This Is the Trade!

A faint aroma of tallow hung in the air of Mingzhao Studio's workshop, the lingering oily scent of horn. A shop boy picked up an ox horn and began explaining the process of crafting lanterns. "The first step is selecting the horn. When Mingzhao Studio makes a lantern, we only take the upper section of an old yellow ox's horn. The lower section carries too much grease and its grain is too loose—it can't be worked into anything fine. The upper section has endured years of wind and frost, so the horn tissue is dense and compact, with an understated, steady luster." As he spoke, the shop boy tapped the ox horn with a fingernail. "A crisp ring means it's a good horn. If the sound is dull, it proves there are voids inside, making it useless scrap. "Once the horn is chosen, it must be soaked in warm vinegar water for three days to strip away the gaminess and oil, just like consecrating jade." Having covered the selection, the shop boy moved over to an iron cauldron. "After the horn comes out of the water, it's time for the second step: splitting it into sheets. Some workshops slice them directly using heat, but Mingzhao Studio isn't like them. We add ingredients to boil it first, simmering the horn until it softens." Zhang Laifu asked, "What ingredients do you put in?" The shop boy glared at him. "How could I tell you that? That's Mingzhao Studio's secret recipe!" Zhang Laifu did not press further. The shop boy continued, "Once it's boiled just right, we slice the horn open with a small knife and slowly prop it apart with wooden wedges. After that, we bake it over a fire to soften it, press it flat, and let it rest overnight. Only when the horn sheet is as smooth as jade does it meet Mingzhao Studio's standard of craftsmanship." Though he made it sound so intricate, it really just came down to heating the horn and pressing it into thin sheets. Zhang Laifu understood that much. "The third step is scraping and polishing. We shave off the burrs with a small knife, do a rough grind with sharkskin as a base, and then polish it finely with ash powder. Once it's scraped clean, we rub it down evenly with a bit of tung oil on a hemp cloth. That seals the horn and enriches its color." Hearing up to this point, Zhang Laifu felt the "goddess" was perched higher and higher out of reach. "The fourth step is assembling the lantern. The shade is joined using glutinous rice paste blended with fish bladder glue. For the lantern you bought, it also has to be bound in bronze. The bronze strips are carved with cloud patterns using a small graver, then firmly anchored with fine pins. The fitted edges must be flat and true—no biting into the corners, and no gaps showing. "The base is lathed from ebony into a round stand, inlaid with the character for 'Ming' in silver wire. The horn shade, bronze trim, wooden stand, and wick holder are stacked layer by layer, and finally pinned together with bamboo pegs." Hearing this, Zhang Laifu felt the distance between himself and that "goddess" growing ever wider. A'qiang continued his introduction. "The final step is testing the light. Testing a lantern must be done at night. For the wick, we use mutton tallow, fragrant without being greasy. The flame's hue must be gentle and warm—not glaring to the eye, not leaking embers, and not revealing the wick. Only when all three conditions are met is it a true lantern." "A fine lantern!" Zhang Laifu chimed in with praise, though he was earnestly weighing whether he truly belonged to this trade. The shop boy had laid out the entire process of making an ox-horn lantern right before his eyes, and the resonance Zhang Laifu felt was indeed considerably stronger than back at the candle shop. Yet a goddess was still a goddess; Zhang Laifu kept feeling that he and these ox-horn lanterns did not inhabit the same world. "A horn grows for a century, all for a single night's shine," the shopkeeper said, carrying an ox-horn lantern as he walked up to Zhang Laifu. "Mingzhao Studio crafts lanterns not to illuminate the road, but to illuminate the heart. Friend, you are an initiated craftsman, but you still haven't found your craft discipline, have you?" Zhang Laifu was taken aback. This shopkeeper was truly formidable—he really had illuminated his heart. An ox-horn lantern craftsman was one of the three hundred and sixty trades. The old shopkeeper had just made use of the trade's unique specialty: Peering into the Heart Through Shadow Patterns. Different ox-horn lanterns produced