Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 40: First Step to Turning Bamboo into Gold

In the kitchen, Mrs. Chen was adding water to the pot, preparing to cook a pot of thin porridge. Wang Chuntao was beside her, cutting the remaining half of the black wheat bun from last night into small cubes, planning to soak them in the porridge so the family's breakfast would be more filling.

Su Ming neatly stacked two large bundles of firewood beside the stove. The entire process was silent, with only the dull thud of the firewood making contact with the ground.

He straightened up, patted the wood chips from his hands, looked at the busy backs of his mother and sister-in-law, then glanced at his second brother who was still sweating profusely in the courtyard. An unprecedented sense of solidity rose within him.

He was no longer that youth who could only hide behind his brothers, helplessly accepting the futures they bought with their blood and sweat.

Now, he had his own strength, his own secret weapon that could hold up a piece of the sky for this family.

"Disciple." Lin Yu's lazy voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of a nasal tone as if he'd just woken up. "Your master has calculated, and that trip to town, plus everything after returning, has already delayed our 'Family Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity Building' Phase One Plan for quite some time."

Lin Yu thought to himself, "My heavens, he finally remembers the main task! If we don't start making money soon, when will my pension plan ever launch? Watching him perform these warm family dramas every day, when will we ever leave this village and embark on the path of cultivation!"

The corner of Su Ming's mouth twitched slightly. His master's words made it sound like he himself knew how to make paper.

He didn't argue, only respectfully responded in his mind, "This disciple is dull-witted. Please, Master, instruct me."

"Hmm, a student worthy of teaching." Lin Yu cleared his throat, adopting the posture of a lofty expert. "Originally, your master intended to guide you in technical breakthroughs immediately upon your return from town. Although it's a bit late now, it's still not too late.""The matter of papermaking may seem simple, but in reality, it contains profound mysteries. Genuine ancient bamboo paper has a complex production process that takes an extremely long time."

Lin Yu's voice became serious, like an experienced master craftsman imparting a secret art.

"The first step is called 'cutting and retting bamboo.' You need to take tender bamboo from the current year's growth, chop it into sections several feet long, and throw them into a pond to soak. For a short period, it takes tens of days; for a long period, several months. Use the power of microorganisms in the water to make it initially rot and soften. This is 'retting.'"

Retrieve the retted bamboo, place it on a stone slab, and repeatedly pound it with a wooden mallet to disperse its fibers. Then rinse it with clean water to

is the key among keys. You need to place the pounded and washed bamboo material, along with sufficient amounts of plant ash water or lime water, into a large pot and steam-boil it over a gentle fire for several days and nights. The power of the alkaline water can completely break down the lignin and gum in the bamboo, leaving only the purest

Dilute the paper pulp with water, gently dip a specially made bamboo screen into the pulp vat, lift up a thin

this description in his mind, Su Ming was deeply

a complex and lengthy process. Cutting bamboo, soaking,

this take?" Su Ming couldn't help but ask. "By the time

process, by the time you pass the Xiucai exam, our first batch of paper would probably still be soaking in the pond! So, theory must be connected

Lin Yu chuckled lightly, his tone carrying a hint of 'you're still too young.' "For

not trying to create some masterpiece paper to be passed down through generations. We need to produce a finished product as quickly as possible to verify the feasibility of this method, to let your stubborn old

method must

'retting bamboo' step is too slow. We'll skip it entirely! Go straight to 'pounding and washing'! Use brute force to pound the tender bamboo to

for several days and nights isn't realistic. We'll just increase the alkali content and boil it fiercely for a single day! The effect might be poorer, but as long as it breaks down

bamboo screen, we'll try using your family's broken rice sieve! Without a dedicated drying room, we'll stick it to a wooden board and dry it in

father, and the whole village, see hope! It might be as rough as tree bark, as yellow as mud, but as long as it can be called 'paper,' we will

heart was completely ignited by his master's

Yes, a sample!

need to achieve perfection in one step. He just needed evidence

took a deep breath and

...

breakfast, the family sat around the

could see your reflection. A few pieces of chopped black wheat bun cubes floated and sank

porridge with gusto. He had worked all morning