Chapter 166 Woodcarving Studio

The crackling sound of firecrackers rang out on a small street in Chunze City, Ningxiang Province, attracting surrounding businesses and passers-by to watch. In front of an inconspicuous door, a middle-aged couple was setting off a thousand-ring whip on a bamboo pole. Their faces were filled with excitement and anxiety.

"Master Cao, Xiao Yi, what's wrong with you?"

The merchant who opened a pharmacy next door couldn't help but come up to ask.

This middle-aged couple, the man's name is Cao Jianzhong and the woman's name is Yi Xiuying, were both workers at Chunze Machinery Factory. Two years ago, the machinery factory fell into serious losses, and all the workers went home to wait for work. The couple spent all their family savings and rented a storefront on this small street, making breakfast, simple meals, etc., and chatting. Sustain.

I don’t know whether it’s due to the couple’s poor craftsmanship or the lack of popularity of this street. The couple’s snack bar has always had a lackluster business. After paying the rent, it is a problem to have the remaining income to feed and clothe the family.

A few days ago, the surrounding shops suddenly discovered that the snack bar had stopped operating. A notice was posted on the door, saying that the owner was out of business and would be closed for a few days. Later, the couple came back and told their neighbors that they were on a trip to Dongye Province. What exactly they were doing was kept secret. We didn't have a deep friendship with each other at first, so we couldn't ask more about the things they refused to disclose. We only knew that the couple did not resume the business of the snack bar after they came back, but hid in the store without showing their faces. What are you busy with?

Today, the door of the snack bar finally opened, followed by the sound of festive firecrackers. This was obviously the opening ceremony of the new store. Could it be that the couple went to some kind of chef school and wanted to change the snack bar into a big restaurant when they came back?

In response to other people's inquiries, the couple just smiled and did not answer. After the firecrackers were set off, the two went into the house and took out a plaque. Yi Xiuying held it underneath while Cao Jianzhong climbed up on the ladder. He first took off the "Xiuying Snacks" sign on the door and then replaced it. Got that new plaque.

"Jianzhong Craft Wood Carving Studio!"

Everyone read the words on the plaque in unison, and everyone was confused. Everyone knows the word "work", but what does "studio" mean? Could it be an alias for the workshop? Also, craft wood carving sounds very high-end, but when did these two people understand wood carving, and when did they understand craftsmanship?

"Hey, this plaque is so beautiful!"

Someone discovered the New World. Everyone looked closely and noticed that the plaque that Cao Jianzhong had just hung was quite different. Everyone had just paid attention to the words on the plaque, but they had not noticed the mystery of the plaque itself.

Other plaques are either acrylic signs made by someone, or they are just a piece of wood painted with white paint, and then the store name is written in black paint. Those who are more particular will put some decoration on the plaque, which is just a gold rim or something. It looks good to you, but it feels like dirt to others.

The plaque that Cao Jianzhong just hung up is made of a solid piece of hardwood, with no paint on the surface. The line of words above was not written with a pen, but carved, and the strokes of the pen were lifelike. It seemed to have a cultural atmosphere, making people think that the owner of this store must have been practicing Taoism in Kunlun Mountain for more than ten years. Yes, if you don’t have a doctorate degree in your pocket, you will be embarrassed to say hello to the boss.

"Wow, Boss Cao, this plaque is awesome. Who did you ask to make it?"

"You can't afford 500 yuan for just this plaque, right?"

"What's 500 yuan? I'll give you 500 yuan, and you can make one for me!"

"That's right, this sword skill must be carved by an old carpenter!"

"I'm thinking that it should have been carved by a professor from the Art Institute..."

Everyone was talking about it. Cao Jianzhong jumped down from the ladder, bowed to everyone, and then said loudly: "Dear bosses and masters, our family has switched to craft wood carving. The plaque you see is carved by me. Yes, so-so is still passable, right?"

"Why are you so careless? It's amazing! Boss Cao, when did you learn wood carving? I heard that this craft can never be mastered every ten or eight years." Someone said exaggeratedly.

"Haha, it's all trivial." Cao Jianzhong was quite pleased with himself. He moved the ladder away, made a welcoming gesture, and said, "If you don't mind, please come in and take a look. I have prepared some wood carvings here. In addition, We can undertake various customizations, including screens, railings, and decorative paintings!”

"Let's go in and have a look!"

Everyone's curiosity was aroused, and they greeted each other and poured into Cao Jianzhong's studio.

After entering the door, those who are familiar with the store will find that the room has completely changed. The original layout of the snack bar has been demolished, and new wallpaper has been put on the wall, which looks quite elegant. There are many pieces of wood hanging on the wall. If you look closely, you will see exquisite wood carvings, calligraphy and paintings, including flowers, birds, insects, fish, poems and poems by ancient people, and quotes from Hillary and a certain Yansong. They are very inspiring and special at first glance. The stylish kind.

