Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination

The artisans in the backyard have not eaten yet, they are studying how to print in the studio on the second floor.

The studio was designed by Cui Xie in accordance with the modern office. Most of the desks and chairs left by Mr. Wang are placed in the studio. Each person has a set, and two craftsmen sit opposite each other. Only a long wooden table like a restaurant table was added in the middle of the room for them to meet around the table.

When Cui Xie went up, the office door was closed tightly, and a large bowl of meat dishes and mixed noodle buns were placed in the specially set up lounge next to it. It was cold enough, but no one came to eat it. A woman in a blue dress was busy packing up her food so that she could take it back to the kitchen and reheat it.

This woman is the wife of an engraver named Huang Yang. The family moved in with her husband two days ago. Seeing that the owner, the master, the servant, and the servant are all men, they took the initiative to clean and cook for them. rice. Cui Xie saw them moving in naked, with few decent household items and clothes, so he first paid them one month's wages as moving expenses. Even Huang Dasao also had five hundred coins a month.

What the Cui family gave was the real copper coins, not the low money that was mixed with iron, more than six hundred dollars was enough to exchange one or two silver, so the couple was very content with the report, and they got up early and rested late at work. strength.

She gave Cui Xiefu a blessing and called "Little Official Man", and wanted to go in and call the workers out for him. Cui Xie said: "Sister-in-law, let's go hot dishes, I'll talk to the big brothers about engraving, and I will ask them to eat soon."

Sister Huang came downstairs with vegetables. When the craftsmen heard him talking outside, they stopped their work and got up to greet him.

As soon as Cui Xie entered the door, he saw a large number of dyed engravings piled up on the big long table in the middle, some of which were whole and broken, and a few pieces of white paper were spread out on the outside of the table, with a rich red plum picture printed on the paper.

In order to prepare for enrollment these days, he didn't spend much time watching their progress. Only today did he discover that they were able to print quite well.

When I first talked about color printing with Li Jinbao, he didn't even know the color printing of vermilion and ink. It has only been more than a month and the whole plum branch has been printed. The ink-colored branches extend downwards from the top of the picture, with the ribs exposed, and the strength is strong. The plum petals are dense and dense, and the color is bright red, which looks like a painting from a distance.

Just a closer look will reveal that the dried plums are all black, and the petals are also brilliant red to the end, lacking a change in depth. The ink line drawn by the outer part of the petal and the stamen is too strong and not harmonious enough with the petal itself.

It was about using the original line-drawing pattern. I don’t know how to fill in the colors in the line draft. If it is too solid, the printing is a bit rigid.

He shook his head subconsciously, stroked his fingers along the lines of the plum blossom branches, and said while watching: "The lines are very well engraved and the colors are even, but the colors of the branches and flowers are rigid and rigid, and the outline-ink lines and The safflower is not harmonious enough."

Although there are such and other problems, it is quite a surprise to be able to find out the print so quickly. He originally thought that there would be a problem of color misalignment and overflow, but he didn't expect so many pictures to be printed neatly. It seems that the hands of these craftsmen are extremely stable, and their eyes are comparable to vernier calipers.

He couldn't help thinking of the legend of the eighth-level fitter in the Liberation Junior School, and secretly looked at the few seemingly ordinary craftsmen.

Hidden deeply, had to take it.

But looking more closely, he suddenly found that the faces of the artisans were filled with loss, and all of them looked at him flusteredly, as if they were about to work overtime and stay up all night right away and do it again.

Only then did Cui Xie realize that the shortcomings he had just said scared the workers, he hurriedly smiled at them, and said mildly: "It's already printed very well. It's much better than I thought. I will be called Dasao Huang tomorrow. Make some food and drink to treat everyone. Can the printed pictures now be so neat?"

The two printers said shamefully: "Nine of the ten sheets were not correct when they were printed, which squandered a lot of the master's paper, but now it is slightly better, ten sheets can match five or six. The son will give us some more. Time to practice, and if you can print dozens of more copies, you will be able to find the feel."

He said generously: "That's not a waste, you should practice it. The engraving is the same. You should not begrudge the board. We don't want to print it once."

The printed beauty picture will change the color of the clothes in the future, cut out a few lines, and then print it out as the heroine of the new book.

Cui Xie thought calmly, and announced the news of the start of construction by the way: "We have four new manuscripts in our store, all of which are the subject of a scholar meeting a goddess and a ghost, and they can be assembled into a book. I think it will be included in the book. This kind of color-coded beauty picture, the eldest brothers have rich experience, can you have any suggestions?"

A printer surnamed Wang saw that he had a good temper, so he boldly said: "We have printed books for decades, and we have never seen a book with colorful pictures in it. You have to buy a set and keep it for freshness. You don’t have to worry about the bad printing of this picture, which will affect the book’s sales. We are just afraid that the printing will not be correct. The printing cost is too much and the printing cost is high."

Zhang Dazhuo said: "We also carve the plum flowers indiscriminately by ourselves, so it is not good. When we are waiting for the embroidery, if the son can ask a good painter to draw the picture, we will engrave it, brush the color and print the thing. It must be much better than this."

When they looked at Mo Mei on the table, their eyes and hearts were a little hot.

