Chapter 22: The new book makes books available to more people.

The room was spacious and bright, with several rows of huge wooden bookshelves in the center.

Each shelf of the bookshelf held twenty or thirty brand-new paper books.

Tables and chairs are placed along the walls for teachers and students to use when they come to the library to read.

Several inscriptions are hanging on the wall: "Books are the ladder of human progress" in regular script, "There is a path to the mountain of books, and diligence is the way; the sea of ​​learning is boundless, and hard work is the boat" in clerical script, "Learning without thinking is futile; thinking without learning is dangerous" in cursive script, and "Knowledge is power" in running script. [1]

It was specially written by the teachers at He Qinglan's request, and hung in the library to add a touch of cultural atmosphere.

However, the teachers and students who entered the library under He Qinglan's guidance had no interest in appreciating the room's layout. They were focused on the bookshelves filled with books, their eyes shining, eager to browse through them.

What are paper books like?

What kinds of books did the goddess give to everyone?

I wonder what it feels like to touch.

Are all the texts in paper books handwritten?

...

They were full of anticipation.

He Qinglan stood in front of everyone, looking at their expectant expressions, and smiled faintly, "These are the first batch of paper books produced by the printing workshop. They are all given to you. Even the administrative office doesn't receive this treatment. You should cherish them and not let us down."

She had no intention of wasting time, and gestured with her hand, "Go and see for yourselves."

The teachers bowed slightly to He Qinglan with a touch of humility, then eagerly began to peruse the new book.

The paper was spotless and snow-white, and felt incredibly smooth to the touch.

As you turn the pages, a faint scent of ink wafts out.

Qian Shiwen squinted as he looked at the rows and rows of neatly arranged text printed on the paper, all the same size. The handwriting…

He looked thoughtful. "Printing," he thought, staring at the pages. Suddenly, it dawned on him: "Could this have been printed with a seal?"

Indeed, seals can be used for stamping, so why print articles on a large scale? It's just that no one thought of it before!

The children didn't think about any of that; they were excitedly reading their new book.

Gao Shuqing carefully held a book, her gaze sweeping over the beautiful illustrations on the cover and the title "The Complete Collection of Chinese Mythology." Mythology? Gao Shuqing blinked, then turned two more pages, and a line of words caught her eye: "Pangu Creates Heaven and Earth."

The little boy looked up at the books on the top shelf. A little girl passing by asked him which book he wanted and took it down for him. The little boy wiped his hands on his clothes, opened the book, and slowly read, "The Daughter of the Sea!" Hmm? The Daughter of the Sea?

"Heaven has endowed me with talents that must be put to use; though a thousand pieces of gold are spent, they will return again." [2] The boy couldn't help but recite this line of poetry, and his eyes suddenly lit up with extraordinary brilliance: How amazing! This poet named Li Bai is really amazing! How can he write so well!

Qiu Tang was reading a novel, and the opening chapters immediately caught her attention. With great excitement, she watched as a stone transformed into a monkey, became the king of all monkeys, and then traveled overseas to seek immortality.

A middle-aged scholar stared intently as the sage wrote in the book: "Knowledge is the intention of action, and action is the effort of knowledge; knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge." [3] His eyes widened, his heart suddenly raced, and he unconsciously uttered the words "Unity of knowledge and action!"

A young scholar was reading a copy of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" at lightning speed, skimming through it. It was truly moving. If such a book could be widely circulated among the people, doctors could… He suddenly thought of the people in the medical clinic. Had the goddess already given them the book?

Another scholar stroked his white beard, astonished that the book given by the goddess contained a book on how to grow fruit trees! Moreover, the book was written in great detail, from selecting and preparing the land to the timing and methods of planting, to how to water, fertilize, and prune... Presumably, anyone who could read could learn to grow fruit trees from this book.

He Qinglan watched as the adults and children in the room quickly became immersed in the world of the book. She shrugged and headed to the printing workshop to meet the people from the paper mill and the printing workshop.

Both groups of workers were waiting for the goddess.

He Qinglan generously praised them, "You did a great job. The children at the academy are very happy to see the new book and are now engrossed in it."

A bright smile appeared on everyone's face.

The bookstore staff said, "Next, we can try making straw paper. Although straw paper is not as smooth as bamboo paper, it can be used for people to take notes and keep accounts, and it can also be used for children to practice their handwriting."

"The process of making straw paper should be similar to that of making bamboo paper, right?"

"You'll know once you try it!"

"I wonder what that kind of Xuan paper will look like. Shall we try it with other tree bark?"

"Tree bark...do we still have tree bark here for making paper?"

"Bamboo is indeed the most suitable material because it grows quickly and can meet our paper needs."

The printing press workers chattered on and on: "Sure enough, no one dislikes paper books!"

"Nonsense! Look how heavy bamboo slips are, and how light our paper books are! Besides, there are only a few words on bamboo slips, while how many words are printed on a single page of our paper?"

"So, our next step is to print a few more copies of the books the goddess gave us?"

"A few copies probably won't be enough. You didn't see how the people in the administration were eyeing our new book with green eyes."

If the goddess hadn't said that the books were for the academy and no one was allowed to touch them, those literate people would probably have already started fighting over them.

He Qinglan made a shushing gesture, and everyone immediately fell silent, their eyes all falling on her.

A smile appeared on the goddess's serene white face. "Next, I would like to set up a library in the administration building for everyone to use. Anyone who wants to learn can go to the library to read books."

She paused, then said, "I also want to set up a library near the county government office so that people can have books to read. You are in charge of printing, so you know very well that the books I provide include knowledge about planting, animal husbandry, medicine, biology, geography, and other aspects. People can learn useful things from them."

