In the traditional Hui ink production, the labor intensity is high and the income is not high. In particular, the tobacco-making process is dirty and tiring, and it is necessary to work in a high-temperature environment, and few young people nowadays are willing to learn and work. The older generation of ink-making artists gradually died of old age, and the inheritance of Huimo production skills faced difficulties.

Most of these ink-making artists have rich practical experience and skilled operation skills, not only producing famous inks such as "Taiji", "Xuanxiang Taishou", "Keqing" and "Songzihou", but also creating a complete set of cong ink, the so-called "collection of ink". At the same time, "with Douban Nan as a box, with vermilion lacquer inside, signed with the middle paragraph", not only to win by quality, but also to the exquisite ink style is famous in the world.

Lan Eucalyptus looked at the stacks of Hui ink displayed on the shelves, some of which were tung oil smoke ink, known as "solid as stone, as rhinoceros, black as lacquer, and a snail is worth 10,000 dollars"; Some of the ink-making is to take the image of righteousness, and run through the Confucian ethics, astronomy, geography, the universe, ingenuity, its inscriptions and pictures are mostly from the hands of calligraphers and painters, with artistic attainments; Some of them have created "Nine Xuan Sanji Ink", and they are known as "unprecedented".

Lan Eucalyptus told Shu Hanyan that her favorite is pine smoke ink. Shu Hanyan smiled, "When it comes to pine smoke ink, I have to mention Wei Dan, a famous ink maker of the Three Kingdoms, who made 'a little bit like lacquer' artificial pine smoke ink, 'Participate in the real pearl and musk to pound the iron mortar under the smoke, and pound 30,000 pestles', which is the first to use medicine into ink." ”

Lan Eucalyptus was surprised, "Can the medicine still enter the ink?" ”

Shu Hanyan nodded, "Of course!" From natural ink to artificial ink, from pine smoke ink to medicinal ink, this is certainly no accident.

"Because the ink is made of carbon elements mixed with animal glue, and animal glue is easy to be damp and mildew, and lose its viscosity. Over time, the shape of the ink deteriorated on its own.

"And the use of medicine into ink, not only 'to add light and help color and fragrance, but also to make the glue undefeated, the ink color does not fade, and it is as hard as rhino stone'. Just look at this piece of musk moon ink. ”

As he spoke, Shu Hanyan took down a piece of musk moon ink with exquisite patterns from the shelf, on the one hand, he was pounding medicine for the jade rabbit under the osmanthus tree in the Moon Palace, and on the other hand, he filled in the three words of "musk moon" in the golden book, and added the medicinal herb musk.

Earlier, the medicinal ink was mainly added to aromatic openings such as musk, borneol, pearl, borneol, and wood, which were often used for faintness, convulsions, etc.; With the advent of lozenges of generic ink, the efficacy was further expanded, and there were special compound preparations for treatment in the Qing Dynasty. Its effects are mainly divided into three categories: clearing heat, stopping bleeding, and opening the body. Let's take a look at "medicine into ink, ink into medicine".

There are many famous ink makers in all dynasties, each with its own unique formula. Gao Lian of the Ming Dynasty wrote the "Yan Xianqing Appreciation Note", which is to add Qin skin to the ink, that is, Jiangnan Fan chicken wood skin, the ancient books mention its degumming and color, the color of the book does not take off, probably take its role in clearing heat and detoxifying.

Lan Eucalyptus is fascinated, Shu Hanyan brought out a plate of edible "Hui Mo" refreshments, its appearance is similar to Hui Mo, 6 cm long, 4 cm wide, 1 cm thick, the shape is the standard size of the general Hui ink ingot, the crisp body from the outside to the inside is black and shiny, fragrant.

After thanking the blue eucalyptus, I couldn't wait to taste a piece, which was indescribably delicious. The oil is crispy and flexible, not waiting to be chewed to melt first, the lips and teeth are fragrant, quiet and elegant, sweet but not greasy, making people feel that the sweetness is moderate, "adding a point is greasy and the taste is boring".

Over the years, "Huimo" refreshments have been used as Huizhou folk breakfast meals, or as refreshments and tea, or as gifts to friends, or as food and fitness. It is the "Huimo Crisp" that makes people often remember the trip to Huizhou and makes people often smell the fragrance of the mountains and fields.

And Huimo crisp once circulated such a legend in Huizhou. Legend has it that at the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was an ink-making master named Xi Tinggui in Hebei, when the Southern Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Yu was fond of dancing and making ink, he invited Xi Tinggui to arrange ink-making in Huizhou.

Soon, the Northern Song Dynasty destroyed the Tang Dynasty, and Li Yu was moved north to Bianjing. Who knew that the king was still infatuated, seeing that the study was short of ink, he was accustomed to sending people to Huizhou to get ink, and the head of the palace was sent by the Song Dynasty, knowing that the king was taking tribute privately, so he laid a net of heaven and earth, ready to obtain physical evidence, in order to put Li Yu to death.

Xi Tinggui of Huizhou was also very embarrassed at this time, there was a Song Dynasty governor in the ink room, and he took the tribute privately, and the crime was unforgivable, and he called someone to return empty-handed and sorry for the old master.

When he was thinking about it, the newly opened pastry shop opposite came from the tempting fragrance, and when he looked over, the newly pounded black sesame stuffing was exactly the same as the ink in the ink room, and he had a bottom in his heart, so he took the ink mold, borrowed the hemp stuffing and printed a batch of ink ingots and handed them to someone to take away. Later, Li Yu really escaped this catastrophe, and the fragrance of Hui ink crisp also wafted in Bianjing. Now, people who go to southern Anhui and visit Huizhou can still taste the Huimo crisp prepared by shelled black sesame seeds and potpourri nectar, and hear this long-standing story.