Rebirth 84, starting from fish farming

Chapter 512 Skillful Willow

Uncle Liu's home is in Zhaozhuang, seven miles west of the town.

Along the way, the two walked and chatted, and soon entered the village.

The surname Zhao in Zhaozhuang is a common surname, and there are only two families with the surname Liu. They are brothers.

Uncle Liu's name is Liu Changshun, and his family settled in Zhaozhuang when he was a child.

People who have always relied on willow weaving skills to make a living are nicknamed "Qiaoshou Liu".

Liu Changshun recalled: "When we were children, my father made up a lot of little toys for us to play with, and there are still a few of them around now."

"Yes? Can you take a look?"

"Oh, I don't know where it has been all these years."

"arrive."

At the west end of the village, there is a small courtyard.

There are three tile-roofed houses and a few chickens running around in the yard.

A woman in her 30s came out holding a baby.

"Father, you're back."

Seeing Lu Changhua following the old man, he took a curious look.

"Ah, I'm back. This is a guest. I want to make something up."

The old man pushed open the courtyard door and let Lu Changhua in.

"His father hasn't come back yet?"

"Nope."

Lu Changhua nodded towards the woman.

The old man let him into the house.

The furnishings in the room are already very modern.

There is a TV set on the cabinet.

There is also a single-door refrigerator on one side.

There are also many sofas and coffee tables.

Uncle Liu sat down and said, "I know a lot of things, can you take them all?"

"I want whatever you can make up. Uncle, I'll pay a deposit of 500 yuan first. When will you start making up? I'll take a look, okay?"

"It's okay to take a look, but you can't steal your skills."

"Oh? Uncle, do you have anything else to say?"

"Of course. We weavers have rules. We must pass on male rather than female, and pass on relatives but not outsiders."

"What do you mean?"

"Only men can learn the crafts at home, not girls."

"Why? Aren't they all children?"

"A girl wants to get married. As soon as she gets married, this skill will spread."

"You mean this craft is still kept secret?"

"Yes, the rules left by our ancestors."

"Only pass it on to your son, not your daughter, let alone outsiders?"

"No!"

The old man took out his cigarette bag again and started smoking.

Soon the house was filled with the choking smell of dry smoke.

"Uncle Liu, young people are not willing to learn now. Isn't your craft going to be lost?!"

"Yes, it is going to be lost."

The old man sighed.

"You still don't want to accept a disciple?"

"It's not that I don't want to accept it, it's because no one will learn from it!"

The old man took a drag on his cigarette and said, "My son used to weave willows with me. Later, when there were more factories here, he joined the factory. He earned a lot in the factory!"

“I used to make money by editing things, but that’s no longer the case in the past few years. No one wants me anymore.”

"The ten baskets I made have been sold for several months. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have been able to sell them!"

The old man secretly lamented that the world had changed. Why was it that no one bought the things that every household needed in the past?

Lu Changhua also shook his head secretly.

Judging from his experience, this is the development of the times and progress.

In the past, it was all manual labor, and large baskets were needed to carry dung, soil, and things.

But now, everything is mechanized.

Many families in rural areas have small four-wheel tractors, and they no longer need to carry them on their shoulders.

This "earth basket" is used less.

No wonder the old man’s basket couldn’t be sold.

"Uncle, now that the countryside has developed and everyone uses a car to do their work, there is less need for this basket."

"you're right."

In fact, the old man is a sensible person. Things that were once in demand are no longer in demand. He must have thought about the reason.

But he has relied on this craft for his whole life. Now that this craft doesn't work, you can imagine his disappointment.

"Uncle, you have no use at home!"

Lu Changhua said tentatively.

These words touched the old man's heart.

He sighed.

"Yes, no one would want my skills even if I wanted to pass them on!"

Just as he was talking, two children came running in laughing and joking outside the courtyard.

"Boss, second child, school is over?"

"Grandpa, we're back."

Two little girls ran in from outside the house.

When he saw an outsider in the room, he was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red and he stopped talking.

The woman followed from behind.

"Your father is back and ready for dinner."

She walked over, handed the baby in her arms to a child, patted her clothes and went to get water.

A rumbling sound came from the door of the courtyard.

"Daughter-in-law, I'm back."

There was a sound of footsteps, and a man who looked like a black iron tower walked into the house.

"father."

He called out and saw Lu Changhua.

Lu Changhua stood up and said, "Hello, I'm here to see Uncle Liu to make something up."

"Oh."

He responded and looked at the old man.

"Dad, you're so old, don't do it. Just take good care of yourself."

He took the washbasin brought by his wife and walked out.

When the old man heard this, his face turned ugly.

"Hmph, didn't you grow up eating my basket weaving money?!"

Seeing that her father-in-law was unhappy, the woman came over and said, "Dad, don't pay attention to him. Just make it up if you want. Just don't be tired."

Seeing his daughter-in-law say this, the old man felt calmer.

He yelled at the door: "Don't forget your roots!"

"Okay, okay, okay, I won't say anything."

The son muttered outside.

Lu Changhua saw that the two men were at loggerheads and that he felt uncomfortable here, so he took out the money and stuffed it into the old man's hand.

