Chapter Seventy-Two: Assembly Line Work

No one knew how much time had passed before Old Master Tong finally emerged from the inner courtyard. Zhang Xuan gazed at him expectantly. Seeing the anticipation in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, Old Master Tong initially wanted to put on a serious front, but, almost against his will, he nodded. He then sent someone to gather the others.

That, indeed, was efficiency in action!

Once the Yan family members had been assembled, Zhang Xuan and Old Master Tong walked together into the courtyard where everyone was gathered. Zhang Xuan quickly counted the people available and found the number satisfactory. After Old Master Tong briefly introduced the day’s task, Zhang Xuan took charge of organizing the groups.

He called Yang Bo, Yang Zaixing, and Yuwen Chengdu to stand apart, then stepped onto the stairs to begin dividing the teams.

“Everyone, as you’ve just heard from your son-in-law, the task for today is quite clear,” he began.

Old Master Tong found the term “son-in-law” a bit odd.

“It’s simple: we need to make bamboo slips and copy books. I’ll divide up the work now, since time is tight. When I call your name, just step forward.”

The people below whispered among themselves, casting glances at Old Master Tong.

Old Master Tong had to clear his throat and say, “From now on, just follow Xiao Xuan’s arrangements. Do as he asks—no need to hesitate.”

In truth, Old Master Tong was curious himself. Making bamboo slips and copying books were both time-consuming tasks. He wondered how Zhang Xuan would handle this rather daunting assignment.

“Alright, I’ll divide you into four groups: bamboo cutting, bamboo splitting, bamboo roasting, and bamboo engraving. I’ll assign you now.”

The crowd murmured again, not quite understanding what Zhang Xuan was talking about.

“First, those of you who can split bamboo, or are confident you can use a hatchet or knife to split bamboo, stand behind my eldest brother, Yang Zaixing,” Zhang Xuan said, pointing to Yang Zaixing’s position.

The people exchanged glances. Though unsure what this was all about, some still moved to stand beside Yang Zaixing.

Seeing that the number of people wasn’t quite enough, Zhang Xuan continued, “Splitting bamboo is a detailed and important part of making slips. Is there anyone else with experience? If so, please step over. As long as you can split it and the pieces are usable, that’s enough. Don’t worry if you’re not perfect; you’ll have time to practice.”

Hearing this, a few more people joined Yang Zaixing. Zhang Xuan, satisfied with the number, continued.

“Next, is there anyone here who can copy books, or engrave characters? If you’re already standing with my brother, that counts too. Raise your hand if you can.”

Someone below called out, “Young master, copying books isn’t our thing—we barely know any characters!”

Zhang Xuan frowned briefly, then had an idea. “If you can at least engrave according to patterns or characters, with the right tools, you should be able to manage.”

He reasoned that even if they couldn’t copy texts, following designs or simple patterns shouldn’t be difficult.

Hearing this, quite a few hands were raised, just as he had hoped.

“Good, those with their hands raised, please come to my side.” After the group had assembled, Zhang Xuan addressed the remaining people.

“The rest of you will be split into two parts. One group will go with Old Master Tong and my second brother Yuwen Chengdu to cut bamboo. Cut a stalk and bring it back quickly, so the splitting team can get to work. This group needs more people—mainly able-bodied men. The other group, under Yang Bo’s guidance, will be responsible for keeping the fires burning. Once the splitting team has finished, you’ll roast the slips to prevent warping and pests. When the roasting is done, send them immediately to the copying team.

“Remember, don’t worry if you’re not perfect, or if you might slow others down. Just give it your all. If you split or engrave a piece wrong, no problem—it can be used as firewood for the roasting group. Just try to do better with the next slip.

“Is everyone clear on their tasks? Good, those remaining, please divide yourselves. Time is precious—it waits for no one. Go, go, go! Let’s get moving!”

With that, Zhang Xuan urged everyone into action. Once the groups were divided, Old Master Tong and Yuwen Chengdu led their team to the bamboo grove to begin cutting.

Yang Zaixing, meanwhile, somehow produced a bamboo stalk and demonstrated splitting it for his group.

The others tried their hand as well. Splitting bamboo was the most crucial step—there could be no carelessness.

Once enough bamboo had been brought in, Yang Zaixing led his team into the intense work of splitting. At the same time, Yang Bo organized people to transport firewood and make other preparations.

Zhang Xuan himself led a group to copy and engrave the bamboo. All the while, he pondered how to make copying books more efficient, aside from using printing technology.

Everything progressed in an orderly fashion.

The splitting group soon faced a shortage of knives. Using the influence of the Yan family, they borrowed several more from the town, but it still wasn’t enough. Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuan quickly established a transport team to handle the movement of bamboo slips and supplies.

The first batch of bamboo arrived smoothly. Under Yang Zaixing’s guidance, the splitting group worked methodically. Once enough slips were produced, they, along with the discarded bamboo pieces, were sent to the fire team for roasting. After roasting and cooling, they were taken to the copying section.

As soon as the slips were ready, Zhang Xuan instructed the engraving team to carefully carve the designs from the books onto them.

Watching the slips take shape one by one, Zhang Xuan felt the benefits of assembly-line production were obvious.

Perhaps inspired by the lively atmosphere, Yan Mao, the head of the Yan family, and several others came out to observe. Though they knew bamboo slips were being made, they had never seen such a scene before. The speed was almost visible to the naked eye, and they couldn’t help but feel amazed.

After watching for a while, they returned to the inner courtyard to have refreshments prepared.

Even Zhao Ding, drawn by the noise, wandered into the martial arts courtyard to see what was happening. Observing the process closely, he couldn’t help but develop a keen interest in whoever had come up with such an innovative method.