Chapter 4: Fragments of Gold Silk

Lao Ping pointed again at the pile of new bamboo strips in front of him, each one uniform in thickness and as thin as paper ... ! ... Such a creation is backed by countless failures and relentless efforts !

To truly become a skilled craftsman, the journey is still long, but regardless of the path, one must take it step by step

Lao Ping thought for a moment, then handed him his small blade, saying: "This is for you"

Lao Ping remained silent, and after the uncle settled the bill and left, he glanced at Chang Ming and succinctly asked: "Do you want to try?"

With each adjustment, Chang Ming's movements became increasingly fluid compared to the previous ones. Gradually, he did not completely replicate Lao Ping's model, but instead incorporated some of his own habits.

His gestures were exactly the same as Lao Ping's, with the angle and depth of the cut being precise to the slightest degree. Immediately after, he also kept his right hand still while his left hand trembled; however, the coordination frequency was not adequate. When the bamboo strands reached about 30 centimeters, they suddenly broke.

Chang Ming was taken aback and asked, "So, given such a complicated processing procedure, one can only earn eight copper coins for each piece?"

The old man continued tirelessly until he had completely stripped the bamboo pole—by that time, the surface of the bamboo had entirely vanished, leaving only the pale green bamboo flesh inside—he then raised his head and silently greeted with his gaze

Chang Ming's success rate is increasing; he made a total of thirty-four cuts on this bamboo pole, and the last five cuts were all successful, with none breaking

Chang Ming raised his eyes to the bamboo pillar, where he discerned resentment, resilience, and determination within the numerous knife marks. For him, remaining in Jinzhu Village held an additional significance beyond merely gathering information.

Hone the craft and produce perfect golden bamboo silk

Lao Ping nodded slightly and took the silver coin from his and the librarian's hands

Lao Ping did not speak; he merely patted Chang Ming's shoulder and pointed towards a certain direction

After replaying the entire process in Changming's mind ten times, he raised his head, just as he was about to speak to Laoping, when an older man walked in and called out: "Laoping, do you have any finished products? Ha, indeed you do, I'm here to collect them!"

Chang Ming walked to Lao Ping's doorstep, where the village chief remarked that Lao Ping was one of the ten people in the village capable of splitting bamboo strips, and he was also the most skilled among them

The primary source of income for Jinzhu Village comes from the production of shredded gold silk

He did not act immediately, but gently stroked the bamboo pole, feeling its fine texture. Then, he picked up the blade and lightly scraped the bamboo flesh after slicing the bamboo fibers a couple of times

Old Ping glanced at him, and the uncle laughed even louder: "Of course, Brother Ming, if you can produce qualified bamboo strips, we can buy them at the price of ten copper coins each! However, this task is not so easy; looking at your delicate hands, be careful not to get scratched by the bamboo strips! Don't be fooled by how simple Old Ping makes it; he is the best at cutting strips in the village, and others don't have such a high success rate!"

His mind once again recalled his grandfather and that tape recorder

The uncle chuckled and said, "Who says we don't have this skill? The more we know, the more we do, the more we earn; it's only natural!"

An error repeated a hundred times remains an error; only by following the correct path can one reach the shores of success

Behind the village lies a patch of sulfur yellow ore, which is slightly darker in color than ordinary soil and has a finer texture. The villagers use the sulfur yellow ore to polish the bamboo strips, grinding them until the greenish hue within the bamboo strips fades to the point of being nearly invisible, resulting in a light yellow color.

Lao Ping's calm eyes gradually revealed surprise; he truly lived up to his reputation as the best craftsman in Jinzhu Village, with an exceptionally sharp gaze. He quickly discerned the key point.

There is a vast grove of golden bamboo on the back mountain of the village, but the monthly production of fragmented golden threads is limited, primarily due to the intricate manufacturing process.

Although he spoke candidly, it was evident that he did not believe Changming could accomplish it

Upon seeing his preparations, Lao Ping's eyes lit up

After Chang Ming inquired, he learned that there were only ten people in the village who could split bamboo strips, averaging less than one per household. In the process of making shredded gold silk, only the splitting of bamboo strips requires skill; the rest is all water grinding work. Therefore, the village has designated these ten individuals specifically for splitting the strips, with each strip earning ten copper coins.

A glimmer shone in Lao Ping's eyes as he briefly said: "You should become a mechanic!"

Eighteen failures, nineteen failures, twenty successes

The production of shredded gold silk, although complex, primarily involves water grinding. Its true difficulty lies in the first step—slicing the bamboo strips from the bamboo pole

Chang Ming followed the direction of his finger and saw four bamboo poles bundled together. The poles were densely covered with scratches, each cut deep enough to reveal flesh, indicating they had some history.

After gaining a comprehensive understanding of the production process of the broken gold threads, Chang Ming sighed, indeed, no matter what kind of food it is, it is not that delicious. Such a complex processing procedure, in the end, a single broken gold thread can only be sold for eighteen copper coins. Thinking of it this way, he felt that his fifty silver coins were truly too easy to come by! It should be noted that one silver coin is equivalent to one thousand copper coins, so fifty silver coins are equivalent to more than two thousand seven hundred finished broken gold threads

It's nothing!

