The handicraft industry in the Northern Song Dynasty was very developed, and there were naturally many skilled craftsmen, and the industry in woodblock printing was no exception.

However, Xie Shangbin and Wei Sihai, whom Mi Youren found for Wu Haogu, are not craftsmen in the usual sense, because their craftsmanship is not good. They can do the craftsmanship of engraving, ink making, printing, and book-containing... but they are not proficient in these engraving businesses. If they really have to do it themselves, it is equivalent to the level of an apprentice who has just started his studies.

But they are recognized as "big craftsmen", or "chief craftsmen" and "main craftsmen". Their job is not to work in person, but to direct other craftsmen and apprentices to work.

In later generations, they were engineers in the printing industry.

In the Song Dynasty, most handicraftsmen had "ducai craftsmen", "master craftsmen" or "master craftsmen". Among them, the one named Yu Hao, the builder of Kaibao Temple Pagoda, was because Ouyang Xiu recorded this person in his "Guitianlu" and called him: "The essence of the mind is like this. Since the state dynasty, there has been only one carpenter, and to this day, carpenters have used the method of pre-ducai craftsmen.

The Li Jie, who is editing "Creation of the Favorites", and Wu Haogu's ancestor Wu Zongyuan, are also masters in a sense. The former is the chief engineer of the construction industry, and the latter is the engineer responsible for interior decoration (murals)...

That afternoon, just when Wu Haogu had just returned from Mo Niangzi, Lianhua'an, the west of the city, and brought back a few pencil sketches. Mi Youren was already taking a young Ducai craftsman and waiting in Christie's study (Wu Haogu's office).

"Teacher, you're back."

Mi Youren was a little anxious when she saw Wu Haogu enter the door, and quickly began to introduce him.

"These two are the ones you want, this one is Xie Dujia." He first pointed to a young man wearing a blue Confucian robe with very delicate facial features and a few strands of trimmed beards and said, "He is from the Xie family who engraved books and is now in the Imperial College Library."

"In the next day, Xie Shangbin, I have met the official from the Wuhan University."

After Mi Youren's introduction, Xie Shangbin bowed and bowed.

"Are you an official craftsman?" Wu Haogu asked as he looked at him.

"I'm here to hire a private craftsman." Xie Shangbin replied.

The development of handicrafts in the Song Dynasty was different from the previous era. Private handicrafts developed rapidly, while official handicrafts were relatively declined. This landslide was not compared with the Five Dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, but with the great development of private handicrafts.

The rise of private handicrafts has caused the loss of official craftsmen. Excellent craftsmen can get higher rewards in the market or start their own businesses to open workshops, so they are not willing to enter the official handicraftsmen to act as official craftsmen.

In addition, there is another type of "army craftsman" in the Song Dynasty, which is a craftsman with military status. Generally, the wing army is a military status. The wing army of the Song Dynasty is not a real army, but a military status is a person who does various chores for the court. It is similar to later police officers, tax personnel, fire brigades, state-owned enterprise employees, etc.

However, people who are really capable will not be willing to be a military craftsman.

Therefore, there were a large number of "hiring" civil craftsmen in the official handicrafts in the Song Dynasty, and some civil craftsmen also liked this "free journey" employment model. They could learn skills in official handicrafts and then go out to make a lot of money.

This "hiring" model not only solves the problem of insufficient staffing in the official handicraft industry, but also improves the technical level of private handicraft industry.

"Teacher, this is Wei Duqian," Mi Youren said at this time, pointing to another older man who dressed up as a staff member and looked honest and honest. "He is also from a book engraving family, and is from the Wei family of book engraving. He is also a civil craftsman hired by the Imperial College and the Imperial College. He will be able to come to our Christie's next year."

Because the Song Dynasty did not have socialized vocational education, vocational hereditary was still mainstream. It is inevitable that the master would have to keep a hand when teaching his apprentices! Only when the father taught his son would he have no reservations.

So if you don’t work for a craft for several generations, others will not believe that you have real skills!

"Everyone is expected, sit down and talk."

Seeing the two of them sitting down, Wu Haogu nodded and continued to ask questions.

"Have you both read a book?"

"I have read it." Looking at the honest Wei Sihai, he smiled, "It's not okay if you don't study... I'm not to hide it. I went to the public school when I was young and took the exam once."

"Have you entered the prefecture school?" Wu Haoguxin said: I can read books better than myself (before my soul penetrates my soul)!

"Why don't you continue reading?" Wu Haogu asked again.

"The great official, this is the case in Kaifeng Prefecture's craftsmanship." Wei Sihai smiled bitterly, "If you can't get a test, you have to learn your skills."

The industrial and commercial status of this dynasty is higher than that of previous dynasties, so it is allowed to take the imperial examination. However, industrial and commercial households are usually not as persistent as small landlords in the imperial examination, and they will not be able to continue taking the exam. Usually, it is fine if they only give the exam once. This is probably related to the high cost of living in big cities like Kaifeng Prefecture. If the local owner in the countryside has 200 acres and collects 20 crores a year (equivalent to) rent, he can maintain a "literati-doctor landlord" to live.