"Uncle, I will come see you tomorrow and leave first."

He nodded to the woman and went out.

"You're busy, I'm leaving."

After saying hello to the black iron tower, Lu Changhua left the yard regardless of his expression.

Uncle Liu's voice scolding his son came from behind.We walked around Zhaozhuang.

I saw a few old men playing chess beside the big millstone.

He leaned over and asked, "Master, who in the village knows how to weave baskets?"

None of the chess players looked up.

"Old Liu's family."

"thank you."

Lu Changhua staggered away.

This was also his way of confirming whether the old man was telling the truth.

Back in town, Lu Changhua called home.

"The willow weaver here has been found. It will take a few days before I can go back. I will leave the house to you."

"Don't worry, after the decoration here is finished, my parents will come over."

Wang Yao felt relieved when she learned that her husband had arrived safely.

Lu Changhua also told Wang Yao about the actual situation of willow weaving here.

The two of them studied for a while, and both agreed that the only way out for willow weaving is to go down the road of high-end handicrafts and art.

At this stage, exporting and exploring overseas markets is the real way out.

The next day, Lu Changhua bought cigarettes, wine and candies and went to Zhaozhuang again.

I saw Lu Changhua coming with a gift.

Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law was different from yesterday. She welcomed him into the yard with a smile on her face.

Lu Changhua handed the gift to the woman's hand and then asked, "Where is Uncle Liu?"

"My dad has already knitted it in the backyard."

"Can I go take a look?"

"Okay, I'll take you there."

The woman put the gift into the house, turned around and took him to the backyard.

Go through a passage at the head of the room and go to the back.

This is a big yard.

A shed was built in the yard.

Only the top cover allows ventilation from all sides.

It was filled with white wickers.

Uncle Liu was sitting on a small bench, knitting something with a note in his hand.

"Dad, Boss Lu is here."

The old man looked up and saw Lu Changhua, with a smile on his face.

"Want to see?"

"Yeah, I want to see your old craftsmanship."

"Let's see then."

Uncle Liu straightened his back and said, "I've figured it out too. While I can still move, I might as well make a few apprentices."

"When the time comes, let them young people do it, and I will retire."

Seeing Lu Changhua holding a small machine in his hand, he asked, "Is this for taking pictures?"

"Oh yes."

Lu Changhua still wanted to explain, but the old man said: "Just take it, take it, no one cares about this thing now anyway."

Seeing that Uncle Liu relaxed, Lu Changhua quickly set up the camera.

Aiming at the uncle's hand.

Uncle Liu held the branches in his hands, flipped them up and down, and quickly braided a large length.

"Uncle Liu, what are you making up?"

"Let me make up a toy."

"Toy?"

"Yeah, it's just a kid's pony."

No wonder.

Lu Changhua had been watching it for a while, but he didn't even know what it was.

Now that the old man said this, it really sounds like it.

"Uncle, is there anything particular about making this toy material?"

"of course."

As soon as he talked about this, Uncle Liu became interested.

I couldn't stop picking things for a while.

"The strips of this toy should be thin. Look, they should be of the same size. This way they can be woven tightly."

"This thing needs to be good-looking and strong. Children can play with it for four or five years without breaking up or picking up the edges."

The old man was making up while talking about the key points and precautions.

"You see, this technique is a modeling technique. In the past, this was a secret that was not taught!"

The old man smiled bitterly.

The two were busy in the backyard until noon, when their daughter-in-law came to call for dinner.

"Let's go and eat together."

Uncle Liu is much more approachable today than yesterday.

Maybe he regards Lu Changhua as a confidant.

Lunch is very simple, fried meat with cabbage and steamed buns.

This kind of eating is the same as in Northeast China.

Only then did Lu Changhua know that Uncle Liu's son was named Liu Tiezhu.

The old man had work on his hands, so he and Lu Changhua ate first without waiting for his son.

Then he went to the backyard.

Lu Changhua has been following the old man.

Making tea, passing cigarettes, so attentive.

After dinner in the afternoon, a lifelike pony rocker appeared in front of Lu Changhua.

This pony not only has eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but it also has two ears.

The four horse legs are also shaped.

The horse's hoof part was replaced with two wooden boards.

Into a crescent shape.

After all, this is a rocker, and the child is going to ride on it.

The body of the pony has hollow patterns.

Uncle Liu took out a brush and brushed the pony.

"Uncle, what are you doing?"

"Paint."

After brushing, the pony was hung on the crossbar under the shed.

"Three days is enough."

"Uncle, if this pony is well knitted, can it be made with hooves instead of wooden boards?"

"You mean, light turned into a pony?"

"Yes, can you make it up?"

Uncle Liu thought for a moment and said, "You can make it up, but it may take three or four days."

"Can you make one that is as tall as one person?"

Lu Changhua stretched out his hand and made a gesture.

"Does it have to be that big? How do you take it back?"

"I'll figure this out, can you make it up?"

"It should be possible, at least half a month."

"It's okay, uncle. We'll calculate the money separately in Malaysia. If you're satisfied with the compilation, I'll give you 1000 yuan. How about it?"

When the old man heard this, his eyes lit up.

"Okay, I did it."

(End of this chapter)