Chapter 30: A modern person who has never seen much of the world...
Xiang Xuezhi is the grandson of Xiang Ming, the village head. He is only eleven years old this year, but he has been learning carpentry for seven years. For the people of Xiangjia Village, this is practically their only skill since birth.
If they were still living in the Ming Dynasty, and there were no wars, he would inevitably become an excellent craftsman, passing through various levels of trials step by step, eventually becoming a royal craftsman like his grandfather, Xiang Ming. If he failed, he would have to find his own way, working in workshops outside the capital.
Unfortunately, due to the war, the trials in Xiangjia Village have not been held for a long time.
However, Xiang Xuezhi did not give up his craft because of this. Unlike other children who only knew how to play, he loved carpentry from a young age. He was a child who grew up in piles of wood and wood shavings.
Upon arriving in the modern world, Xiang Xuezhi felt utterly lost. His limited understanding made it impossible for him to comprehend the dramatic changes in his environment, especially after experiencing such a life-or-death chase. Although the modern food and resources brought him joy and satisfaction, he didn't know when he would lose them again. Only immersing himself in woodworking could truly bring him peace of mind.
“Child, remember this: only your own skills are something no one can take away from you.” He always remembered the teachings of his grandfather Xiang Ming and his master Xiang Qi.
Now, with the assessment just around the corner, Xiang Xuezhi's anticipation was practically bursting out of his chest, and he felt a surge of excitement.
Seeing his serious expression and the way he was clutching his tools, Xiang Dali, who was standing next to him, thought he was nervous and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be nervous, just treat it like a normal competition, just like you usually play. Let me teach you a trick, just treat these people off the field like wooden stakes."
He used to have similar major assessments when he was in the Ministry of Works. Back then, there were far more onlookers than now, and they were mostly colleagues or semi-colleagues, which made the pressure even greater.
Xiang Xuezhi: "...Uncle, I'm not nervous."
"Okay, okay, you're not nervous." Xiang Dali laughed.
Xiang Xuezhi knew he didn't believe him at all, and his face puffed up with anger.
Many mobile phones have noticed this young boy in the crafts team. In particular, Xiang Xuezhi was relatively short due to malnutrition in his early years, which made him look like an eight or nine-year-old child, which was even more surprising.
"Such a young child is participating? Can he even lift a saw?" someone laughed.
"Just have fun, give us a show."
Everyone was tolerant, but at the same time, they were questioning Xiang Xuezhi's abilities. No one believed he was a legitimate craftsman. Many even secretly thought that this competition was probably just a performance, something to make things lively, and that there was no way he would actually demonstrate any extraordinary skills.
While they waited, the Lu Ban worship ceremony in Qinghe Ancient Town had already stirred up a small wave in the online world.
Liu Han is a junior at Qinghe University. She's not a heavy phone addict and doesn't like watching live streams, but she occasionally scrolls through short videos and short videos. This day, during a break between classes, she picked up her phone again.
The first thing she saw was a video from a content creator she followed, named "Warm Breeze," whom she categorized as one of her "Internet's Wronged Fools." The main reason was that her videos were quite good, with a pleasant pacing and visuals, but she just didn't get any views. Looking at all her videos, five hundred likes was already considered pretty good.
After following her for half a year, Liu Han was starting to feel sorry for her.
This time, Warm Breeze's video is different from the previous ones; it's an extremely short video, only about twenty seconds long.
Amidst background music filled with ancient charm, a man dressed in hemp clothing with his hair tied up in an ancient style approaches a dragon-shaped lamp; only his back can be seen.
He was lighting a candle.
The moment the candle was lit, the background music changed from its original soothing and ethereal tone to a high-pitched and grand one. Suddenly, amidst the resounding drumbeats, the dragon holding the candle opened its eyes and stared directly at Liu Han in front of the phone screen.
It was just a dragon with eyes painted with colored paint, and it was clearly just a wooden carving, but for some reason, Liu Han felt as if it was looking at her, and for a moment her hair stood on end.
"Hey, this is interesting." She got goosebumps and looked at it again.
