What role does the pen pad play in calligraphy?

You're talking about a pen curtain. I'm used to it. It is a kind of cushion, which covers an area of more than one square foot and is generally woven with thin bamboo strips. This thing actually has no important function, so novices don't buy it. Its use can be summarized into three aspects:

1. When you need to take a pen out, roll it in to prevent the nib from being injured.

It looks elegant on the table. If you take part in pen meetings, live creation and other activities, it looks very stylish.

It can also be used on weekdays, and it is temporary. This pen is used less when writing, but more when drawing, because there are many pens for drawing, and those dipped in ink and various pigments often drop this one and grab that one, so they don't have time to put the pen in order, so they can throw it on the open pen curtain at will, and of course it can't be too wet, because the ink will penetrate the pen curtain and pollute the desktop or felt. I used to like doing this, but later I made a beautiful pen curtain look like a melon, so now I throw my pen on a folded fringed paper.

That's all that matters.