Compared with Ning Weimin who only fills people up with good-sounding words, Kang Shude is much more practical.
As soon as I accepted this apprentice, I gave him something. Even the preparation for this gift started early.
The old man took out a small reddish-brown wooden box that was two feet long and one foot wide, placed it in front of Ning Weimin, and told him with a smile.
"I asked my old friend from the trust store to help me find this box a long time ago. It was originally meant to be given to you. By coincidence, it was just delivered to me today. It's not expensive, more than six yuan. Now I feel like it.
Son, just treat it as a gift to meet your apprentice."
Ning Weimin did not expect this to happen at all, and was unexpectedly moved.
"This...is this for me?"
He actually doesn't know much about wood.
But just by looking at the exquisite copper parts and patterns on the wooden box, we can tell that this box will be worth a lot in the future.
Why? There is no such thing as fake stuff these days, so if you can make a box like this, it’s a good thing.
And that's not all, when he touched the box happily and opened it to take a look.
I discovered that there was another gadget inside the box.
"By the way, there is also this lock, I'll give it to you too."
Kang Shude reached in, took it out, and placed it on the table.
It was a small copper lock in the shape of a carp, and it was beautifully made.
But the most interesting thing about the lock is not its appearance, but the fact that there is a key but the keyhole cannot be found.
Until Kang Shude demonstrated it himself and inserted the key from a place on the back of the carp.
Ning Weimin suddenly realized.
Then he started playing with it enthusiastically, not even bothering to eat the food and wine.
"Old man, what kind of lock is this? It's so awesome. If you didn't teach me, I wouldn't know how to open it. It's so ingenious."
But his heartfelt applause was met with disdain from the old man.
"Tsk, it's rare but strange. This is called the Citi Lock. 'Flowers are fancy, flags are signs', do you understand?"
"There are all kinds of locks like this. They don't seek the magic of locking skills, but only the beauty of fine workmanship. They are just folk toys. Don't you know how to do it after playing with it once?"
"As for why I gave you this carp? It's just for good luck. I hope you can leap over the dragon's gate one day and live a better life than me..."
Ning Weimin quickly said something nice.
"Thank you, Master. I will definitely give you a try and not fall into your trap."
But the old man is not so easy to fool.
What's more, those words just now were not said out of nowhere.
"Don't just talk about it, and don't just do it for fun. Let me tell you, I give you these two things. The lock is not important, the key is the box. Take a good look. Do you know what kind of wood this box is made of?"
Ning Weimin realized that there was something in the old man's words and quickly observed it carefully.
But after fiddling with it inside and out, I couldn't figure out why, so I shook my head.
Kang Shude said again, "Smell it."
Ning Weimin smelled it carefully.
This time I did find something unusual. There was a special fragrance inside the box.
And just when he was wondering what it tasted like, the master had already taken the initiative to give the answer.
"Remember, this smell is that of camphor wood. The advantage of a box made of this kind of wood is that its smell can prevent insects and rats from biting it, and it can repel mold and moisture."
"So in the past, it was mostly used by women to collect dowries, and it was also called a daughter's box. It is precisely because of this that I will give it to you."
"Listen, as master, the first thing I will teach you today is to not just collect things, but also pay attention to how to preserve them."
Ning Weimin couldn't help but be stunned.
Originally, he thought that Master wanted him to remember camphor wood, but he didn't expect that it was still not the point.
"You mean..."
"You still don't understand? It's your stamp."
The old man snorted a little impatiently.
"Although I don't like that thing, after all, you got it with your hard-earned money, and you regard it as a treasure. So you should keep it in the most appropriate way."
"But what about yourself? It's really easy to worry about, just stuff it in the drawer and it's over."
"I said you don't want to take a look at the house we live in. The walls are prone to moisture, there are spiders everywhere, the roof is full of rats, and the water drips when it rains." "Hey, I really can't wait to take it out of the drawer one day.
Those stamps of yours turned out to be hairy, stuck-together remnants of paper. I wonder how you cried."
Don't tell me, it's true.
Kang Shude's few words made Ning Weimin blush.
He hurriedly poured wine and food for the old man, not only to thank the old man for reminding him, but also to thank him for thinking thoughtfully for him.
But it's no use.
Kang Shude’s lessons did not stop there.
"I don't want you to thank me, and I don't want you to be submissive. I want you to really take it from your heart."
"Let me tell you a true story. Back then, a customer bought a landscape painting by Wang Shimin from me. This gentleman loved the landscapes of the 'Four Kings' the most. He was so happy that he went out and ordered a foreign car.
I rushed home in a hurry."
"It's a pity that great joy brings sorrow. Just because someone lit a pipe in the car without paying attention, the burning tobacco fell on the cloth wrapping the scroll, and the painting was burned."
"A whole three hundred dollars was enough to buy a small courtyard at that time. On the way home, only three or four streets away, a careless oversight, it was all over! No matter how much I beat my chest, I still regret it.
Use it."
