Chapter 796 - 796: Printing Method
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Binglan was surprised to hear that. “That’s an impressive idea. I didn’t expect Gongsun MO to think of that. How’s the toy factory doing?”
Shen Qiuhua said excitedly, “It’s doing very well. When the first batch of toys came out, people rushed to buy them.”
Su Fengmao smiled, adding, “Gongsun MO didn’t show the toys to the foreign merchants after making them. Instead, he set up a stall at the village entrance to sell his toys.
“l didn’t expect so many children to like his toys so much. Even the adults liked them. Since the prices were affordable, people bought many of them. Gongsun MO sold out on the first day.”
Shen Qiuhua said, “It wasn’t even a proper stall. Gonsun MO only set up a few tables and chairs. He even offered the children and their parents to test the toys for free.”
Su Binglan lit up, asking, “Who came up with that idea?”
Letting the parents and children play together would make a family more harmonious. The parents also realized how educational the toys were since they had words engraved on them.
Su Binglan did not tell Gongsun MO how to sell the toys because she was in a hurry to go to the prefecture. She was impressed that Gongsun MO figured it out himself.
Shen Qiuhua said, “Gongsun MO hired a manager named Su Zuo.”
Su Zuo was one of Su Binglan’s Sacrificials. The former was part of a team Su
Yi had trained.
Since Su Binglan needed many management talents, Su Yi and the other Sacrificials set up taverns in various places to build an information network. Only those whom Su Yi trained could work in these taverns.
Su Binglan had met Su Yi’s apprentices before, but she did not expect Su Zuo to be so clever. Su Binglan said, “Let’s check out the toy factory tomorrow.”
“You’ll be surprised tomorrow,” Su Wenzhe said smilingly, “People from wealthy families send their family members to the factory to buy toys. Some foreign merchants also buy the toys in bulk and sell them elsewhere.
“Although the factory can barely keep up with the demand, the factory doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity. No one expected these toys to be so popular.”
Shen Qiuhua said, “Parents won’t buy anything for themselves but would buy anything their children want. Also, Gongsun Mo’ s toys can develop a child’s intelligence.”
Liu Yinyin nodded. “You’re right, Mother-in-law. It’s just like how I treat my sons. If Binglan hadn’t pushed Gongsun MO to open a factory, I would have bought whatever my sons wanted from the market.”
Su Binglan was relieved with how popular the toys were.
After some thought, Shen Qiuhua said, “Binglan, I took the initiative to give Meng Bin a set of toys.”
Meng Bing was Meng Ce l s son, and the latter was the county magistrate. Because Su Binglan saved Meng Bin, Old Madam Feng took great care of the Su family.
Therefore, the Su family had an easier time buying land and opening shops. Shen Qiuhua remembered Old Madam Fengs kindness, so she got someone to send a set of toys over.
Su Binglan smiled. “You’re so thoughtful, Mother. You can do these things without telling me.”
“Okay, I understand.” Although Shen Qiuhua agreed, she knew the factory belonged to her daughter. Therefore, she had to tell her daughter about what went in and out of the factory.
After discussing the toy factory, Shen Qiuhua changed the topic, “Binglan, what do we need to do for the printing factory? Must we wait for the retired soldiers’ family members to arrive before we get started?”
Su Binglan said, “The factory needs reverse alphabet stamps. We’ll arrange the letters when we need to print books and articles.
“That way, we can mass-produce the books. It’s much more convenient than handwriting copies of books. It’ll also reduce the risks of mistakes.”
One of the reasons books were precious in this era was because copying them was cumbersome. Sometimes, the copy would have mistakes compared to the original.
Only scholars from poor families could copy books. Even so, it was time-consuming.
“With movable type printing, we can reproduce countless books in practically no time. Afterward, we can build and fill up the library. There are valuable books we can reproduce with a large amount of money.
“Then, we can sell some in bookstores and place some in the library for people to read. It will also reduce the price of books, and many more people can afford to educate themselves.’
The Su family looked at Su Binglan admiringly as she spoke. They could imagine how many scholars would benefit from her printing technique. She opened a factory and workshop that was related to business.
Scholars had high status in this era, while businesspeople did not. If Su Binglan could create paper and printing, she would surpass a businessperson’s status and create convenience for scholars.
Then, scholars would have a strong impression of the Su family. Of course, the family did not care much about status. They only wanted to do good for the people.
Since Lan Ruozhu had taken Su Binglan as his adopted sister, she gained princess status. The family feared there would be controversy if others found out about it.
People would begin to wonder how a village girl could become a princess. However, all the students in the world would defend Su Binglan if she made significant contributions to their studies. Their strength would be so great that others would be unable to refute them.
Su Wenzhe sighed in relief. “l still have the best sister around. 1 could never think of such a thing even in a thousand years.”
Shen Qiuhua grew excited, saying, “Binglan, can we watch you do that printing technique you mentioned?”
Although she said it out loud, she still found it unbelievable. Still, Su Binglan said, “Of course you can.”
Su Wenxiu lit up. “Sister, my students will no longer have to copy my notes one at a time.. We can use the printer to make copies of my notes, right?”
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