Eternal madness

Chapter 42 The Big Star

The next morning, Zhang Laifu continued making lanterns with his fellow apprentices in the courtyard. There were quite a few apprentices at the old lantern shop.

“Brother Laifu, once I’m done with my apprenticeship, I’ll sell lanterns on the street. I’ll whittle bamboo and cut paper myself, and I can easily earn dozens of coins a day.”

Chen Xiaowang's idea is also the idea of ​​most people here.

Whether learning the craft of making ox horn lanterns or gauze lanterns, apprentices often find it difficult to run their own businesses after completing their apprenticeships. The costs are too high, and finding sales channels is also difficult. Ordinary people simply cannot open a shop.

The paper lantern business is different. It doesn't have many requirements for brand or quality. The most important requirement is that it's bright. As long as you learn the craft, you can make a living even without much capital.

After more than an hour of making lanterns, the shopkeeper, Lao Liang, walked up to Zhang Laifu and said, "Laifu, stop making paper lanterns. Go over there and learn how to make the frame from your senior brother."

Zhang Laifu's paper-making skills were so advanced that Lao Liang felt there was no need to continue practicing.

Chen Xiaowang was extremely envious. He had arrived two days earlier than Zhang Laifu, but his paper pasting was still not up to par. Zhang Laifu had already gone to learn how to make skeletons.

Master Wang came over and took a look: "Boss, the most difficult thing in our line of work is making skeletons. This kid has only been here for one day and he already wants to make skeletons. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Old Liang patted his bald head: "This kid is obviously different, can't you tell..."

“I can’t tell,” Master Wang shook his head. “This is your shop, so you can make some decisions, but when it comes to learning the craft, you have to listen to me. He can’t make the frame right now; let him paste the paper for two months first!”

The head chef has such a big temper; he didn't give Lao Liang any face in front of everyone.

Lao Liang rubbed his bald head without saying a word, while Master Wang continued to instruct the other apprentices.

Zhang Laifu didn't take it seriously and continued to concentrate on making lanterns until lunchtime. After everyone cleaned up the materials, the cook and the helpers brought over the rice buckets and vegetable basins.

Lao Liang never skimped on food. Today at noon, there was braised pork slices and stewed chicken. Zhang Laifu was also hungry, so he filled a big bowl with rice, soaked it in chicken soup, mixed it with pork slices, and ate until his belly was round.

After finishing their meal, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Zhang Laifu asked Chen Xiaowang, "When do we start work this afternoon?"

"It's usually 3:30, but when we're rushing to finish a project, they might ask us to get up a little earlier. Someone will come and wake us up."

Chen Xiaowang answered Zhang Laifu's questions very seriously. "Brother Laifu was able to make skeletons on his very first day of learning the craft. His master didn't approve, but the shopkeeper even spoke up for Zhang Laifu. That's a lot of face for him. Brother Laifu will definitely be a big shot in the future."

Zhang Laifu was surprised that the lantern shop had such a long lunch break: "The shopkeeper is really good to us!"

Chen Xiaowang nodded: "Our manager's character is impeccable."

You must speak well of the shopkeeper in front of Brother Laifu; he is the shopkeeper's favorite.

"Why is there nothing to say?" Deng Yuechuan looked at Zhang Laifu. "It's just taking a nap at noon, isn't it? Someone as capable as you, why would you take such a small thing to heart?"

Zhang Laifu looked at Deng Yuechuan seriously: "How do you know I'm a capable person?"

Deng Yuechuan sneered: "Your skills are almost out of the question. From now on, when we meet you, will we have to call you Master Fu?"

Zhang Laifu shook his head and said, "No need to be so polite, just call me Brother Fu."

Deng Yuechuan gritted his teeth, covered himself with the blanket and went to sleep. Around 2 a.m., the waiter Xiao Chu called out from outside the door: "Zhang Laifu, the manager wants you to come over."

Zhang Laifu rubbed his eyes: "Where are we going?"

"I asked you to go out and run an errand, so hurry up and come."

