Chapter 36 Fabric
He worked in the government office every day and did not dare to slack off for a moment, for fear that he would think of her and Baili accompanying each other day and night in Fuzhou.
He waited alone, thinking distractedly, but now seeing her talking to someone here, all the obscurity in his heart was dispelled.
"Zhao..." Yu Huatang raised his eyes and looked at the figure over here.
"My lantern is broken and I've been looking for you for a long time. So you are here." He signaled her not to reveal his identity.
"Oh, okay. I'll come after I finish this with you," she replied.
After saying that, he turned to the old man and said, "Uncle, please help me with this. This handle amplitude still requires your skills."
The old man smiled, looked at the two of them, and started to act without saying anything.
After finishing, Yu Huatang stood up and wrote down a few key points in his notebook. "Thank you, sir."
After he stood up and walked away, he asked, "Why are you here, sir?"
"The competition is about to start, and I wanted to come over to see if anyone else is left behind. I didn't expect to see you here."
Yu Huatang nodded, and said happily, "Sir, I've thought of a lantern for the competition. The 'Nine Carp Skyward Lantern' combines various techniques and should amaze the tribute envoys."
Zhao Yan was also happy. "Of course I trust you. Don't be too stressed. I have already arranged the personnel and supplies. See if you need anything else."
"Then sir, please prepare some bamboo for me."
He promised, "Think about what else is needed."
"Well, you can also prepare some silk cloth, silk thread, and glass yarn. When we work together, there will be times when we make mistakes, so it's good to have them prepared."
"OK."
After saying that, he said, "Then please go ahead and do your work. I will go back to draw the blueprints."
Although Zhao Yan was reluctant to let her go, he didn't force her to stay. "You should have a good rest these two days. I'll send some people to help you draw the blueprints."
"It doesn't take much effort. I can just draw it myself."
He knew that she was cautious and would at least try to get nine out of ten, so he stopped trying to persuade her.
After Yu Huatang walked away, An Fu said, "Miss Yu, the clothes you are wearing today are really beautiful. Her clothes in the past were too plain."
Zhao Yan also took a few deep glances at the person walking away and asked, "Which silk shop here is the best?"
"Ah?" Anfu thought for a moment. "Of course it's Zhouji Silk. I heard that County Magistrate Yan's wife also makes clothes here."
Zhao Yan shook her head. She definitely wouldn't wear such luxurious fabric. "Are there any other ones that are slightly inferior?"
Anfu didn't know why he had to buy something of inferior quality. In the past, the clothes he made for the young master were all made of gold and silver robes and Suzhou embroidery, but when they came here, they became coarse cloth.
"Then we'll go to Xuji Fabrics. People buy a lot of fabrics here. The young master bought his blue cloth shirt here last time."
Zhao Yan thought it was okay and said, "Lead the way."
Xu Daxiang has run this shop for thirty years and has never seen such a generous young man.
The young man selected a lot of women's fabrics, but his brows were furrowed and hesitant.
Business people naturally read people's expressions. Xu Daxiang said, "Sir, why don't you choose crimson, misty purple, lake blue, and moon white? These fabrics are soothing and light in color. They make a woman look elegant and graceful when worn. They are perfect as gifts for your loved one."
An Fu was about to say that he was not picking clothes for a woman, but when he turned around and saw the cloth his master was holding, he shut up instantly.
Zhao Yan packed some cloth and asked the shopkeeper to bring out a bunch of men's cloth.
When they returned to the courtyard, Anfu touched the men's cloth and said, "I'm afraid these clothes are a bit old-fashioned for young master."
Zhao Yan didn't continue, looking at Yu Huatang's courtyard. "Give the four batches to Miss Yu, and give the offspring to the male craftsmen participating in the competition the day after tomorrow. Tell them that the government appreciates their hard work and rewards them."
Anfu realized that the young master bought this specifically for Miss Yu, but he was afraid that she would disagree, so he deliberately found an excuse.
But he couldn't understand why they didn't send each other off when they were married, but now they are divorced, they are eager to send each other off.
Sometimes he doesn't want it, but when it's gone he misses it again. He can't experience this kind of fun...
Sure enough, after Anfu knocked on Miss Yu's door and explained his purpose, he said, "This... I don't need too many clothes. You can tell the master that you can give them to other maids."
Anfu dared not to, and advised, "Miss Yu, these are all fresh colors, it's not suitable for the maids. Besides, it's a gift from the master, if you don't accept it, it will be a loss of face for the master."
In fact, what he wanted to say was, Miss Yu, please take it. It would be best if you could send it to the clothing store tomorrow and make a few sets of clothes for them to wear right away.
He promised that his son would be happy.
"Miss Yu, please don't be polite. I have something else to do. Please take it quickly." After saying that, he placed a pile of cloth on the table in front of the door and ran away. Yu Huatang sighed.
Two days later, the tribute delegation competition finally arrived.
Early in the morning, the people of Quanzhou rushed to the open-air platform.
Yu Huatang and the people from Dengshitang sat on the right.
On the left is the tribute delegation, led by Mahmoud.
After the two sides paid each other a visit, they officially got down to business.
Yu Huatang divided the personnel into five groups.
One group, led by Xu Fu, was responsible for preparing a series of tools including carving knives, steel needles, and bamboo planes.
The second group was led by her, responsible for processing bamboo strips and weaving lamp stands.
The third and fourth groups were led by Xu Ruotong and instructed by Yu Huatang to make carp shapes and lantern surfaces.
The fifth group was led by the old man that Yu Huatang had visited before, and was responsible for drawing the patterns.
The final installation and decoration are still her responsibility.
Everyone proceeded in an orderly manner.
Zhao Yan and a group of officials sat on the stage to watch. The lanterns took a long time to be made, and the two teams only stopped when the sun set.
However, this was also the best time for judging. Yu Huatang and the tribute envoys each presented the final lantern behind the display stand.
Everyone in the audience exclaimed one after another.
The two-meter-tall 'Koi Sky Lantern' was lit with candles.
The warm yellow candlelight surged like flowing clouds, first staining the layers of scales, and then making the water ripples outlined by the fishtail gold foil emit fine golden light.
Nine koi fish as graceful as dragons seem to jump into the human world from the deep sea, which is really shocking.
The tribute envoys nearby gathered around at this time.
There was silence all around.
People from all over the streets stopped to stare at the lantern. The shadows of the lanterns flashed like a stream of fire in their eyes. The thousand-year-old art of lantern making was now burning the legend of "the carp leaping over the dragon gate" in the most gentle way.
It is also engraved in the hearts of all Quanzhou people.
The result was no longer important. The tribute delegation bowed to Yu Huatang and the many craftsmen in front of the dimming lights.
She stood out in the crowd, dressed in white, her expression full of calmness and confidence. With her delicate demeanor, she finally won everyone's heartfelt admiration.
Zhao Yan suppressed her excitement on the stage, her eyes fixed on Yu Huatang's beautiful face in the light. This was her moment and her pride.
That night, the figure and craftsmanship of the "Skillful Lantern Lady" were deeply engraved in everyone's heart.
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