Chapter 4 Zuixiang (Part 5) The coppersmith’s home is easy to find. Among the entire tribe, other people’s homes are all made of felt bags, whether for people to live in or to protect pregnant animals from the wind. Only his family’s workshop is made of stones.
Li Xu and Tao Kuotaosi walked toward the small stone house with fireworks for a while, and soon arrived at the door of the coppersmith's house.
The coppersmith's wife Xilin took several children to look after the livestock, so there was no one in the felt bags. Tao Kuotou was not afraid of life, so he took Li Xu and went directly into the stone workshop. As soon as they entered the door, the two of them burst into tears.
The smell inside brought out the fact that herdsmen used to use horse urine to quench ironware. The coppersmiths are busy these days, so the smell inside the workshop is also very "friendly"
Several guests were already waiting in the workshop. Seeing Li Xu and Tao Kuo Tuosi, the herdsmen came forward to say hello. Over the past few days, Li Xu was given power by the Holy Wolf and bit an enemy warrior to death with his teeth, scaring away six
The story of the scout had already been spread among the tribe. In order to boost the morale of the herdsmen, Elder Etuo also specially instructed Aslan to exaggerate the ferocity of Li Xu's killing of people that day.
The rumors are getting more and more false, and now, the credit for escaping safely from the attack of twenty-one enemy scouts is no longer due to Xu Dayan's proper dispatching, and the bravery of Aslan, Duer and others, but to the unknowingly
Quietly returned to Li Xu's head
In the last battle, the tribe gained a lot. Almost every warrior who accompanied the army was given one or several captured scimitars. The refined iron that can be used as weapons on the grassland is very valuable, and a good scimitar can cost as much as
When a foal shepherd gets the enemy's weapon, they rush to the coppersmith to modify or increase or reduce the weight of the weapon according to their own habits, or to make patterns on the blade and handle. Anyway, it does not need to be carved by the hands of the coppersmith.
No matter how sharp the captured weapons are, everyone is not at ease when using them.
"Strike harder, haven't you eaten anything this morning?" The coppersmith, who was focused on his craft, didn't even see the arrival of the Holy Wolf Guards and the patriarch's daughter. He whispered to the shepherd who was swinging the sledgehammer with the small hammer in his hand.
But without stopping, he clanged the scimitar on the chopping board and threw out a stream of sparks.
The reddish knife blank slowly deformed under the alternating action of the sledgehammer and the small hammer. The arc began to become larger, and the convex edges on the side of the knife became more distinct. Several black lines like rut marks gradually appeared from the reddish knife body.
came out, and with the intensity of the blow, it slowly spread dimly in all directions, gathered, gathered, dimmed, and slowly turned into floating clouds, jumping on the red flames.
"Okay!" the coppersmith shouted, added the scimitar with iron tongs, roasted it on the fire for a while, and then soaked the red blade directly in the horse urine.
"Bah!" The pungent smell rose up with the smoke, and everyone was so smoked that they shed tears, but no one was willing to go out to avoid it. A pair of intoxicated eyes slowly moved down along with the coppersmith's movements, until
The scimitar fell on the scimitar that had just been taken out of the horse's urine. The tempered scimitar was black and blue, with a strange color. The floating clouds that once jumped on the red blade turned into silver-gray, clusters condensed on the blade and the back.
In between, as the scimitar moves, it seems to be drifting slowly
"Take it and sharpen it!" There was a bit of pride in the coppersmith's voice. The owner of the scimitar, who was holding the handle of the sledgehammer and breathing heavily, immediately cheered and picked up the scimitar from the iron pliers with both hands.
Wen was so hot that he grinned, but refused to let go, screaming and rushing into the snow outside.
"Senior, senior!" Li Xu stepped forward and shouted hesitantly how to address this strange man in front of him. He himself didn't know yet. Calling him master as soon as he came up would be too abrupt, calling him by his first name like he did to other members of the tribe, and also
It is not in line with the etiquette of the Central Plains people
"Help me swing the sledgehammer!" the coppersmith ordered without raising his head. This is the rule in his workshop. No matter who comes to ask him to make something, whether it is a sword or an ax or a bronze mirror for women, they must do it for him.
