The dawn sky gradually reveals the bright morning light, which is another rare and good weather.

Yong'an Town is an ancient town, which still preserves the quaint style passed down from hundreds of years. The town's houses and buildings are antique, and many wooden buildings are carved with various historical records.

Yong'an Town is a big town, composed of more than ten villages, with more than a hundred families in the town alone, scattered around the big town. There is a wide stone slab road running across the entire town from south to north. There are various shops connected to each other on both sides of the road. Many early shop owners have opened the store door and hung up sign curtains to welcome guests inside and outside the town.

In a wooden furniture store in the Lu family in Yong'an Town, there were already eleven and two children, all led by parents or elders in the family. They were all scattered descendants of the Lu family. Lu Chong also came to the store with his grandfather and gathered with other children. When Chen Shi was almost at the right time, twenty-eight children had arrived one after another. The oldest of the children was no more than fifteen years old, and the youngest was only ten years old.

This is a wooden utensil shop in Yong'an Town. It is also the place for children to evaluate the basics of wooden utensils. The storefront of the wooden utensil shop is very wide and occupies about three or four widths of other shops. The store is furnished with various ordinary production wooden utensils and exquisite carved wood products. The owner of the shop is Lu Yugen, who has been in the town for nearly twenty years.

According to the assessment regulations, the adults were left in the outside of the store to wait. Under the leadership of the shop's shop's shop's shop's shop's shop's shop's backyard were all led through the inner room of the shop and gathered in the backyard of the shop.

There is a long table in the middle of the backyard, with many wooden blocks and more than ten carved knives piled on the table. There are five large carved mahogany chairs neatly placed behind the long table. There are a few simple square stools scattered in front of the table. There is a stone lock on the right floor of the courtyard, and a square table on the left. The incense burner on the table is lit with refreshing incense.

After waiting for a cup of tea, he saw the shop owner Lu Yugen respectfully leading four people in. Walking in front was a young man in his thirties, dressed in light red silk, his tall and thin body was walking calmly, and his thin face was flashing with a cold gaze. He glanced at the people waiting in front of the wooden shop, and a hint of disdain appeared on his proud face.

The group came to the long table, and the young man walked straight to the middle of the big mahogany chair and sat down. Then the other people sat down one after another. The owner Lu Yugen signaled the guy to let the children line up in front of the long table, and then respectfully said to the young man that he could start.

The young man was obviously the person in charge of this assessment. He glanced around the twenty-eight children in front of him, and then said in cold words: "This time the family recruited children with the foundation of wood making and carving to study in the city to train more wood art masters or craftsmen. If they have outstanding talents, they will have the opportunity to obtain more advanced training in the family. Although you have all been exposed to wood art, wood art technology is not as simple as you imagined, and the requirements are more complicated than what you know. Next, you will understand, OK, Master Yu Gen will introduce you to the specific assessment content."

Lu Yugen stood up from the chair, nodded to the young man, and then said loudly: "The content of this assessment is divided into three levels. First, it is the assessment of strength. As a wood artist, you cannot complete a huge amount of work without a strong body. Everyone sees it. On the right is a stone lock. You must lift it over your head and hold on to the time of incense (about ten minutes now) to pass. Now you go forward one by one."

Most children have heard that it is difficult to lift a stone lock with one junction, let alone to hold on for one stick of incense. After all, wood craftsmanship is a technical job, and most of them are usually done with skill. Unexpectedly, the requirements are so high that half of the children cannot even shake the stone lock, and some who seem to have some strength cannot stick to the time standard.

However, there are also several children who exercise regularly. One of them was very thick. He breathed a long breath and actually lifted the stone lock with one hand, then easily lifted it over his head. After a stick of incense, his face did not change and his heart would not beat, and he could easily pass the test.

Some people felt it was difficult, so they finally gritted their teeth and held on. When the time came, they immediately threw the stone lock onto the ground and gasped.

When it was Lu Chong's turn, although Lu Chong was small in shape, his thin hands were tough and vigorous. Years of exercise allowed him to maintain his abundant strength. He pushed the stone lock up with both hands and stood steadily in the yard until a stick of incense burned.

After the first level of assessment, only eleven people were left to pass.

Lu Yugen announced the content of the second level: to assess the basis of understanding the wood. The remaining eleven people required to identify the materials of ten kinds of wood within a quarter of an hour (about thirty minutes now), and to use a pen to write the name, properties, growth years and main functions of the wood on the prepared paper. The standard is no less than seven kinds.

Lu Chong has read some similar introductions in his daily life. His grandfather often urged himself to practice writing. Although Lu Chong is not very skilled in this level, he has passed it smoothly.

When Lu Yugen announced the content of the third level, only three people were left to compete. Except for Lu Chong, one of the other two was Lu Ming and the other was Lu Xi.

The third level is the speed of carving, which requires that the number of puppets with complete shape and spirit be carved within one hour shall not be less than three.

Lu Chong and the other two sat on the square stool, holding carved knives in their hands. No one around them made any sound, because the most critical time finally came. Only the sound of the knives rotating and plucking on the wood, and countless wood chips were flying in the air. The children who did not pass the assessment stared their eyes on the three of them's cleverly moving hands, and some unconsciously held their hands tightly, as if they were also exerting force.

Lu Ming quickly completed one, without stopping, and continued to carve the second one. Lu Xi's movements seemed slower, but each puppet was very delicate. Lu Chong skillfully controlled the carving knife in his hand, modifying the puppet's shape to a very detailed and perfection, basically maintaining the speed of one per quarter of an hour.

The children were watching with all their attention at this time, and even the personnel responsible for the assessment were attracted by the movements of the three children. They probably did not expect that there were skilled people in this part-area town. Only the young people remained in a cold posture, but a trace of imperceptible light flashed in their occasional shining.

Time passed quickly, and under everyone's gaze, an hour passed without realizing it. When Lu Yugen announced that the time had come, everyone suddenly came to their senses and the assessment was over.

Lu Yugen asked the young man and several assessment personnel who accompanied him to review the final results of the three levels. The assessment personnel carefully discussed with each other and came up with consensus. After the youth's final determination, Lu Yugen announced the results of the three:

Lu Ming, five completed, one qualified one.

Lu Chong, four completed, four qualified ones.

Lu Xi, two completed, two qualified ones.

Lu Ming's knife speed is the fastest, but the quality fails to meet the requirements. Every puppet in Lu Zhi is carved very exquisitely, but because the speed is too slow, it is not enough to complete the quantity. In the end, the only one who has obtained the qualification for learning in the city in the Yong'an Town assessment was Lu Chong.

After the third level assessment, all the children who failed to pass left Yong'an Town with their families sadly. At this time, it was almost time for Wei Shi. The young man looked up and glanced at the high sun in Qiu Ri, and decided to take Lu Tong back to the city early the next morning.

When Lu Chong walked out of the shop, his grandfather seemed very excited. He stepped forward and held Lu Chong's little hand tightly for a while without saying anything. After a long time, he said, "Okay, very good."
Chapter completed!