However, no one noticed the proud expression on Wu Meiniang's face as she stood behind Meton. She jumped up and said, "If Martial Uncle wants to compete with Master, I'm afraid he has to go through Mei Niang first."
Li Yun and Gongshu Hong were stunned. No one expected Wu Meiniang to step up and speak for the Mo Family.
"Could it be …"
The two looked at each other, and a possibility that they had never thought of flashed in their eyes.
"Could it be that even Mo Jiazi's female disciple has solved this problem?"
Li Yun couldn't help but tightly grasp the ruler in his sleeve while lamenting in his heart. In his opinion, the ruler that could meet the requirements of the Mo Clan's disciple was only the ruler in his hand. There was no other way. If he had the same idea as Wu Meiniang, then he would only be able to fight to a draw against the disciple of the Mo Clan's disciple. In this case, even if it was a draw, it was still a loss!
Gongshu Hong was even more incredulous. He never thought that the problem that had stumped the entire Gongshu Family could be solved by a ten-year-old girl.
Wu Meiniang proudly turned around and bowed to Meton. "Master, ten days ago, Master left some homework for me on this bridge. Today, I have completed it. Please give me some pointers."
After Wu Meiniang found the method to make the tape measure, she didn't immediately report it to Meton. She wanted to prove herself to Meton at this moment. However, she didn't expect that there would be such twists and turns.
Meton glanced at Wu Meiniang. The news that Wu Meiniang had completed her homework had naturally reached his ears. Then he looked at Li Yun and Gongshu Hong and said with an inexplicable smile, "My disciple has just joined the Mo Family and is not proficient in learning. If there is anything wrong, please don't laugh at me."
Gongshu Hong immediately laughed and said, "Although your disciple is young, the reputation of the Mo Family's Eldest Senior Sister has already spread throughout Chang 'an City. The silver mirror that she made was very popular in the Tang Dynasty. This Old Man has long heard of her name. It is my honor to meet the young talent of the Mo Family."
A trace of contempt flashed in Li Yun's heart. If Wu Meiniang made the tape measure, he would admit that he was unlucky. If she didn't, Mo Jiazi dared to cheat against his will. Then, he shouldn't blame him for being merciless.
Wu Meiniang walked in front of Li Yun and took out a palm-sized item from the pocket of her ink-colored clothes. Li Yun unconsciously touched the tape measure on his cuff. Although he didn't like Mo Jiazi, he had to admit that the pocket design of the ink-colored clothes was extremely convenient and quite in line with the philosophy of the Mo Family.
"Since Martial Uncle also made a tape measure, why don't you and I show it at the same time?" Wu Meiniang opened her eyes wide and looked at Li Yun innocently.
Li Yun couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Wu Meiniang's move was extremely cunning. If others didn't know, they would think that he was competing with a teenage girl.
"Don't be rude!" Meton scolded.
"Martial Uncle, Mei Niang will embarrass herself!" Wu Meiniang stuck out her tongue and took the lead to stretch out her palm. In her palm, there was a palm-sized wooden box.
"Controlling it with one hand!" Li Yun's heart sank. This was the most difficult part of Mo Jiazi's lesson. Wu Meiniang's tape measure was actually the size of a palm. Moreover, it was the size of a child's palm. In terms of size, she had already succeeded by more than half.
However, Wu Meiniang's tape measure was round. Naturally, it wouldn't collide with his tape measure. This made him breathe a sigh of relief and at the same time, he became a little more solemn.
Then, Wu Meiniang slowly took out a flat cloth ruler from the wooden box. It was covered with densely packed scales. Wu Meiniang waved behind her and one of Mo Jiazi's younger brothers came forward to help. The two of them worked together and slowly showed the one-foot-long tape measure to everyone.
"Accurate to the fifth centimeter!"
"The tape measure can be rolled into a roll! Naturally, you can control the one-foot-long tape measure with one hand. "
When Gongshu Hong saw Wu Meiniang's tape measure, he suddenly realized the difficulties of the tape measure in his heart. However, these two problems seemed to be easily solved by Wu Meiniang. For ordinary people, it was extremely difficult because the cloth rope to make the tape measure was extremely rare. Only the Mo Family Village had this kind of craft.
After Wu Meiniang finished showing, she pulled the small handle on the side of the wooden box. With a little force, Wu Meiniang pulled the one-foot-long tape measure slowly into the wooden box. Once again, it returned to the palm-sized wooden box.
