Chapter Seventy-One: A Solution to the Dilemma

After listening to his elder brother's words, Zhang Xuan realized he had underestimated the complexity of the situation; after all, times had changed, and there was no familiar A4 paper here, sliced neatly again and again.

Before he could finish reflecting on this, Old Master Tong arrived with several people in tow, standing before Zhang Xuan. "Xuanzi, I’ve gathered a few people for you. I’ll look for more later, but these can start for now. Why do you all look so worried? Did you fail to borrow any books? But that can’t be, you’ve got a book in your arms. If you’ve borrowed it, you can start transcribing!"

Yang Zaixing and Zhang Xuan turned to Old Master Tong. "Master Tong, do you have any paper? Or perhaps ready-made bamboo or wooden slips? We’ve run into a problem: we lack these materials. Without them, copying books might be impossible," Yang Zaixing explained, sharing with Old Master Tong the concerns he had just discussed with Zhang Xuan.

"There should be some at the Yan household, though probably not much. Still, we can copy what we can for now, and later, when we have more, we can copy again," Old Master Tong replied, gesturing to one of his companions to fetch all the paper and bamboo slips stored at the Yan residence.

While waiting for these materials, Zhang Xuan remembered his earlier conversation with Zhao Ding about asking the Yan family to guide them to Yingchuan, and he brought this up with Old Master Tong as well. The Yan family had many members who often left for various tasks, so it was no trouble at all; Old Master Tong promised on their behalf. This earned him much praise from Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing, who remarked repeatedly that he was indeed worthy of being the Yan family’s son-in-law.

After a short wait, the man sent to fetch the paper returned, but the amount he carried was pitifully small. Old Master Tong kept checking, confirming again and again that this was all that remained. Left with no alternative, he waved his hand in resignation and told them to start copying books with what they had.

"Xuanzi, with so little paper, you might not even finish transcribing the book you’re holding," Old Master Tong said helplessly. There was nothing he could do; most of the paper had been stored alongside books in the Yan family’s library, and this small amount had been saved only because a careless servant had failed to store it with the rest.

Zhang Xuan could only chuckle at the situation, blaming himself for not considering everything beforehand. Leaning against a pillar, he pondered possible solutions to this dilemma.

"Elder brother, how long did it take you to make bamboo slips back then?" Zhang Xuan turned to Yang Zaixing, recalling that he had only seen bamboo slips on television.

"If the person splitting the bamboo is skilled, it can be done quickly. Sawing the bamboo and roasting it over fire are simple enough," Yang Zaixing replied after some thought.

"Master Tong, is there a bamboo grove nearby? And does anyone in the Yan family or town excel at splitting bamboo?" Since this was Old Master Tong’s territory, he should be familiar with the area—or could easily ask the Yan family for help.

"There is a bamboo grove, but as for expert bamboo splitters, anyone trained with blades in the Yan family can handle it, though whether they’re truly skilled is another matter."

"Master Tong, you mentioned earlier that the head of the Yan family wanted all those learning martial arts to participate in reading, correct?" Old Master Tong nodded; his father-in-law had indeed said so. "Then could you discuss with the head of the Yan family and ask that, starting now and tomorrow, everyone lend a hand?"

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s crafty expression, Old Master Tong realized he might have found a way to solve the paper shortage. "Xuanzi, you want the Yan family to help make bamboo slips?"

"Master Tong, you’re as sharp as ever. I was just rambling, and you immediately seized the key point and devised a solution. My admiration for you is boundless, like..."

"Enough, I’ll go ask my father-in-law," Old Master Tong interrupted, turning once more to head into the inner courtyard.

"Elder brother, does Uncle Yang know how to make bamboo slips?"

"He does, though he usually supervises rather than does the work himself. Whether he can do it personally, I’m not sure."

"I didn’t expect Uncle Yang to be so versatile. Once Master Tong returns, we’ll call Second Brother and go cut bamboo together. Each time someone brings a stalk back, you can instruct the others on splitting it, following your usual method, then Uncle Yang can oversee the roasting. With this process, we should be able to make plenty of bamboo slips, and the books we need will be taken care of."

"Xuanzi, you’ve assigned everyone a task. What about yourself? As the initiator, you can’t just sit idle," Yang Zaixing remarked, suddenly realizing a crucial point.

"How could I be idle? I’ll copy books alongside them, and see how to speed up the process. Then I’ll compare whether engraving the bamboo slips or writing with ink is faster. The tasks I handle are quite important."

"Alright, I’ll go call Second Brother and Uncle Yang, and explain everything. Oh, by the way, how’s Little Yun?"

"He’s fine, just tired from standing; he’s resting and recovering. Tomorrow’s extra practice is canceled for now. After our morning run, we’ll focus on the book copying task. After all, reading is important for us."

Yang Zaixing nodded and went off to find Yuwen Chengdu and Uncle Yang.