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Ch18 - Workaround
“Dad, why’s the master callin’ us?” Liu Lin asked fearfully as he stood before the main entrance.
His dad, Liu Mutou rubbed his hands anxiously, “How’d I know eh? Maybe it’s that business ’bout building barracks.”
A few of the old run-down buildings next to the main residence were slated to be renovated into barracks for the militia. Ah-Liang had already been making arrangements since yesterday, and as the head of the woodworks, Liu Mutou had obviously been informed. It wasn’t much hassle really, and if he did well, he might even get the opportunity to see the head of household face to face. Thus, he’d mustered up his strength and prepared to give it his all. But who could’ve thought that he’d be summoned before the work had even begun, along with his son, who was only good for making paper pulp? How could he not be nervous?
“I heard that Yan Sheng got caned to death. Does that mean Tian Chang’s gonna take over his job? What do we do if he’s talked bad about us to the master?” The more Liu Lin thought, the more frightened he became. He was nearly shivering.
“Don’t talk drivel!” Liu Mutou, who had more life experience, instantly scolded. “What other people say doesn’t got anything to do with us. As long as we work hard, aren’t lazy or greedy, what’s there to be afraid of?!”
His words were rather staunch, but in truth, he was only putting up a strong front. Back in the day, the four workshops were more or less equal, but now, the woodworks had fallen to the bottom of the barrel. Of course, Liu Mutou was worried. Although, ever since the master had returned, his temperament was greatly changed. He honestly had no idea what he wanted with them.
As they were stewing in apprehension, a servant girl came over and told them, “The master’s called you in. Watch your manners and make sure you don’t disrespect the master.”
Tensing, they followed behind the servant girl towards the buildings up ahead. Before they even entered the door, they saw a Jie barbarian standing outside, glaring daggers at them. His eyes were blue and fiercely intimidating. They’d been scared to begin with, but now even their legs had gone weak. As soon as they stepped past the threshold, Li Mutou kneeled, kneecaps thudding on the floor. They prostrated before the man sitting at the desk, “I humbly pay my respects, master.”
“I humbly greet thee, master.” Liu Lin hurriedly kneeled as well.
Liang Feng wasn’t used to people kneeling to him in greeting, but excusing them from the outset would have probably frightened them even more. He nodded lightly, “You may stand up to speak.”
The Lius hastened to their feet and stood there, heads drooped. Liang Feng gave them a once-over and said, “Head Craftsman Liu, what kind of woods grow in these mountains? I need something that’s sturdy, durable, and pliable.”
Liu Mutou hadn’t expected that he’d gone through all this formality just to ask about wood materials. He quickly replied, “There’s sandalwood, master! Blue sandalwood’s best for making crossbeams. Parasol trees and scholar trees aren’t bad either, and there’s some poplar. There’s lotsa mountains here, no shortage of wood!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Is there any cowscord wood or swordspine wood?” Liang Feng asked.
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Oljcu Mfcu rtbbx tlr tfjv, “Pa’r cba obg yelivlcu tberfr. P cffv atlgas kbbvfc rtjoar wjvf bea bo rkbgvrqlcf kbbv, atgff wfafgr lc ifcuat, bcf fcv rtjgqfcfv ab j qblca, jcv atlc fcbeut ab klfiv rlcuif-tjcvfvis. Jjc sbe wjxf la?”
Wooden staves were common enough. Liu Mutou was still befuddled, but the requirements weren’t difficult. He quickly nodded, “Of course, of course!”
“How many days will it take?”
Liu Mutou did a bit of figuring and answered, “It’ll take three days to finish them all, but afraid it’ll take two more days to grind and polish them.”
“That’s acceptable. I’ll give you five days. Present them to me once they’re finished,” Liang Feng nodded in satisfaction.
Liu Mutou had finally puzzled it out. These staves were probably for the militia, weren’t they? He was lucky the master had picked them for the task! He’d wanted to ask in more detail how thick the spears should be, since his heart wasn’t in his throat anymore. But before he got the chance, the ridiculously good-looking master’s attention shifted to the person standing behind him.
“So you’re the head craftsman of the paperworks?” Liang Feng asked interestedly of the young man at Liu Mutou’s heel. Liu Lin bore some resemblance to Liu Mutou, though he was a bit shorter and chubbier than his father. He looked more like a wooden peg than a willow forest.
“I hardly count as a head craftsman – I just make pulp.” Liu Mutou gave his son a shove, “Ah-Lin, hurry and pay respects to the master!”
Liang Feng gestured for him to remain upright, and asked, “What material does the paperworks use to make pulp?”
“Rice straw.” Liu Lin’s forehead beaded with sweat. He replied stammeringly, “I’ve tried using hemp before, but paper made outta hemp always comes out too shoddy. And the papermaking, I heard people say that using screens was really handy, so I made a set too and was gonna try em out
.”
Liang Feng’s interest was piqued, “You’ve even crafted moving screens before?”
Liu Mutou sweated fearfully, slapped the back of his son’s head, and berated, “You useless thing! Master, he only made it himself out of some rotten scraps, he didn’t spend any of the workshop’s money.”
“It’s fine.” Liang Feng smiled, “I called you here precisely because I wanted to improve the estate’s papermaking process.”