Of course, this is also related to the "low-cost education" under the imperial examination system with moral articles as the standard for selecting scholars.

What the imperial examination system brings is not high-cost elite education, but low-cost "popular education", and the cost of reading is not high. Landlords and rich peasants can bear it. The implementation of the imperial examinations again and again is just a waste of valuable time for them...

This model of rising imperial examinations is the most beneficial for small and medium-sized landlord families with huge numbers and relatively low living costs.

"Then you have also passed the test for the test?" Wu Haogu asked Xie Shangbin again.

"I've passed the exam," said Xie Shangbin, "but Xiaodi has not been admitted to the public school... so his knowledge is worse than Brother Wei, but Xiaodi has read many books of various categories."

Ordinary craftsmen in book engraving business can not read, even if they are not literate. However, the craftsmen in book engraving business must have read books and have also read various miscellaneous books. They may not have to be proficient, but they must be able to read them thoroughly. Because the manuscripts sent to them cannot be without any errors and the handwriting may not be clear. Therefore, the craftsmen in book engraving business not only have to "review the manuscripts", but sometimes also have to copy books, so they are all cultured.

Wu Haogu nodded, took out two manuscripts about "Stone Works" written by Li Jie on the table and handed them to Xie Shangbin and Wei Sihai respectively.

"Can you understand?" Wu Haogu asked the two of them.

"You can understand it," Xie Shangbin said, "it is a stone work, that is, quarry, stone slabs, stone carvings, etc....it seems to be the content in "Yuanyou French Style".

Wu Haogu looked at Wei Sihai again, and Sihai said: "The picture in Xiaodi's hand is not from "Yuanyou French". I have seen the small piece of stone work in "Yuanyou French". It is different from this one, and it is not so detailed."

It seems that Wei Sihai was responsible for the engraving of "Yuanyou French".

"It's okay." Wu Haogu smiled and gave his good student Mi Youren a wink.

Mi Youren immediately said: "Teacher, both of you expect to get 100 tins of annual regulations in the Imperial College, which is similar to the utility maker. We, Christie's, have to invite them, and we have to add three times..."

Adding 100 slurries to three times means 400 slurries!

The price is not low, but it is not a lion who speaks loudly. Because they are the Ducai craftsmen from the Imperial College - they carry golden signs on their backs!

"It's okay to add three times," Wu Haogu smiled, "but you have to try your best."

As he spoke, he picked up two more sketches of Mo Madam and handed them to Xie Shangbin and Wei Sihai.

"This is Madam Mo..."

"What is this painting... used to draw it?"

The two of them took the sketch and looked at it, and were both shocked.

Of course they knew that Christie's's boss was the first in the painting, Wu Haogu, and had also visited Fengle Tower to see the pictures of beauty. Since the portraits of Mo Niangzi and Li Shishi were hung in Fengle Tower, Fengle Tower has almost become a tourist attraction, and its business is more than twice as good as usual. The first floor door bed and horse road can't even wait for a seat!

But now the two of them were surprised to see the half-body sketch of Madam Mo.

Just three colors: black, white and gray, plus a bunch of lines, the portrayal of the Mo Niang is vividly portrayed.

But this skill will live up to the title of "the first person in the painting".

"Can you carve it out?" Wu Haogu looked at the two of them and asked.

“Can’t be carved out…”

"The small bottom can't be carved."

Not surprising.

It is normal that it cannot be engraved, because Wu Haogu used the light and shadow sketching method on these two sketches, so it is not easy to print them.

"Change two." Wu Haogu gave two more sketches. These were two line sketches, but he still used some light and dark processing techniques.

"The hair cannot be like this. If it is drawn too thinly, it cannot be carved out. Even if it is carved out, it cannot be printed well."

"The nose also needs to be changed here, just use lines."

Wu Haogu nodded. It seemed that there was still a lot of room for improvement in printing technology. But there was no hurry to do this, and there was time in the future.

"Okay, come again tomorrow. I will give you a picture of it. You will use it to find someone to carved out the seal." Wu Haogu said, "If the printing is good, I will give you a 500-ton annual routine. Is it OK?"

"Okay, Master, please wait and see."

"Give it a certain 5th day to keep the matter."

This time, both of the craftsmen took pictures of their chests, and the pictures of the white drawings were not difficult to carve. New Year pictures and Buddha statues were all like this. They just went to find the best carving maker in the Imperial College and could carve the plates for ten or eight pieces. This job is much easier than carving books.

...

The sun is bright today and there is no wind.

As the end of the year approached Kaifeng City, the chill was slightly subsided, and the streets in the center of the city were crowded with people, exuding a prosperous atmosphere everywhere.

Wu Haogu and Mi Youren left Christie's store together and greeted people from time to time along the way. Both of them were heading west, carrying drawing boards for sketching on their shoulders.

两人沿着潘楼街一路来,在潘楼下面拐了个弯,寻到了一处出租牲口的店铺,租了两头毛驴,骑着向镇安坊而去.
Chapter completed!