In a Han-dynasty workshop, a young servant is sick of lugging around heavy bundles of bamboo slips, while the official Cai Lun toils day and night scooping up batch after batch of plant pulp, determined to make something that can replace them.
Scene 1: Heavy Bundles of Bamboo Slips
东汉的一个清晨，阿木背着一捆，累得满头大汗。
One early morning in the Eastern Han, A Mu trudged along with a bundle of bamboo slips on his back, so worn out that his forehead was drenched in sweat.
A Mu
蔡大人，皇上的一道命令就这么重，搬一趟我的腰都快断了。
Master Cai, if a single decree from His Majesty weighs this much, one trip hauling it and my back is about to snap.
Cai Lun
我也早就想换个法子了。若是有种又轻又能写字的东西，该多好。
I've long wanted to find another way myself. If only there were something both light and easy to write on, how wonderful that would be.
A Mu
倒是轻，可贵得吓人，谁舍得拿来写字呀。
Silk is light enough, sure, but it's frighteningly expensive—who'd ever bear to waste it just for writing?
Scene 2: A Workshop Reeking of Rotting Wood
院子里堆着、破布和旧，蔡伦把它们全泡进了水里。
The courtyard was piled high with tree bark, rags, and old fishing nets, and Cai Lun soaked them all in water.
A Mu
大人，这些破烂泡烂了，能做出什么来呀？
Master, once this junk has soaked into mush, what on earth can it possibly make?
Cai Lun
成，再摊得薄薄一层，说不定就成了。来，使劲。
Pound it into pulp, spread it out in a thin layer, dry it in the sun—who knows, it just might work. Come on, pound it hard.
两人轮流了大半天，木槌一下一下，砸得满身是水。
The two of them took turns pounding for the better part of a day, the wooden mallet falling blow after blow, splashing water all over them.
Scene 3: Every Batch Falls Apart
头几张捞起来一掀就碎，烂成一团贴在帘子上。
The first few sheets crumbled the moment they were lifted out, falling apart into a soggy clump stuck to the screen.
A Mu
又烂了！大人，咱们都试了七八回了，是不是根本做不成？
It fell apart again! Master, we've tried seven or eight times now—maybe it just can't be done at all?
Cai Lun
别急。我看是水太多，得再稠一点，帘子也抬得稳些。
Don't be impatient. I think there's too much water—make the pulp a bit thicker, and lift the screen with a steadier hand.
他蹲在水边，把那层薄薄的小心地铺平，连大气都不敢喘。
He crouched at the water's edge, carefully smoothing out that thin layer of pulp, not daring even to breathe too hard.
Scene 4: A Thin Sheet Drying in the Sun
第二天太阳一晒，帘子上那层东西干了，竟揭下来一张薄薄的纸。
The next day, once the sun had dried it, the layer on the screen hardened, and to their amazement they peeled off a thin sheet of paper.
A Mu
成了！大人您看，又轻又平，比强多了！
It worked! Master, look—light and smooth, so much better than bamboo slips!
Cai Lun
拿支笔来，写上一行试试，看墨会不会晕开。
Fetch a brush and write a line to test it—let's see whether the ink bleeds.
清清楚楚，蔡伦把那张纸举到阳光下，半天没舍得放手。
The ink marks were crisp and clear; Cai Lun held the sheet up to the sunlight, and for a long while couldn't bring himself to let it go.