Chapter 111 - 111 It Should Be Like This
111 It Should Be Like This
After about half a month, Zhao Sheng finally restored all the blueprints drawn by Bai Wutong.
When he informed Bai Wutong, it attracted everyone who had been curious for many days.
Bai Wutong could always design something unexpected.
Presumably, this time, it would also surprise everyone.
Bai Wutong looked at the paper production machine and praised Zhao Sheng. Then, under everyone’s curious gazes, she went to the field where the wood shavings were piled.
Cui Lingyi could not help but ask, “Teacher, what do you think Little Phoenix is doing?”
She had never read the ‘Book of Hundred Industries’, so she could not understand what these strange machines could do.
Yang Quanzi had already guessed it. He smiled and said, “Madam Bai probably thinks that it’s too wasteful to pile the wood shavings here and intends to use them to make paper.”
As soon as he said that, everyone let out surprised voices.
“Paper making?”
Paper was extremely expensive because the cost of making paper was high and the workmanship was complicated.
Xu Zhiyi, who had worked with Yang Quanzi on the ‘Book of Hundred Industries’, had personally seen the craftsmen of the paper workshop working hard for an entire day. They could only make 300 pieces of paper at most daily.
After the paper was made, the heat had to be controlled, allowing the paper to slowly dry. After it was completely dry, it could be lifted up to obtain a piece of paper that could be written on.
If one was not careful when making the paper, the paper would become useless.
This did not include the selection of materials for making paper, the proportion of the paper formula, and so on.
The price of paper was expensive and needed someone to copy the words slowly. Then, the paper had to be bound into a book before it could become complete. Therefore, many scholars in the world had to grit their teeth and think a long time before buying a book.
When they heard that Bai Wutong wanted to use these wood shavings that were meant for fuel to make paper, everyone was surprised and immediately revealed looks of admiration.
But Bai Wutong was purely doing it for herself. She was working hard so that she could use toilet paper in the future without any worries.
Bai Wutong first designed the printing technique, and now she was prepared to use these machines to improve the paper-making technique.
If she succeeded, she would definitely benefit the commoners!
Cui Shize was extremely emotional and excited. He took a step forward and said, “Madam Bai, please let me know if you need anything. I will definitely do my best!”
Since the teacher had already expressed his stance, the students naturally stood up and said, “Us too! Madam Bai, if you need anything, just tell us!”
Paper making usually required good bamboo or wood with bark removed. When Bai Wutong wanted to use wood shavings, someone from the 12 families of Qinghe kindly reminded her, “Madam, if you want to make paper, I’m afraid wood shavings won’t be possible.”
Bai Wutong smiled. “Let’s give it a try. Just in case it works.” Actually, she was very confident that it wouldn’t be a problem.
Everyone wanted to help, and it just so happened that Bai Wutong could not handle it alone, so she got everyone to set up several large earthen stoves on the ground. Then, they scooped water from the reservoir and poured the wood shavings and water into the pot, repeatedly boiling it into a pot of bubbling white pulp that looked like poison.
Bai Wutong stirred one of the large pots with a large wooden stick. Seeing that the wood shavings had completely boiled and shattered to the extent of wood pulp, she said, “You can pour it into the first paper machine that filters and bleaches.”
Only half a pot of wood pulp could be poured into the filter machine at a time. Two people had to fill it with water while pushing the handle of the paper machine to make it work like grinding grout, running the filtered wood pulp from the top to the bucket below.
After repeated filtering and bleaching and several rounds of operation, the impurities and overly large particles in the wood pulp had been filtered out. The color of the wood pulp then appeared pure milky white.
When Xu Zhiyi and Yang Quanzi went to the paper workshop to observe, they had never seen such complicated steps in making paper.
However, when he saw that the wood pulp that was even whiter than bamboo and wood could be filtered out using wood shavings as the raw material, he was instantly stunned.
When the others saw the white wood pulp settle at the end, although they did not know how to make paper, they could not help but feel excited when they saw Yang Quanzi and the others’ shocked expressions.
Could wood shavings really be used to produce paper?
The wood pulp that had settled was placed in another paper machine.
Bai Wutong saw everyone struggling to pour the wood pulp into the second machine. She thought about the modern processes and how they were fast, clean, and simple. Whereas, this place was really primitive.
If only she could improve it a little more and let the filtered and washed wood pulp directly enter the pulp machine.
Bai Wutong was not an engineering major. It was already very difficult for her to draw such a machine blueprint. It might be too draining for her if she had to modify it.
She placed her hopes on Zhao Sheng and casually said, “If the machines could be used together, there would be no need to go through so much trouble to carry the materials around.”
When Zhao Sheng heard Bai Wutong’s words, he had a flash of inspiration and immediately revealed an excited expression. It was as if it was not difficult to design two machines together, just like how a water wheel could turn and lift water. He should be able to do it.
When Bai Wutong saw his expression, she smiled. Perhaps one day, the automated toilet paper machine could be produced.
After pouring the wood pulp into the pulp machine and mixing it with water, it entered the wooden frame of the precipitated paper and filtered out some of the water. Everyone was surprised to see that a complete piece of paper about to appear.
At this step, Bai Wutong removed the wooden frame and placed it on another paper machine.
The wooden frame was sandwiched between two planks wrapped in absorbent cloth, so that the fibers in the wood pulp were compressed together. Then a snow-white sheet of paper really did appear.
It was white and had a slight luster. As long as it was tried and tested with a brush and ink, one would know that its quality and grade.
Madam Bai had really made a complete piece of paper!
Everyone looked stunned.
Before anyone could step forward to observe, in the next second, Bai Wutong pressed the switchblade on the template. With a crack, the complete piece of paper turned into several pieces. Then, it slid down the track and piled up neatly.
Everyone was instantly dumbfounded. It wasn’t like they were going to write a couplet. Why would they cut a piece of paper that could sell for a high price like this?
Bai Wutong did not care about everyone’s shocked expressions. She used the wooden stick that she had prepared to roll the freshly pressed paper into small rolls and placed them into the machine to evaporate the water.
Cui Shize was shocked for a long time before he reacted and asked in disbelief, “Why did Madam Bai make the paper look like this?”
Paper was precious in this era. Bai Wutong looked at the toilet paper that was placed in the evaporating bucket and was a little worried that she would be talked about if she said the reason.
After hesitating for a few seconds, thinking that it was impossible for them to not use toilet paper just because they felt that paper was precious, Bai Wutong said frankly, “The cleaning paper I want to make is just like this.”