Chapter 16 Female Craftsmen
Zhao Yan handed it over, and the furry child said thank you and ran away quickly.
An Fu angrily got up from the ground and said, "Young Master is too lenient. If this brat is not disciplined, he will only become more daring. He came to the governor's mansion to play today, but I'm afraid he will cause trouble tomorrow."
Zhao Yan said coldly, "Watch your mouth. I haven't said anything. Why are you making such a fuss?"
But the kid just mentioned "Mrs. Qiaodeng" (a lantern-making lady). Could it be that there are female craftsmen in Quanzhou...?
Baoxianglou is the largest restaurant in Quanzhou, located in the center of Heyuan Street. At this time, it looks even more dazzling under the illumination of the lanterns on both sides of the street.
In the past, this place was always bustling with people, but today was different. Yan Quan had cleared out the restaurant early, and fine wine, delicious food, singing girls and dancers were waiting on the side.
Zhao Yan sat down, with a cold smile, drinking with several officials, chatting about local customs and official flattery.
He knew very well that these officials were so polite to him only because his father was the left prime minister. Not surprisingly, they thought he was a rising star.
But an accident did happen. Everyone thought he was transferred to Quanzhou for training, but in fact he was demoted. His father said so to save his reputation.
Zhao Yan was young, frivolous, and arrogant. He always thought that if he stuck to his own way of being an official, he would eventually succeed.
At the age of nineteen, he was the third in the imperial examination and had great literary talent. He was the most proud disciple of the emperor. However, because of what Shangshu said, he offended half of the officials in the capital, especially the Ministry of Justice. The officials of the Ministry of Justice repeatedly found his faults and finally demoted him for forming a clique for personal gain.
If it weren't for his father's protection, he might have been in a remote border town now, unable to even get the position of governor.
After six years as an official, he is now twenty-seven years old, but he has achieved nothing. He feels confused and bitter.
He actually knew how to get along with his colleagues, how to flatter them, and how to guess his superiors' intentions, but he didn't want to do it...
This year, he was repeatedly exiled, and it took his father's efforts to save the situation for him to come to Quanzhou. He was further and further away from his ambitions...
After drinking a few cups, Zhao Yan was too drunk to handle the alcohol and stood outside the attic to get some fresh air.
Looking down from a high place, he saw children playing in the street, and he was momentarily dazzled by the large floor lamps, water lanterns and hanging lanterns depicting various birds, animals, flowers and landscapes.
He remembered the Quanzhou lanterns that the Ministry of Industry had mentioned before.
At this time, Yan Quan also came out and said, "Sir, please look. This is this year's Lantern Festival. There are 780 lanterns of various types and shapes. More than half of them are made by the Lantern Master Hall. Since you are from the Ministry of Works, I think you have considered the impact of folk arts on the livelihood of the people."
"I feel ashamed that after ten years here, I still haven't been able to pass on this technology to other places. The livelihoods of the people in Quanzhou remain the same."
Zhao Yan said after hearing this, "Master Yan is truly concerned about the livelihood of the people. Tomorrow, please send us all the scrolls of various arts and crafts. You masters are well-read and will eventually come up with a solution."
Yan Quan nodded in agreement. He had originally wanted to use Zhao Yan's help on this trip.
If Lord Zhao could really come up with a solution, he could ride on the east wind; even if not, he would still be the county magistrate.
After a few more polite words, Yan Quan invited Zhao Yan to have a few drinks again, but Zhao Yan still refused on the grounds that he was not drunk, and then left in a carriage.
Yan Quan, along with several other officials, accompanied him for a distance before leaving.
It was already late at night, and the spring night was still a little chilly. Zhao Yan sat in the car, not saying a word, with an indifferent look on his face, not even caring about what was happening outside the window.
An Fu knew that his master was usually serious and hated the flattery in the officialdom, so he didn't dare to disturb him and kept his mouth shut.
The coachman didn't dare to speak. The silent road made him seem even more lonely.
At this moment, a man emerged from the darkness, holding a bright lamp, and staggered towards the carriage.
The coachman, Uncle Ji, suddenly pulled the horse, and the horse staggered and screamed, and Zhao Yan, who was sitting upright in the carriage, bumped into the carriage bar.
Anfu was quick to help Zhao Yan up.
Listening to the noise inside the carriage, Mr. Ji knew that the official must have been hit, and he immediately blamed the person who came out of nowhere.
The governor from the capital looked elegant and aloof, but he was not easy to get along with. As soon as he got the job of driving the carriage, he threw a fork and started cursing, "What the hell is this? It's the middle of the night. You didn't see how big the carriage is. If you get trampled to death by the horses, don't blame me."
The man was frightened and sobered up. He apologized incoherently, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
An Fu opened the car curtain, and Zhao Yan's eyes fell on the man.
The man got up from the ground and, regardless of his own dirtiness, checked the tiger lantern, muttering, "Fortunately... Fortunately..." The lantern was exquisite, and Zhao Yan couldn't help but take a few more glances at it. Seeing that the man was fine, he stopped paying attention.
Anfu asked him to go away and the carriage continued to move forward.
Uncle Ji let out a breath and finally remembered who that person was, Wang Lin.
"This kid is like this again. I heard his father say a few days ago that he found him a job sailing on a merchant ship. How come he is learning the art of lantern making?"
Anfu was unfamiliar with Quanzhou, but after hearing what Uncle Ji said, he became interested. "Isn't it good for him to learn a skill?"
Uncle Ji answered while driving the carriage, "Not really, it's just that Wang Lin's craftsmanship is not good enough and the lamps he made can't be sold. So his father thought of another job."
"But when it comes to lantern craftsmanship, no one in this town can match the clever lantern lady. In just three years, her skills have surpassed her master's, and her lanterns are solidly made. We ordinary people all recognize her. Half of the lanterns at this year's Lantern Festival were made by her."
"What that kid just took was probably made by Madam Qiaodeng. Wang Lin wanted to become Madam Qiaodeng's disciple before, but she declined."
Zhao Yan in the car heard about the story of Ms. Qiao Deng for the second time and also wondered if there was a female craftsman.
Seeing his young master deep in thought, Anfu asked, "Isn't that Miss Qiaodeng a girl? Since ancient times, the inheritance has been passed down to men, not women. Why did her master accept her as his disciple?"
Master Ji finally saw some curiosity in the two people from the capital, and couldn't help but feel proud that such a young lady existed in this small town. He said, "Originally, we didn't want to accept her, but Qiao Deng married a high-ranking official a few years ago, and he didn't seem to be attracted to her. Three years ago, Qiao Deng divorced and returned home, telling her master that she no longer wanted to marry. Master Li saw that she was mentally strong and had some talent, so he made an exception and accepted her as his apprentice."
"Thank goodness Master Li took it over, so we can see these lanterns. To be honest, some of the male craftsmen were unconvinced at first. But then everyone saw Ms. Qiaodeng's skill, and over time, these male craftsmen couldn't do as well as she did. Everyone is glad she learned it, and that's how the lanterns came back to life."
Anfu was looking outside from the carriage.
Generally speaking, women have to show up in public when they learn a skill, and most of the people who learn skills are men. Once a woman learns this, she will inevitably be talked about in the future, and it will be extremely difficult for her to get married.
Zhao Yan listened to Anfu's mumbling in silence.
An Fu asked, "You just said that Madam Qiaodeng is getting divorced. She was married before. Now that she's learning this, won't her family care?"
"Who cares? Madam Qiaodeng is an orphan. I heard she married someone in the capital, but after the divorce, she had nowhere to go, so she settled down here to learn a trade. She does have a cousin, but that's a different family..."
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