The Favorite

Early the next morning, Zhang Laifu was back in the courtyard pasting paper onto lanterns with his fellow apprentices. Old Liang's Lantern Shop had quite a few apprentices.

"Brother Laifu, once I finish my apprenticeship, I'll sell lanterns by the roadside. I'll shave the bamboo and cut the paper myself. I could easily earn dozens of coppers a day."

Chen Xiaowang's idea was shared by most of the people there.

Whether they learned to make ox-horn lanterns or gauze lanterns, apprentices had a hard time running their own businesses after finishing their training. The costs were too high, customers were hard to find, and most people simply couldn't afford to open a shop.

Small paper lanterns were different. The trade didn't demand much in the way of brand or quality. What mattered most was that the lanterns gave off light. Once someone learned the craft, he could make a living at it even without much capital.

After they had pasted lanterns for more than an hour, Old Liang came over to Zhang Laifu. "Laifu, stop pasting paper. Go over there and learn to make frames from your senior apprentice brother."

Zhang Laifu was already so skilled at pasting paper that Old Liang saw no need for him to keep practicing.

Chen Xiaowang was beside himself with envy. He had arrived two days before Zhang Laifu and still couldn't paste paper properly, yet Zhang Laifu was already being sent to learn frame-making.

Master Wang came over for a look. "Boss, making frames is the hardest part of our trade. This kid's only been here a day, and you want him making frames? That doesn't seem right."

Old Liang rubbed his bald head. "This kid is clearly different. Can't you see he—"

"I can't," Master Wang said, shaking his head. "It's your shop, so you can make the decisions on some things. But when it comes to teaching the craft, you listen to me. He can't make frames yet. Let him paste paper for two months first!"

That was the Master Craftsman's temper. He had given Old Liang no face in front of everyone.

Old Liang rubbed his bald head and said nothing. Master Wang went on instructing the other apprentices.

Zhang Laifu took it in stride and kept pasting lanterns with complete concentration until lunchtime. Everyone cleared away the materials, and the cook and a shop hand brought over buckets of rice and basins of food.

Old Liang never stinted on food. Lunch that day included fried pork and stewed chicken. Zhang Laifu was hungry too, so he filled a big bowl with rice, soaked it in chicken broth, mixed in some pork, and ate until his belly was round.

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

"Usually at half past three. If we're rushing an order, they might have us start a little earlier. Someone will come wake us when it's time."

Chen Xiaowang answered every question Zhang Laifu asked with care. Brother Laifu had been allowed to make frames on his very first day of training. Even when their master objected, the boss had spoken up for him. How much favor did that take? Brother Laifu was sure to become someone important.

Zhang Laifu was astonished that the lantern shop's midday break was so long. "The boss treats us well!"

Chen Xiaowang nodded. "You can't fault our boss's character."

In front of Brother Laifu, he had to say good things about the boss. Laifu was the boss's new favorite.

"What's so great about it?" Deng Yuechuan looked at Zhang Laifu. "It's just a little extra sleep at noon. A man as capable as you cares about a little thing like that?"

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

Deng Yuechuan sneered. "You can barely hide how capable you are. Next time we meet, should we call you Lord Laifu?"

Zhang Laifu shook his head. "No need to be so polite. Brother Laifu will do."

Deng Yuechuan gritted his teeth, pulled up his quilt, and went to sleep. A little after two, a shop hand named Xiao Chu called from outside the door, "Zhang Laifu, the boss wants you."

Zhang Laifu rubbed his eyes. "What for?"

"He wants you to run an errand. Come on."

Zhang Laifu went to see Yang Laoliang. Deng Yuechuan made a note of it.

Yang Laoliang usually lived at the shop. His bedroom was large, with gold-dusted wallpaper on all four walls. Against one wall stood a nanmu bookshelf. There were no books on it, only ornaments—porcelain, bronze, jade, and a few made of glass.

The floor was covered with a carpet whose dense pattern made Zhang Laifu dizzy. It felt so soft underfoot that he wobbled. All kinds of calendar posters hung on the walls, showing beauties, flowers and birds, and landscapes.

One calendar poster was the strangest of all. It showed a foreign woman in an evening gown and a Chinese opera warrior's headdress, riding an elephant and holding a lotus seedpod. Beside her were eight large characters: Good fortune and all you wish for; may sons be born one after another.

Old Liang was particularly fond of that poster. "I had an artist make it specially. What do you think, Laifu?"

Zhang Laifu praised him. "Boss, you're a very down-to-earth man!"

"You've got that right. Down-to-earth, that's me. Sit over here, Laifu!"

Yang Laoliang invited Zhang Laifu over to the table. On it sat a ledger, an abacus, half a bowl of tea, and a box of silver dollars.

Zhang Laifu sat down and felt a little dizzy. The room had a peculiar smell: perfume, floral water, and sandalwood, all their scents rushing up his nose.

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

Zhang Laifu shook his head. "No. Master hasn't taught me yet. I heard the senior apprentices say it takes a year just to learn how to heat bamboo strips."

"It's not that mysterious. I'll teach you!" Old Liang held a bamboo strip over the oil lamp. "Heat it too much and it chars and breaks easily. Don't heat it enough and the fibers stay too stiff, so it splits easily.

"There are only three things to remember when heating bamboo. First, watch the color. Bamboo is green with a hint of yellow. When it turns glossy and just a little scorched, it's about ready.

"Second, smell it. Bamboo gives off a particular sweetness. In our trade, we call it the smell of bamboo sugar. Once you smell that sweetness, the bamboo is ready.

"Third, listen. When the bamboo sizzles, the moisture is leaving it. If the sizzling is too loud, heat it a little longer—but whatever you do, don't dry it out.

"This work isn't hard at all. Old Wang just never teaches anyone the tricks. He makes apprentices figure everything out themselves. Plenty of people have spent years under him and learned nothing."

Zhang Laifu caught a sweet smell. Old Liang handed him a glove and the bamboo strip. "It's ready. Try bending it."

Afraid Zhang Laifu wouldn't know how to bend it, Yang Laoliang took out a lantern frame for him to use as a model.

Zhang Laifu spent quite a while working on eight bamboo strips and managed to bend five.

Three of those five had matching curves. He had ruined the other two.

"I've never learned this before. I'm just wasting materials..." Zhang Laifu was rather embarrassed.

Yang Laoliang examined the strips Zhang Laifu had bent. "Laifu, don't pinch the strip while you bend it. Set your two fingers at different heights."

He meant for Zhang Laifu to separate his thumb and forefinger at an angle.

"How wide?"

"I can't say exactly. You have to follow the give of the bamboo fibers and spread them apart slowly."

Yang Laoliang heated another eight strips of bamboo and handed them to Zhang Laifu.

Zhang Laifu tested how much force to use. This time he bent six, and five of them had almost identical curves.

He had found the trick and was ready to try again.

Yang Laoliang blew out the oil lamp. "No rush. Let's talk business first.

"Laifu, you're a craftsman, one who's just entered the trade. I've got that right, haven't I?"