It was dark. Outside the porch of Professor Taixue's dormitory, Dr. Cai Yong and Cai Yong were hiding in the shadows with disheveled hair and a panic-stricken expression. To be honest, he wanted to rush directly into the corridor and escape back to the house several times, but he always felt that he was around the corner.
There seemed to be someone vaguely outside the door of my room, so I didn't dare to move, for fear that someone would find me in this embarrassing state, which would make me look embarrassed.
And after a long time, seeing that the people in the lights on the corridor were gradually sparse, and there was no movement for a long time, Cai Yong finally mustered up the courage, so he held his hair with both hands and rushed over.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he rushed through the corridor and reached the door of his room, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, another voice sounded in his ears that made him almost die of shame and anger.
"Mr. Cai." Gongsun Xun, who was standing in front of Cai Yong's door, looked at his appearance in shock. Gongsun Yue, who was holding a big box next to him, was also dumbfounded. "Why... why is this so? Could it be that he encountered a robber?"
Are there also robbers in the Imperial Academy?"
"No, no." Cai Yong's face turned red and he quickly explained. "I just went out to discuss music with Professor Zhang. Unexpectedly, it was too dark on the way back. I accidentally picked up my scarf by a branch, and my bun was also damaged.
It fell apart..."
"That's it." Gongsun Xun suddenly realized. "I don't know where the place where you lost your scarf is. If it's close, can our brothers accompany you to look for it?"
"No, no need." Cai Yong shook his head repeatedly. "I have a towel in my room. Just wrap it up when you enter the room... Do you have anything to do with me?"
"To be fair, Mr. Cai," Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue bowed slightly and said, "Xun and I have something important to ask of you, so I have been waiting here for a long time!"
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong glanced at the two men with a slightly sad and angry look, but did not answer, but rushed into the house with his head down.
Brother Gongsun was startled for a moment, then looked at each other, then shamelessly followed in.
Just like that, Cai Yong entered the room, lit the lamp, fetched water, washed his hands and put his hair up, then picked out a scarf and put it on slowly... However, no matter how hard Cai Yong tried,
Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue were like paste, firmly stuck to the futon in the room, as if they wanted to stay with them until the end.
The wild boy from the border county is so uneducated! Cai Yong cursed in his heart, but finally he had no choice but to sit down on his knees with him: "You said you have something to ask for?"
"Exactly." Gongsun Xun led Gongsun Yue and bowed formally. "I hope Dr. Cai will give me your full assistance."
"Easy to say, easy to say." Cai Yong tried his best to smile, but in his heart he had already made up his mind that he would never be an 'honest person' again this time, otherwise he would have no money to wipe his butt next time he went to the toilet!
"Uh..." After receiving the promise, Gongsun Xun pondered for a moment. "I didn't know where to start. I wonder if Dr. Cai knows my family background?"
"I only know that you are from the Gongsun family in western Liaoning." Cai Yong, who had managed to calm down, slightly stroked his beard and said, "But western Liaoning is located at the junction of Hebei and the Great Wall, thousands of miles away. As a Central Plains person, I understand
It’s really not much... If I have to say something, I know that your family is very wealthy. I heard that your family’s wealth is over 100 million, which is similar to the Mi family in Xuzhou, the Zhen family in Jizhou, and the Ma family in Jingzhou.”
Gongsun Xun nodded slightly: "What Mr. Cai said is true. My mother is very good at making money. For more than ten years, my family's Amway brand has been somewhat famous in Qing and You. And when it comes to this, I have to
I would like to ask Dr. Cai, you have learned a lot. Do you know why my Amway was able to spread to several counties around the Bohai Sea in a few years? In the following years, business was not bad and money was not lacking, but it could never make any further progress.
Woolen cloth?"
"oh?"
"Now my family's business can't go south to Langya, west to Daijun, and it's difficult to go to the southeast and hinterland of Hebei. If it weren't for the businesses in Jizhou and our Amway, which have a large number of horses, cloth, and grain business, we would be willing to
Make way, otherwise it will be difficult to even open a semicolon in Yecheng..."
"Oh..." Cai Yong couldn't help laughing when he heard this. "Didn't you already ask yourself the question? There are local businesses everywhere, so where can your family get involved? It's Yecheng,
Wouldn’t it be possible to settle down only with the approval of the local wealthy family?”
"Sure enough, Dr. Cai has a clear vision!"
"You know what you're doing!" Cai Yong suddenly changed his face and said. "I don't believe you, a kid, don't understand this truth! What is your Amway account that can spread across several counties? What does it rely on? You don't know yourself, so you come to ask me instead.
An old scholar?"
Gongsun Xun was not angry when he heard this, but smiled slightly and said: "To be honest with Mr. Cai, I certainly know the situation of my family. At first, it was because our Gongsun family in western Liaoning lived in Lingzhi, and Lingzhi and Lulongsai were one and the same.
