Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 197: Pendulum and Pulse
If Carpenter Sun could maintain the bearing of a famous craftsman in front of Zhang Shou because he often dealt with wealthy families, and because Zhang Shou did not show any airs of an official of the imperial court or the son-in-law of a noble family during their two meetings, and always spoke politely and courteously, then his apprentices who had not yet left their homes to start their own businesses would not have such confidence at all.
If it was any other doctor from the Imperial College, since they didn’t know him, they would just be in awe and surprise that their master could invite such an distinguished guest. But Zhang Shou was different... Zhang Shou’s fame was so great these days!
From a country boy who was said to be lucky enough to be engaged to the eldest daughter of Duke Zhao, to becoming a doctor of the Imperial College, a teacher to a large group of noble young men, in charge of two halls, and then promoted to the sixth rank because of various merits... they only saw this person's rapid rise and he was about to become the most favored person by the current emperor!
Therefore, a few people who knew how to handle things immediately hurriedly saluted, and the others followed suit after they realized what was going on. As for introducing themselves in front of others, it was the clever apprentice who first greeted Carpenter Sun at the door who took the lead.
"Dr. Zhang, I have been learning from my master for six years. I can do all kinds of carpentry..."
This time, he was unable to finish his words, because an apprentice who was older than him and looked older than him interrupted him: "Dr. Zhang, I have been learning from my master for twelve years. I can do those mortise and tenon joint structures with my eyes closed. I can do a lot of work by myself! Apart from other things, there are many junior brothers here, and it was the master who asked me to lead and teach them!"
Zhang Shou understood immediately that this was actually the role of the senior brother, and he smiled and nodded slightly. For Carpenter Sun to trust him to teach, the senior brother's skills, even if they were not superb, must be very good.
Sure enough, after the old apprentice took the initiative to recommend himself, the others quieted down a little. But the next moment, instead of being scared, everyone began to rush to introduce themselves. They spared no effort, and even Carpenter Sun, who was very enthusiastic at first, couldn't help but frown slightly.
However, he never imagined that there was an unspoken reason why his disciples were so attracted to Zhang Shou.
Apart from other things, according to rumors, Zhang Shou had one biggest advantage in dealing with people, that is, whatever he accomplished, whatever merit he made, he would not take all the credit for himself, but would definitely share it with others. No matter if they were the noble children in Banshan Hall or the poor students in Jiuzhang Hall, as long as they made an effort, they would definitely get credit, this was almost an iron rule.
Isn't it better to work for such a person than to work like a slave for your master and only receive a few red envelopes during festivals?
Zhang Shou naturally smiled with satisfaction when he saw everyone recommending themselves. However, he quickly gestured to everyone to stop arguing and put forward a condition: "As everyone knows, I teach in the Jiuzhang Hall of the Imperial Academy, and what I am going to do now is also closely related to the Mathematical Scriptures. Therefore, the craft is important, and the ability to understand the Mathematical Scriptures is also important."
At this point, he turned his head to look at Carpenter Sun and said sincerely, "Can I ask each of you a few questions individually?"
When Carpenter Sun heard that Zhang Shou wanted to ask about the arithmetic, he was caught off guard. He was about to say that few of his disciples were fully literate, but Zhang Shou explained sincerely, "Master Sun, don't worry. I certainly won't test them with the same questions as the Jiuzhang Hall's enrollment questions. I want to see more about their ability to draw inferences from one example. And I need your help."
Although he was somewhat confused, Carpenter Sun finally agreed to it after Zhang Shou explained it to him in a reasonable way. However, when he sent his apprentices out to prepare and then built a wooden frame at Zhang Shou's request, and then Zhang Shou took out a copper pendant from his arms and asked him to tie it with a thin of cotton thread and then tie it to the frame, he was completely confused.
He also had no idea what Zhang Shou's so-called test was, because when each person came in, Zhang Shou would fiddle with the copper pendant hung by a thin wire to make it swing, and then he would repeat exactly the same actions and questions with a smile.
Zhang Shou would pull the copper pendant to a relatively high place, then let it go. After the copper pendant swung a few times, he would put it down to a relatively low place and let it go again. After it swung a few times, he would ask: "Which one do you think takes longer or shorter, the two times you let it go from different heights and the two times you let it go from left to right?"
Carpenter Sun watched coldly. He saw that after each of his apprentices pondered, some said that it would take longer for the copper pendant to swing once after letting go of a high place, while others said that it would take longer for the copper pendant to swing once after letting go of a low place. In short, each had his own reasons. It was the first time that he discovered that there were so many eloquent apprentices among his apprentices.
Zhang Shou did not reveal the answer, but nodded to encourage everyone until a thin boy walked into the room. The boy looked only about 15 or 16 years old, and looked a little timid, especially when he saw Carpenter Sun, he was even more trembling. Carpenter Sun, who had been very kind to his apprentices just now, now frowned.
"Guan Qiu, with your mediocre carpentry skills, how dare you come here? Go back and practice your big saw!"
