After thinking about it, she asked the old carpenter: "According to you, people with talent have the power to conquer others? Talent is really a good thing. You can become powerful without working hard."
The old carpenter smiled: "As a child, a person with talent is equivalent to being born with the key to unlock the treasure. But if you don't work hard to dig out the treasure first, what's the use of holding the key?"
"Oh, you still have to work hard. I understand. Only with talent and hard work can you produce works that can conquer the audience, right?"
Hearing what she said, the old carpenter knew that this was her competitive temperament. He educated her: "Child, remember the words of the master. When you are not skilled enough in the work on your hands, work hard to improve your skills. Wait for you to master it." Once you figure it out and you are comfortable with it, remember not to show off your skills, but keep your true heart in mind.”
He taught her to make something practical and everything else, including beauty and materials, only serve its core purpose.
Being obsessed with good looks or exquisite craftsmanship is not as valuable as making something practical.
Zheng Quchi memorized this sentence.
Don't show off your skills. Practicality comes before good looks. If you have talent and work hard, you can be both practical and beautiful.
But she had written it down, but she had no chance to understand its true meaning. But now, she understood it with just this wooden pillar showing off her skills.
The owner of the Jinxing Inn had learned the art of relief carving from somewhere, so he felt he was superior and began to grandstand here and get carried away.
Forget that a craftsman's skill is to make the work more outstanding, not a means of showing off.
He erected the half-carved doorpost at the entrance of Jinxing Inn to challenge other woodcarvers. The purpose of this was not to enhance himself, but to show off his skills.
And it is precisely this kind of place where vanity is not grounded in reality that is most easily conquered by others.
As the saying goes, you have to compare goods. The upper and lower parts have the same relief craftsmanship, but the exquisiteness of the craftsmanship displayed is different at a glance.
The carvings are exquisite, the images are lifelike, and the lines are smooth. Even a person who knows nothing can easily tell the difference between beauty and ugliness as long as he understands the difference between the two.
Zheng Quchi spent a full hour, carving out four lotus flowers of different shapes on the base of the water pattern and the lotus pods.
They are not identical, but present the most beautiful process of blooming from buds to lotus flowers.
This not only requires profound craftsmanship, but also requires careful observation of its growth process in life, and presenting it to the public through craftsmanship.
First blooming, the buds are ready to bloom, water hibiscus emerges, and the flowers are in clusters.
They are exactly at the waistline and surround the cylinder, as if simulating its vivid changes.
The owner of Jinxing Inn previously carved a moonlit scene of a lotus pond on the doorpost. On top, he carved pine trees, cloisters, pavilions, and buildings on the pond. The empty part below is now made of She came to fill its vacancy.
It can be said that the upper part is built with most scenery, and the small door pillars are slightly crowded, which also reflects the store owner's eagerness to show off his skills.
As for her lower part, she has an open layout, using the large to make the small, and the close to the far, making up for it perfectly.
Only when you relax one by one and have a certain degree of relaxation can you be pleasing to the eye.
But just because it is so perfect, it seems that the artistic conception above is not wonderful enough.
The moment Zheng Quchi finished his work, he turned to one side and patted the wooden dowel on his body, revealing the entire doorpost behind him.
From the very beginning, no one around Jinxing Inn was willing to leave and give up watching such a lively drama. But now, they are deeply glad that they stayed until the end.
Otherwise, they might regret it to death.
This little carpenter really shocked them.
Not only were they amazed, were all the current first-level craftsmen so capable?
"Oh my God, look at these lotus flowers. They seem real. They are about to break away from the wooden pillars and stretch out as if they are alive."
For these lotus flowers, Zheng Quchi cut a large area of wood in a bold way, using a 3D technique of hollowing out the interior. Therefore, these lotus flowers are not only embedded in wooden pillars, but also independent wood carvings.
They were amazed by what they saw, and they all discussed what kind of carving technique it was. Compared with the boss's relief carvings, it was simply better than the previous one.
"Win, this young man wins!"
"Yes, we have all underestimated the craftsmen of Ye State. Look at what he has shown. It is not simple. It is not simple."
"That's right, that shop owner of Jinxing Inn, I'm willing to accept defeat. Your boss's carvings are indeed good, but now that I've met someone even more powerful, it's clear that I'm superior to him."
