The next day was overcast, with a light drizzle falling intermittently from the gray sky, bringing a touch of coolness to the gloomy weather.

As soon as Lin Yinan entered the county government office, the guards bowed respectfully to her.

"Lord City Lord! The Liao family father and sons, along with Shi Dahe, have been waiting for you in the council hall since early this morning, saying they have important matters to report to you."

Lin Yinan was stunned, and for a moment she couldn't remember who they were.

“Madam, she is a sculptor,” Qianwu reminded her.

Lin Yinan suddenly realized that he wondered how well they had learned to read.

She stayed at the Lin family's house so late last night, but she didn't see Lin Fu go back.

From afar, the voices of several people could be heard coming from the council chamber.

"Brother, do you think the city lord will be satisfied with what we carved?"

"If you're not satisfied, we'll redo it. I think we can do it even better."

Lin Fu encouraged them, saying, "You've done a great job to accomplish this in such a short time."

"What did you do? Let me see." Lin Yinan stepped into the council hall with a faint smile on her face.

"Lord City Lord!"

Everyone quickly stood up and bowed.

Lin Yinan waved her hand at them, "No need for formalities, sit down and talk." Finally, she looked at Lin Fu and asked, "A-Fu, how is the task I assigned you going?"

"Reporting to Miss, Lin Fu has successfully completed his mission," Lin Fu replied.

After speaking, he looked at Shi Dahe and said, "Master Shi, take your carving to the city lord for a look."

Upon receiving his prompting, Shi Dahe shakily lifted a cloth from the table, revealing a square wooden board about six or seven inches long.

"Please take a look, Lord City Lord!"

Qianwu took it, confirmed it was normal, and then handed it to Lin Yinan.

Lin Yinan took the wooden board and carefully examined the words carved on it.

This was the prototype of woodblock printing. The first few lines of the first part of the "Thousand Character Classic" were carved on the wooden board. The characters were clear and the carving was smooth. The characters had not yet been inked, and the spacing between the characters was pleasing.

"Bring me some writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone!"

Lin Fu quickly retrieved writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the adjacent office.

Lin Yinan instructed him to evenly brush the ink onto the carved wooden board, and then place the paper on the ink-brushed printing plate and apply pressure.

Moments later, the text on the printing plate was transferred onto the paper.

Slowly picking up the printing plate, the characters on the paper were clearly visible.

"It's done! Uncle, it's done!" Liao Changyi's voice trembled, his eyes shining as he stared at Lin Fu's hand movements.

Lin Yinan carefully examined the handwriting on the paper. The handwriting looked familiar, and every stroke of each character was correct, showing that the writer had put a lot of effort into it.

She handed the paper to Shi Dahe, "Take a look, is it the same as the original book?"

Shi Dahe took the book and read it carefully, word by word. After a long while, he finally said, "That's right!"

He knew these words by heart; he could write them with his eyes closed.

After he finished reading it, the three members of the Liao family took the paper and looked at it.

"Father, the printed words are exactly the same as those in that book," Liao Changyi said with a beaming smile.

Lin Yinan was also very satisfied. In such a short time, they not only learned to recognize the characters, but also mastered the carving skills so well.

"To have accomplished this in such a short time is truly remarkable!" she praised without reservation.

Feeling a little embarrassed at being praised for the first time in his life, Shi Dahe rubbed his hands nervously.

After a long pause, he managed to stammer out, "I wonder if there are any areas that need improvement, Lord City Lord?"

Living in a spacious and bright house, his monthly salary was equivalent to half a year's income in the past. He felt that it was just a matter of carving a few words, and the city lord was really giving too much.

"No, this is fine." Lin Yinan wouldn't offer advice on areas she wasn't familiar with.

Seeing their uneasy expressions, she added, "Feel free to make any requests you may have!"

Shi Dahe shook his head vigorously, "No! No!"

He really didn't dare. The work hadn't even started yet, so how could he make so many demands on the family? That wouldn't be appropriate.

Having worked for decades, this is the first time I've encountered such a wonderful client. I can't afford to leave a bad reputation in their eyes.

Liao Changyi looked at his uncle who dared not say anything and felt a little anxious. If his father hadn't held him down, he would have blurted it out long ago.

Lin Yinan also noticed his unusual behavior and raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you have something to say?"

Liao Changyi was about to speak when his father covered his mouth, saying, "Lord City Lord, we have nothing to say."

"No need for that! Just let me know if you need anything, and I'll do my best to accommodate you."

She glanced at Liao Zongwei indifferently, her sharp gaze causing Liao Zongwei to unconsciously loosen his grip.

Liao Changyi hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Lord City Lord, could you make a few smaller carving knives for me and my uncle? Our carving knives are all too big, making it easy to make mistakes and taking a lot of time."

Is there anything else?

Lin Yinan pursed her lips, her mouth slightly curved, her expression indifferent, making it impossible to discern her joy or anger.

Liao Changyi was still a child at heart. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "No."

Do you have blueprints?

"Yes, I drew it." Liao Changyi reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, handing it to Lin Yinan.

Liao Zongwei and Shi Dahe looked at this ignorant and arrogant brat with apprehension.

If we make so many demands, what if we offend the host family?

Lin Yinan took the drawing and unfolded it. She saw that the child not only had skillful hands, but also drew very detailed drawings.

It reminded her of Yun Er; he should be able to create it.

"Qianwu, go and see if Yun Er is behind us, and call him over."

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