No one used to print color pictures when printing books, let alone color pictures like this kind of painting. They can be the first to print it, not to mention that, at least once this book is published, the two Beijing and 13 provinces have to point to their study and say, "This is the Zhirong study that can print color plates." These craftsmen Immediately followed the famous legend!

A few workers glanced at each other, the corners of their eyebrows and eyes were expecting, and worried that this opportunity to become famous was lost. They all looked back at the engraving plates, raw materials and paper piled in the house, and wanted to practice more before they were printed. .

Seeing that these people in the industry are full of fighting spirit, Cui Xie also felt emboldened, and said with a smile: "Then you have to eat first, take more rest in the past two days, and cultivate enough energy. I have asked Pengyan to copy the manuscript. I will prepare the embroidery. It will not be so difficult that we cannot make it ourselves."

It was not early, Huang Dasao warmed up the food again, and the craftsmen ate in the lounge and went home.

Cui Xie asked for some brushes, paint, gelatin, and boundary rulers in the studio. When he arrived at the main courtyard, he saw Pengyan sitting at his desk, copying manuscripts by candlelight.

The day after autumn is already short, the outside is half dark and not dark, and the candlelight is dim. It is the most uncomfortable time for reading. He put down his things and cut the candle wicks and added two more candles. Rarely, he sat down at the table and turned out a few books of novels and pictures sent by officials from Tongzhou to look at the embroidered portraits.

Holding the inkstone and writing down, he asked with concern: "Why is the elder brother reading too? Didn't you say that your eyes are tired at night and you dare not read?"

Cui Xie asked him with a smile, "Did you praise me for drawing chestnuts well that day? I now feel that I am talented, and I want to see other people's embroideries, and imitate pictures of beautiful women in a book. You Are you optimistic?"

Holding the inkstone answered without hesitation: "You must have done a good job." After speaking, he glanced at the page of embroidered portraits spread out in his hand. Seeing that there were many people on it and the beautiful houses, he couldn't help frowning, and tactfully advised: " Either let's draw something simpler, just be a beauty, not too much... I am afraid that those craftsmen will not be able to print a color book for the first time."

Cui Xie couldn't help but touched his head, and comforted: "It doesn't matter, I just haven't painted before, just practice more according to these."

Pangyan is still young, and he doesn't have the haircut to read books like him. He still has half-length hair. It is very convenient to touch. After two years, the hair will not be so easy to knead. He couldn't help but rubbing a few more hands before he retracted his hands to look at the embroidered illustrations, and engraved them into the PDF clearly, so that he would not have to turn the book for future reference.

There are not many illustrations in the embroidery book, and looking at pictures is much simpler and less labor-intensive than looking at characters, and it doesn't take much effort to print them. Then he digs out the cheapest yellow bamboo paper by candlelight, and dips a faint ink with a hook line pen. Starting from the upper right corner, he draws long and short curvy lines down, slowly retrieving the line drawing. Feel.

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Mr. Lin's set of manuscripts came just right, when their study was about to work out engraving and printing, and they were ready to print. When Cui Xie went to school the next day, he brought up a basket of newly-listed water red pears. One party was so clean and delicious. He went to the school early to thank him.

After Mr. Lin finished this errand, he felt a lot more relaxed, and he was even more confident when he saw him as a student. After accepting the gift, he taught him a few words as usual not to dwell on miscellaneous books, and then looked at the homework he handed in, commented on a few sentences, and said: "These days I see you worry about housework and focus on academic affairs, so I didn't tell you too much. Many things. Starting from today as a teacher, you must be strict with you, not only to study the scriptures, but also to start learning to write scripture articles, in preparation for the county test in February the following year."

Cui Xie's heart jumped slightly, and the three big characters "eight-part essay" jumped out of his mind. He asked in surprise: "I only learned "Poetry" from my husband before long before I can learn to write eight-legged essays?"

Mr. Lin glanced at him and said with some surprise: "An eight-legged essay? This is a good summary. After the essay is entered into the title, there must be four parts to accept, and each has two pairs of parallel sentences. It’s not bad to call it a stereotype. Is this what you think? Have you done an article at home?"

...... In the eighteenth year of Chenghua, was the eight-part essay still not called the eight-part essay? Hey, why did he choose modern and contemporary literature instead of ancient literature?

Cui Xie was sweating three thousand feet in his heart and wanted to wear it back to change his major and go back to university. But he didn't dare to bring color on his face, and said calmly: "I have never studied before, but I heard a guest say when I was at home that we must do a good job of stereotypes in order to pass the Chinese imperial examination. I wrote down this word. ."

Mr. Lin didn’t doubt anything, he just nodded, and said with some insight: “It turns out that the official family is the origin of family learning after all, and the ancestors have summed up these many experiences. The pros and cons are compared to the pros and cons, and they must be beautiful and neat when written, even if the examiner sees it, he will feel pleasing to the eye..."

His voice became lower and lower, and he was gradually immersed in his thoughts. Cui Xie almost exposed the true face of the traveler. It was when he was a low-key person, he did not dare to disturb him, and quietly returned to his seat to practice calligraphy.

It wasn't until the next student came into the hall to salute his husband that Mr. Lin came to his senses. He accepted his homework, scribbled a few words at random, and walked up to Cui Xie and said, "You first review "Xiaoya", and when I finish drawing your book, I will teach you how to start solving the problem."