The audience at the bottom of the steps lost their composure, and began to speak up and support the outsiders like them as witnesses, so that the old profiteer would not have to make excuses to regret and refuse to fulfill his promise.
Zheng Quchi discovered that the people in Yongchun were also mercenaries. She explained to them: "The lotus I carved can be viewed and used as a lamp holder. It surrounds the doorpost and lights up at night." , it can both illuminate objects brightly and display them at night.”
As soon as they heard this, they imagined the scene at night, and all praised her for her idea. Such wood carvings were both useful and more distinctive. They made the ordinary facade of their Jinxing Inn look special.
"It seems really good."
"Yes, look at her, she is not only superior in technique, but she also puts the carved things to use, making them both visible and useful."
"Are these really craftsmen from Ye State? It seems that the opinions outside are not accurate. Aren't they pretty good at it?"
"It seems to be the same..."
Along the way, Mu Gaoyi and the others had heard all kinds of rumors, which were all ridiculing and belittling the craftsmen of Ye State. But now, they finally heard the change in the direction of the wind and the change in other people's attitudes towards the craftsmen of Ye State.
They were both happy and sad.
Zheng Quchi walked up to the shopkeeper who looked dull. He was staring at the flowers she carved, fascinated.
"Would you like to bring your boss here to comment on how I'm doing?" she asked.
The shopkeeper's chest rose and fell, and he slowly moved his gaze from the lotus to her face.
Unexpectedly, he really bumped into a wood carving genius!
Although it was a miscalculation, this "deal" does not seem to be a guaranteed loss.
The wood carving skills of this pillar, as well as its uniqueness, are a major promotional selling point and will definitely make their business prosperous.
A smile appeared on his face, and he said shamelessly: "These are only four lotuses, and you won't touch up the rest...?"
If you carve more things, such as koi, birds or others, wouldn't it be more magnificent?
Zheng Quchi rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "These four flowers alone can crush your boss's carvings. Do I need to continue to add craftsmanship to your inn?"
Bah, old profiteer, there is no way to trick her into working!
If it weren't for the fact that Yongchun was now overcrowded and couldn't find an inn at all, plus Yu Wensheng was in poor health and needed a comfortable environment to rest, she wouldn't bother staying in his shabby inn.
"this……"
"We made an agreement, are you going to go back on it now?"
"Of course not..." Seeing that everyone around him unanimously recognized her, he naturally couldn't bear to go back on his words in public and ruin the reputation of the inn.
He rolled his eyes and said, "Why don't you move in first? When I call our host, and if he's satisfied, I'll waive your room and board expenses for this year. I can't be the master of it right now."
Zheng Quchi had known that a person like him would not suffer such a big loss so easily, and would definitely find an opportunity to shirk it.
But she is not in a hurry, she has plenty of ways to deal with such villains.
"Okay, we'll wait in your inn. By the way, we've reserved a room. Is it okay to check in now?" she asked.
Go to the house?
She really dares to speak like a lion.
It's only given to the person who ordered the money.
The shopkeeper's face turned green, but he made excuses to delay the free room and board fees. If he argued with her about this issue now, wouldn't it be a joke to his neighbors and opponents?
"Uh, of course, of course." He gritted his teeth and endured.
He admitted his defeat. This little craftsman was not only eloquent, but his craftsmanship was even more amazing. He was indeed not someone to be trifled with.
In short, let's get rid of her first, and then find a way to get rid of her later.
When Mu Gaoyi and Shi Hetong heard that A Qing had snatched their room back by himself, they all ran over happily.
Thinking of the Ye country craftsman who was wantonly bullied by the store not long ago and left in despair, if A Qing hadn't been there just now, they would have been kicked out.
But now, not only do they live in it, they also live in a house that no one else can grab. More importantly, they are free of accommodation fees for a year...
This time, they simply won.
Wang Zebang and Fu Rong have seen that this store has a lot of troubles, so it is really the wife's ability to make this store owner behave with his tail between his legs.
The two of them had tried to talk to each other before, but they couldn't find the room. Madam now wanted them all back, and she wanted the best ones, and the shop owner who was so crooked and cunning asked her to cure them. They only admire you for being obedient.
The waiter led the way, and they immediately ordered people to unload and carry things upstairs, while the groom came to look after the horses, feed them, and arrange the carriage for them.
