The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 30

"If there are benefits, then it's feasible. Little by little, water can form a deep pool, and soil can form a mountain. Once something is developed, as long as it's not lost, the benefits will continue to exist."

Furthermore, as time goes on, the geographical scope of its influence will expand, and more and more people will benefit, eventually benefiting everyone in the world.

Furthermore, soap is not a static product; perhaps even better or cheaper soaps will be developed in the future, even cheaper than soap pods. Wouldn't that be a good thing?

“I roughly understand what you mean, Mr. Xu, and I acknowledge that there are indeed benefits to it. But it’s not worth it for someone as talented as you to waste your energy on mundane things that only show results in the long run.”

These tasks can be handled by craftsmen and others; having you is merely a matter of being one step ahead or one step behind.

"With such skill, if you were to write out the 'Three Character Classic' and the 'Rhyming Dictionary,' I believe they would spread throughout the world in no time, without costing you any money. Wouldn't that be an even greater achievement?" said Scholar Zheng.

Upon hearing him say this, Xu Tian immediately understood the difference in their thinking.

The disagreement is not actually about whether developing new products is valuable, but about how much value is realized.

Zheng Zhuangyuan believed that the value of the "Three Character Book" far exceeded that of physical objects such as soap, which is the difference between the thoughts of people in two eras.

Furthermore, this is difficult to explain clearly. The two people have different upbringing and perceptions, and there are significant differences between them. It would be very difficult to convince him in a short period of time.

“Brother Zheng, I think I understand your thoughts. The books ‘Three Character Classic’ and ‘Rhyming Dictionary’ are naturally also very important, and I will not give them up in the future.”

The factory matter is actually quite important; frankly speaking, it will be a major event that will go down in history.

When Zheng Zhuangyuan heard him say this, he knew that Xu Tian's attitude was cautious, and it seemed that he was not just after money.

So he asked, "Young Master Xu, you certainly have extraordinary talent in creation. Since you say so, may I ask you another question? What great event is it that can be recorded in history?"

"Brother Zheng, have you ever seen a book printed with ink?"

“I have certainly seen printed books, and they look obviously different from handwritten ones; you can tell the difference at a glance.”

"There are many books circulating in the world today, especially classical Chinese poems and lyrics. How often are printed books made from them?" Xu Tian asked.

"This is indeed uncommon; the most common are Buddhist scriptures and calendars."

This is indeed true. Xu Tian had previously gone to bookstores to buy paper and books and found that the most common printed items were Buddhist scriptures and calendars. The calendars were available at the Huazilou store.

"Brother Zheng, have you ever thought about why this is the case? If all kinds of articles from ancient times to the present could be printed into books and widely distributed throughout the world so that students all over the world could buy them, wouldn't that be a great deed with immeasurable merit?"

However, why are these classic works rarely printed?

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Zhuangyuan said, "I didn't pay much attention to this matter before, but now that I think about it, printing books supposedly requires carving the text onto wooden boards first, which involves many procedures and must not be simple."