Great Qin Emperor

Chapter 34

Wang Ao was really right, Zhou Chong wanted to make a useful brush for Wei Liao.

From our modern point of view, Wei Liao's pen is appalling.We modern people all know that a brush is a cavity dug out at one end of the barrel, the pen is stuffed in it, and then fixed with lacquer, it is a brush.Before Mengtian improved the brush-making method in the Qin Dynasty, the brush-making method was quite rough, no different from a broom.There are two ways to make it, one is to cut the pen tube into several parts, then put the pen inside, and fix it to become a brush.

From our modern point of view, the other method is purely to tie a broom, and tie the pen cents around the pen barrel with a thin thread.The brush used by Wei Liao was made in this way, so Zhou Chong almost laughed out loud when he saw the eight-body scholar, and imagined the brush as a broom.Wei Liao actually wanted to use such an unbearable pen to write a military masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages. Zhou Chong really cried out for his injustice and yelled that he was unworthy.

Not to mention Zhou Chong, if a modern person sees such a situation at first sight, he will definitely react like Zhou Chong, screaming in his heart that he doesn't deserve it, it's too unsuitable.

"Mr.'s pen has too little ink, so he can't write coherently. He keeps soaking in ink, which will interrupt his creativity and make it difficult to write books." Zhou Chong nodded to express his thoughts, and said, "I want to make a pen that can A good pen for coherent writing, allowing Mr. to write a great book in one go."

The biggest problem with the writing brush before Meng Tian's improvement was that the ink was stored too little, and he couldn't write coherently. It took a lot of time to soak the ink, not to mention wasting time. For Wei Liao, it always messed up his thinking. This is the last thing a book writer can do. matter of tolerance. (This is easy to understand. For example, if I used to write a composition, if I used a broken pen, I would not be able to write words while writing. This will affect people's mood. After a few times, the tide of creativity may also dry up. Friends with writing experience will agree.)
Wang Ao clapped his hands and praised: "Brother Zhou's words have reached Wang Ao's heart. We scholars have suffered from this broken pen. If Brother Zhou can make a good pen for Mr. Zhou, Wang Ao will give it to Zhou. Brother makes wolf meat soup, and cooks soup for Brother Zhou every day."

We modern people are much happier than the ancients. We used fountain pens for writing a few years ago, but now we don’t even need pens. We only need to tap the keyboard. The difference is really huge.

Zhou Chong understood Wang Ao's mood very well, and said with a smile, "Brother Wang is serious. I'm just an idea. I'm not sure if it can be realized." This is just a modest statement. As long as modern people have seen a brush We all know Zhuncheng.

"Brother Zhou, how to start?" Wang Ao asked enthusiastically.

Zhou Chong said: "I have to ask Brother Wang for help." Under Zhou Chong's leadership, the two threw the wolf skin and rabbit skin into the pot, boiled them in boiling water, and then fished them out. After cooling, they pulled out the wolf hair and rabbit hair. .Of course, the plucked hairs are enough to make one branch.

Mix wolf hair and rabbit hair in a certain proportion and tie them together.This is the brush-making method known as Jianhao in later generations. It did not exist in the Qin Dynasty. The brush made of a single animal hair was prevalent in the Qin Dynasty. The flexibility of the brush tip was poor, and the writing comfort was lacking.

Wang Ao didn't expect it, and asked Zhou Chong in amazement: "Brother Zhou, can this be done?"

"It's a joke, the Jianmao method has been used from Xidai to now, is there still a way to do it?" Zhou Chong joked in his heart that Wang Ao, an ancient man, did not have enough knowledge, and explained with a smile: "It is made of a kind of hair. The pen lacks flexibility, and it is uncomfortable to write. To write a book, not only must you have quick wit, but also a good pen, so that you can express your ideas well, maintain a good mood, and write more smoothly and more smoothly. Write better."

Wang Ao patted Zhou Chong on the shoulder very excitedly, raised his thumb, and said, "Brother Zhou, what you said has reached my core. This is the only thing that hurts people, and it often spoils good intentions." Gone, quick wit is nowhere to be found."

"If you want to work, you must first have a sharp tool." To write a good article, you must not only have a good environment, but also have a good tool!

