In the evening, Xu Wen did not stay in Pingzhen, but drove back to Xu's house.

There is a night market in Pingzhen, and it is also very lively at night, Xu Wen waited until the end of the night market before leaving, from the noisy bright lights back to the quiet darkness, his ears seemed to still have countless laughter and surprise cheers.

The Pingzhen Fair has indeed taken a lot of effort to prepare, and countless ancient skills are blooming here.

Xu Wen took a lot of photos and tried some on his own.

Some stalls or shops have not only displays, but also activity areas where visitors can make their own things.

In addition to the most common traditional pottery, there are lanterns, paper umbrellas, engravings, and so on.

The stall owner will teach you how to make a lampstand, how to make paste, how to cover cotton yarn on the lampstand, and finally paint it.

This is a relatively complete process, if you don't want to bother, there are also current white paper lanterns, which can be painted directly on it and made into a finished product.

Xu Wen gave it a try at this booth.

Of course, he chose a full set of craftsmanship, and also chose the most difficult double-layer palace lamp.

The lamp stand of this palace lamp is not bamboo, but wood, and it also needs a better wood material, which needs to be very tough, so that it is not easy to deform.

Even the wood does not need nails, only mortise and tenon joints, which Xu Wen is very good at, and the lantern master only taught a rough idea, so he thought about it a little and began to make it.

Most of the people who come here to play are ordinary people, and the master also treats this big and small as ordinary people, and at this time, when he looks at it, his eyes are straight.

Xu Wen has been able to enter the palace in the carpenter's profession, he is good at eighteen skillful, and has his own ideas and practices.

What he made was not quite the same as what the master said, although it was not out of the rules, but it was different.

The master was still teaching at first, but soon closed his mouth, and while absentmindedly taking care of the others, he stared at Xu Wen and watched his movements.

In the end, Xu Wen finished and brought the lampstand to him, and he took it and looked at it over and over again, his eyes were extremely surprised.

But he didn't say anything, and soon returned the lampstand to him, and taught him how to cut and paste the curtains.

The pasting work is also familiar to Xu Wen, but what he learned before was mounting, the surface is flat, and other details need to be paid attention to.

Despite this, he quickly grasped what his master said, and the mounting was quite beautiful, and the curtains of each part were very flat, without an inch of bump or warp, and the edges did not show a single gap, which was amazingly perfect.

"Beautiful!" the master finally couldn't help but praise and asked, "Which child are you? No, at this level, you are no longer a child, and you can stand alone at home, right?"

"It's been learned. Xu Wen admitted, smiling gently and modestly.

"Hmm......" The master looked at him for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Then I'll teach you another one, and you can try it?"

"Okay!" of course Xu Wen would not refuse.

What the master taught is a kind of marquee.

Many people are familiar with the marquee, after lighting the candle, the pattern on its outer wall will continue to rotate, like a pedestrian walking horses, hence the name.

Xu Wen had heard about it and knew what it was, but he hadn't studied it carefully.

The master, surnamed Wen, laughed, wiped his hands, and handed over the other customers to his apprentices—his family occupied two shops, and the number of apprentices was quite large among the masters he had seen along the way, which was a bit surprising.

After all, lanterns are about to be completely replaced by electric lights in the eyes of most people.

Master Wen first taught him the principle of the marquee.

The principle is simple, it forms a small structure inside the lantern, and when a candle is lit inside the lamp, the heat generated by the candle flame causes air currents and causes the wheel to turn.

The axle drives the surrounding paper cuts, constantly turning, so that the shadows on the lamp wall will also keep changing.

Of course, there are also axles that directly drive the lamp wall, but the lamp stand is heavier and often needs more power, so in this case, the lamp stand made of sorghum straw is often used, the weight is relatively light, and it will be easier to rotate.

What Master Wen taught Xu Wen is an improved version that combines the two, with double-layer axles, the silhouette frame inside can be rotated, and the outside lamp wall can also be rotated.

