“Your dad is just making excuses to be lazy.” Fu Yucheng smiled and stuffed a piece of soap into Erzhuzi’s hand. “Go and scrub the mud off, and when you come back I’ll teach you how to grind bamboo strips.”
Watching Erzhuzi run out clutching the soap, Fu Yuanshan suddenly laughed out loud: "This kid is just like you back then, full of inexhaustible energy."
“I’m much more disciplined than him.” Fu Yucheng hammered nails into the bamboo frame. “Back in the army, I didn’t complain even when my flesh was rubbed raw.”
Fu Yuanshan laughed: "That happened so many years ago, why bring it up again?"
He shoved a bamboo teacup into Fu Yucheng's hand. "I just made it. Try it out."
Just then, Old Zhou's son arrived, leaning on his cane and carrying a cloth bag: "Master Fu, my mother asked me to bring you a pound of new tea."
Fu Yuanshan quickly helped him sit down: "You don't need to bring anything, just come and learn a skill."
He picked up a bamboo strip and said, "Look, to weave bamboo utensils, you have to practice splitting bamboo strips first. You have to split them evenly, as fine as a hair."
Old Zhou's son nodded and carefully picked up the bamboo knife.
Fu Yuanshan instructed from the side: "Don't use too much force with your wrist, just follow the grain of the bamboo."
Erzhuzi ran in barefoot, his trouser legs still dripping wet: "Master Fu, I've washed it clean!"
He moved closer to Old Zhou's son and said, "My name is Erzhuzi. From now on, we'll be fellow disciples."
The young man from the Zhou family smiled shyly: "My name is Zhou Ming."
Fu Yuanshan stuffed a bamboo strip into each of their hands: "Today we'll practice splitting bamboo strips. You can only eat after you've split a hundred."
Erzhuzi stuck out his tongue: "A hundred? Master Fu is too strict."
Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "Back when your Master Fu was practicing splitting bamboo, the blisters on his hands were bigger than soybeans."
She slipped a cornbread into their hands, saying, "Have something to eat first, so you don't go hungry."
Watching this scene, Fu Yucheng said to Yun Tangyin, "Second brother is quite the professional chef; the house suddenly feels just like home."
“That’s right.” Yun Tangyin hung a string of corn in the yard. “He worked in the cultural troupe, so he has some experience.”
As evening fell, Erzhuzi held up the split bamboo strips with a mournful face: "Master Fu, I've only split fifty strips, and my hands are numb."
Zhou Ming blushed and said, "I only chopped thirty."
Fu Yuanshan picked up the bamboo strips they had split and looked at them: "Erzhu's are alright, Zhou Ming's are a bit thick, but it's not bad for the first time."
He slipped a small bamboo trinket into each of their hands, saying, "This is a reward for you. Keep practicing tomorrow."
Erzhuzi, holding up the little bamboo rat, cheered, "Thank you, Master Fu!"
Zhou Ming carefully put away the bamboo rabbit, saying, "Thank you, Master Fu."
After the two children left, Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "You're quite tolerant of your apprentices."
Fu Yuanshan rubbed his wrist: "Everyone starts out like this, you'll get used to it with practice."
He wove a small moon into the bamboo basket, "It's for the child, so he can play with it when he's born."
Fu Yucheng returned from outside, holding a newspaper in his hand: "Second brother, you're in the newspaper!"
The newspaper featured a photo of Fu Yuanshan weaving bamboo crafts, accompanied by the text "Fu Yuanshan, a folk bamboo weaving artist".
Fu Yuanshan took the newspaper, his hands trembling: "This...is it me?"
Song Yushuang leaned over to look: "Yuanshan is really something, he's in the newspaper!"
She slipped a red egg into Fu Yuanshan's hand, saying, "To celebrate your success."
Yu Xia brought out dinner: "Eat quickly, I made braised pork to nourish our big star."
Fu Yuanshan blushed and said, "Sister-in-law, please don't make fun of me."
He put a piece of meat in everyone's bowl, saying, "Let's all eat together."
At the dinner table, Fu Yucheng said, "Second brother, Director Wang of the supply and marketing cooperative said he wants you to make some lanterns for the Spring Festival temple fair, and he's offering a very high price."
Fu Yuanshan's eyes lit up: "Lanterns? I really know how to make those!"
Jiang Jianhua said with a smile, "The lanterns you make will definitely be beautiful. We'll ask Erzhuzi and the others to help out later."
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "Tomorrow, have them practice making lantern frames, starting with the simple ones."
At night, Fu Yuanshan was still weaving lanterns in the courtyard. Jiang Jianhua put a coat on him and said, "Don't overwork yourself. Get some rest."
Fu Yuanshan held her hand: "Jianhua, I feel like I'm finally living a truly fulfilling life now."
Jiang Jianhua leaned on his shoulder: "Things will get better and better in the future."
The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, illuminating the half-finished lanterns and the smiles on the couple's faces.
The next morning, Erzhuzi and Zhou Ming arrived.
Fu Yuanshan, holding a lantern frame, said, "Today we'll learn how to make lanterns, starting with hexagonal ones."
Erzhuzi asked excitedly, "Can we hang it in the yard once it's finished?"
Fu Yuanshan said with a smile, "Not only can it be hung in the yard, but it can also be sold at temple fairs."
Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Really? Then I'll make up a few more."
Seeing his apprentices studying so diligently, Fu Yuanshan felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
"To make a lantern, you have to secure the bamboo frame first, otherwise it will hang crooked." Fu Yuanshan demonstrated with a bamboo strip. "Watch this cross knot. It has to be tied as tightly as a shoelace."
Erzhuzi clumsily wrapped the bamboo strips, tying the knots into a tangled mess: "Master Fu, this knot is even harder to tie than the soles my mother makes for shoes."
Jiang Jianhua brought out hot water and smiled as he helped him untangle the bamboo strips: "Your mother pulls the thread when sewing shoe soles, but this knot is tied in a circle, it's a different method."
With a deft twist of her fingertips, the cross knot immediately became neat. "Learn from this, it'll be smooth after wrapping it around a couple more times."
Zhou Ming watched intently and tried to tie a knot. Although it was loose and wove, it did look somewhat decent.
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "He's better than Erzhuzi. His knot can trap a weasel."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com