The video's background music and pacing were excellent, and the ending was perfectly timed, leaving viewers wanting more. She couldn't help but watch it again and again, then casually gave it a like. She noticed that in just half an hour, the number of likes had surpassed her previous highest-rated video.
Is her hidden gem of a blogger finally going to be discovered by everyone?
Liu Han was very happy for her.
Her friend, who had been quietly watching the same video on repeat, leaned closer and asked, "What are you watching?"
"This," Liu Han showed her his phone screen, "the timing is amazing. But I wonder where this scene is from; it was probably done by AI in post-production, right?"
She subconsciously thought that the dragon opening its eyes was a special effect in post-production.
"It could be more refined in post-production... Right now, this dragon looks fake." A friend casually commented, then clicked on the hidden text and almost slammed his fist on the table. "Holy crap! This is actually real!"
The caption, written in a warm and gentle style, is simple: "This is a scene I just witnessed at the Lu Ban worship ceremony in Qinghe Ancient Town. I heard it's a traditional wooden seven-star lamp, without any modern technology. I admire the craftsmen's superb skills!"
The two then opened the comments section and saw that Nuannuanfeng had pinned her comment: "[No post-production at all. The dragon really did have its eyes open. I only added a filter and some background music.]"
The two exchanged a glance. "Is this fake?"
My friend took out his phone: "It looks like a tourist attraction event. Let me see if there's a live stream..."
They thus, coincidentally and seemingly by fate, entered the livestream room of the cicada that hibernates for sixteen years. And I, the carpenter, along with a large group of people I had gathered from the carpenter's group, also entered the livestream room and were engaged in a heated discussion:
I never imagined I'd live to see the traditional Seven Star Lantern.
Why isn't it painted?
[It's probably a matter of style; Dongyang wood carvings don't like to be varnished. Or maybe they just don't have enough time.]
I think it's very nice; it's simple, rustic, and has a classic charm.
I'm really looking forward to their assessment.
Sixteen-year-old cicada glanced at the live stream and was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out.
There were already 30,000 viewers, and the number was still growing. Although this number was less than a fraction of what the top streamers achieved, it was still the best result for Sixteen-Year Cicada. He was so happy that he jumped around like a monkey.
Finally, the assessment began.
A lot of materials had already been laid out on the field, all of which would be needed for the assessment later. The women and children of Xiangjia Village were also standing on the perimeter, waiting nervously.
The two master craftsmen, Xiang Ming and Xiang Qi, along with the great architect Yuwen Kai, sat above as examiners.
Xiang Ming said to Yuwen Kai, "Teacher Yuwen, the first competition is to draw a circle with an ink line, combining the skills of a ruler and a compass."
Before Yuwen Kai could speak, Sixteen-Year Cicada shouted from below, "Master! What are the assessment questions here? Can someone explain them?"
He doesn't understand it! And there are tens of thousands of people in his live stream who don't understand it either.
Those present nodded in agreement.
Lu Xiaoqi slapped her forehead, realizing she had prepared too hastily and forgotten about this. She cast a pleading look at Yuwen Kai.
Yuwen Kai coughed lightly and stepped forward: "In that case, I can explain a little."
He spoke in a refined, literary style, yet it suited his demeanor and attire perfectly. Everyone present found it extremely interesting and immediately fell silent to listen to him speak.
"Drawing a circle with an ink line can be understood literally. Each person chooses their own wooden board and uses the ink line as the diameter to draw a perfect circle with a single stretch. The longer the diameter, the larger the circle, and the more skillful the craftsman. This skill tests the craftsman's eyesight and the steadiness of their hand. If the hand is not steady and the eyes are not sharp, the circle will not be a circle."
The field was already piled high with wooden planks of various sizes and shapes, all of which had been urgently purchased in the past few days.
The first one to take the stage was Xiang Dali.
He chose a board with a circumference of about 1.5 meters and placed it on several long benches. After walking around it twice, he nailed a wooden peg into the center point without hesitation.
The examiner beside Qi Wei nodded slightly.
The audience members whispered among themselves:
What is he trying to do?
"I don't know, let's wait and see."