"So if you want to be my apprentice, you must remember the painful lessons of your predecessors and never make such stupid mistakes again. Otherwise, you can't say that you are my apprentice, and I will have no shame to recognize you."
What does it mean to be teachable?
Ning Weimin is doing quite well right now.
He could feel Kang Shude's good intentions.
Therefore, I have no objection to such admonishment, and I am extremely humble.
He kept saying that what the old man taught him was...
And he solemnly promised Master again and again that he would never do it again.
In this way, Kang Shude felt that his spitting was not in vain, so he was willing to mention a few more words.
He drank the wine that Ning Weimin had just served, and ate the vegetables that Ning Weimin had put in the bowl, and then said with satisfaction.
"If I tell you another thing, you may not be listened to, so you have to listen. There is something wrong with your words and deeds, and you need to change it."
"First of all, your tone of voice is too strong, and it's the standard Jingyouzi flavor, which makes it difficult to be refined. In the past, only eunuchs spoke like this. Those who have real status will be disgusted and disgusting when they hear it. You act like this
Opening your mouth will reveal that you are from the bottom of society."
"The real Beijing dialect is actually Jingbai, also called Mandarin. It is a kind of Beijing accent and rhyme, upright and generous Mandarin. It doesn't necessarily have to be wordy, and the export is idioms and allusions. But it should never be impoverished or ruffian.
And slick."
"Secondly, you are too joking and have too many witticisms and other trivial things. Daily chatting is fine, but when it comes to serious business, you appear to be too narrow-minded and frivolous."
"Do you know what it means to show off your shrewdness and go too far? An honest person will not be willing to deal with you. They are worried that they will suffer losses. Then what kind of business are you doing when others are going around you?"
"You just call it that those who show off their cleverness have poor virtues, and those who are too eloquent have poor fortunes."
It should be said that these words were something Ning Weimin had never thought of.
But when he thought about it carefully, it seemed that this was the case.
In his previous life, no one taught him how to speak.
Due to the influence of TV dramas, he mistakenly believed that collecting was the only thing he could eat. The more he talked about it and pretended to be like Mr. Jing, the better.
As a result, those who take advantage of it are ordinary people or those who are new to the industry.
There are also a few owners who are not satisfied with a bottle and only use half a bottle, but they can be frightened by him.
But there are really few high-class people in his social circle.
So later he switched from a businessman to a merchant, and finally had his own shop in the stamp and coin card market.
The turnover has never been as good as that of the nearby merchants who saw a lot of slack in business.
He originally thought that it was because he was not good enough, and it would take time and luck to accumulate big customers and old customers.
Now that he is thinking about it, he might be limited by his own shortcomings...
"... Let's talk about your behavior, the same reason..."
Kang Shude's words were not over yet. Even when Ning Weimin was deep in thought, he was still continuing.
"You kid, you usually sit there with your legs crossed, and you often shiver when you have nothing to do. Isn't that right? You look very comfortable and comfortable, but you're just as annoying."
"As the saying goes, if you don't hold the bowl with your hands, you will be poor forever, and if you shake your legs and shrug your shoulders, you will be ruined for three generations. If you continue to be so comfortable, you will not make any noble people in this life, and you will have to shake them off yourself."
"In short, when people meet you for the first time, they won't know what you are like on the inside. So the way you feel on the outside is very important. You have to pretend to be like that in order to make people feel like you.
I think you are reliable and I am willing to deal with you."
"This means that people of the same kind flock together and birds of a feather flock together. If you are only satisfied with making small fools around and getting enough food and clothing, that's it. I didn't say it. But if you want to go up in society in the future, you have to work hard.
When Cai'er comes, you have to speak well and become the same person when you stand and the right person when you sit down."
There is no doubt that these are words that directly poke the lungs.
Even Ning Weimin, who has such a thick face, feels like his face is on fire.
But it must be said that these words were an inspiration to him.
It will be of great benefit to him in the future.
Ning Weimin is truly convinced, convinced from the bottom of his heart.
To put it bluntly, he is a fan of the authorities.
If it weren't for the old man's outstanding vision, he would have eliminated all his problems.
Where can he find out?
Therefore, even though he was so scolded that he looked downcast, he still raised his wine glass on the spot and sincerely thanked his master again.
"Thank you, old man. I have remembered all your words. I can't say that this cup is for you. I'll just accept my punishment. I'll do it again. It's up to you. From now on, please continue to educate me outspokenly.
I."
"Okay, your attitude is really towards me."
Kang Shude liked Ning Weimin's energy very much, so he happily picked up the wine glass.
In this way, the old man and the young man spent most of the night chatting about themselves at a slightly humble apprenticeship banquet.
The virtue of Kangshu is to have enough food and drink, and to have an unprecedentedly lively conversation.
Ning Weimin also enjoyed the feast, and learned a lot from it.
In short, the master and the apprentice are getting closer and closer.
As for watching the movie "Homecoming", Ning Weimin no longer cares about it.