Wang Wu smiled awkwardly when he heard this. At this time, he looked like an artist performing an double act in cross talk.
"Sir, the younger one has made paper out of tree bark, but there are some minor problems with the paper we made. We haven't figured out how to solve it yet."
Qin Ming was delighted when he heard this. He didn't expect these people to actually make paper from tree bark.
Nowadays, more and more paper is used in the academy. If you can produce paper in your own village, you can save a lot of expenses, and your family will have another pillar industry.
He stepped forward happily, stretched out his hand to help Wang Wuda and said:
"Take me quickly to see the paper you made."
When Wang Wu saw that Qin Ming didn't dislike him for being covered in dirt and came to help him personally, he was deeply moved and the wrinkles on his face became even more wrinkled.
After hearing Qin Ming's words, he hurriedly said:
"Sir, please come with me."
After saying that, he led Qin Ming into the side room of the courtyard.
Qin Ming entered the house and found that there was not only a large pot in the hall of the side room, but also a water reservoir.
There are also various tools placed on the ground, including stone basins, square wooden frames framed with linen, and some other strange objects.
Qin Ming knew the general purpose of these tools at a glance.
When Wang Wu came out of the back room with a stack of yellowed papers, he happened to see Qin Ming's eyes scanning the messy room. He was a little afraid that Qin Ming would blame him, so he walked carefully to Qin Ming and handed the stack of papers to Qin Ming with both hands. While giving it to Qin Ming, he said:
"Please take care of me, sir. It's too cold in the yard now and it's inconvenient to work, so I just made my own decisions in the house..."
Qin Ming understood what Wang Wu meant after half of listening. He reached out and took the yellowed paper in Wang Wu's hand, looking back and forth while saying casually:
"These are all small things. I don't care. Why don't you tell me what's wrong with this paper first?"
Wang Wu felt relieved when he heard that Qin Ming didn't blame him. He pointed at the paper in Qin Ming's hand and said:
"Sir, I believe you have noticed that firstly, the paper made of tree bark is yellow in color, and secondly, the paper is relatively brittle and easily broken. You see, the white spots on my body are actually just to study whether I can Use white paint to make the paper whiter."
As he spoke, he pointed at his clothes.
When Qin Ming heard this, he couldn't help but be surprised by his imagination and experimental ideas.
But he soon gave up this idea and tore the paper in his hand with his hands. As expected, he easily tore a hole in the paper.
For Qin Ming, if the paper turns yellow, it can still be used, but if it is too brittle, it will really affect its use. This reminds Qin Ming of some inferior exercise books he bought when he was a child.
He paced back and forth in the room holding the paper, and asked Wang Wu in detail about the process of making paper.
According to Wang Wu, the general process is to boil the bark with water for two hours, then take out the bark and beat it into pulp. Finally, use the wooden frame that Qin Ming saw before to put it in a pool full of pulp. Fish for paper.
Qin Ming carefully looked at the paper pulp beaten in the stone basin. The bark on the surface had been beaten into fine pieces, which proved that improving the process of beating and fishing out the paper could not make the paper softer.
Then we can only improve the first step, the process of boiling the bark. I don’t know if increasing the time of boiling the bark can improve the softness of the paper.
Qin Ming not only wanted his home-made paper to be as soft as bamboo paper, but also wanted paper softer than bamboo paper, that is, toilet paper. After all, keeping cloth in the inner courtyard is not a long-term solution.
There is also the issue of yellowing of paper. Qin Ming has also asked about it. Bamboo paper is bleached by boiling bamboo bark in the sun for several months. But Qin Ming didn't want to use this method, because it would take too long and take up a lot of space to dry.
Qin Ming would rather write on yellowed paper than spend so long drying the bark. There should be other ways to bleach it.
At this time, Qin Ming thought that soap can remove dirt, so he could try using soapy water to see if it can bleach it.
Or from another perspective, if soap is made of lard and plant ash, can you try boiling the plant ash and bark together?
