After being exiled to Lingnan, Prime Minister Quan's family collapsed and his people were set u

Chapter 50: Learning to compile a backpack
The door of Zeng's house was open. Zeng Chusheng went to the forest this morning to cut a bunch of bamboo and came back. He sat on a small stool and cut the bamboo into strips.

The movements are skilled and quick.

Bamboo sticks were placed around his feet.

Zhou Shitang strode in, raised a smile and waved, "Uncle Zeng, I brought you someone."

"This is my eldest brother Zhou Mingyi, this is my second brother Zhou Shimu, and I have a third brother Zhou Shiye who is recuperating at home. When he is well, he will come over to learn from you."

"No problem, just take good care of yourself when you are sick. If you want to learn a craft, you can learn it at any time." Zeng Chusheng stopped, raised his head, and said with a smile, "Start learning when you come. There are stools over there. You can bring the stools over and sit down. "

Zhou Mingyi and Zhou Shimu each moved a stool and sat next to Zeng Chusheng.

Zhou Shitang did not stay here longer, "Uncle Zeng, I will leave them to you. I will leave first."

Zeng Chusheng nodded.

Zeng Shuangyan came out with two bowls of water. When she saw the white skin of Zhou Mingyi and the others, she quickly went over, handed the water to them, and said straightforwardly: "Hello, I am Zeng Shuangyan."

Zhou Mingyi and Zhou Shimu took the water and thanked them.

Zeng Shuangyan couldn't help but gossip, "I see that you guys look so white, you must have just arrived here not long ago. Where are you from before?"

She had to go out to work almost every day and was tanned as black as carbon.

I really envy people with fair skin.

Zhou Shimu smiled and said, "It is true that we have just arrived here not long ago. We were once northerners, but from now on we will be southerners like Miss Zeng. After all, do as the Romans do."

Zhou Mingyi nodded accordingly.

The corners of Zeng Shuangyan's lips rose, "Master Zhou said yes, then I won't disturb you."

It’s as if the young man didn’t say anything he said.

The north is so vast, who knows where he is from.

But the other party obviously didn't want to say more, so she'd better shut up.

Zeng Chusheng held a hatchet in his hand, "I see that Girl Zhou is carrying a backpack, so let's learn to make a backpack first. It's not difficult. Listen carefully and follow me to make it. You can learn it in one go."

Zhou Mingyi nodded seriously, "We listen to Uncle Zeng."

Zeng Chusheng: "When you go to chop bamboo, you should choose the right bamboo. Don't use it if it's too big or too small. Look at the bamboos I chopped back and make sure they are about this size."

Zeng Chusheng waited for them to recognize it, and then continued: "After cutting the bamboo back, first cut off the small twigs on the bamboo, and scrape off the knots at each section, and then the bamboos must be the same length."

He picked up an untreated bamboo and demonstrated it to the two of them, "That's it, do you understand?"

Zhou Shimu and Zhou Mingyi nodded at the same time, "I understand."

Zeng Chusheng took apart the hatchet to Zhou Mingyi, "It doesn't matter if you understand it, it counts only if you can handle it. Come and try it."

This step is relatively simple, and Zhou Mingyi learned it in no time.

Next came Zhou Shimu, who learned faster with his eyes but slower with his hands.

Zeng Chusheng guided him for a quarter of an hour, and Zhou Shimu barely learned it.

Zeng Chusheng picked up the hatchet again and said, "Next, learn to peel bamboo strips, that is, peel the skin of the bamboo. Be careful not to peel too thin, otherwise the final basket will not be strong enough, and don't make it too thick, otherwise the weaving will fail."

"There are skills in cutting bamboo strips, and the other thing is not to be impatient, lest you treat your hands like bamboo strips and cut them." Zeng Chusheng reminded.

Zhou Mingyi couldn't help laughing, "Uncle Zeng is really good at joking."

Zeng Chusheng looked at Zhou Mingyi with a serious expression, "I'm not kidding you. I remember that I almost cut off my own hand when I was a child."

"I am imparting my experience to you. Listen carefully and don't take it seriously, otherwise I will make you cry." Zeng Chusheng glared at Zhou Mingyi.

Zhou Mingyi stopped laughing and became serious for a moment, "Yes, I will listen well." Zeng Chusheng: "Watch me demonstrate again. Pay attention carefully and don't be distracted."

He picked up another piece of bamboo and began to peel it.

First cut a long piece of bamboo in half, then continue to divide it in half, and continue to divide it in half, and finally divide it into a suitable width, and finally start peeling it.

He whittled slowly, explaining his technique as he whittled.

"Be careful not to cut the bamboo strips, otherwise the bamboo strips will be useless."

"Another thing is that it is best not to have thorns on the bamboo strips, otherwise it will hurt your hands when weaving the basket, and it will also hurt your back when you carry it on your body after weaving it, so if there are thorns in the shaved bamboo strips, you must deal with them. clean."

Zhou Mingyi and Zhou Shimu turned their eyes to Zeng Chusheng's hands and listened carefully, not missing any detail.

Finally, Zeng Chusheng looked at the two of them, "Do you understand? Do you understand?"

Zhou Mingyi and Zhou Shimu nodded, "I understand."

Zeng Chusheng handed the hatchet to Zhou Mingyi, "Then you should cut one first."

Zhou Mingyi took the hatchet, picked up a bamboo stick, and followed Zeng Chusheng's gesture before starting to split it in half. This step is not difficult, just keep splitting it in half.

After dividing, start cutting the bamboo strips.

Only after he got to this point did he realize that cutting bamboo strips was not as simple as it seemed, and was even more difficult than chopping firewood.

There is no need to pay attention to thickness when splitting firewood, you can split it at will.

But these bamboo strips must not be too thick or too thin. Almost every bamboo strip is the same size.

It's really difficult.

Zhou Mingyi pared more than a dozen bamboo strips before he mastered some skills and was able to pare them into a decent shape.

Zhou Mingyi looked at Zeng Chusheng and said uncertainly: "Master Zeng, how do you think I cut it?"

"It's almost done. If you practice again in the future, you will be able to cut faster and better." Zeng Chusheng affirmed, then looked at Zhou Shimu, "It's your turn, come and try it too."

Zhou Shimu nodded, took the hatchet handed over by Zhou Mingyi, and picked up a piece of bamboo. His thoughts were similar to Zhou Mingyi's.

Cutting bamboo strips is not that simple.

The next moment, a thin bamboo strip was cut in half and broke.

Zhou Shimu was stunned for a moment, then continued to cut off the remaining half, "I'll do it again."

Zeng Chusheng couldn't stand it anymore and gave instructions again, "Don't be impatient. Keep your eyes on the bamboo strips, and don't use too much force with your hands. A thin bamboo strip will break if you exert force."

The bamboo strips broke several times after that.

Either it was straightly crooked when cutting it at the beginning, or it broke when it reached the bamboo joint.

Zeng Chusheng became increasingly irritable, "I told you not to use such force, why don't you listen?"

"Oh, no, that's not the case!"

"Wrong! Wrong again!"

"Are you trying to piss me off?!"

It's easy to peel the bamboo skin, and it's not that easy to break. Why did it break so easily in Zhou Shimu's hands?

Zhou Shimu coughed lightly and continued cutting.

After wasting bamboo sticks several times, he finally learned.

(End of this chapter)