Zhou Chong thought with admiration: "Even you, a prudent person, are so excited. It is conceivable that you have suffered a lot in writing. No wonder those great calligraphers in later generations, such as the calligrapher Wang Xizhi, and his teacher Wei Madam did not hesitate to spend a lot of time studying the method of making pens, not to find a smooth feeling of writing."

Picking up the pen barrel, Zhou Chong sharpened one end.We all know that the barrel of the pen is flat, so there is no reason to sharpen it. Wang Ao thought the same way, and asked in amazement: "Brother Zhou, why do you want to sharpen it?"

Zhou Chong didn't say anything, he stretched out his hand, put it on Wang Ao's hair, and said with a smile, "Understood?"

Wang Ao laughed loudly, and said: "Miaomiaomiao. Brother Zhou is very thoughtful, and everything is in his mind. High! Really high!" He took off the pen tube and handed it to Zhou Chong.

"What's so strange about this? Didn't this method prevail in the Han Dynasty? Those literati who wrote the emperor's daily life notes had no place to put their pens, so they sharpened the pen tubes and stuck them in their hair." Zhou Chong laughed in his heart, and said. : "I'll dig a hole at the other end, put a pen in it, and fix it with lacquer. It's a high-quality wolf pen. It must satisfy the husband."

This method of making brushes is called the nanometer method, which began when Meng Tian changed his pen and has been passed down to the present. More than 2000 years have passed, and no one can change it.

Wang Ao's master and apprentice did a lot of research on brush making, but they didn't think of this method. Hearing Zhou Chong's words, his eyes lit up, and he struck hard with both hands, praising: "It's really wonderful. We have made many brushes before, but there is no such method. Thinking of this, really! My husband and I conducted research based on the broom, and the number of pens we produced was not one thousand, but eight hundred. Why didn’t we think of this? Our method of making pens is easy to fall off. A pen will be useless after a short time. If you use this method, a pen will last a lot longer!" Look at his appearance, he really can be said to see the blue sky through the dark clouds!
"No wonder your pens look like brooms to me. They are based on brooms." Zhou Chong had to admit that Wang Ao's ingenuity is really very quick. Said and smiled: "A wise man has a lot of worries, and there is also a mistake. Sir and Brother Wang, they have mastered the art of war, vertical and horizontal skills, and are unparalleled in the world. They will inevitably have shortcomings in these trivial skills. Brother Wang, don't blame yourself."

"Thank you brother Zhou for your excuse." Wang Ao patted his forehead and said: "Everything is predestined. I have no destiny to make pens, so there is no need to force it. Brother Zhou, can you please hurry up."

Zhou Chong understood what he was thinking, and said: "It will be ready soon." Put the brush into the cavity, solidify it with lacquer, and bake it with fire, and it will be ready soon.

Wang Ao no longer cared about etiquette, snatched the pen from Zhou Chong's hand, pressed the nib of the pen on the palm of his hand a few times, nodded and praised: "elastic, flexible, good pen! good pen!"

"What's so good? When I meet General Meng Tian in the future, I have to take a detour." Zhou Chong thought in his heart, and said: "The ink used by the master is pine smoke ink, and this brush is rabbit hair. This is the ink that produces pine smoke. In the meantime, the writing of the cunning rabbit, complementing each other, is worthy of Mr. writing a masterpiece. Let’s go, send it to Mr.

"The ink is born in the pine and smoke, and the pen writes the cunning rabbit, good poems! Good poems!" Wang Aoyin praised.

Zhou Chong patted his forehead lightly, thinking to himself: "Cao Zijian, I'm sorry, I accidentally quoted your poems, don't scold me for plagiarism, I didn't mean it."

The two came to Wei Liao's writing place excitedly, only to see Wei Liao frowning together, and the eight-body scholar resting on the pen stand.Wang Ao walked over lightly, skillfully swapping the Langhao pen in his hand with the pen on the pen stand.

Wei Liao thought for a while, holding the Langhao pen, filled with thick ink, and hung his wrist to write quickly, but he didn't say a word of admiration.

It stands to reason that Wei Liao must have praised such a good pen. Unexpectedly, there was no praise at all. Wang Ao's eyes widened. Zhou Chong thought very strangely: "Could it be that this pen is not well made? But this pen Not to mention the Warring States period, even in modern times, can it be called first-class? Where is the problem?"

(End of this chapter)