Thinking of this, Qin Ming decided to mix plant ash and soapy water into the water used to boil the paper, and then use different cooking times to see the softness of the paper, find the most suitable cooking time, and also see if it can be bleached. Bark, it doesn't matter if you can't.
Thinking of this, Qin Ming told Wang Wu what he thought. Upon hearing this, Wang Wuyi felt that the young master's proposal was feasible and very useful, so he excitedly discussed with Qin Ming how to conduct the experiment.
...
Qin Ming came out of the papermaking yard and bumped into the craftsman Li Chun. Seeing him in a hurry, he couldn't help but ask:
"Manager Li, look at the anxious look on your face. Could something have happened?"
Li Chun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:
"Sir, I finally found you."
Qin Ming helped Li Chun up and saw the anxious look on his face and asked:
"Manager Li, don't worry. Can you tell me what happened first?"
Li Chun stood up and returned:
"Young master, there is not enough glutinous rice in the mansion now, so the progress of the school building and the mansion may be delayed for a few days."
Qin Ming was a little confused when he heard this. He didn't know what the direct relationship between the glutinous rice and building a house was, so he asked curiously:
"Manager Li, let's sit down next to you, and you can tell me the connection between this glutinous rice and building a house."
After saying that, he pulled Li Chun to sit on the stone bench in the corner of the yard.
Li Chun waited for Qin Ming to sit down and then said:
"Sir, you don't know something. This glutinous rice is very important when building a house. It can even be said to be indispensable."
Qin Ming became even more curious after hearing this, and looked at Li Chun without blinking.
Just listen to Li Chun continue:
"Young master, you should know that when building a house and erecting a wall, you need to use bricks one by one. A layer of glutinous rice mortar needs to be put between the bricks. In this way, the house will be more familiar and durable. But now there is no glutinous rice , then this house can’t be built now.”
When Qin Ming heard this, he suddenly realized:
"Oh, I see. I really didn't know this before. But its use seems to be the same as cement."
After saying that, Qin Ming slapped his thigh and stood up, pacing and muttering in a low voice:
"Yeah, why didn't I think about cement? With cement, can't we build roads and bridges? As the old saying goes, if you want to be rich, you must first build roads. Once the road is built, the transportation will be convenient, and it will be easier for people to travel. Money will Wouldn’t it be more profitable?”
Li Chun was a little confused by Qin Ming's operation. He looked at Qin Ming who was pacing back and forth in the courtyard and asked cautiously:
"Master, Master, are you okay? How about we send someone to Chang'an to buy some glutinous rice?"
Qin Ming stopped when he heard this. At this time, his face was flushed because he was too excited. He looked at Li Chuntian with bright eyes and said:
"Manager Li, I just thought of a material called cement, which can replace glutinous rice mortar, and cement can also be used to build roads and bridges."
Li Chun saw Qin Ming's excitement and heard Qin Ming say that this cement can not only lay bricks but also build roads and bridges. Although he knew that Qin Ming was not an aimless person, he had never heard of cement as a material in his many years of working in the industry. So he said suspiciously:
"Son, do you know where to find this cement?"
Qin Ming thought for a while and said:
"This cement is not ready-made. It needs to be mixed with quicklime and other things to make it."
"Son, you can tell me how to make it, and I will arrange for someone to make the cement right away."
Qin Ming thought about how cement was made? It seems to be made by mixing quicklime with some iron ore or shell powder. So he looked at Li Chun and said:
"Well, I only know the general idea. Let me tell you the general process. First, you need to find some stones containing quicklime and some iron ore, break them into small pieces and mix them together. You can also mix some clay and water in and bake them together. After it is fired and dried, it is turned into powder to become cement. However, the specific proportions of various ingredients and the firing method need to be studied.
This cement is very important for the future development of Zhuangzi. You should first gather people from several research institutes to try it together. I will also come over these two days to study with you. "
Li Chun gradually became excited after hearing what Qin Ming said. If the cement is really what Qin Ming said, in addition to building houses, it can also build roads and bridges. For him, an infrastructure maniac, that cement was as useful as a magic weapon in the hands of a general.
.....
