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Huang Chengyan picked up the balance scale and fiddled with it for a moment, saying, "This device would be even better for measuring small, delicate items. It's rare for Pang Shiyuan to come up with something like this... Hmm, no, Pang Shiyuan isn't particularly skilled in this area. It's unlikely he made it..."
He then asked Huang Yueying if Pang Tong had mentioned who made it.
Huang Yueying blinked her big eyes and said, "I was too busy taking it to ask."
"Ahem!" Huang Chengyan coughed dryly, not knowing what to say. After all, this was his own daughter.
Huang Yueying continued to blink her eyes and asked, "Father, do you think I should have taken it?"
"Well, strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly proper..." Huang Chengyan looked at the balance scale in his hand and thought for a moment before replying.
"Alright then, I'll have someone return it..." Huang Yueying tilted her head and reached out to take the scale back from Huang Chengyan.
"Wait!" Huang Chengyan quickly raised the scale high, saying, "This... this can't be called stealing! It's clearly borrowing! Yes, borrowing. Once we're done with it, we'll naturally return it to Shiyuan..."
"Haha..."
"Hehe..."
The two of them, one old and one young, shared a knowing laugh.
At that moment, a servant came to report that all the participants for this year's grand examination had arrived and asked if they should begin now.
Huang Chengyan regained his serious expression and nodded, saying, "Start immediately!" He then walked out.
Huang Yueying quickly grabbed his sleeve and said, "Father, I want to go too..."
"Oh? You want to go too?"
Huang Yueying nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice.
"Haha, then you'll have to wait until you become the head of the Huang family," Huang Chengyan teased, laughing as he walked away.
Huang Yueying stomped her foot, then her eyes sparkled as she giggled, "I remember there's a newly made wooden plow in the backyard. It should be about the right height..."
******************
Countless lanterns, candles, and copper mirrors placed and hung in every corner illuminated the front courtyard of the Huang family's secluded estate, making it as bright as day.
By the time Huang Chengyan arrived at the front courtyard, the area outside the estate's gate was already packed with people. Most were craftsmen from the Jingxiang region, but some had traveled from far away.
This was the day of the Huang family's triennial grand examination for craftsmen.
The Huang family had long been skilled in crafting, and over the years, they had not only trained their own members but also many other craftsmen. The triennial grand examination was similar to modern-day craft certification, a way to assess and recognize the skills of craftsmen who had trained under the Huang family.
The examination was both simple and complex. Each craftsman who had completed their apprenticeship could present their most impressive work from the past three years. Smaller items were brought as they were, while larger items were presented as models. These were brought to the Huang family's secluded estate for evaluation by the Huang family head and six master craftsmen. If the invention was innovative, creative, and practical, the craftsman's rank would be upgraded.
Craftsmen trained by the Huang family automatically received the title of "Skilled Craftsman" upon completing their apprenticeship. Above that were "Master Craftsman," "Artisan," and "Grand Artisan," making four main ranks in total. Each rank was further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, resulting in twelve levels. Above these was the honorary title of "Master Craftsman," which was only awarded when one of the six existing master craftsmen passed away, and a replacement was selected from the upper-grade Grand Artisans.
It was said that in the past, the Huang family's grand examination was held during the day, but at some point, it was changed to the evening...
However, for the Huang family, day and night made little difference. The courtyard was lit so brightly by the perfectly placed lanterns and candles that there were no shadows, illuminating every corner of the courtyard and the area in front of the gate.
The grand examination began, starting with the middle-grade Grand Artisans.
There were only two middle-grade Grand Artisans, and they entered the courtyard together, presenting their works to Huang Chengyan and the six master craftsmen for evaluation.
The first Grand Artisan presented a small bronze cylinder with a handle on top, three legs at the bottom, and a spout at the base. A measuring rod extended from the handle down into the cylinder.
"A water clock?" one of the evaluating master craftsmen recognized the device and asked.
"Exactly."
Someone immediately brought water and filled the bronze cylinder. Water began to drip from the spout...
One of the master craftsmen observed closely and noticed the ingenious detail: embedded in the spout was a rotating piece of mica, marked with three levels, much like a modern faucet, allowing the flow of water to be controlled...
The first middle-grade Grand Artisan explained, "I call this the Three-Part Clock. It can measure half an hour, one hour, and two hours..."
Huang Chengyan and the other master craftsmen listened attentively, taking notes.
The second middle-grade Grand Artisan presented two wooden plow models, saying, "Both are made from the same type of wood. One is the commonly used plow, and the other is my new design..."
One of the master craftsmen stepped forward, took the two plow models, and tested them on a patch of soil, nodding in approval...
And so, the craftsmen presented their works according to their ranks and explained them—
Some successfully advanced in rank, leaving the courtyard with smiles on their faces and their new craft rank plaques, greeted by congratulations...
Others didn't advance, but no one mocked or criticized them. Instead, they were met with encouragement...
Huang Dou, who had built Fei Qian's wooden house, stood at the gate. Although he held the title of Grand Artisan in Xiangyang City, by the Huang family's standards, he was only a middle-grade Artisan, still two ranks away from becoming a lower-grade Grand Artisan.
Soon, it was his turn, and he presented his item—
Two large iron boxes, one on top of the other, with hooks at both ends. Each box had holes on the sides, with ropes threaded through them, looping back and forth to connect the two boxes into a single unit...
Huang Dou explained nervously, "This is a pulley system. It can lift heavy objects, reducing the weight by half and then half again..."
"Oh, interesting," one of the master craftsmen, intrigued, took the two iron boxes, pulled on the ropes, and then hung them from a beam as Huang Dou had described. He tested it with a heavy object...
"Marvelous!" the master craftsman exclaimed in admiration. "This device of yours is truly ingenious, marvelous!"
Huang Dou hesitated but finally admitted, "To be honest, this isn't my invention. It was... taught to me by Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan..."
"Fei Qian?" The master craftsmen exchanged glances, as if they hadn't heard of this person. "Where is this craftsman from?"
"He's not a craftsman. He's studying under Pang Degong at the foot of Lushan..."