sandalwood hairpin
This was Zhiwei's first time at 798. Huang Zijun had introduced her to the area, mentioning numerous art studios, galleries, creative workshops, and trendy shops. Intrigued, Zhiwei left and began exploring. She was so engrossed in her shopping that she felt like a mouse in a rice bin, even calling Xiaoyu to tell her not to prepare dinner, as she would eat there and continue her exploration.
Her legs ached by evening, and she had only finished a small part of the shopping. She returned home laden with all sorts of creative ornaments, vases, and other tableware she had found. Xiaoyu was startled to see how much she was carrying. "If I had known you were going to buy so much, Miss, I would have helped you carry it."
"I didn't expect this either. This is a great place. We haven't even finished exploring yet, I'll definitely go again next time."
That evening, Zhiwei sent Jingnan a WeChat message, telling her that she had gone to Mr. Huang's studio, whom she had met at the store last time. "Have you been to 798? It's a really nice place. I didn't get to see it all today. I'll go again when I have time."
A moment later, Jingnan replied, "Miss, you're an artist, so of course you're in your element. I've been there once or twice, just to eat at the restaurant there. Hmm, beauty is more important than food."
Zhiwei replied, "I think I should open a studio there too."
Jingnan said, "Then you can do more research. When it comes to signing a contract or something, I'll help you check it out."
Zhiwei said, "Speaking of contracts, I signed two custom contracts today." After saying that, she took a picture of a copy of the contract and sent it to her.
After a long pause, Jingnan replied, "Miss, your contracts are all gentlemen's contracts. They don't specify what to do if the contract cannot be fulfilled or if there are any delays. Forget it, just consider it as buying a piece of clothing. Next time you want to start a company, remember to ask me to oversee things for you."
Zhiwei said, "Yes, yes, if there's anything important, we'll definitely ask our top lawyer to take the lead."
Zhiwei also sent a WeChat message to Li Fuqiang, telling him that she had shopped at 798 and had a good haul, buying a pair of noodle cabinets, and even showing him photos of the cabinets being restored.
After a while, Li Fuqiang replied to him, "I didn't expect you to like this kind of old furniture."
Zhiwei said, "I don't care if it's old or new, the key is that it has to be pretty."
"Turns out he's someone who judges by appearance."
Zhiwei made a face. "Aren't you one?"
Zhiwei remembered, "Which store did you order that glass item from?"
Li Fuqiang said, "I'll ask Youlin tomorrow and have her tell you."
Zhiwei thought to herself, being the big boss's assistant is really not easy. You have to be good at both academics and martial arts. You're practically an all-rounder.
A few days later, Lao Wu brought over his new driver, Lao Zhang. Lao Zhang looked to be around fifty years old. He used to drive a taxi, but now that his children were doing well, he wanted to find a stable job. The car he was assigned was an older BMW 5 Series from Rongdi.
Zhiwei thought to herself, this car is not like Li Fuqiang's usual style. His cars have always been Bentleys or other executive cars. She wondered which boss had designed it. Frugality is a virtue, after all.
Her schedule was usually simple; she would either go shopping, accompany her mother to the hospital for physiotherapy, or browse bookstores. This leisurely pace made Lao Zhang feel somewhat out of place. Whenever Zhiwei arrived at a place, she would tell him the approximate time so he wouldn't have to wait in the car and could explore the surrounding area. Twice, he wandered off, and Zhiwei came out early, waiting for him for five to ten minutes without showing any annoyance. Lao Zhang was grateful and cherished this job even more.
With nothing else to do, Zhiwei visited Huang Zijun's studio more and more frequently. She watched them repair furniture, discuss designs, and occasionally offered her own insights, gradually becoming familiar with the two young assistants.
One day, Huang Zijun brought over a small piece of sandalwood and said to Zhiwei, who was watching Lin Yan polish wood, "Miss Chen, this piece of wood isn't very big, so I'll give it to you. You can use it to practice and make a piece of jewelry or a hairpin."
"Really?" Zhiwei's eyes lit up with surprise.
"Lin Yan is quite knowledgeable in this field. If you have any questions, feel free to ask her." Lin Yan is the industrial design student in the studio. She interned here before graduating and stayed on after graduation.
Lin Yan came over upon hearing the sound, looked at the wood in Zhiwei's hand, and then examined her slightly curly long hair. She smiled and said, "This material is thick at one end and thin at the other, with a slender shape. It's perfect for making a hairpin for you."
Zhiwei had studied sculpture but had never tried woodworking. She was very interested and asked Lin Yan for advice. Lin Yan first found a picture book for her, which contained detailed pictures of various traditional ornaments, and asked her to find a style she liked.
Zhiwei carefully examined the hairpin design, pondering the shape of the wood. The wood was a long, flat piece, unsuitable for a round, teardrop shape. So she laid out paper, picked up a brush, and first drew a cloud-patterned hairpin head, then outlined two intersecting water ripples on the slender hairpin body.
Lin Yan looked at the sketch and praised, "It's really beautiful. Zhiwei, have you studied traditional Chinese painting?"
"I've never formally studied it; I just enjoy applying paint in my spare time. What should I do next?"
"The next step is to trace the design onto the wood, then carve out the basic shape, and then slowly refine and polish it."
After Zhiwei roughly sketched the design onto the wood, she realized the problem—she had drawn a two-dimensional drawing, while the hairpin was three-dimensional, especially the body. This was difficult to represent on a two-dimensional sketch.
She sought advice from Lin Yan. Lin Yan explained, "When a craftsman makes a cut, he already has a plan for the finished product in his mind. The sketch is just to set a benchmark. The key is to observe and practice more on a regular basis. When you get the wood, you will already have a plan in mind."
She smiled and continued, "But in our usual practice, we don't dare to use such precious wood; we always start with ordinary wood. Of course, the finished product made from good wood will ultimately have a different feel."
Zhiwei suddenly remembered that when she was studying fashion design, some of her classmates started with top-quality fabrics. Even if the cuts were simple, the finished products still had a unique style.
Lin Yan taught her to first use a small lathe to grind out the general shape of the hairpin, and then slowly carve the details and recesses with a carving knife. Rosewood is extremely hard, making carving quite laborious. Fortunately, Zhiwei wasn't in a rush, and after a day, the rough shape of the front was finally taking shape, with only a small section of the cloud pattern carved. She left the semi-finished product in the studio to continue the next day.
Looking at the wood shavings she had carved, deep red in color and fine in texture, she couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder it's called mahogany."
Lin Yan chimed in, "Everyone says that sandalwood shavings have the effect of promoting blood circulation, and some people even collect them to sell, saying they can nourish the skin and improve complexion."
“These sawdust shavings are hard to clean once they get dusty. It’s better to choose good quality wood, clean it thoroughly, and then grind it into powder.”
"Then you are wasting a precious resource. Even such a small piece of material is worth a hundred or two. It's such a waste to grind it up. It's like grinding up a pearl and using it as face powder."
"It's best to grind it in front of the customers to show that it's genuine and of high quality." After saying this, the two looked at each other and laughed.
When Zhiwei returned home in the evening, she spoke with her mother on the phone, mentioning that she had recently been learning woodworking and was making a handmade hairpin.
Xu Anyi laughed on the other end of the phone, "You certainly know how to have fun. I've only ever seen you wear a cheongsam, but I've never seen you wear a hairpin or any other kind of accessory."
“I’ve never worn these before. The people at the studio said this piece of sandalwood was rare and gave it to me to practice on. I remember my mother used to have a few hairpins, so I gave them to her after I finished making them.”
"Then Mommy thanks you in advance, my dear daughter."
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