CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER 238: PAPER-MAKING TECHNIQUE

Fu Tinghan was not familiar with the papermaking process and was still exploring, but memory is a peculiar thing. At first, he felt he wasn’t familiar with it and wouldn’t know much. But once he actually started, related knowledge points began to surface in his memory.

The deeper he delved into the research, the more related points emerged, and he came to know more.

For example, at this moment, upon seeing the gelatin removed and the fibers softening into a mush, he instinctively knew they could be steamed or pounded to make the process faster.

As soon as they heard steaming was possible, the craftsmen immediately set up a large cauldron, added water, and began heating it.

They then scooped up the lumps of fiber from the puddle and placed them into the cauldron. Once the water wasn’t as cold, they started using wooden benches as footrests and surrounded the cauldron to knead the mass of fibers with their hands.

Fu Tinghan reached out to feel a clump, rubbing it to assess the hardness of the fibers.

Feeling the impurities sticking to them, he became somewhat thoughtful.

By the time Zhao Hanzhang arrived, he was leading people in pounding the fibers, which wasn’t his expertise. His clothes were thick and heavy, and the hems were already wet.

Zhao Hanzhang hurriedly went forward to pull him up, "Your clothes are wet. What if you catch a cold?"

Fu Tinghan was surprised, "Why are you here? Didn’t you say you were going to inspect the houses and the snow situation?"

"I heard you went out of town, so I sent Chang Ning," Zhao Hanzhang wrung the water from his hems, frowning, "Fu An, did you bring an extra set of clothes?"

Fu An shook his head dumbfoundedly.

Zhao Hanzhang thought he was being too negligent, "Why are you still standing there? Go back to the county government and get some."

"Oh." Fu An immediately turned and headed back to the county government.

Fu Tinghan chuckled, "It’s not completely soaked, it’s fine."

"We don’t have excellent doctors around us, so we must be extra cautious. In this era, colds can be fatal."

Seeing her serious expression, Fu Tinghan nodded, "Alright."

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang look at what they were pounding, and she exclaimed, "Is this almost paper pulp?"

Fu Tinghan replied, "Pretty much. The newly mixed limewater is very effective. Plus, with steaming, impurities are removed much faster."

Zhao Hanzhang rolled up her sleeves, tied her skirt up around her waist, took a wooden mallet, and joined in the pounding.

With their concerted efforts, by noon, they had pounded the entire cauldron of fibers into pulp. But it wasn’t over yet; Fu Tinghan had them rinse it once more to remove remaining impurities before continuing to beat it into pulp.

This was hard work, but Zhao Hanzhang did it with great enthusiasm, especially watching the entangled fibers transform, filling her with a sense of accomplishment.

By evening, the pulp was finally ready, and Fu Tinghan instructed the craftsmen to scoop the pulp with a bamboo mat.

Zhao Hanzhang watched, eager and excited, and said, "Let me, let me! This is the very first sheet of paper; we must do it ourselves."

The craftsmen handed her the bamboo mat.

Zhao Hanzhang took it, standing with her legs apart like practicing a horse-riding stance, then squatted and dipped it into the pulp, swaying it slowly, and then slightly tilted it to lift it...

She gently turned the bamboo mat, spreading the pulp evenly across it, with the excess flowing back into the pit from the edges.

Unsure, Zhao Hanzhang asked Fu Tinghan, "Did we succeed?"

Fu Tinghan wasn’t certain either and pointed to the stove, "It will dry faster if you put it beside it."

The two of them stood guard by the bamboo mat, not moving, and the craftsmen didn’t dare to leave either.

Fu Tinghan thought for a moment, then said to them, "Get busy with your own work. We’ll watch here."

The temperature near the stove was a bit higher, slowly drying the pulp on the bamboo mat. Zhao Hanzhang sat beside it, feeling very tempted, wanting to reach out several times to remove it, but each time she met Fu Tinghan’s eyes, she was stopped.

The last time, thinking it was about time, she couldn’t resist reaching out, only to have Fu Tinghan grab her hand and hold it tightly, "Not yet, don’t move it."

Zhao Hanzhang tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t, "I know, I won’t move it."

Fu Tinghan acted as if he hadn’t heard, kept holding her hand, and started talking about meeting Zhu Chuan when he went out of town, "...He said he was invited by Uncle Ying Ming for a banquet, probably to help promote your iron pans and soy products."

He said, "Although Uncle Ming always has a sharp tongue, he is a good person."

Zhao Hanzhang looked down at her hand held in his palm, then looked up at him.

Seeing her not respond, Fu Tinghan also looked up at her, his face innocent, "What’s wrong?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled, not thinking about pulling her hand back, nodding, "You’re right, Uncle Ming is indeed all bark and no bite."

Fu Tinghan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his other palm start to sweat slightly.

The two sat by the stove until the paper was completely dry, then carefully removed it from the bamboo mat.

A very large, yellowish paper was peeled off by the two, and the craftsmen crowded around to see it, rejoicing at the fully formed paper, "It’s a success!"

Zhao Hanzhang gleefully squinted her eyes, "Yes, it’s a success, which means our method is correct."

After feeling the paper, Fu Tinghan said, "It’s just too rough; we can refine the process."

But that’s much easier, as starting is always the hardest part. Having produced the first sheet of paper, they could now improve on the various steps, minimizing errors with a direction in mind.

Zhao Hanzhang immediately ordered, "Everyone in the workshop will be rewarded, and from tomorrow, we’ll produce paper in large quantities."

Everyone responded in unison.

Zhao Hanzhang called the steward over and instructed, "Add more raw materials as needed, continue with the research, and as long as better paper can be made, the person who contributes the most will be rewarded generously, and all participants will also be rewarded."

The steward happily agreed.

Zhao Hanzhang then inquired about his plans.

The steward said some things, and Zhao Hanzhang frowned slightly. Although it sounded fine, the plan was too conservative.

Zhao Hanzhang wanted to build a papermaking workshop, not only to supply paper for the county government but also to sell it outside and even establish a printing office. With just this little material and space planned by the steward, how much output could there be?

If the paper production couldn’t increase, why feed so many people here?

She might as well just buy paper directly.

Zhao Hanzhang straightforwardly said, "Prepare more materials and process them in batches. Didn’t I already tell you to prepare a large pulp pool? My requirement isn’t high; a daily output of a thousand sheets is enough."

The steward’s mouth gaped open. Those thousand sheets of paper were large and needed to be cut, which would mean several thousand by then.

But Zhao Hanzhang still felt it wasn’t enough. She said, "Once you master it, if improvements to the tools are needed, I recall that bamboo screens can be added to the mats to make screen beds, enabling the production of thousands of sheets in one go."

She continued, "I’ll give you three months as a transition period. Is that enough?"

The steward replied, feeling anxious and not very confident.

Fu Tinghan, watching from the side, waited until she finished instructing before saying, "You can go now. Review today’s process with everyone, allocate responsibilities for tomorrow, and once you’re familiar, these won’t be issues."

The steward, feeling like he received a great pardon, eagerly nodded in agreement.

After the steward left, Fu Tinghan said, "I’ll try making the screen bed first; don’t be anxious."

"I’m not anxious; it’s just that I have few people available, and this steward clearly isn’t suitable for running a paper workshop."

Fu Tinghan also agreed, "We need someone bold, meticulous, and with well-thought-out plans to take over."

But who would be suitable for that?