I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

After the paper-making business of the manor achieved remarkable results, and Xuan paper and various specialty papers were sold well in the market, bringing rich profits to the manor, Chen Jia and Chen Jue focused their attention on the production of brushes and ink, two of the four treasures of the study. They realized that high-quality brushes and ink complement each other with fine paper. If they could master their production process, they could not only improve the manor's industrial layout in the field of cultural supplies, but also meet the market demand for high-quality stationery and further increase the manor's income. Therefore, Chen Jia and Chen Jue decided to conduct in-depth research on the production of brushes, including the use of different materials such as rabbit hair, dog hair, wolf hair, etc. to make brush hair, as well as the production process of various pen holders, and at the same time carry out research on the production of ink.

On this day, the sun was shining softly in the study room of the manor. Chen Jia and Chen Jue were sitting around the table, on which were placed several different brushes and some ink blocks. Chen Jia picked up a brush, gently stroked the brush hair, and said to Chen Jue: "My husband, look at these brushes. Different hairs have different characteristics. Rabbit hair is soft, dog hair is tough, and wolf hair is hard. There are many hunters around our manor, so it is relatively easy to obtain these hair materials. Moreover, we already have experience in making paper and a foundation of craftsmen. If we can learn how to make brushes and ink, we will definitely be able to open up new markets."

Chen Jue nodded slightly, put down the ink block in his hand, and said with a focused look: "Madam, your idea is very insightful. The production process of brushes is complicated, from selecting hair, combing, aligning hair, combining hair to installing tubes, each step is crucial. The production of ink is not simple either, from selecting materials, firing to grinding and mixing, all require exquisite skills. If we can master these technologies, the stationery industry of the manor can form a complete system. However, this requires us to find professional masters to guide the craftsmen to learn."

Chen Jia bit her lip lightly and said thoughtfully, "Husband, we can send people to areas where stationery production is developed, such as Huzhou, to find experienced brush makers and ink makers. At the same time, we must prepare the raw materials needed to make brushes and ink in advance, such as rabbit hair, dog hair, wolf hair, pine smoke, glue, etc. In the learning process, we encourage craftsmen to study carefully and continuously improve their production technology."

Chen Jue shook Chen Jia's hand in agreement and said, "Madam, let's do this. I will arrange for someone to find a master, and you will be responsible for organizing the purchase of raw materials and the preparation of related venues. We must let the craftsmen start learning as soon as possible and master this skill as soon as possible."

In the following days, the people sent by Chen Jue lived up to their expectations and invited an experienced brush maker and an ink maker from Huzhou. After the two masters arrived at the manor, Chen Jia and Chen Jue warmly welcomed them and took them to visit the site and raw materials prepared by the manor for making brushes and ink.

Chen Jia said to the two masters: "Masters, our manor wants to develop the business of making brushes and ink. I hope you can pass on your exquisite skills to our craftsmen so that they can make high-quality brushes and ink."

The brush maker smiled and nodded, "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Chen, rest assured. Brush making requires excellent materials and craftsmanship. Take rabbit hair as an example. You should choose the hair from the neck of the hare, which is soft and elastic. For dog hair, you should choose the hair from a strong dog, which is tough and durable. For wolf hair, the hair from the northern wolf is the best, as it is strong and powerful. After choosing the hair, the processes of combing and trimming are also very important and can determine the quality of the brush hair."

The ink maker continued, "In making ink, you first need to select the right raw materials. Pine smoke is one of the most common raw materials. When burning pine smoke, you need to control the temperature to get high-quality smoke. Then you need to add glue. The proportion and quality of the glue will affect the thickness and glossiness of the ink. The grinding and mixing process also requires patience and skills."

Chen Jue listened carefully, nodded and said, "Masters, how long does it take for craftsmen to learn these techniques and master the basic production methods?"

The brush maker thought for a moment and said, "The brush making process is complicated. It takes about three to six months for craftsmen to master the basic production methods. However, to make a fine brush, it also requires long-term practice and experience accumulation."

The ink making master also said: "Relatively speaking, it may take two to three months to master the basic method of ink making, but to mix high-quality and stable ink, it also requires constant trial and adjustment."

Under the guidance of the two masters, the craftsmen began an intense and expectant learning process. They first learned how to recognize and process raw materials. Chen Jia and Chen Jue also frequently visited the site to check on the progress and encouraged the craftsmen to study hard.

Chen Jia watched a craftsman selecting rabbit hair, walked up to him and said, "Brother, be careful when selecting rabbit hair. Choose hair with uniform color and intact hair tips. Don't use hair with impurities or damage, otherwise it will affect the quality of the brush tip."

