Chapter 244: Recycled Paper

Sanbao walked out of the water and steamed himself dry, becoming a clean and refreshed ox once more.

Yan Yu lay sprawled across his back, enjoying the residual warmth. Her damp clothes dried along with him, and she was so comfortable she didn’t want to get down.

Yan Lao’er’s shoes were soaked. He rinsed them by the river, tied them with a grass rope, and hung them around the ox’s neck.

Sanbao didn’t mind and even helped dry them out.

Yan Lao’er slipped his feet back into the warm shoes and grinned. “Ah, these shoes, nice and toasty. Feels great.”

“Let’s go home. I could use another nap,” Yan Yu mumbled, drowsy from the steam. Her eyelids were drooping.

The father and daughter snuck back into the village like a pair of thieves.

Once they reached their courtyard, Yan Yu dove straight into her still-warm bed.

She thought to herself, Sleeping on a heated kang is the best. We cooked dinner last night, and it’s still warm now. Perfect for this season.

Yan Lao’er insisted on washing up thoroughly, worried his wife might complain if he came back dirty.

As he was splashing water on his face, he heard a soft noise in the yard.

He turned his head and saw Master Lu and a few others tiptoeing into the courtyard.

He deliberately splashed the water a bit louder to make some noise.

The sound caught their attention.

Yan Lao’er strolled over casually and whispered, “Master Lu, whose house was it tonight? Just finished up?”

Good thing he made some noise, or they might’ve been startled half to death.

Master Lu’s voice was hoarse. “Tonight was three households at the north end of the village. Dinner was hearty, gave us a good boost, so we managed to finish one extra.”

“What brought you out so late, Second Brother Yan? Not asleep yet?”

“Just tidying up some things. Time slipped away,” Yan Lao’er changed the subject smoothly. “Master Lu, when do you think we can start on the Qi Family’s place?”

Master Lu told the others to head off to bed, then walked with Yan Lao’er to the backyard for a quiet chat.

“I checked it out during the day. The Qi Family’s foundation is solid. As long as the bricks are delivered, the house will go up fast.”

The Qi Family already had their beams and timber ready, and they’d stockpiled a good amount of wood. Since they were building the same design as the Yan Family, they could just copy it. Plus, the Qi Family only wanted a cellar—no pigsty, no courtyard walls, no plastering. They didn’t even need a composting pit. It’d be a quick job.

“I’ll head to the brick factory first thing in the morning,” Yan Lao’er said.

He also asked about the progress on building kangs and stoves for the other households.

According to Master Lu, not only had there been more requests for kangs lately, but people were also asking about prices for digging cellars and building houses.

Clearly, his daughter had the right idea. Give folks a way to earn money, and they’d naturally start thinking about how to improve their lives—no need for anyone to convince them.

…

The next morning, Yan Lao’er was once again the first one up in the Yan household.

The courtyard was quiet and still.

He made a trip to the quarry to order a large stone mill, then visited several brick factories and hauled back a load of bricks.

This batch wasn’t for sale. It was reserved for the Qi Family to help them get their house built quickly.

He missed breakfast, but Granny Rong whipped up a quick stir-fry of lamb’s blood for him and pulled two warm steamed buns from the pot.

Yan Lao’er lit up when he saw the food.

Granny Rong really had a knack for knowing exactly how much he could eat.

The lamb’s blood was tender, with just the right amount of chili. She’d tossed in some wild chives from the fields and stir-fried it briefly—perfect with the buns.

Just as he finished eating, Yan Yu returned.

She’d given the Young Scouts the day off.

The kids were running wild all over the village, but once they burned off their energy, they calmed down and went back to helping the adults—some heading into the mountains, others doing chores at home.

Li Xuemei had gone with her to the river and retrieved the bag that held the paper pulp.

Yan Lao’er watched as Yan Yu poured the pulp into a square cement basin, curiosity piqued. He reached out to touch it.

