The most important reason why bamboo paper is cheap is that the raw materials are abundant and bamboo grows quickly. In the south, it can grow all year round and is inexhaustible.
Making paper from bamboo can be roughly divided into six steps: cutting the bamboo and floating it on the pond, boiling it over a fire, pounding it in a mortar, putting the material into the curtain, covering the curtain and pressing the paper, and drying it in the fire.
Put the newly cut young bamboo into the pond and soak it for more than 100 days, then separate and wash off the green skin of the bamboo.
The cured bamboo is put into a "楻" barrel and steamed with lime water for eight days and nights, and then taken out and rinsed. This is repeated many times, and the coarse material can only be used after about 20 days.
Then put the bamboo into a stone mortar and pound it into a fine mud, removing only the fiber.
Pour the broken bamboo material into the water tank, and use the bamboo curtain to sway the material in the water. Swirl the pulp on the bamboo curtain in the trough, and the bamboo material becomes a thin layer attached to the bamboo curtain, and the rest of the water flows through the bamboo curtain. The four sides flow out. This step is the most difficult. If the material is too little and too thin, it will not be used. If it is too thick, it will be useless and wasteful.
Then the bamboo curtain is passed over repeatedly so that the wet paper falls on the board to become paper.
Repeat the steps of spreading materials and covering curtains in this way until thousands of sheets of wet paper are stacked, and then put heavy wooden boards on top to squeeze out most of the water.
The wet paper is lifted up one by one and dried. The place where the baking paper is located is made of adobe bricks. A fire is lit in the alley. After the temperature of the adobe bricks rises, the wet paper is pasted one by one to bake.
After drying, peel it off to get paper.
Only in this way, the bamboo paper produced will be excellent in terms of toughness, durability, thickness, gloss and color, and will never be inferior to ivy paper.
The records of the Jingyuan Dynasty were huge. If the price of paper was no longer expensive, record keeping officials in various places could make more detailed records of local affairs, which would be of great help to the court in understanding the local people's sentiments.
At the same time, the cost of publishing books, whether official or private, will drop significantly. Ordinary people can also afford books to read, and ordinary families can also afford paper for children to start learning calligraphy from an early age.
By then, everyone in the Jingyuan Dynasty could read, write, and write articles. If the common people can afford to read and be literate, the entire dynasty will naturally become more knowledgeable and prosperous.
Shao Xi thought this way, with a large amount of cheap paper and improved printing efficiency, after a large number of books are printed, there must be a stable sales channel, which is to open a bookstore to sell books publicly.
Papermaking, printing, and book selling are a one-stop business, and it is really difficult for Shao Xi to keep busy alone.
Thinking of this, Shao Xi expressed his thoughts to Bai Jinqing and others.
When several people heard that Shao Xi had come up with another idea of making bamboo paper, and also wanted to do papermaking, printing, and selling books at the same time, they were all excited and willing to participate.
However, what a few people hesitated about was that such a big business required a huge amount of money, and they didn't know where to find the funds.
Shao Xi took over the whole matter. He provided the funds and technology. Bai Jinqing and the others were only responsible for the preparation and daily supervision and management. They would just share the income proportionally at the end of each month.
Of course, authors of published articles will also receive a certain percentage of royalties every month. In this way, the articles written by literati all over the world will be rewarded accordingly, and they will have more motivation to write books and compositions, not just relying on enthusiasm.
Among the people, Hu Yushan was the most excited. For many years, he has regarded Bai Dinggong as a role model and vowed to benefit the people of the world. Now that he heard that what Shao Xi was doing coincided with his own aspirations, he was even more willing to devote himself to it.
I saw him holding Shao Xi's hand and saying movedly: "Brother Shao! Do you know that what you did today is a righteous deed that affects the world and can be passed down to all generations? Brother, I have been reading books about sages for many years, and I have determined to do something for The people of the world have spent their whole life learning, but now they are not as safe as Brother Shao. From now on, Brother Shao will only speak if he is told. This is a contribution to the present and will benefit the future. I must be involved in this matter. If it can be done, my brother will die without regrets!"
Shao Xi didn't expect that just such a thing would make him so excited.
He hurriedly reassured: "Brother Yushan said something serious. I didn't think too much about this matter. I just think this business is profitable. However, since it is something that benefits others and oneself, of course it is more interesting to do. In the future, this matter will still be discussed. Thanks to the hard work of these brothers, it will not only benefit the world, but also you and I can make money. It is the best of both worlds!"
Except for Bai Jinqing, the other people present were not from poor families, but they all came from average families. Over the years, in order to provide for a few people to study, their families have scrimped on food and clothing, just hoping that a few people can be named on the gold medal list and become famous.
Now that several people are following Shao Xi's example, not only do they not have to spend money to study, but they can earn a lot of money. This is simply a great thing. How can they not feel happy?