After swinging the sledgehammer for several hours, I explained in the words of a coppersmith that you don’t know how to cherish things that you don’t use. Only when you understand the craftsman’s mood can you cherish the finished product in your hands. When using it, people and utensils are in harmony.
Li Xu didn't know this weird rule of the coppersmith. He was used to doing housework at home. The elders' request was to obey the coppersmith's instructions and swing the hammer by himself. He instinctively held the hammer handle in his hand.
The coppersmith picked up a piece of red-hot iron from the flames and lightly smashed it with a small hammer. "Ding!"
"Dang!" Li Xu swung the sledgehammer and accurately landed the hammer head at the point where the small hammer left. The stubborn iron sparks splashed by the gravity, screaming and stretching forward a line of distance.
"Good hand strength!" The coppersmith praised in Turkic language, and the small hammer continued to fall. Li Xu followed the rhythm of his movements and swung the sledgehammer like a wind.
Tao Kuo Tuosi was about to intervene and tell the coppersmith that he and Li Xu came to learn the art under the order of Aunt Qing. When he saw Li Xu's serious look, he changed his mind.
He found a leather cushion and sat down with interest, holding his chin with his hands as he watched Li Xu swinging the hammer for the coppersmith.
The coppersmith walked all over the grassland alone, and it was not until he met Aunt Xilin that he stopped wandering. This is a legend known to the entire Su Chuan tribe. Although everyone has never seen the coppersmith fight with anyone, he can be alone.
A person who crosses the grassland must have good skills. Otherwise, the wolves, horse thieves and snowstorms on the road would have sent his bones and dregs into the belly of the vulture.
Under the illumination of the fire, Li Xu's slightly coppery face looked particularly strong, his muscular shoulders, and his undulating chest like a mountain twin, every position made Tao Kuo feel pleasing to the eye. The young man in Su Chuanbu was also very strong.
There are many people who are as tall and as big as Li Xu. According to tribal rules, women can choose men's tents at the age of thirteen. Since last summer, they have begun to give gifts to Tao Kuo Tuosi, sing songs around her horses, and play whistles.
Whistle, but in the eyes of the girl, none of their faces could be separated from the intoxicating luster, perseverance, fierceness, and sometimes a bit of confusion.
"Ding!" The coppersmith threw the hammer aside, picked up the second semi-finished product with iron pliers, and threw it into the fire for half an hour. He didn't let the young man in front of him stop once, and the young man actually held on.
When he came down, although his breathing gradually became heavier, he did not secretly lower the height of the hammer like others.
"Have you ever forged iron before?" The coppersmith stared at the blade in the flames and asked calmly.
"No!" Li Xu only answered with one word. The fatigue of his muscles and bones made him feel a little more relaxed. The heavy pressure behind him became a little lighter. The sensitivity of his consciousness was also greatly reduced. He didn't even notice the coppersmith's question.
Speak in Chinese, instinctively answer in the same language
None of the herdsmen of the Xi tribe in the workshop understood the Chinese spoken by the two, and they did not care that the coppersmith and Fuli spoke their own ethnic language. One of them had lived in the tribe for eighteen years, and the other had just established a foundation for the tribe.
Xia Dagong, no matter what weird behavior they have, it is regarded as normal. And both of them are from the Central Plains. Every shepherd can understand this kind of feeling of meeting people from his hometown.
Tao Kuo, who was watching Li Xu's blacksmithing, was elated when he heard the coppersmith talking to Fuli in Chinese dialect, which meant that the relationship between the two had been drawn closer. If it continued like this, Fuli proposed to learn the skills from his master, and the coppersmith also
We can’t complain that Fu Li stole his “mantle”.
"There are many people in the Central Plains, so skills are worthless once they are learned. If I teach you skills, it is equivalent to giving up my clothes and rice bowl to you." Li Xuyan's random explanation of "heir to the mantle" that day was profound.
Imprinted on the girl's heart
"Have you practiced martial arts?" The coppersmith asked again in Chinese when he threw the knife blank into the fire for the second time.
