They went to Bai Chen's house together, and she was looking at the clay pot in front of her in deep thought.
The house was filled with bottles, cans, slates and pieces of wood covered with writing.
Since the cessation of papermaking, various wood chips have been made and used for record keeping. Compared with slate, it is lighter and easier to use.
Hua Min walked quietly behind Bai Chen and shouted at her.
Bai Chen was startled, looked up and saw them, and said in surprise: "Why are you all here?"
"Let's see what you are busy with. What is in this jar? Why are you looking at it in a daze?" Hua Min stretched his head to look at the jar, "What the hell? It smells sour, but it looks white and yellow."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to pick up the jar.
Bai Chen said hurriedly: "Don't move."
"What is so precious?" Hua Min retracted her hand.
Others also looked at the jar. It was rare to see Bai Chen so excited. What was in the jar?
"It's the slurry used to make paper. Let me show you the newly made paper first."
Bai Chen stood up, took out the things from under the table, and spread them out on the table.
The yellowed paper was completely different from the original papyrus. It is thick and hard, with no holes in the paper and no traces of grass stems or leaves.
Lin Yan ran forward excitedly and touched it carefully. "It's thick and smooth. Although it's still slightly uneven, great progress has been made. Have you tried it? Can you write with a pen?" ?”
Bai Chen nodded, "I tried it. Charcoal can be used to write, but ink will smudge. The paper is too thick and there is too much slurry on it. I prepared a new slurry to make it thinner. The pressure is still not enough, so I It’s not that smooth and delicate. It’s just freshly prepared slurry in the jar.”
Others also reached out to touch it, and Shi Zhi said: "This is paper. It can be considered a success."
Lin Yan said with certainty: "It must have been successful. Compared with the straw paper, it is whiter, smoother and much more delicate. It can be used with a little improvement."
This was really great news. She originally thought that it would take a long time to make paper, but she didn't expect that Bai Chen would bring such a big surprise.
In the next few days, Lin Yan stayed in the laboratory, making paper with Bai Chen.
Shi Zhi and others are busy making looms.
I forgot the time when I was so busy. On September 29th, the temperature dropped and the air-conditioning hit. The cold season of the third year of the Solar Era came.
In just two or three days, the world suddenly changed its appearance.
Lin Yan was bundled up tightly every day, wearing two layers of linen underneath and a thick leather coat on the outside, braving the cold wind and going back and forth between home and the laboratory.
When the laboratory was built at that time, it was considered that it would be too cold in the cold season. Pipes were designed in the house, and a fire was burned on one side. The smoke came out along the channels, and the room was not too cold.
Putting a few more fire pots will not affect the experiment at all.
In this cold season, every household is busy and no longer sit still as before.
Neither the smelting plant nor the kiln-burning plant has stopped working. The furnaces and furnaces are burning inside, which is perfect for working in the cold season.
The second batch of refined iron and ore shipped back has been put into the smelting plant. There is no need to go out hunting in the cold season. Most young people go to work in the smelting factory to earn money.
The remaining old, weak, sick and disabled also have their own things to do at home, and are busy spinning and weaving clothes.
Except for the very small children, all the older children are in school.
Based on last year's experience, people had already stocked up on food for the cold season. Each family raised a considerable number of rats and rabbits, as well as dried meat, chestnuts, wild eggs, etc.
The family has a surplus of food, and they can work in the factory to earn money during the cold season. Everyone feels that their life is very different during this cold season, and their lives are getting better.
Time passed quickly, and by the time Lin Yan and Bai Chen finally made usable paper, the cold season had come to an end.
After many experiments, they added chestnut powder, hemp oil, grease, etc. to the slurry, and finally made paper that was barely usable.
Although it didn't meet Lin Yan's expectations, writing was no longer a problem.
The ink smudges very lightly and can be written and recorded, and can also be bound into a book.
Shi Zhi, Ye Cong and Hong Ling also made a prototype of the loom, which can be promoted and used.
The cold season was a complete success, and in the last few days, everyone went home contentedly to have a good rest.
On January 2, the fourth year of the Solar Era, the temperature rose and a new year began.
The papermaking was left to Bai Chen, and Hong Ling was in charge of the loom.
Shi Zhi and Ye Cong invested in new research and developed wood products.
The three of them discussed with the Minister of Industry Bai Chen and set up a wood factory to make textile machines, looms and various furniture.
Mu Shi is a member of the wood factory. During the cold season, he has made a batch of wooden furniture and installed wooden doors for many homes.
Lin Yan couldn't care about anything else. She immersed herself in her own land, planted wheat seeds, and observed them every day.
Last year, Huahong opened two acres of new land by himself, which was connected to the original land.
After the cold season, Huahong was still busy in the fields, clearing away weeds and tree roots, and scattering roe seeds, green onions and chives seeds. It felt like a few acres of land was still too little.
Other families, like theirs, went to farm with their heads on their shoulders.
Most families have opened several acres of land to plant roe, chestnuts, fruit trees, etc.
After seeing the benefits of juma last year, many people are secretly looking forward to the end of the cold season and will open up more fields this year.
Those who did not open up wasteland last year also secretly regretted it and were holding back their energy waiting for the arrival of the new year.
Smelting factories and kiln-burning factories are both good places to make money, but the number of people needed is limited, so you can't just go and work if you want to.
The remaining people naturally had to find other ways to make money, and farming became a good choice.
Especially when they saw Hua Hong working hard every day to open up land, more and more people seemed to have noticed something, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with following her family.
So, on the occasion of the fourth year of the Solar Era, the Pika Plain was full of people, digging and working in the ground, cutting down trees, and it was a fiery scene.
When Lin Yan buried the wheat seeds in the ground, she discovered that the north side of her property had been demarcated.
He was from the Minglan family, and Mingliang took the lead in pioneering wasteland with his family.
He happily said to Lin Yan: "From now on, the land of our two families will be next to each other. If you need any help, just tell me. I have a lot of people in my family, and I can work quickly."
Compared with the Huahong family and the two, the Ming family is indeed a big family. There are twenty-one people, including ten children under the age of ten.
Minglan is the head of the family. He has a sister, Mingxiang. The second generation is Mingming. There are three adult women and four men. There is enough labor at home.
Dazzled by the bright and bright smile, Lin Yan said hurriedly: "Okay, I'll come to you if I need anything. How much wasteland does your family plan to open up?"
Mingliang pointed to the north, "That area is ready to be opened up, about six acres of land. Let's circle the land today to avoid being preempted by others. Many families are enclosing their land these days. There is a lot of land on the edge of your house. It’s in demand.”
"They're all enclosed?" Lin Yan was shocked, "My land is a bit far from the street, and it's all enclosed here."
(End of chapter)
