Chapter 33: Writing Utensils
"F*ck… there is no paper or pen."
I think some readers might have noticed a little while ago, but almost everything in the room from what was stored on the bookshelves, on the display cabinet, and in the drawers were scrolls. Most of these scrolls were made from a type of cloth or beast skin, with an only a few being made out of bamboo.
While paper had already been invented, it wasn't particularly popular yet, as it was expensive yet less regal in comparison to beast skin. This alongside an overabundance of high-quality beast skins in the region due to being in the Xi'an Mountain range meant that paper didn't popularize as quickly here as it did in Earth's history.
As for pens, it needs to be understood that the original pens – quill pens – were essentially a form of mini-brush. They operated the same, dip the tool into ink, use the ink on writing surface. As calligraphy was considered a higher form of art, the majority of people who were literate learned brushwork from a young age, which meant that pens weren't really a thing.
As for pencils, well, they existed but not in the way that we might think of them modernly. I think it's easy to understand that the yellow #2 pencil we're all familiar with isn't a commonplace item.
But even the concept of graphite, or even lead pencils weren't a thing.
Rather, there were charcoal sticks that could be sharpened and used to draw and write, although again, they weren't very popular.
As for Di Tou… as a modern student he was already more familiar with typing on a computer than he was writing with a pen or pencil, as for brushwork.
Haha... you're kidding right?
He was from a normal lower-middle class family, the most he had ever done with a brush was during a random culture class where they had played with brushes and calligraphy for one or two classes near the new year.
While he could pick up the brush, dip it in ink and then write with it as if it was a pen or pencil, this wasn't a very practical replacement. As from brushwork to ink smudges, to uneven lines saying it would be a mess would be an understatement.
Sighing, it seemed like there was another set of items that Di Tou needed to buy now.
This also messed up his plans for testing and training intelligence as well. Di Tou remembered that when he had first met Mu Di Bai, the man had mentioned in passing that in higher cultivation realms things like calculations became significantly easier for them.
Recalling this, Di Tou attributed this to the intelligence attribute, and wanted to test his ability and the time he needed to do more and more difficult calculations in his head and see how long it took.
Then, on pen and paper he would do the calculations the normal way to make sure he was doing it correctly, as well as keeping track of his changes. It seemed like this plan would have to be scrapped for now.
Anyways, it would probably take him a few trips to get everything he needed, and he planned on asking Fu Hao Xin to help him acquire some of the stuff as he wasn't all that familiar with the surrounding shops and customs.
At the moment, what he needed was lamp oil or candles, as the few lamps that were in the room were all empty and left in various states of disuse. Some bags alongside a needle and thread, writing utensils and writing materials that ideally weren't brushes, a couple of buckets to carry water, as the bowl wasn't really all that convenient for moving water back and forth, and some food he could keep at home.
There were many other things that Di Tou probably needed and wanted, but at the moment those seemed the most pressing, so he would try to obtain them in the afternoon after eating lunch.
Speaking of which, it was about time to go out and get some food. Di Tou had left rather early in the morning to go look for breakfast, but after finding and talking to Fu Hao Xin, then following him to find his teacher to berate, before finally returning home he had unknowingly spent the greater part of the morning.
Then after spending some time raking leaves and then going to fetch some water, although there was still some time before noon, but Di Tou had started feeling hungry.
This worked out just right. There was some time for Di Tou to look around and look for something to eat for lunch, as well as looking for shops that had some of the things that he needed that were easier to acquire, like bags, snacks, and writing utensils.
Before he left, Di Tou grabbed another one of the higher quality spirit stones from the box to keep with him, after all the last one had been left with Li Chang Yin, and it had turned out to be rather useful in a crucial moment, so it wouldn't hurt to take another one with him…
Mu Di Bai probably wouldn't notice right?
Heading back out to town again, Di Tou decided to head the opposite direction from where he set off in the morning. After all, he still wasn't very familiar with the place, so it would be good to have a general idea of what was around him. Who knows, maybe there was a nicer more wellkept well nearby…
Haha. Yeah right.
Anyways, Di Tou headed out for the second time that day, and this time he was rather fortunate. After just around 15 minutes of walking, he managed to run into a food street, with the front and ends of the street being guarded by teahouses that had lighter snacks and drinks, the entry area having butcher shops that had pre-cooked and brined meats and the centermost parts of the streets being home to restaurants that claimed to have hundreds of years of history.
As for how these restaurants managed to have a hundred years of history in the Academy that had only been around for a few decades? That is indeed a good question.
Walking around for a bit, Di Tou found a rather small noodle shop that's entrance was hidden down a small set of stairs sandwiched between two other shops.
Excited at the premise of a hidden gem, Di Tou made a beeline for the least busy shop on the street.