“You made this yourself?” he asked, amazed. His daughter was really something. The outer walls were smoothed out so evenly!

“No way! I just mixed the cement. Er Tie and Brother San Tie helped me with the rest. Brother San Tie picks things up fast—he watched Master Lu and the others plastering for a bit and already got the hang of it.”

“As for the cement basin, we made a wooden mold first to shape it into large brick-like blocks, then stacked and smoothed them out.”

Yan Yu pointed to the wooden mold in the corner for her father to see.

That was impressive too.

Yan Lao’er was quietly amazed.

“Dad, help me pour in some water,” Yan Yu instructed.

Yan Lao’er grunted in agreement and worked with her—one pouring water, the other stirring.

Li Xuemei watched from the side. “Not enough water.”

Yan Lao’er fetched another bucket and poured it in.

“That should do it,” Yan Yu said, picking up a fine bamboo screen. She dipped it into the basin and lifted it out.

Sure enough, a thin layer of pulp clung to the screen.

All three of them were visibly excited.

“Is it too thin? Should we dip it again?” Yan Lao’er suggested.

Yan Yu thought for a moment, then dipped it again. The pulp layer was noticeably thicker this time.

“What’s next?” Yan Lao’er asked.

“Now we peel it off. Mom, your turn,” Yan Yu said, assigning the important task to Li Xuemei.

Li Xuemei shook her head. “No, don’t peel it by hand. This screen… flip it over, see if you can press it onto the stone slab.”

Yan Yu had gone to great lengths to find a special stone for papermaking—flat, round, and with an incredibly smooth surface.

She thought for a moment. That did sound like the right step.

She carefully flipped the bamboo screen over, and the pulp slowly slid down with her movement.

But when it touched the stone, it wouldn’t come off…

Yan Yu studied it for a while, then gave up on that batch of pulp.

She scooped a fresh one and started again.

This time, she moved much faster. She pressed one side of the bamboo screen against the large stone, and though the pulp clung to it reluctantly, it finally came off. The process was rough, but at least it worked.

“It’s all wrinkled and uneven,” Yan Lao’er commented.

Li Xuemei shot him a glare. If you think you can do better, be my guest! Don’t go killing our daughter’s enthusiasm.

Yan Lao’er shrank back immediately, totally cowed.

Yan Yu, however, was fully absorbed in the papermaking process. She didn’t hear a word her father said, nor did she notice the silent exchange of glances between her parents.

She failed again and again.

But gradually, she started to figure things out.

First, the bamboo screen. The one they bought didn’t have a grip or handle, which made it hard to keep level. Adding a handle would help stabilize it, making it easier to spread the pulp evenly.

Second, the step where she pressed the pulp onto the stone. Starting from one side was the right idea. As long as one edge stuck to the stone, the rest would come off the screen more smoothly.

But how to get that first edge to stick properly—that was the key.

Yan Yu looked up. “Dad, can you find me a wooden strip? Not a thick one, something thinner.”

Yan Lao’er ran off to the Qi family’s place and rummaged through Qi Wu’s pile of wood scraps. Eventually, he found two thin strips among the discarded pieces meant for firewood.

He treated them like treasure and rushed back home.

Qi Wu: …

Worried, he followed him back. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw his niece about to carve grooves into the wood strips with a kitchen knife.

He quickly took over. Once he understood what she was trying to do, he was both surprised and impressed. Without wasting a moment, Qi Wu used the wood grain as a guide and carved two perfectly straight grooves into the strips.

A few more cuts, and the bamboo screen slotted in just right.

Author Note:

Compared to traditional papermaking, this recycled method was a bit faster, skipping the long fermentation process for the materials~

I’ve been watching a lot of handcrafting videos lately. Recently, I’ve been reorganizing and rebinding some notebooks I didn’t like. If you’re stuck at home, give it a try! You don’t need many tools—most of them you can find around the house. It’s super relaxing, and once you finish, the sense of accomplishment is amazing~

(End of chapter)