Chapter 122: Accepting Disciples
"Your father is just making excuses to be lazy." Fu Yucheng smiled and stuffed a piece of soap into Erzhuzi's hand. "Go and clean the mud. I'll teach you how to grind bamboo strips when you come back."
Watching Erzhuzi running out clutching the pancreas, Fu Yuanshan suddenly laughed out loud: "This kid is just like you back then, full of endless energy."
"I'm more disciplined than him." Fu Yucheng hammered nails into the bamboo frame. "When I was in the army, I rubbed my flesh until it bled but never cried out in pain."
Fu Yuanshan laughed: "It's been so many years, why are you still bringing it up?"
He stuffed a bamboo teacup into Fu Yucheng's hand and said, "It's newly woven. Try the feel of it."
As he was speaking, the young man from the Zhou family came over on crutches, holding a cloth bag in his hand: "Master Fu, my mother asked me to bring you a pound of new tea."
Fu Yuanshan quickly helped him sit down: "No need to bring anything, just come and learn the craft."
He picked up a bamboo strip and said, "You see, before weaving bamboo objects, you have to practice splitting the strips first. You have to split them evenly, as thin as a hair."
The boy from the Zhou family nodded and carefully picked up the bamboo sword.
Fu Yuanshan instructed from the side: "Don't use too much force on your wrist, follow the grain of the bamboo."
Erzhuzi ran in barefoot, his trouser legs still dripping with water: "Master Fu, I washed it!"
He came close to the boy from the Zhou family and said, "My name is Erzhuzi, and we are brothers from now on."
The old Zhou family boy smiled shyly: "My name is Zhou Ming."
Fu Yuanshan stuffed a bamboo strip into each of their hands and said, "Let's practice splitting bamboo strips today. You can only eat after you split a hundred strips."
Erzhuzi stuck out his tongue. "One hundred? Master Fu is too strict."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "When your Master Fu was practicing splitting bamboo strips, the blisters on his hands were bigger than soybeans."
She stuffed a piece of steamed bread into their hands and said, "Fill your stomach first, don't go hungry."
Fu Yucheng watched this scene and said to Yun Tangyin, "Second brother is quite a decent master. The house has suddenly had that atmosphere."
"That's right." Yun Tangyin hung a bunch of corn in the yard. "He worked in an art troupe before, so he has some experience."
In the evening, Erzhuzi held up the split bamboo strips and said with a sad face: "Master Fu, I have only split fifty strips, and my hands are numb."
Zhou Ming also blushed: "I only split thirty."
Fu Yuanshan picked up the bamboo strips they had split and took a look at them. "Erzhu's is okay. Zhou Ming's is a bit thick, but it's not bad to be able to do this for the first time."
He stuffed a small bamboo gadget into each of their hands and said, "This is a reward for you. Continue practicing tomorrow."
Erzhuzi held up the little bamboo rat and cheered, "Thank you, Master Fu!"
Zhou Ming also carefully put away the bamboo rabbit: "Thank you, Master Fu."
After the two children left, Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "You are quite tolerant towards your apprentice."
Fu Yuanshan rubbed his wrist and said, "Everyone is like this when they first start learning. You will get better with practice."
He wove a small moon into the bamboo basket. "It's for the baby. He can play with it when he's born."
Fu Yucheng came back from outside with a newspaper in his hand: "Second brother, you're on the newspaper!"
The newspaper printed a photo of Fu Yuanshan weaving bamboo products, with the words "Folk bamboo weaving artist Fu Yuanshan" next to it.
Fu Yuanshan took the newspaper, his hands shaking: "This... is me?"
Song Yushuang came over to take a look: "Yuanshan is really amazing, it's even in the newspaper!"
She stuffed a red egg into Fu Yuanshan's hand and said, "To celebrate your success."
Yu Xia came out with dinner: "Hurry up and eat, I made braised pork to nourish our big star."
Fu Yuanshan blushed: "Sister-in-law, please stop making fun of me."
He put a piece of meat into everyone's bowl and said, "Let's eat together."
At the dinner table, Fu Yucheng said, "Second brother, Director Wang from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative wants you to weave some lanterns for the Spring Festival temple fair, and the price is very high."
Fu Yuanshan's eyes lit up: "Lantern? Then I'm really good at making it!"
