My village can't be like this

Chapter 213 Matchmaker
Zhang An arrived in the purple bamboo forest, waiting for him to find his father and his party.

I saw my father and Uncle Jianzhong tied up the chopped bamboos one after the other.

Although this place is called Purple Bamboo Forest, the most bamboos are not purple bamboos.

On the contrary, most of the bamboos seen here are Phyllostachys pubescens and Cizhu.

Although there are purple bamboos, they are not as many as the first two.

These bamboos should have been brought back from the outside by the previous elders and transplanted here.

After all, the handicraft of bamboo weaving is not only satisfied with one kind of bamboo.

Weaving different things requires different bamboos, and each kind of bamboo has different characteristics.

"Dad, Second Grandpa, Uncle, is it enough to just chop off a few?"

Looking at the bamboos tied up with ropes on the ground, Zhang An thought they had already called it a day.

"It's almost done, just cut a few more. When will you come back?"

"Not long after I came back, my mother said that you are chopping bamboo here, so I came over to help pass the handle."

Hearing that he hadn't cut enough, Zhang An found bamboo in the bamboo forest and started chopping with a machete.

When the village came to cut bamboo, they always picked one from the east and one from the west, and cut as big as possible.

If you just stare at one area, it will be leveled sooner or later.

Zhang An had just cut a thick and straight bamboo, and was pulling it towards the place where his father and the others tied the bamboo.

I heard a sound of wah wah wah not far away, but it was very low.

Then Zhang An saw Xiaohu running towards him with a big guy in his mouth shaking his head.

"Hehe, Xiaohu actually caught a bamboo slipper. It's not easy to catch this thing."

Seeing what Xiaohu brought over, Zhang Erye knew what it was with a glance.

Although Zhang An didn't eat much of this food, he was no stranger to it. The locals called it Zhuliuzi.

Because this guy's head looks like a mouse, and because it doesn't like to eat bamboo, many people also call it a bamboo rat.

Although there is a mouse in the name, this thing is bigger than many cats.

The one that the little tiger was holding in front of him looked about a foot long and probably weighed two to three catties.

In the early years, when there was no meat in our lives, we all thought about it.

After all, the little guy has a round head, a round brain and a round belly. You can tell that there is a lot of meat at a glance.

Maybe the rabbits caught outside are not as meaty as it is.

But this thing is worthy of the word "rat" in its name, and it's really very timid.

As long as it finds people or other predators, it will run away on four legs.

Regardless of its chubby appearance, the speed of escape is not so fast.

So it is not so easy to catch this bamboo slipper.

That's why Zhang Erye was more surprised when he saw Xiaohu holding such a big bamboo slip just now.

Generally, if you don't catch it with the lower cover, you have to dig the hole to catch it when it runs back into the hole.

Xiaohu was able to catch it, which was considered very powerful.

The bamboo rat in front of him was being held in his mouth by the little tiger from time to time because he kept screaming "Wah-wah".

Maybe a little dizzy from being thrown, this guy forgot that he was caught by a dog, and now he looks very angry.

Facing Zhang An and the others, they bared two thick die teeth, and made a "huhu" sound from their mouths.

This is it threatening Zhang An and the others with its most ferocious appearance.

But in Zhang An's eyes, he felt that the little guy looked so fierce and cute.

Because of the adorable appearance of this milk, Zhang An couldn't bear to eat it.

And Zhang An was happier today, so he planned to let the little guy go.

"This is a good thing. It's a pity to let it go. Xiaoan, why don't you give it to me, and you can come over tonight to make a deal."

But Zhang Jianzhong next to him was different. He looked at the bamboo rat very greedily.

He is a cook, and in his eyes, this thing is just an ingredient on the chopping board, and he has no other thoughts.

Seeing that Zhang An was going to let go, he quickly spoke to Zhang An.

"What's the matter, the uncle can take it as he likes, there is no need to make a deal."

Zhang An smiled and said, then grabbed the bamboo rat from Xiaohu's mouth and handed it to Zhang Jianzhong next to him.

"Hey, let's come over tonight, believe in your uncle's craftsmanship, this stuff is really delicious."

After tying up all the cut bamboos, everyone was ready to go back down the mountain.

This bundle of bamboo is not heavy when added together.

It's just that the bamboo grows relatively long, so it's not convenient to drag it around.

So if two people carry it together, it will be easier.

"Grandpa, when did you start playing the couch, I'll come and study."

Arriving in the yard, he laid the bundle of long bamboo poles horizontally on the ground, and Zhang An asked his second uncle.