"It can be done like this?" Li Yun couldn't help but shrink his eyes. He was shocked by Wu Meiniang's fantastic idea. He originally thought that his tape measure must be the only answer. However, he didn't expect that Wu Meiniang actually chose a completely different path.
"Mei Niang looks forward to Martial Uncle's masterpiece." Wu Meiniang said seriously.
This time, Li Yun didn't have the slightest contempt. Instead, he solemnly took out a half-foot-long, three-finger-wide wooden block from his cuff and showed it to everyone.
"A wooden block!" Gongshu Hong couldn't help but frown. How could this be a tape measure? Only Meton's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but think of a kind of tape measure commonly used by woodworkers in the future.
With a shake of Li Yun's hand, the wooden block that was originally two fingers wide turned out to be a combination of thin wooden planks. Under Li Yun's strength, the wooden planks were connected by Mou Liu, forming a wooden ruler that was ten feet long.
"Wonderful!" Gongshu Hong saw Li Yun's design and couldn't help but praise. As the peak of traditional woodworking, the Gongshu Family didn't know how many generations had been involved in woodworking. Naturally, they agreed with Li Yun's idea.
Moreover, Wu Meiniang used a cloth ruler, while Li Yun used a pure wooden ruler. Naturally, Gongshu Hong approved.
"My precision is also five centimeters." Li Yun nodded. On this point, he and Wu Meiniang had a tacit understanding. They both thought of this idea at the same time.
"I'm afraid this is already the limit?" Gongshu Hong sighed. The world said that a difference of a millimeter could lead to a difference of a thousand miles. However, a millimeter was already difficult to distinguish, let alone a millimeter.
Li Yun shook his hand, and the one-foot-long wooden ruler was randomly folded into pieces, returning to its original one-foot-long, three-finger-wide wooden board.
"Martial Uncle is brilliant. Little nephew admits defeat!" Wu Meiniang suddenly took the initiative to admit defeat.
Li Yun couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect Wu Meiniang to take the initiative to admit defeat. Although he was very confident in his tape measure, Wu Meiniang's cloth tape measure was also extraordinary. If they really competed, the winner wasn't certain.
"Merton really taught a good disciple!" Gongshu Hong said meaningfully.
Meton coughed and said, "Although Mei Niang completed the ruler according to the rules, there are many places that need to be improved. It is cumbersome to make, but Brother Li's tape measure is simple and skillful. It is indeed a little better."
Although his disciple lost to Li Yun, it was an honorable defeat. Meton was naturally happy to give Li Yun face.
"In my opinion, your disciple's cloth tape measure is extremely rare. Marquis Mo, aren't you making things too difficult for your junior?" General Gongshu Hong said. Even he couldn't help but praise Wu Meiniang's design. He didn't believe that Meton would be able to point out any flaws.
Meton laughed and said, "Brother Gongshu thinks too highly of my disciple. Although the cloth tape measure has an advantage, it is too soft. If it is too short, it can be operated by one person. If it is more than six feet long, I am afraid it will require two people to cooperate."
Everyone couldn't help but think. When Wu Meiniang showed the cloth tape measure, she pulled Brother Mo Jiazi to cooperate with her. This was indeed a shortcoming. Compared to the advantages of the cloth tape measure, this shortcoming was almost negligible.
"However, the cloth tape measure has an unparalleled advantage that is not used. That is, compared to the wooden ruler, the cloth tape measure can be thinner. In other words, with the same volume, the cloth tape measure can hold a longer ruler." After Meton finished, he pondered for a moment and said, "If this cloth tape measure is several times larger, the length will increase to five hundred feet. It will definitely have a more prominent effect, and the previous shortcoming will be enough to make up for."
"Five hundred feet!" Gongshu Hong couldn't help but be shocked. He couldn't help but be amazed by Meton's idea. The distance of five hundred feet was more than 150 meters in the future. In this era, long-distance measurement was very troublesome. If the cloth tape measure of five hundred feet was used, two people could easily and accurately measure it. Moreover, it was easy to carry, and could be retracted and released freely. It would definitely be popular.
"Your disciple understands!" Wu Meiniang said happily.
"Brother Mo is indeed extraordinary. How about you give me some pointers on my folding ruler?" Li Yun said with some dissatisfaction.