Chen Jue was paying attention to the burning of pine soot, and said to another craftsman: "Brother, you must pay attention to the control of the fire when burning pine soot. If the fire is too high, the smoke material will be burnt; if the fire is too low, the quality of the smoke material will be poor. You must always observe and grasp the right degree."

After a period of study, the craftsmen gradually mastered the methods of processing raw materials and began to enter the key links of making brushes and ink.

During the process of combining the hair of the brush, Chen Jia said to the craftsmen: "When combining the hair, you need to match them according to the characteristics of different hair qualities, so that the brush hair is both elastic and soft, and writing can be smooth and free. You should try different matching proportions to find the most suitable solution."

A craftsman asked in confusion, "Mrs. Chen, are there any different requirements for the quality of the brushes used?"

Chen Jia patiently explained: "Of course there are. For example, the brush for writing regular script needs to have relatively hard brush hair, so you can add more wolf hair. The brush for writing running script and cursive script needs to have softer and more flexible brush hair, so the proportion of rabbit hair can be increased appropriately. This requires everyone to slowly experience it in practice."

During the grinding process of ink making, Chen Jue told the craftsmen: "When grinding, you need to apply even force and a moderate speed, so that the tobacco material can be ground finely. The grinding time must also be sufficient, otherwise the ink concentration will not be enough."

After several months of hard study and practice, the craftsmen finally produced the first batch of brush and ink samples. Although these samples still have some shortcomings, they have already initially possessed the basic characteristics of brushes and ink.

Chen Jia looked at the samples and said to Chen Jue, "My husband, look at these samples. Although they still need to be improved, they have made great progress. We can first invite some calligraphers, painters and literati to take a look, listen to their opinions, and then make improvements."

Chen Jue nodded and said, "Madam, let's do this. We can also start to promote our brushes and ink products to the market and understand the market's needs and feedback."

They invited some calligraphers, painters and literati to the manor and showed them the brushes and ink samples made by the craftsmen. Everyone expressed their opinions and put forward many valuable suggestions.

A calligrapher said: "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Chen, the tips of these brushes are not sharp enough, and the expressiveness of writing needs to be improved. The concentration of the ink is not uniform, some places are thinner, and some places are thicker."

A painter said: "I think the feel of the brush holders can be improved. They are not comfortable enough to hold. The color of the ink can also be adjusted to better show the charm of the painting."

After getting everyone's opinions, Chen Jia and Chen Jue organized craftsmen to improve the production process. They studied different hair quality matching schemes, adjusted the ink formula and production parameters, and optimized the design and production process of the pen holder.

Chen Jia said to the craftsmen: "Everyone should improve the production process according to these suggestions. In the production of brushes, we should pay attention to the quality of the brush hair and the design of the pen holder; in the production of ink, we should accurately control the formula and production process to improve the stability and quality of the ink."

Encouraged by Chen Jia and Chen Jue, the craftsmen actively explored and practiced. After many attempts and adjustments, they finally produced brushes and ink of better quality.

Chen Jia looked at the new brushes and ink samples and said to Chen Jue with satisfaction, "Husband, these products are much better than before. When we launch them on the market, they will definitely be popular."

Chen Jue nodded and said, "Madam, I believe our efforts will be rewarded. These products demonstrate the superb skills and unremitting efforts of our manor craftsmen."

After they launched their new brushes and ink products on the market, they were well received. Calligraphers, painters, and scholars flocked to buy them, and some stationery stores and calligraphy and painting supplies dealers also came to discuss cooperation.

A calligrapher happily said to Chen Jia and Chen Jue: "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, the brushes and ink produced by your manor are of high quality. The brushes write smoothly, the ink is bright in color, and the writing and painting effects are very good. I will definitely recommend it to my colleagues."

With the popularity of brushes and ink products, the estate's income increased significantly and the confidence of the craftsmen was greatly boosted.

A craftsman said excitedly to Chen Jia and Chen Jue: "Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen, thank you for providing us with such a good opportunity to learn and develop. We are very proud that our products are now recognized by everyone. We will continue to work hard to produce more and better stationery."

Chen Jia smiled and said, "This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. We will continue to support you, constantly improve our skills, launch more and better products, and let our manor's stationery establish a good reputation in the market."

Chen Jue also said: "That's right, we must continue to innovate, explore new production technologies and materials, meet the diverse needs of the market, and allow the manor's stationery industry to continue to grow and develop. In the future, our brushes and ink will definitely become the manor's iconic products."

Under the leadership of Chen Jia and Chen Jue, the brush and ink making techniques of the manor have been continuously improved, and the stationery industry has flourished. They have not only brought rich economic returns to the manor, but also made positive contributions to the inheritance and promotion of traditional stationery culture. Their continuous exploration and innovation in the field of stationery production have also injected a steady stream of power into the future development of the manor, writing a glorious chapter.