"No, I have practiced heeling seriously. I learned a few moves from the nursing school in Zhuangzi!" Li Xu answered panting while leaning on the handle of the hammer. Although he was used to doing rough work, his endurance and arm strength were amazing. At this time, he was out of breath.
I'm also a little out of breath.
As the saying goes, "A small hammer makes you tired, and a sledge hammer makes you exhausted." Blacksmithing is the most physically demanding profession. To be a master, swinging a small hammer requires experience and vision. To swing an apprentice, swinging a sledge hammer relies entirely on arm strength and endurance.
If a master in a blacksmith's workshop has only one apprentice, then this apprentice must either have extraordinary physical strength or owe the master a debt and have to repay it with force. Otherwise, no one will be stupid enough to serve the master alone.
"One more round and the knife will be finished. Can you still persist?" The coppersmith turned over the knife blank in the fire and asked in a low voice in Turkic language.
Several people in the workshop couldn't sit still, and they all came forward to ask for Li Xu's replacement. The reason why everyone met to come to the coppersmith to make weapons was because they knew that one person's strength alone could not make a scimitar.
Several people who finish the work on the same day take turns to work and help each other, but they all have a chance to rest, and the manufacturing speed of the scimitar will also increase accordingly.
"I, I will finish this round again! One person does it from beginning to end, using even force, and the toughness of the knife is good!" Li Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead and gasped. This is what he heard in the village.
People have said that the quality of tools made by the same hand is not the same as that of tools made by several sledgehammers. Everyone's strength is different, which will cause the tool to be unevenly stressed during the molding process.
, thus affecting the service life of the finished product
Several shepherds couldn't resist him and retreated with admiring eyes. Li Xu swung the sledgehammer and continued to hit the knife blank on the chopping board following the rhythm of the coppersmith's small hammer. He watched a scimitar under his hammer.
Slowly taking shape, he gradually forgot about the bloody killing and the struggle and death of his companions in front of him, and concentrated all his energy on the joy of creation.
"Tsk!" The thick smoke of horse urine rose again. Li Xu could no longer smell the pungent smell. His whole body was as wet as if he had crawled out of the water just now, but he felt very refreshed from head to toe.
"Okay, let's take it and sharpen it!" The coppersmith took advantage of the sunlight coming in from the window and said proudly that this was his best work in a month. The curvature is soft and the weight is even. When paired with the handle, it is enough to replace
A four-year-old war horse
"Thank you, Master Bijia! Thank you for being attached." The owner of the scimitar held his treasure and jumped into the snow. The coppersmith smiled and picked up another piece of fine iron from the fire.
"You're going to tire him to death!" Tao Kuo took off his clothes and jumped up, protesting loudly.
The coppersmith turned his eyes to the girl, and a sunny smile immediately appeared on his face, "Is he very important to you? I don't see any benefits except a handful of strength!"
"Master Pijia!" The girl immediately blushed, stamped her feet several times, and said bitterly: "I'll tell Aunt Xilin! You are old and disrespectful!"
It was rare that she used the right idiom again. The coppersmith smiled and shook his head and turned to Li Xu, who had already held the handle of the hammer in his hand. He ordered kindly: "Go back and come find me here tomorrow morning. Once you are exhausted, I will
I’m afraid there will be no peaceful life!”
"Yeah!" Li Xu agreed, and staggered out. Tao Kuo took off his clothes and didn't bother to trouble the coppersmith anymore. He took a few steps forward and supported half of his arm.
Looking at the direction where the young man left, the coppersmith picked up the wine bag next to him and drank a big gulp. The small hammer in his hand jingled, as if playing a string of happy songs.
It was a long tune in the spring on the grassland. The male and female shepherds sang the rhythm to each other. It was like an ancient song from thousands of years ago.
"There are plum blossoms. In fact, you are asking for plum blossoms in the seventh year. It is auspicious to have plum blossoms. In fact, you are praying to my common people in the third year. I am here now... (Note 1) Note 1: There are plum trees in "The Book of Songs"
.Zhaonan" refers to the fact that there are fewer and fewer plums on the trees, describing women's youth is getting shorter and shorter. Men who are willing to pick them early are encouraged.