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "The lanterns you make will definitely look great. Let Erzhuzi and the others help us then."
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "Let them practice weaving lantern frames tomorrow, starting with the simple ones."
At night, Fu Yuanshan was still weaving lanterns in the yard. Jiang Jianhua put a coat on him and said, "Don't be too tired. Go to bed early."
Fu Yuanshan held her hand and said, "Jianhua, I feel like I'm living a truly fulfilling life now."
Jiang Jianhua leaned on his shoulder: "It will get better and better in the future."
The moonlight spread across the yard, illuminating the half-made lanterns and the smiles on the couple's faces.
The next morning, Erzhuzi and Zhou Ming arrived.
Fu Yuanshan held up a lantern stand and said, "Today we're going to learn how to weave lanterns. Let's start with the hexagonal ones."
Erzhuzi said excitedly: "Is it possible to hang it in the yard after it is braided?"
Fu Yuanshan smiled and said, "Not only can it be hung in the yard, but it can also be sold at the temple fair."
Zhou Ming also smiled: "Really? Then I'll make up a few more."
Looking at his apprentices studying seriously, Fu Yuanshan felt fulfilled.
"To make a lantern, you have to secure the bamboo ribs firmly, otherwise they will be crooked when hung." Fu Yuanshan demonstrated with bamboo strips. "Watch the cross knot carefully. Tie it as tightly as shoelaces."
Erzhuzi was clumsily wrapping the bamboo strips, and the knot was like a tangled mess. "Master Fu, this knot is harder to make than the soles my mother ties."
Jiang Jianhua came out with hot water and smiled as he helped him untangle the bamboo strips. "Your mother used to draw the thread when she sewed the soles of shoes, but this knot is made in a circle. It's a different way."
With a deft twist of her fingertips, the cross knot immediately became neat and straight. "Learn it, just wrap it a few more times and it will become smooth."
Zhou Ming watched carefully and tried to weave a knot. Although it was loose, it looked somewhat like a knot.
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "Better than Erzhuzi, his knot can trap a weasel."
Erzhuzi's face flushed with anxiety: "I'll try again!"
He was slow to learn this time. He wrapped the bamboo strips around his fingers three times before tying them tightly. He held it up to show Fu Yuanshan, "Master, look, does it look good this time?"
"Not bad." Fu Yuanshan stuffed a red silk ribbon into his hand. "Once the frame is woven, stick this silk on it and it will become a red lantern."
Yun Tangyin came back from outside carrying a basket filled with newly bought red paper. "Director Wang sent this to me. He said this paper is the brightest for making lanterns."
She stuffed a piece of candy into Zhou Ming's hand and said, "Zhou Ming's story is so detailed. It's much better than Er Zhuzi's impatient one."
Erzhuzi was not convinced: "I was just trying to do it quickly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the bamboo bones in his hand broke apart with a "snap", making everyone in the yard laugh.
Fu Yucheng came in carrying some wood and jokingly said, "Erzhuzi, are you planning to make a lantern that falls apart to add something new to the temple fair?"
"Brother Fu, don't laugh at me." Erzhuzi picked up the bamboo bones and said, "I'm sure I can weave it well!"
At lunch, Zhou Ming held a bowl of porridge and whispered, "Master Fu, can I take the bamboo shavings for making lanterns home? My mother said they'll light the fire quickly."
Fu Yuanshan put a piece of meat into his bowl and said, "Not only the bamboo shavings, but also the remaining bamboo strips. Ask your mother to weave a small basket for needlework."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "After we finish making the lanterns, I'll teach your mother how to make shoe soles with bamboo strips. They're both strong and breathable."
Zhou Ming's eyes lit up: "Really? Then my mother won't have to buy hemp rope all the time."
Just as work started in the afternoon, Director Wang arrived on his bicycle with a bundle of yellow silk tied to the back seat. "Master Fu, please order twenty more yellow lanterns. The troops need them to be hung at the entrance to the barracks to celebrate the New Year."
Fu Yuanshan was stunned: "Yellow lantern?"
"Yes, the army is going to hold a military-civilian party, and it has to have both red and yellow items."
Director Wang touched the half-finished product that Erzhuzi had knitted and said, "These two kids are learning very quickly. They can now do half the work."
Erzhuzi straightened his back immediately: "Director Wang, I can make three in a day!"
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