And the lampstand he made is still wooden, which is very strong, so you don't have to worry about it breaking down casually.

Then, Xu Wen got a familiar feeling in Master Wen.

He was able to do this partly because he improved the structure of the axle and the lantern itself, so that the heat was better concentrated and could produce greater efficiency. On the other hand, because his technique is good enough, each part is polished with extreme precision, which greatly reduces the friction when interacting.

So Xu Wen also knew the reason why he taught this to himself—at least one of the reasons.

He saw Xu Wen's attainments in carpentry and saw that he could do it.

Xu Wen is indeed possible.

In his opinion, Master Wen is at the level of an ink worker, but he is already in the realm of heaven.

He successfully completed every task that Master Wen taught him, and he did it even better.

Finally, the lantern is finished, the candle is lit, and a yellowish glow shines through the surface of the lantern, casting a misty halo in all directions. On the lamp wall, the double-layered light shadows rotate in different directions, reflecting each other, vividly telling a silent story.

"Wow!" a mother with a child passed by, just after watching the last process, she let out a sigh of surprise.

She trotted to the table, stared at it intently, let out a grizzled chuckle after reading the humorous little story, and then stared at the lantern as if she had been completely mesmerized by it.

"It's so beautifully done. Master Wen was also looking at the lantern with admiration in his eyes, and then he looked at Xu Wen with the same gaze and asked, "Have you studied for a long time?"

"Thank you, Master Wen, for your teaching. Xu Wen did not answer positively, and thanked him solemnly.

Although he didn't fall into one of the top 10 categories, he did learn a new skill.

Rong Xian and Gao Xiaoshu were also making lanterns next to them, and what they did was easier than Xu Wen's, and they were also very energetic.

The lanterns they are making are very much in line with their personal characteristics.

Rong Xian is imaginative, full of peculiar imagination, Gao Xiaoshu is extremely focused, and his work is as if he has stepped into a world alone, and every detail is solid and extremely good.

Both of them are junior carpenters, have learned eighteen skills, and have a good foundation.

After Master Wen taught them the basics of making, his apprentice had nothing to do, and he stood aside, looking quite impressed by the two children.

"Master Wen, do you think this lantern can still be done?"

Xu Wen looked away and looked around. There are quite a few people who are interested in this handicraft work, and many of them will be tempted to pay for a paper lantern, scribble and paint on it, and happily carry it away.

There is also a small lotus-shaped lamp in the store, and there are many people who buy this, and you can put it in the water when you turn around, pray for the living, and send mourning for the deceased.

But it is conceivable that this is all because of the fair, the lotus lantern is gone, and the white paper lantern will be thrown into the garbage not long after it is brought home, and at the same time, there will be a strong interest in it tonight.

After all, it's just a plaything, and now people really use electric lights for lighting, which is more convenient, safer, and more durable.

"Why can't you do it?" someone just came to buy lotus lanterns, and Master Wen completed the business, and asked Xu Wen while collecting money.

"Let's just say this lamp. He picked up a lamp and showed it to Xu Wen, "Have you paid attention to its material? If you put it in the water for a while, it will melt and will not cause any pollution to the river water. This eco-friendly type is specially used to put lights, so you don't have to worry about what you use. This is an inspiration from cat litter for one of my apprentices. ”

"What about this?" he changed another one to Xu Wen, "it's an aromatherapy type." It is also possible to float on water, but it is waterproof. After ignition, it will evaporate very slowly while illuminating, giving off a pleasant aroma, and after a night, the light will be extinguished and the fragrance will disperse, leaving no trace. ”

Master Wen did not answer Xu Qian's question directly, but only gave two examples. Xu Wen looked at him thoughtfully.

"If you can't keep up with the times, you will be eliminated, but why can't you keep up with the times? The times are changing, and we are changing with them. ”

Master Wen said.