After Zhang Jian's agent arrived, everyone finally understood why his teacher was unwilling to hire this agent.
Because it's embarrassing!
Of course, it wasn't his manager who embarrassed him. His manager, Lin Ke, was indeed, as he said, a stunningly beautiful woman with an 8 out of 10 appearance. Apart from being a little flat-chested, she was perfect in every other way.
However, Lin Ke is a true mature and beautiful woman. When she appeared, she was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase.
"Zhang Jian, where are the recent paintings? I haven't seen them." Lin Ke said to Zhang Jian while sitting on the sofa. Zhang Jian looked a little aggrieved, while the others watched the show from the sidelines.
“I’ve drawn quite a few, but not on paper or canvas,” Zhang Jian said. “They’re all on stones.”
Lin Ke glared at him, and Zhang Jian shrank back. Not only him, but even Sanpang was incredibly obedient. He sat obediently on the sofa, watching Lin Ke.
"This painting is yours? You went abroad to sketch without telling me? This painting is very good, and I had no idea you painted such a good painting."
"No, no, this is a painting I made from a photograph. I absolutely did not hide the fact that I went abroad to sketch from life from you. I have already given this painting to this inn, so I didn't tell you."
"Meow." Sanpang also meowed twice, seemingly defending his owner.
"Sanpang seems to have gained weight again. How did you take care of him? He's been with me lately. I'm helping him lose weight."
Lin Ke picked up Sanpang. Sanpang seemed to want to resist, but after Lin Ke pinched its fat, it became obedient.
Before dinner, Lin Ke was pulled aside by a few girls to eavesdrop on her. They learned that Lin Ke had been pursuing Zhang Jian all along, and that she was Zhang Jian's agent and deputy agent, while she also ran her own company.
When Chen Yang and the others learned the news, they were puzzled as to why Zhang Jian wouldn't accept it.
“I feel a little intimidated when I see her. I’m afraid I won’t have any status after we get married,” Zhang Jian said.
Ye Wu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid, I'll teach you a few tricks. Actually, there's a little woman inside her waiting for you to discover her."
Chen Yang said, "I'll give her a spot. I don't have a suitable candidate for this month's spot yet."
Zhang Jian smiled wryly. The reason he gave the spot to Sanpang was because he was afraid Lin Ke would treat him the same way in the micro-world. But it didn't matter now, since everyone already knew.
Chen Yang's spot will not be valid for a few more days, and he plans to have Zhang Jian prepare a gift for Lin Ke in the next few days.
Therefore, they began doing something they had long wanted to do.
papermaking!
Paper is one of the four great inventions of China and is an extremely important thing.
However, traditional papermaking methods are no longer feasible, so Chen Yang decided to find another way and use the most traditional methods to make paper.
They peeled off the inner layer of bark and soaked it in the time-accelerated zone for a whole day. Then they boiled it, also in the time-accelerated zone, for most of the day.
The bark extracted from the wood is called "Rang". They clean the Rang and then remove the black bark from it so that the resulting paper will be clean.
Next, the grain is repeatedly struck with a wooden hammer. This is a physically demanding task. They don't have time to make a water mill, so they have to rely on manpower. Several people take turns using the hammer, and one person is responsible for adding water.
After that, the straw needed to be chopped into small pieces. This is where Chen Yang's tenacious blade came in handy. The straw contained a lot of plant fiber, making it very difficult to cut, but the tenacious blade cut it precisely every time, and Chen Yang even had to pretend to sharpen it a few times.
Finally, these chopped grains were used to make paper pulp.
Moreover, they boil it in batches. The first batch is boiled to be thicker and made into paper using the most traditional method. The second batch is then filtered using the traditional method to finally produce paper, which is also a skilled job. The nettle filter I prepared last time for filtering salt finally came in handy.
As for that traditional method, it involved finding a perfectly flat stone by the stream, pouring the viscous pulp directly onto it, and then burning it over a fire.
This method may be old-fashioned, but it is very effective.
They tried their best to spread the pulp evenly and thinly, but it was still half a centimeter thick in the end.
"I was hoping for some toilet paper to wipe my bottom. Using leaves every day is giving me hemorrhoids," Linglong said with utter disappointment upon seeing the thick layer of paper.
No one could respond to her words. Finally, Chen Yang said, "This is for Zhang Jian to use for painting. The paper we use is still being boiled. After filtering the pulp, what remains will be thin paper."
To be honest, the biggest use of papermaking is really wiping your bottom. After Chen Yang came to the micro world, he wiped his bottom with leaves, with dry grass, and with small bamboo strips, and the experience was terrible.
The paper's cleaning function is now more effective than its writing function.
If Cai Dagonggong knew about our improved papermaking techniques, he would probably be so angry he'd jump out of his coffin.
Half a centimeter of paper is definitely not suitable for wiping your bottom, but it's fine for drawing.
Because he had never used this kind of paper before, Zhang Jian didn't dare to use paint, fearing that the paper would cause severe bleeding. So, he decided to use charcoal to paint.
During his time in the micro-world, he has gotten used to drawing with charcoal. Although it is not as easy to use as a real charcoal pencil, it is still quite practical. However, its drawback is obvious: it must not be exposed to rain or moisture.
Zhang Jian closed his eyes and recalled for a while before starting to draw.
He wrote quickly, and in just about ten minutes, the general outline was already visible: an old house by the water, a few willow trees, and two children playing under the trees.
Holding a block of charcoal, Zhang Jian drew the scene with bold strokes, then picked up a smaller piece of charcoal and gently smeared it, depicting the details. His hand became a paintbrush; he would occasionally touch the charcoal and then draw on the paper.
The effect of the first ten minutes of painting was already very good, with a lot of charm. The detailed depiction in the later stages was all based on this foundation. He painted from noon until dusk. When everyone came over to take a look, they were immediately impressed.
Every piece of wood and tile in that dilapidated house was lifelike, and the patterns on the blue bricks on the ground and the weeds in the gaps were very expressive. Both the density and the composition were very pleasing.
For painters like Zhang Jian, the handling of density and the depiction of details are already instinctive. What they need to create is an artistic conception, an infusion of their own emotions.
Just as the sun was about to disappear below the horizon, Zhang Jian finished his painting, and everyone looked at him with strange eyes.
The little boy and girl in the painting are squatting under the willow tree, seemingly looking at the insects on the ground, or perhaps whispering to each other.
Although it was just a side profile, everyone could tell that the little boy and girl were Zhang Jian and Lin Ke.
In the picture, Lin Ke's face is still a bit round, and she has long hair. A strand of her hair falls and touches the little boy's hand. This moment of contact is the highlight of the whole picture.
Needless to say, their relationship needs no explanation. They're clearly childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little.
Even Zhang Jian himself was a little dumbfounded. He was just drawing the images in his mind. But for some reason, the more he drew, the clearer the images in his mind became, until finally, they jumped from his mind onto the drawing paper.
"I think I like Lin Ke? Oh my god, am I a masochist?!" Zhang Jian muttered to himself, his face full of despair.
"Meow!" Sanpang responded, seemingly confirming his answer.
Grandpa Cai improved papermaking so that many men could have paper to keep them company while they stayed up late at night, but he himself couldn't use it. What a great man he was!
(End of this chapter)
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