Chapter 69 Bao Si (Seventeen) Travels
In the early summer of Weishui, the locust flowers have fallen and small green fruits are growing on the branches.
Lin Jiaojiao stood at the gate of the Marquis's residence, watching the craftsmen load bundles of printed volumes of "Agricultural Atlas" and "Equipment Atlas" onto the carriage. Zero's pale blue shadow hovered beside her, scanning and verifying each box. "Fifty volumes of "Agricultural Atlas," thirty volumes of "Mozi's Equipment," and twenty volumes of "Book of Songs" (Western Zhou Dynasty Yasong Volume). The quantities are correct. The carriage's load capacity is within a safe range. We can depart."
Lin Jiaojiao nodded and raised her hand to tuck the loose hair behind her ears.
Today she wore a light grey cloth skirt that was convenient for traveling, and a belt embroidered with ripples of the Wei River tied around her waist, which was specially sewn for her by A'mo.
"Ling, our first stop is Lu. Confucius' disciples said the students there are in urgent need of classics. We can also observe Lu's farming practices and help improve their farm tools. Lu is famous for its classics of the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents. The scrolls of the Book of Songs we brought with us will help them with copying."
Zero's shadow swayed slightly, and tiny golden ripples appeared on the edges. This was how he looked when he was in a happy mood.
"I've scanned Lu's geographical data," the electronic voice said, softer than usual. "Lu is mountainous, and the existing plowshares are heavy and unsuitable for mountain farming. We can bring some drawings of improved curved plows, print them into a book, and give them to the local craftsmen.
In addition, Lu State had excellent silk weaving technology. Perhaps we could collaborate with them to use silk fibers to improve the quality of paper, making the handwriting on the "Book of Songs" scroll clearer and more durable.
The carriage slowly drove away from the marquis's mansion and headed along the official road along the bank of the Wei River.
Lin Jiaojiao opened the curtains and looked at the Wei River flowing outside the window - the sunlight sprinkled on the water, sparkling like a layer of gold.
Zero's light and shadow floated around her, and occasionally he would use his light and shadow to lift a fallen leaf, letting it float into the car through the window, and then gently fall on her knees.
"Ling, what interesting things do you think we will encounter when we travel around the world this time?" Lin Jiaojiao picked up a fallen leaf and gently brushed the veins of the leaf with her fingertips.
Zero's light and shadow formed a vague "smiley face" in the air. "Perhaps I'll meet someone from Qi who's skilled in brewing wine and get to taste its fine wine. Or perhaps someone from Jin who's skilled in chariot building and discuss chariot improvements with them. But the most interesting thing would probably be seeing the expressions of students from all over the world when they receive printed texts—just like the Mohist disciples' eyes lit up like stars when they saw the illustrations in 'Mozi's Chapter on Mechanical Instruments'."
Lin Jiaojiao couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You still remember it so clearly?" "Of course," Ling's electronic voice carried a subtle hint of seriousness, "I remember everything we experienced together."
The light and shadow moved closer quietly, and the cool halo gently brushed her cheek like a gentle breeze. This was the most intimate touch he could give.
Half a month later, the carriage arrived at the capital of Lu.
The disciples of Confucius had already been waiting outside the city gate. Ran Yong, who was in the lead, was wearing a plain Confucian robe. When he saw Lin Jiaojiao's carriage, he hurried forward to greet her.
He took the printed scroll of the Book of Songs, his fingers gently stroking the smooth paper, his tone full of admiration: "The Marquis of Weiyang truly keeps his promise! In the past, when we copied the Book of Songs, it took three students ten days to complete one scroll. Now, with this printed version, we can produce dozens of copies a day. Within a year, the Book of Songs will surely be spread to every city and every rural school in Lu."
Lin Jiaojiao responded with a smile: "This is our common wish. In addition, I brought some drawings of improved plowshares, which are suitable for mountain farming in Lu. After printing them into a book, I will give them to the local agricultural officials, hoping to help the people reduce the suffering of labor." Ran Yong hurriedly thanked them and took them to Pan Palace in Lu.
In Pan Palace, when the students saw the printed volume of "Book of Songs", they all gathered around and vied to read it.
Someone was reciting "Xiaoya Luming" softly in a clear voice; someone was pointing at the handwriting on the pages and exclaimed, "It is more regular than the handwritten one, even the distinction between "Ya" and "Song" is clearly marked."
Ling's shadow floated beside Lin Jiaojiao, scanning the students' responses in real time. "80% of the students are satisfied with the layout of the classics, 15% would like the font to be larger to make it easier for older teachers to read, and 5% would like some space next to the 'Poetry' scroll for annotations and commentary—we can adjust the subsequent printing plan based on this feedback."