different patterns of light and shadow, and when those patterns fell across different faces, they would shift in different ways. Zhang Laifu made no attempt to conceal it. "I did indeed come looking for my craft discipline. It's just that I feel..." "You feel my craft discipline isn't the one, right?" The shopkeeper smiled. "A craft discipline isn't something I can divine for you, but I can tell you truly aren't meant for my trade. Still, your discipline isn't far from here. Do you still want this lantern?" "I do!" He had to buy this lantern. It was only because he had agreed to purchase it that the shopkeeper had allowed him to see the workshop in the first place. In truth, the shopkeeper had done him a favor. "Young man, if I hadn't seen that your discipline was close to mine, I wouldn't have let you into the craft workshop even for eighty silver dollars, let alone eight. "If you feel my trade isn't right for you, go over to Ruihua Workshop and take a look. A'qiang, show him the way." A'qiang led Zhang Laifu to Ruihua Workshop. This shop was large—far larger than Mingzhao Studio. In the center hung a vermilion lacquered signboard bearing large characters in gold paint, flanked on both sides by a couplet. The first line read: *A single lantern before the crowd, a hundred households' affairs beneath its light.* The second line read: *A thousand layers of gauze in hand, ten li of spring within the weave.* This shop did not sell ox-horn lanterns; it sold gauze lanterns. The grand palace lanterns hung before wealthy estates, the commercial sign lanterns outside merchant firms, and the corridor eaves lanterns in deep courtyards were generally of this gauze kind. A gauze lantern's translucency was clearly inferior to an ox-horn lantern's, but the soft glow filtering through the light gauze felt remarkably approachable to Zhang Laifu—at least not so unattainable as the ox-horn lanterns. Various gauze lanterns hung across rows of racks throughout the shop. An attendant came forward to greet them. "Honored customer, looking to buy a lantern?" Before Zhang Laifu could speak, A'qiang spoke up first. "Shopkeeper Qian sent him over to take a look at the craft discipline." Only then did Zhang Laifu learn that the old shopkeeper of Mingzhao Studio's ox-horn lantern shop was named Qian. "Looking at the craft discipline?" That was not a matter an attendant could decide, so he hurried off to fetch the shopkeeper. Ruihua Workshop's shopkeeper arrived, exchanged a few pleasantries with A'qiang, and turned to Zhang Laifu. "Every trade has its rules, and some things cannot be seen. But since Mingzhao Studio made the referral, please pass word to Shopkeeper Qian that I'm granting him this favor!" Zhang Laifu had bought an ox-horn lantern earlier, and Shopkeeper Qian had not only had A'qiang guide him, but also provided an introduction. Those eight silver dollars had truly been well spent. The shopkeeper called an attendant over to guide Zhang Laifu through the workshop. The workshop was situated in the back courtyard, divided into three sections. The front section was where they cut paper and tied frames; the middle section was a drying room for applying glue and mounting gauze; and the rear section was an open courtyard for drying the finished lanterns, where rows of bamboo poles were propped high, laden with gauze lanterns. The attendant briefly explained the process. "Making gauze lanterns involves five steps. First is tying the frame—weaving the skeleton out of thin bamboo strips or willow splints. "Second is pasting the gauze—mixing a paste from rice slurry and gluing the gauze over the bamboo frame. "Third is painting the designs—painters brush flowers, birds, and figures onto the lantern surface. The brushwork isn't as delicate as in a painting studio, but the focus is on bright, lively colors that look festive. "Fourth is sealing with oil—once the lantern dries, we brush on a layer of oil to make it soft, lustrous, and moisture-proof. "Fifth is fitting the light—which simply means putting in the candle. "That covers all the work. Take a look around for yourself." Zhang Laifu looked all around the workshop, the stirring in his heart growing exceptionally fierce. To Zhang Laifu, the gauze lanterns seemed to suit him far better than ox-horn lanterns. This was no goddess; it felt more like the prettiest girl in school. Touching a large red lantern, Zhang Laifu felt as though he were caressing that school belle's blushing cheek. "How much is this lantern?" Zhang