In the corner of the store, there is a computer and a machine. Anyone who has spent time in a factory can tell at a glance that the machine is somewhat similar to the gantry milling machine in the factory, except that it is slightly smaller and the beams and columns look a little thinner. Next to the machine, you can see some remaining wood chips. It can be imagined that the various wood carvings in this room should have been made on this machine.

"This painting is beautiful! I bought it and hung it in the living room. It looks classy at first sight!"

Someone quickly discovered the practical value of these wood carvings and paintings.

Nowadays, it is said that we are in a difficult economic period. State-owned enterprises are losing a lot of money. There are "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" problems in rural areas. There are also jokes about three mountains. It seems that the next step for the people across the country is to eat grass. But in reality, every household is thinking about buying a house, decorating it, and buying furniture, and they don't know where everyone's money comes from.

Some units have undergone housing reforms, and the houses they used to live in can be bought for thirty to twenty thousand yuan. Although they are both living, can living in a house owned by oneself and living in a public house be the same thing? No matter how much the public house is ruined, I don’t feel bad about it. Once it becomes my own house, I have to think about laying floor tiles and replacing it with aluminum alloy doors and windows.

In a renovated house, you need to hang some decorative paintings on the walls, right? There are all kinds of New Year pictures at the farmers' market, some depicting ancient generals fighting in battles, some depicting big fat boys, some depicting flowers and birds, and some imitating the Eight Horses, even though the horses on them look like donkeys. It is understandable that the countryside likes this kind of New Year pictures. After all, the countryside itself lacks color and needs bright red and green things to decorate it. But it would be too tacky for city people to hang such New Year pictures in their homes, and they would be sorry for the money they spent on decoration.

Some of you who have a good idea can ask a calligrapher to write a banner or something. The calligrapher does not charge for the service, but only charges for a little polishing. In other words, his pen is tired, so everyone can give him a hundred and eighty yuan as a token of appreciation. . I have no choice but to give away the retouching fee even if I want to, so I let my child in middle school write a few strokes. Hanging it on the wall can only ward off evil spirits, but it cannot be said to be beautiful.

Now, Cao Jianzhong's studio has provided everyone with a new idea. Can flowers and birds painted with watercolors and carved from wood be on the same level? Hanging a coquettish painting of peonies at home is called a nouveau riche. But if this peony painting is carved from hardwood, without any color and only the texture of the wood, it will look so elegant, booklike, and aristocratic. …

"Old Cao, your paintings are not cheap, are they?"

Some people began to tentatively inquire about the price, thinking in their minds that if a painting costs less than 100 yuan, it should be acceptable. If it exceeds 100 yuan, it should be weighed. What, you said it’s within 50 yuan? Don’t be ridiculous. This is a wood carving, and it’s such a fine carving. Do you think it’s enough to pick up a random board on the ground and carve it twice?

"Boss Li, this one you like costs 25 yuan."

Cao Jianzhong's voice rang out.

"What! 25 yuan!"

Not only the owner of the small grocery store, Li, but everyone was shocked. Such a beautiful wood carving only costs 25 yuan. Could it be that Lao Cao made a mistake?

25 yuan, 10 years ago, was almost enough for a family's food expenses for half a month, but now it can only buy 3 pounds of meat. Prices have risen like crazy in the past two years. If a family has a meal on the weekend, they wish they could spend 25 yuan. The saved money can buy a painting and hang it in the house. I guess it won’t be damaged even if it hangs for 20 years, right?

"Old Cao, what about this?"

"I want this, but whoever it is, don't rob it from me!"

"I buy it for ten yuan, can you give me a 20% discount or something?"

Everyone was excited. While the couple was stunned and didn't understand the price, they quickly made the first move. Buying 10 yuan of decorative paintings is enough to cover all the walls of the house, which is only 250 yuan. Compared with the cost of decoration, it is just a drop in the bucket.

"Boss, how much does your map of China cost?"

A powerful voice attracted everyone's attention. Everyone saw that this was a strong man with a 20-pound gold chain hanging around his neck. He was pointing at a large board standing on the ground. The board is 1 meter high and 2 meters long. If you look closely, you can see that it is made of several hard boards. The most eye-catching thing is that there is a complete map of China carved on this board. The mountains, rivers and plateaus on it are all convex, while the plains and lakes are concave. It looks like a wood carving sand table of China's topography.

"This... is a bit expensive." Cao Jianzhong said calmly.

"No matter how expensive it is, it still has a price, right? If I like it, just make an offer." The man with the gold chain said domineeringly.

"500 yuan." Cao Jianzhong extended a slap in the face.

"Hahahaha!" The man with the gold chain laughed, "I thought it was so expensive, it's only 500 yuan! Boss Cao, can you engrave our company's name on the blank space next to the map to show that this is a special edition? That's it. How about I give you another 500 yuan? I want to hang this map in my office so that my business friends will be blinded as soon as they walk in!"