The next morning, I heard a commotion outside. Remembering that they were going to the commune, I turned over and went back to sleep.
She didn't need to buy anything; she had everything she needed in her space. Suddenly, she remembered that she wanted to learn basket weaving from Uncle Gen, and instantly she didn't want to sleep anymore.
After washing up, I took an apple from my spatial storage and ate it as breakfast.
I don't know how much tuition I should pay. I've heard that in this day and age, if you learn someone's craft, you have to work for them for many years. I don't know if that's true.
However, she didn't have the time to help out at other people's homes for several years. She would just carry 20 yuan with her. Besides, basket weaving didn't seem too difficult. As long as she was taught the method, she would eventually be able to weave a nice basket after a few tries.
I locked the door and saw how quiet the educated youth settlement was. I wasn't used to it. I locked the courtyard gate too and then went to Uncle Gen's house.
Tang Baozhu felt fortunate that she had a good sense of direction and could remember places she had been before, and she had already been to Uncle Gen's house twice.
Now that she doesn't have to work, Tang Baozhu went to Uncle Gen's house and saw Uncle Gen doing carpentry work in the yard. She noticed that it seemed that people in the village didn't really lock their doors when they went out.
"Uncle Gen, I'd like to learn how to weave baskets and hampers from you. How much would the tuition be?"
Tang Baozhu didn't beat around the bush and went straight in to ask Uncle Gen. Uncle Gen's family members were also there, and they didn't say a word, but they kept giving Uncle Gen meaningful glances. After all, for them, weaving baskets was a skill that almost every man in the village knew. Now that they could get some money, they should hurry up and agree. What were they hesitating for?
“Comrade educated youth, just give me whatever you think is appropriate, it’s not a difficult thing.”
This made Tang Baozhu hesitate. She felt it wouldn't be right to give too much or too little, so she decided to just give him all the money she had on her. "Uncle Gen, I only have 20 yuan on me. Is that enough?"
Uncle Gen was surprised that the woman would take out 20 yuan at once. He had originally thought that giving her one or two yuan would be enough, but he was caught off guard.
The woman next to him, probably Uncle Gen's wife, reacted instantly. While Uncle Gen hesitated, she took the 20 yuan and smiled broadly.
"Honey, this young lady has paid her tuition, so you must teach her seriously. If you're just going through the motions, I won't stand for it."
Uncle Gen looked at his wife's greedy appearance, closed his eyes, and knew there was nothing he could do no matter how angry he was. He had already taken the money, so he had to teach her seriously.
“Comrade educated youth, since you want to learn, come over here. I happen to have a lot of rattan here, which you can use for now. It’s not difficult, and you might be able to learn it in just one morning.”
"Okay, then thank you, Uncle Gen."
That morning, Tang Baozhu spent her time learning how to weave baskets and backpacks from Uncle Gen. Sure enough, once you know how to start and how to finish, it doesn't seem difficult.
She finished weaving a basket in one morning. Although it was crooked and didn't look good at all, it was still a big improvement.
“Comrade educated youth, there are still many rattans here. Take them back first, and come back to learn how to weave baskets after you’ve woven your backpacks nicer.”
Uncle Gen could tell from the basket that Tang Baozhu had woven that the method was correct, but she couldn't quite get the tightness right. There was no way to teach her that; she had to practice until she was proficient before she could gradually correct it.
Looking at the ugly basket she had woven, Tang Baozhu felt that Uncle Gen was right. She still needed to practice more. Too much knowledge is hard to digest. She would learn other things after she wove a better one.
Carrying the basket he had woven himself, and taking a large handful of rattan from Uncle Gen, he headed towards the educated youth settlement.
Back at the educated youth settlement, I suddenly remembered the wild vegetables from yesterday. I had completely forgotten to take them out to dry, so I quickly took them out and continued to dry them.
Right now, I'm really into weaving baskets, so I don't even want to cook. I just take out some food I've stored up in the warehouse and eat whatever's available.
After eating, take out the ugly basket you were carrying, take it apart again, and re-weave it. Once you're skilled enough, you can then mess with other vines.
It wasn't until three or four in the afternoon, after the other educated youth who had gone to the county town returned, that the baskets on their backs finally looked somewhat presentable.
It wasn't for nothing that I worked so hard; at least I got a few cuts on my hands. If I hadn't been wearing gloves, my hands would probably have been even worse.
"Wow, Baozhu, did you write this? It looks really good, you're amazing!"
“It really looks nice. Baozhu has a good idea. I’ve been here for so many years and never thought of learning to weave baskets. Every time, I would buy a new one when the old one was no longer usable. Although it doesn’t cost much, it still costs money. If I learn it myself, I won’t have to spend money in the future.”
Li Feifei felt that although Tang Baozhu didn't like to join in the fun and always preferred to be alone, she was a shrewd and calculating person.
"Anyway, there's nothing to do, and I don't have to work lately. I don't want to go to the commune either; it's too tiring to go. Isn't this boring? It would be good to learn something."
"Baozhu, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I need to rest. I'm really tired after walking for several hours."
"I need to rest for a bit. There's no one at the commune, so I won't get tired."
"Alright, you guys should go and rest. It takes several hours to go back and forth, no wonder you're tired."
Tang Baozhu looked at the basket in her hands that was almost finished, and she was increasingly satisfied with its shape. Luckily, she was strong enough, otherwise the rattan would have been difficult to weave.
It seems she still needs to plant some bamboo in the small space. Although there is no bamboo here, she can ask the members in the red envelope group for help. At that time, not to mention ordinary bamboo, it is possible to even grow spirit bamboo.
Placing the finished basket aside gave her more confidence to continue weaving. She felt she had a talent for it and immediately started weaving the second one.
The courtyard was silent except for the occasional soft sound of Tang Baozhu weaving a basket; there were no other sounds.
As darkness fell, visibility decreased, and it became difficult to see clearly. I got back to work, and the basket in my hands was almost finished. I thought I should make dinner first, and then finish weaving the rest in the small space after dinner.
Voices could be heard coming from inside the main room; they were probably hungry after waking up and preparing dinner.
I didn't cook anything this morning or at noon, but I happen to have two fish heads left, so I'll make soup with them!
Aside from making soup, I took everything else from my spatial storage.
The fish head soup uses water from the celestial realm; even if it's just ordinary clean water, it's still much better than other types of water.
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