Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 121 The Printing Technique!
"I heard every child wants it—"

Xiao Ran deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes scanning the entire class, and the children echoed in unison:
"Ready? Let's go!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have gathered a lot of strength. Even the shyest little girl buried her face in her sleeve, and her voice came out muffledly from under the fabric.

The noise outside the window had long drowned out the sound of the wind.

Zhang Mingde, leaning against the door frame, tapped his cane twice on the ground, seemingly keeping time. His cloudy eyes were squinting, and the corners of his mouth moved in rhythm with the "da la" sound.

The woman holding the baby used one hand to pat the baby's bottom, the patting rhythmic with the song. The baby giggled and reached for her face. She didn't mind, but instead kissed the baby on the cheek and continued humming along.

Several men from the coal mine stood behind the window, coal dust still embedded in their fingernails, but they were all grinning, revealing their white teeth.

One young man simply tucked his coat into his waistband, swayed his shoulders to the tune, like someone carrying coal in a mine, and roared in a rough voice, "Let's go!"

People around him laughed at him for singing off-key, but he wasn't ashamed at all; instead, he laughed even harder.

Wang Ji stood under the eaves, still clutching the Analects he hadn't had time to put away, but had long forgotten to turn the pages.

When he taught the scriptures before, the children either had their eyes downcast or were fidgeting with the hem of their clothes. They had never seen anything like this before.

No one was scolded to "sit up straight," nor was anyone told not to laugh. Only the singing spread like a stream, making the wooden tables, blackboards, and even the cobwebs in the corners of the classroom soft and supple.

Xiao Ran clapped along and sang along, keeping the rhythm.

The sounds of reading aloud, which had previously been replaced by singing, became louder, more lively, and more cheerful.

Xiao Ran waved to Li Lizhi and the villagers outside, signaling them to come along.

The old man who was closest to the singer cleared his throat and actually started singing along. His voice was hoarse like a polished stone, but it was brighter than ever before.

The woman holding the child responded, mixed with the rough shouts of the coal miners and the baby's babbling, like a jumble of tunes thrown into a basket, chaotic yet heartwarming.

There were no classical Chinese phrases or the cold glint of a ruler in this classroom; only the constant clicking of the ruler and the flushed, warm cheeks of the children.

Looking at the bouncy figures inside, Wang Ji suddenly understood what Xiao Ran meant by "different"—the children here weren't "studying," they were "going crazy," they were chewing up their joy and swallowing it into their hearts, mixed with their emotions.

Li Shimin didn't sing, but he laughed very happily.

The two little princesses in the classroom sang happily, and Li Shimin joined in the singing.

Sun Simiao stood at the far end of the corridor, clutching half a Bupleurum chinense plant that he had just picked from the back mountain.

He looked at the children jumping and clapping in the school, and at the villagers swaying their shoulders to the tune outside the window. Even his usually cautious gaze was filled with a soft warmth.

Having lived for nearly a hundred years, he had witnessed much of the world's suffering: he had seen people struggling to fill their stomachs, witnessed the cold glint of the ruler falling in the school, and witnessed how many children regarded "studying" as a drudgery to be avoided.

But in this scene, there was no stiffness of classical Chinese, no barriers of social status, and even men with coal dust still on their hands and women holding babies could hum along to the tune.

"Hehe, that's great, that's great." Sun Simiao couldn't help but hum along.

Happy times are always short-lived. The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class, and Xiao Ran's music also came to a close.

The child doesn't know the words, but he remembers how to sing.

The little princess tugged at Xiao Ran, "Little Nangjun~ Can you go back to class instead~"

Compared to Wang Ji's class, Xiao Ran's class was naturally more interesting and fun.

"Young man, your class is so much fun!" a little boy exclaimed.

The others started chattering too.

The core message is to get Xiao Ran to attend classes.

"No, you need to learn something else first. You can attend later."

Wang Ji smiled, not seeing any problem.

Soon the school bell rang, and Wang Ji walked over with his books. "Class begins!"

Upon seeing the stern old teacher, a group of children ran back into the school.

It was cold, so Empress Zhangsun went back after watching for a while.

I'm afraid my illness will flare up.

With several princesses here, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun had no worries.

We went back before noon.

Although Li Shimin did not get the answer he wanted, he was looking forward to the gift Xiao Ran mentioned.

Xiao Ran wanted to expedite the matter of printing technology.

Winter is still long, and people will have a lot of free time.

We need to get this done as soon as possible.

They practiced both woodblock printing and movable type printing.

Considering the technological foundation of the Tang Dynasty, Xiao Ran's core need to "seize the time to implement it", the need to make rapid progress during the winter when people have free time, and the short-term practical value and long-term development of printing technology, the optimal strategy is to "focus on woodblock printing first, and simultaneously develop movable type printing on a small scale", rather than promoting both on a large scale at the same time.

