the idea of a flying machine and then explained the relationship between power and weight.
"If it's a pedal-powered tool, the force generated by the wings flapping wouldn't be enough to lift a person, let alone take them into the air." Hedy explained, "Unless you use stronger, more flexible wings, but then only someone like a strongman could pull it off."
"And the strongman's own weight would increase," she added.
"Right," she took a sip of orange juice, and began sketching a rough draft on the side.
"I don’t understand... Why can birds fly?"
"Because..." Hedy paused, then suggested, "How about we dissect a bird and see?"
Leonardo couldn't help but laugh. "Alright."
They bought a pigeon, carefully had it decapitated, and began plucking its feathers. In the afternoon sun, they proceeded to remove its internal organs and skin.
The little boy returned, holding a bouquet and some newspapers, and greeted the two of them in the yard with a polite smile.
"Good afternoon—Daoreno." Hedy lowered her head to show him the internal structure of the bird. "Look, there’s no rectum, no need to store feces. This is one way to reduce weight."
"And the bones..." Leonardo murmured, noticing something.
He carefully removed two sections of bone, weighed them in his hand, and then cut them open to examine. "It seems like they’re hollow inside?"
In addition to the long feathers, they identified the presence of air sacs and lungs.
Hedy took notes beside him, then casually tore a piece of paper and folded it into a paper airplane, gesturing for him to look here.
She carefully judged the wind direction and angle, sending the small triangular paper plane into the air—
It spun and fluttered like a bird, even making two complete circles in the sky.
"How did you do that—" Leonardo's face lit up with excitement. "Can you teach me?"
Hedy lowered her head, tore two more pieces of paper, and showed him how to fold the wings and body of the plane.
"And if the wings are rolled into a cylindrical shape, the way it flies will change too."
Leonardo, completely focused, began following her folds, and soon he had made a plane of his own.
He raised his hand high, letting it soar through the air, and couldn’t help but laugh joyfully.
Hedy looked at him and suddenly had a better idea.
"If we can find thin wooden boards and rubber bands..." she said quickly, pulling him toward the washbasin. "We could make something that flies higher and faster."
She thought that those materials would probably be found in the hardware market.
As they walked towards the bustling market, Hedy talked with him about storing kinetic energy and designing the wings.
Women gathered around large baskets, selling seafood, while vendors shouted about honey and syrups.
There were also street performers, and various little trinkets and goods made the market seem alive and chaotic.
Should the rubber bands be made from cowhide or from hoof tendons...? She thought of the model airplanes children made, constantly searching for similar materials.
Leonardo, understanding what she intended to make, followed her closely, helping with the search.
He came across various wooden rings, silver rings, and... a gilded pen, inlaid with rubies.
Leonardo paused for a moment, instinctively asking, "Where did this come from?"
This couldn’t be another pen—he recognized the wear marks immediately.
The vendor gave a sly smile and replied mysteriously, "This is the biggest bargain I’ve had today—some kid said he found it by the roadside and sold it to me for five gold coins."
"Found it?!"
"Heh—who knows where he stole it from?" The vendor waved his hand dismissively. "Could be some maid's child sneaking into the master’s room."
Hedy happened to walk over just as the vendor spoke, and when she saw the pen, she immediately realized what had happened.
Her pen had somehow ended up here, like a stolen item being passed around.
The vendor, noticing the well-dressed young woman approaching, raised the gold pen and called out, "From the old Duke of Venice’s collection—would you be interested, madam?"
Hedy froze for a moment, then asked directly, "How much?"
"Twelve gold coins!" he offered, trying to make the price seem reasonable. "I can’t go any lower!"
"And what did the boy look like?" Leonardo frowned. "Was he curly-haired?"
"Yes, curly-haired, and quite cute," the vendor clicked his tongue. "Could be some illegitimate child selling his father’s things."
As they walked back with the pen, both were silent.