There were more than one carpenter in the live stream of the sixteen-year cicada, which was obvious at a glance:
This is to determine the center of the circle.
Hehe, it looks like just one simple movement, but it's crucial. If the center of the circle is off-center, it will have a big impact later on. Too much wasted wood edges also look unsightly.
They watched intently as Xiang Dali used a wooden nail as the center and an ink line to draw straight lines outwards from the center.
Lu Xiaoqi spent her childhood in the county town. Back then, her grandparents would hire carpenters to come to their home to make or repair furniture. She had witnessed carpenters using ink lines, which required no ruler at all. They used their own eyes as a guide, and with a single snap, they could draw a straight line. They were very skilled at it.
Now, she sees that skill again in Xiang Dali, and even more natural in him.
He has already drawn more than a dozen straight lines, radiating outwards from the center of the wooden peg.
I get it! It's just like how we drew circles on paper when we were kids! First, we draw a dot, then we draw straight lines of equal length, and then we connect the sides to make a circle.
It doesn't look difficult.
"I'm just a carpenter," I rolled my eyes at the phone screen and scoffed, "[Then try drawing a dozen lines of the same length, each about half a meter long, without a ruler! If you can draw them, I'll give you a piece of my mind.]"
The person who made the comment just now was immediately ridiculed by everyone.
On the field, Xiang Dali had already drawn nearly twenty ink lines. Huang Si Niang watched from a short distance away, holding Ah Li, a proud expression on her face. Her husband's craftsmanship was exceptional among the younger generation in Xiangjia Village.
Xiang Dali was completely absorbed in his work. He stood up straight and connected the edges of the lines with chalk.
His hands didn't shake at all.
It is exactly a perfect circle.
He picked up a saw, placed one foot on the plank, bent down, and used the saw to cut off the wood outside the circle, turning the originally rectangular plank into a round plank.
"That's amazing!" Li Nuan's eyes lit up.
This technique can only be described as fast, ruthless, and precise, taking no more than ten minutes in total.
One of the carpenters I called over to watch the live stream sighed, "A round carpenter... I haven't seen this in years."
The sixteen-year-old cicada humbly asked, "Brother, what is a carpenter?"
[They were carpenters in ancient times who specialized in making round wooden objects, like buckets and basins. This was a very difficult craft; imagine, if it wasn't perfectly round and had gaps, it would leak and damage their reputation.]
Sixteen-year-old cicada: "Are there still carpenters now?"
The people around him couldn't help but lean over and look at his phone screen.
[Now? Hehe, they're definitely all drawn by machines now.]
Another message flashed in the live stream: "[I know, I know! Our Yangzhou roundwood craftsmanship is an intangible cultural heritage.]"
Yes, although machine drawing is convenient and produces very standard results now, it's really amazing to achieve this level by hand. The basic skills, the eye for detail, and the stability...
I, a carpenter, pondered whether I could do it, then pursed my lips and shook my head.
However, Xiang Dali wasn't the most skilled craftsman among those who appeared. There was an older craftsman, whom Lu Xiaoqi only remembered as surnamed Li, an old widower, usually quiet and unremarkable. But when he made a move, he astonished everyone present.
He chose the largest piece of wood, drew fewer than ten lines, and didn't even connect them with chalk before starting to saw. Lu Xiaoqi was worried for him, but the circle he sawed was a perfect circle, without a single flaw. Moreover, his circle was the largest of all, with a diameter of nearly two meters.
Xiang Qi smiled with satisfaction and said to Xiang Ming, "Old Li's skills haven't diminished at all; he should be the champion of this category."
Xiang Ming also agreed: "When it comes to making logs, no one can compare to Old Li."
Xiang Qi turned his gaze to his grandson, the young boy Xiang Xuezhi, who was cutting planks on the field. The plank he chose was the smallest in the pile, but it was already quite large relative to Xiang Xuezhi's own size.
He was so engrossed in sawing the planks that he was completely absorbed in the task.
Xiang Qi had high hopes for his grandson, believing him to be very talented. Given time, he was sure to become a great craftsman like himself, or even surpass him.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Keep it up, kid!"