He originally thought that the cloth tape measure was comparable to his folding ruler, but he didn't expect that Mo Jiazi would point out the flaws of the cloth tape measure with just a few words and improve it. It suddenly overshadowed the folding ruler's limelight. Since the cloth tape measure also had flaws, didn't it mean that his folding ruler wasn't perfect? This time, he wanted to see what Mo Jiazi would say.
Meton looked at the folding ruler in Li Yun's hand and revealed a smile. "Brother Li's folding ruler naturally doesn't have the flaws of the cloth tape measure. It can be straightened easily, and the length of ten feet is under control."
Li Yun couldn't help but show a trace of pride when he heard this. However, before he could be proud for long, he heard Meton's tone change. "But …"
"But after all, the length of our arms is limited. Barely controlling six feet is already the limit, and the most suitable length for operation is three feet. This is also the reason why the three-foot wooden ruler is the most commonly used by craftsmen. If the length of this folding ruler is reduced to three inches, and the length is reduced to three feet, ten pieces of wood are only one finger thick. In this way, craftsmen can operate it easily and carry it easily. Wouldn't it be very popular? "
"Three inches long, one finger thick!" Li Yun looked thoughtfully at the folding ruler in his hand. With a little force, he directly broke off a third of it.
Li Yun held the three-foot-long folding ruler and operated it back and forth with both hands. Sure enough, it was much more convenient than the previous ten-foot-long folding ruler. Moreover, it was just right to hold in the palm of his hand, which was extremely convenient.
"Li Yun has learned!" This time, Li Yun was sincerely convinced and bowed his head.
Gongshu Hong couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He didn't expect that Mo Jiazi's few words could really make the folding ruler and cloth ruler shine. He couldn't help but say resentfully, "Today, the Old Man is very lucky to be able to witness the fortune of craftsmen. Now, the cloth ruler can easily measure long distances, and the folding ruler can easily measure three feet. The Old Man heard that Merton once said that he would also make a ruler to compete with your disciple. I don't know if it can open the eyes of the Old Man."
Li Yun's heart skipped a beat. Right now, he had already decided on the ruler for close-range and long-range measurement. Only the ruler for mid-range measurement was still a blank. If the Mo School could perfectly solve the mid-range ruler for measuring a distance of ten zhang, the wooden ruler of the Great Tang would be perfect.
"This is a game made by me and my disciple. I didn't expect that it would alarm so many people. Sorry for making you laugh." Meton smiled bitterly.
Gongshu Hong pressed him step by step, "Although it is a game, it is enough to benefit the craftsmen of the world. Merton, you can't be modest!"
Meton laughed and reached out his hand to take out a palm-sized object from the pocket of the Mo Mansion. He held it out in front of everyone and said solemnly, "Sorry for making a fool of myself."
Everyone immediately looked at it and saw a white metal object in Meton's palm.
"This is iron!" Gongshu Hong said uncertainly.
"To be precise, it should be steel!" Meton nodded and said, "This is the steel ruler made by me!"
"Steel ruler!" Everyone suddenly looked at each other.
Li Yun made the folding ruler with a wooden block, and Wu Meiniang made the cloth ruler with a cloth rope. No one had thought that Mo Jiazi would use steel. There was no precedent of using steel as a ruler in the world.
"Steel can also be made into a ruler!" Not only were the others in disbelief, but even Wu Meiniang found it hard to believe. Steel was harder than wood. How could it be made into a palm-sized object?
Meton explained, "Everyone knows that steel is extremely tough, but they don't know that steel is also extremely flexible. A thin piece of steel can be bent, and once it is let go, it can quickly return to its original state."
Gongshu Hong nodded solemnly. He often dealt with steel, so he agreed with Mo Jiazi's steel ruler.
"So, I asked the Mo Family to make a batch of steel with excellent flexibility, and rolled it to a thickness of about a centimeter. I cut it into a finger-wide steel strip, and engraved it with the most precise scale. With the help of the Mo Family's mechanical secret skill, I finally made the masterpiece in front of me, the steel ruler. "Meton said solemnly.
At this moment, almost everyone's eyes were fixed on the steel box in Meton's hand.
Seeing this, Meton stretched out his hand, and a six-foot-long steel ruler was pulled out of the palm-sized box. However, this was not the end. With Meton's continuous movements, a two-foot-long steel ruler appeared in front of everyone.
"A two-foot-long ruler." Everyone's expression could not help but change. The Mo Clan's son had only requested for them to make a ruler that was three meters long, and that was enough. However, his request was even higher, and he had directly made a ruler that was six meters long, and similarly, he could control it with one hand.
