This sculptor, named Su Zhou, takes his name from a city, and his name is remarkably similar to that beautiful city, as if foreshadowing an extraordinary life for him.
Lin Chengyu always respectfully called him Master Su, even though he was still young and not yet thirty years old.
However, he had been married before, but due to his family background, he was betrayed by his wife and was cuckolded.
When he was notified that he was to be sent to the countryside, he resolutely decided to exchange several family heirlooms—seal stones used by very powerful historical figures from the Ming and Qing dynasties—for a boat ticket to Hong Kong.
These seal stones bear the history and honor of his family, but he had no choice but to exchange them for a ticket to travel freely.
He endured countless hardships and difficulties, smuggling himself from Hangzhou onto a cargo ship belonging to Global Shipping.
Along the way, he braved hardships and forged ahead.
He was quick-witted and intelligent, and soon established contact with people from Worldwide Shipping after boarding the ship.
After disembarking, he successfully joined the Songlin Group.
Throughout this arduous process, Master Suzhou demonstrated extraordinary perseverance, and his unwavering pursuit of art commands our utmost respect.
His story is like a dramatic legend, full of ups and downs, making people feel sorry for his fate while also deeply impressed by his courage and wisdom.
Lin Chengyu greatly admired Master Su Zhou, having personally witnessed Su Zhou's carving skills.
It is a type of Changhua stone carving that is most characteristic of Suzhou and Hangzhou. This unique art form is similar to Shoushan stone bas-relief and Shoushan stone carving.
Based on the color variations of the stone, sculptors can boldly turn their inspiration into reality.
The superb level of folk stone carving techniques in the Ming Dynasty greatly promoted the mining and utilization of Changhua stone.
Changhua stones not only became prized possessions of court and local officials for collection and gift exchange, but were also carved into exquisite handicrafts that spread as far as Europe, becoming a bridge for cultural exchange.
This time was no exception. With the tireless promotion of the French sculptor and Professor Jones, his seal stones successfully won the favor of many foreigners in Hong Kong.
In the following months, Suzhou's seal stone carvings became even more sought after by these people.
"Master Su, you're going to be very busy in the coming days. If you can't manage it all, you can go to the job market and recruit some apprentices to help you with the work."
As Lin Chengyu spoke, he secretly pondered that he would need to find a few more seal stone carvers.
After all, their company's sculptors have always specialized in Hetian jade and jadeite.
Song Ziqing has always had a special fondness for Hetian jade and jadeite. These two types of jade not only have extremely high collection value, but also considerable potential for appreciation.
However, these seal stones also hold considerable value in the field of culture and art.
"Alright, I'll go to the job market to recruit people right away. However, the sculptor profession is very demanding in terms of talent. The apprentices I find must meet my requirements. If there are no suitable ones, I'd rather have none than accept the wrong ones."
Su Zhou nodded in agreement after hearing Lin Chengyu's suggestion, and also felt that he needed someone to help him.
However, apprentices are not easy to find; if they are not suitable, he would rather not accept them.
He had seen many apprentices sue their masters, children sue their parents, and wives sue their husbands in Hangzhou.
He was also one of the victims, and his wife directly reported him, almost leading to his demotion.
Thinking about it now, his heart aches terribly.
He was not only betrayed by his wife, but even his ten-year-old son wished he would disappear.
You should know that he only had this one son before, and he doted on him. If the son wanted the stars, he would not give him the moon. However, he still did not hesitate to call him a bad element in front of everyone and to sever ties with him.
The ten-year-old child was well aware that every word he uttered was like a sharp blade piercing his father's heart, and might even drive him to despair.
Lin Chengyu keenly sensed the deep wound in Su Zhou's heart and realized that he had no intention of taking on any disciples for the time being.
So he decided to firmly support him: "Fine, you can just hire a few odd jobs to help you. As for whether or not to take on apprentices, that's your choice!"
Su Zhou felt Lin Chengyu's understanding and support, and a hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes.
He said softly, "Alright, I can go to the job market and find a few skilled handymen. Then I'll carefully select from these handymen to see if there are any suitable people who can be my apprentices."
If you can't find a suitable one right away, don't be too anxious. You can always look for a few more seal engravers. There are many skilled and exquisite craftsmen in the Guangzhou and Fujian areas.
After joining Songlin Group, Su Zhou, with his keen insight, had already realized that Lin Chengyu was not short of funds; what he truly desired were talented individuals with real skills and abilities.
Su Zhou knew very well that he could not meet the growing market demand by relying on his own strength alone.
So he made a quick decision to go to the job market himself to find those odd jobs with huge potential.
“Okay, I will take your advice and go directly to Guangzhou and Fujian to find seal engravers, but this may take some time.”
After all, not every sculptor is willing to develop their career in Hong Kong. Many are living quite well now and are not willing to leave their hometown to go to other places.
People like my family and you are forced to leave the mainland and come to Hong Kong to make a living due to unavoidable circumstances. Otherwise, not many people would choose to come to Hong Kong so easily.
Looking back on his past life, Lin Chengyu believes that whether it's the mainland or Hong Kong, home is where he feels at peace.
Unable to find peace of mind in mainland China, the family came to Hong Kong.
"That's true. If I hadn't been reported by my closest relatives and hadn't been unable to continue living in Hangzhou, I probably wouldn't have come to Hong Kong."
However, after arriving in Hong Kong and witnessing its prosperity and wealth, I discovered that my skills could earn me so much money, and I began to regret not coming sooner.
Whenever Su Zhou thinks of the deep wounds in his heart, the scars seem to still ache faintly, and the bloody memories make his heart ache unbearably.
However, fate is always full of drama. Just like seeing a glimmer of light in the darkness, he left Hangzhou and came to Hong Kong.
After the darkest hour comes the dawn.
The bustling scene here amazed him, as if he had entered a completely new world.
In this place, ability and skills are the most valuable assets; as long as you possess them, you need not worry about money.
Su Zhou decided to start over in this new environment, and he worked hard to prove his worth.
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