Originally, Zhang An had no idea, but after seeing his second master making a bed, he also thought about getting one.

At this time, a cool bed was placed under the tree in the yard, and it was much more comfortable to lie on during the day than the rattan reclining chair.

"I'll start to do it at night. I'll make the bed frame first, and then we'll weave the bamboos tomorrow."

"That's fine, I'll come up and learn from Second Grandpa."

Back home, the silkworm shelf washed in the afternoon has been dried.

Wang Fang checked it to make sure there was nothing left on it before moving into the house.

At night, as the sun goes off work, the temperature drops and becomes very cool.

Before cooking, Wang Fang spread the silkworm eggs on the silkworm plaque to prepare them for hatching.

After finishing these, Wang Fang went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Because silkworms are also afraid of oil stains, they don't get them until after cooking.

Maybe the hands are not washed well, which will affect them.

After dinner, Zhang An was sitting with his parents. Wang Fang and Zhang Jianguo began to ask Zhang An about what happened last night.

After all, Zhang An only mentioned a few words on the phone yesterday.

There are still a lot of things that I couldn't explain on the phone for a while.

So Zhang An didn't say it on the phone, and he would talk to his parents in detail when he came back.

They didn't start to think about it until they heard Zhang An tell what happened last night.

Although people don't put any conditions on themselves, they can't just deal with it.

But people's attitude is just like this, and the rest depends on what they do here.

But now there is a problem that needs to be solved in front of Zhang An's family.

If you want to come to the door to propose a marriage and send a horoscope, you have to find a matchmaker to go to the door to lobby.

Moreover, finding a matchmaker has another function, which is to help both parties ask their birthdays.

Although in Zhang An and Su Ying's situation, no matchmaker is needed, just ask them yourself.

But in Wang Fang's eyes, the rules are the rules, and no procedures are missing.

Otherwise, in the eyes of others, it means that they don't care about their future daughter-in-law.

But if you are looking for a matchmaker, you can't find a candidate for a while.

After all, in the matter between Su Ying and Zhang An, the person who played the biggest role in the middle is probably Su Ying's mother, Wu Qiuping.

You can't ask someone to be a matchmaker and a mother-in-law at the same time.

"Dad, Mom, why don't Chen Ze come to be the matchmaker."

After thinking about it, Zhang An thought of Chen Ze.

After all, it was Chen Ze who introduced Su Ying to him back then.

Having said that, Zhang An decided to let Chen Zelai play this important role.

"Xiao Chen, it seems okay. Without him, Xiaoying wouldn't come to our house."

After hearing Zhang An click on Chen Ze's name, Wang Fang thought about it for a while and decided it was feasible.

Anyway, this matchmaker is just pretending, and doesn't need to have a glib mouth like other matchmakers.

After making the decision, Zhang An called Chen Ze on the phone.

"Hello, old Chen"

"Zhang An, I think you're too dishonest. It's too much for you to hide such a big matter from Xiaoying."

Before Zhang An finished speaking, Chen Ze started firing like a machine gun.

It's not that Chen Ze has any thoughts about Su Ying. Because of the relationship between his sister-in-law and Chen Ning, he has always regarded Su Ying as his younger sister.

It's just that he felt a little angry that Zhang An kept keeping this matter from them.

If Chen Ning hadn't bumped into the two of them today, he probably wouldn't have known about it.

From the moment he got on the phone, he kept berating Zhang An for not doing things properly.

"Okay, okay, why don't you drink your saliva first, I'm afraid your throat will catch fire later."

Listening to this guy whining on the phone, Zhang An felt that this guy had the physique of a aunt.

When he first met Chen Ze, he still thought that this guy should be a cold and rich son.

After getting acquainted now, I found that this guy is a funny guy.

"I didn't want to hide it from you, but you didn't ask me all the time."

This matter cannot be blamed on Zhang An, since he was with Su Ying, Chen Ze rarely came here.

And Zhang An and Su Ying never met Chen Ze and the others together.

Zhang An himself would definitely not publicize this kind of thing, so it has been delayed until now.

Now this is not the Internet age, I have to send a friend to let me know if there is anything.

Hearing Zhang An explain himself in this way, Chen Ze felt a little angry.

But he had already finished what he wanted to say, and he didn't go on with the aunt right now.

"Oh, you bastard, tell me how you and Xiaoying started."

At this moment, Chen Ze began to gossip.

He just couldn't figure it out, these two people have never had any signs of it.

Before the Chinese New Year last year, when he took Su Ying to Zhang An's house, the two of them seemed to have nothing.

