I also know a little bit about blacksmithing, but in terms of the level of understanding, it is definitely far less than the old man in front of me.
I looked around and saw the old man, shirtless, even though he was as thin as a skin and bones, even though his face was full of vicissitudes of life, but as the clear and loud clanging sound came, I saw that he looked like he was twenty or thirty years younger.
Even the wrinkles on my face are much reduced.
The old man was swinging a big hammer, which probably weighed seven or eight kilograms. Most people would be out of breath after swinging it a few times, but every time the old man hit it, the veins on his arms popped out, but his movements were not slow at all.
After a while, I took the initiative and said: "Old man, how about I hammer the iron?"
The old man glanced at me and said with a disdainful expression: "What do you know, you kid? This hammer does not just require strength. Each point of the hammer requires skill. Tell me, what do you want to do?"
Well, seeing how dedicated the old man was, I was a little embarrassed to get started. Although I had smelted iron before, in front of the old man, I was undoubtedly just doing my own thing.
I quickly took a piece of paper and drew the Luoyang shovel on it.
The old man just glanced at it, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and said: "Are you a tomb robber?"
I nodded.
"Can't you tell that you kid actually has such ability? However, your Luoyang shovel seems a little different from the ordinary ones."
"You are awesome!" I was convinced by this old man from the bottom of my heart. He just took a look at what I drew, and not only knew my identity, but also saw the differences in the Luoyang shovel I wanted to make.
"Uncle, you have to keep this matter a secret from me. I won't pay you any less. Do you think this can be done?"
The old man squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, "I want to know why you fight backwards?"
I took out a pack of cigarettes, divided one between the old man and myself, took a deep breath and said: "Like you, it is also a craft passed down from our ancestors, but my generation has only learned a little bit about it. If I tell you,
I don’t fight for money, so I’m definitely lying to you, but besides looking for money, what I can do is not be like other tomb robbers who use whatever means they want to destroy tombs.”
Some tomb robbers sometimes use blasting, flooding, and fire methods to destroy tombs in order to excavate funerary objects. In this way, a tomb that was originally exquisitely designed and complete will basically turn into a tomb later.
In the ruins, not to mention the grave goods inside, even the tomb buckets were gone...
I very much despise this method of fighting upside down. I think the greatest pleasure in fighting upside down is to fight against all kinds of murderous mechanisms in the tomb, and to burn the tomb casually like that.
Taking out the funerary objects through a hole is also called fighting upside down? What a joke!
I told the old man my opinion truthfully, and at the same time I was prepared to be rejected by the old man. After all, fighting upside down is not really a glory...
I chewed my cigarette and looked at the old man without saying a word.
The old man stretched out two dark fingers, took several deep puffs of cigarette, and after puffing for a while, a glimmer of light burst out from his eyes.
"Baby, I can help you with this job, but you have to promise me one thing."
"What's up?"
"I know a lot about your fighting business. Sometimes you kill each other, and there are too many things that get in the way behind your back. The Luoyang shovel you designed has a blade shape at the bottom. It must be a handy weapon for you. I don't want it to happen.
The thing you built yourself is used by you to do things that harm innocent people..."
To be honest, the old man's request was a bit long-winded. If I wanted to, I could pretend to agree to it directly in front of him, but I didn't do that.
I bowed to the old man honestly and said sternly: "Don't worry, uncle, I will never use your shovel to harm anyone, but if someone takes the initiative to deal with me, I don't think I can be blamed.
"
The old man smiled and said: "If someone takes the initiative to deal with you, then you have to do it!"
"become!"
The old man continued to forge, and I took out the black thing I got from Liu Yuhui from my pocket and handed it to the old man.
The old man thought about it for a while and suddenly looked shocked.
"Baby, where did you get this thing?"
"A friend of mine got this in a tomb somewhere. I thought it might be useful. Sir, you are well-informed, so you can definitely tell what this is?" I flattered him.
"Hehe, you kid is really lucky. This is a good thing. If I read it correctly, this should be fine iron."
"Fine iron?"
"Yes, the blacksmiths in the past had better craftsmanship and the precision of the iron they struck was also purer. But this piece of fine iron must have used some kind of craftsmanship to extract the purest part from the molten iron.
Hammered into one piece, this thing would have been worth a lot of money in the past..."
I was very excited when I heard it. Although I knew that this dark thing was a good thing, I didn't expect it to come from this way.
Immediately, I asked the old man to help me melt this piece of fine iron and use it to make the bottom blade of the Luoyang shovel. I was so excited that this time I not only hired a master craftsman but also used
With good materials, the things made are definitely not simple.
…………
…………
Blacksmithing is not something that can be done immediately. The old man and I agreed to come and get it tomorrow night. Then I went to the market and bought two black donkey hooves and some black dog blood. These things were all
It is a good thing to ward off evil spirits, especially black dog blood, which is said to be very effective in treating zongzi.
Having bought everything I needed to buy, I returned to the Wang Family Antique Shop with a bag on my back.
As soon as I got back, I saw a familiar car parked in front of the store. I took a closer look and, damn, I saw that gentle man Zheng Hanwen driving Wang Luoluo back again. Wang Luoluo was still sitting in the back.
Zheng Hanwen took the initiative to open the door for her as usual, and then the two of them looked at each other and smiled. It was so sweet...
I felt a little uncomfortable for no reason. I thought that I might really like Wang Luoluo, otherwise, I wouldn't be so jealous.
I carried my bag and wanted to go directly into the store. I was too lazy to say hello to them, but unexpectedly I was stopped by Zheng Hanwen.
"Xiao Chen, long time no see. Haha, what are you carrying? Isn't it a local specialty brought from your country for fear that you won't be able to eat it in a big city..."
Wang Luoluo couldn't help laughing when he heard Zheng Hanwen's joke.
Zheng Hanwen's face was full of joy, and he seemed a little proud to see Wang Luoluo making fun of him. I got goosebumps when I heard it. Damn it, you and I don't seem to be familiar enough to call each other Xiao Chen...
Also, have we country people offended you? If I carry a bag, it’s just a souvenir? Damn, it’s pretentious and hypocritical!
I turned around and said with a harmless smile: "It turns out to be Xiao Zheng. I haven't seen you for a long time. People say that every day is like a year. After calculation, it seems that we haven't seen each other for a year or two..."
When I finished speaking, Wang Luoluo's mouth opened slightly, and she immediately covered her mouth and chuckled (forgive her low point of laughter, I don't find it funny, but she smiled like a three-year-old child who lacks love).
Zheng Hanwen smiled awkwardly, still polite, but I could clearly see a trace of imperceptible resentment flashing through his eyes...