In the winter, someone came to visit, even if Xu Xiang had a cold, he still had to go to greet him.

Jiang Shenyu put a jacket on him, which was able to withstand some cold.

It was a man and a woman, this man looked a little familiar, and after thinking about it carefully, he remembered that it was Xu Molin, a businessman who was in the jewelry business that he had seen in Lingwu County before, and he was Xu Mosheng's younger brother.

Xu Mosheng's smokeless charcoal business has become popular all over Ningdu and the surrounding cities, and it can be said that he has made a lot of money.

This woman is twenty-eight years old, wearing a white flower-sprinkled cigarette shirt, a light blue cloak on the outside, and an ordinary tassel bun, closely following Xu Molin's side, slightly shy.

"Xu Yuanwai! On this cold day, it is really welcome to come to my house as a guest! It's windy outside, so let's go inside. Xu Xiang politely invited him into the house.

After welcoming Xu Molin and the others into the house, Xu Xiang ordered someone to bring a brazier over so that the room would not look so cold.

After several people took off their cloaks, the guests of honor took their seats.

"Young Master Xu, this is the little girl. Beauty, come and meet Young Master Xu. Xu Molin introduced the woman beside him to Xu Xiang.

"Xu Jiali has seen Xu Gongzi." Xu Jiali owed a slight owe to Xu Xiang and saw a salute.

"Girl, please be seated." Xu Xiang made a gesture of please and motioned for her to take a seat.

Xu Molin looked at the charcoal fire in the middle of the house and said with emotion: "In the past, in winter, it was too cold in the house, so I could only burn the fire in the house. That smoke is so smoked that people can't open their eyes, and now with this smokeless charcoal, this winter life is much better. Young Master Xu, you have done a great thing! ”

"Why! At the time, I was just thinking about getting rid of the smoky smell when grilling, so I got smokeless charcoal. He said modestly.

"This time I came to Ningdu to get more smokeless charcoal from my eldest brother, but before leaving, I remembered that Young Master Xu once said that he wanted the little girl to be the chicken inscription to gnaw, so I brought the little girl over to see what Young Master Xu had for this inscription."

Xu Xiang nodded, he guessed that Xu Molin came over this time, and this was also the case. So he looked at Liu Sancai beside him and said, "Uncle Liu, you go to my study and bring all the rice paper." ”

"Yes, young master!" Liu Sancai answered.

This rice paper is a recently improved paper, and it is much better than the original paper.

Due to the particularity of raw materials and processes, rice paper has some excellent characteristics that other paper products do not have. It is mainly reflected in four aspects: ink wetting, non-deformation, durability and insect resistance. Because of these properties, rice paper can be used for painting and long-term preservation.

However, the most important raw material of this rice paper is the sandalwood tree, and the paper made from the bark of the sandalwood tree has very little dry and wet shrinkage and almost zero deformation.

The main reason is that the green sandalwood skin fiber has a high degree of regularity, uniform pores between the fibers, proper distribution of fillers, and less impurities.

It's just that this kind of tree is very rare in this world, and Xu Xiang also saw one in Xuanyuan Mingyue's Bird Garden before, and then he wanted to send someone to find such a tree, but he couldn't find it.

Later, he tricked Luo Min and peeled the bark of the whole tree for him, so that he could make rice paper three feet wide and ten feet long.

Until now, Xuanyuan Mingyue has not found out who stripped the bark of the tree in her bird garden, and she is furious.

After the rice paper was made, it has been kept in his study, and now there is no green sandalwood tree, only such a little rice paper, which he cherishes extraordinarily.

You must know that the ancients painted a lot, but they could only paint on the wall, on the pillars, and on the silk cloth, but these things were not convenient to carry, so after some famous artists finished painting, those enthusiasts had to go to the place where others painted to appreciate.

After Liu Sancai came over with rice paper, Xu Xiang carefully took it, then measured it with a ruler, cut it into fifteen equal parts, and handed one of them to Xu Jiali.

"Lady Beauty, look at this."

Xu Jiali took the rice paper curiously, it was very soft to the touch, but it also had a certain hardness, and it vaguely exuded a faint fragrance.

"Young Master Xu, what is this?" She asked, looking at the white rice paper, and she vaguely felt that she could write on it.

"It's rice paper."

"Rice paper? Can you write on it? Xu Jiali asked.

"Yes, not only can you write, but you can also draw on it!" Xu Xiang said.

"Is Young Master Xu serious?" When she heard that she could also paint, her eyes lit up, and she usually paints on silk cloth, after all, the eldest girl's family is a little unsightly to paint on the walls and pillars.

But how expensive is silk cloth, if you want to paint well, repeated practice is necessary, even if Xu Molin is in the jewelry business, she can't afford to squander it like this.

Moreover, when painting on silk cloth, as long as it is wet with water, the ink will blur, and as long as one of the places is dirty, the whole painting will be invalid.

Therefore, in the past two years, she had to give up the hobby of painting.

"Miss Xu writes well! You guess it's not bad to paint, right? I wonder if it can open my eyes? Xu Xiang said with a smile.

"Then the little girl will be ugly." Xu Jiali was itchy in her heart and agreed.

Subsequently, Liu Sancai took the pen and ink and made a table for Xu Jiali to paint on it.

It didn't take long for her to paint a landscape painting.