Xiao Ran's core demand was to "seize the time"—to promote printing technology during the winter when people had free time, essentially to quickly break the status quo of "scarcity of books and difficulty in spreading knowledge".

In the context of the Tang Dynasty, woodblock printing was the only option that could achieve "short-term implementation and large-scale production," and its advantages were extremely clear.

For Xiao Ran, there was no need to develop from scratch: he only needed to integrate existing woodworking skills, and people could be quickly trained in their spare time. Carving text was simpler than carving complex patterns, and those with skillful hands could learn in a short period of time.

Find soft pear or jujube wood as the printing plate material, carve the text directly onto the wood in reverse, brush ink on it, and then cover it with paper for printing.

The entire process has no technical barriers and can organize people to form production capacity in the fastest time, without wasting the idle window of winter.

Xiao Ran's initial printing needs were inevitably for "high-frequency, fixed, and large-volume" content.

Print literacy textbooks and nursery rhyme lyrics for the children in the school.

They printed agricultural books, seasonal knowledge, and simple laws for the people, so that they could study them during their free time in winter and use them for spring plowing the following year.

Once these Confucian classics, such as the Four Books and Five Classics, are printed, there's no fear of them not selling.

Woodblock printing became widely used in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. It probably exists now, but not many people know about it, and it is not widespread.

Xiao Ran had no intention of monopolizing the technology, but he wanted to help the local people make some money.

You only need to learn "carving according to the text", you don't need to know how to read, just copy the text and carve it in reverse, or you can even draw the outline first and then carve.

Training takes only 1-2 weeks to get started, maximizing the use of available manpower and enabling rapid large-scale production.

Xiao Ran already had a plan in mind.

Previously, Li Lizhi and Zhang Jinhe saw Xiao Ran lost in thought but did not disturb him.

"Young master, is there anything I can do for you?" Li Lizhi asked with a smile.

Although she didn't know the specifics, Li Lizhi wanted to get involved.

"I want to sell books, what do you think, Fifth Sister?"

Princess Yuzhang also looked over curiously.

"Selling books?" Li Lizhi really didn't know what books Xiao Ran had.

The books that Li Shimin and Li Lizhi had given them before were valuable, but they didn't think Xiao Ran would sell them.

On the one hand, those books were useful, and on the other hand, Xiao Ran didn't lack the money.

"Young master, what does this mean?" Li Lizhi asked, puzzled.

"I'll make some copies of the books myself and then sell them."

"Copy?" Li Lizhi didn't understand the word. In the Tang Dynasty, all books were handwritten.

“Yes!” Xiao Ran dipped his finger in the hot water in the cup, drew a square wooden board on the table, and then wrote the character “人” (person) crookedly on it.

Looking up at Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang, he said in a tone as if he were playing a game: "Fifth Sister, look, this 'copying' is actually similar to stamping an official seal—once you carve a seal, you can use it countless times after dipping it in ink, right?"

Li Lizhi nodded, still looking puzzled: "But there are only a few words on the seal, while there are many words in the book."

"The principle is the same, just replace the 'small seal' with the 'large wooden board'."

Xiao Ran continued to wet the paper and draw small squares on the table. "I'll find some pear wood and jujube wood first. These woods are soft and easy to carve."

"Then the craftsmen would carve the words from the book one by one backwards onto the wooden board—just like writing words backwards on paper. After carving, they would dip the board in ink, lay the paper on it, and press it down, and the words would be imprinted on the paper."

"A single page of a book can be carved onto a wooden board and printed hundreds or thousands of times, which is much faster than hand-copying. This is called 'copying'."

Li Lizhi suddenly realized, her eyes lighting up: "So that's how it is! Without the teachers copying by hand, a single wooden board can print many books? If we print agricultural books and textbooks, wouldn't we be able to gather enough for all the children in the village in just a few days?"

Princess Yuzhang and Zhang Jinhe also realized what was happening.

“That makes sense.” Xiao Ran wiped his hands. “However, we are missing a few important things, and we need to trouble Fifth Sister for help.”

“Young master, please speak,” Li Lizhi said happily.

"First, the paper. Ordinary paper is too thin and easily tears when printing. We need the kind that is thicker and absorbs ink evenly, preferably hemp paper from government-run paper mills."

"Secondly, the wood used for carving. Pear wood and jujube wood must be completely dry. Wet wood will warp after carving, so you need to find a reliable wood supplier."

"Thirdly, ink. Ordinary ink is too thin, and the printed characters will blur. You need ink ground from pine soot, and then mix in some tung oil and glue to make it thicker."