Lin Jiaojiao nodded and asked the craftsman to take note of the students' suggestions.
During her time in Lu, she and Ling visited farmers in the mountainous areas, squatting on the ridges of the fields to guide them in adjusting the improved plowshare. The new plowshare was 30% lighter than the old one and turned more flexibly. After trying it, the farmers thanked her profusely, saying, "With this plow, we won't have to be so exhausted while farming in the mountains anymore!"
They also collaborated with weavers from the State of Lu to mix silk fibers into paper pulp. The new paper they produced was stronger and smoother, and the printed scrolls of the Book of Songs would not be easily damaged even after being read repeatedly.
After leaving Lu, they went to Qi.
Qi State had many coastal areas, and its people made a living by fishing and making salt. However, due to the lack of systematic skills, they often faced the dilemma of "little fish caught and bitter salt".
Based on the actual situation in Qi State, Lin Jiaojiao and Ling printed "Coastal Fishing Methods" and "Outlines for Sea Salt Purification" - the former recorded in detail the fishing opportunities and fishing net weaving methods in different seasons, while the latter marked the heat and water ratio during purification, and even drew a simple diagram of the salt filtering device.
When the salt workers followed the diagram and used the new method to produce pure white and fine salt, an elderly worker excitedly held the salt and handed it to Lin Jiaojiao, "Marquis Weiyang, look! This salt is much whiter than before, and not as bitter anymore. From now on, our Qi salt will definitely be able to be sold to other vassal states!"
Ling's light and shadow brightened a little, and the electronic voice was filled with joy: "Jiaojiao, look, they succeeded! From now on, the people of Qi will not only be able to eat good salt, but also improve their lives by selling salt."
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the smiles on the salt workers' faces, feeling gratified. "This is all thanks to you. If you hadn't helped me calculate the temperature for purification and drawn up the equipment diagram, we wouldn't have been able to write such a detailed method."
Zero's light and shadow gently wrapped around her hand, the cool touch tinged with warmth: "I'm very happy to be able to do these things with you."
In the next six months, Lin Jiaojiao and Ling traveled to various vassal states of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
In the State of Jin, they printed the "Chariot Improvement Atlas" based on the characteristics of the local chariots. They adjusted the number of wheel spokes from the old twelve to fifteen, which increased stability, and added lubrication grooves to the axles to reduce wear.
In the Qin State, at the request of the Qin army generals, they printed the "Summary of Military Strategy", accompanied by simple battle formation diagrams, to help soldiers quickly understand tactics; in the Chu State, they cooperated with local witch doctors to compile the orally passed down herbal knowledge into a book and printed the "Chu Herbal Atlas", marking the growing location, picking time and medicinal effects of the herbs, so that more people can identify herbs and treat minor illnesses.
Wherever they went, they would leave behind printed books and technical drawings, and also bring back local specialties and technologies. The sea salt purification techniques brought back from Qi State, after trial production in the Weishui fiefdom, greatly improved the salt quality of the fiefdom.
The herbal seeds brought back from the State of Chu were planted in the medicine garden of the marquis's mansion and became a good medicine for treating colds.
The chariot lubrication technology brought back from the Qin State was also used by craftsmen on the carriages in the fiefdom, reducing maintenance costs.
Ling's light and shadow always accompany Lin Jiaojiao, helping her scan geographical and climate data from various places and analyze suitable technical solutions. When she is surrounded by enthusiastic people, Ling's light and shadow will gently separate the crowd to leave space for her. When she is tired from traveling, Ling's light and shadow will block the glare of the sun for her, or project soft spots of light in the carriage to help her relax.
That day, the carriage finally arrived at the Weishui fiefdom. The guards and servants of the marquisate were already waiting at the gate. Seeing Lin Jiaojiao, the steward hurried forward and said, "Madam, you're back! Marquis Shen has sent a letter saying that His Majesty King Ping wishes to invite you back to Haojing to serve as the 'Book Master' of the royal palace, responsible for printing throughout the country. He also wants your papermaking and printing techniques to be designated as 'royal laws.'"
Lin Jiaojiao took the letter and gently ran her fingertips over the handwriting on the letter. Although King Ping's handwriting was not exquisite, it revealed sincerity.
Ling's shadow floated beside her, and an electronic voice asked, "Do you want to return to Haojing? A position in the palace will help promote printing faster, but it will also entangle you in court affairs."