In his previous life, his grandfather was an ardent calligraphy enthusiast. Aside from always keeping his brush at hand, he also loved to ramble all about the “four treasures of the study” to his descendants. And since he’d grown up under his grandfather’s care, he’d naturally gotten an earful of stories about Xuan Paper and Duanxi Inkstone. He didn’t know or care about any of the other treasures of the study, but he knew how to judge good paper, and how to make Xuan Paper.
If even this mediocre Zuo Bo Paper cost them tens of thousands a year, then if he really did manage to make something like Xuan Paper, Sajin Paper, or floral letter paper, it’d be a huge source of income.
What was even better was that he was transcribing the Diamond Sutra for Wang Wen. If, when he gave the full sutra to him, he wrote it on Xuan Paper produced by his own estate, he wouldn’t even need to spend any effort promoting it. With the Taiyuan Wang clan acting as their living advertisements, of course he’d make a profit. There were plenty of nobles among the prominent families who could spend thousands on a single meal. Selling fine paper to them would be as easy as drinking water.
Liu Lin’s interest in improving his papermaking skills was no detriment to Liang Feng’s plans. The urge to invent and discover was paramount for a craftsman. All Liang Feng had to do was teach him everything he knew and give him some encouragement. His smile widened and he said to the confused father-son pair, “I’ve read about a papermaking method before. Supposedly, one can make high-quality white paper out of the bark of blue sandalwood. Not only is it unblemished and smooth, but its texture is fine and it keeps its luster for far longer.”
In this era, there was white hemp paper which, while smooth, was easily affected by humidity, and often had bits of straw and scrap roughening its back. Jute paper was thicker and more amenable to storage. Thus, it was the most commonly used paper. As for Zuo Bo and Celi Paper, they were expensive and not produced in great quantities. Their color and texture could, generously, be considered high quality. If he succeeded in making Xuan Paper, the nobles would scramble madly for it.
The Liu father and son’s heartbeats raced. They didn’t know if he was serious. Liu Lin tentatively said, “We usually use rice straws and hemp to make the pulp since they soften up easy. But how do you deal with something tough as bark?”
That was an easy question to Liang Feng, “Bark, which grows on trees, is far more durable than straw. When you go into the mountains, gather the thin branches of blue sandalwood trees that are still young. Steam, then soak them until the bark peels off. Next, boil it together with lime or plant ash. Once that’s done, tear them into thin strips and sun-dry them until they’re white. It is then ready to be turned into pulp. Hm
 and in the process of making the pulp, add vine sap to increase its integrity. ”
Who could’ve thought that a fifth-order marquess would know so much of papermaking? But, the Liu father and son were still apprehensive. Even though he’d clearly outlined the steps, he hadn’t told them any specifics. How long should they steam the branches? How much lime should they add? And what kind of vine sap was he talking about? These were all things that’d take tons of effort and time to figure out! What if they couldn’t produce it? Would they be punished by the master?
Seeing their fright, Liang Feng reassured them, “I only know the broad strokes. It will be up to you to refine the process. You can try the bark of either blue sandalwood trees or mulberry trees, and the sap of hemp or any wild vine. Don’t limit yourself to the materials I’ve listed. Experiment, come up with a few different formulas, and see which produces the best paper. Also, you can try making more of the moving screens. The high-quality paper must be handcrafted, but you can use machines to expedite the production of low-quality paper.”
“But, but in that case, I’m afraid it’ll delay the paperworks’ tasks.” Liu Lin said bravely. Crafting screens and mixing up new types of pulp weren’t things that could be done in a day’s work. Who knew how long it’d take the understaffed paperworks to finish it all.
“You can lend him people from the woodworks, but they must be tight-lipped. And you can requisition the funds needed to test new pulps from the estate’s assets. If anyone is able to create paper better than Zuo Bo or Celi paper, I’ll award five thousand coins!”
At those words, the two Lius’ breaths grew heavier. Five thousand coins! One mu of rich, fertile land was only two thousand or so. Five thousand could support a well-to-do family for two years! Just for the sake of making paper, they were allowed to draw from the estate’s assets and earn rewards like these?
Liu Lin beamed and answered assuredly, “I’ll craft that paper for sure! If I’m unable, I’ll accept any punishment, master!”
Standing behind him, Liu Mutou had the strong urge to kick his son; was this really the time to be swearing pledges?! Still, although the money was tempting, five thousand coins was still secondary to the possibility that the master intended to expand the paperworks. It made sense. The clothworks had suffered quite a lot this year thanks to the drought, and the pottery had hardly managed to sell a thing. No wonder the master was shaking things up. This was a big opportunity, and if he didn’t grab hold of it, he’d be wasting all these decades of hard labor!
Liang Feng nodded, satisfied with their enthusiasm, “Very well! If your workshops encounter any problems, report them to me. If there’s nothing else, the two of you may return.”
The Liu father and son hurriedly kneeled and prostrated again, before exiting.
Liang Feng took a sip of tea, picked up another bamboo scroll, and began scrutinizing it. He intended to find out just how much money the estate wasted each year.
The author has something to say:
Xuan paper has been recorded in history since the Tang Dynasty. In the Jin dynasty, the use of paper was only beginning to become popular, the papermaking process is centuries away from maturation, so Liang Feng’s going to take a shortcut! XDD
*Pats the small wolfdog,* next chapter, you won’t have to be a wallflower anymore =w=