At this time, Bai Jinqing also said excitedly: "I will tell my grandfather about this later, and he will be very happy if he knows about it. I don't think there is any need to worry about this matter anymore. I might as well just make the paper in the academy." The workshop and printing room are established, and a bookstore will be opened in the name of Bailu Academy in the future, which will be called Bailu Bookstore. Brother Shao, what do you think?"
Shao Xi clapped his hands and said, "That's great! I don't have to go through all the trouble of looking for a place, so I'll leave this matter to you, Jin Qing! As for the manpower and materials, I'll be responsible for it. I'll open the bookstore in the future." I think the reputation of our Bailu Academy may not only be in the Central Plains."
Faced with such a plan to get rich, everyone here was excited and gearing up, eager to start planning this matter right away.
In this way, a few close friends decided in the private room of Wangyue Tower that this was a major event that could change the fate of tens of millions of people in the world, be famous in history, and be praised for generations to come.
As a time traveler, Shao Xi once complained about why he didn't have his own system or some kind of cheat as written in the online article, but now his mind has changed.
What is a system? What is a golden finger? Aren’t the theoretical knowledge he brought from modern society and the practical experience left by his predecessors his system and golden fingers?
I am indeed an ordinary person, but after coming to this world, I can use the knowledge and technology I have mastered to benefit others and to benefit myself. Doesn't this prove the value of my existence?
What I can do here is more than what I can do as a small security guard in the real world, and that's enough.
Thinking about it at this time, maybe it’s not that the era is not suitable for you, but whether you can adapt to a certain era.
At the moment, it seems that I am more able to adapt to the current era. The annoyance and uneasiness that he felt when he first traveled through time no longer exist. Today, he is full of enthusiasm for this world, because no matter what identity he exists here, at least he has relatives and friends around him. There are more things worth caring about.
After a few drinks and meals, they left Wangyue Tower. Bai Jinqing couldn't wait any longer and now wanted to go back to the academy to tell the two masters the great news.
So Bai Jinqing, Hu Yushan and others said goodbye and left, agreeing to take Liu Ling to Shuangxue Tower to meet Shao Xi for a lantern festival after nightfall.
Watching Bai Jinqing and the others leaving happily, Shao Xi turned around and looked at the various lanterns hanging on both sides of the street, as well as the pedestrians coming and going, their faces filled with joy, and he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart. There was some emotion.
Time flies so fast. It has been eleven years in the blink of an eye, and now I have become an out-and-out ancient person.
Although the memories from the past are still there, for some reason, they seem to be getting blurry. On the contrary, the world in front of me is becoming clearer in my eyes.
Sometimes, Shao Xi becomes more and more suspicious that he comes from the original world. Is that really his home? Why does this once unfamiliar world before us feel more familiar now?
Is it because the original world is not suitable for you, or is it that you are not suitable for the original world? Should I belong to that world or to this world today?
If you had a chance to go back now, how would you choose? Should I go back and be that little security guard again, or should I continue to stay in this place full of crises and challenges?
Shao Xi asked himself, does he really want to go back? Maybe not. He likes it here because it has everything he yearns for and everything he has lost. In the original world, he had nothing.
He suddenly felt that he was very funny. Why did he think of useless things? There are still a lot of unsolved things in front of me, but I still have time to debate whether to go back to the original world!
After getting on the carriage, I told the coachman that there was no need to rush and that it would be fine to go slowly along the way.
He wanted to sit in the car and take a good look at the scenery along the way. Although the streets were full of lanterns and crowds, in his eyes, these were human fireworks, and this was what a world full of warmth should look like. This is the real world.
Compared with the tin cars and the crowds with fake smiles on their faces, the smell of fireworks in front of him, the aroma from the roadside food stalls, and the simple and sincere smiles on people's faces made Shao Xi feel more Kind and natural.
Just like this, I slowly looked at the scenery and thought about random things along the way, and finally returned to Shuangxue Tower.
As soon as Shao Xi got off the carriage, he saw Liu Fu who was guarding the door running all the way to him. He was still wondering in his heart, what was a housekeeper doing at the door if he didn't stay at home properly?
"Sir, you are finally back. Long Sizhi from Dali Temple has been here for a long time and has been waiting for you inside. It seems that he has something urgent to ask you. I don't dare to ask any more questions, so I can only wait at the door. You come back."
"Oh? How long has Brother Long been here?"
"Back to the young master, I've been here for nearly half an hour. He looks very anxious, as if something big has happened. He keeps asking the young master when he will be back. Young Master, you'd better go in and have a look!"
Shao Xi's heart skipped a beat, and he had an ominous premonition.
Long Qitai came so urgently, something must have happened in Dali Temple, and the matter must have something to do with him.
Now there is only one thing related to me in Dali Temple-Wuriyeti!