"Stop arguing, what if you saw it crookedly?"
Everyone felt that Xiang Xuezhi was like a little adult, very capable yet very cute.
At Qinghe University, Liu Han secretly glanced at the teacher on the stage and sent a comment under the table: "This kid seems to have some skills."
[How old is this kid? Ten? When I was ten, I was still playing in the mud, and he was already playing with a saw! So advanced!]
To be honest, it looks quite professional; it seems like they've studied it seriously.
I'm just a carpenter, but I couldn't resist commenting: [They definitely studied it, and studied it quite well; their skills are very solid.]
Wow, how old was he when he started learning? Doesn't he need to go to school?
By this time, Xiang Xuezhi had finished his circle. It wasn't large, about a foot and a half in diameter. He glanced at it, clearly quite satisfied, grinned, and then handed it to the examiner beside him.
Xiang Ming couldn't help but pat his head and praise him, "Not bad."
Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted, "Little kid, you're the best!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Xiang Xuezhi blushed and felt somewhat at a loss. Only then did he truly realize that he was among a group of strangers, and "outsiders," and he was so nervous that he almost froze.
Fortunately, he could sense that these people were full of goodwill.
He was already quite good-looking, and after eating and sleeping well these past few days, he's finally gained some weight. Today, he's been given a good makeover, and his current awkward state looks quite adorable.
This scene was also accurately reflected in the live stream, and comments and bullet screen messages flooded in:
My little brother is the best.
[I object! It's unfair! Based on age, why shouldn't my little brother be first?]
Look how pitiful the child is! Give him first place! Give him it!
Do they take on apprentices? I'm thinking of sending my little rascal there; he has so much energy to burn at home anyway.
......
In the first task of drawing a circle with an ink line, Carpenter Li was undoubtedly the best.
Yuwen Kai stepped forward: "The second item is flawless!"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him, and he then remembered that he still had to give an explanation. He muttered to himself that normally only His Majesty and a few ministers would have the right to listen to his explanation.
Of course, despite my grumbling, I still have to keep my promise:
"The term 'seamless' refers to the use of mortise and tenon joints to join multiple narrow wooden planks together into a single piece. The requirement is that the surface appears perfectly flat and uniform. If no gaps are visible, then it is considered 'seamless'!"
The audience members below whispered among themselves:
"That sounds interesting."
"Temperature and mortise joints, you've seen them before, haven't you? Our old wardrobe was made with this, and it's been used for over twenty years and it's still in good condition. Things used to be better, they didn't use glue. Now everything has glue in it, and then the formaldehyde levels are too high."
"That's right, now even buying furniture is a nerve-wracking experience."
Formaldehyde exceeding the standard in furniture is something everyone abhors, and the topic suddenly veered off course.
The craftsmen on the field had already begun their work. This assessment was conducted simultaneously for everyone, and each person selected the narrow planks they needed, but the number varied. Skilled and daring craftsmen like Li the carpenter even selected more than a dozen planks, while apprentices like Xiang Xuezhi only selected four or five.
The audience members dispersed, choosing to stand next to the craftsmen they were interested in, while others wandered around the venue.
Lu Xiaoqi led Ren Zhijiao, Lao Lin, and the evaluator to look around from left to right.
She looked at the bank's assessment team members, somewhat apologetically: "I didn't expect the assessment to take so long, I've kept you all waiting. How about I accompany you to see other parts of the ancient town first?"
The others laughed and said, "It's alright, let's take a look at this first, it's very interesting."
They came today hoping for a quick and easy visit, thinking they would simply inspect the actual buildings and check the data for errors or exaggerations. However, the process took an unexpected turn.
Looking at documents and data is nowhere near as fun as looking at this! Opportunities to work and slack off at the same time like this are rare.
They were all just like cattle and horses, and after exchanging glances, they tacitly agreed to stay put.
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled inwardly, but didn't show it on her face: "Okay, let's go take a look."
Old Lin had already rushed off to watch the competition with his eyes gleaming. Mortise and tenon joints hold a very high position in architecture, especially for someone like him who has been involved in ancient architecture research in recent years; mortise and tenon joints are an extremely important research subject. He had been itching to watch, and had gone to Li the carpenter's place to secure the best spot to observe.