Laifu wanted to buy the red gauze lantern. The attendant replied, "This red gauze lantern features rather fine craftsmanship and quite selective materials. A single lantern sells for thirty-eight dazi, a pair for seventy, and a silver dollar buys five." Zhang Laifu nodded. "That's much cheaper than an ox-horn lantern." The attendant smiled. "Brother, don't just look at how it's cheaper than ox horn. Our output is vastly larger than theirs. Opera troupes, teahouses, temple fairs, and spring lantern festivals all place orders with us, dozens or hundreds at a time. If you're a craftsman, making a living in this trade certainly won't leave you in the red." Zhang Laifu nodded slightly. "I must belong to this trade!" Seeing that the matter was settled, A'qiang hurried back to his own shop. Zhang Laifu approached the shopkeeper of Ruihua Workshop. "I plan to take up this trade." The shopkeeper was balancing his books. Looking down at his ledger, he did not even lift his head. "You intend to apprentice here under me?" Zhang Laifu nodded. "Apprentice!" "Young man, don't be hasty. Think things through before you speak," the shopkeeper said, setting down his abacus and looking up at Zhang Laifu. "Apprenticing here takes three full years. I provide room and board, but no wages. Once the contract is signed, it will be too late to regret it." Three years? Was that what was meant by taking years to find one's discipline? This truly did call for caution. The shopkeeper pointed out the door. "There's a teahouse across the street. Go have a cup of tea, and come find me once you've thought it through." Zhang Laifu bought the red gauze lantern and went to the teahouse, ordering a pot of broken jasmine tea. As he sipped, he pondered his craft discipline. He touched the red gauze lantern, his heart beating steadily faster. Then he touched the ox-horn lantern; though there was some sense of estrangement, he also felt a thrill. Which one was truly his discipline? This business of a craft discipline was far too subjective. It only spoke of feeling a resonance, but never specified to what degree, or how fast one's heart rate and blood pressure were supposed to climb. After finishing the pot of tea, Zhang Laifu felt faint and unsettled. Broken tea consisted of the leftover tea dust sifted out from whole leaves; though it lacked visual appeal, the leaf quality was sound, and drinking it truly stimulated digestion. Zhang Laifu had eaten little at noon, and now that evening had arrived, he was famished. Standing on Zhuyou Road, Zhang Laifu looked around for food. There was a noodle stall by the roadside, and just as he moved toward it, his heart suddenly gave a tremor. Just a single tremor! He turned to look. A pedestrian was passing by him, carrying a lantern in hand. It was a white lantern, seemingly nothing special. Zhang Laifu calmed his emotions and continued walking along the street. After a few moments, his heart could not help but shudder once more. What was happening? This resonance was so strange. It was not intense, yet it was crystal clear. Zhang Laifu looked around and noticed quite a few pedestrians carrying lanterns in their hands. Every time he saw such a lantern, Zhang Laifu felt that same sensation—not overly intense, yet entirely genuine. Could this lantern really be that special? Just as Zhang Laifu was about to stop a passerby to ask, an attendant came running out of the teahouse. "Honored customer, it's grown late. Take a lantern with you." The attendant thrust a small paper-pasted lantern into Zhang Laifu's hand. Zhang Laifu looked down at the lantern in his hand, then up at the attendant. "How much for this lantern?" "No charge, a complimentary gift from our shop. Safe travels, honored customer." The attendant turned back toward the teahouse. Zhang Laifu had ordered a pot of tea, a plate of fruit, and a plate of melon seeds and peanuts at the teahouse, spending sixteen dazi in total, and they had even thrown in a lantern. Gripping the lantern in his hand, he stood in the wind for quite a while. His heart did not race so fast, nor did his blood pressure soar so high, yet his hand clutching the lantern simply refused to let go. This feeling was like holding fast to a wife. PS: Paper lantern craftsman, one of the three hundred and sixty trades. This trade uses bamboo strips for the frame and paper to paste over the shade, crafting the plainest of lanterns, yet the ones most commonly used by ordinary folk. The trade's unique specialty is formidable!