1986: Old Stories in Northeast China

Zhou Fengxia was very worried. He was a smart guy, but he couldn't understand the current situation.

It was obvious that Chen Tiezhu was definitely a novice in the carving industry, because from his layman's point of view, Chen Tiezhu's craftsmanship was really not that good.

Just like what Mr. Qi said just now, carving is not just about being strong. This thing requires a skill.

But what about it?

Mr. Qi seemed to appreciate it very much now, and he didn't let himself speak to disturb him.

How could he understand this situation?

For example, what Chen Tiezhu is carving now should look like beans, but he couldn't tell that the marks on the wood looked like beans.

"Oh, Mr. Qi, why don't you say anything?"

After nearly half an hour, Chen Tiezhu put down the carving knife in his hand, and then he saw Mr. Qi sitting next to him.

"Hahaha, nothing. Little brother, do you like to tinker with this thing?" Mr. Qi asked with a smile.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

This made Zhou Fengxia, who wanted to explain what had just happened, choke and cough.

What? Why did you call the little brother?

"Old man, you are too kind. I just got inspired and did it randomly, wasting materials." Chen Tiezhu said with a wry smile.

"I originally wanted to carve a head for my daughter, but my craftsmanship is really terrible. I really made a fool of myself in front of a great man like you."

But Mr. Qi smiled and shook his head, "It's good that you like it. I think this little work is well carved."

"Mr. Qi, I am confused by what you said." Zhou Fengxia said with a wry smile.

"So you are stupid, Mr. Zhou is too lazy to teach you." Mr. Qi said.

Zhou Fengxia grinned with a wry smile. Although he is also a little stupid, he is not too stupid, right?

"You are also a jadeite player, but you don't pay attention to your craftsmanship, so you can only make a little money at most, and you can't become a master like Lao Zhou." said Mr. Qi.

"Mr. Qi, is the gap between me and Brother Chen so big?" Zhou Fengxia asked unconvinced.

After all, I have been tinkering with this stuff since I was a child. Even if I am not as good as Chen Tiezhu in gambling on stones, I have some knowledge in understanding carving skills.

"Silly boy, you pay too much attention to the form and ignore the spirit." said Mr. Qi.

"In fact, whether it is jade, wood, or bricklayers, they are all craftsmen. Among craftsmen, there has always been a distinction between southern and northern craftsmen."

"I know this. For example, in our jadeite industry, southern craftsmen are exquisite and northern craftsmen are majestic. Southern craftsmen are commonly known as Su craftsmen, and northern craftsmen are commonly known as Beijing craftsmen." Zhou Fengxia nodded.

"You are also a leading figure in Beijing art. The same piece of material will definitely be enhanced a lot after your hands. Anyway, I can tell whether it is from your hand at a glance."

"So, you still value the shape." Mr. Qi said seriously.

"The little brother is different. He has the foundation of a craftsman. In fact, whether it is southern or northern craftsmanship, the most important thing is the spirit. It's just the external performance that is different."

"Look at this doll and then look at this wood carving. Although they don't look alike at first glance, look at the eyes and nose again. Don't they look alike?"

"It's his first time to touch it, so he doesn't know how to use a knife, let alone what kind of knife to use to handle different details. What if he knows about this? What will it look like?"

"Even when I carve this kind of work, I need to compare it frequently. But when he was carving, he never looked at the doll even once."

"Because the appearance of the doll has been deeply engraved in his mind. Little brother, you can work harder in this area. It's usually very quiet here, you should bring the doll here more often."

Listening to what Old Qi said, not to mention Zhou Fengxia, even Chen Tiezhu was a little dumbfounded.

He really carved it on a whim. Now he looked at the wooden girl and compared her with his real girl, and they didn't look alike at all.

Just like what Mr. Qi said, there is some charm in the eyebrows and eyes, nothing else.

"Eh? Mr. Qi, what you said seems to be true." Zhou Fengxia said after staring at the wood carving carefully for a while.

"But Brother Chen is indeed a craftsman. He cooks delicious food. He also knows medical skills and can perform surgery. When I watch him cook, I enjoy it very much, and his two hands do their own work."

"So, the little brother is very talented." Mr. Qi said with a smile.

"There are fewer and fewer craftsmen nowadays. Those with talent want to do other things. Those without talent want to engage in this industry, and their works will lack spirituality."

"Mr. Qi, well, I can only thank you for your kindness."Chen Tiezhu said with some entanglement.

"My family has a lot of land and a lot of things to do. I really can't do everything at once. There are too many things I want to do."

"That doesn't matter. When you come to the provincial capital in the future, just come to my place anytime." Qi Lao said indifferently.

"I will carve the pendant and earrings for you. You can take the spring-colored material away. Think about it carefully and then cut it yourself."

"Ah? Qi Lao, how dare I do that?" Chen Tiezhu was a little anxious.

"Believe in yourself. You just haven't been exposed to it before. I have two enlightenment books here. Take them back and have a look." Qi Lao said with a smile.

"In fact, it's not as difficult as you think. Even in cooking, isn't there carving skills? If you understand this aspect thoroughly, carving when cooking in the future will be a piece of cake."

Zhou Fengxia next to him blinked his eyes. Why did he feel like Qi Lao was coaxing Chen Tiezhu to learn carving?

If I tell this to others, no one will believe it.

How many people are vying to become Qi Lao's disciples, and he hasn't accepted any apprentices for many years.

What's going on now?

Why is Qi Lao so abnormal?

"Qi Lao, thank you for your kindness. Don't worry, I will study it seriously when I go back." Chen Tiezhu stood up and nodded solemnly.

He didn't know why Qi Lao recognized him so much, but if he didn't agree after saying so much, it would be too shameless.

"That's right." Qi Lao nodded with satisfaction.

"Okay, I've also seen the materials. Tomorrow, let Wenwen send the carved pendants and earrings to you. You can do whatever you need to do."

"Uh..., okay. Thank you for troubling Qi Lao." Zhou Fengxia stood up quickly.

"Grandpa, don't rush. In fact, it doesn't matter if I'm a day early or a day late." Chen Tiezhu said.

"They are all small items, very simple. If you stay here, it will delay my work. I will go to get the materials."

After saying this, Mr. Qi went straight to the workshop.

After coming out of Mr. Qi's yard, Zhou Fengxia and Chen Tiezhu were confused.

Only Doudou was holding a small "dog leftovers", so happy that he forgot that he had to eat meat.