Li Nuan and several other content creators who mainly shoot videos also chose their subjects and stood still. Only the cicada, which had been hibernating for sixteen years, jumped around in the field with its phone in hand, like a badger in a melon field.
He first watched the incredibly skilled carpenter, Li, for a while: "Family, this craftsman's skills are truly amazing. Look, he doesn't even need to look at the board in his hand; he just uses this file to carve a hole..."
As a carpenter, I couldn't stand it anymore: "That's a chisel, not a file. That hole is called a mortise, also known as a tenon. You carve out the mortise, then insert the tenon, and that's a mortise and tenon joint."
The others burst into laughter: "[Blogger, step aside, let my carpenter brother do it.]"
The cicada, which had been around for sixteen years, wasn't annoyed at all, and just smiled. Many people thought he had a good temper and casually followed him.
Despite the noise and bustling crowds around him, Carpenter Li remained oblivious, completely absorbed in his own world. As a master craftsman in the Ministry of Works, responsible for making furniture for the imperial palace, the simple task of mortise and tenon joints was a piece of cake for him.
With a few quick movements, the two planks were finished. One plank had three mortises, and the other had three tenons. They were easily put together, and then the planks were hammered together.
Then, at an extremely fast speed, they pieced together the third piece.
"Master, may I take a look?" Li the carpenter suddenly heard someone ask from the side.
He looked up blankly and saw a refined-looking man with most of his hair gone, looking at him shyly. Although he didn't know why the man was looking at the ordinary wooden plank, Carpenter Li had been told that these outsiders might have a strong sense of curiosity—"We haven't seen much of the world," were Miss Lu's exact words, "so please bear with us."
So he silently handed the wooden board to Old Lin.
Old Lin looked at the smooth wooden board in his hand and clicked his tongue in amazement: "There really aren't any gaps."
Even the cicada that had been hibernating for sixteen years joined in: "It really is! You can't even see the gap unless you look closely. Amazing! Carpenter, can you do that?"
Of course, he was asking about the person in his own live stream who he calls "I'm just a carpenter."
I'm just a carpenter. I paused for a moment, then answered honestly: "I can't. Threading a tenon is certainly not difficult, but I can't do it to that extent, nor can I do it that quickly."
Even his master probably couldn't reach this level.
Just then they heard Carpenter Li say, "It's not done yet, it still needs some repairs."
Hearing these people's praise, Carpenter Li was completely baffled. The plank was clearly a half-finished product; if he handed it in like this, he would probably embarrass himself. What was there to praise? So, he couldn't help but finally utter the first words.
Old Lin was extremely surprised; in his eyes, the plank was already good enough.
The sixteen-year-old cicada chirped, "Not done yet? Master, how far are you going to go? My goodness!"
When Li the carpenter got nervous, he became withdrawn again and started burying himself in his work.
"What do you know? This is called the self-cultivation of a craftsman." Someone in the live stream retorted to the sixteen-year-old cicada.
Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
However, since Carpenter Li was so focused on his work that everyone was getting tired of watching him, they encouraged the sixteen-year-old cicada to go and look around elsewhere.
I want to see Kid Brother!
So they moved their battlefield again.
Xiang Xuezhi had already assembled one piece. His hands were small, so he could only handle small wooden blocks, which were actually more difficult to work with. While Li the carpenter had assembled four or five pieces, he had only managed two. Moreover, even without close inspection, the gaps between the boards he assembled, though fine, were still quite noticeable.
However, he was just a child, so people naturally didn't hold him to the standards of an old craftsman, and the comments were full of praise.
Even the cicada, which had been hibernating for sixteen years, exclaimed in admiration: "Little brother, how many years have you been learning carpentry?"
Xiang Xuezhi was taken aback, and said in a low voice, "Seven years."
He started learning the craft from his grandfather, Xiangming, when he was five years old.
"Seven years!" The sixteen-year-old cicada's eyes widened as it blurted out, "You don't have to go to school?!"
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