Chang Ming took a few deep breaths, grasped the blade, pressed the edge against one end of the bamboo pole, and without any hesitation, cut down with precision and determination

Chang Ming smiled gratefully at him and said, "Yes, Uncle Ping, I know. I will continue to work hard until I am like you"

The shattered golden bamboo is a bluish-green, with speckles of gold on its surface. The older the bamboo, the larger the gold speckles become. For the production of shattered golden threads, it is best to use bamboo that is over three years old, as new bamboo contains too many impurities, making it not only prone to breakage but also inferior in various aspects compared to older bamboo.

Chang Ming had examined it carefully before; it appeared to be merely a metal blade, yet it was evidently polished countless times. The curvature and the feel of the handle made it exceptionally comfortable to hold. Chang Ming did not refuse, took the blade, bowed deeply to Lao Ping, and said: "Thank you!"

Chang Ming was taken aback for a moment, but instantly understood. Every time Lao Ping made an unsuccessful attempt, he would carve a notch into the bamboo pole. The entire bamboo pole was covered with marks, clearly indicating how many times he had failed

Lao Ping said: "This is a record of failure"

The length of each piece of bamboo silk collected by the Lian family must be over one meter. Bamboo silk shorter than one meter is considered waste and is not accepted. Furthermore, the one-meter-long bamboo silk must be of uniform thickness and as thin as paper, which requires a high level of craftsmanship. Every household in the village produces bamboo silk, but only about ten individuals are able to successfully produce qualified bamboo silk.

This is not yet finished; the light yellow bamboo silk needs to be soaked in a solution of sulfuric acid for three days and three nights. At that time, the light yellow of the bamboo silk will transform into a deeper golden yellow. Only at this point can a strand of broken gold silk be considered truly complete

The nitrate yellow granules are insoluble in water and will settle to the bottom after a while, so the nitrate yellow solution needs to be stirred continuously to ensure thorough mixing of the water and the nitrate yellow granules. The processed fine gold threads are incredibly flexible and will not break regardless of how they are bent. The woven surface is sharp and difficult to penetrate, impervious to water and fire, and is often used to create the outer shell of mechanisms

Never be frivolous; always maintain a calm mind and steady spirit.

Third cut, fourth cut, fifth cut

Chang Ming's gaze remained unchanged, his breathing steady; apart from making slight adjustments in his movements, each failure had no impact on him whatsoever

The uncle counted and said: "A total of 300 pieces, each worth 10 copper coins. Should we settle with silver coins instead?"

When he was young, his grandfather taught him that practice is not about repeating mistakes, but rather about engaging purposefully after careful observation

Lao Ping stood up silently and turned around, handing him a narrow bamboo basket. The basket was filled with freshly sliced bamboo strips

What he thanked for was not merely this one blade, but rather the silent admonition from the old plain.

A bamboo pole was finished, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Lao Ping's forehead, clearly indicating that it required a certain level of physical exertion

Chang Ming pondered and asked, "If I could also weave bamboo silk, would I be able to earn a living?"

He failed consecutively with fourteen attempts, and by the fifteenth attempt, after two consecutive shakes, a complete bamboo strand appeared in his hand

The constant sound of the bell did not cease; the sixteenth attempt failed, but the seventeenth succeeded

He carefully observed the entire processing procedure of a bamboo pole by Lao Ping. From this single bamboo pole, he produced a total of forty-three bamboo strips. Occasionally, minor flaws would occur, resulting in slight discrepancies in the thickness of the strips. However, none of these eighty-three bamboo strips were deemed unsuccessful, and the entire process took approximately half an hour, demonstrating exceptionally high skill.

However, even old bamboo needs to find a way to remove the impurities within the bamboo fibers

Lao Ping handed him the small knife and the bamboo pole, and Tu Shuchang Ming took a deep breath and sat down

Indeed, it is uniform in thickness, as thin as paper, and is truly a perfect piece of bamboo silk

Chang Ming's expression remained unchanged as he repositioned himself, delivering another strike. This time, he still did not succeed; the coordination frequency was not executed properly.

Chang Ming immediately nodded and said: "Yes!"

Lao Ping is working diligently, seated steadily in the courtyard, with a large pile of bamboo poles beside him

What appears to be a casual tap conceals hundreds of thousands of experiences behind it. This is true for any endeavor: find the right method, put in the effort, and move towards success

After finishing cutting a bamboo pole completely, he let out a sigh and set down the tools in his hands

The profession of a craftsman is entirely manual, and the fundamentals are absolutely the most important. This is precisely a great opportunity for Changming to practice his fundamentals

He was very focused, and Chang Ming came in without even raising his head. Chang Ming did not disturb him, quietly standing by to observe.

Chang Ming picked up the bamboo strands he had selected and examined them, shaking his head as he said, "This won't do; the quality is not up to standard. Look at how thin it is at the top and thick at the bottom..."

Chang Ming recalled the process twice in his mind and looked up with a smile: "Uncle Ping, I might have to discard one of your bamboo poles."

Lao Ping grasped a bamboo pole in one hand and held a narrow blade in the other, aiming at the top of the bamboo pole. His right hand remained still while his left hand trembled twice, and a long bamboo strip was sliced off.

Chang Ming did not pay attention to his own actions; he held a bamboo strip, his gaze focused, with a look of deep contemplation on his face. In his mind, he repeatedly replayed Lao Ping's earlier movements: how the blade was pinched, the angle at which it cut into the bamboo pole, the gestures when the slice was made, and the frequency and timing of the left hand's tremor

All of this vividly appeared in his mind, with not a single detail overlooked