It firmly grasps the only communication route between Hebei and several counties outside the Great Wall. Business travelers and tribes outside the Great Wall who want to communicate with Hebei can only go here... In the words of my mother, you can make money by sitting on the ground! So in a few years,
Amway Hao has already accumulated a lot of capital, connections, and business routes. This is the so-called first stage of the rise of my Amway Hao."
"Let me think about it." Cai Yong heard this and sneered. "In this second paragraph, could it be that the counties outside the Great Wall, such as Liaodong, Liaoxi, Liaodong vassal states, Lelang, and Xuantu, because they live outside the Great Wall, are merchants, tribes, and wealthy families?
Are they all scattered? Your mother will use the Gongsun family as the backing and the Amway as the tool to integrate the management of the trade routes in these places, and then she will be located at the key node of Lingzhi, unified dispatch, and docking with Hebei? "
"Cai Lang's heart is really transparent." Gongsun Xun nodded in praise.
"However, I am curious." Cai Yong suddenly took a breath again. "You just said that your Amway is already 'available around the Bohai Sea.' So this third stage, presumably, is to open up the ship trade on the Bohai Sea and directly let
Liaodong and Qingzhou are connected. Qingzhou and Liaodong have been connected by sea since ancient times. I know this. However, places like Beihai, Donglai, Le'an, and Bohai are all large counties with numerous wealthy families.
How did this...this Amway account of yours come in?"
"I'll tell you the truth." Gongsun Xun lowered his head and said with a smile. "In fact, there are branches of the Gongsun family in these places. Although there were five servers and separate families long ago, for the past seventy or eighty years, they have always been from the same family.
I can still talk about it. Besides, my mother is not the only one who enjoys the Amway account. The clan has branches in various places, and even close wealthy families in various places, and there are dividends every year..."
"This is because I underestimated your Gongsun family." Cai Yong took a breath again when he heard this. "I didn't expect it to spread to such an extent, 'all around the Bohai Sea', and the family of Lingzhi in western Liaoning is still alive.
An official with two thousand stones... is enough to be intimidating!"
"If you don't inherit the classics, you will only be second-rate after all." Gongsun Xun said with a smile but not a smile. "This is the public opinion of the world."
Cai Yong was silent after hearing this.
"Think about those days." After a pause, Gongsun Xun continued. "After my mother discovered that Amway's business had stagnated, she knew that the geographical area was really difficult to deal with, so she gave up her ambition to open the business all the way to Luoyang.
She turned to doing things to support orphans and widows and support students, but something happened during this period that made her brood, and she will never forget it!"
Cai Yong became slightly serious... He also knew how to share his mother's worries, so he was considered a filial son.
"When my mother was working as a student assistant in the local area, she naturally discovered that writing slips was a big problem for young children from poor families...it was expensive, heavy, and complicated, and it was far inferior to paper in terms of copying and use."
"This is natural." This topic is Cai Yong's specialty, and he knows the secrets of it better than anyone else. "In terms of enlightenment, letters are absolutely incomparable to paper, which is cheap and light.
...However, this paper is only outstanding when writing and practicing. When it comes to recording books, cloth and slips are still needed, and there is no way."
"What Mr. Cai said is true." Gongsun Xun nodded and agreed. "The kind of paper that is popular all over the world today is too brittle. Even if the court and government generally use this kind of paper as wanted pictures, they still have to be posted in pavilions.
It could only be kept for a few months if someone took good care of it, and my mother would not be so conceited as to use that kind of paper to make books. However, my mother accidentally took over two paper-making workshops, which greatly changed her view on the future of paper.
…”
"Tell me about it." Cai Yong was really curious.
"Ah Yue, please take out the things." Gongsun Xun turned around and ordered.
At this time, Cai Yong suddenly realized that he had been chatting with Gongsun Xun for a long time without knowing it, and even ignored the most hateful boy next to him.
But there was no time to think too much, I saw Gongsun Yue opening a wooden box next to him and taking out something that looked soft but could be seen at a glance to be paper.
"This is a kind of soft paper native to western Liaoning," Gongsun Xun took it and handed it to Cai Yong opposite.
Cai Yong took it and touched it with his hand, and immediately frowned: "The quality is similar to ordinary crisp paper, but it is too soft, and the ink will melt when it touches it, making it impossible to write!"
"That's right." Gongsun Xun nodded calmly. "Actually, the soft jute paper produced in this papermaking workshop has always been supplied to the owner of the house as a substitute for toilet chips!"
Cai Yong's face froze, and then he threw the jute paper directly to the ground.
Gongsun Xun stretched out his hand and pinched it, extremely puzzled: "Mr. Cai, why is this? Is this paper clean?"
"Ahem!" Cai Yong blushed and explained forcefully. "You don't know, I heard you say that some people use paper to replace toilet chips. I think it is too luxurious and I feel disgusted..."
"What are you talking about, Mr. Cai?" Gongsun Yue, who had been silent over there, couldn't help but refute. "You have been in Luozhong for a long time, don't you know what true luxury is? Some wealthy families specialize in luxury goods in order to show off their wealth.