Xiao Ran paused, then added, "I don't have the connections, and I don't know much about it, so I probably won't be able to buy anything good."

"Fifth Sister, you go and make the arrangements. Firstly, you'll be able to get good materials, and secondly, you'll be able to gather them quickly—we want to start construction while the people are at a leisure time in winter, so we need to prepare the materials as soon as possible."

It's clear that Xiao Ran, like before, understands the theory but has never actually done it.

It's the same as the previous methods of using a curved plow, washing coal, and burning glass.

Zhang Jinhe felt this most deeply.

After hearing this, Li Lizhi immediately nodded in agreement, her tone full of enthusiasm: "No problem, I'll send someone to the government-run paper mill in Chang'an right away, saying that it's for printing textbooks for the school, and I guarantee we'll get the best hemp paper."

"As for timber, I remember there's a royal forest nearby with plenty of dried pear wood. I'll talk to the steward and have them send it over directly. Ink is even simpler; the palace ink makers are the best at mixing ink for printing. I'll have them prepare plenty!"

Li Lizhi was so excited that she forgot her identity. Xiao Ran knew this, but Zhang Jinhe did not.

Zhang Jinhe didn't realize it at first, but upon reflection, he found it didn't feel right.

But on second thought, it makes sense.

His status was even higher than Qin Qiong's; it wouldn't be wrong for him to be a member of the royal family.

The speech, behavior, and attire of Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, and Li Lizhi were quite normal for royalty.

Li Lizhi was equally aware of what this matter meant.

I couldn't wait to get back to my room to write a letter and make arrangements.

It was written for Li Shimin. This matter was very important to the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin would definitely be interested in it.

Secondly, this matter requires the help of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

What Xiao Ran needed was simply a matter of a word from Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

Kill two birds with one stone!
After Li Lizhi finished writing the letter, she immediately had Li Wu send it out.

Upon hearing that it would be given to Li Shimin personally, Li Wu dared not delay.

Around noon, Zhang Erya returned as well.

Zhang Jinhe doesn't need to learn these things now, but Zhang Erya really wants to.

"Second Aunt, you just focus on your classes. I'll take care of things at home." Zhang Jinhe didn't treat herself like an outsider.

"Yes! Second Mother, you can just go to class." Princess Yuzhang can now also help with cooking and housework.

It can be considered as adapting to local customs.

"It's alright, you can listen whenever you have free time, you don't need to be at the academy all the time."

The group busied themselves preparing lunch.

The three little girls will be having lunch soon after class.

"Alright, let's go home and eat!" Wang Ji's voice was loud, not only for the children but also for the adults outside.

Princess Yuzhang, Zhang Jinhe, prepared the meal. Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi discussed the printing technology. They asked Li Kecheng and Chu Mo to go and fetch Wang Ji and the three maids to come back for dinner.

Although it's not far, the weather is cold now, so I'll still go and take a look.

Li Kecheng and the others treated Wang Ji with utmost respect.

"It smells so good!" The little princess could smell it even before she entered the yard.

"Yes, we'll be eating soon." Li Ke smiled.

The three little girls held hands and led Xiao Hei into the yard.

"Seven rice rice~"

"Alright, Third Sister Sizi Fanyin, wash your hands. Dinner is ready," Princess Yuzhang called out.

"Mmm, ah~"

When the three little ones come back, the atmosphere at home feels completely different.

"Sizi, is class fun?" Xiao Ran put a piece of meat on the little princess's plate.

“It’s fun~”

“Young master, singing is fun!” said the little princess of Chengyang.

“Mmm!” Third Sister agreed.

"The teacher is right here. Do you believe I'll slap your hand?" Princess Yuzhang deliberately tried to scare the three little maids.

The three girls instinctively looked in the direction of Wang Ji and Sun Simiao, clearly afraid of the serious teacher in class.

“Sizi, Fanyin, and Sanniang are all very well-behaved. They don’t hit your hands, hahaha,” Wang Ji laughed, usually not serious.

It's definitely different in the classroom.

"After eating, I'll go take a nap; I have class this afternoon."

It's getting cold now, so the three girls didn't go back to their rooms. Third Aunt brought out some quilts, and they slept on the kang (heated brick bed), where it was warm.

Li Zhengdian

Li Shimin dined with Empress Zhangsun.

"Sizi, it's a bit lonely without Fanyin." Li Shimin liked the feeling of his two little princesses calling out and rushing into his arms when he came back.

Empress Zhangsun smiled; she was indeed not quite used to it either.

But the two little princesses love playing in Kaolao Village.

Now it's not just about playing, but also about going to school.

"But it's alright, the food at Xiao Ran's place is good, and it's not cold, so it's quite nice," Li Shimin comforted himself.

(End of this chapter)