"I……"
"Wait a minute." Zhang Shou smiled and stopped the glaring Carpenter Sun, saying gently, "Master Sun, why do you have to blame him? Since he is here, let him take a look and think about it."
Zhang Shou demonstrated the same thing and asked the same questions. Then the young Guan Qiu frowned and thought hard.
Seeing this, Carpenter Sun said angrily, "Dr. Zhang, my apprentice is a bad student. When I ask him to make tools, he is always distracted. When I teach him to draw lines, he keeps complaining about a lot of problems. When I ask him to do delicate work, he doesn't have the skills. He has been with me for four years, but he hasn't made much progress. Fortunately, his father and I are old friends, otherwise I would never keep such an apprentice!"
Zhang Shou didn't take it seriously. Seeing that Guan Qiu kept his head down from beginning to end, as if he was embarrassed, or as if he was used to what Carpenter Sun said, he asked, "So, do you think the former will take longer, or the latter?"
His question was met with silence. Just when Zhang Shou was beginning to wonder, Guan Qiu suddenly said, "Dr. Zhang, can you demonstrate it again? First, let the copper pendant fall from the first height, and swing ten times over and over again. Then, let it fall from another height and swing ten times over again. Is that okay?"
Carpenter Sun wanted to curse at such a request, but Zhang Shou narrowed his eyes slightly and then smiled and replied, "Okay!"
He was not impatient at all and really tried it twice. When he stopped the second swing at a lower height, Guan Qiu, who had been dull just now, replied in a deep voice: "It should take the same amount of time."
Hearing this answer, Carpenter Sun frowned and said, "If you don't understand, stop talking nonsense..."
"Master Sun, don't be impatient." Zhang Shou stopped Carpenter Sun from cursing and said with a smile, "Why do you think the time is the same?"
Guan Qiu hesitated for a moment, and finally said frankly: "I held my pulse and counted it, and the number of pulses is the same."
Before Carpenter Sun could curse, Zhang Shou asked with interest: "A person's pulse can change, how can you be sure it's accurate? And how can you guarantee that your pulse will beat at the same time at the beginning of the week so that you can start counting?"
"I just tried my best to calm myself down. Besides, I didn't measure it ten times. I measured it seven times. I chose the time when the copper fell to the lowest point or the highest point, and when my pulse was beating. This way, the measurement is more accurate, and..."
Before Guan Qiu finished speaking, Zhang Shou raised his hand to signal him not to say anything more, and then said with a smile: "It's interesting that you can think of using this method to calculate instead of relying purely on guessing or feeling."
As he said this, he turned around and nodded to Carpenter Sun, saying, "Master Sun, this kid is good, I think he should be able to help a little. As for the other one, just pick one with good skills and an honest personality. As for the eldest senior brother who can help you train your apprentice, I won't take his love away from him, you must not be able to do without such a proud disciple."
Although Carpenter Sun boasted that he would let Zhang Shou choose, he still had a headache if Zhang Shou really wanted to pick the most capable apprentice in his room. So, when he heard that Zhang Shou actually asked for Guan Qiu, who he thought was the least talented, and then asked him to pick someone with good skills, who could make finished products and was an honest person, he could not help but be dumbfounded.
Although he himself was a little confused, it was normal for him not to see what this doctor who was proficient in mathematics valued, so he didn't ask any more questions, agreed readily, and strode out to pick someone. When he left, Guan Qiu, who had been hesitant to speak, finally plucked up the courage: " Dr. Zhang , was what I just said right?"
Zhang Shou smiled and nodded, "That's right, but I can only say that it's mostly right. "
"Why is it only half right?" Guan Qiu's eyes widened, but then he realized that the person in front of him was not his master, but the officials who were higher in status than his master. He immediately shut his mouth, but he couldn't help but be surprised and happy when he heard what he heard next.
"You like to ask why, which is not a bad thing. You have eyes that are good at discovering and a mind that is good at thinking, which is also very important for what I am about to do. However, since you are a carpenter's apprentice, you can't be too ambitious. When doing things, you should do the work at hand well first, and then think about other problems. Do you understand?"
Seeing the young man nodding like a chick pecking at rice, Zhang Shou couldn't help but nod secretly. When Carpenter Sun brought in another young apprentice with a simple and honest face, he said straight to the point: "What I want to make cannot be completed in a short time, so I need to sign a contract with you in advance. Within three years, food and accommodation will be provided. The first year's wages are 10 strings of cash, the second year is 15 strings of cash, and the third year is 20 strings of cash. If you make what I want, I will give you another 100 strings of cash."
Hearing this, Carpenter Sun couldn't help but lick his teeth. This condition... is extremely generous for Guan Qiu and Zhao Si at their age! He pondered for a moment, then said with a smile: "Since Dr. Zhang is taking such good care of them, if there are any problems in the future, just let me be called at any time. If my apprentices make any mistakes, of course I should be the one to clean up for them!"
