allonlinenovel Chapter 529: Lantern
Chapter 529: Lantern
Yunqing packed up her paintbrushes while talking.
"Okay! I'm willing to do this job. Sister Mengyan, come with me. Let's go find some sorghum stalks. Once we prepare the materials, Brother Zixun will make you a rabbit lantern. I remember when you were little, you always loved pestering Third Brother Zichuan to make you a rabbit lantern a few days before New Year's Eve."
While Zhan Zixun was speaking, he pulled Zhan Mengyan and walked out.
Zhan Zixun and Zhan Mengyan worked for a long time and finally brought back a large bundle of sorghum stalks.
Yunqing selected slender and straight sorghum stalks and soaked them in water to make the sorghum stalks strong enough so that they would not break even if they were slightly bent when making lanterns.
Zhan Yu dragged out the bundled bamboo strips from the woodshed. After knocking them, the bamboo strips emitted a soft ivory-white glow. After being cut into thin strips, they could be bent into a full moon-like arc.
Zhan Yingying cleaned up the four chickens and soaked them in cold water. She dug out the gold-sprinkled red paper from the bottom of her closet and, as her fingertips moved across the lamp, gold dust-like fragments fell, like prematurely falling stars.
Zhan Zixun used straw to make the lantern frame, interlocking the mortise and tenon joints with great precision.
Zhan Mengyan is responsible for wrapping cotton thread around the lantern frame. The interlaced sections need to be threaded repeatedly with wax thread. If the force is a little stronger, a slight "click" sound can be heard, indicating that the bamboo or sorghum stalks are broken and the frame is damaged.
Zhan Mengyan stuck out her tongue: "Brother Zixun, the lantern frame I made for you is broken..."
"It's okay, I'll make another one."
As Zhan Zixun spoke, he frowned and picked the straw again.
"Making a lantern is like making a human being. The skeleton must be straight, and there must be three-quarters of room left at the joints."
As Yunqing spoke, she demonstrated how to piece together six straws into an octagonal lantern. The moment the mortise and tenon joints interlocked, the sound of the red paper being stretched out was like tearing apart a piece of sunset glow.
Zhan Yingying didn't know when she had prepared the paste and adjusted it to the right consistency. She was very careful not to bring up the rough edges when she ran the brush over the bamboo strips. She gently covered the frame with red paper and suddenly stopped: "This fish lantern must use double-sided paper so that it will be translucent when turned." As she moved the scissors, the carp's scales came alive. If you shine a candlelight on it, cinnabar-colored shadows will swim on the wall in front of the lantern at night.
"The east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night, and blows down stars like rain. The roads are filled with the fragrance of fine carriages, the sounds of phoenix flutes resonate, the light of jade pots swirls, and fish and dragons dance all night long. At night, bathed in the light, our lanterns must be the most beautiful in the town! I remember one New Year's Eve in Heilongjiang, when we had three lanterns hanging from the eaves: an octagonal lantern as steady as an ancient bell, a revolving lantern with silhouettes of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, and a crooked watermelon lantern—it was my creation, made of straw so densely packed that the light that filtered through was like a shy, pink mist."
When Zhan Zixun spoke, his face was full of emotion and longing.
"Oh, I remember it too. The moment Third Brother Zichuan lit the candle, the whole yard was bathed in amber light, and even the fresh footprints on the snow were dyed the color of honey... Brother Zichuan also told us the story of the Nian monster, saying that Nian was afraid of this kind of light. The light danced on his hair and face, which was so beautiful! He also gave each of us a 'Kowtow' candle - the candle was very thin and short, and as the name suggests, it would burn out in the time it took to kowtow once. Nowadays, our supply and marketing cooperatives don't sell these small candles..."
As Zhan Mengyan spoke, her thoughts seemed to drift to the Great Northern Wilderness.
"Alright, alright, you two nerds, stop being sentimental and nostalgic here. Let's get back to reality. Hurry up and make lanterns. After you're done, I have to send candied haws and a few more lanterns to Grandma Liu's house. Give Grandma Liu a little surprise this New Year's Eve!"