Putting a silk scarf in the toilet is considered extravagant! You said it yourself, how many poor people there are in the world who cannot afford food and shelter? Can such things as silk scarves be used in the toilet? Why don't you feel disgusted with it?
"
Cai Yong's face turned red and he was speechless.
"Okay Ayue." Gongsun Xun quickly stopped his brother's objection and explained to Cai Yong again. "Cai Yong doesn't know that this kind of soft paper is just made of discarded hemp heads, broken fishing nets, and tree bark."
I made it, but I can’t write it, so it’s just right for using in the toilet... Well, you are old and often at your desk, so why don’t I have someone bring you some later and try it out.”
"Thank you very much." For some reason, Cai Yong is still a little embarrassed despite his age. "Please continue talking."
"Here." Gongsun Xun nodded in agreement, and then asked Gongsun Yue to bring over a piece of paper. "Look at this again..."
"This paper is as white as snow." Cai Yong took it and quickly tasted it. "But it is only as white as snow. Its texture is no different from ordinary brittle paper. I'm afraid it's still not well preserved, which is a pity!"
"Mr. Cai has a sharp eye." Gongsun Xun nodded repeatedly. "That's it... look at the third piece of paper!"
Cai Yong took it and touched it, still frowning and saying nothing: "Although this paper is white, it is still soft...what's the use? I'm afraid it can only be used for toileting, right?"
"Mr. Cai, think again."
Cai Yong touched this piece of white soft paper and looked at the other two sheets in front of him, but suddenly his heart moved: "Could this paper be made by your mother after she obtained the two paper-making workshops?
?”
"That's it!" Gongsun Xun waved his palm like a knife and cut it directly to the floor, as if he was extremely excited. "I'm afraid Dr. Cai doesn't know that in fact, since Cai Hou started making paper, the papermaking technology in this world has been nothing special for nearly a hundred years.
The big change is nothing more than the four processes of beating, pounding, frying, and baking... The rest are all created by the craftsmen themselves, whether they are soft, hard, white, or clean.
, either tight or quality..."
"I also know what you mean." Cai Yong suddenly realized. "You are saying that the basic technology of papermaking is the same and very mature, so it is actually very easy to learn from the strengths of many experts.
.In other words, if we can bring together the craftsmanship from all over the world, then it will be a matter of course to create light, white, and compact paper... Is it possible to replace the slips with silk?"
"exactly."
"Then why has your family only produced this kind of white soft paper for toilet use for many years?" Cai Yong was confused.
Gongsun Xun heard the words and sneered: "Mr. Cai, didn't we just say that? A family without a family of scriptures is only a second-rate family after all. And a family that can maintain a papermaking workshop and have a unique craft, which one is not a first-rate family?
You must know that the paper created is still used for writing a lot!"
Cai Yong was suddenly enlightened: "No wonder you just said that your father-in-law is worried about this... I guess it is those people who have paper-making workshops who deceive her because she is a woman, a businessman, and she comes from a nearby county, so they rely on their famous family and are too lazy to pay attention to her?
Moreover, your mother cannot leave Liaoxi, and your family only has some means in the counties around the Bohai Sea. If you leave this circle, it will be even more difficult for you to move forward?"
"These Confucian scholar clans only maintain papermaking workshops for the sake of being elegant." Gongsun Xun raised his head and sneered. "Moreover, their homes are extravagant. No matter how heavy the books are, they still have servants to drive and carry them; no matter how difficult it is to burn, there are still knife and pen officials to do it for them.
.If it weren’t for my mother, who would have thought of using this to benefit the world?! But none of these people know how to appreciate it..."
"My aunt offered a reward of one million dollars for new paper, which was known all over the Bohai Sea at that time." Gongsun Yue also interjected again. "However, in a few years, we only had this kind of white paper craftsmanship, which came from Zhuo, near western Liaoning.
I asked for it from one of the county's noble families, but there is no progress other than that..."
"This time I really understand what you want." Cai Yong sighed while twirling his beard slightly. "A woman from your father's court actually cares about literature and education. How can I just sit back and ignore it? Besides, I don't have anything else.
My hobbies are only calligraphy, music, and poetry. If this happens, it will be of great benefit to me. I have to help both public and private... Do you have any specific information? Tell me, I will write the stone scriptures.
I ask for this papermaking technology on my behalf!"
Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue looked at each other and laughed. The latter immediately took out several types of paper from the box and laid them out one by one in front of him!
"Cai Yong was good at calligraphy, and he also knew how to write (Li Si) and carry (Shi Carrying). He has to be a tattoo artist before he can write. If a craftsman wants to do his work, he must first sharpen his tools. Use Zhang Yi's pen and Zuo Bo's paper
, and Wei Duanmo are all ancient methods. With these three tools, you can achieve the power of a diameter of ten feet. There are thousands of officials in a square inch." - "Sanfu Juelu". Zhao Qi
PS: There is also a new book group, interested students can add it, 684558115.
