Chapter 99 The best craftsman in Daqi
Walking across the arch bridge, looking at the brightly lit music studio from a distance, there seems to be the sound of silk and bamboo coming.
They had already walked through the busiest areas, but they had no intention of stopping yet.
"Where are you going now?" Shen You asked.
"You don't want to see the production process of ancient crafts." Wen Zhi pointed forward, "The gathering place for craftsmen in the capital, and the famous workshops are all here."
There are dyeing workshops, gold and silver workshops, carpentry workshops, and ceramic-making workshops. What a great place!
"Can I still go to this meeting?"
Seeing that there weren't many people there, Shen You also felt out of place and her eyes were about to wander.
"Okay, the old craftsman who specializes in making gold, silver and jade for the palace is here today."
Wen Zhi smiled brightly, his eyes reflecting the light swaying under the eaves, making people unable to look away.
But there was still a bit of anticipation in his lazy expression, waiting for praise.
Shen You waited for a moment, feeling slightly touched in her heart. Then she raised a smile and said softly,
"Thank you, I'll treat you to dinner when I get back!"
The two walked into the workshop. It was a large house, separated by an arch in the middle. There were jade items on the left and gold and silver jewelry on the right. When they looked up, they could see the tall palace wall.
If those old modern professors came to this place, I don’t know how excited they would be.
A man who looked like a manager saluted Wen Zhi and Shen You and took them to see the top gold and silverware craftsmen in Daqi.
There are two masters, and the remaining three are all apprentices.
The semi-finished products in front of me are extremely exquisite, as well as those ancient tools.
Casting, carving, and silk weaving. The current Tang Dynasty hammer hammering skills are also reproduced here.
Hammering sounds simple. It is used to shape gold and silverware through repeated hammering.
But the method used is also very particular.
In ancient times, there were not many tools that could be used. Most of the time, just relying on the experience of the masters, they could still do everything perfectly.
It's a pity that the status of ancient craftsmen was not high. If they were born in modern times, they would all be respected intangible cultural heritage masters in the circle.
If possible, Shen You really wants to work here for a while.
These exquisite skills are the foundation for people to settle down and make a living. If ordinary people want to learn them, they may not be willing to teach them.
There are still acquaintances in Daqi who can handle things easily.
Shen You imitated the salute method he had seen before and bowed his hands to several old craftsmen.
She wanted to learn the skills from him, not to mention just bowing hands, but also pouring tea according to the ancient apprenticeship method.
"I can't do it, I can't do it." The old craftsman said hurriedly.
Today's guests are noble people, and they don't dare to accept this gift.
Moreover, by teaching this girl a craft, she would be protected by the Imperial Master, which was already a great benefit to humble people like them.
"That's right. Don't worry, I'm learning this just for fun. I will never do this in Daqi."
Shen You made it clear that she would not compete with the master after learning.
"Young man understands." The old craftsman smiled.
Looking at this girl's clothes and the jewelry on her head, you can tell that she is not from an ordinary background, so she will not be a craftsman.
"It's just that I have a heartfelt request. What the girl is wearing is a crystal butterfly hairpin from the Western Regions. Can you let me have a look at it?"
"No problem."
Without saying a word, Shen You reached out to take out the hairpin on her head to prevent it from falling off while walking. She had used all the clips on her head, so it was a bit difficult to take it off.
Just when Shen You tied up his sleeves with a ribbon, sat there with a hammer, and struck the silver,
Daqi craftsmen are also studying her hairpins. The carving craftsmen from next door are here. Shells are common. They can carve any style, but there are not many petal-shaped crystals. "It must have taken a lot of effort to carve and polish it so well."
"We put a lot of effort into the crystal that was delivered last month and wasted a lot of materials before carving out a few leaves and flowers. Are the craftsmen in the Western Region really so good?"
Several old masters are a little doubtful about life.
They have been doing this since they were young. After decades of hard work, they thought their craftsmanship was good, but now they were outclassed by craftsmen from the Western Regions.
The same goes for the carpentry shop next door. I heard that His Royal Highness also obtained the drawings of a rocking chair from the Western Regions and spent a lot of money to have it built.
Shen You explained: "It's not that the craftsmen in the Western Regions are great, it's just that there is a kind of glue in the Western Regions that can penetrate into the crystal and is invisible to the naked eye, so the carving will not break."
In ancient times, it was quite impressive to be able to carve crystal cups and dishes with such simple tools.
Modern mass production of small pieces such as crystal and aquamarine relies on the glue injection process.
The same goes for Nanhong on the market, which cannot be compared with ancient Nanhong in value.
"I see." The craftsman who was good at carving suddenly realized, "Girl, do you know how the glue used in the Western Regions is made?"
Shen You pondered for a moment, "That kind of craftsmanship is not spread outside the Western Regions. They only sell finished carvings."
She really didn't know this, but it certainly couldn't be replicated in ancient times.
If you want to buy it, you can buy it.
It’s just that she doesn’t know how to inject glue, so it’s more cost-effective to just bring the finished carved crystal to Daqi.
Rose quartz petals with holes are only 2 yuan each if you don’t choose the quality, but they are not much more expensive if you choose them.
Shen You seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and added, "Glued crystal can be used as jewelry, but it is not suitable for bowls and cups."
After hearing what Shen You said, the old craftsman sighed softly. The Western Regions did not spread to outsiders. They would study and improve the tools themselves, and maybe they could find a better way to carve crystals.
Wen Zhi saw that all Shen You's thoughts were focused on that ugly piece of silver and asked in a low voice,
"Is your time here okay?"
Shen You used her sleeves to cover herself and secretly glanced at her phone. There were only a few minutes until two hours.
But I just started studying here, so it would be a pity to leave now.
Here, as far as the eye can see, there are so many lost ancient techniques!
Shen You replied in a smaller voice,
"My experience card can be renewed. As for safety, aren't you still here?" There is also an electric baton in the storage compartment.
Wen Zhi raised the corners of his lips and said in a pleasant voice, "Yes."
He sat down on the simple wooden table and bench next to him and asked his entourage to buy some hot food from the restaurant outside.
Steaming brown sugar sweet-scented osmanthus dumplings, chestnut cakes, and shortcakes are available to all craftsmen.
In the past, when noble people rewarded them with money and food, they would just casually reward them when they were happy. I had never really respected them like this.
Not to mention holding bowls and eating with them, the expressions of several old craftsmen were already a little more moved.
"You really don't want to eat it? The dumplings here are their signature." Wen Zhi asked with a chuckle.
"Can I pack a bag?" Shen You held the hammer, glanced sideways at the food on the table, and continued to wonder where he had gone wrong.
The shapes are different no matter how they are printed.
"Girl, you are too heavy-handed." The old craftsman demonstrated once, "When you get to this point, you have to do it little by little, don't rush."
This girl looked so slim and slender, wielding a hammer to strike gold and silverware, and she showed off her blacksmithing momentum.
I didn’t rush home until almost ten o’clock today, so I only had time to update one chapter. It will be updated as normal tomorrow.
(End of chapter)