Chapter 124: I feel at ease with you by my side
"That's right." Yun Tangyin wrote the four big characters "Fu Family Bamboo Workshop" on the blackboard. "From now on, you will learn the craft in the morning and learn characters in the afternoon. Erzhuzi, if you are naughty again, Master Fu will punish you by making you copy the text."
Erzhuzi stuck out his tongue and said, "I'm not naughty! Brother Fu, can you teach me how to write my name?"
Fu Yucheng picked up the chalk: "First write 'two', then write 'column'..."
Just when he was halfway through writing, he saw Fu Yuanshan bring in a long bamboo table. On it were the pen holders he had made overnight, and each pen holder was engraved with a child's name.
"Zhou Ming's pen holder is engraved with an orchid, and Erzhuzi's is engraved with a tiger." Fu Yuanshan distributed the pen holders to the children and said, "Use these to practice calligraphy in the future."
Zhou Ming touched the orchid on the pen holder and whispered, "Thank you, Master Fu. It's even more beautiful than the porcelain pen holder my mother bought me."
Jiang Jianhua came out with a basin of water: "Wash your hands, the brown sugar buns are ready."
As soon as the steamer was opened, the sweet fragrance filled the yard. There was a red dot on each steamed bun, like a small lantern.
Erzhuzi grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth, but Zhou Ming pulled his sleeve and said, "Master Fu hasn't eaten yet."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and waved his hand: "You guys eat, I have something to talk to your brother Fu."
He pulled Fu Yucheng out of the bamboo shed and said, "The county newspaper reporter will be here this afternoon. I'm afraid I can't say for sure."
"Just tell the truth." Fu Yucheng stuffed a small notebook into his hand. "For example, if you say 'bamboo strips must be split evenly, life must be stable', that's a good idea."
As he was speaking, the sound of a bicycle bell rang from outside the courtyard. Secretary Liu came in with a young man wearing glasses: "Master Fu, this is reporter Li from the county newspaper."
Reporter Li shook Fu Yuanshan's hand and said, "I heard that your bamboo weaving contains the bond between the military and the people. Can you tell us more about it?"
Fu Yuanshan scratched his head and was about to speak when Erzhuzi ran in holding a bamboo military bugle. "Master Fu, look! I made this! Does it look like a bugle used in the army?"
Reporter Li's eyes lit up. "Is this really something a child made up? It's so lifelike!" He raised his camera and snapped a picture. "Let's start with this bugle call."
Fu Yuanshan looked at the bugle and suddenly started talking: "My brother is a soldier. Since I didn't become a soldier, I wanted to make something for the army. It took me three days to make this bugle. The bamboo strips had to be shaved very thinly to show the curvature of the mouthpiece..."
Jiang Jianhua stood at the door listening and whispered to Yun Tangyin, "Look, his eyes light up when he talks about this."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded: "He always has the army in his heart."
At lunch, reporter Li looked at the bamboo bowls and chopsticks on the table, then at the awards on the wall, and suddenly said, "Master Fu, I want to take a set of photos of you teaching the children to weave bamboo utensils, and your sister-in-law sewing shoe soles."
Jiang Jianhua blushed: "How can my cooking skills be published in the newspaper?"
"Why can't I get in?" Zhou's mother arrived at some point, holding a bamboo basket. "Jianhua taught me how to weave this basket, and Director Wang from the supply and marketing cooperative has already ordered ten!"
Reporter Li quickly raised his camera: "Let's take a picture of this! Military and civilians helping each other, and passing down craftsmanship from generation to generation. What a perfect subject."
When the children were practicing calligraphy in the afternoon, Erzhuzi suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Brother Fu, how do you write the character '立' in '自立门'?"
Fu Yucheng wrote a large character "立" on the blackboard: "This character is like a person standing on the ground. Only when the feet are firmly planted can they stand firm. Just like your Master Fu, he has established a firm foothold by relying on his craftsmanship. This is '立'."