Zhang Laifu went to find Yang Laoliang, and Deng Yuechuan made a note of it.

Old Yang usually lived in the shop. His bedroom was large, with all four walls covered in gold-flecked wallpaper. Against one wall was a nanmu wood bookshelf, which was empty of books but filled with ornaments—porcelain, bronze, jade, and a few pieces of glass. The floor was covered with a carpet, its dense pattern so bright it was dizzying, and its softness underfoot was almost unsettling. Various calendar posters hung on the walls, depicting beautiful women, flowers and birds, and landscapes.

One calendar poster was particularly unique. It featured a foreign woman in an evening gown and a female warrior's helmet, riding an elephant and holding a lotus pod. Next to her were eight large characters: "May you have good fortune and many sons."

Lao Liang really liked this calendar poster: "I had this specially commissioned by an artist. Lai Fu, what do you think?"

Zhang Laifu praised, "Shopkeeper, you are a very honest person!"

"You're absolutely right, I'm just a straightforward person. Laifu, have a seat here!"

Yang Laoliang invited Zhang Laifu to the table, where there were account books, an abacus, half a bowl of tea, and a box of silver dollars.

Zhang Laifu sat in the chair, feeling a little dizzy. The room had a peculiar smell, with perfume, cologne, and sandalwood scents all wafting into his nose.

Old Yang lit an oil lamp, picked up a handful of bamboo strips from the table, and asked Zhang Laifu, "Do you know how to control the heat when roasting bamboo?"

Zhang Laifu shook his head: "I don't know. Master hasn't taught me yet. I heard from my fellow disciples that it takes a year just to learn how to roast bamboo strips."

"It's not that complicated, I'll teach you!" Old Liang placed the bamboo strips on the oil lamp to roast. "When roasting bamboo strips, if you overheat them, the bamboo will burn and break easily; if you don't heat them enough, the bamboo fibers will be too hard and easily split."

There are only three key points to controlling the heat when roasting bamboo. First, observe the color. The bamboo should be greenish-yellow, and it's almost done when it's shiny and slightly charred.

Secondly, smell it. Bamboo has a special sweet smell, which we in the industry call "bamboo sugar smell." As long as you can smell this sweet smell, it means that the bamboo is roasted.

Third, listen to the sound. If the bamboo makes a sizzling sound, it means the moisture is receding. If the sound is too loud, roast it a little longer, but be careful not to dry it out.

This job isn't difficult at all, but Old Wang never teaches the tricks of the trade; he just lets his apprentices figure it out on their own. Many people have studied under him for years and still haven't learned anything.

Zhang Laifu smelled a sweet aroma, and Lao Liang handed him gloves and bamboo strips: "The bamboo is roasted, try breaking it open."

Fearing that Zhang Laifu wouldn't be able to figure it out, Yang Laoliang even brought out a lantern frame as a model so that Zhang Laifu could copy it.

Zhang Laifu spent a long time trying to bend the eight bamboo strips, managing to bend five of them.

Of these five bamboo strips, three have the same curvature, while the remaining two were broken.

"I really haven't studied this, isn't this a waste of materials..." Zhang Laifu was quite embarrassed.

Yang Laoliang carefully examined the bamboo strip that Zhang Laifu had bent: "Laifu, don't bend the bamboo strip by pinching it. Instead, spread your two fingers apart, one higher than the other."

He meant to separate the thumb and index finger at an angle.

How wide should it be?

"I can't say exactly how big it will be. You have to follow the natural flow of the bamboo fibers and slowly shift away from it."

Yang Laoliang roasted eight more bamboo sticks and handed them to Zhang Laifu.

Zhang Laifu tested the waters with force, bending six bamboo strips this time, with five of them having almost the same curvature.

He figured it out and was ready to try again.

Yang Laoliang blew out the oil lamp: "Don't rush to try it, let's talk about the important matter first."

"Laifu, you're a craftsman, a newcomer to the craft, am I right?"

(End of this chapter)