Lin Jiaojiao shook her head, gazing out the window at the Wei River. Six months of traveling had seen countless smiling faces, and she felt a deep attachment to this land where she could work freely. "I want to stay in Wei River," she whispered. "There's a printing house here, familiar craftsmen and locals, and... you, while you could promote technology in Gaojing, you'd inevitably be constrained by government. Here, you can be more free to work on practical matters."
Zero's light suddenly brightened, and the golden ripples around its edges lingered for a long time, even gently spinning in the air, a gesture he only made when extremely happy. "Jiaojiao, I want to stay by your side forever," he said, his electronic voice tinged with joy. "Here, we can continue to improve our paper and print more books for the people without having to deal with the complexities of the court."
In the following days, Lin Jiaojiao wrote a reply letter, politely declining King Ping's invitation. In the letter, she promised to regularly deliver printed books and technical drawings to the palace to help promote printing across the country.
Together with Ling, she expanded the printing house in Weishui's fiefdom, recruited more than 20 literate young people from surrounding villages and towns, taught them typesetting and printing, and set up a "reading corner" outside the house, providing printed volumes of "Poetry" and "Agricultural Atlas" for free so that the people could read and copy them at any time.
Ling's skills are also constantly improving - he helps Lin Jiaojiao check texts to avoid mistakes and omissions, and can even use light and shadow to project scenery from various places on the walls of the study at night, such as the sunset on the seaside of Qi, the mountain terraces of Lu, and the chariot training ground of Jin, so that Lin Jiaojiao can relive the memories of her travels around the countries without leaving home.
In the late autumn of that year, the leaves of the locust trees on the banks of the Wei River turned golden yellow, as if they were covering the river bank with a warm coat.
Lin Jiaojiao and Ling sat in the courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, watching the craftsmen load the newly printed "Records of the Western Zhou Dynasty" onto the carriage.
This book records the customs, technologies, and stories of the people they saw while traveling around the countries, and is also accompanied by simple illustrations. The carriage is about to set off to deliver this book to various vassal states, so that more people can understand the diverse features of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Ling's shadow floated around Lin Jiaojiao, and the electronic voice carried a hint of satisfaction: "Jiaojiao, we have printed 120 kinds of classics and blueprints, from the Book of Poetry to farming techniques, from military summaries to herbal atlases, helping the people of more than 20 vassal states. Your original goal of 'making knowledge benefit more people' has been achieved."
Lin Jiaojiao smiled and nodded, reached out to pick up a golden locust leaf that had fallen on her knees, and handed it to Ling Guangying.
Although he couldn't truly hold it, he still gently supported the leaf with his shadow, causing it to spin softly in the halo. "Zero," she whispered, "Thank you for always being with me, from the Qiongtai Palace in Haojing to the Marquis' Mansion on the Wei River, from developing papermaking to movable type printing, and traveling across the world together. Without you, I might not even have taken the first step, let alone accomplished so much."
"Me too," Zero's electronic voice became particularly gentle, as soft as the night breeze of Weishui River. "Without you, I am just a cold system, without goals, without emotions. It is you who let me know that 'accompaniment' is such a warm thing, and that 'helping others' can bring so much happiness." The light and shadow gently brushed against the top of her head, as if comforting her, and as if telling the deep affection that cannot be defined by "system language".
As the night deepened, the candles in the courtyard lit up, and the flickering flames reflected on Lin Jiaojiao's face and on Ling's light and shadow, adding a bit of warmth to the light blue halo.
Lin Jiaojiao leaned back in the rattan chair, closed her eyes, and felt the night breeze from the Wei River brushing against her cheeks, carrying the fragrance of locust leaves. Ling's light and shadow rested on her shoulders, like a light feather, quietly accompanying her.
She knew that Ling might never become a tangible person, could never truly hold her hand, and could never taste the fine wine of Qi or the wheat cakes of Lu with her.
But this companionship that transcends time and space, this tacit understanding that can be understood without words, and this deep affection that has accumulated while working side by side have long become the most precious gift in her life - more important than any title or any book.
The wind from the Wei River blew gently, carrying the faint scent of ink from a distant printing house. Ling's electronic voice sounded softly in her ears, like a promise, like a promise: "Jiaojiao, we will be together forever, right?"
Lin Jiaojiao opened her eyes and looked at the light and shadow around her. A gentle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her voice was as light as moonlight: "Yes, we will be together forever."
The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, illuminating the figures of the two people.
One sits on a rattan chair, her hair blown by the night breeze, while the other's hair floats on her shoulder, a halo as soft as starlight. This quiet scene, like a poem without words, is forever frozen in the night of the Wei River.
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