Fu Yuanshan listened and suddenly walked out of the bamboo shed. After a while, he brought back a thick bamboo and split it in half with a knife: "I will weave a bamboo sign for you and stick it in the yard as a flagpole."
Jiang Jianhua leaned over to take a look and found that he had wrapped a red string around it. "When the wind blew, the red string moved, like the words dancing."
Erzhuzi ran into the yard holding the bamboo board: "I'll do it! I have to stick it straight!"
When he saw reporter Li off in the evening, he shook Fu Yuanshan's hand and said, "The manuscript will be published in the newspaper next week, which will definitely let more people know about the Fujia Bamboo Workshop. By the way, the district is going to hold a craft exhibition, you must submit a few pieces of your works."
Fu Yuanshan nodded and said, "I'm going to create a bamboo screen with the theme of 'the close relationship between the military and the people'. Soldiers will help villagers fetch water, and villagers will sew clothes for soldiers."
Officer Liu smiled and said, "When I was in the army, I helped fellow villagers carry water."
After the guests left, Fu Yuanshan looked at the bamboo plaques in the yard and suddenly said, "Tomorrow I will teach you how to weave five-pointed stars and hang them on the bamboo plaques."
Erzhuzi jumped up and said, "I want to make the biggest one! And hang it on the top!"
Zhou Ming also whispered, "I want to make a small one and give it to my brother in the army."
Jiang Jianhua stuffed a cup of hot water into Fu Yuanshan's hand and said, "You look tired. Take a break."
She pointed to the newspaper sample on the wall and said, "Reporter Li said this report can help us recruit more apprentices in Zhufang."
Fu Yuanshan smiled as he drank water: "When recruiting apprentices, you have to teach them to read first, otherwise they won't even understand the orders."
He peeked into the bamboo shed and asked, "Have you erased the words on the blackboard? I'll teach them how to write tomorrow."
At night, Jiang Jianhua mended clothes for Fu Yuanshan and listened to him humming flute music under the lamp.
It wouldn't be bad for her and Fu Yuanshan to continue living like this.
Jiang Jianhua originally thought that her life would be difficult after leaving the Fu family, but now it seems not so bad...
She's having a good time.
Yun Tangyin's life naturally became better.
Yun Tangyin had just put the dried blue printed cloth into the bottom of the box when she saw Fu Yucheng coming in from outside with a bamboo jewelry box in his hand.
There is a woven lotus on the lid of the box, and when you open it, you can smell a faint bamboo fragrance.
"My second brother just made it for you. He said he wanted to use it for earrings." Fu Yucheng put a newly made silver hairpin in her hair. "I went to the supply and marketing cooperative this afternoon and saw that the plum blossoms on this hairpin were carved to look like the ones you embroidered."
Yun Tangyin touched the jewelry box and smiled, "Second brother's craftsmanship is getting better and better. By the way, I altered your army green jacket and added bamboo strips to the cuffs. It looks crisp and nice."
As soon as Fu Yucheng put on his coat, she pulled him to stand in front of the mirror: "Look, this looks like a military uniform but also has a homely feel. It's also decent to wear it to visit your comrades in the army."
Lying on the kang at night, Yun Tangyin listened to the sound of bamboo wind chimes outside the window and suddenly said, "Tomorrow my second sister-in-law and I will embroider tiger-head shoes. She is pregnant, so it would be perfect for her to do some light work."
Fu Yucheng stuffed a heater into her arms and said, "Don't get too tired. By the way, there will be a military-civilian party next month. I've made an agreement with Captain Zhang that my second brother will play the flute and you will dance."
Yun Tangyin was stunned for a moment: "Ah? Then I have to finish embroidering the peony quickly."
She leaned on Fu Yucheng's shoulder and said, "With you by my side, I feel at ease in everything I do."
The moonlight shone through the window paper and fell on the two people's clasped hands, as if covered with a layer of gauze.
The faint sound of Fu Yuanshan's flute came from afar, and the soft sound of bamboo wind chimes made the night seem particularly warm.
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