The people in the paper mill and printing workshop watched He Qinglan quietly.

They had long known that the goddess was different from many people in this world, but they never imagined she was this different.

She gave them food, seeds, and books!

People who would hide their books away and pass them down to their descendants would never print books on such a large scale as the goddess and display them to the general public.

The goddess truly hoped that they could improve themselves, become more powerful, and then live on their own two hands!

"Great!" a male voice rang out, particularly loud. "We will definitely work hard to print more books, so that everyone who wants to read can have access to them!"

Upon hearing this, the others immediately echoed, "Goddess, please rest assured!"

"We will not let the goddess down."

"We will work hard."

The goddess gave her an encouraging smile.

"I believe in you."

"If our six counties are to continue to develop, we cannot do without talent. But we are a small place, and talented people don't look up to us and are unwilling to come here. So we have to cultivate the talent we need ourselves."

"For the sake of the future of the six counties in Yunhe, and for everyone to live a better life, I hope that in the future all the people, including you and your families, will be able to learn to read and do simple arithmetic."

"My beautiful wish begins with you!"

The people in the administrative hall, who were watching from a distance, were deeply moved as they saw the people from the two workshops become excited because of the goddess's words.

Zhu Youchuan shook his head. "I thought the goddess wanted to use papermaking and printing techniques to attract students from all over the world to Yunhe."

With so many kinds of books in the goddess's possession, what scholar could refuse? Moreover, the goddess possesses the techniques of papermaking and printing. Wouldn't those students who want to write books, and those who want to better preserve the books in their homes, be tempted?

But the goddess didn't want to make a deal with them; she wanted to cultivate capable people for herself.

Qin Dongkui chimed in, "It's more reassuring and convenient to use people you train yourself. For example, weaving, tailoring, sewing, and embroidery are things that our own family members know how to do, and they can do them whenever needed. But if we hire outsiders, we have to consider their availability and coordinate with their schedules."

Hearing Qin Dongkui say this, Wang Heren nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, if I sell out the hoes and rakes I prepare in my blacksmith shop, farmers who want to buy them will have to wait for me to make new ones."

“These are all minor issues. What if you're the only blacksmith in the surrounding area, and you're from out of town, and you've gone back to your hometown for the New Year?” Li Yan spread his hands. “Or what if you don't want to work here anymore and just leave…”

Cheng Hui concluded, "The goddess is farsighted. From the very beginning, she cultivated the people she needed, so she won't have to ask others for favors or have to be at the mercy of others in the future."

Mo Jingchun thought for a moment, "However, I think it's necessary to use our technology to attract some celebrities."

Gu Lanying suddenly laughed, "For example, Xiao Zhu, if I, Yunhe, am willing to help you print your collection of books, would your Zhu family be willing to let us print an extra copy to keep in Yunhe?"

Zhu Youchuan: "..."

He tapped his palm with his bamboo fan. "I don't know if the Zhu family is willing, but there will definitely be someone willing to make this deal."

Just because the goddess doesn't want to place her hopes on others doesn't mean we should reject the good things others have.

“Those are things for the future,” Cheng Hui chuckled. “Right now, I’m more interested in reading the books bestowed by the goddess.” The goddess didn’t give them books from their world, but rather the culture of another world. He longed to glimpse and touch that other world through words.

Zhu Youchuan was taken aback. He thought of the history and politics textbooks the goddess had given him, and the works of famous people introduced in the history books. His curiosity was immediately piqued. He smiled and said, "I'd like to read the books the goddess gave me even more."

Fang Qin and Xiang Yuesheng exchanged a glance and then laughed at the same time.

Xue Guizhi clicked her tongue twice. "You've made me even more curious. What kind of books did the goddess bestow upon us?"

Dr. Xu said solemnly, "It's a life-saving remedy that guides us in the right direction."

Mo Jingchun chuckled. "Dr. Xu, have you also been influenced by Young Master Zhu?"

In the days following Zhu Youchuan's reading of the book bestowed by the goddess, he spoke in strange ways. People found it amusing and would sometimes imitate his speech to tease him.

Qinglan Academy.

The students and teachers were all standing, squatting, or sitting, all intently reading the new book.

Unlike the others, Qian Shiwen didn't sit down and read a book. Instead, he picked up one book after another from the bookshelf and flipped through them to get a general idea of ​​the contents.

Sure enough, the content was very comprehensive.

There are books that tell stories, books that teach skills, books that introduce scientific knowledge, history books, poetry books, books from the Hundred Schools of Thought, and even books that teach people how to communicate with others. A wide variety of books are available.

and……

Qian Shiwen looked at the Analects in his hand. The books given by the goddess did not just contain the content; they also provided explanations of it!

Just like this copy of the Analects, the book uses punctuation to help readers understand how to break sentences; it explains the meanings of relatively uncommon words; and it translates the text so that anyone who can read can understand the words of the sage.

This is not in the interest of the aristocratic families.

Qian Shiwen smiled bitterly.

He never imagined that teaching could be so simple.

I never expected this...

Qian Shiwen picked up a copy of "Grimm's Fairy Tales" and looked at the vernacular text in the book. The sentences were written in a simple and easy-to-understand style, and even children who could read could read the whole text smoothly.

He had initially thought the goddess's desire for ordinary people to learn to read and write was a joke, but it turned out that it was not impossible.

The goddess is indeed a goddess.

The goddess herself was instructing Cheng Hui to have the road construction workers suspend their work and harvest the crops in the fields.

A note from the author:

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1. [1] Gorky, Han Yu, Confucius, Bacon

[2] Li Bai's "Drinking Alone Under the Moon"

[3] Wang Shouren

2. 17000/20000, one chapter still needed.