The group of people finally found a temporary place to rest after a tiring journey. With their serious and yellow faces, they relaxed a little and started to get busy.
Zheng Quchi put the tools back into her big bag and glanced in the direction of Yu Wensheng among the people passing by.
Did he just stand there, watching her carve without moving for an hour?
Why did he have to get off the carriage and stand, he was obviously so weak...
"go in."
She turned around and had to move the rest of her things to the carriage, but before she had taken two steps, she suddenly heard a loud "bang!" behind her.
Then there was a tragic scream with a broken gong: "What are you doing——"
She was so startled that her scalp exploded.
What the hell?
She turned around in shock, only to see the "weak" Yu Wensheng standing on the steps. At this moment, he was about to take back his hand, and the lotus pond gate pillar carved by Zheng Quchi was broken in the middle.
The store owner was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, wailing around the doorpost: "W-what have you done?!"
The passers-by who had been scattered around now looked back when they heard the store owner's screams.
Their eyes widened in shock.
The doorpost, which had been fine just a moment ago, was now a broken piece of rotten wood, worthless at all.
Yu Wensheng pursed his lips and coughed twice, as if he was feeling uncomfortable, and said in a warm voice: "I'm sorry, I just missed it. How much is this pillar worth? I'll just pay it to you."
pay? What are you offering to compensate?
The shopkeeper looked at the golden bean he threw on the ground and was extremely angry. When he raised his eyes, he accidentally met Yu Wensheng's eyes and couldn't help but shuddered all over.
I was about to yell something, but it got stuck in my throat and I couldn't speak.
Yu Wensheng smiled softly: "It doesn't matter if you destroy it, my (Madam's) things are not worthy of being used by your inn."
As the saying goes, use the gentlest tone to express dangerous murderous intent. After saying it in a voice that only the store owner could hear, he went in together with Wei Yao, Runtu and others.
Zheng Quchi looked at the debris on the ground and swallowed: "Why did he lose his temper suddenly?"
Behind her, Mu Gaoyi shrank his neck and shook his head with some empathy: "Is this a tantrum? No, the general... is going to kill someone."
Shi Hetong glanced at the store owner sympathetically, but his tone was full of schadenfreude: "I don't know what the general said to the store owner. The store owner's face turned pale."
She didn't have ears to hear what he said, but her eyes were very sharp.
"Did he just...throw a golden bean to the store?" Zheng Quchi suddenly asked.
"Yes, the general destroyed someone else's pillar, so..." Mu Gaoyi was halfway through speaking when he suddenly noticed that Zheng Quchi's expression was wrong: "Aqing, why are you looking like this..."
Zheng Quchi looked at them and complained bitterly: "I, I managed to save a lot of food and lodging expenses, but he... But as soon as he changed hands, he gave away the gold to others!"
Mu Gaoyi and Shi Hetong looked at each other, and then said with a strange and amused expression: "Ah Qing, the compensation is the general's money, why are you so distressed?"
They couldn't understand it at all.
Zheng Quchi's expression froze.
She pursed her lips: "I, I feel sorry for the lotus that I spent so much effort to carve, isn't it?"
"Oh, so that's it. But Ah Qing, I think the general's doing this is a good thing for you." Shi Hetong comforted her.
Zheng Quchi looked at him: "Why do you say that?"
Shi Hetong explained to her: "You may not think so much, but the craftsmen of the Seven Kingdoms are strictly classified into different grades, so any craftsman with a certain grade is very concerned about his reputation and works, and they generally will not give them casually. Others do woodwork, but it is done by craftsmen, so you should value your own work more."
After listening to it, Zheng Quchi realized that what Yu Wensheng did was equivalent to buying her private work with money, preventing it from being circulated in the market and used by people with ulterior motives to ruin her reputation.
Unexpectedly, he thought so carefully about her...
To be honest, she was quite lucky that he destroyed the doorpost, because she really didn't want her relief work to be used by the profiteer in the store to make money.
"Okay, I get it."
Mu Gaoyi deliberately teased her: "But you didn't see those people just now. They were completely shocked by your carving skills. Ah Qing, you are simply cheating. You obviously have good skills, but you pretend to be a craftsman." I don’t know how many people will be deceived at the Jichun Craftsmen’s Union tomorrow.”
(End of chapter)
