Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 100 Sample Printing
After examining Xiaoli for a long time and finding nothing wrong, Zhang Chengdao could only attribute Xiaoli's cold to her incompetence.

As for feeling guilty... I can just feed it better things in the future!

After the meal, Ye Shuyun showed Zhang Chengdao several samples of the hot pot.

A model, also called a wooden model, is actually a small model, usually made of wood or stone, for the owner to appreciate and for the craftsmen to refer to.

After all, in this era, there were no blueprints for building construction. Craftsmen could only build according to the original designs to ensure that the finished building did not deviate too much from the original concept.

Of course, such things were reserved for high-ranking officials and nobles; ordinary people didn't care about these things when building their earthen houses.

The three hot pot samples that Ye Shuyun presented were quite different.

The largest one is almost the size of a chessboard, while the smallest one is only the size of a palm.

The tiny model house contained only one main hall, with a simple and ancient style. It lacked elaborate painted eaves and beams, using only golden glazed tiles paired with vermilion walls. The hall was surrounded by dozens of steps, carved from gold sand and green jade. The combination of gold, red, and green colors created a unique and charming effect.

The largest one is much more complicated.

Apart from a main hall that is somewhat similar to the one in the small model, the square outside the hall, the side halls on the left and right sides of the square, and the archway that serves as the gate when entering the square are all present.

Behind the main hall are three areas: east, central, and west. In the central area is a pond with a rockery carved from stone and painted in color. Paper flowers of lotus leaves and lotus flowers are also placed in the pond.

There are also three rooms on the left, middle and right of the pond, which are much smaller than the main hall. According to Ye Shuyun, these three rooms are used for daily meetings and handling affairs of the sect... Zhang Chengdao suddenly realized that these are the administrative offices!
The layout of the courtyard on the east side is similar to that of the Study, but it has two small side rooms on the left and right, and the center, like the Study, is filled with desks and chairs for classes.

The western courtyard was much simpler, consisting mainly of warehouses, presumably the location of the sect's treasury. As for why Zhang Chengdao recognized it, it was because…

Almost all the buildings in the entire western courtyard have the character "仓" (cang) in their names!

Further on, there were still three courtyards, but the central courtyard had no buildings, only rows of tables and chairs. The character "食" (food) was written on the wall, so it was probably a canteen... I just don't know what a canteen was called in this era...

The two courtyards on the left and right were not large. One courtyard had a well dug in it, and among the several buildings were many stoves and kitchen utensils, clearly indicating that it was the kitchen. The other courtyard only had a few relatively simple and rudimentary buildings, the purpose of which was unknown.

Towards the very end, there were only two courtyards, east and west. These two courtyards were long and narrow, almost the same size as the plaza in front of the main hall. Each was divided into many smaller courtyards, resembling the sect's residential areas. One side was smaller, denser, and had more courtyards, presumably where the disciples lived. The other side was larger, more sparsely populated, and had fewer courtyards, likely where the sect leaders, the headmaster, and even the sect leader himself resided.

Aside from these two contrasting perm patterns, the other perm pattern is unremarkable; it's more like a fuller version of the smaller pattern and a simplified version of the larger one. It looked quite elegant on its own, but placed next to the elaborate and exquisite larger pattern, it immediately paled in comparison.

Seeing that Zhang Chengdao was looking at the three models in silence, Ye Shuyun took the initiative to speak up: "This is only the area where the main hall is located. For now, we will leave it like this. The other main peaks will need to have models made separately. We will send craftsmen over after the main hall is completed. What do you think, Master?" Zhang Chengdao nodded calmly: "Alright."

What do you think?

He was absolutely thrilled!
What could be better than having a disciple who is quick to help others in times of need, helps build a sect, and even pays out of their own pocket without having to spend any money themselves?
"Well, overall it's not bad, but there are a few parts that could be slightly modified."

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he pointed to several places in the largest model and explained them one by one: "For example, here, we will only build this part separately, and leave the central position at the back. I will build a library there to store all the martial arts manuals and prevent any disciples from easily damaging the books."

"As for the main hall, there's no need to build it. Just leave the space empty. I have my own immortal abode where I can settle down... However, the side halls on the left and right can be built as well."

"The place for eating in the middle is too simple. It's better to leave it empty. When I build a restaurant and a teahouse, I can have someone take care of it."

"Finally, in the middle of this warehouse, leave a space for me to build a pagoda to store all sorts of magical treasures and precious items, so there's no need to worry about them getting lost..."

As Zhang Chengdao recalled the buildings that would be unlocked and usable at each level, he pointed and gestured on the model.

While the buildings on the model are indeed exquisite, they are, in essence, just ordinary buildings. Their disaster resistance is another matter. Since building access cannot be set, people have to be assigned to guard them. For one thing, if a place for storing martial arts manuals were built step by step using ordinary methods, its security would definitely be a concern!
Furthermore, while the main hall in the model is indeed exquisite, grand, and beautiful, it really can't compare to the modeling of some advanced buildings in the later stages of the game!

Those are drawings created by graphic designers who have endured the artistic and aesthetic challenges of the information explosion era! They contain many designs that are simply impossible to achieve in reality, or would be greatly compromised even if achieved!

For example, the "main hall" could be a special building from the later stages of the game called the "Peach Blossom Palace". It has two floors, with blue tiles, white walls, and vermilion pillars. It is very exquisite, and the roof ridge beasts are even cast in gold!

The so-called "library" is actually a [academy] building that will be unlocked later. It has enclosed courtyard walls and exquisite buildings, making it perfect for use as a library... cough, a library.

There's also the pagoda that Zhang Chengdao mentioned was used to store magical treasures...

There really was a pagoda in the original game called the "Floating Pagoda"!
Although the [Pagoda of Floating Pagoda] only has five floors, it is sufficient for storing some magical treasures.

Finally, he concluded: "In this way, you first have someone tidy up this area, and then divide it into one or two sections on the ground according to the positions on the model. After I finish setting up the various buildings, you can have someone add the other parts."

Ye Shuyun nodded: "Disciple understands!"

I had to write this several times before I discovered while researching that the term "tangyang" (烫样) can only be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it should have been called "muyang" (木样), but I'm too lazy to change it, so I'll leave it as is _(:з」∠)_
It's a fictional novel after all! When in doubt, they just blame it on the fictional setting, and if you ask, they say it's the author's creation! Heh heh~


(End of this chapter)