Xu Xiang has no level of appreciation, but he can still see the quality of the painting.

Xu Jiali's painting, the landscape, the green trees and flowers, and the birds resting on the trees, are painted vividly, and the weight of the brush and ink is just right.

"From afar, the mountains are colorful, and the water is silent. The spring flowers are still there, and the people and birds are not surprised! Miss Xu, your landscape painting is really amazing! Xu Xiang couldn't help but admire.

"The spring flowers are still there, and the birds are not surprised!" Xu Jiali read the poems spoken by Xu Xiang, and for a while she actually brought herself into the world of the painting.

"Young Master Xu is so literate!" Xu Molin walked over, looked at the painting, and exclaimed, "Jiali, this painting is much better than your previous painting." People like us can only say one good word. Young Master Xu's export is a chapter, and he is really brilliant! ”

"Why! How's that! I didn't write this poem. I just saw Miss Xu's painting and remembered this poem, so I couldn't help but read it. Xu Xiang said modestly.

"Oh? I wonder which poet wrote it? Can Master Xu introduce you? Xu Jiali naturally knows the subtlety of this poem, the whole poem is twenty words, there is not a single word "painting", but every sentence points to the "painting", its creative level is so high, so that she admires it incomparably.

She herself is a talented woman in Lingwu County, and she likes poetry, calligraphy and painting very much, and some young men with literary talents know her hobby, and from time to time write love poems to her for love, but those poems and sentences do not make sense, and there is no artistic conception.

Now, such a good poem has reached her ears, and she is like a little girl chasing stars in later generations, with her eyes bubbling with her heart.

"Uh...... The poet's name is Wang Wei, but he likes to travel in the mountains and rivers, and I don't know where he is for the time being. So...... Miss Xu, I'm sorry. Xu Xiang awkwardly made an excuse, he couldn't tell her that Wang Wei was not from this world, right? Then more will be explained.

"That's right." Xu Jiali showed a disappointed look on her face, and then asked with hope: "Then Young Master Xu, do you know that this prince has other poems?" Can you read it to me? ”

She looks like a complete little fan girl.

Xu Xiang couldn't stand her eyes and said, "No, no." ”

"Miss Xu, we are now discussing this rice paper. Regarding Wang Wei's matter, when he returns to Ningdu one day, how about I introduce it to you? Xu Xiang said again.

"Good! That prince is back, you must tell me and introduce me for me! Please! Xu Jiali bowed solemnly to him.

Xu Xiang was extremely embarrassed, and said in his heart, you can see Wang Weicai as a ghost!

"Young Master Xu, but I don't know how long I can keep painting on this rice paper?" At this time, Xu Molin turned the topic back.

"Oh, this one, if it's preserved properly, it's no problem for thousands of years." Xu Xiang said casually.

"Thousands of years?" Xu Molin and Xu Jiali gasped at the same time, with a look of joy in their eyes.

"I don't know how much this rice paper costs?" Xu Molin asked again, what is the businessman, and he saw the business opportunities in it at a glance. Being able to paint on it, and the ink will not dissipate, and the paper that has been preserved for thousands of years, if this is pushed to the market, those literati will not rush to buy it?

"Uh...... At present, the cost is a bit high, so it can be said that it is priceless. Xu Xiang said, after all, there is only one green sandalwood tree now, and the bark does not grow so quickly.

Hearing Xu Xiang's words, Xu Molin felt a sense of loss.

"However, if we can find the sandalwood tree, then this paper can be produced in a steady stream!" Xu Xiang remembered again that people are in business and well-informed, so they may know where there are green sandalwood trees.

"What kind of tree is the sandalwood tree?" Xu Molin asked puzzled.

Xu Xiang described the appearance and characteristics of the sandalwood tree to him, and then said: "If you can find the sandalwood tree, then maybe this kind of paper will be everywhere in the future." ”

"Good! Then I'll send someone to find out. Xu Molin has already set his sights on this business, "If I can find the green sandalwood tree, can this rice paper give me a franchise?" ”

"Yes." Xu Xiang nodded, whoever sells it is the same, he has not planned to sell the ordinary paper he made before, the main reason is that this thing is not worth much in his eyes, how cheap the paper in the future generations is, these petty profits are not worth it, but the rice paper must be able to be sold at a price, if you can make rice paper in large quantities and sell it, you can make some money.

In this world, there is no such thing as paper, and if he sells it at the price of silk cloth, he can make a lot of money, but he ignores it.

"Young Master Xu, I have a reluctant request...... Can this rice paper be ...... Sell me one? Xu Jiali asked a little embarrassedly, and then saw Xu Xiang's puzzled expression, and added, "Of course, how much money is this paper, you just have to speak!" ”

"Sell?" Xu Xiang shook his head, "I don't sell it." ”

Seeing Xu Xiang's refusal, she showed a disappointed expression. But Xu Xiang said again, "I called Miss Xu to come over, just to ask Miss Xu to help me write two menus and a signboard." The remaining eleven pieces of rice paper were all given to Miss Xu as a reward! ”

"Huh?" Xu Jiali looked incredulous, "Young Master Xu, do you really want to give me the rest of the rice paper?" This...... Is this appropriate? ”

"Of course! As the saying goes, a good horse deserves a good saddle, and a sword is given to a hero. Miss Xu's handwriting is so good, and her painting is so good, these rice papers are naturally perfect for you! ”