1986: Old Stories in Northeast China

"Uncle Dong, did you buy this stuff ready-made or did you make it yourself?"

Chen Tiezhu also moved to the side and asked.

"I made it myself. I don't trust the ones I bought outside. If it gets loose when I work for others, I won't be able to face people in the future." Hu Yadong said with a smile.

"That's the situation. Even if the boss doesn't say anything and I don't say anything, the boss's friends will come and see it, and there will be no way to fix it in the future."

"Does this have to be steamed like this? Can't it be boiled directly in water? Wouldn't it be faster?" Chen Tiezhu asked.

"Tiezhu, each trade has its own craftsmanship and each trade has its own ways." Erye took over the conversation with a smile.

"Don't look at Yadong's glue, which has a strong fishy smell, but his glue is not bad. His glue is soaked in warm water at home, otherwise, it would be more difficult to adjust."

"Erye has a good eye." Hu Yadong was happy.

"I'm going to work for someone tomorrow, so I decided to soak it first and take it away as soon as I get up early. Boiling fish maw is not that easy, it's very laborious, after all, I feel at ease only if I boil it myself."

"The fish maw of sea fish is the best, and the bigger the better. Every year when we select the ingredients, we have to distinguish them carefully, and many people use the fish maw of river fish as impersonation."

"The fish maw of river fish is not as oily as that of sea fish, and the viscosity of the boiled fish maw is also much worse. After selecting the ingredients, you have to soak them in water for at least two days, and then you can cut them into pieces and steam them in the pot."

"Good man, this is really not easy." Chen Tiezhu said with emotion.

"Do you think this is the end? Little bastard, listen." Erye was happy.

"No, it's either steamed or fish maw?" Chen Tiezhu asked in surprise.

"Of course not. After steaming, it is still fish maw. The next step is to pound it into glue. Pound it over and over again, and then steam it when it cools down. When the glue is pounded into a very sticky and gelatinous state, it is almost the same."

"Find a gauze with a higher mesh count and press the glue out little by little. This is the real fish glue. This stuff is good. Furniture with this glue will not fall apart even if you soak it in water."

"Because this stuff can only be soaked in hot or warm water, and there is nothing wrong with soaking it in cold water. When brushing, you can't use a brush or a fine-bristled brush, as it is easy to get the hair stuck."

"I pounded this out with willow twigs, and I also pounded it with old vines on the mountain. Anyway, this stuff is not easy to break and is better than a brush."

"Hehe, you don't know something too." Han Xiuying next to him said happily.

"Hey..., different trades are like different mountains. It's just like what Erye said, each trade has its own craftsmanship." Chen Tiezhu sighed.

"I've seen Uncle Shulin's ironwork skills these past two days. It's amazing. I'll go make iron pots with him later and learn from him. Uncle Dong doesn't even talk about how to make furniture. He makes fish glue so delicately. What else can I say?"

"There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession has its own top talent. I'm not flattering Uncle Dong on purpose, and there's no need for me to do so. No matter which profession one reaches, they are all masters."

"That's true. Just like Teacher Chen piercing orange peels, all the surgeons in our county can't compare." Fang Zhiyong nodded in approval.

"That's right. I still have some confidence in my knife skills." Chen Tiezhu said cheerfully.

"You pant when someone says you're fat. Why don't you feel ashamed?" Han Xiuying glanced at him.

"What's there to be ashamed of? There's no outsider here." Chen Tiezhu said indifferently.

"Yes, there really is no outsider. It's almost done now. Bring the handle over here. I'll fill it with glue and you can insert it." Hu Yadong said.

"You still have to make arrows, so I'll keep the remaining glue for you to stick to the arrowheads. Just follow my method just now. Use it thinner in winter, thicker in summer, and just make do in spring and autumn."

"Uncle Dong, does that mean it should be thinner in winter, thicker in summer, and just do it casually in spring and autumn?" Chen Tiezhu asked.

"Well, the cooler this stuff is, the faster it dries. After it dries, it's firm, and you don't have to worry about damaging the wood. It's not like the glue sold in hardware stores now, which doesn't work."

"If you want to fix the handle again, I'll make a few for you. Old Qiao's blacksmithing is not bad, but his carpentry work is a bit worse."

"Okay, I'll have to make some more when I get some steel in the future." Chen Tiezhu said happily.

With the cooperation of the two, the handle was made very smoothly. But it has just been finished, and it has to be left aside to cool down.

"This is sandpaper. After sharpening the blade, wipe the handle well, so it will be easier to use." Hu Yadong took out the fine sandpaper from his pocket.

"This is an expert. I didn't even think of this." Chen Tiezhu said with a wry smile.

His thoughtsIt was indeed very meticulous, but he had never even thought about this.

"Almost done, it's time to sharpen the knife." Erye looked at it and said.

"Okay, let's start with the rough ones." Chen Tiezhu was very happy.

He sprinkled some water on the grindstone, picked up the boning knife, and started sharpening it directly.

At the beginning, he could still say a few words to everyone. But after sharpening it for a while, he found that this didn't work.

He had to concentrate on sharpening the knife so that he could make subtle adjustments through the force fed back from the friction between the blade and the grindstone.

Didn't Erye say that it's best to keep the force and angle the same.

"Erye, Tiezhu's skill in sharpening the knife is quite amazing. How long did you learn from him?" Hu Yadong asked with a smile after watching for a while.

Erye smiled bitterly and looked at him, "I just asked me when you went over at noon today."

"Erye, he sharpened it well?" Han Xiuying asked curiously.

"It's not just good, it's very good." said Erye.

"If I want to sharpen this small boning knife, it will take me an entire afternoon. But he can do it in less than two hours. It's a delicate job, but it's nothing for him."

"How is that possible? Don't you have to sharpen it slowly?" Han Xiuying asked with a frown.

"It does need to be sharpened slowly, but Tiezhu is very strong, so sharpening it once is equivalent to sharpening it two or three times for others. But he is not only strong, but also able to control the strength."

"Don't you see how focused he is? He may not hear what we say now. Or he may hear it, but he doesn't think about it and forgets it after hearing it."

"It's impossible not to have a good skill if he can't be disturbed by external things." Erye also sighed, looking at Chen Tiezhu's eyes, which was more and more rare.

Han Xiuying pursed her lips, actually wanting to find an opportunity to hit Chen Tiezhu.

Otherwise, this guy can do anything, and he will be arrogant.

He glanced at Chen Tiezhu who was concentrating on sharpening the knife. He scraped the blade with his hand, and then changed to the second whetstone as if no one was around.