"The reason why I made a two-foot-long ruler is for ease of operation. The distance measurement must be accurate, and often requires the cooperation of two people. But this steel ruler only needs one person to operate it to ensure its accuracy. I can stand still and easily measure the distance to the bridge deck. "Meton said as he picked up the two-foot-long ruler, folded it in half, and pressed the end directly against the edge of the bridge, constantly sliding the bent part.
"Twelve feet and five centimeters!" Meton's hand exerted force, and the originally bent steel ruler was straightened again, returning to its original shape.
Gongshu Hong couldn't help but sigh. Mo Jiazi was really extraordinary. This steel ruler could be hard or soft, it was simply a combination of a wooden ruler and a cloth ruler. Just this point alone had surpassed the other two by a lot.
"One centimeter!" Li Yun heard this precise number and couldn't help but frown. He was at most accurate to five centimeters. He really didn't know how Mo Jiazi measured one centimeter.
Meton saw Li Yun's doubts and said with a proud smile, "The wooden ruler and cloth ruler are limited by the material, so naturally they can't be too accurate. However, the steel ruler doesn't have such a flaw, it can be accurate to one centimeter."
Meton said as he slightly exerted force on the steel ruler in his hand, and suddenly moved horizontally in front of Li Yun and Gongshu Hong.
"It is really accurate to one centimeter!" The two saw the subtle scale on the steel ruler and couldn't help but be shocked. The scale of the steel ruler was the same as the wooden ruler, it was engraved and then printed with ink. But if the wooden ruler was too accurate, it would destroy the structure of the wooden block and quickly wear out. The same was true for the cloth ruler. If it was too accurate, then even the most advanced ink of the Mo Family would spread into a mass of ink. However, the hardness of steel perfectly solved these two hidden dangers. Under the Mo Family's precision instrument, it was perfectly engraved with a width of one centimeter, and it was very easy to distinguish.
"In addition, the best use of the steel ruler is to measure inside an object, especially inside a house. It can be easily done by one person." Meton said as he showed the various ingenious uses of the steel ruler. It was a perfect combination of the advantages of the folding ruler, the wooden ruler, and the cloth ruler.
"Even when we are done, we only need to gently loosen this hidden buckle, and the steel ruler can be perfectly folded in the palm of our hand. In fact, this should be called a steel ruler." Meton moved his hand and turned on a switch of the steel ruler. With a clattering sound, the steel ruler automatically shrank back to the size of a palm without being controlled by anyone.
"Master, you are really amazing!" Wu Meiniang sincerely admired Meton. This move of Meton's was much better than her manual operation of the cloth ruler.
"The Mo Family's Mechanical Technique!"
Li Yun couldn't help but feel proud. The Mo Family's Mechanical Technique was the proudest thing of the Mo Family, and the Mechanical Technique was also the specialty of the Xiangli Family.
However, Li Yun guessed wrong. The winding technology inside the steel ruler was not owned by the Mo Family's Village, but was taken from the dolls of the Dengling Family. From a street performer's ingenious obscene skill to the Mo Family's Mechanical Technique, which was helpful to the national economy and people's livelihood, one had to say that God made a fool of people.
"The three heroes of the Mo Family!" Gongshu Hong couldn't help but sigh.
The Mo Family had been silent for thousands of years, but there were still so many talents. The Gongshu Family had exhausted the wisdom of all people, but they still couldn't solve it. However, the three heroes of the Mo Family had each made a ruler, which directly included three kinds of rulers for short, medium, and long distances.
Gongshu Hong could predict that these three rulers would be popular in the Tang Dynasty once they were on the market. The Lu Ban ruler, which was originally the dominant ruler, would probably be unable to compete with them.
"I lost!" Li Yun said calmly. This time, he didn't complain at all, because Meton's steel ruler was really amazing.
Mo Cun shook his head and said, "This time, there is no loser. The three rulers have their own strengths. How can we determine the winner or loser? Even the Lu Ban ruler, which is the most commonly used by carpenters today, is equally good at seeking benefits and avoiding dangers in building houses. It is not wrong to call this round a draw."
"It should be so!" Gongshu Hong took advantage of the situation and said.
At this point, the battle between the two branches of the Mo Family officially came to an end. In the three rounds, Li Yun of the Xiangfu Family and Meton of the Xiangli Family.
Two defeats and one draw!
()
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