How did it become like this now.

"Why are you such a badass man? We see each other right, what else can we do?"

However, under Chen Ze's constant chatter, Zhang An roughly said a few words to him.

"By the way, Old Chen, I'm looking for you this time to ask you for a favor."

"What's the matter, you say, if it can be done, I will solve it for you."

Just now he disliked Zhang An like Chen Ze, but now he heard Zhang An ask him for help, so he didn't continue to make jokes.

Usually it doesn't matter when everyone is joking, but this is the first time that Zhang An has asked him for something.

So he didn't continue joking with Zhang An, and became serious.

"Then I would like to thank you first. That's it. I plan to ask you to be a matchmaker between me and Su Ying."

Seeing Chen Ze take the initiative to deliver it to his door, Zhang An was not polite at all.

"What? Matchmaker? You two are going to get married now?"

This immediately stunned Chen Ze, thinking that he had heard it wrong.

He just recovered from the shock when he found out that Zhang An and Su Ying were friends.

But now Zhang An told him that if he wanted to marry Su Ying, he had to be a matchmaker.

"I'm not those old women, and I don't know how to do this job, Zhang An, I'm afraid you have found the wrong person."

Chen Ze was a little speechless, he was a big man, yet Zhang An actually asked him to be a matchmaker.

"Oh, I just need you to play this role, and I don't need you to do anything."

Zhang An explained the current situation of the two of them to Chen Ze, but in the end he couldn't stand Zhang An's stubbornness, so Chen Ze could only nod in agreement.

One side is his good friend, and the other side is his sister.

Zhang An has said so, if he disagrees, it will be unreasonable.

"Okay, anyway, I don't understand anything, you have to tell me what you need to do, otherwise it's your fault if you make a mistake."

In Chen Ze's heart, anyway, he doesn't know how to do this, at worst, he can do whatever Zhang An asks him to do.

"Then it's hard work. The buddies behind will give you a big red envelope."

"Cut, I still need you to give me a red envelope?"

"It's not that you don't want it if you say no, it's a red envelope for the matchmaker, you can't do it."

After solving the problem of the matchmaker, Zhang An called Su Ying.

When Su Ying's parents heard that Zhang An had hired Chen Ze as a matchmaker, they couldn't react for a while, and finally laughed.

After all, it was the first time they had heard of finding a man as a matchmaker.

Afterwards, they made an appointment for Chen Ze to ask for Su Ying's birth date.

All that was left was to find someone to count the days, combine the horoscopes, and finally go to Su Ying's house to send out the horoscopes to make an engagement.

After this matter was settled, Zhang An went out to Zhang Erye's house.

In the afternoon, Zhang An agreed to go to see the second grandpa making bamboo beds. If he didn't go, he was afraid that the old man would be waiting for him.

When Zhang An came to the door, the master had already sawed the Phyllostachys pubescens into several sections.

Some of the bamboo poles were partly planed, and a small fire was burning in the yard.

Seeing Zhang An coming, Second Master Zhang called Zhang An to his side, and took the planed bamboo poles and put them on the fire to roast.

While setting the fire to roast the bamboo, Zhang Erye told Zhang An the reason for doing so.

This technique of roasting bamboo with fire has a nice name, "Yu".

Those who specialize in this line of work are called Yu Jiang.

However, Zhang An and the others don't have a dedicated Yu craftsman here, most of them are bamboo craftsmen, and they do some of this kind of work by the way.

Bamboo is a very magical thing. After being roasted by fire, it can be bent and shaped into the shape people want.

However, the best time to bake bamboo is when it has just been cut, and it is best not to leave it for too long.

Because at this time, there is still a lot of water in the bamboo, which will make it easier to shape.

If you wait for a long time, the effect of bending the bamboo will not be ideal.

Not only big bamboos, but also some small bamboo poles can be bent and shaped directly without planing.

In addition, there are some smaller sticks that can also be used in the same way, such as the dung skips used by most people in Xingxiang village, which are baked with wooden sticks and then bent and fixed as the sides of the baskets.

Zhang Erye has been working as a bamboo strip craftsman for decades, and he is already very skilled in the craft.

Even this time for Zhang An to see clearly, he did it slowly.

But in the end, it didn't take much time to complete the shelf of the bamboo bed.

Finally, Mr. Zhang tied several bamboo poles bent at [-] degrees with ropes to tighten them.

This is to make the bamboo better shaped. After the rope is released tomorrow, the bent place will no longer rebound, so that the bamboo bed will be more stable.

(End of this chapter)